Chapter 26
Chapter 26
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Mysterious Mask
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After clearing out every last Black-Headed Eagle in the Peregrine Plains, I dismantled their corpses one by one and stuffed all the cores I'd obtained into my subspace pocket for now.
Catching that final fleeing one had been a stroke of genius. If I'd let it get away, it surely would have called in another flock of Black-Headed Eagles.
Of course, even if another flock came charging at me, I probably could have handled them the same way. But if even one of those that had learned from the encounter was mixed in, there was a good chance they'd try some new attack pattern.
In that case, for safety's sake, I'd have had no choice but to hop on a mobile warp and head straight back to the guild. And that would have meant failing my original goal for visiting the Peregrine Plains in the first place: testing out my new Flame Magic.
This early in the morning, before most hunters had even clocked in, was the perfect—and only—chance to try out the Flame Magic I'd just learned. It was far more aligned with my main purpose than swinging around my level 4 Swordsmanship skill or collecting Black-Headed Eagle cores.
Flame Magic was inherently dangerous stuff, and in places full of flammable materials, it could easily spark a massive blaze. That made me hesitate to test its power in spots like the Dark Forest or Ancient Tree Graveyard.
Dungeons usually gained self-regeneration properties across the entire area once they formed, so even if I accidentally burned down a whole forest, it wouldn't render the dungeon unusable. Still, there was always the risk of putting other hunters in danger from a fire I'd started.
On the other hand, heading to a water-based monster spot like a coastal or lake dungeon wouldn't let me gauge Flame Magic's true power. That was why I'd carefully chosen this place: the Peregrine Plains.
The only things here that could burn were the sparse patches of grass scattered around. No matter how much Flame Magic I unleashed, it wouldn't escalate into a full-blown wildfire.
'Even if I left right now like this, it'd just arouse pointless suspicion from the staff.'
A male hunter who'd gone in with just a single sword coming back from the Peregrine Plains with results? That was the obvious outcome.
A male hunter soloing fifteen Black-Headed Eagles in the Peregrine Plains would be unprecedented—no prior cases on record. Sure, swinging my greatsword let me cleave through three or four at a time, making them seem weak, but in truth, they were dangerous monsters with virtually no effective close-range counters.
Last time, when I'd sold the Woodrello core, Cha Yu-ri had been with me, so there'd been less suspicion. She'd been an A-Rank Hunter back before her break, after all. And while I'd helped, she'd been the one to actually take down the Woodrello.
But if I tried unloading fifteen Black-Headed Eagle cores all by myself, the monster materials intake staff would definitely think something was off. Like I'd stolen the results from some female hunter or whatever.
'They wouldn't outright penalize me unless I made it too obvious.'
This was the Hunter Autonomous Guild, after all—a dumping ground for every ragtag hunter out there. Even if a guy leeched off other hunters, as long as it produced results, they'd turn a blind eye to him acting like a gold-digging snake... or rather, a rattlesnake. That was the guild's way. But if you flaunted it too blatantly, they had to draw the line somewhere.
In the end, I had no way to offload the Black-Headed Eagle cores right now. But with my subspace pocket, I could smuggle them out undetected, and an opportunity to sell them would come eventually.
'Worst case, I can ask Cha Yu-ri to handle it for me.'
She'd probably do it without batting an eye. ...Not so with Hye-eun—she'd grill me on how I even got them.
Until I became an A-Rank Hunter and could stand tall in front of Kang Hye-eun or anyone else, it seemed best to keep my awakening a secret from everyone except Cha Yu-ri.
I'd already shown her a glimpse of my Swordsmanship, and she'd figure out I'd awakened soon enough. Even in front of her, though, I'd stick to 'Swordsmanship'-related skills and play it off like that was my only ability.
Someday, I might reveal the full truth of my awakening ability to Kang Hye-eun or Cha Yu-ri. But now? Absolutely not.
It wasn't just them—staying out of sight from as many people as possible let me move far more freely right now.
Whether operating as a male hunter in this world or grinding for Awakening Points.
Besides, my life wasn't so dire that I needed to sell those cores immediately.
'...Time to practice some magic.'
It would be a while before other hunters started trickling in. And to avoid anyone spotting that I'd hunted the Black-Headed Eagles, I needed to clean up the corpses anyway.
I tested out 1-circle and 2-circle Flame Magic spells on the remains of the Black-Headed Eagles (or what used to be them) after extracting their cores. The monsters' durability made them perfect targets, and after a few spells, they erupted in roaring flames, gradually crumbling into ash piles.
Through testing various Flame Magic spells on the corpses, I confirmed that Flame Magic Lv. 2 essentially equated to 2-circle Flame Magic.
'Hang on, something doesn't add up when I think about it.'
...I'd only invested 100 points in Flame Magic, yet I could already use up to 2-circle spells.
Didn't it usually start at 1-circle? Not that my awakening ability had to follow normal logic, but still.
Did that mean from the moment I awakened Hunter Lust Manager, I could use all three skills right away? And points only served to strengthen them?
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ New skills from Hunter Lust Manager begin at base Lv. 1 and can be utilized starting from Lv. 1. The system window popped up the instant that thought crossed my mind, confirming exactly what I'd suspected.
If I'd known, I would've tested Flame Magic or Healing before leveling Swordsmanship. I probably would have anyway, but it had been a rash call back then.
Next time a new skill unlocks, I'll test it first. At least I knew now—that was some consolation.
By the time I'd spent the hours lost in thought, it was nearly nine o'clock.
The Peregrine Plains was a decently popular hunting ground, so a few hunters started arriving via mobile warps, one or two at a time. Confirming no Black-Headed Eagles nearby, they quickly shifted to spots further out.
They hadn't noticed me hiding in the shadow of a nearby rock, catching my breath. Since male hunters weren't allowed in this dungeon, staying hidden was definitely safer.
'Even if they spotted me, I could just say I was hiding from the Black-Headed Eagles...'
Though it might accidentally trigger some female hunter's maternal instincts toward a "helpless" male hunter.
That could lead to a chance at Awakening Points on the side—not the worst outcome. But I couldn't choose which female hunter reacted that way.
Back in my old world, there were guys who'd pounce on anything with a hole regardless of looks. Not me, though.
With nothing else to do while waiting for the crowd to thin, my hand naturally drifted to my smartphone and the Hunter Lust Manager app. Before long, one item jumped out at me.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ (Bound Item) Mysterious Mask: When equipped, others perceive the user's identity only in a neutral form. Features such as age, gender, and build all fade away. Others find it difficult to remember the wearer. Price: 100 points (currently 33.3% off) I'd spotted something sparkling in the point shop menu and checked it out, only for this Mysterious Mask to pop up front and center, on discount.
'I don't remember seeing it when I browsed the shop before.'
Were artifacts unavailable in the outside world only purchasable during limited-time sales like this?
The point shop was still open, but aside from weapons and armor, other items weren't always in stock.
The moment that thought hit me, my finger was already hovering over the buy button for the discounted item.
Remaining Awakening Points: 115 → 15 My points drained in real time, and with a pop, a plain white mask appeared before my eyes.
I'd glimpsed it in the Hunter Lust Manager app earlier, but up close, the design wasn't exactly to my taste.
'...Kinda tacky-looking.'
This mask screamed "chainsaw murderer." Would it really hide my identity? As long as I didn't get treated like a psycho, I'd count my blessings.
Honestly, I'd burn my remaining 15 points to redesign it if I could. Even if only I could see it, it was hesitant to wear something this iffy.
Still, if it truly helped conceal my identity as described, there was no reason not to use it. The benefits outweighed the flaws, so I shelved my complaints and slipped it on right away.
I hadn't expected much in terms of comfort from its crude exterior, but surprisingly, it fit my face perfectly, like it was custom-made. That alone boosted my trust in the artifact a bit.
Above all, the mask's biggest perk from the description was neutralizing perceptions of 'gender.'
With this, I could use magic or awakening skills during hunts with far less scrutiny. No more restrictions on entering specific dungeons or suspicion when selling materials, like today.
It had criminal potential, sure, but my goal was getting stronger as a hunter—not easy street through shady gains.
Just letting me operate as a male hunter without weird stares? That was plenty. A solid return on 100 points.
'Gotta head out eventually anyway. Time to test the thing.'
As more hunters filtered into the Peregrine Plains, I donned the freshly bought Mysterious Mask to verify its performance and slowly emerged from the gate crowd.
"So anyway, she said to me..."
"What? That crazy bitch isn't coming in today? Then how're we supposed to handle the Black-Headed Eagles..."
"Ughhh, I'm gonna die of sleepiness... Let's just knock out one run and bail. I'm beat..."
The female hunters chattered away among themselves.
Their indifferent glances let me test the artifact's utility right away.
"So I told her..."
"Any solo mages or archers out there? Or any other ranged dealer..."
A few glances flicked my way, but nothing suspicious. Just the look you'd give an utterly ordinary person who blended into any crowd.
The gaze of someone seeing a perfectly average hunter in a perfectly average spot. Something I hadn't felt much since joining the guild.
The moment I registered those casual stares, I smiled quietly to myself.
Back outside the dungeon and in the guild lobby, selling the Black-Headed Eagle cores at counter 13 drew zero suspicion from staff or other hunters about a male achieving the impossible.
...The design sucks, but I'll get plenty of use out of it.