Novel Bin Chapter 86 - Advancing Forward
"So, this is Faceless Mask."
Ria muttered as she let her finger wander around the front of the mask and noticed how smooth it feels to her touch. After analysing the mask with her eyes, Ria finally couldn\'t hold herself and put the mask over her face. At first, she feels very uncomfortable putting the mask on her face, but that soon disappeared after it adapted to her face and Ria feels like her whole face was covered with another layer of skin on top of her actual skin.
Sheila didn\'t say anything and brought the small mirror out of the inventory and gave it to Ria when the latter looked at her. Accepting the mirror in her hands, Ria brought the mirror to her face and was amazed that the reflection showed her actual face, the mask was nowhere to be found. Feeling the giddiness in her body, suddenly the reflection showed her hair color changed into that of a beautiful silver-white hair from her silky black hair.
"This is amazing; it looks so natural."
Ria said in amazement while staring at her now silver-white hair closely from the mirror. While Ria was using the skill to change her face a couple of times, Sheila stood by her side while silently looking at her best friend\'s antic. But it didn\'t take long before the mask turned back to normal as Ria almost fall over in exhaustion if not for Sheila standing close to her and manage to catch the fall.
There was a confusion on her face when she looked up to Sheila; Sheila laughed before telling Ria that it cost mana for her to use the skill to maintain the change and since she keeps on using the mask, she ended up depleting all her mana. That was one thing that differs between acquiring real skill and the magic item, since having an actual skill won\'t require mana to maintain the change as it will only cost once when one use the skill. Of course, if they used the skill repeatedly without rest like Ria would deplete their mana in no time.
After she had finished explaining things to Ria, Sheila brought the mana potion and gave it to the latter for her to drink. But since Ria had no more energy even to lift her finger, Sheila had to help Ria by feeding the girl with her own hands. After having her mana filled, Ria \'glare\' at Sheila before opening her mouth and said.
"You should have told me that earlier."
"You were so excited about it; I don\'t think you will hear me out even if I do tell you."
Sheila said while shaking her head; Ria suddenly remembers how she acts as her face flushed red before shouting to Sheila.
"But still, you should have told me!"
"Anyways, how was it? Do you like it?"
Ria continues glaring at Sheila and only stopped when the latter didn\'t respond as she expected.
"I love it, though it would have been even better if the disguise skill is maxed instead of just level 1."
"That won\'t be a magic item anymore, it\'s definitely on the level of a godly item, and such item would be as rare as seeing money falling from the sky. It\'s impossible."
"I know, you don\'t need to tell me—"
"Oh? So you two were already home, why are you staying here too long for? Go and change your outfit, dinner will be ready soon."
Sara interrupted in their conversation when she entered the hallway and saw the two were chatting with each other while still in their school uniform. After saying her part, Sara turned back and walked toward the kitchen to resume cooking for dinner. Sheila and Ria looked at each other before walking upstairs toward their respective room.
After eating dinner, the two went up and decided to get experience together in the Trial Tower in Sheila\'s bedroom. Only after the door is locked would they closed their eyes to enter the Trial Tower. When the two regain their vision, they were greeted with a dark cave in front of them while a huge forest on their back. Because Ria had finally cleared the First Floor, this would be her first time entering the Second Floor since she had been slaying the slimes to earn even more experience before advancing. She was not that confident on her own; that was why she wanted Sheila to be with her.
"So, this is the cave where goblins reside? It\'s pretty dark; I can\'t even see anything. You have cleared this floor, so give me a hand."
"Well, I have night vision like the goblins, but I don\'t know how to help you with that. Hmm, hold on."
Sheila said before staring seriously in the air while also moving her hand from time to time, Ria didn\'t make any noise and just stood silently to the side while watching Sheila acting \'weird\'. Ria knows that Sheila was currently browsing through the system that only she could see, that was why Sheila looks weird with moving her hands in the air from Ria\'s perspective.
After browsing through the system shop for a few minutes, Sheila finally found what she was looking for and immediately buy it when the price appears to be affordable. Without waiting further, A familiar-looking black book with a weird looking eye on the front suddenly materialises out of thin air before falling into Sheila\'s hands. Ria widens her eyes before narrowing her eyes and said.
"Can I even learn this skill book?"
"It should be, why don\'t you give it a try? It won\'t hurt anyway, and even if you can\'t learn it, I could lend you a hand to clear the floor."
"...if you say so, alright."
With that said, Ria accepted the skill book in her hands while still having a low expectation of learning it, but surprisingly, the book immediately shattered into dust as a torrent of new memory rushing to her head. Ria grimaces while holding tightly onto her head, perhaps feeling uncomfortable about the process. But the process didn\'t take too long as Ria expression now turned into that of relieved.
"So, It\'s a Night Vision, huh? Did you get it from the shop? I remember you telling me that the skill that was sold in the shop is quite expensive."
"It\'s okay, that was one of the few skills that are considered cheap at 2500 gold. All the other skills are in the hundred of thousands, which is why I called it expensive."
"So I will be able to see in the dark now?"
Ria said before gazing deep into the cave and could see the wall of the cave but was unable to see far into the cave. It\'s understandable as the skill is still on level 1 and Ria couldn\'t see that far ahead with normal eyesight. And when Ria activated her night vision skill, Sheila could see the light within her eyes, and if not for the fake sunlight, it would have shine even more in the dark. Sheila didn\'t know about this since she had never looked at herself in the mirror when she was so focused on grinding for experience.
"Let\'s go."
Sheila said as she gives a pat on Ria\'s back, urging her to advance. But Ria took a couple of a deep breath before stepping forward into the cave as Sheila followed behind her putting a certain amount of distance from Ria because she didn\'t want the goblins to go after her, though she could handle these goblins easily with only brute strength alone.
Sheila didn\'t say anything to Ria how she is going to \'help\' but knowing the girl; Ria thought that Sheila would only make a move if she gets poorly injured; otherwise, she won\'t lift a finger. Ria cautiously and slowly walks forward while her eyes are focusing on her surrounding, she had gotten sneak attacked once by a slime because she let her guard for a second right after slaying the slime. Ria had thought that there was no slime left in her surrounding and was not expecting such a sneak attack and took a painful hit on her back. Thankfully she is a healer and could heal any wounds that she received by herself.
It was about five minutes when Ria finally found her enemy ahead, which caused her to come to a halt. It was a single goblin walking to and fro on the same spot while having a blank look on its ugly face. Because Ria didn\'t have any offensive magic, she gripped onto her silver sword and closed her eyes to ready herself before launching forward with a fast momentum.
"Giga!"
The goblin shrieked when it saw a female human rushing straight toward it. It didn\'t take her seriously but wouldn\'t let the prey escape, that\'s why it also sprint toward Ria with the rough club in its hand. Ria was shaken for a second when she saw the ugly green creature rushing toward her while having a nasty grinned on its face, but she comes to her sense when Sheila tap on her shoulders as encouragement before putting back the distance between them. Ria thanks Sheila in her mind before stepping to the side as the goblin swing its club at her before sending a horizontal slash with her sword. The blood spilled to the ground, and the goblin stepped backward as it howled in pain at the wound it received on its gut.
Seeing her attack was more effective than she expected, Ria immediately sent another swing of her sword, chopping the hand that was holding the club before proceed to behead the goblin in one sweep. Although Ria doesn\'t have much fighting against humanoid monsters, she still has the experience battling against the slimes; those were enough to kill a single goblin.