Shadow Concealment Badge
He had only taken a few steps when a figure slowly walked out from the side, blocking his path perfectly.
Su Mu paused in his steps.
She was a girl with a high ponytail, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a pretty face. She wore a fitted dark gray light armor, with a neat waistline and long, straight legs.
Half a step behind her stood a woman holding a long sword.
The woman was dressed in a plain white ancient costume, her long hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin, she had wide sleeves and a narrow waist, and her skirt reached her ankles. A blue jade pendant hung from her waist.
Her face was indifferent, her posture was like a pine tree, and her long sword was not drawn, but the faint light of the runes flowing on the scabbard indicated that it was by no means just decoration.
Su Mu narrowed his eyes.
He couldn't discern the auras of either of them. Especially the woman in ancient costume; just by standing there, her aura almost blended into the surrounding grayish-white mist, her presence was extremely low, yet impossible to ignore.
Su Mu couldn't see the other party's information, but it was clear that this woman in ancient costume was very likely the core card of the girl with the ponytail.
Su Mu turned his gaze back to the girl with the ponytail, and asked cautiously, "What is it?"
The girl with the ponytail tilted her head, sized him up for a few seconds, and then spoke, her voice clear and confident. "Su Mu. Core Card, D-grade Stone Left Over from Mending Heaven. Theme: Journey to the West, Special and Unique."
Su Mu didn't move, but his nerves tightened.
The information she read out was incredibly accurate. So accurate that she even knew he had just upgraded his core card from "Stone" to "Stone Left Over from Mending Heaven".
"I'm very curious," the girl with the ponytail said, arms crossed and eyes slightly narrowed, "How did you manage to defeat a level 20 dungeon master with a B-rank rating using this stone? And the opponent wasn't weak either."
The Su Mu's alarm blared.
Grade B, Level 20.
This information perfectly matches the Many-Faced Man he encountered before.
The fact that the other party accurately stated the person's rank and rating proves that she wasn't just guessing, but actually possessed accurate information.
Seeing Su Mu's silent and wary demeanor, the girl with the ponytail smiled instead.
The scrutinizing expression from before vanished, replaced by a smile that softened his features and became more friendly.
"Don't worry, I should thank you for killing him," she said. "After all, he was after me."
Su Mu did not lower his guard because of those words. But he quickly made a mental calculation.
The person who was being chased earlier.
He recalled the scene at that time.
The dungeon raider being chased fled, pursued by at least two pursuers.
Later, he used Forced Battle Scroll to pull Little Drill Wind away, Su Mu took the opportunity to escape. If the person in front of him was the target being hunted, then everything made sense.
But Su Mu remained silent.
The girl with the ponytail wasn't annoyed and continued, "To be honest, if I didn't have the tools to confirm that you killed that person, I really wouldn't believe it."
"A level ten or so... no, you weren't even that level when you killed that person, you were lower than you are now. And your core card was a stone, how did you do that?"
As she spoke, her gaze swept over Su Mu, as if she were re-evaluating him.
"I remember when I saw your card, it wasn't a stone. Oh well, I won't investigate." She waved her hand. "I came to thank you."
Su Mu finally spoke, his tone indifferent. "No need for thanks."
He didn't want to have anything to do with this person.
The fact that a target could be hunted down by a B-level professional suggests that the circumstances surrounding it are far from simple.
It should be noted that a B-level professional is already considered a prominent figure in a small city like Rongcheng, and the power to command such people is not something he should be dealing with right now.
However, the girl with the ponytail ignored his refusal.
"I don't like owing favors," she said. "Although you didn't do it intentionally, you did help me. And..."
She raised her hand, her fingertip pointing lightly in Su Mu's direction. A very faint probe wave swept across Su Mu's body and then dissipated.
"You don't have any equipment on you that can conceal information." She withdrew her hand. "I can easily detect the specific information of your core card. This is a bad habit; it will cause trouble if you encounter people with ill intentions in the future."
Su Mu's brow twitched slightly.
With a casual toss, something flew from her palm, tracing an arc in the air before falling toward Su Mu.
Su Mu did not answer.
The thing landed with a thud on the bone-powdered ground at his feet, rolled twice, and came to a stop.
It was a dark silver badge, only the size of a thumb, with fine runes engraved on its surface, gleaming faintly in the grayish-white mist.
The girl with the ponytail smiled and said, "You're quite cautious."
She turned around and walked away from Su Mu. After a few steps, she paused, but didn't turn back. Her voice drifted from ahead.
My name is Shen Shishi.
She paused, then added, "With your abilities, perhaps we'll meet again."
After saying that, she and the woman in white robes disappeared one after the other into the depths of the gray-white mist, their figures quickly swallowed by the night.
Su Mu did not answer her question.
He stood there, watching the two figures disappear completely. After waiting for a dozen or so breaths to make sure there were no other lurking presences around, he looked down at the badge on the ground.
The Appraisal was thrown aside.
[Equipment Appraisal]
[Name: Shadow Concealment Badge]
[Rank: D]
[Level: 1]
[Attribute: None]
[Effect: When worn, it blocks others from detecting your information. It can block your level, core card details, and dungeon theme details. Effective against those up to 10 levels higher than you. If the detective's level is 10 levels or more higher than the wearer, they can still obtain some information.]
Su Mu was slightly shocked, knowing that this kind of Shadow Concealment Badge was a special piece of equipment.
Furthermore, it is crafted from Shadow Concealment Stones dropped from special nests. While it doesn't increase any combat attributes, it does provide information shielding.
This is extremely useful in the wild or in certain environments.
The normal market price is around 300,000 to 500,000 Alliance Coins, and it's not easy to buy.
Su Mu stared at the panel for a few seconds.
Three hundred thousand to five hundred thousand. Throw it away casually.
He didn't pick it up immediately. Instead, he opened his Soul Space, activated the recording function, and archived the conversation, the other party's identity, and the process of the badge landing.
After doing all this, he bent down to pick up the badge, put it into his Soul Space, and equipped it.
The moment the badge merged into his body, a faint coolness spread from his chest, like a transparent film covering his soul.
Su Mu glanced at his panel. The core card section had changed from "D-grade Stone Left Over from Mending Heaven" to "Unexplored," and the level section had also blurred into a grayish-white mist.
He nodded in satisfaction.
Although I didn't want to get involved in these troublesome matters, my things were already left here, and the other party hadn't made any demands.
Moreover, he has already recorded it, so if any dispute arises, he's not afraid to take it to the Dungeon Master Association.
Having dealt with everything, Su Mu turned and walked towards the entrance of the Land of Buried Bones.
(Wishing everyone a happy National Day in advance! Thank you all for your support; a 5-star review would be even better. I'm releasing all my saved chapters today! Also, I won't be taking a break during the National Day holiday; I'll try to write five chapters a day.)