Chapter 47: New Persona

As he spun, the flames of Emberlight turned gold-orange. The people of the caravan felt a wave of heat wash over them. Ace then threw out a gold-orange ring of fire, which quickly expanded, accompanied by fierce explosions.

The Corrosive Fist Rats attacking Ace were unable to dodge and were instantly consumed by the ring of fire, leaving no bones behind.

The ring of fire expanded rapidly, reaching several meters, and directly burned a carriage to ashes.

Ace scratched his head sheepishly and said with a big smile, “This move is a bit rusty. I couldn’t control the power. I sincerely apologize.”

Everyone stared blankly, then erupted in huge cheers. They had been in despair and were now unexpectedly saved. The massive psychological shift made them weep with joy.

“That doesn’t matter! I am Borg, the caravan boss. Thank you so much, Honorable Divine Descendant. Please, you must accept this bag of Gold Thales.”

Borg, his face alight with excitement, took a bag of Gold Thales from his carriage and presented it to Ace.

Ace did not refuse, taking it immediately. “Then I will accept it without formality. A few Corrosive Fist Rats escaped. I must go after them. We shall meet again if fate allows.”

Before Borg could say anything, Ace, like a whirlwind, chased after the remaining Corrosive Fist Rats and disappeared.

“Coming and going like the wind, powerful and hearty, possessing the rugged charm of a veteran. I’m in love, Father.” The young girl, Donna, who had yelled at Ace earlier, said dreamily to Borg.

“Donna, that noble is not from our world. His power is so immense. Based on my 30-plus years of experience as a merchant, he is at least a Pseudo-Hero, an exceptional figure even among the Nobles.”

It wouldn’t be a bad thing if my daughter were to have an indescribable encounter with that noble. Wouldn’t my family then gain the bloodline of a god? Alas, that noble left too quickly, Borg sighed inwardly.

Ace quietly charmed the Corrosive Fist Rats, driving them further and further away.

His mood was incomparably refreshed. The gloomy feelings he had carried from Cimali finally lifted.

The transformation into Sharp gave him a taste of a different life—the exhilaration of role-playing.

He avoided giving a name because he considered that Sharp was a fugitive, and his real name might be discovered. It would be troublesome if he claimed to be Sharp and attracted unnecessary pursuit.

Finally, reaching a place where the caravan could not see him, Ace lifted the Transformation Spell and changed back into his black hooded robe.

His eyes shone as he stared at the Corrosive Fist Rats. Fresh experimental materials! He was eager to utilize them.

Looking at the dismembered Corrosive Fist Rats, Ace took out a wool cloth and wiped the sweat and blood from his body. He discovered two new Lesser Runes on the Corrosive Fist Rats.

The Lesser Rune: Fortification. This rune formed a structure on the Corrosive Fist Rat’s hands, making them incredibly hard.

The Lesser Rune: Ejection. This rune formed a structure on the Corrosive Fist Rat’s legs, allowing it to jump farther and more forcefully.

Ace used the Fortification Rune to design a new Lesser Spell: Localized Fortification.

This spell can instantly enhance the rigidity, resilience, and recovery of a localized area of the body, lasting for about 15 minutes. Testing its effect on his fist showed its hardness far exceeded that of an iron sword.

This was an excellent close-combat auxiliary spell. Since it was not a Soul Rune, its enhancement of Ace was limited.

However, he could definitely use this ability to launch a new persona and engage in fist-to-fist combat.

The Lesser Ejection Rune had two uses: first, to replace the Projection Rune in the existing Lesser Magic Missile and Fire Missile spells, altering the spell’s trajectory.

Second, to develop a new spell that, when applied to his legs, greatly enhanced his short-distance maneuvering and movement capability. His instant ejection distance would be in the range of 10-20 meters, lasting for about 5 minutes.

Ace gradually formed an idea for his new persona.

In Appearance the new persona would wear a mask that only revealed his mouth and nose, and a traditional Monster Hunter costume.

Personality wise; extravagant, free-spirited, just, sunny, unconventional, and fond of upholding justice.

As for abilities; lose-combat scorching steel fists and legs, short-distance movement for mobility, and long-range Fire Missile. Power Level is positioned between a Seasoned Divine Awakened and a Pseudo-Hero.

With the persona template set, Ace went to the nearest town. Using illusions, he created an iron mask that only exposed his mouth and nose, and iron gauntlets, all without being noticed.

Ace transformed into Sharp, dressed in the traditional Monster Hunter costume, strapped Emberlight in a leather sheath to his back, put on the iron mask and gauntlets, shouldered his backpack, and headed toward the nearby wilderness.

He activated his Ultrasound Perception, searching for Monsters, and did not avoid other Monster Hunters or caravans.

Two months later, rumors of a powerful solitary Monster Hunter began to circulate.

Many Monster Hunters, merchants, and even commoners had seen him wearing an iron mask, with scorching iron fists, dealing near-fatal blows to common Monsters.

He was active in the wilderness and towns west of Medimus City-State. No one knew his name. Because of his defining features, the people he rescued all called him Iron Face Fire Fist.

Ace discovered that there were indeed many more Monsters in the western region than in the southern and eastern regions. This was a newly developed area of the city-state, and many Monsters had yet to be cleared out, making it ideal for him to kill Monsters, collect runes, and gather magical materials.

Although low-level Monsters were abundant here, powerful low-level Monsters were rare. Ace hadn’t encountered a single powerful low-level Monster (whose strength is equivalent to a Pseudo-Hero) in these two months.

He did encounter many ordinary animal and plant-type low-level Monsters. His knowledge of the Monsters in the western city-state was now far superior to that of Tansen, the author of The Guide of Low Level Monster.

In these two months, Ace killed 15 different types of Monsters, including three plant-type Monsters and 12 animal-type Monsters.

He discovered 13 new Lesser Runes and created 11 new Lesser Spells through combination.

Among the long-range attack Lesser Runes, Ace had collected Flank, Ejection, Scattershot, Directshot, Projection, and Tracking.

These, combined with the wind attribute, could greatly enhance their effects. The Tracking Rune requires the assistance of an Imprint Rune to track and attack the marked object.

After these two months, Ace’s Lesser Rune Book and Lesser Spell Book were greatly enriched, and his new persona’s abilities grew even stronger.

No news of any anomaly came from Cimali Port in the south. Therefore, he decided to return to the city-state once and then head north, to the foot of the Larr Mountains, where legends claimed powerful low-level Monsters frequently appeared.

He stored the magical materials (Monster organs) he had acquired from hunting during this time at a nearby Monster Hunter camp and set off in the direction of Medimus City-State.

He wanted to see his parents, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time, plan the next stage of the estate’s development, and see Teacher Peter’s prized mirror. Incidentally, he wanted to see if he could persuade Athena to lend him the ritual Wonder for observation.