Chapter 141: Using the Mask [1]
I unlocked the main entrance with the key that had materialized alongside the deed and stepped inside. The interior was as impressive as the exterior promised, though currently unfurnished and waiting for someone to make it their own.
The entrance hall was spacious and bright, with polished marble flooring that reflected the natural light streaming through tall windows. A grand staircase curved upward to the second floor, its elegant railings and wide steps designed to make an impression on visitors.
Moving through the ground floor, I discovered a large formal reception room that could easily accommodate fifty guests for social gatherings. The high ceilings and excellent acoustics made it perfect for entertaining, but as I stood in the empty space, a different vision emerged.
’This could be a cinema room,’ I thought, my mind racing with possibilities from my previous life. The dimensions were ideal - I could install tiered seating, projection equipment using magical crystals for illumination, and sound enhancement enchantments. A private theater where I could recreate the movie-watching experience from Earth would be both personally enjoyable and impressively novel for this world.
The only issue was the movies.
Where am I going to get movies in this world...I guess I might have to create my own then.
Continuing my exploration, I found what appeared to be designed as a formal dining hall. The room was massive, with space for banquet tables and elaborate serving arrangements. But another idea struck me as I examined the layout.
’This could become a modern entertainment lounge,’ I realized. Gaming tables, comfortable seating areas, perhaps even attempting to recreate arcade-style games using magical interfaces. The concepts from Earth could be adapted with this world’s magical technology.
The kitchen area was large and well-equipped with magical appliances for food preservation and preparation. At least this space could maintain its intended purpose, though I’d likely modernize the equipment with innovations inspired by Earth’s culinary technology.
Moving to the second floor, I discovered several bedroom suites, each with private bathing facilities. One particularly large room at the end of the corridor caught my attention immediately.
The space was enormous - probably intended as a master bedroom suite - but its attached bathroom area gave me ideas. The existing bathing chamber featured a sunken pool-style bath and excellent ventilation, but I could envision something far more luxurious.
’A proper spa and jacuzzi setup,’ I thought with growing excitement. Hot tubs with magical heating and water jets, separate sauna and steam rooms, massage areas with enchanted tables that could provide therapeutic benefits. This world had healing magic, but combining it with Earth’s wellness concepts could create something genuinely unique.
Another large room on the second floor appeared designed as a study or library, with built-in shelving and excellent natural lighting. This could remain relatively traditional, though I’d certainly stock it with both this world’s knowledge and whatever information I could recreate from my previous life.
The third floor surprised me with its open layout - a massive space that currently served no obvious purpose. Standing in the centre, I could imagine multiple possibilities.
’A personal training facility would be nice,’
The basement level offered even more potential. Several large, climate-controlled rooms that were probably intended for wine storage or food preservation could be repurposed entirely.
’Underground pool? Indoor sports court? Maybe even a magical workshop separate from the estate’s main areas,’ I considered. The possibilities seemed endless.
Walking back through the mansion, I felt genuine excitement building. This wasn’t just valuable real estate - this was an opportunity to create a modern living space that combined this world’s magical advantages with Earth’s comfort and entertainment concepts.
The daily reward system had given me a personal sanctuary where I could experiment, relax, and build something entirely unique that this world had never seen before.
After thoroughly checking the house and mentally cataloguing all the renovation possibilities, I decided to wait until night-time before pursuing another critical objective. My blood supplies were running dangerously low, and more importantly, my soul power accumulation had stagnated completely over the past week.
I needed to hunt.
When darkness fell properly over the capital, I slipped on the mask I kept for exactly these purposes. The enchanted item altered my appearance to show my original Earth features - a face that bore no resemblance to Adrian Blackwood and would prevent identification even if someone caught glimpses of me during the hunt.
The anonymity was essential. I couldn’t afford to have the Blackwood family’s enemies tracking my movements or identifying my hunting patterns. More practically, I needed fresh blood supplies and soul power absorption from defeated beasts, activities that were easier conducted without witnesses.
My standards had evolved significantly since my early awakening days. I no longer cared about Noble-rank or even low Elite-rank beasts - their blood was too weak, their hides too common, and their soul power too negligible to justify the effort. After tasting the potency of high Elite and Transcendent-rank blood, consuming lesser specimens felt almost disgusting by comparison.
I left the mansion through a side exit, immediately beginning a deliberately convoluted route through the capital’s back streets and alleyways.
Multiple turns, seemingly random direction changes, doubling back through covered passages, all designed to ensure nobody could follow my trail even with the mask concealing my identity.
My families’ enemies were sophisticated and patient. I wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating their surveillance capabilities or assuming the mask alone provided sufficient protection.
After thirty minutes of careful navigation, I was confident no tail had managed to track me successfully. Only then did I retrieve my skateboard and accelerate toward the wilderness areas beyond the city walls.
I wasn’t worried about anyone catching me. It was night time, and the skateboards were no longer a thing only exclusive to me.
Zoom! Speed!
I blurred through the forest at enhanced velocity, my bloodline-improved senses easily navigating the dark terrain.
Lesser beasts appeared occasionally in my path, but I ignored them completely even when they were foolish enough to attack.
Growl! Lunge!
A Noble-rank wolf attempted to intercept me, clearly not recognizing my true strength since I kept my aura suppressed.