Bri throws me a handheld mirror from under her desk and I catch it clumsily.
“H-Hey what do you mean I’m showing off my Demon’s Core? How’d you even know in the first place? Is it this line? The black line on my arm? You don’t ev-“
I stop speaking as I bring the square-shaped mirror up to my face. After a few quick blinks, swallowing hard, and turning my head side to side, my mouth opens again to squeeze out a few words.
“My… eyes…they’re…”
Bri finishes my sentence for me.
“They’re almost white. Not as bad as my brothers, but to anyone that knows about the cores, it’s clear as day you absorbed one.”
She eyes me with a devious grin while I keep staring at myself in the mirror.
“My brother has quite a few, No one will mess with an A-Class, so he can do what he wants with them. You on the other hand, you’re a nobody. I’m sure it’d be best to cover up before going to that meeting today. Better yet, cover up before Rodrigo gets back. I think he was too mad to notice earlier, after he cools off, he’ll be much more perceptive.”
She giggles to herself again while looking back down at the demon’s horn and two element stones on her desk.
I reply, still staring at my light-colored eyes in the mirror.
“Well, tell me then. How can I get rid of these… these eyes?”
“Get rid of them? Impossible. I can tell you how to hide them, but it’ll cost ya.”
I sigh, rolling my newly discovered light hazel eyes.
“How much?”
“Two gold pieces. I have a magic item that’ll do just the trick.”
I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth as I reach into my item storage to grab two shiny gold coins. With a light toss, the round pieces of metal hit Bri’s desk with a clink. She grabs them both before they roll too far.
“Perfect.”
Reaching into her seemingly endless drawers, the craftswoman takes out a small black rectangular case. She throws it at me.
I catch the small rectangular box and look inside while activating Appraisal.
[Lenses Of Illusion]
I scrunch my eyebrows, then activate my All-Seeing Eye for a moment to get some extra info.
_____________
Lenses Of Illusion
Info: A pair of contact lenses crafted using the Legendary Grade “Crafting” Skill and the Special Grade “Conceal” Skill. This item allows the user to see 25% further, and change their perceived eye color at will.
Class: C+
Type: Single Use
Durability: 100/100
_____________
I deactivate my skills and look at the pair of clear lenses with disappointment.
“These are literally just colored contact lenses… I paid 2 gold coins for a pair of contact lenses…”
Bri laughs.
“Lenses like those are hard to come by, try them on. You may think differently about them after you see what they can do.”
With a sigh, I awkwardly place them both into my eyes. Blind and tearing up for a few seconds, they finally slip into place. The sensation of a brand new skill fills my subconscious.
I grab the mirror and bring it back up to my face. While thinking of my old dark brown eye color, the light white shades begin to vanish completely on their own.
My eyes shift back to normal, there’s no sign of the Demon’s Core at all…
I grin, then start picturing every color imaginable; red, green, yellow, blue, purple, all of them. With a laugh, I change them back to my original dark brown again.
“I guess.. they do work.”
Bri nods.
“Those will last a few months at most, so come back when you need more. Regarding your new arm tattoo, I don’t have an item in stock for that. You’ll just have to wear a long sleeve shirt for a while. I’ll need someone with a Special Grade or higher concealment skill to make any more body modification items.”
I raise an eyebrow, thinking to myself. Special Grade concealment? Like my conceal skill?
“Hey- Uh- How long do you think making my blades will actually take?”
Bri looks down at the items on her desk, then up at me.
“Why? Do you need some fresh air?”
I nod as she continues.
“Give me an hour, I’ll have them ready when you come back. Buy something to cover up that arm while you’re gone.”
I stand to my feet.
“Thanks. I’ll be back soon.”
“See you Jay. Demon Cores aren’t something humans should have in the first place. It may give you some extra strength now, but everything comes with a price.”
Bri takes a deep breath, then lets out a sigh.
“Just, be careful and cover up. I want the best for all my long-term future clients.”
I’m already halfway across the room making my way over to the stairs and waving goodbye.
“Yeah, yeah. Appreciate you Bri, I’ll be back in an hour!”
Without another thought, I walk down two flights of stairs and out the front door. Ever since the mention of a special grade concealment skill was brought up, my mind has been racing. While activating my All-Seeing Eye, I open my status and click into my [Conceal] skill.
____________
Conceal
Info: A basic concealment skill. Data on a user’s status can be altered. Levels, stats, skills, and buffs may be added or taken away from the user’s false status screen. Those with a [Special Grade] or higher perception skills may be able to see through the facade.
Grade: [No Grade]
[Upgrade]
____________
I click Upgrade to appease my curiosity.
____________
Upgrade: 50PP
[No Grade] -> [Special Grade]
The [Special Grade] Conceal skill allows the user to edit their status with the same basic inputs as [No Grade]. Without a [Legendary Grade] perception skill, the true nature of these modifications will remain unseen.
The [Special Grade] Conceal skill acts as temporary camouflage. The user may change fine details in facial features, skin shade, and eye color, along with minor height and weight modifications. Without a [Legendary Grade] perception skill, the illusion magic being used will go unnoticed by onlookers.
____________
Reading the upgrade details makes the corners of my mouth curl upwards. I upgrade it on the spot, bringing my total Proficiency Points remaining down to 52. Technically I could upgrade another skill right now, but I’ve been on a spending spree lately…
This is the last one for a while, a legendary skill upgrade would be very useful, I’ll have to save up a lot more PP to make that happen.
I look down at my left arm. The black line is about 3cm thick and travels the whole distance from my wrist to my shoulder. I concentrate and activate my new upgraded skill.
“Conceal.”
In my mind’s eye, I picture the line disappearing. Reality begins to mimic my mental image. The dark black tattoo vanishes from my skin.
With a smirk, I open up my status.
After a full minute of concealment, my MP drops 50 points.
“Not bad… but not great.”
At this rate of mana consumption, I can easily keep this disguise up for well over half an hour. It’s perfect for short meetings, but I’ll need to re-up on MP without being noticed.
I tighten my lips, then head off to the market by the train station to grab a new long sleeve shirt like Bri suggested.
These lenses conceal my eyes without any MP usage, and a shirt covers up my arms pretty easily. For right now, simple magic items are better than this concealment skill. In the long run, I have a feeling it’ll come in handy.
For the time being, I conceal my arm while shopping. I spend almost 50 silver on a new stockpile of D-Class HP potions along with 1 full gold to buy a pile of mana crystals from a confused vendor. Sure, hunters usually don’t buy crystals, but taking my MP plundering skill into account, they’re actually a bit more cost-effective than MP potions.
I grab a long sleeve shirt for 20 bronze made of heavy black material and put it on over my Tee.
“This will do.”
With my shopping done, I take my time on the way back. It’s a really nice day out. The fresh air, busy streets, warm sun overhead, and recent stat power-ups make me feel like a million gold pieces.
I push the looming Association meeting to the back of my mind while lazily strolling back to Bri’s place with newfound confidence.
It’s been just over an hour. I walk back up to her office eager to see my new blades.
The woman’s voice calls out before I even step into the room.
“Finally, you’re back! Check these bad boys out.”
Bri stands up from her desk carrying a large containment tray with two beautiful blades.
They’re bright red and give off a light white glow. The hand grips are jet black and look just the right size for my palms. Both blades are slightly curved and over 30cm long. They look razor-sharp and give off a very loud hum as I walk closer.
I use appraisal along with my All-Seeing Eye.
_____________
The Wind Tyrant’s Dagger Set:
[Wind Aspect][+60% Strength][+60% Agility][+40% Mental Strength]
Info: A dagger set crafted from the horn of a Greater Demon and two cores from Wind Summoning Griffins using the Legendary Grade “Crafting” Skill.
Class: B+
Type: Fusion/Evolution
Durability: 100/100
_____________
Bri smirks, moving the concealment case closer to me.
“Go ahead try them out.”
With both hands outreached I grip the vibrating daggers. A cool rush of mana enters the palms of my hands, flowing through my arms, and into my torso through the rest of my body.
I let out a satisfying grunt while flexing my core and bracing myself as my new weapon greets me. In a muffled tone, I reply.
“Nice to meet you too.”
Bri chuckles to herself as I struggle to stay on my feet.
After a few seconds, the sensation of heavy wind magic entering my body becomes bearable and I relax a bit. Staring down at the red blades glowing white, a stupid grin grows across my face. Bri speaks up.
“So… How about we test those out in the Rumble Dome I got a-“
“No! There’s no way I’m going back to that suicide pit!”
She laughs.
“Hey, hey! It was just a suggestion.”
Bri crosses her arms, amused at my PTSD from the last time she forced me into the underground fight ring to pay for my sword.
“Well, I know you have to go off to that meeting with my brother soon, but let me at least give you the rundown on how these blades are a bit different than your sword.”
I nod while twirling the new crimson daggers in both hands.
They’re begging to be used, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t be pretty if I release their full power in here.
“Sure, give me the rundown. After that, I’m heading off to the Association’s HQ.”