For the next forty-eight hours, I became a phantom of the woods. My routine was a mechanical dance of death and craft. First, I'd activate the [Mask of the Far-Eye] to scout the terrain. Once a target was spotted, I'd swap to the [Appraisal Mask] to confirm their rank. They were always F-Rank—measly slimes, easy prey for a man with a plan.
I refined a mobility-strike tactic that felt more like a sport than a battle. I'd use the [Mask of the Dash] to propel myself forward with a sudden burst of speed, delivering a precision kick or a heavy strike with my oak staff. By the end of the second day, I had slaughtered forty slimes. My bag was heavy, clinking with forty glowing crystals.
[Level Up: You have reached Level 4.]
[Total Mask Plates: 8]
The system chimed again, and this time, it brought something that changed the game.
[New Skill Unlocked: Fire Magic (Rank F)]
[Appraisal has evolved: Rank F → Rank E]
I didn't waste a second. I pulled out a fresh [Mask Plate] and infused it with the flicker of Fire Magic. The resulting mask was a masterpiece of crimson design, etched with flame-like patterns that seemed to glow with their own heat. When I donned it, I could feel a warmth radiating from the porcelain.
I held out my hand. "Flicker."
A small fireball sparked into existence above my palm. It wasn't a massive, world-ending blast, but it didn't use a single drop of my mana—the mask was the catalyst. It was a dancing flame, a tool I could use indefinitely.
But the forest had grown strangely quiet. The lone stragglers were gone. I donned my [Eyesight Mask] and scanned the horizon, searching for where my "prey" had vanished to.
I found them. In a deep, shadowed hollow of the forest, the slimes had gathered. It was a horde, a pulsating mass of translucent bodies surrounding a creature that made my heart stop.
[Appraised: King Slime (Rank D)]
It was a mountain of jelly, shimmering with a malevolent light. I hesitated. I had never faced a horde, let alone a King. I spent the night in a nearby tree, prepping my gear and watching their movements.
The next morning, the sun had barely broken through the trees when I made my move. I didn't run; I charged.
I wore the [Mask of the Dash] to close the distance, then swapped mid-stride to the [Fire Mask]. "Fire Blast!" I shouted, stretching out my hand. Small orbs of fire streaked toward the horde. The slimes hissed as the heat evaporated their liquid forms.
They retaliated, launching themselves at me in a coordinated barrage. I was a blur of motion. I'd Dash to dodge a leap, then instantly swap to Fire to counter-attack. It was a frantic, high-speed rhythm—hand to face, mask to mask. I dashed up the trunk of a tree, used the momentum to jump high above the hollow, and swapped back to the Fire Mask while in mid-air.
"Release!"
I rained fireballs down into the center of the mass. The King Slime roared—a strange, gurgling sound—as I focused my fire on its core. I killed twenty of its subordinates before my final strike pierced the King's center. The giant collapsed, dissolving into a massive puddle and leaving behind a crystal the size of my fist.
[Level Up: You have reached Level 5.]
[Condition Met: 50 Slimes Slain.]
[System Achievement: Genetic Replication Unlocked.]
A new window popped up, glowing with a unique gold border.
[New Assistant Skill: Quick-Swap — You can now change masks mentally without using your hands.]
[System Note: Slime-type data fully analyzed. Creating Unique Mask...]
I watched as ten of my [Mask Plates] began to swirl and fuse together, consuming the King Slime's massive crystal. When the light faded, a mask sat in my hands that took my breath away. It wasn't flat or rigid; it had the fluid, shifting beauty of a slime, shimmering with five different colors.
[Unique Item Created: The Primordial Slime Mask]
[Features: 5 Integrated Skills (Slime Movement, Water Resistance, Dissolve & Reconstruct, Slime Punch, Water-Body)]
I stared at it. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen—the first "Star Job" I had truly accomplished in this world. This wasn't just a tool; it was an extraordinary piece of art.
"Five skills in one mask..." I whispered, tracing the smooth, cool surface.
The Kingdom wanted heroes with swords? Let them. I had found my true calling. I wouldn't just be a maker; I would be a collector. I would defeat every monster in Ego, replicate their essence, and craft a gallery of masks that would make the gods tremble.
"Time to find something bigger than a slime," I said, a confident smirk hidden behind my new shimmering face.
The journey to the capital had just become a hunt for the legendaryI