Lord: Sequence Master

"Should I go for the extraordinary item or the skill?"

After weighing his options, Rosen decided to aim for the skill. Although the doll pendant could greatly enhance his senses, it was only a Sequence 9 extraordinary item. Once he advanced to Sequence 8, its effectiveness would significantly decrease. However, if he could convert it into a skill crystal through his hunting ability, the resulting Hunter skill would have far greater growth potential.

To do that, he needed to hunt down some Sequence 8 Shadow Cats and hope the hunting ability triggered the conversion. But this time, he couldn't simply lie in wait. Shadow Cats were pack creatures, and they would undoubtedly call for reinforcements. Rosen had to take the initiative if he wanted to avoid being trapped again by a Sequence 7 Shadow Cat.

However, taking the initiative meant leaving behind the greatest advantage of the Mysterious Study Room, his secure stronghold. If he encountered a Sequence 7 Shadow Cat, his life could be in danger.

After a moment of hesitation, Rosen left the Mysterious Study Room and used a Drift Spell Card. The Nen shield enveloped him, propelling him toward the nearest city. However, within the Realm of Greed, there were no cities, and he quickly slammed into the world barrier, causing the Nen shield to shatter and him to plummet into the ocean about five kilometers from the shore.

Although Drift couldn't take him out of the Realm, it could at least transport him to its outermost edges, near the world barrier. With caution, he could use the card to escape even from a Sequence 7 Shadow Cat.

But relying solely on Drift didn't seem entirely foolproof. After all, activating the card took time, and the Nen shield needed time to accelerate. While a Sequence 8 foe might not be able to stop him, a Sequence 7 Shadow Cat Hunter could very well intercept him before he could flee.

"Is it really worth the risk just for a skill crystal?"

Rosen paused and then smiled as an idea came to him.

In this spiritual realm, there might be a Sequence 7 Shadow Cat, but it was unlikely there were two.

He recalled what he had learned about the Black Shark crew before boarding their ship. The Black Shark crew had a Sequence 8 captain, who was a Pirate Knight, with the ship itself serving as his mount. Although the captain had previously been in Sequence 7, he had sustained injuries that caused him to drop to Sequence 8. Despite this, his strength hadn't diminished too much because his power was tied to the ship.

The other key figure was a Sequence 7 Criminal Hunter, a branch of the Hunter Sequence focused on criminal activity. Criminal Hunters were the direct enemies of Crime Hunters, specializing in illegal actions. During the voyage, Rosen had seen the Black Shark captain but had not encountered this infamous Criminal Hunter.

The Black Shark crew was clearly raising and controlling the Shadow Cats within the Realm of Deathly Forest, sending passengers to serve as hosts for the creatures. By doing so, they ensured that the Shadow Cats' power remained under their control. If there were two Sequence 7 Shadow Cats, it would pose a dangerous threat to the crew's interests.

Thus, the Realm of Deathly Forest likely only had one Sequence 7 Shadow Cat. If Rosen could lure it away, the other Shadow Cats wouldn't be as much of a concern.

With this lure of the tiger from the mountain strategy in mind, Rosen felt more confident about his chances of hunting the Sequence 8 Shadow Cats.

Rosen swam to shore and reentered the Main Secretary Room. Inside, he began sketching a self-portrait in front of a mirror. He infused it with three points of spirituality, along with a significant amount of Nen energy. The resulting portrait would be realistic enough to deceive others for a short time. With multiple self-portraits prepared, Rosen was confident he could lure the Sequence 7 Shadow Cat away.

Over the next three days, Rosen painted five self-portraits. The high degree of compatibility between his portraits and his own spirituality allowed him to view the surroundings of each portrait from afar. Even as a Sequence 9 Painter, he found that his profession had plenty of hidden tricks worth exploring.

Rosen felt even more convinced that he needed formal training. While he could use skill crystals to learn combat skills, mastering the fundamental techniques of the Painter and Hunter Sequences would require proper instruction.

Money could solve that problem—he just needed enough spiritual crystals to hire a good teacher.

Satisfied with his preparations, Rosen strapped on his Source Hunting Belt and shifted its enhancement from Deadly Strike to Shadow Step, raising the skill from Level 1 to Level 2.

Shadow Step LV2: Instantly merge into nearby shadows, move at high speed within the shadows, and teleport twice. While in shadows, incoming damage is greatly reduced, and your attacks deal shadow-imbued damage.

Trait: Concealment—greatly enhances your ability to hide.

Testing his enhanced Shadow Step, Rosen felt even more satisfied. His movement speed within shadows was now increased by 110%, up from 100%, and he could teleport twice instead of just once. The Concealment trait also silenced his footsteps and breathing while in the shadows.

After a successful trial, Rosen left the Mysterious Study Room, jumping through the window into the shadows along the shoreline. He spread his self-portraits across various locations along the coast, ensuring they would draw attention from a distance. Then, he circled the island from one side to the other.

The plan was simple: once the portraits were triggered, the Sequence 7 Shadow Cat would likely investigate, leaving Rosen free to hunt the Sequence 8 cats. If the Sequence 7 cat realized it had been deceived, it would still take time to cross the island. With Drift, Rosen would have ample time to escape if needed.

After five days of scouting the island, Rosen finally returned to the vicinity of the Realm's entrance. Along the way, he discovered that the ocean wasn't entirely devoid of extraordinary creatures.

At first, he thought there were none because he hadn't encountered any near the Realm's entrance. But now, he realized the Black Shark crew had likely exterminated the sea creatures near the entrance. They had probably cleared the waters around the island, leaving the inner areas untouched to preserve resources.

This oversight had worked in Rosen's favor. His hunts had been fruitful, and his collection of extraordinary resources now exceeded 40,000 units of spiritual crystals. Even by Sequence 8 standards, this was a significant fortune that would take a long time to accumulate.