Chapter 66: Face-Changing Cream

"I have some bad news."

Raven walked over to Rose and Claire with a serious look on his face.

"Bad news?" Rose and Claire asked, startled.

They exchanged glances, their expressions becoming serious.

"What happened?" Claire asked as she slowly stood up.

Raven then told them what Reyna had told him.

Their expressions changed as soon as they heard the news.

"Y-You mean... Leo has been working with them?" Claire exclaimed.

Raven gave a slight nod.

"That’s right. I just got the information from Reyna. Most likely, they’ll change their search strategy soon. I want you both to be prepared."

Rose and Claire nodded in unison.

"Leave it to us!"

...

"Thank you all for coming."

Victor looked at all the players standing before him with satisfaction. There were more than a hundred of them, and every one of them looked incredibly enthusiastic.

"As you already know, the search for Raven’s group that we’ve been conducting has hit a dead end. We came up empty-handed, and all we’ve gotten so far is failure," Victor said in a heavy voice.

Everyone clenched their fists tightly. Realizing that they had been deceived by Raven’s group this entire time, anger began to boil inside them.

"But you don’t need to worry anymore," Victor continued with a faint smile. "We’ve found a sketch of the Raven group’s leader. So this time, the search won’t be in vain."

He glanced at Kael and the other members of his team.

They understood what he meant, picked up the stack of prepared sketches, and walked over to Victor.

"I’ll distribute the sketches of this man. Take one and study it carefully. If you find him, report it immediately to the nearest outpost."

Jason, Kael, and the others quickly distributed the sketches of Raven’s face.

When the players saw them, they were surprised.

The Raven in the sketch looked incredibly handsome, making the men feel jealous while the women’s hearts raced.

"As you can see, that man is very handsome, so it should be easy for you to recognize him," Victor said, folding his arms across his chest. "Our time is limited, so let’s start the search!"

...

"System, have they started moving yet?" Raven asked as he took another bite of the jerky in his hand.

DING!

A message popped up in front of him, and Raven tapped it.

"[They’ve started looking for you, Host. Be careful.]"

Raven smiled faintly and finished his snack.

"In that case, we can’t just sit around either."

He stood up and stretched his stiff body.

"System, open the System Shop."

The System Shop appeared before him.

Raven scrolled through it, looking for items that might be useful. Suddenly, one item caught his eye.

It was called "Face-Changing Cream," and it was fairly affordable—just a few hundred Love Points.

"Since Leo remembers my face, I have to change it."

A sly smile appeared on his face.

He tapped "Buy," and instantly, the cream appeared in the palm of his hand.

Without hesitation, he applied it to his face. Raven felt a tingling sensation along his cheeks and chin, but it disappeared almost instantly.

He picked up a small mirror and looked at his reflection.

"Damn..."

His eyes widened in shock.

"How can a face be this ugly!?" he exclaimed.

His handsome face had vanished, replaced by something absolutely hideous. Black scabs covered nearly eighty percent of his face, giving off a disgusting, putrid stench.

If it weren’t for the fact that he had used the cream himself, he might have thought he’d been cursed by the gods.

"Raven, dinner’s ready."

Claire appeared with a beaming smile. But the next second, her face went pale.

"Eek! A ghost!" she screamed in fear.

Raven: "..."

The corner of his mouth twitched. Claire’s reaction was a little over the top, wasn’t it?

"W-Who are you? W-Why are you wearing Raven’s clothes!?" she demanded, raising her magic staff and pointing it at Raven.

Raven rolled his eyes.

"It’s me, Raven."

"What!?"

Claire’s eyes widened in shock.

"Y-You’re Raven? How is that possible!?"

She backed away in disbelief.

"The Raven I know is a handsome, charming man! How could he possibly be as ugly as you!?"

Raven’s heart ached as if it had been pierced by a sword. Even though he knew Claire hadn’t meant to insult him, her words still hurt.

"Claire, it really is me, okay? Don’t get the wrong idea."

He pointed at the cream in his hand.

"I’m using this cream to change my appearance."

Claire stared at the cream in surprise.

"Are you telling the truth?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course. Do you really think I’d lie about something like this?"

He handed her the cream.

"Open the description panel, and you’ll see for yourself."

Following Raven’s advice, she opened the cream’s description panel and was surprised by what she saw.

"This cream can really transform your appearance!" she exclaimed in amazement.

She smiled awkwardly, then hugged his right arm tightly.

"I’m sorry, Raven. I didn’t mean it that way. Don’t be mad, okay?"

Her eyes fluttered shyly.

Raven rolled his eyes but showed no sign of being annoyed.

"It’s okay."

He gently patted her head.

"You should use it too, just in case. Leo has seen you, too."

Claire looked hesitant and scared.

"B-But my face will get ugly, won’t it?"

Raven tapped her forehead.

"Why are you even worried about that, you silly girl? Your safety is more important, okay?"

Claire pouted, clearly annoyed. But Raven was right. Compared to her safety, what did her appearance even matter?

Besides, her ugly appearance was only temporary. It wasn’t like she’d have to look that way forever.

Claire opened the cream and applied it to her face. Instantly, her beautiful face turned hideous.

A huge black spot appeared on the right side of her cheek, making her look terrifying.

"Pfft!"

Raven almost laughed but quickly held it back.

"Y-You’re laughing at me!?"

Claire put her hands on her hips, her face flushing with anger.

"Ahem!" Raven cleared his throat. "You’ve got the wrong idea. I’m not that mean, okay?"

Claire frowned suspiciously.

"Really?"

"Of course."

Raven smiled and gently stroked her soft hair.

Claire’s annoyance instantly vanished, replaced by a beautiful smile, even though her face now looked hideous.

"Y-You two... What happened!? Why did you both turn so ugly!?"

Rose appeared, her face pale with shock.

Raven: "..."

Claire: "..."

...

"Damn Leo... That guy is such a pain in the ass!"

Reyna gritted her teeth in anger. The events of yesterday were still fresh in her mind.

Leo, that damn guy, had given Raven’s information to Victor and the other members of the Top Ten.

The hunt had resumed, and Raven’s image was now being spread far and wide.

The chances of Raven being found were extremely high. She wasn’t sure if he would make it out alive this time.

"I hope... I really hope Raven is okay," she murmured, pressing her palms together and closing her eyes.

Suddenly...

"Reyna, what are you doing?"