Host: Blaine

Physical Fitness: 275

Hunter Level: C

Abilities:

[Diamond Body Lv.5]

[Copying Eye Lv.3]

[Absolute Hit Lv.3]

[HawkEye Lv.3]

[Mind Control Lv.3]

[Shadow Stealth Lv.3]

[Mind Reading]

[Danger Perception]

[Regeneration]

Equipment: [Hunter Suit (+10)] [Elemental Bow (+15)] [White Snake Bow (+5)] [Tracking Paper Crane (x3)]

Balance: 7.875 billion

---

During this round of shopping in the mall, Blaine once again maximized his physique.

However, he soon noticed a problem.

Most of his skills were already at Lv.3 or Lv.5, yet his Hunter Suit and Elemental Bow seemed comparatively under-leveled.

And equipment—he really had too little of it.

At present, he owned only one suit and a pair of bows.

If not for his limited skill bar, Blaine would have also improved himself in other areas.

The Elemental Bow and Hunter Suit had been with him from his days as a garbage-tier D-rank Hunter to now, an elite C-rank. It would be a lie to say he felt no attachment.

Besides, in terms of power, they were still superior to anything else available. Both had been strengthened repeatedly, and unless the mall introduced a proper recycling system, Blaine wasn't willing to replace them.

The Hunter Suit was currently +10.

Blaine strengthened it 15 times in one go: 50 million from +10 to +15, 250 million from +15 to +20, and 500 million from +20 to +25—for a total of 800 million.

He then strengthened the Elemental Bow 10 times, spending another 500 million.

Together, that was 1.3 billion, minus his 10% Hunter discount—1.17 billion.

[Balance: 6.705 billion.]

After upgrading both pieces of equipment to +25, Blaine saw the notification he had been waiting for:

[Money spent in system shop has exceeded 10 billion. You can now upgrade your Hunter Level from C to B.]

Finally—an upgrade!

Blaine excitedly confirmed the prompt.

---

[Congratulations to the host for raising Hunter Level to B.]

[The skill bar has expanded to 15 slots.]

[The shopping discount in the mall has increased from 10% to 20%.]

[New function unlocked: Mall Recycling.]

Mall Recycling: Equipment you no longer need can be recycled to the system at 50% of its original purchase price (strengthening costs excluded).

---

The benefits of reaching B-rank were enormous. Five additional skill slots, a doubled discount, and a recycling function.

Finally, old equipment could be traded in.

Of course, the catch was obvious—it only reimbursed 50% of the base price, excluding strengthening. Still, better than nothing.

Blaine, however, was more interested in the expanded skill bar. With five new slots, he could now purchase auxiliary skills freely.

One in particular caught his eye.

---

[Eye of Insight]: Price: 5 billion. Grants the ability to discern the physique, skills, weaknesses, and status of any opponent whose strength is at most more than three times your own.

---

Without hesitation, Blaine purchased it.

As the old saying goes: 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.'

This Eye of Insight could even expose the details of someone up to three times stronger than him.

Armed with knowledge others lacked, Blaine could turn even an overwhelming battle to his advantage—perhaps even killing an opponent far stronger than himself.

Moreover, the ability scaled with his growth. In the distant future, he might even peer into the powers of the five Creation Gods.

For now, though, looking too high above him would likely return only a string of question marks.

In addition, Blaine also purchased a weapon and a skill.

---

[Curse Blood Knife]: An incomparably sharp demon blade. Even a small cut will infect the target with curse poison, leading to rapid death. No detoxification possible. Curse poison can be enhanced through strengthening.

[Swordsmanship Lv.1]: Basic proficiency with blades.

---

This addressed one of Blaine's weaknesses. Until now, he had relied solely on close-quarters brawling and ranged archery.

But what if he faced powerful opponents wielding swords, knives, or daggers? He couldn't always rely on brute force or his Hunter Suit to block them.

Against fodder enemies, perhaps brute strength was enough. But in the Marvel world, there were no true weaklings.

Take, for example, Thanos—the "Mad Titan" with his massive double-edged blade. Even with Blaine's physique, clashing against that weapon would be suicide.

Better to have a blade of his own.

Besides, in assassination scenarios, wouldn't it be far more elegant to decapitate a foe in one swift strike, rather than grappling with them in bloody close combat?

Why rely on brawling when cleaner options existed?

The Cursed Blood Knife was a high-tier weapon. Its base price alone dwarfed that of the Elemental Bow—proof of its terrifying potential.

Strengthened dozens of times, it might even kill Thanos. At worst, it would force him to suppress the curse or amputate the infected limb, weakening him severely.

As for why Blaine bought Swordsmanship despite owning a knife, the reason was simple: "swords and knives are not separate."

Unless it was a broadsword or massive cleaver, there was little practical difference. A sword had two edges; a knife had one. But both could be used in the same way.

In fact, with enough strength, even the back of a knife could cut like a blade.

So buying Swordsmanship was the smarter investment—it covered both weapons.

*************************************

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