Chapter 38: Tailing

"Whew, I’m stuffed! Might’ve had a bit too much there...oh, well, I regret nothing. At the very least, I can say that I got my money’s worth. Thanks again for letting me share your table, Kai," Smiled Ariella gratefully."Sure, don’t mention it," I replied with a smile, as I stifled a burp.

I definitely had way too much myself...even after I felt full, there were still a couple of options that I wanted to try, so I figured I’d try and stuff ’em down.

Also, the more I eat, the more value I get for my money. So, I share Ariella’s sentiment; I regret nothing. If I could go back in time, I’d do it all over again.

<...>

Hey, I can hear you judging me, Ai.

<I did not say a word>

Yeah, but your silence was loud.

<That does not make sense>

Perhaps, but don’t pretend you don’t know exactly what I mean.

"Alright, I need to head out now, I’ll see you on Monday in class. Thanks again, and I had fun chatting with you," Remarked Ariella, as she stood back up and stretched her arms out.

"Likewise. See ya later, take care of yourself," I responded with a polite nod.

She gave me a wave as she made her way to the entrance, leaving the building. I headed to the counter, buying a few of the items that I’d especially enjoyed in the buffet.

<...>

<Why are you buying more?>

<Have you not had enough?>

Relax, I’m not gonna eat these today, I’m going to put them in Treasury so that I can make copies whenever I feel like it.

<That seems like a bad idea>

<If you fail to exercise adequate self-control, you will gain a significant amount of weight in a short time, jeopardizing your health in the process>

Yeah, yeah, I’ll be careful. Just focus on spamming Appraisal, and let me know if you find any of them.

<Yes, I know>

<I have been using it repeatedly this whole time, there is no need to remind me>

I know, just figured it wouldn’t hurt to make sure.

After I left my apartment, I kept using Appraisal over and over while looking around at everyone that I passed by, which got real tiring real fast.

That was when Ai informed me that she could simply use Appraisal on everyone who entered my line of sight, which made things a lot easier.

All I need to do is keep looking around, and even a brief glimpse of someone will be enough for Appraisal to get a read on them.

I know the odds of this actually working are fairly low, at best, but I might as well try. I’m counting on my passive luck boost to pull through for me, here’s hoping it doesn’t let me down.

As I left the building and began heading back home, I steadily shifted my gaze about, making sure to steal a glance at everyone in my vicinity.

It’s about two kilometers to my apartment, so it’s a bit of a long walk, but that’s fine. It should help burn off some of the calories I racked up back there.

<Considering how much sugar you consumed, a two-kilometer walk would be far from enough to offset the-...>

Yeah, I know that.

You need to chill, I’ll put in some extra effort in next week’s Practical Training sessions to burn it off.

Like, I appreciate the advice and all, but it’s just a bit much at times. If I want to indulge my desires every now and then, let me do so in peace, I-...

<I do not mean to interrupt, but we have a hit>

<Appraisal just identified an individual with the same name as one of the criminals>

<His stats and abilities match-up as well>

Seriously? Where?

<To your left, twenty-three meters away>

Let’s see...which one?

<The one with the gray hoodie, carrying a bag of groceries>

Got it. Imma tail him.

Hm, his hair looks like it’s been freshly cut and dyed, I can see slight dye stains on the back of his neck, so it isn’t his natural hair color. Show me the Appraisal results.

<Here you go>

Alright, let’s have a look:

Personal Details:

Name: Norce Wright

Age: 34

Gender: Male

Height: 5’9"

Weight: 98 KG

Hunter Details:

Type: Mage

Class: Ice Mage

Attribute: N/A

Spells: Ice Ball, Ice Needle, Ice Arrow, Ice Wall, Ice Spike, Cold Breath, Ice Ball Scattershot, Ice Needle Scattershot, Ice Arrow Scattershot, Giant Ice Wall, Ice Spikes, Frost Breath

Skills: N/A

Stats:

HP: 118

MP: 238

Strength: 119

Agility: 104

Vitality: 117

Perception: 98

Power Level: 132,300


Potential: 140,000

Hm, okay, he’s pretty strong.

As I’ve mentioned before, Mages always have lower physical prowess than Combatants do, by about half...so, for a Q-Ranked Mage, this guy’s physical stats are pretty high, they put him among the upper end of his rank, as far as Power Level is concerned.

On average, Mages tend to be as physically strong as Combatants that are one rank below them, so a Q-Ranked Mage is as physically strong as a J-Ranked Combatant.

In other words, physically, he’s on par with my current level, and then he’s got his Magic on top of that.

And it seems he’s pretty experienced, it looks like he knows what he’s doing. He’s strolling pretty casually, an air of nonchalance about him.

He’s so effortlessly inconspicuous, I’d have had no reason to be suspicious of him if it wasn’t for Appraisal.

But it’s kinda working out in my favor. He isn’t looking around at all, so he hasn’t seen me following him.

Of course, it is possible that he’s noticed that he’s being followed, so I can’t let my guard down.

I can manifest a copy of my short-sword from Treasury, but obviously, I can’t equip the rest of my gear at a moment’s notice.

I’m maintaining a decent distance from him, but I might have to slow my pace down a bit...this area is pretty shady, there aren’t a whole lot of people around.

Lot of rundown and abandoned buildings, seems like a pretty standard location that a group of criminals would pick to hide out in. I’ll let this guy lead me to his and his team’s hideout, and then...