'How the hell did he change into my appearance?' Amanda cried out inwardly, and her face darkened as she looked at Victor who looked like a carbon copy of her.
"How do you like my transformation? It's great, right?" Victor said cheerfully—in Amanda's own voice.
Amanda, seeing herself acting so cheerfully and grinning foolishly, shuddered in disgust. Her expression darkened, and she narrowed her eyes at Victor.
'Hah, she's shocked speechless,' Victor thought smugly—until a chill suddenly ran down his spine. He turned toward Amanda and saw her face dark as ink.
Gulp
Victor swallowed hard as he felt Amanda's glare pierce through him and spoke hesitantly, "Miss Amanda?"
"Do you want to die?" Amanda said coldly.
"Huh?" Question marks appeared over Victor's head at her words.
"Victor, change back to your own appearance unless you want to spend the rest of the year in the hospital," Amanda said in a chilling tone, causing sweat to drip down his forehead. Her face darkened even more as she saw her own panicked and exaggerated expression mirrored on him.
"Yes, right away, ma'am!" Victor said immediately, removing the mask from his face. His appearance returned to normal, and Amanda's expression eased as the oppressive pressure around her finally vanished.
"Victor, never—ever—use my appearance again. If you do…" Amanda said in an icy voice. Victor nodded rapidly, like a chicken pecking at grain.
"Good. Now, where did you get that mask, and what exactly is it?" Amanda asked, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the faceless white mask in his hand and frowned.
"It's too troublesome to explain. Let me just share the information with you," Victor said as he pointed his finger toward her forehead, and a beam of light entered it. The information about the mask appeared in her mind instantly.
[Thousand Face Mask]
[Rank: Legendary]
[Type: Bounded Artifact]
[Description: A mask which can copy appearance of a person user killed or defeated in a fight or create an entirely new look of a person regardless of humans or other races in human form. It copies everything from voice, scent, and even the memories of the person and lets the user see it. When put on the face it directly combines with the face and acts like extra skin. Unless attacked on the face by a powerful technique and greatly injured, the disguise won't be undone. As it's bounded, it can be summoned back to the user from anywhere]
'Legendary Bounded Artifact… what kind of heaven-defying luck does he have?' Amanda's eyes widened in disbelief as she cried out inwardly. First, it was the Primogenitor's bloodline, and now this—plus a Soul Weapon. She couldn't help but look at Victor with a hint of jealousy.
"Did you get it from the Staircase of Wealth?" Amanda asked curiously.
"Miss Amanda, would you believe me if I said I picked it up from the side of the road?" Victor said neutrally.
'Side of the road, my head…' Amanda's lips twitched when she heard his words.
"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine—but don't make such a rubbish excuse," Amanda snorted before her expression turned neutral.
"So, did you use this mask when you were taking the trial?" Amanda asked, focusing on the most important detail.
"Yes, I did," Victor said calmly, which caused Amanda to sigh in relief.
"Good. Even if those bastards from the higher floors come down, they won't be able to find you. But... the upcoming weeks will be filled with high-rankers hunting for you, so don't use that face again—and be careful," Amanda said in a low tone, to which Victor nodded.
"So, did you also find the sword by the side of the road?" Amanda asked sarcastically, which caused Victor's eyebrows to twitch.
"No, I got it from the top of the Staircase of Wealth," Victor said.
"You really do trust her to reveal most of your secrets? You know how dangerous it is if she backstabs you," Camelia said from the side, watching Victor and warning him.
"If you saw my memories, you should know she was the one who backed me, and the reason I am here is because of her," Victor replied calmly, and Camelia fell silent.
"Now the main question—why do I sense the faction symbol of my niece on you?" Amanda said with narrowed eyes, and Victor and Camelia blinked in surprise.
"Miss Amanda, I think I misheard… what did you just say?" Victor asked, thinking he was imagining things.
"I said you joined the Illuminated Rankers, right? And I can sense the mark of my niece on you. Her name is Sarah Light. Did you meet her on the Staircase of Wealth by chance?" Amanda asked curiously. Victor froze in disbelief, his eyes bulging as he stared at her.
"What… heavens! Miss Amanda, you are from the Light Family, and if Sarah is your niece, doesn't that mean Sarah's father, who is the leader, is your brother?" Victor gawked at Amanda, who looked indifferent.
"No wonder this woman recognized the Soul Weapon," Camelia said, also surprised as she looked at Amanda.
'Heavens, I did not expect her to have such a formidable background,' Victor thought in disbelief, wondering if the Camelia of his world also belonged to some kind of top family.
"Yes, in fact, I am also part of the Illuminated Rankers," Camelia said as the family symbol appeared and the title 'Queen' was written.
"Holy shit, such a high position!" Victor gawked at the title.
"So… now explain, how on Earth did you join the faction?" Amanda asked with narrowed eyes, inwardly grumbling.
'Damn, I wanted to be the one recommending him so he would be in my team, but my niece got him,' Amanda clicked her tongue and sighed. She then listened to Victor's account of the events, but when she heard the last part, her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Did you say Senior Julian made you his personal student?" Amanda's voice rose a few pitches, and her calm expression fractured.
"Yes," Victor said, and for the first time he saw her jaw drop and witnessed such a strong reaction.