I stared at the shimmering SSS-Rank on my status plate, my mind reeling. How? I had only defeated a measly slime—the lowest of the low. How could that pass for a "Goddess Trial," and why did it yield the highest rank in history?
I looked at my physical stats. They were pathetic. I was still just a fifteen-year-old human boy with the strength of a commoner. But then I looked at my [Mask Plates]. When I tried to summon another blank shell, the window remained empty.
"I guess it's not an infinite supply," I muttered, rubbing my chin. I realized that my growth wouldn't come from swinging a sword like a Hero, but from the materials I gathered and the levels I earned. I reached down, grabbed the small, glowing crystal core the slime had dropped, and tucked it into my bag.
For the rest of the day, my journey became a game of survival. With the [Mask of the Far-Eye] strapped to my face, I was no longer walking blind. Every few minutes, I'd activate the [Eyesight] skill, scanning the horizon for the tell-tale ripples of jelly-like bodies or the heat signatures of forest predators.
The next day, the woods grew denser. Through the golden lens of my mask, I spotted them: a pack of slimes. This wasn't just one straggler; they were moving in a coordinated group, their translucent bodies jiggling as they searched for mana to consume.
"Time to test my limits," I whispered.
I hid behind a massive, moss-covered oak and threw a heavy stone into the brush to their left. As expected, two of them broke away from the group to investigate. I didn't have a sword, but I had my heavy oak stick and the advantage of surprise.
I jumped out, swinging with a grunt of effort. One slime lunged, trying to latch onto my leg, but I parried it mid-air, slamming it away. I followed up by pinning it to the dirt and smashing the life out of its core.
[Experience Gained.]
But I had underestimated their speed. The two remaining slimes from the pack had heard the commotion. They didn't just hop; they launched themselves like liquid bullets. I wasn't ready to fight two at once. My momentum failed, my foot caught on a protruding root, and I went down hard.
Panic surged as the slimes closed in. They began to expand, their acidic bodies preparing to engulf me. I could smell the faint, acrid scent of their digestive enzymes.
"Get... off!"
I swung the stick wildly in a blind panic. Whack! I felt one connect. Before it could recover, I rolled over, pinned it with my knee, and slammed my stick down—once, twice, ten times—until it burst. The last one was already mid-leap. I caught it against a tree trunk, smashing it with a sickening squelch.
A new series of windows erupted in my vision, faster and brighter than before.
[Level Up: You have reached Level 2.]
[Status Points Gained: 5]
[New Skill Unlocked: Instant Dash (Rank F)]
[New Skill Unlocked: Appraisal (Rank F)]
[Title Acquired: Slime Killer]
"Slime Killer... how prestigious," I joked, wiping blue goo from my forehead.
I sat back against the tree, breathing hard. My "Invoke" window was glowing again. I had gained two new [Mask Plates].
"Alright. Let's build the arsenal."
I took the first plate. "Invoke: Dash." The shell shimmered and turned a sleek, aerodynamic silver.
I took the second. "Invoke: Appraisal." This one grew intricate, crystalline patterns around the eye-holes.
I now had three masks. I tested the [Mask of the Dash] first. At first, simply wearing it did nothing. I tried to run, but I was just as slow as before.
"Activate: Dash!" I commanded.
Suddenly, my feet felt weightless. My body surged forward, covering three feet in the blink of an eye. It was a short burst, but in a fight, those three feet were the difference between life and death.
Next, I swapped it for the [Appraisal Mask]. I looked at a nearby bush. A window appeared:
[Item: Nightshade Berry — Poisonous. Do not consume.]
I looked at a fallen log.
[Item: Ironwood Branch — High Durability. Edible: No.]
I looked at the slime cores in my bag.
[Item: F-Rank Slime Core — Low-grade mana source. Market Value: 5 Copper.]
A realization washed over me. I was reborn in a world that only valued the "Hero" and the "Mage"—the flashy classes that destroyed things. But with my SSS-Rank, I was becoming something else entirely. I wasn't just a craftsman; I was a Monster Hunter who turned the very essence of my enemies into the tools of my survival.
"I guess this is the path," I said, looking at the two new masks in my hands. "A Mask Maker who hunts, and a Hunter who creates. By the time I reach that Kingdom, I won't just be asking for validation. I'll be the most dangerous man they've ever seen."
I packed my masks, gripped my stick, and walked deeper into the forest. One month to the capital? With these skills, I might just make it in two weeks—and I'd be a lot stronger when I arrived.