Chapter 24: Chapter 21 [Relic ■ Clown’s Mask of All Things]
Translator: 549690339
“Congratulations on clearing ‘Abnormal Creature Shelter 407″‘
“Labyrinth exploration degree 87%, received A-rank reward, fixed rewards 100%”
“Superior strategy: Random card draw reward +30%”
“Monster Slayer: Additional card draw reward +20%”
“Strength in weakness: Additional card draw reward +25%”
“Lightly injured: Fixed reward +2%”
“BOSS Slayer: A-rank reward for ‘Fallen Witch Sect’ +5%; A-rank reward for ‘Sorcery Gambler’ +7%; A-rank reward for ‘Shadow Demon’ +7%…”
“Completed hidden plot exploration*?, hidden reward +15%”
“Overall evaluation S, received clear chest reward*!, special settlement chest*!”
(Note: Chest probability draw items, the higher the settlement award evaluation, the greater the chance of getting high-quality items)
Looking at the series of settlement evaluations, Leonard Churchill was a little confused.
But considering that he had killed several major bosses, the rewards should be good.
He looked at the two chests floating in mid-air, lightly touched them, and the plot chest opened with five hexagram cards.
Below was the enlightenment: “30% chance of drawing a white card, 57% chance of black iron card, 10% chance of silver, special 3%”
The second special chest contained only one card.
“Draw a card?”
Leonard looked at it and laughed, it was another gambler’s game.
Choose one out of five.
He casually clicked on one.
Without a silver glow, two cards suddenly appeared before him.
“Opened clearance chest, received ‘Skill- Advanced Firearms Mastery’*!”
“Opened special settlement chest, received ‘Relic- Clown’s Mask of All Things’*!”
Leonard looked at the two cards in his hand and their attributes, his eyes lighting up.
The plot chest didn’t draw a 10% silver card, but it’s not a black iron either.
The rewards seemed better than expected.
He looked at the card: “Did I draw the special 3%?”
“Skill- Advanced Firearms Mastery”
Detailed explanation: Black iron skill cultivation card, requires Intermediate Firearms Mastery, after use it grants Advanced Firearms Mastery, possessing unimaginable shooting skills.
His shooting skills that he’s been practicing for years were only at an intermediate level.
But this card is advanced.
“Another skill cultivation card…”
Leonard looked at the card with the firearms pattern and silently muttered to himself.
He remembered that Camilla had said that skill cultivation cards were extremely rare, and were considered the most valuable of the same quality cards.
He didn’t expect to get two in this Alternate Dimension.
So that means his card drawing luck was actually not bad?
It seemed that the high evaluation of the settlement led to a high chance of drawing this card?
Anyway, he did draw it.
He glanced at the attribute panel, he just happened to be “Intermediate Firearms Mastery (654/800)”, he could use this card.
With a move of his intention, he crushed the card.
“Used ‘Skill- Advanced Firearms Mastery’, you’ve mastered this skill”
Exaggeratedly, the skill panel was updated to “Advanced Firearms Mastery (1554/3000)”.
“This skill card is amazing…”
To understand how this card actually worked, Leonard had studied the differences in his body before and after using it.
Noticeably, he felt as though some sort of mysterious force had added something to his memory.
As though he’d had a brief but enriching dream.
He’d been swimming in the dream, and then, he really knew how to swim.
Leonard felt great.
Having merged the card skill, he instinctively reached for the revolver at his waist and immediately felt a difference.
Before, firearms were just an external tool for him. But now, touching the revolver felt like an extension of his arm.
He had a feeling that if he drew his gun, it would hit wherever he pointed.
In his previous life, he remembered seeing interviews in military reports where top firearms masters explained their realm of understanding, this kind of feeling of the firearm being an extension of themselves.
“So this is Advanced Firearms Mastery, it’s really amazing.”
Leonard felt incredibly accomplished.
Perhaps firearms aren’t very strong in this world with extraordinary powers, but his physical body is feeble now, so the quickest way to increase his combat power is through shooting skills.
This skill card might not be the best, but it’s certainly the most practical one for him right now!
Without waiting to think more about it, he turned to look at the other card he’d drawn.
[Relic ■ Clown’s Mask of All Things]
Description: Once the mask has been worn for a while, it can’t be removed.
Detailed Explanation: An ancient relic exclusive to lost divine sequences that possesses extremely strong mental erosion. Wearing it consumes 10 Mental Power per hour, changes the face at will, and based on one’s own Mental Power attributes, it gains Illusion Resistance +35%, Curse Immunity +20%, Mental Probe Immunity +70%, Mystery +30%, and Dark Affinity +20. If there’s insufficient Mental Power, Mental Deformation occurs. It can absorb the amplifying attributes of Mental Power to enhance the quality of the relic.
“Exclusive relic?”
Leonard Churchill stared at the card in front of him that had the pattern of a mask.
The mask was flesh-colored, looking like a freshly flayed human skin.
This was a piece of equipment.
Leonard didn’t understand why the equipment also had to be sealed inside a card.
But as soon as he had this thought, he immediately figured out the reason when the mask appeared in his hand.
A thin-as-cicada-wing human skin mask appeared in his hand, light as a feather, but making anyone holding it feel dizzy.
The Enlightenment displayed: ‘Mystery Erosion, Mental Power -0.01’
This mask, like the Extraordinary Materials inside those monsters, is contaminated with energy similar to radiation.
Leonard now has some understanding of the ‘Transcendent Contamination’. It’s not really a game-changing thing, probably because his body is currently too weak to withstand certain alien powers that are too strong.
Just like sunbathing. If you get too close or sunbathe for too long, it’s harmful to the body.
Sealing the equipment inside a card is probably to protect the user and also to prevent the equipment’s extraordinary traits from leaking out?
Just like a kitchen knife exposed to the air will rust, keeping the equipment inside a card can prevent the loss of extraordinary traits.
Leonard didn’t think too much.
He will have enough time to explore this amazing world in the future.
Leonard estimated the usage time of this equipment in his mind, thinking, “The equipment continuously consumes Mental Power. This means I can only use it for about ten minutes now?”
Normally, it should last for about twenty minutes, but he didn’t think running out of Mental Power was a good idea.
The properties of this mask are some words that he can’t fully comprehend, so Leonard doesn’t know if it’s strong or not.
But suddenly, after he put on the mask, he saw a very intuitive numerical change in the series of status BUFFs on his Attribute Panel: Dark Affinity 25.
His original Dark Affinity was only 5, and the mask temporarily added 20. “Huh… Now that my Dark Affinity has reached 25, can I now learn that Skill ■ Shadow Submarine?”
Leonard took out the Skill Cultivation Card that he had in his pocket from the Shadow Devil, and tried.
The Enlightenment Display really worked!
Compared to the mask, he felt that this Skill ■ Shadow Submarine was the life-saving trick at the moment.
Without much thought, Leonard directly used the Cultivation Card.
As the card disintegrated into powder in his hand, the dreamlike inspiration swept through instantly, and “Skill ■ Shadow Submarine Lvo” appeared again on the Skill Panel.
He really learned it!
Compared to Firearms Proficiency, a skill he had mastered in his previous life, this Skill – Shadow Submarine was truly an extraordinary ability.
Leonard felt very strange.
When he tried to use the skill, a magical scene unfolded before his eyes.
Before his eyes, his body actually gradually melted into the darkness, disappearing without a trace.
How to describe that state…
Like diving underwater, the dark elements instantly concealed and enveloped his body, and he felt his whole body sinking into the dark elements.
What previously felt like nothingness, the dark element, now felt like water. He could clearly touch it.
But a few seconds later, a staggering figure emerged from the darkness.
Seeing himself reappearing from the darkness, experiencing extraordinary abilities for the first time, Leonard was still immersed in that magical experience.
Just like a fish in water.
But suddenly, he was dropped onto land again.
He immediately understood something: He was out of Mana.
The Attribute Panel showed: Curse Power 1/13
This bit of Curse Power was the bit of Extraordinary Traits left behind after devouring two corpses.
Leonard thought to himself, “Curse Power is the Mana to use as a Curse Card Master… this world must have some sort of Breathing Method or cultivation Secret Skill.”
He had seen Camilla meditating before. That rhythmic inhalation and exhalation might be the Secret Skill to cultivate Curse Power.
It looks like he needs to pay attention to this kind of thing after he leaves.
Was what Leonard thought.
A few seconds of experience opened up many thought paths for him. If he could stay submerged in the darkness for longer periods of time, this ability would be a must-have at home.
The Clown Mask drastically drains Mental Power. Leonard took it off, and his Dark Affinity also changed from 25 to 5.
Then he found that the Skill Shadow Submarine had greyed out.
Without such high Dark Affinity, he couldn’t sense the dark elements anymore.
The skill was indeed imprinted in his mind, but his body couldn’t perform it.
Before, it was like swimming in water. Now, it was like being in the air. The movements were the same, but he couldn’t swim.
As expected.
Leonard didn’t think much of it, proceeding towards the Twisted Light Gate that would leave the Alternate Dimension.
He was ready to explore this new world..