Appraisal Eye and the Aphrodisiac Hunt

A pure white space. Watching the spinning cards, I blinked.

...How the hell do I pick one?

Was there some kind of pattern? All I could see were the backs of the cards, but they came in several colors. Specifically, just three kinds right now. Red, blue, green. What did they mean? Like rarity levels in a gacha game? Or types of traits?

"I have no clue..."

If they'd been gold, silver, something like that, I could've picked easily. But these? No sense at all. I had no choice but to leave it to luck. The prompt earlier said to select a trait, so there had to be rules.

"Hmm."

The timer was running out, but no answers came to mind, so I went with the most primal method. I closed my eyes.

S-rank.

Whatever came up was fine. Even weird effects were okay. Levels could be raised endlessly anyway. What I needed right now was a trait that worked for me immediately. I stretched out my hand, relying on my heightened senses.

And.

The hot sensation at my fingertips faded completely, and the ambient noise returned.

...Did it work?

With trembling anticipation, I opened my eyes.

"Wha... uh..."

Something had appeared. No clue from the description what it did, so I tested it right away.

My vision rippled like water drops hitting the surface. The world tinted blue. The air lost weight and fell away, replaced by floating blue particles. My body felt heavy, like it was soaked in water. Never tried it, but this must be what scuba diving feels like?

I waved my hand, and the mana scattered around me. Probably because my mana stat was low. Amazing. Really amazing, but...

"What the hell do I use this for?"

That wasn't the main point. The real effect of Appraisal Eye was reading info from the visualized mana. To test that...

"Guess it's back to the gates, huh?"

Only way was to head to a mana-rich environment. Whether running into other hunters or entering a gate. I grabbed my gear from the corner of my room.

Yeah, I'd rested plenty. Time to make some money.

*

By the time I arrived, the other party members were already waiting. I checked the time, wondering if I was late, but apparently not.

"You're Hunter Kim Geon, right?"

"Ah, yeah."

The man who seemed to be the party leader spoke up.

"Everyone's here, so let's do a quick briefing and head in. As you can see, the gate is right in front of this shopping mall."

We all looked up following his gaze. A massive five-story mall with a purple gate in front.

"It's a maze-type dungeon, not super dangerous, but the interior is warped and complex, so clearing it will take time. We'll split into two teams to search Building A and Building B simultaneously."

They had a plan ready, so grouping up was quick.

"I'll go with this guy. He has teleport magic, great for regrouping, and we already know each other. You two..."

The woman who'd been lurking in the corner uncrossed her arms and looked up. Our eyes met, and she fidgeted with her hair for no reason.

"Perfect, since Hunter Lee Ha-eun is C-rank, you two can pair up."

The party leader gave a casual "see you later" and headed off. We didn't move right away, just staring at each other.

Her face was average. But her outfit was outrageous. Like a qipao from a wuxia novel fused with a bikini?

"...What're you staring at?"

She spoke first. Hey, unfair—I didn't start it.

"Let's go."

"Was just about to."

She turned toward the gate and brushed past me. Annoying personality, but better that way. C-rank meant she had skills. I could just follow, grab mana stones and loot.

And.

Wooong—

The rain-like hum faded, and the world submerged in the sea again. In this heavier realm, I stood still, watching the backs of those ahead.

White auras flickered around the party members. The man in front had a modest but weighty one—experience compensating for lack of talent. I turned my head.

The mage beside him had a larger aura, tinged blue and resonating with ambient mana due to his magic.

No need to understand. I just knew. Like I'd been born with it.

▷ Appraisal Eye ─ Lv. 1: Visualizes mana to read the information contained within.

So this is what it does.

Finally, I lowered my gaze. Lee Ha-eun's back was right in front of me.

"..."

For a moment, my eyes stung with brightness. Her aura was golden. Vast mana pushed away the surroundings, proclaiming its might. In this blue-tinted world, her color stood out sharper than anything.

Not C-rank. I could tell at a glance. She was hiding her rank.

...Why?

No idea. I deactivated Appraisal Eye and let the suspicion go. Overthinking was poison. We wouldn't be together long anyway—no issue ignoring it. She didn't seem suspicious.

I followed Lee Ha-eun into the gate.

The mall interior was quieter than expected. The whole five-story building had warped under the gate's influence, making the layout a mess. Stairs bent to weird places, some floors flipped upside down.

Lee Ha-eun and I were on B Building. Her fast pace naturally put me trailing behind. She strode silently, not even footsteps.

"Chwik, chwik—"

"Shut up."

She swung her arm, and two orc heads separated from bodies, floating in the air. She wasn't even hiding her strength.

Walk, enemy appears—she slices, I loot. No hesitation in her steps. Like she'd memorized a map, turning corners, checking dead ends, reorienting.

She moved toward her goal regardless of monsters. After 30 minutes, I stopped.

"...What? Not following?"

"This is the second time we've seen this spot, right?"

I was good at navigation too. Essential for an E-rank aiming pro hunter status.

"So?"

I'd been thinking while walking. The structure wasn't that complex. No major fights, so 30 minutes should've covered the whole mall. I could guess the boss room, so why couldn't she?

She's circling fast on purpose.

Not lost. Had a specific target.

Problem is... no idea what.

Honestly, none of my business what she wanted. But as her partner, it was getting tiring. Typical frontliner ignoring the guy behind. I was carrying all the loot too.

I just asked straight up.

"You're looking for something, right? I'll help, so let's find it together. My legs are killing me."

Thud—I dropped the loot bundle on purpose. She coughed awkwardly, conscience pricked, then got to the point.

"...Yeah."

"Pardon?"

"...Aphrodisiac."

What the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fuck? She was searching for that?

I stared like she was crazy, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her face turned beet red. Perverted outfit, but she knew shame.

"N-no! Not for me!"

"Riiight... sure."

"Nooo!"

Crimson-faced Lee Ha-eun grabbed and shook my shoulders. Stuck like that, I heard the full story.

Summary:

"Gates rarely produce aphrodisiacs, and you're collecting them."

"Yes."

"...But not for personal use, just collecting?"

"Y-yeah? Wait, why the pause! I swear it's true!"

"I'm not a perv," she added, but that outfit killed any credibility.

Doesn't seem like a lie.

Gate loot as aphrodisiacs? Never heard, but after yesterday, common sense was shattered anyway. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Made sense. First raid since then, huh.

Hah.

What to do. Not keen, but no choices. Opposite team would take time to regroup.

I turned. Lee Ha-eun looked up with expectant eyes.

...No way she'd back down. Just treat it as grinding proficiency. I activated Appraisal Eye.

Splash—waves brushed my ears, vision extending. Gate's mana saturation made detection tricky.

"What does it look like?"

"...Syringe vial in a bottle. Like hospital injections."

"This way."

With Appraisal Eye on, my movements felt sluggish too. Gate items would hold mana. Rare if not seen yet, so high concentration—easy to spot.

Splash.

Then, a sea bass cut through the current. Harmless—my skill's phenomenon, under my control. A white bass with orange fins swam leisurely through the flooded mall. I followed it.

"Wait, where? You can tell?"

"You asked for help... Think I got it. Follow."

The fish stopped at a store ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠drawer. I opened it—

"...Huh?"

"Told you, I think I know."

Suddenly, a syringe vial was in my hand. I handed it to Lee Ha-eun.

Honestly, no clue if it was what she wanted. Pure instinct.

She took it awkwardly, inspecting it.

"...Yeah, this is it. Hard to find."

Her gaze shifted to me.

"How?"

"Nemo told me?"

"Huh?"

"Just a skill like that. You don't look combat-oriented."

I brushed it off, stretching lightly. Eyes blurry from overuse, more tired than usual.

"Let's move. Others should be heading here soon."

This time, I led.

...Somehow, her stare burned into the back of my head. stinging.