Chapter 86

About half a month had passed since the rare species appeared in the garage dungeon and was defeated, when a package arrived for Haruki and Kuren.

The package was delivered via Ichibei Weaponry Sales.

The sender's name was Masatsugu.

"Wh-what!?"

Upon seeing the sender's name, Haruki and Kuren simultaneously exclaimed in surprise.

Hero Masatsugu.

The man who liberated Shinjuku Station, which had been occupied for a long time due to the Second Stampede, which shook Japan.

He led a team of high-ranking players to defeat the Stampede's boss.

Masatsugu, as the central figure, is shining even more brightly as Japan's star.

"Masatsugu sent us a package?"

"Don't ask me."

The package was sent using Ichibei's transportation route, but it seems that Akane didn't know the sender was Masatsugu.

She was looking at Haruki's package with sparkling eyes, full of interest.

A package sent directly from Hero Masatsugu, who is hailed as the strongest in Japan, to Haruki and Kuren, who are almost unknown.

Haruki furrowed his brow, thinking it must be some kind of joke.

However, since the package was sent via Ichibei, it couldn't be a joke.

The strongest man in Japan, who carries the future of Japan on his shoulders, wouldn't be able to use a major corporation like Ichibei as a delivery service unless he was Masatsugu.

This only made the contents of the package more intriguing.

"Kuren, can you open yours first?"

"Eh, me first?"

Haruki was also curious about the contents of the package, but not as much as Kuren.

She had been holding the package, raising and tilting it, her eyes shining brightly, like a fan who had received a letter from their favorite idol.

It was understandable that Kuren would react so strongly.

After all, the sender was none other than the top-ranked hero Masatsugu, known to everyone in the 'Narou' world.

Even Haruki was struggling to suppress his excitement.

"Then... I'll open it!"

With a determined look, Kuren carefully placed the small package on a tangerine box and slowly opened it.

Inside the package, which was about 30 centimeters long, was a round ball about 10 centimeters in diameter.

The top was white, and the bottom was red, like a large gacha capsule.

"Um..."

Kuren looked puzzled.

"What is it?" her eyes seemed to ask, but Haruki had never seen such an item before and couldn't answer.

"A note is inside," said Kuren.

"Really? What does it say?"

Kuren quickly opened the folded note.

"It says... it's a newly discovered item. Detailed appraisal... all unknown?"

"All unknown!?"

Kuren's words seemed to shock Akane, whose voice echoed through the prefab.

"Really all unknown!?"

"Um, yes."

Kuren paled at Akane's intensity.

Akane's reaction was as if she had just heard about the death of someone important.

"Hey, Akane. What are you so surprised about?"

"Even if detailed appraisal can't identify everything, it should always be able to determine the type. I've never heard of a case where the type couldn't be identified."

"Why can it always determine the type?"

"What do you think this is when you see it?"

Akane took out a stick.

It looked like a regular wooden stick, dirty and possibly picked up from the ground.

"A wooden stick would be a club or a staff, right?"

"Right. And detailed appraisal works the same way."

"Ah, I see."

Haruki understood what Akane was trying to say.

Detailed appraisal works like how he identified the wooden stick as a club or staff, but at a much higher level.

"How could the type of this ball not be identified...?"

"Maybe it's not a weapon?"

"It can identify non-weapons too, like potions and materials. Otherwise, we couldn't appraise the werewolf materials you have."

"Ah, that's true."

Indeed, if it couldn't identify non-weapons, there would be no point in Haruki appraising the werewolf materials with detailed appraisal.

Akane, looking curious, leaned closer to the capsule.

"Hmm? Hey, there's a cut in the middle. Can it be opened?"

"Really? —Ah, it seems to open! It's written in the note. But..."

"But?"

What was written in the note?

Haruki and Akane tilted their heads at Kuren's hesitation.

"It says the contents are unknown."

"What does that mean?"

"Um... apparently, five of these balls dropped. All five looked the same, and detailed appraisal showed all unknown. When they tried opening four, they all had different contents."

"Ah, that's why it's all unknown."

Akane nodded as if she had realized something.

"Did you figure something out?"

"Yes. I think the contents of the ball aren't determined until it's opened. That's why even the type couldn't be identified."

"The contents aren't determined..."

It was a hard-to-believe theory for Haruki, but it made sense.

"Kuren, can you open the capsule?"

"Y-yes!"

With a slightly tense expression, Kuren opened the capsule with both hands.

But inside—

"There's nothing in it?"

"No... there is!"

From Haruki's perspective, the capsule was empty.

But Kuren insisted and quickly put her hand inside.

"What!?"

Her arm went in up to the elbow!?

Haruki was startled by the scene before him.

But he quickly regained his composure.

Ah, so it's a capsule with a similar effect to a magic bag.

As Haruki had guessed, Kuren pulled out a bracelet from the capsule, which was larger than the capsule's opening.

"It's big."

"It is big."

"It's really big."

The bracelet had a diameter of about 12.3 centimeters.

It was a normal width but too large to fit on a wrist.

The bracelet was simple, with no design.

Except for one thing: a small hole in the center, like a socket for a gem.

"Is it a collar?"

"A bracelet?"

"Hmm..."

Kuren tilted her head and put her arm through the bracelet.

It didn't get stuck on her wrist.

"Too loose—wait!?"

"Wow!"

When she put her arm through, the bracelet shrank.

It fit snugly on her wrist, neither too tight nor too loose, just right.

"Such items exist?"

"I've never seen one before."

Even Akane, an expert in weapons, was wide-eyed.

It seemed Kuren's item was quite rare.

"Could this capsule be a gacha ball?"

A gacha ball is a lottery item in games, where items of varying rarity are dispensed with a set probability.

The contents are unknown until opened, and even then, the same item isn't guaranteed to come out.

It was a fitting name for this item.

"Maybe."

"Indeed. Given the circumstances, it's a possibility."

Haruki's theory was met with nods from Kuren and Akane.

"Akane, can you tell what this bracelet is?"

"No, I can't. It's not in any of the records, and I can't tell just by looking."

Akane shook her head, admitting defeat.

The bracelet looked like a simple, smooth bracelet.

Without detailed appraisal, she couldn't identify it.

"This bracelet seems to have good magic flow."

"Hmm? So it's like a weapon similar to a staff?"

"No, I think it's an accessory that enhances defense, not attack. The power infused in it forms a thin layer around the body."

"Ah, I see."

An accessory that turns infused magic into a protective spell.

It was a perfect item for Kuren, who had low defense.

The exact level of defense it provided was unknown, but it could be tested during dungeon exploration.

Kuren's luck skill must have worked well to get such a perfect item for her.

Haruki briefly wondered if he could make a fortune by maxing out his luck skill and continuously drawing high-rarity items from gacha balls.

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

It was unlikely he would get another chance to obtain gacha balls.

Even if they were available on the market, they might not be affordable.

He might consider buying one if the opportunity arose, but for now, it was out of the question.

Haruki was practically penniless.

"Next is my package."

Kuren's package was undoubtedly a special item.

What kind of special item would be in his package?

With his heart pounding, Haruki opened the package addressed to him.

Inside were two notes and a mysterious mask.

"Mask..."

It was a white mask, similar to a Noh mask.

Like Haruki's mask, it looked cursed, making him hesitate to wear it.

Just by looking, it was impossible to tell what abilities the mask had.

Haruki opened the note to check.

At the top of the note, the name of Shikama and his group was written.

Without a doubt, the sender was Masatsugu. Haruki had a strong feeling about it.

Masatsugu seemed to have heard from Kagemitsu about the actions and consequences of Shikama and his group.

"I'm sorry for causing trouble for Mask."

"Please accept the item I sent as compensation."

The note apologized for the attack on Haruki.

It also mentioned that Masatsugu planned to visit and formally apologize once the incident in Shinjuku was resolved.

Reading this, Haruki thought it was wrong.

Masatsugu was mistaken.

My name is Haruki Sora!

And my handle is Kuu!

I've never called myself Mask!!

Damn it! Why am I being called Mask!?

Confused and frustrated, Haruki clenched his teeth and held back tears.

But the fact that a top-ranked player recognized him was significant.

Even if the name was wrong, Masatsugu had sent him a letter!

This must mean his presence has increased significantly!

Feeling a sudden surge of confidence, Haruki dried his tears and whistled as he opened the second note.

It contained detailed appraisal data for the mask.

"The mask... um..."

Name: Hidden Mask

Type: Mask

Rank: Ultra-Rare

Quality: Special

Effect: Disappear from existence—

"Akane, dispose of this."

"Wh-what? Dispose of it!? Why? It's a gift from Hero Masatsugu! Disposing of it is out of the question!!"

"Just holding it might get me killed!!"

The possibility of disappearing from existence made Haruki shudder.

This was a serious situation.

He wanted to throw the mask into an incinerator immediately.

Damn it. Why did Masatsugu send such a thing!?

Looking at the mask's description, Haruki noticed a postscript in Masatsugu's handwriting at the bottom.

"PS. I thought Mask collects strong masks, so I sent one of the strongest. I hope you like it."

It was an unnecessary gesture.

Moreover,

"one of the strongest"

was a terrifying phrase.

Haruki wanted to dispose of—no, destroy—the mask even more.

But Akane remained firm.

"The detailed appraisal effects are incomplete, right? If our appraiser can't see it, it must be a very high-level item. Plus, it's ultra-rare and of special quality. It's an extremely rare item! Disposing of it would be foolish."

"But—"

"Even just touching it makes you less likely to be targeted. You should definitely keep it."

"Keep such a dangerous item—wait?"

Just touching it makes you less likely to be targeted.

Those words triggered something in Haruki's mind.

"Do I have to wear it?"

"It seems not. Look, it says here."

Looking down, Haruki saw that the detailed appraisal paper indeed stated, "Hides the presence of the object being touched."

Ah, I see.

Masatsugu was right to call it "one of the strongest."

Facing the increasingly dangerous mask, Haruki sniffed with interest.

—Maybe I can attach it to my bag.

In Haruki's mind, the concept of a "Stealth Mobile Fortress Potato" took shape and solidified.

I'll attach it to my bag later.

If the stealth effect works, it will make rare items even less likely to be targeted.

Thus, after the unexpected event of opening the package from Masatsugu, Haruki and the others took a day off and resumed their dungeon exploration.

However, none of them could have predicted that Haruki would be in a state where he couldn't fight.

Thank you for always reading.

This concludes Chapter 3 (Part 1).