Its time to see what these skills can do.
Skill: [Eye of Desire]
Thalen focused on the Eye of Desire skill, letting it wash over him like a faint pulse in his mind.
He looked at the nurse standing just outside his door. Normally, she would seem like any tired hospital worker, but the skill peeled back the surface.
[Hidden Desire: Frustration with this dangerous, underfunded district. Wishes for better pay and safer work.]
[Also senses: Quiet sympathy toward Thalen, hidden beneath professionalism.]
' I should have used this against rane.Too bad he is gone' Thalen thought to himself
Thalen sneak past the nurse using stealth master and to his surprise she seems completely oblivion to his presence
After exiting the ward he saw a guard in the hallway. Thalen moved closer, barely a whisper of sound under his steps.
The guard was only a few feet away now, standing with his back turned, checking his comms.
[Stealth Master active: 60% reduced chance of detection by C-rank threats.]
Thalen inched forward, breath shallow, heart pounding.
He was close enough to see the stitching on the guard's uniform.
Still no reaction.
[Desire detected: Boredom. Wishes for a promotion. Feels underused and overlooked.]
Thalen blinked. The Eye of Desire whispered more than emotions—it showed potential leverage.
One wrong move and he'd be caught. But for now, the guard remained unaware.
Thalen slowly stepped back into the shadows, a grin tugging at his lips.
The skill worked. It is even more overpowered against anyone below the c- rank
He could be a ghost.
'And now finally ' Thalen muttered under his breath
Skill: [The quest granter]
Rank: C
[The host can assign quest to c-rank hunters and below. The host can assign 10 quest maximum at a time]
Upgrade condition: [kill a B-rank hunter or above] (unlock the penalty sectio)
" I don't know if i should be happy or sad.
How am i supposed to kill a B-rank hunter"
Thalen contemplated " Even killing someone like leo was out of pure luck and it's seems the reward are still coming from my pocket"
" The sooner i get leo's ring the better until then this skill is still useless"
"The first quest i received after nearly dying is trying to kill me again"
...
Thalen lay in the narrow hospital bed, staring up at the cracked ceiling tiles, each one a tiny map of his restlessness. His body still a—bruised ribs, lacerated shoulder, and a lingering headache that came and went like the tide.
But slowly, strength returned. Each hour brought more clarity, more control.
He hadn't used [Eye of Desire] again since his escape, but its whispers lingered, like echoes in the back of his mind. A part of him had changed—permanently. The way he saw people, the way he could sense their inner cracks and hidden yearnings, was addictive.
The nurse came and went, always professional. But beneath her mask, Thalen still remembered what he had seen—frustration, sympathy. Every day, she looked at him a little longer than necessary. Maybe she felt something for him Or maybe it was just pity.
Either way, it didn't matter.
He needed to get out.
A knock at the door broke the silence.
It was Investigator Rane.
He walked in without ceremony, carrying a slim case marked with the Hunter Association seal.
"No charges," Rane said. "We reviewed the evidence. Surveillance, residual mana, eyewitness confusion. The incident was ruled accidental.
Thalen said nothing. He just looked at the case.
Rane opened it.
Inside was a dark obsidian ring, inset with seven softly glowing mana stones.
"Legally processed through the Association," Rane added. "Leo's possessions were returned and cleared for redistribution. Since you requested... I made sure this ended up in your hands."
"It was quite a work so, you better be grateful"
Thalen reached for it slowly. The moment his fingers brushed the ring, he felt it: a quiet, humming pressure of mana.
[Item Acquired: Leo's Ring ]
[Embedded Mana Stones: 7 (Value: 7,00,000)]
[Healing potion: x3 ]
[Ring of grace : protects the wearer from a single attack of B rank and below]
[Wing of heaven : increae speed by 20]
' I am rich' Thalen thought inwardly and started grinning like a fool
Thalen nodded once. "So what now?"
Rane stared at Thalen for a long moment after his final statement. The silence in the room was heavy—punctuated only by the steady beep of the heart monitor and the low hum of recycled air.
Eventually, he closed his datapad with a soft click.
"No evidence of foul play. No camera footage inside the gate. No physical proof that you killed anyone. Just a dying team and one survivor. Could've been luck."
Thalen said nothing. His eyes stayed on the containment tray.
Rane stepped closer. "We'll hold the ring for now. Standard procedure. Finger too though that's mostly just paperwork. You're cleared, for now. But if anything else happens—if you so much as jaywalk near another dead hunter—you'll be the first name on the list."
"Noted," Thalen rasped.
Rane paused in the doorway. "Enjoy your second chance, Mr. Gray. Most people don't get one. Don't waste it."
Then he was gone, the guards trailing after him in practiced silence.
Thalen slumped back against the pillows, exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
.....