Global Beast Mastery: Only I Can See the Hints

"Teacher, my mystical beasts have all completed their promotions. When are we heading back?" After returning to the hotel, Charles contacted Teacher Ezra by phone.

The main purpose of his trip to the Haunted Marsh had already been fulfilled. He had found the Gold Essence and Wind Dew, completed Mia and Little Gold's promotions, and even managed to upgrade Mia's quality from emerald to diamond.

On top of that, he had met the legendary blacksmith giant Bellamy and received a list of materials for strengthening his Black Gold Long Knife. It was a trip full of gains.

Charles planned to take another stroll through the Nightless District in the evening not only to enjoy the view of the district at night but also to search for the remaining materials on his list.

After briefly explaining his plans to Teacher Ezra, the latter agreed without hesitation. They arranged to leave Central City the following morning and return to the Abyssal Depths from the Haunted Marsh.

"After Little Gold and Mia completed their promotions, my physical attributes and internal energy also received a boost," Charles said to himself. "There's still some time before evening. How about I go to the hotel's training room and get some practice to adjust to the changes?"

Charles quickly made a plan and then headed to the hotel's training room. However, as he passed through the hotel lobby, he noticed someone was watching him.

When he turned around, the gaze quickly disappeared.

Not giving it much thought, Charles entered the training room and stayed there for several hours.

Meanwhile, in the hotel lobby, a special incense filled the air with a calming fragrance. A young man with yellow hair sat restlessly, staring at the hallway leading to the training room. He muttered to himself in a low voice:

"That guy is still in the training room. He's in his twenties, and he's still only a Level 4 Beast Master. If it were me, I would have given up on Beast Master training long ago and just enjoyed life."

"Seriously, it's crazy. He has such poor talent and still works so hard. What a fool."

As the young man with yellow hair complained, a figure walked out from the hallway leading to the training room it was Charles.

Charles walked slowly toward the hotel entrance, casually stretching and looking around. He absentmindedly glanced at someone who quickly lowered their head.

Charles didn't show any reaction. He stared at the hotel's glass doors, which had turned a dark red from the setting sun.

"It's time to go for a walk," Charles muttered to himself, then turned and walked out of the hotel without looking back, heading toward the Nightless District.

About half an hour later, Charles arrived near the Treasure Chamber's building, but he didn't go inside. He had already seen the items there, and none of them matched the materials on his list.

This time, he planned to check out the black market and make good use of the information tips there might be some unexpected gains.

"From my previous research, I know there are many black markets in the Nightless District, but their opening times and locations vary. Luckily, there's one nearby!" Charles recalled the information he had gathered earlier, then headed toward a secluded alley.

Soon, he arrived in an area bathed in pink light. The sounds of loud music, shouting, and curses echoed from the rooms on either side of the street.

"Hey, what a handsome young man! Come play with me, I'll give you half price, okay?" Several women, dressed provocatively with fiery figures but average looks, stood at the street corner and called out to Charles.

Seeing that Charles didn't respond, one of the women boldly added, "Hey, if you agree, you'll be my twentieth customer of the day. How about I make it free for you?"

Charles still didn't answer, just quickening his pace. It was barely evening, and already there were twenty customers? That woman must be a Beast Master, or she wouldn't be able to handle it.

Continuing down the street, Charles came upon a run down convenience store with a sign nearly falling off, and he went straight inside.

The light inside the store was dim, making it hard to see the layout. As soon as Charles stepped inside, a voice quickly called out, "We're closed today, please leave, guest."

Instead of turning to leave, Charles spoke in a calm tone, "I'm here to buy a mask, the most expensive one."

After a brief silence, a rough looking wooden mask flew out of the darkness. Charles reached out to catch it, then pulled a gold coin from his Jet Ring and tossed it toward the voice.

"Go straight ahead, then turn left. Stand in front of the tree in the yard, and wait there," the voice continued.

Charles casually put on the mask, then followed the instructions. Soon, he passed through the convenience store and found a small yard. In the yard, there was a withered locust tree.

He activated Divine Domain, strengthening his perception. Quickly, he noticed that just in front of the dead locust tree, there was a hidden underground passage. Other than that, nothing seemed unusual.

Charles stood under the tree, waiting for the hidden underground passage to open, when he suddenly heard three sets of footsteps behind him. The first two were fairly normal, but the last one was incredibly light, almost like a predator stalking its prey, as if the person were hiding their movements like a leopard. If one didn't listen closely, they wouldn't even notice.

A few seconds later, the three people approached, all wearing crude, poorly made wooden masks, their faces obscured.

The three individuals didn't speak, but occasionally glanced at Charles.

A slight, hidden smirk curved at the corner of Charles's mouth beneath his mask. He subtly sniffed the air around him, then spoke:

"You're not here for the first time, are you?"

The person in the front seemed momentarily surprised. They deliberately lowered their voice and replied, "Hmm, of course not. Why do you ask?"

Charles smiled and answered, "Oh, it's nothing. It's just that I'm here for the first time. Would you mind telling me if there's anything I should be careful about?"

"Sorry, I can't," the person said bluntly.

The atmosphere grew tense and cold. Luckily, just at that moment, the ground trembled slightly as a hidden underground entrance opened.

Charles was the first to step inside, and shortly after, the three individuals followed him in.

After winding through a series of twisting corridors, Charles soon saw a light ahead, and the sounds of bustling people reached his ears. He quickened his pace, and the three behind him mirrored his movement.

Emerging from the passage, Charles found himself in what seemed to be a small market. People were coming and going, and various items were displayed along the sides of the road. Some vendors were writing on their signs, others were calling out, and a few stood quietly, observing everything around them.

Of course, everyone here wore different types of wooden masks. This was the entry fee for the black market every person had to spend one gold coin to buy a mask before gaining access.

Once inside, one could directly make purchases or find a spot to sell items. Once a trade was made, it was final. In the case of disputes, patrolling enforcers would step in to ensure order.

The convenience store Charles had entered earlier was merely one of the entrances. There were many others like it.

Charles took a brief glance around the environment, then, noticing the three individuals behind him hadn't yet entered, he seized the opportunity. With full force, he activated Moon Riding Wind, blending into the crowd of people moving back and forth.

The next moment, the three people who had been following him quickly emerged, but they instantly stopped in their tracks. They looked at the passing crowd, unsure of what to do next.

"Damn it, we lost him. I remember, he was wearing a red monkey mask, plain clothes, and white shoes," one of them muttered.

As soon as he finished speaking, the person at the back suddenly said, "It's not that we lost him. He spotted us."

In an instant, the two people in front turned to look at the one at the back, disbelief evident on their faces.

"How did you tell?" one of them asked.

No one answered.

"Sigh, never mind. Let's just search slowly. Remember, red monkey mask, plain clothes, white shoes. Don't act recklessly when you find him," one of them commanded.

At this point, Charles had already arrived at the black market's restroom. He casually took out some alchemy materials from his Storage Space, materials that could be used for dyeing, and quickly applied them to his mask. In no time, the mask turned black.

He also made a few simple changes to his appearance before confidently walking out of the restroom, casually strolling around.

"Really, three incompetent stalkers. Not paying attention to the details at all," Charles thought as he walked.

He knew that the three who had been following him were likely the ones who had been watching him in the hotel lobby.

Because when he was outside, Charles had smelled a very familiar scent it was the incense from the hotel lobby.

Plus, right after he entered the yard, those three had followed him in, so Charles had already figured out they weren't first timers. The short time gap between their actions suggested that only those who knew the convenience store was an underground black market entrance would be able to follow him so quickly.

At that moment, Charles had already been giving them a hint, but no one had picked up on it.

"Well, it's boring anyway. I might as well stroll around and see if I can find where those three are. The roles of hunter and prey have switched now."

Charles twitched his nose, constantly sniffing the air around him, starting to search for that familiar, distinct scent of incense.

Now, he was the hunter.