Chapter 80: New skill

Under the shower, Kai washed the grime from his body, watching the dark green residue swirl down the drain.

His burnt had was already healing and the rate of recovery was quite astonishing. There was no deep injury to begin with and his skin was already getting back it’s normal structure easily.

Maybe because his mana was high. Who knows. What mattered was that his regeneration has improved.

’What a stink this is...’ He cringed against and moved his face away.

He had considered visiting a bathhouse, but the nearest one was nearly three kilometers away. Compared to the mere five hundred meters separating him from his own house, the choice had been easy enough.

He didn’t want to be seen looking like this and risk frightening his family, especially Elara. Still, he knew this couldn’t remain a secret forever. Sooner or later, Jean would find out that he had started venturing into dungeons again. He had never intended to hide it from her in the first place.

During the raid, he hadn’t expected to encounter that monster. Strange things happened in dungeons all the time, with unexpected monsters sometimes emerging where they shouldn’t. However, such incidents were far more common in high-ranking dungeons.

He was still a little saddened by the loss of that man. The guy had been somewhat of a jerk, but he had also been a capable leader, and Kai had learned a few things from him during the raid.

More importantly, the dungeon had given Kai an opportunity to test something he had never properly used in the ruins.

His physical prowess.

His martial arts had proved far more valuable than he had expected. He had never been pushed far enough in the ruins to truly rely on his technique or even his special armaments fully.

But thanks to the dungeon today, he had managed to unlock two new stances today.

One focused on his fists.

The other on his legs.

But above all else, he had earned a reward.

Kai scrubbed the remaining grime from his arm before finally asking the system, "What was that skill? Can I get a description?"

[Indeed, host.]

[Sage Eye: An all-seeing ocular skill that allows the host to assess and discern every concept, flow, individual, and phenomenon in existence. The host can discern the flow of air, the mana waves within a dungeon, the heartbeat of a living being, and, most importantly, the physical and magical attributes of an individual.]

Kai paused.

"Wait. You mean I can check someone’s stats in real time?"

[Indeed, host. Regardless of their rank or nature of existence, the host can discern their physical and magical limitations.]

Kai stared at the water running over his hands.

Now he understood why the skill had been ranked EX.

This was insane.

Knowing an opponent’s strengths and limitations could determine the outcome of a battle before it even began.

Kai had far too much to lose now to recklessly throw himself into danger. If he could understand the limits of an enemy before engaging, he could make an informed decision about whether to fight or escape.

That information alone could save his life.

Not every opponent was balanced, either. Some beings were incredibly fast but lacked the strength to deal meaningful damage. Others possessed overwhelming physical power but lacked the speed necessary to land a decisive blow.

The mantis from today had been a perfect example.

It was strong, monstrously so, but it wasn’t fast enough to match him.

And that was precisely why Kai had focused on evasion first, constantly forcing the creature to miss before using his superior speed to overwhelm it.

So yes, this was quite incredible.

Haah, I feel like this will make things much easier for me from now on.

With a satisfied smile, Kai finished washing up.

....

[Later that evening]

[Association HQ]

Knock.

"Yes, come in."

Adam turned his attention toward the door as it opened, revealing a certain woman standing on the other side.

Contrary to what he had heard, Rem looked exhausted and noticeably nervous.

Adam spoke first.

"I apologize for asking you to come here when you clearly needed some time and space to recover."

Rem shook her head.

"It’s okay, Sir. I wasn’t hurt too badly during the raid. I’m just a little tired after everything that happened."

Adam nodded solemnly.

"It’s unfortunate that you all had to go through something so unexpected and horrifying."

He gestured toward the chair opposite him.

"Please, take a seat."

Rem nodded and pulled the chair out before sitting down.

Adam offered her a glass of water, but she politely declined.

He placed the glass back on the table.

Rem hesitated for a moment before asking, "Sir... do you wish to know about Hunter Kai?"

Adam paused.

His eyes remained fixed on the glass as he asked, "Was I that obvious?"

"An anonymous porter who appeared unusually calm despite constantly being surrounded by monsters? Yes, I knew there was something special about him. But when I saw him fight..." Rem’s expression grew solemn. "I realized he never truly belonged among us."

Adam finally sat down across from her.

"Take your time. I want to hear your honest opinion of this hunter."

He folded his hands on the table and listened intently.

Rem sighed, gathering her thoughts before speaking.

"I’ve always tried to participate in raids where I could have Kei on my team. I knew he was something of a black sheep in low-ranking dungeons, but his swordsmanship was still reliable. However, today..." Her fingers tightened around the armrest. "Even he lost his sword. He lost his will to fight."

Adam had never heard this part of the story.

Only three people knew exactly what had happened during those moments, and the other two were currently ignoring every call.

Rem’s grip tightened further.

"I thought that was it for me. Kira and Troy were already gone, and I watched Kei standing on the verge of losing his life. But then..."

She stopped.

For a moment, her expression shifted. There was relief in her eyes now, along with the lingering disbelief of someone who had witnessed something she still couldn’t fully comprehend.

"He... finally made a move."

Her voice lowered.

"He stepped out of that facade of being a porter and went straight against the monster. He never asked for a distraction, and he didn’t need one. It was almost as if he was testing his own strength against the creature."

Rem swallowed.

"And then he started toying with it."

Adam drew a quiet breath.

The only person he knew on that raid, aside from Kai, was Kei. And that was solely because of the man’s exceptional swordsmanship.

If even Kei had been overwhelmed by the monster, then there was little doubt that the Blade Mantis was indeed a full grown D-rank monster.

And yet...

Kai had emerged victorious.

No.

From what Rem was describing, he hadn’t merely defeated the creature.

He had toyed with it.

A smile threatened to creep onto Adam’s face, but he suppressed it as he leaned forward.

"Go on. Tell me every detail you can remember."

°°°

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