Chapter 21: [Relic·Jester’s Universal Mask]
"Congratulations on clearing ‘407 Anomalous Creature Containment’."
"Dungeon exploration rate 87%, received A-level reward, guaranteed reward 100%."
"Strategist: Random card draw reward +30%."
"Monster Slayer: Additional card draw reward +20%."
"Weak Overcoming the Strong: Additional card draw reward +25%."
"Light Injury: Fixed reward +2%."
"BOSS Slay: A-level [Fallen Witch] special reward +5%; A-level [Curse Gambler] special reward +7%; A-level [Shadow Demon] reward +7%."
"Completed hidden plot exploration *3, hidden reward +15%."
"Overall rating S, obtained pass-through chest 1, obtained special settlement chest 1."
Ji Xun looked at the series of settlement evaluations, not quite understanding.
But thinking that he had killed several main BOSSes, the rewards should be good.
He looked again at the two chests floating in mid-air, gently touched, and the plot chest opened five hexagram cards.
There was also a prompt below: "20% probability of drawing a white card, 79% black iron card, 1% silver card."
The second special chest had only one card.
"Drawing cards?"
Ji Xun smiled slightly, another gambling dog’s game.
Five choices, one.
He casually clicked on a card.
Without the golden legendary glow, two cards appeared in front of him.
"Opened pass-through chest, obtained ‘Skill·Advanced Firearm Expertise’ *1."
"Opened special settlement chest, obtained ‘Relic·Jester’s Universal Mask’ *1."
Ji Xun looked at the attribute introduction of the two cards in his hand, his eyes brightened.
Although the plot chest did not draw the 1% silver card, the reward was better than expected.
[Skill·Advanced Firearm Expertise]
Details: Black iron skill cultivation card, requires intermediate firearm expertise, using or mastering advanced firearm expertise, you will possess superb shooting skills.
He was just at the intermediate level.
"Unexpectedly, another skill cultivation card."
Ji Xun looked at the card with a firearm icon and muttered.
He recalled that Chujiu had said that skill cultivation cards were extremely rare, considered the most valuable among cards of the same quality.
He didn’t expect to get two in this different-dimensional space.
Does it mean that his card-drawing luck is actually pretty good?
Or is it due to the high evaluation leading to a higher probability of drawing exclusive items?
Anyway, he drew it.
Looking at the attribute panel, he was exactly at [Intermediate Firearm Expertise (654/800)], able to use this card.
With a thought, he crushed the card.
"Used ‘Skill·Advanced Firearm Expertise’, you have mastered the skill."
Exaggeratedly, the skill panel updated to [Advanced Firearm Expertise (1554/3000)].
"This skill card is amazing."
Ji Xun, to understand how this card works, paid close attention to the changes in his body before and after using it.
Clearly, he felt like some mysterious force added something to his memory.
It was as if he had a short but enriching dream.
He swam in the dream, and then he actually learned to swim.
Ji Xun felt great.
After integrating the card skill, his hand instinctively touched the revolver at his waist, instantly feeling different.
Previously, firearms were still an external tool to him. But now, touching the revolver felt like an extension of his arm.
He had a feeling that if he drew the gun, he would definitely hit whatever he aimed at.
In his previous life, he had seen military reports, where some top firearms masters mentioned that this level was akin to feeling that the firearm is an extension of their body.
"So this is advanced firearm expertise, truly amazing."
Ji Xun felt fully rewarded.
Perhaps firearms are not too strong in this world with extraordinary powers, but with his current weak body, the most direct way to increase combat power is with firearm skills.
This skill card may not be the best, but it is definitely the most practical right now!
Without much thought, he turned to look at the other card he obtained.
[Relic·Jester’s Universal Mask]
Description: Once worn for too long, it cannot be taken off.
Details: An ancient relic exclusive to a sequence that lost its divinity, possessing strong mental erosion; consuming 10 mind power per hour after wearing, it can arbitrarily change faces, and based on one’s mental power attribute, gain illusion resistance +35%, curse immunity +20%, mental probe immunity +70%, mystery +30%, dark affinity +20; insufficient mental power leads to mental distortion; can absorb mental power to enhance the relic’s quality.
"Exclusive relic?"
Ji Xun looked at the card with a mask icon.
The mask was flesh-colored, like a freshly peeled human skin.
It was a piece of equipment.
Ji Xun didn’t understand why equipment needed to be sealed in a card.
But when the mask appeared in his hand at the thought, he immediately guessed the reason.
In his hand appeared a mask as thin as a cicada’s wing, light as a feather, but holding it made his vision blur.
A prompt appeared: "Mysterious erosion, mental power -01."
This mask, like the extraordinary materials inside those monsters, had energy pollution akin to nuclear radiation.
Now Ji Xun had a better understanding of "extraordinary pollution." It wasn’t something to be overly feared, probably because his body was too weak to withstand some overly powerful exotic energy.
It’s like sunbathing, getting too close, or too long being harmful to humans.
Sealing the equipment in a card is probably to protect the user and prevent the extraordinary traits of the equipment from leaking?
Like leaving a kitchen knife exposed to the air would rust, storing equipment in a card prevents extraordinary traits from being lost.
Ji Xun didn’t think too much about it.
He would have enough time to explore this magical world in the future.
Ji Xun estimated the usage time of this equipment in his mind, thinking: "Wearing it continuously consumes mental power. So I can use it for about ten minutes now?"
Normally it should last about twenty minutes, but he didn’t think draining his mental power was a good idea.
The attributes of this mask were some terms he couldn’t accurately grasp, so Ji Xun wasn’t sure of its strength.
But suddenly, wearing the mask, he saw a very intuitive stat change on his status panel: Dark affinity 25.
His original dark affinity was only 5, and this mask temporarily added 20.
"Reaching dark affinity of 25, can I now learn that [Skill·Shadow Stealth]?"
Ji Xun took out the skill cultivation card he previously obtained from killing the shadow demon and tried it.
The prompt showed it indeed could be used!
Compared to the mask or something, he felt that this [Shadow Stealth] was the lifesaving godly skill at the moment.
Without much thought, Ji Xun directly used the cultivation card.
As the card disintegrated into powder in his hand, the dream-like inspiration swept through in an instant, and the skill panel added another [Shadow Stealth Lv0].
He actually learned it!
Compared to firearm expertise, which he mastered in his previous life, this [Shadow Stealth] was truly an extraordinary ability.
Ji Xun felt very magical.
Trying to use the skill, a magical scene unfolded in front of him.
He watched as his body gradually blended into the darkness, disappearing without a trace.
How to describe that state?
Like swimming underwater, the dark elements wrapped around and hid his body instantly; he felt his whole body submerged in the dark elements.
The previously completely ethereal dark elements now felt tangible, like touchable water.
However, seconds later, a staggering figure reappeared from the darkness.
Ji Xun looked at himself emerging from the darkness, still immersed in the magical experience of using an extraordinary ability for the first time.
Like a fish in water.
Yet suddenly, he fell back onto the shore.
He immediately realized something: out of mana.
The data panel showed: Mana 1/13.
This tiny bit of mana remained from devouring the few extraordinary traits of two corpses earlier.
Ji Xun thought: "Mana is the blue bar for using curse cards, there should be some breathing methods or cultivation secrets in this world."
He had seen Chujiu meditating before, with rhythmic breathing that might be the secret to cultivating mana.
It seemed he needed to pay attention to such things after going out.
Ji Xun thought so.
A few seconds of experience opened up too many thoughts; if he could stealth long-term in the dark, this ability would be essential for home and travel.
Wearing the Jester’s mask consumed mental power quickly, Ji Xun took it off, and his dark affinity returned to 5.
Then he noticed that the [Shadow Stealth] skill grayed out.
Without high dark affinity, he could no longer sense the dark elements.
The skill was imprinted in his mind, but his body couldn’t perform it.
Previously, it was like swimming in water, now it’s like swimming in the air, same movements but couldn’t swim anymore.
As expected.
Ji Xun didn’t think much and walked towards the twisted light gate to leave the different-dimensional space.
He wanted to see this new world.
