Chapter 297: Hiding True Data

Chapter 297: Chapter 297: Hiding True Data

Seraphina Sullivan knew her luck had always been average.

It was nothing like Sean Chandler’s European Emperor’s Constitution, which practically guaranteed amazing loot from every Treasure Chest, but was her luck really *this* bad?

Getting only a single item from a Treasure Chest—the odds were staggering.

"Kings of Fortune must die!!!"

Seraphina Sullivan spat the words into the air, voicing the shared sentiment of countless unlucky players. It was as if she could curse that ridiculously lucky guy from afar just by saying it.

...

As if by some metaphysical connection, in a completely different part of the Aberrant Radiation instance—an area covered by a forest of twisted metal...

Sean Chandler, who was cautiously exploring, let out a massive, completely unexpected sneeze. "ACHOO!!"

In the relative silence, the sneeze was deafening, startling both him and his teammates.

"Chandler, are you okay?" Heath Summers, one of his teammates, immediately asked with concern.

The other two men with her, Brandon Barton and Victor Sharp, also shot him worried looks.

"Could it be the unknown radiation here? This instance is too bizarre. It’s impossible to guard against all the different types of radiation."

Brandon Barton analyzed with a frown, his eyes instinctively scanning their surroundings with greater vigilance.

"Yeah," Victor Sharp added, pushing up his glasses. "The intense UV radiation during the day, the low temperatures and unknown radiation at night... If my Energy Protection Shield couldn’t filter out most of the harmful elements, we’d be in a much tougher spot."

His tone held a hint of relief, highlighting the well-rounded composition of their small team.

It had to be said, Sean Chandler’s luck was truly off the charts.

Although he’d been separated from Seraphina Sullivan.

He soon ran into Brandon Barton’s three-person team, who had also been teleported nearby in the Aberrant Radiation instance. They were not only strong, but also decent people.

The four of them hit it off instantly and formed a temporary team. By looking out for one another, the pressure of survival had been significantly reduced.

Sean Chandler rubbed his still-itchy nose.

He found it odd himself; theoretically, that shouldn’t happen inside the Energy Protection Shield.

He waved a hand to dismiss his teammates’ concerns and casually came up with an excuse.

"I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s probably just... my allergies acting up all of a sudden."

The others: "???"

Brandon Barton, Heath Summers, and Victor Sharp stared at each other, their faces covered in question marks.

’Suddenly getting "allergies" in an instance teeming with danger and radiation?’

’Isn’t that excuse... a little *too* flimsy?’

Meanwhile, Seraphina Sullivan quickly accepted her reality.

After all, the chest was already open, and being upset wouldn’t change the outcome.

She calmed down and began to carefully examine the specific Effect of her sole reward: the Stone of Concealment.

After using Item Identification, more detailed information appeared in her mind:

[Item: Stone of Concealment]

[Effect: Identity Concealment: Upon activation, forms an invisible information barrier. As long as an observer’s overall power does not exceed the user’s by more than one level, all forms of reconnaissance Skills, identification Talents, and scrying Spells will fail to acquire the user’s true identity and detailed data. This includes, but is not limited to: Name, Level, Talents, Skills, etc. This Effect can be toggled on or off at any time.]

Seraphina Sullivan’s eyes widened the moment she finished reading the detailed Effect description.

She even held her breath for a second.

She was clearly stunned by the powerful Effect of the Stone of Concealment.

"Holy crap! This... the Effect of this Stone of Concealment is insane!"

Seraphina Sullivan couldn’t help but exclaim.

Her earlier frustration about getting only one item from the Treasure Chest vanished into thin air.

’It can completely hide my identity!’

’When I think about it, what am I most afraid of right now?’

’What’s my biggest vulnerability?’

’It’s precisely those reconnaissance and identification-type Talents and Skills that are impossible to guard against!’

She herself possessed Abilities like the Eye of Resume and Analysis Glasses, so she knew just how potent they could be.

’If I encountered another Player with similar, or even stronger, reconnaissance Abilities, my current Disguise would be useless. My altered appearance from the Transformation Ring, my deliberately suppressed Aura, the "Medical Assistance" and "Beast Tamer" personas I’ve been carefully maintaining... all of it could be seen through in an instant. Any data that might expose my true strength could be laid bare before them!’

’In the face of their identification Abilities, all my Disguises would be rendered useless!’

’A single glance from them could expose all my secrets—my True Level, core Talents, Skill loadout, and other key information. That’s a massive risk I absolutely cannot accept.’

But the Stone of Concealment was the perfect solution to this major problem!

Although the Effect was limited—it only worked if the observer’s power was no more than one level higher than the Player’s...

...but given the current general standard among Players, everyone’s Level and strength were still hovering within a relatively narrow range.

Unless she ran into some top-tier Player whose strength far exceeded the current instance’s difficulty—someone who had taken a huge risk to force their way into a low-level instance—it was almost impossible to encounter anyone who was definitively more than a level above her.

This meant that, in most situations, Seraphina Sullivan could safely activate the Identity Concealment Effect and turn herself into an "information black hole."

Anyone who tried to pry into her secrets would come up empty-handed!

"What a find! This is an amazing item!"

Seraphina Sullivan caressed the smooth, warm Stone of Concealment in her palm, unable to put it down. A smile of genuine joy and satisfaction spread across her face.

Her earlier, resentful thought of ’Kings of Fortune must die!’ was now completely forgotten. All she could think was that this Silver Treasure Chest had been absolutely worth it!

The strategic value of this one item far surpassed that of eight or ten ordinary pieces of equipment.

Without hesitation, Seraphina Sullivan chose to "Activate."

The Stone of Concealment in her palm dissolved into an imperceptible ripple that spread out from her before fading into nothing.

From that moment on, her personal information was far more secure.

She rested in the Scavenger’s Space until dawn, by which point her mental and physical stamina had returned to their peak.

Meanwhile, Simon Holt was being "looked after" by Chubbs and Tubbs, who took turns watching him.

Every time the Anesthetic was about to wear off and his eyelids twitched as he was on the verge of waking, Chubbs would skillfully pull out a pre-materialized dose of Anesthetic and give him another precise injection, ensuring he got his "thorough rest."

Through this experience, Seraphina Sullivan also discovered that the Anesthetic she created with her Anesthetist Profession, once materialized in the real world, could remain stable for a considerable time—its shelf life was about 24 hours.

This greatly increased its flexibility.

Only when morning truly arrived the next day did Seraphina Sullivan signal Chubbs to stop "administering the medicine."

After she left the Space, Simon Holt slowly came to, feeling as though he’d had a long sleep that left his back a little sore.

"You’re awake?" Seraphina Sullivan’s voice drifted over.