Chapter 86.2

86 Part 2

The bracelet had a simple design without any patterns or engravings.

Except for one thing. There was a small hole in the center of the bracelet.

It was like a hole for a jewel.

“Is that a necklace?”

“Is it a bracelet?”

“Hmm…”

Karen tilted her head to the side as she put her arm through the bracelet.

It didn’t seem like it would fit her wrist well enough.

“Yeah, it was too big after all –What!?”

“Ooh!”

As her arm passed through, the bracelet shrank.

It didn’t get to a point where it would squeeze her wrist too much, but it wasn’t too loose either. It was a perfect fit.

“… So there are items that work like this, huh?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen anything like it.”

Even Akane, who was an expert in equipment, was at a loss for words.

Apparently, that’s how rare Karen’s bracelet was.

“It’s hard to believe, but these capsules… They’re exactly like Gacha balls, right?”

Gacha balls are items that can be obtained randomly from a vending machine, with items from normal to high rarity being dispensed with a fixed probability.

You don’t know what you’ll get until you open it, and even then there’s a chance you get something you already have.

So these capsules deserved to be called Gacha balls as well.

“… Looks like it.”

“Yeah. By the looks of it, it’s the only possibility.”

Both Akane and Karen nodded at Haruki’s guess.

“Hey, Akane… Do you know what kind of item this bracelet is?

“I have no idea. There’s nothing like this in my database, and I can’t really tell just by looking at it.”

Akane shook her head as if there was nothing more she could do.

It seemed no different than a regular bracelet.

There was nothing more she could understand from it without a detailed appraisal.

“This bracelet seems to be good for magic.”

“Hmm? Is it something like your staff?”

“Ah, no. This may be just a guess, but this seems to be an accessory that increases defense rather than attack. After putting this on, I feel as if a fine film covered my entire body.”

“Ah, I see.”

A magical accessory that covered the user with protective magic.

This was a godsend for someone like Karen, who had a low defense rate.

It wasn’t clear by how much it increased her defense, but she could find out by testing it out in the dungeon.

The reason why Karen was able to get such a perfect item for her probably had something to do with her high Luck skill.

Could it be that, if her Luck skill were at MAX, and she kept on opening these Gacha balls in order to get a lot of rare items, they build a fortune? An evil thought goes past Haruki’s head.

However, Haruki quickly shook it away.

He didn’t think they would get many chances to procure the Gacha balls.

And even if they were to hit the market, they wouldn’t be very affordable.

He could purchase a few if they have the chance.

But he preferred to put that idea on hold for the time being.

Haruki was practically broke either way.

“Alright, let’s see what I got.”

Karen’s package was an unquestionably special item.

What kind of special item would be awaiting him in his own package?

While trying to calm his throbbing heart, Haruki opened his package.

There were two notes inside, along with a mysterious mask.

“A mask…”

It was a white mask that reminded him of the noh masks used in traditional Japanese theater plays.

Like his own mask at first, he hesitated to try it on just in case it was cursed.

He wasn’t able to tell what kind of mask it was just by looking at it.

He opened one of the notes to make sure.

On the first line of the note, he found the names of Shigama and the others listed there.

There was no doubt. The sender was Masatsugu. That’s what Haruki guessed.

It seemed that Masatsugu heard in detail from Kagemitsu about the actions of Shigama and others and their results.

<I’m sorry to have caused you trouble, Mr. Masked Man.>

<I’d like you to accept this item as compensation for the inconvenience I’ve caused you.>

The note contained words of apology to Haruki for the attack on Shigama and the others.

It said: “I’m planning to officially apologize to you when the case in Shinjuku is cleared”.

After reading it, Haruki thought something was wrong.

Masatsugu was wrong.

— My name is Karaboshi Haruki!

— And my handle name is Air!

— I have never called myself “Mr. Masked Man”!!

— Damn it! Why are you calling me like that!?

Not knowing why he was being called that, Haruki grit his teeth as he began to shed tears.

Still, a Top Ranker had acknowledged him.

The name was wrong, but Masatsugu had sent a letter to Haruki!

Did this considerably increase his presence!?

Haruki wiped off his tears and started humming as he opened the second note.

The mask’s detailed appraisal data was written there.

“Let’s see… This mask…”

Name: Hidden Surface　Type: Mask

Rarity: Super Rare　Quality: Special

Effect: Makes the user’s presence disappear–

“Akane. Do me a favor and throw this away for me, would you?”

“Wait, what? Throw it away!? What are you talking about!? This is a gift from the famous hero, Masatsugu himself! Why would anyone throw it away!?”

“I might die just by having this on me!!”

The possibility of dying due to having a flickering presence made Haruki shiver.

This was a considerably pressing situation.

Haruki wanted to throw the mask into the incinerator as soon as possible.

— Damn it! Why is Masatsugu like this!?

There was something else in Masatsugu’s handwriting at the bottom of that note.

<P.S. I believe you’re looking for strong masks, so I’ve sent you the strongest one. I hope you like it.>

It was an unnecessary consideration.

And yet, the fact that he called it “the strongest one” was kind of scary.

Haruki wanted to get rid of that mask even more now –he wanted to make it disappear.

However, Akane tried to persuade him not to.

“I know that’s what came out of the detailed appraisal, but it’s missing a few things, don’t you think? If even our appraiser can’t see everything this mask has to offer, then this mask surely is a very strong piece of equipment. Moreover, its rarity is Super Rare! It would make no sense to throw something like this away!”

“Yeah, but still…”

“Just being in contact with this makes you much harder to target, so you should definitely keep it close at hand.”

“What could I do just by keeping it with me… Huh?”

Just being in contact with this makes you much harder to target.

Something in those words resonated inside Haruki’s head.

“So… I don’t have to equip it?”

“Looks like it. Here, it says so in the description.”

Looking back into the note, it was definitely written on the detailed appraisal results. “Hides the presence of the thing it’s touching”.

It made sense then.

No wonder Masatsugu would call it “the strongest one”.

Haruki began to happily sniff around the mask, which had started to emit an increasingly dangerous scent.

— I could just attach it to my backpack.

In Haruki’s brain, the idea of a “concealed portable potato turret” was beginning to form.

— I’ll attach it to my backpack later then.

If the mask’s concealing effect worked that way, then it would make it even more difficult for Rhea to be targeted by other monsters.

Then, the day after the unexpected event with the packages sent from Masatsugu, Haruki and the others went back to the dungeon to hunt.

But no one expected what would happen at that time.

Haruki wouldn’t be able to fight…