Lord: Sequence Master

Rosen reluctantly climbed ashore, glancing back at the shimmering sea under the moonlight. The extraordinary sea beasts in the ocean had been surprisingly easy to kill; by luring them to the shore, he could take them down effortlessly from a safe distance.

He had no qualms about overfishing, and if possible, he would wipe out every extraordinary sea creature within the realm. However, earlier that afternoon, Rosen had encountered a Sequence 7 sea beast, and it had taken every trick he had, including Shadow Step and the Mysterious Study Room, to escape its pursuit. Continuing to hunt sea beasts was now far more dangerous than it had been in the previous days.

The fact that there were multiple Sequence 7 extraordinary creatures in this realm suggested that the Realm of Deathly Forest had much deeper reserves than Rosen had initially imagined. This also meant that even if he managed to lure away the Sequence 7 Shadow Cat, he would still need to remain cautious of other Sequence 7 extraordinary creatures lurking in the dense forest.

However, Rosen wasn't too worried. His Shadow Step was enough to handle most dangers in the forest. If the Sequence 8 Shadow Cats could roam freely, so could he.

Focusing on a self-portrait about a few hundred meters away, Rosen activated it using his spiritual link. This was the moment of the brightest moonlight, and the Rosen depicted in the portrait came to life, standing vividly on the shoreline. Simultaneously, the Nen-formed clone fired several signal flares into the sky.

Shadow Cats hid in the shadows of the forest during the day to avoid the sun, but at night, they loved climbing treetops to bathe in the moonlight. The sudden appearance of the flares instantly reminded the Shadow Cats of the unpleasant experiences they had suffered days before.

"That human is still here..."

"We can't beat him, he'll ambush us..."

"Quick, get the leader... We won't be afraid of that cowardly human with the leader..."

One by one, the Shadow Cats retreated into the forest, searching for the Sequence 7 Shadow Cat leader. Using their unique telepathic connections, the Shadow Cats quickly alerted their leader to the human's continued presence within the realm.

Before long, the Shadow Cat leader arrived at the shore, only to discover that the human was nothing but a fragile decoy. However, the leader quickly spotted the flares rising from the distant horizon and darted into the shadows, speeding toward the next target.

From within the Mysterious Study Room, Rosen watched the Sequence 7 Shadow Cat get lured away by the next self-portrait's flare.

As he had circled the island's coast earlier, Rosen had deliberately left traces of his presence in many places, especially while hunting sea beasts. With the scent markers and the self-portraits, the Shadow Cat leader would eventually be drawn far to the other side of the island.

Once the leader was out of range, it would be the perfect time for Rosen to dive into the forest and hunt the other Shadow Cats.

The Shadow Cat leader's speed was terrifying. In less than an hour, Rosen's self-portrait on the far side of the island witnessed the leader's approach. This meant that Rosen now had less than half an hour to carry out his hunt.

Without hesitation, Rosen exited the Mysterious Study Room and used Shadow Step to enter the Deathly Forest.

Carrying an open glass jar, he had placed a rotting Shadow Cat tail inside, which emitted a distinct odor. The nearby Shadow Cats, upon catching the scent of their dead kin, began to pursue Rosen without a second thought.

It didn't take long for Rosen to spot a Sequence 8 Shadow Cat closing in on him. As he moved, he deliberately dropped the doll pendant he had prepared. The pursuing Shadow Cat noticed the dropped item and grabbed it, using its spiritual senses to assess the object.

Thanks to the inherited memories from its former human host, the Shadow Cat quickly recognized that this was an extraordinary item. It could greatly enhance the five senses, and, most importantly, it had no obvious drawbacks.

The Shadow Cat hesitated, then, finding no hidden traps, began to refine the pendant as it continued to chase Rosen.

Watching this unfold through his Hunter's Magic Eye, Rosen knew that his plan was working perfectly.

He had spooked the lower-ranked Shadow Cats by remaining elusive and unseen, but now, with the appearance of a mere Sequence 9 Hunter, the Sequence 8 Shadow Cats had the courage to pursue him relentlessly. There was also a high chance that the Shadow Cat would fully refine the pendant, which was essential for Rosen's plan.

If the Shadow Cat had refused to refine the pendant, Rosen would have simply turned back to kill it and find another target.

Fortunately, the first Shadow Cat took the bait, much to Rosen's delight.

In just half a minute, the Shadow Cat had successfully refined the doll pendant. Rosen immediately turned and unleashed several flash grenades from his spiritual paintings.

The blinding light disrupted both of their vision, but each had a backup. Rosen relied on his Hunter's Magic Eye, which was immune to the effects of flash grenades, while the Shadow Cat used its newly enhanced senses of smell and hearing, thanks to the doll pendant. It managed to dodge Rosen's initial volley of bullets and arrows, and even sliced through several of them with a curved blade.

Instead of continuing to shoot, Rosen threw out more spiritual paintings.

This time, he deployed a third each of flash grenades, noise grenades, and poison grenades.

Now, the Shadow Cat's vision, hearing, and smell were all compromised. 

At first, Rosen had refrained from using all three types of grenades simultaneously because he wasn't sure if the Shadow Cat had any hidden life-saving abilities. Moreover, to increase the odds of triggering the hunting ability, it was better to force the Shadow Cat into using the pendant's powers during battle.

With his goal achieved, Rosen activated Deadly Strike and unleashed a barrage of bullets and arrows.

This time, his attacks landed. The explosions from the bullets, combined with the incendiary arrows, delivered a fatal blow to the Shadow Cat. The moment the Hunter's Magic Eye detected the drop of a light orb, Rosen activated his Elemental Shield Necklace and rushed in to collect the loot.

After distancing himself from the blazing inferno, Rosen broke open the light orb and examined the spoils.

The doll pendant was intact, leaving Rosen slightly disappointed. He would have to continue hunting until he got the desired result.

Twenty minutes later, Rosen killed his fourth Sequence 8 Shadow Cat.

This time, upon breaking the light orb, the doll pendant was gone, replaced by a new skill crystal formed by fusing the pendant with the Shadow Cat's extraordinary essence, thanks to Rosen's hunting ability.

Without hesitation, Rosen activated a Drift Spell Card, and the Nen shield carried him out of the forest and into the sky.

Half an hour later, the Shadow Cat leader arrived at the scene, furious to find only destruction and death. Enraged, it ordered the remaining Shadow Cats to form teams and search for the elusive human.

By that time, Rosen was already back in the safety of the Mysterious Study Room, successfully refining the skill crystal he had fought so hard to obtain.

(End of Chapter)