The Adventurer's Mission Log

Chapter 37 The Faceless Man

"Hey! Well done," the dwarf said with a smile.

"It's just bullying the weak, nothing to brag about." Ternor didn't care at all, and returned to his seat amidst the awe-inspiring gazes of the tavern patrons and the profuse thanks from the owner and waiters.

It was already night after we finished drinking, but it wasn't very dark yet. On the way back, we didn't encounter any rat people, only a few scattered thugs.

The two parted ways in the dwarf community, which allowed Tenor to become acquainted with the local dwarves.

It wasn't even 12 o'clock yet, and the Black Rose Tavern wasn't officially open. Giovanni wasn't there, and there were only a few people scattered around in the customer area.

Tenor returned to his room, prepared his belongings, and went to bed early, intending to lure out the Night Demon and eliminate it.

With his current abilities, this is easy.

When he was caught in the nightmare, he struggled violently to break free from the Night Demon's control, and then suddenly grabbed the burning sword lying to the side and slashed it at the Night Demon.

The Night Demon exploded into blue smoke and disappeared after being hit.

[Mission: Escape the clutches of the Night Demon]

Difficulty: Low

[Reward: Tranquilizing Potion *1]

Status: Completed

Tenor looked at the emerald in his hand, unsure whether to sell it or keep it for future use.

He is a half-human warrior and does not need to recover his mental energy.

After all this commotion, it was time for the tavern to open. He slowly went downstairs and was immediately called over by Giovanni.

"The clue you're looking for has been found." The halfling admired Tenor's surprise.

"So fast?"

"Of course, I am the Night's Watchman."

Tenor leaned closer, tossed down a silver coin, and said, "Same as always, a cup of mead, the rest is yours."

"Tell me about it." He gestured as if he were listening intently.

Giovanni found Tenor increasingly pleasing to the eye. "Alright, Tenor, you should know about the recent murders in the city."

Please allow me to call it "art," after all, you have to find a decent name for a massacre of nine people, don't you?

There was a sadist who called himself "The Faceless Man." After executing nine lucky audience members, he would make an elegant reappearance, like a theater curtain call, so that everyone could clearly remember the assassin's face.

"Sounds like a madman." Tenor took a sip of mead.

Giovanni chuckled. "Of course, guess what?"

Each witness seemed to be describing a different person, and no one knew what he actually looked like.

This artist began his tour a month ago and continues to completely fool the military.

Ternor's eyes lit up. "Maybe you were right earlier, I should indeed pay more attention to these kinds of murders—was he a shapeshifter?"

"I wasn't sure what he was either. Who knows if he was using a magical artifact or a shapeshifter?"

But in the past week, this fool angered Marcus the Demon Hunter, a high-ranking warrior and a role model in the legion.

If you had passed through the South District this morning, you would have heard the locals raving about the chase.

"Unfortunately, I was on a romantic date with a beastman outside the city during the day and didn't hear anything about what happened inside."

I want to know if Marcus killed it? And if I can buy the body.

"Oh, you've had a really bad day."

Don't expect to buy the corpse. Despite the overwhelming praise for Marcus, he managed to get the "Faceless Man" to escape.

When a shapeshifter enters a crowd, no one can catch it, even though everyone saw the monster's true form before it disguised itself.

"Very good." Tenor had a target. "If anyone can provide the approximate location of the shapeshifter, I'll try to take it down."

"Then you'd better be careful," Giovanni kindly warned. "People say that shapeshifter is related to demons; otherwise, why would a shapeshifter go on a periodic killing spree?"

"A demon?" Tenor became even more interested. Wasn't this a perfect match for his expertise?

If the shapeshifter is indeed related to demons, coexisting with or being dominated by them, he can use the Hunting Potion to test them.

If the opponent is a fourth-order demon, assuming the demon has already descended to the mortal realm, Tenor will be able to directly locate the target and the shapeshifter using the hunting potion and begin the hunting ritual.

If the demon hadn't descended, or if the shapeshifter had nothing to do with the demon, he had simply drunk a cheap reagent.

"Yes, the demon. It is said that the 'Faceless Man' is inseparable from a demon. He was able to escape from Marcus today thanks to that demon." When he mentioned the demon, Giovanni unconsciously lowered his voice, as if afraid that the being he was referring to would hear him.

Demons are unpredictable and their methods are mysterious, so everyone must be wary. If demons were easy to deal with, there would be no fallen heroes in legendary tales.

"That's perfect." Giovanni admired and was apprehensive about Ternor's fearlessness. "If you can find out any more detailed clues, be sure to let me know immediately."

"Of course..." Giovanni said softly, "I can tell you right now that they are injured and need to recover."

They'll be drawn to anything that can restore souls or magic. You might want to check the Great Library; they could be hiding in one of the mage towers." Giovanni couldn't help but shudder, scanning the tavern with trepidation, fearing that one of the people inside might be a Faceless Man in disguise.

It's so close to the big library.

Tenor's heart skipped a beat—his "sedative" could restore mental energy, and perhaps he could use it as bait to lure the shapeshifter out.

But before that, he needs to test the demon with the hunting reagent.

After quickly finishing the mead, Tenor returned upstairs, pushed open the door, and his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Inside the pitch-black room, a man in a leather cloak stood silently by the window, his body seemingly nailed to the air, like a rigid iron statue.

Hearing the door open, he kept his back to Tenor, but slowly turned his head.

That's Ternor's face.

"Damn it!" Tenor was enraged by the monster. Had this thing already set its sights on him? And was it planning to steal his identity?

He immediately transformed, and a ferocious beast covered in rough scales replaced the human like a statue, as if he had always looked like this and had only now unveiled the illusion of humanity.

If you're so capable, keep changing!

Tenor took off his weapon and pounced.

When the shapeshifter saw its target transform into a monster, a hint of confusion appeared in its eyes. Then, its body swayed and it too transformed into a lizardman, wielding the same weapon as Tenor.

But it clearly only stole the appearance, without obtaining the inner power.

As the Burning Sword struck the Moon Shield, the thief who had stolen the image had his shield shattered in an instant. The Burning Sword continued its momentum, and just as it was about to hit the thief, its form suddenly collapsed into purple flames.

It vanished in a flash of light.

Tenor checked the room and thankfully, the materials hidden in the cabinet showed no signs of being touched.

Using his hunting instincts, he determined that the monster had visited shortly before he entered the house, and its intention was not to fight, but rather for the shapeshifter to mark its target.

Unfortunately, he saw it.

It seems there's no need to set up bait.