Lord: Sequence Master

Rosen stood by the window and pulled out a glass vial containing a finger from the dead Shadow Cat.

This would serve as bait, sure to enrage and provoke all the nearby Shadow Cats.

Shadow Cats were notorious for their vengefulness, relentlessly pursuing their prey to the death once they locked on. Despite the two days that had passed since the last encounter, the remaining Shadow Cats hadn't left—they were still searching for him.

Once Rosen released this bait, every Shadow Cat nearby would flock toward it like moths to a flame. Though they had some intelligence, their animalistic nature often overpowered their reason. Once provoked, they couldn't resist the urge to attack. Historical records from the World Government's eradication of Shadow Cats documented countless examples where the bodies of dead Shadow Cats were used as bait to draw in more of the creatures.

Rosen placed the vial on the windowsill and grabbed several flashbang drawings from his desk, laying them out nearby for easy access.

With the setup ready, he hurled the vial out of the window, and the Godslayer Crossbow hovering by his side fired a precise shot, shattering the bottle midair. The decaying finger of the Shadow Cat inside immediately began releasing its pungent stench, attracting the attention—and wrath—of the nearby Shadow Cats.

However, only one Sequence 8 Shadow Cat approached the bait, cautiously picking up the finger. Its eyes scanned the area, looking for the source of the gunfire, but it saw nothing except a tree.

The Shadow Cat pulled out a revolver and fired six rapid shots, tearing through the tree and cutting it in half. But there was no enemy hidden inside, only more silence.

Enraged, the Shadow Cats began systematically tearing through the forest within a hundred meters, destroying trees and setting the undergrowth ablaze. Some even pressed their ears to the ground, listening for any vibrations. Despite all their efforts, they couldn't locate Rosen's hiding place.

Patience paid off for Rosen. After a short wait, three Shadow Cats appeared right outside his window.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Rosen activated his trap. With a wave of his hand, the ten flashbangs he had prepared materialized, flying out of the window and exploding midair.

The intense light flooded the surroundings, banishing the shadows and plunging the Shadow Cats into a momentary blind panic.

With the Godslayer Crossbow charged and ready, Rosen unleashed a barrage of bullets and arrows. Unlike last time, this time he had activated Deadly Strike, boosting his damage to 200%.

Though the damage would gradually drop back to 100% over the course of five seconds, Rosen had calculated that his combat would end well before then. Even with three Shadow Cats waiting outside, they stood no chance.

Every two seconds, Rosen launched another wave of flashbangs. By the end of the five-second onslaught, the three Shadow Cats had been reduced to ashes by the explosions from his arrows.

Some of the loot was blown away in the shockwave, but there were still glowing orbs left behind. Rosen used a spiritual painting of a metal net to reach out and gather the remaining spoils.

Some items retained their physical forms, indicating that the Hunting ability hadn't activated, while others had transformed into glowing orbs—proof that the hunt had been successful.

Out of the three Shadow Cats, the Hunting ability had activated twice, corresponding to the two Sequence 8 Shadow Cats. The Sequence 9 one, unfortunately, hadn't triggered the Hunting ability, and its body, along with the extraordinary essence it contained, had been blasted away by the shockwave. Rosen wasn't willing to risk leaving the safety of the Mysterious Study Room to retrieve it.

Nearby Shadow Cats, witnessing the three being killed in five seconds, were driven into a rage. However, their survival instincts began to override their anger.

Some of the Shadow Cats used Shadow Step to hide, while others retreated to call for reinforcements—perhaps Sequence 7 Shadow Cats with spatial abilities. Those with the memories of human hunters suspected that Rosen might be hiding in a pocket dimension, and only someone with spatial powers could pull him out.

Rosen shut the window, unconcerned about being discovered. He doubted even a Sequence 7 Shadow Cat could find the Mysterious Study Room.

He calmly took stock of his spoils—less excited than the last time.

Opening the orbs, he found three units of extraordinary essence, two spiritual crystals, two skill crystals, and three pieces of extraordinary equipment.

This haul pleasantly surprised him. One unit of extraordinary essence had been converted into something else by the Hunting ability, a rare bonus.

Rosen set the extraordinary essence and spiritual crystals aside, focusing on the skill crystals.

The first was Wild Tracking, the second Elemental Shot, and the third was Forest Stride.

All three were Sequence 9 abilities—none had reached Sequence 8. This confirmed Rosen's suspicion that the Hunting ability was limited. While he could trigger the ability in higher-ranked enemies, the resulting skill crystals were still capped by his current rank at Sequence 9. To acquire Sequence 8 skill crystals, he would need to advance to Sequence 8 himself.

After some thought, Rosen decided to pass on all three skill crystals. Though they enhanced tracking, damage, and mobility, they were relatively unimpressive compared to other Sequence 9 abilities.

Slightly disappointed, he turned his attention to the extraordinary items.

Two were Sequence 8 hunting rifles, which he casually tossed aside.

The last item, however, intrigued him—a belt that exuded a potent aura of spiritual energy.

[Source Essence Hunting Belt: Extraordinary Item]

Rank: Sequence 8

Properties: Contains fifteen slots for potions. Stored potions can be applied directly without consumption, taking effect on the hunter immediately.

Source Essence Ability 1: Slightly increases the hunting abilities of the Hunter Sequence.

Source Essence Ability 2: Enhances one Hunter Sequence skill below Level 6 by one level.

Equipment Requirement: Hunter Sequence 8.

"Source Essence prefix?"

Rosen realized that items with the Source Essence prefix likely contained full extraordinary essence within them, making them far more powerful.

The belt's attributes were far better than he had anticipated. The only downside was that it required Sequence 8 to use.

Though he couldn't equip it yet, Rosen admired the belt, wrapping it around his waist. It was made of sleek black leather with a fierce-looking cat-head buckle. It looked both stylish and functional.

As Rosen's spiritual energy made contact with the belt, he was surprised to find he could use it despite not being in Sequence 8 yet.

This was highly unusual. The item clearly stated that Sequence 8 was required, yet he could access its abilities at Sequence 9. There were many possible explanations—it could be because he was an unprecedented three-sequence extraordinary, or it might be that the belt had been created by his Hunting ability, which allowed him to bypass the restriction.

Whatever the reason, Rosen's limited experience meant he couldn't be certain just yet.

Regardless, being able to use the belt ahead of time was a boon. He immediately transferred his potions from his backpack into the belt's storage slots. In critical moments, there wouldn't always be time to dig out a vial, open it, and drink. This belt, which could apply potions instantly, could be a lifesaver.

(End of Chapter)