Under the Mask

I am a fish.

An Electric Eel. Since birth, I've spent every day matching wits and strength with krill and small fish.

I chase them.

If I catch them, I get a feast; if I don't, I go hungry.

Until that day, when I encountered a behemoth.

I was caught by something.

Afterwards, I lived in a very narrow place—it was the first time I had ever seen so many of my own kind.

Although it was a bit cramped and hard to move, it didn't seem too bad to get food every day without having to move much.

Until I encountered the thing that had caught me again. This time, I wouldn't let it capture me so easily!

I exerted my whole body, trying to resist with my all-conquering electrical currents. In the end...

I shocked myself.

Why...

Why could I, an Electric Eel, shock myself unconscious...

I'm not even an adult yet, I haven't left any offspring...

I haven't even... turned into a male yet.

“Whew... digesting the memories this time was indeed much easier.”

Ogre wiped his forehead, only to realize he hadn't even broken a sweat during this “memory digestion.”

It seemed his speculations had held up.

As long as the target of digestion was weaker than him and had lived a sufficiently short life, the impact on him would be much smaller.

“Continuous discharging indeed takes a massive toll. I actually fell asleep while practicing my meditation...”

Ogre clenched his fists and threw a few punches into the empty air.

Hearing the sharp whip of the wind from his punches made Ogre realize something.

The strength he had previously lost had fully returned, and upon closer inspection, he seemed to have even made slight progress.

And this was only the result of his first attempt.

“I've grown a bit stronger again. I really look forward to the next feeding,” Ogre said, pulling back his fist and opening his palm. A wisp of blue electrical sparks leaped at the tips of his fingers.

After absorbing the Electric Eel's memories, Ogre's control over electricity had also improved slightly, becoming more detailed and precise.

After limbering up his joints a bit more, Ogre began to tidy up his room in greater detail, and while he was at it, he organized his equipment and clothing.

Yesterday's clothes and inner armor had already turned into trash.

So Ogre changed into a new outfit. It was just as low-profile as before, with a mostly grayish tone that made it look as though it had been washed and faded many times.

Equipping his hidden blade and donning a black robe commonly worn by ascetics and believers of the Church of Dawn, he actually looked somewhat like a Professional.

Only his overly beautiful face prevented him from giving off any sense of threat.

“It's about time I go meet that wealthy young master from yesterday...” Ogre muttered to himself as he stood in front of a metal mirror, tying his loose hair into a ponytail.

Then he opened a hidden drawer under the desk and pulled out a jar of gelatinous substance—it was skin wax used for disguise. It was even more effective than a homemade human skin mask, with the only downside being its short duration.

Soon, as he skillfully applied the disguise, the “peerless young girl” in the mirror gradually transformed into an ordinary-looking youth.

Ogre only felt satisfied after making a few facial expressions in the mirror to test it out.

Gathering his remaining equipment and restoring everything to its original place, Ogre set off. Before leaving, he didn't forget to bring his gold coins.

“‘Gourmet,’ what strange equipment are you planning to forge this time?” As soon as the dwarf blacksmith affiliated with the colosseum saw Ogre's mask, he knew there would be plenty of work today.

“I need a thin iron chain with sufficient strength.” Ogre produced the small hammer he had previously forged here. “Forge it using the same standard material as this. I want a clasp at the end of the chain so I can easily clip it to the ring at the end of the hammer.”

As Ogre spoke, he detached the bracer on his right arm. Unlike the hidden blade equipped on his left arm, the device hidden inside the right bracer was a rope.

It was used to execute trick attacks with his hammer—such as serving as a retrieval cord when thrown.

“I want to replace this device with an iron chain.” Ogre pulled out the strong liquor he had bought earlier today from his bag and handed it over along with the bracer.

“Oh, by Odin's beard! Why would you have such a bizarre idea? The rope you're using is made from the tendon of a hybrid dragon! An iron chain is hard to load and retrieve, and its resilience isn't nearly as good...”

The dwarf blacksmith had thought he knew this Gourmet's preferences well enough, but he had still missed the mark.

“What if I insist on switching to metal?” Ogre indeed didn't know how to wield a chain well.

However, his flying hammer technique was decent.

That was why he had brought up the idea of using a metal chain to conduct electrical currents.

“Do you want to use it as a whip? Or is it simply to increase the durability with metal?” the dwarf blacksmith asked.

“Well, a bit of both, I suppose,” Ogre said after a moment's thought, figuring it was close enough.

“Then you shouldn't use a chain. Refined iron isn't a good choice either. It would be better to inject soft silver directly into this dragon tendon and soak it in a special potion. It'll be strong enough, though its flexibility will suffer quite a bit,” the dwarf blacksmith suggested.

“Inject it inside... but will that conduct electricity?” Ogre asked the critical question.

“Conduct electricity? Well, that's possible too. Just mix in some mithril powder. But why would you want that effect?” the dwarf blacksmith asked, rather puzzled.

“I want to use it to ground and counter attacks from lightning magic,” Ogre came up with a random excuse.

The dwarf blacksmith: “...”

“Oh, by Odin's beard! I really don't understand you young people. Fine, leave your equipment with me and come pick it up tomorrow. I'll hand it over to a friend in the Church of Truth to modify it. It will cost a total of seventeen gold coins and forty-six silver coins. Are you paying now, or signing a contract to have it deducted from your wages?”

The dwarf blacksmith naturally knew this Gourmet fellow was lying, but since Ogre wouldn't say, he couldn't very well pry.

“That expensive? Even this tool of mine wasn't that costly. Soft silver shouldn't be that expensive, right? I didn't study much, don't trick me.”

Because he had lost quite a sum of money last night, Ogre wanted to save where he could.

“Swear on Odin's name, I am not tricking you! This is an honest price given only for the sake of your fine liquor. It's just that the mithril powder is a bit expensive. If you don't care about that so-called electrical conductivity effect, it could be a lot cheaper...”

“No, no, no, there's no need. I'll pay the full price.” Seeing how anxious the dwarf blacksmith was, Ogre realized the other party wasn't trying to rip him off.

Failed at bargaining... I guess I'm just not cut out for this. Luckily, Ogre had brought enough money before heading out. “I'll pay upfront. I'm not used to owing debts.”

Seeing Ogre pull out the money, the dwarf blacksmith's wide-eyed, beard-twitching expression instantly turned into a flattering grin. “I knew you had the coin. You must have made a fortune recently—is this preparation for pushing to become a Professional?”

Watching the dwarf's shifting expressions, Ogre almost thought he was looking at a gnomish merchant, if not for the dwarf's signature bushy, orange-red beard.

“Don't get me started. I got ripped off by a shady merchant yesterday. Plus, fewer and fewer people have been challenging me lately. I need to go out and earn some extra cash too.”

Ogre's job at the colosseum was to defend the arena ring, occasionally participating in exhibition matches—such as fighting monsters and the like.

Usually, he only worked during the morning. If he didn't receive any tasks like today, he would leave directly.

After all, Ogre was a free man, not a slave who had sold his life away.

When Ogre first arrived in the city, some people indeed saw that he was young and helpless and tried to sell him into slavery, but those guys had all died.

“Then I wish you an early promotion.” The dwarf blacksmith picked up the strong liquor Ogre had brought.

“Hopefully so.” Ogre adjusted the arm that had its bracer removed, pulled down his sleeve, put on his hood, and left the colosseum's equipment area.

“Wait, Gourmet!” Just as Ogre was about to leave the colosseum, the fat manager from earlier caught up with him, panting heavily.

“What is it? Is something the matter?” Ogre asked in a low voice.

“The higher-ups intend to send you to the vast Meteor City. The Apprentice-level colosseum is no longer suitable for you...”

“I don't want to go.”

Ogre refused without a second thought. What a joke—he had to wait here at least until that Cleric taught him the secrets of a Mind-Imager.

Even if he did leave, he wouldn't go to some place like Meteor City. Ogre still had to go to Serris to obtain the forbidden elixir.

“Don't refuse so quickly. The organization only wants to cultivate you better. If you agree, the organization will arrange for a Senior-level Martial Artist to help you harmonize your three qi...”

The fat manager's words would indeed have been highly tempting to the old Ogre.

But things were different now; Ogre had already given up on the Martial Artist profession.

He knew his three qi couldn't be successfully harmonized by any so-called simple means.

“Do you mean I won't have to fight here anymore?” Ogre asked back.

“Yes, you could say that. After all, you'll soon be heading...”

Before the fat manager could finish, Ogre interrupted him, “Let me think about it. I still have some unfinished business here.”

What a joke. Ogre would never truly agree to this offer.

Working was fine, but selling his freedom was absolutely out of the question!

An upgrade contract of this level would definitely require signing a covenant. If he really signed it and then breached it, he would no longer be protected by the city's laws.

“How long will it take?” the fat manager asked reflexively.

“At most a little over a month,” Ogre said, adjusting his spotted mask.

“No, that's too long! It must be signed quickly...” The fat manager's voice was somewhat urgent because this was a task assigned directly by his superiors...

“Then I'll give you an answer within a week, but I'll definitely stay here for at least a little over a month.” Ogre's voice behind the mask was as calm as ever.

“Fine... Alright then.”

Seeing Ogre's stance, the fat manager also realized that he couldn't force the boy. This kid was currently a hot prospect. If he pushed Ogre too far, he didn't know if Ogre would suffer, but he himself would definitely face severe consequences.

“I'll come find you again in a few days. After all, my equipment is still here.”

Ogre turned and walked straight out of the arena grounds.

In his heart, he already knew what to do.

Ogre had always used a fake face precisely so he could escape at any moment. The colosseum staff could definitely find Ogre's true identity in the town and his relationship with Yade.

But they probably would never imagine that under the mask of this masked person lay yet another mask.

It would be too easy for Ogre to disappear. He could just slip into the Forest of Monsters or use the black market's teleportation array to escape. At a critical moment, Ogre could abandon everything he had left behind here.

It was just that now was not the time.

As for what he should do now...

Naturally, it was also very simple—make money.

Whether it was buying the forbidden elixir or preparing for his subsequent professional advancement, everything required money.

Thinking of this, Ogre looked in the direction of the Professionals Association. A rare smile crept onto his lips beneath his mask.

“It's time to meet that wealthy noble young master from out of town.”