Chapter 26: The Mysterious Mask

After finishing off all the Black-headed Eagles in the Peregrin Prairie, I filled my spatial pocket with the cores obtained from dismantling each of their corpses one by one.

Catching that last one that tried to escape was a stroke of genius. If I had just let it disappear, it would have undoubtedly called another flock of Black-headed Eagles.

Of course, even if another flock of Black-headed Eagles charged at me, handling them in a similar manner wouldn’t be impossible, but if a learned one mixed into the flock, there was a possibility it would try to attack with new patterns.

Then, for the sake of safety, I would have had to take a mobile warp and return straight to the guild, which would mean failing to achieve my original purpose for visiting the Peregrin Prairie: testing the use of fire magic.

Early dawn, before most hunters clocked in, was the only chance I had to try out the newly learned fire magic. This was much closer to my main objective than using my Level 4 Swordsmanship skill or collecting the Black-headed Eagle cores.

Fire magic itself was quite a dangerous magic, and in places with many flammable objects, it had the potential to lead to a large fire, so I couldn’t help but hesitate to test its power in places like the Dark Forest or the Grave of Ancient Trees.

When an area becomes a dungeon, it usually gains self-restoration abilities for the entire region, so even if the whole forest burned down, the dungeon wouldn’t become unusable. However, there was still the possibility that other hunters could fall into danger due to flames originating from my magic.

On the other hand, visiting places with many water-attribute monsters, like coastal areas or lake dungeons, wouldn’t allow me to properly measure the power of fire magic. That’s why the Peregrin Prairie was the place I carefully chose.

About the only things flammable here were the sparse patches of grass. No matter how much fire magic I used, it wasn’t going to lead to a large-scale fire.

‘If I just went out as I am now, I’d just arouse unnecessary suspicion from the staff.’

It was the natural consequence for a male hunter who went in armed with just a sword to return with results from the Peregrin Prairie.

Catching fifteen Black-headed Eagles in the Peregrin Prairie as a male hunter was unprecedented. While cutting down three or four at once with my greatsword might make them seem like weak monsters, they were actually dangerous enough that you could say there were no proper means of attack against them by close-combat weapon standards.

Besides, last time when I sold the Woodrello cores, Cha Yuri was there, so I received less suspicion. She said she was an A-rank hunter before her break. And although I did help, Cha Yuri was indeed the one who actually caught the Woodrello.

However, if I disposed of fifteen Black-headed Eagle cores by myself, the employee handling monster materials would surely think something was odd. Like stealing another female hunter’s achievements, or things like that.

‘As long as I wasn’t overtly conspicuous, they probably wouldn’t strictly regulate it.’

It’s the Guild, after all, which gathers all sorts of miscellaneous hunters. Even if I leeched off another hunter, as long as it brought results, they tolerated a man acting like a gold digger… no, a viper. That’s the Guild’s way. However, if it was too blatant, they couldn’t just let it slide, so they imposed restrictions within reason.

Ultimately, I didn’t have the means to dispose of the Black-headed Eagle cores right now. But since I have the spatial pocket, taking them out undetected was possible, and if I keep them, a chance to sell them off will surely arise.

‘If worse comes to worst, I can just ask Cha Yuri to handle it for me.’

She would probably agree without much suspicion. …If I showed it to Hye-eun, she would definitely interrogate me about how I got it.

Until I become an A-rank hunter someday and can be more confident even in front of Kang Hye-eun or others, it seemed better to keep the fact that I’ve awakened a secret from everyone except Cha Yuri.

I’ve already shown Cha Yuri my swordsmanship, even if just a little, and she’ll inevitably find out I’ve awakened soon enough. But even in front of her, if possible, I’ll have to pretend I only awakened swordsmanship abilities by using only skills related to ‘swordsmanship’.

The time might come to reveal the true nature of my awakened abilities to Kang Hye-eun or Cha Yuri someday, but that time was definitely not now.

The same applies to others, not just the two of them. It’s much easier to move freely by not drawing attention from as many people as possible right now.

Acting as a male hunter in this world, and going around collecting awakening points.

Besides, my financial situation wasn’t so dire that I needed to sell the Black-headed Eagle cores right now.

‘…Maybe I should practice magic.’

Anyway, there was still plenty of time before other hunters arrived. And even to avoid being caught hunting the Black-headed Eagles, it was better to clean up the monster corpses.

After extracting the cores, I used 1st and 2nd Circle fire magic as much as I knew against the remaining Black-headed Eagle (remains). Those monsters, with durability suitable for withstanding magic, gradually turned into ashes amidst crackling flames after taking several hits.

As a result of testing the power of various fire magic spells against the corpses, I was able to find out that Fire Magic lv. 2 was almost identical to 2nd Circle fire magic.

‘Wait a second, now that I think about it, something seems a bit off with the calculation?’

…Clearly, I only invested 100 points in Fire Magic, but the circle of fire magic I can use is level 2. Doesn’t it usually start from level 1? Of course, there was no guarantee that my awakened ability followed the concept of common sense, but anyway.

Could it be that from the moment I awakened the Hunter Lust Manager ability, using all three skills was simply possible? And using points was just for skill enhancement?

『New skills of the Hunter Lust Manager start from basic lv. 1, and you can utilize the skill from lv. 1 onwards.』

As soon as I had that thought, the system window popped up on the screen, confirming my thoughts were correct.

If I had known this, I should have tried out fire magic or recovery before raising my swordsmanship level first. I probably still would have raised my swordsmanship, but it was a rash decision at the time.

Next time, when other skills are unlocked, I’ll try using them first. I’ll take knowing this now as my own consolation.

After spending time lost in thought, it was already close to nine o’clock.

The Peregrin Prairie itself is a popular hunting ground, so several hunters started appearing via mobile warp, one or two at a time. As soon as they confirmed there were no Black-headed Eagles nearby, they immediately started moving to a location a bit further away.

They seemed not to have noticed me, hiding and resting in the shade of a nearby rock. Since it’s a dungeon male hunters cannot enter, it’s much better not to be discovered.

‘Even if I were discovered, the excuse that I was hiding because I was scared of the Black-headed Eagles would be enough, but…’

Perhaps a weak male hunter might stimulate female hunters’ maternal instincts.

Incidentally, a chance to gain awakening points might arise, which wouldn’t be too bad in its own way. But I couldn’t ‘choose’ the appearance of a female hunter who would show such a reaction.

In my original world, there were quite a few men who would pounce as long as there was an opening, without distinguishing appearance, but I wasn’t like that anyway.

Since I couldn’t think of anything to do while hiding until the crowd thinned out a bit, my hand naturally reached for the Hunter Lust Manager app on my smartphone. Soon after, I found something that particularly caught my eye among the app’s items.

『(Bound Item) Mask of Unknown Identity: Upon equipping, others can only perceive the user’s identity in a neutral form.

It feels like all distinguishing features like age, gender, and body type disappear, and others find it difficult to remember the user of this item.

Price: 100 points (Currently 33.3% off)』

Seeing something sparkling in the Point Shop menu, I went in just in case. As soon as the screen transitioned, this Mask of Unknown Identity was displayed prominently, advertised as being on sale.

‘I don’t think I found it when I browsed the shop last time.’

Are artifacts unobtainable in the outside world like this perhaps special items that can only be purchased during the discount period?

Of course, the Point Shop is still open now, but other items, excluding weapons and armor, were not available for constant sale.

The moment I thought that far, my finger was already hovering over the purchase button for the discounted item.

『Remaining Awakening Points: 115 → 15』

As the points were consumed in real-time, a single white mask immediately popped into existence right before my eyes.

I took a rough look at it earlier in the Hunter Lust Manager app, but it wasn’t an item with a design I particularly liked.

‘…It looks kinda cheap.’

Can this mask, which looks like something a chainsaw-wielding maniac would wear, really hide my identity? If I don’t end up being treated like a lunatic for no reason, that would be fortunate.

Honestly speaking, I wanted to change the design of this Mask of Unknown Identity a little, even if it meant spending all the remaining 15 points. Even if it’s something only I can see, it’s enough to make me hesitate to wear it carelessly.

Even so, if this item truly helps hide my identity, there was no reason not to use it. At least if the description was true, the gains outweighed the drawbacks, so putting my complaints aside for a moment, I tried wearing it right away.

Given its rough appearance, I didn’t particularly expect much in terms of comfort, but surprisingly, a perfectly fitting sensation was felt across my entire face, as if it was made with my face in mind from the start. Perhaps thanks to that, my trust in this artifact grew a little more.

Setting aside everything else, the biggest advantage mentioned in the mask’s description was that it makes ‘gender’ perceived in a neutral form.

With this item alone, I’ll be able to be less conspicuous when using magic or awakened skills in my life as a hunter going forward. I won’t be restricted from entering certain dungeons like today or be suspected when selling materials.

If I intended to use it for nefarious purposes or crimes, it wouldn’t be without potential applications, but my goal is purely to become stronger as a hunter, not to live well off unearned income.

Operating as a male hunter without attracting strange glances. If I could use it just for that, it would be enough. That alone would surely justify the value of investing 100 points.

‘Since I have to leave eventually anyway. Maybe I should test the item.’

Around the time more hunters started entering the Peregrin Prairie, I slowly revealed myself among the group of hunters gathered at the gate, wearing the Mask of Unknown Identity to check its performance.

“So, what she told me was…”

“What? That crazy bitch didn’t show up for work today? Then how about the Black-headed Eagles…”

“Ughhh, I’m sleepy as hell…. Let’s just do one job today and call it a day. I’m tired…”

Female hunters chatting amongst themselves, sharing various stories.

Thanks to the indifferent gazes of others, I could immediately confirm the usefulness of the artifact I acquired.

“So, I also told her…”

“Is there any solo mage or archer! Or any other ranged person…”

Occasionally, glances brushed past me, but they weren’t particularly strange. It was just the way they glanced, as if they saw an ordinary person who could be anywhere and wouldn’t look out of place.

An extremely ordinary and natural gaze, like looking at just another ordinary hunter who wouldn’t look out of place anywhere. At least, it was a gaze I rarely felt since I started operating in the Guild.

As soon as I confirmed that indifferent gaze, I quietly smiled inwardly.

Coming out of the dungeon and returning to the Guild lobby, even when selling the Black-headed Eagle cores at counter 13, I didn’t feel any suspicious glances from the staff or other hunters regarding the submission of achievements unattainable for me as a male.

…The design isn’t great, but it’ll be useful in many ways going forward.