Chapter 50: I Lost Him
Jason walked at a quick pace down the subway while ignoring most of the people around him.
[Walk forward for a hundred meters and turn right.]
The system was giving Jason instructions like some sort of GPS, and Jason followed its directions as he made his way through the crowd. Many people were jostling Jason as he walked, and he was thankful that he didn’t have his wallet with him because he was sure someone would have tried to pick his pocket already.
[Turn left at the next junction and enter the door on your right.]
Another instruction arrived, and Jason followed it forward. The number of people had significantly thinned down, and Jason was in a part of the subway that was dark and silent. Jason turned back to make sure that the woman he saw following him was no longer there, and he released a small sigh when he didn’t see her. He didn’t want to have to deal with her before going into the Gate. There were a few random passersby who only glanced at him for a moment before turning away, and Jason ignored them as he entered the door the system had pointed out.
Jason was in another tunnel, and this one was completely empty with dim, flickering lights above him. He looked around to make sure that there was really no one there before he took off the cap and face mask and stuffed them in his back pocket. Then he saw another message from the system.
[Walk forward two hundred meters and you will arrive at your destination.]
Jason walked through the dimly lit tunnel calmly. He reached into his pocket and brought out the dagger-like tooth that he commissioned the SMD to craft for him, and he looked it over. The tooth now looked a lot more like a dagger. They had added a black hilt to it that allowed Jason to grip it more firmly, and the rim of the dagger had been sharpened to a razor’s edge.
Jason put his hand out and used the dagger to scratch the wall, and he was shocked when it easily cut into the wall and left a small line on it.
’It cut like paper.’
[Due to a special action, the user has successfully awakened the passive skill [Appraisal - D]]
[Appraisal: A skill that allows the user to view the stats and functions of any artifact containing mana. This skill will consume stamina to be activated. This skill can be evolved.]
[To evolve this skill, the user must practice using it on stronger materials.]
——
The system suddenly sent this message, and Jason blinked in surprise before he turned his eyes back towards the dagger and used appraisal on it.
[Appraisal] has been activated.
——
Due to a special action, the skill [Appraisal] has grown stronger.
——
[Appraisal - C]
——
Moonlight Wolf’s Tooth
Rank: A
Durability: 100%
Boosts: +20% Agility
Description: A simple weapon retrieved from the corpse of the Moonlight Wolf Boss and crafted into a dagger by a mediocre craftsman. Does not have any notable benefits and will prove useless against anything stronger than an A Rank.
...
[The system suggests the user does not get attached to this weapon because it will not last long. The user must work harder to acquire stronger weapons.]
Jason chuckled at the system’s message while twirling the dagger in his hand. He wasn’t an expert at using knives, but for some reason, this weapon just felt right to him.
’Maybe I have a preference for knives. The knife I used in the Red Gate also felt right in my hand.’
Jason had this thought as he calmly turned around and made sure that the woman was not following him before he turned back around to focus on where he was going.
[Predator’s Gaze] has been activated.
His eyes bled red as he activated his skill, and the space beside him shimmered in purple light as a six-meter wolf appeared beside him with its teeth bared in preparation for a fight. The wolf was a Pawn Rank III, and Jason called on it because he didn’t want to end up being caught unawares if he entered the Gate.
According to the Superhumans who had been fighting in Gates for a long time, every Gate was different, and it was impossible for you to know what to expect inside a Gate. If you go in unprepared, there is a chance that you will be caught unawares and killed by whatever monster is inside there.
And the fact that this Gate was an Orange Gate and not a Red Gate which was more common made Jason even more wary.
Jason petted the wolf on the side of its neck, and the wolf growled deeply as it began moving ahead of him. The system sent a new message to Jason a few seconds later to tell him that he had reached the destination, and Jason stopped in front of a perfectly normal wall. He tilted his head to one side and hummed as he tried to see if there was anything special about the wall, but even with his [Predator’s Gaze], there was nothing there.
Jason walked forward and placed his hand on the wall, and he blinked as a ripple formed over the wall and his hand disappeared into it.
’So this is a dimensional tear. What would happen if no one cleared this out for a long time?’
[If the tear is left unattended for a long time, it will develop into an Orange Gate.]
The system sent back an answer, and Jason hummed again. So Gates were just matured Dimensional Tears. It was strange to know that there was so much of the world that he didn’t yet know about.
Jason shook his head and decided to forget about all that for now. He ordered the wolf to pass through the ripple first. Once it crossed through, Jason tried to communicate with it and see if it could respond, and once the wolf sent a message back saying that it was fine, Jason pressed his hand forward and walked through the wall.
...
Bang!
The sound of the door leading to the tunnel banging open echoed through the space, and the woman in black took in deep, tired breaths as she looked around for Jason! She had been held back by the many people in the subway and she lost Jason somewhere along the way! She hurried down the tunnel to try and catch Jason, but she wasn’t able to see him no matter how far she went! Fuck, her boss was going to kill her!
The woman looked around for any sign of Jason, and she scratched the back of her head with a frown when there was nothing! She turned around and left the tunnel before making a call to her superior. She was sure that she was going to be shouted at, but she still needed to report the fact that she had lost Jason so easily.
[What happened? I thought you weren’t going to call for another thirty minutes.]
Her superior’s voice came through the comms with an undertone of suspicion in it. It was almost like the superior already knew that something had happened and she was only waiting to hear what it was! The woman swallowed before she spoke up.
"Sorry, ma’am. I lost him in the New York subway."
[... Elaborate.]
"He’s gone, ma’am."
[People don’t just vanish into thin air, Agent 47. I believe I told you to keep an eye on him no matter what! Did you think that was a joke!?]