Chapter 401 - 400: Monster Collector

Chapter 401: Chapter 400: Monster Collector

Seraphina Sinclair could even imagine the expressions on the faces of countless survivors in their mobile cabins—shocked, numb, or cursing—after being startled awake.

The corner of her mouth curved into a faint, almost imperceptible arc. She felt no guilt whatsoever.

’Since I’m doomed to a sleepless night anyway, it’s not a total loss to drag everyone else into the commotion with me.’

The echoes of the announcement still faintly reverberated across the sky, but Seraphina Sinclair had already dismissed the notification. Now that her moment of gloating was over, it was time to check the other rewards.

[Monster Collector (Legendary Title)]

’Another Legendary Title?!’

This was already the third Legendary Title Seraphina Sinclair had obtained.

The Attributes of Family’s Blessing were average, but Windwhisper Dragonslayer was both comprehensive and powerful.

It was precisely because the quality of Legendary Titles varied so greatly that Seraphina Sinclair was so curious about this new title’s effects.

Filled with anticipation, she read on.

[Monster Collector (Legendary Title)]

[Description: The ultimate romance for a collector, the supreme crown for a hunter of curiosities! You have defeated and collected a vast array of monsters. Your very existence is a mobile monster museum. Your journey will be a lament and an Epic for all monsters.]

[Equip Effect: Permanently increases damage dealt to non-humanoid D-level and below monsters by 10%.]

’Increased damage against non-humanoid monsters... but it has to be D-level or below, and it only increases damage by ten percent.’

Compared to the titles given out in dungeons, this one was already quite good.

But the problem was, this was a Legendary Title.

Compared to [Windwhisper Dragonslayer], it was practically just a leftover scrap...

"Utter trash." She spoke the two words softly, her brow furrowing.

A 10% damage increase was certainly nice, but the restrictions to non-humanoid and D-level or below drastically shrank its scope of application.

Seraphina Sinclair could easily kill monsters below D-level without needing a damage boost from a title, and for the C-level monsters she struggled with, this title offered not a shred of help.

She stared at the page in silence for a long time, unable to figure out if she had completed the collection too late, or if the reward for it was just inherently this useless.

No matter how she looked at it, this thing could only be shelved.

Seraphina Sinclair felt helpless, but there was nothing she could do.

Besides the announcement and the title, there was only one reward left.

The notification panel showed just two words—Identification Order.

It sounded like a physical object, but aside from the three pop-up windows, nothing had appeared in front of Seraphina Sinclair.

’It couldn’t be...’

’Did the system just swallow it?’

The moment that thought occurred to her, the collection catalog page in front of Seraphina Sinclair suddenly flared with brilliant light. Countless fine motes of light scattered from it, weaving together before her eyes. They slowly combined, finally solidifying into a strange, palm-sized token.

The entire token glowed with a warm, Dark Gold luster. Its edges were engraved with complex and mystical patterns, and in its center was the archaic character for "Identify."

Its long, thin strokes added a touch of elegance to the token.

When Seraphina Sinclair’s gaze fell upon the character, related information flowed naturally into her consciousness.

[Identification Order (Beginner)]

[Description: An official credential formed by the world’s rules after collecting the entire monster codex of a certain tier in The Black Mist World. By holding this order, you have taken a first glimpse at the tip of the iceberg of the Black Mist’s creations. The holder will gain the passive effect: Eye of Identification.]

[Eye of Identification: Your gaze can now pierce through appearances to gain greater Insight. When faced with an item of unknown function, you will have a certain probability of directly obtaining more detailed and comprehensive information about it. The completeness of the information obtained is related to the target’s grade!]

[Note: Knowledge is another form of armament. To identify all things is to seize the initiative.]

’Eye of Identification...’

Seraphina Sinclair repeated the name softly, her fingertips stroking the token’s warm, smooth edge.

’When faced with an item of unknown function...?’

’What does that mean?’

Seraphina Sinclair thought for a moment, then suddenly recalled that phrase: "Oh, you lack the qualifications to know."

There was that glowing fish swim bladder she had used for a lamp, and so many other materials!

The Description page had used that exact phrase to fob her off.

’Could the purpose of this passive skill be to see the actual uses of these materials?!’

Seraphina Sinclair immediately took out the glowing fish swim bladder from under a pile of supplies. After taking a deep breath, she checked its Description.

[Glowing Fish Swim Bladder (Special Material)]

[Description: A precious material for crafting underwater equipment. Has a wide range of uses.]

[Eye of Identification Activated: Can be used as a core stabilizer for B-level and below underwater breathing Potions. When ground and mixed with Moonlight Moss, it can be made into a high-quality luminous paint. If peeled off intact and processed with special techniques, it can be crafted into a single-use, high-intensity underwater flare, which has a powerful repellent effect on certain light-sensitive aquatic monsters.]

What was once a vague, one-sentence description had, under the effect of this Skill, expanded into a clear, specific, and even research-oriented detailed explanation!

A delighted gleam burst forth from Seraphina Sinclair’s eyes. Though her face remained smileless, the joy in her heart was irrepressible.

She immediately tried it on several other materials she had obtained before—all with unknown uses. The only thing they had in common with the glowing fish swim bladder was the phrase: "Oh, you lack the qualifications to know."

Previously, seeing that sentence had only ever annoyed Seraphina Sinclair. It was like an arrogant proctor was using it to mock her ignorance.

Seraphina Sinclair went through all the materials in her hands and actually found a few useful ones.

One was a material she had taken from Shatterer’s remains, called Cloud Spirit Silk.

The glowing fish swim bladder at least indicated it was a special material for making underwater equipment. This thing, on the other hand, had only that one line in its Description: that she was not qualified to know.

With the Eye of Identification, the material’s use was finally revealed to her.

[Cloud Spirit Silk (Special Material)]

[Description: Silk spun by the Cloud-Weave Silkworm, which dwells in seas of clouds at extreme altitudes. It is repeatedly pounded by artisans with special techniques on the night of the brightest Moonlight, then steeped in Spirit Dew for a hundred days before it is complete. Its texture is light and supple, and it is naturally attuned to spiritual energy.]

Just from reading this one passage, Seraphina Sinclair’s brow furrowed.

’The Description makes this material sound so noble. How could it have appeared in Shatterer’s hands at this stage?’

Moreover, in Shatterer’s hands, the description was probably just "Permission Denied."

At that moment, Seraphina Sinclair truly realized the importance of information.

Even though she could ask the waiter about most unknown things, the waiter, while knowledgeable, wasn’t omniscient—especially when it came to these special materials.

Its job had nothing to do with materials. Even if it occasionally overheard a guest mention the uses of some precious material, the knowledge was like sand held in its hand, slipping through its fingers, completely forgotten.