Aiden tilted the vial of poison onto his sword, letting a single drop coat it. The sword then glowed a bright violet color before dimming. As Aiden thought about the system, it showed him a screen showing the change.
[Promise (9/10)] — [Poisonous]
[A blade discarded by the world.]
The system didn't show him how long it would last, so Aiden decided to make the best use of it. He ran through the forest to find his next opponent.
Instead, the monster found him.
Aiden felt himself flying sideways after something furry struck his side. He crashed into a tree and raised his eyes to see a monkey dangling from the branches, its arms stretching and shrinking.
The monkey grinned.
Its arm whipped, and Aiden saw it grow thrice its length. He dodged at the last second, and the arm destroyed the tree's trunk. The monkey let out a scream as it pulled its arm, but Aiden was quick to slash.
A small wound appeared on the monkey's arm, too insignificant to be called a wound. However, instead of facing the monster head-on, Aiden rushed through the forest and began running.
The monkey gave chase.
Aiden ran in circles, avoiding its long arms while inflicting small wounds on them. The monkey screamed as it couldn't catch its prey.
Two minutes passed.
Aiden began to notice that the monkey's attacks grew less precise. Its arms struck places where Aiden didn't even reach, and at a certain point, Aiden didn't need to run anymore. He stopped and looked at the helpless monkey trying to jump to another branch but failing.
The monster was breathing heavily as its eyes bled. Aiden stood over it with an expressionless face. He felt a tinge of pity, but still drove Promise into the monkey's neck.
Aiden touched the monster, and it scattered to nothingness. Once again, it left behind three items on the ground: coins, a shard, and a pair of gloves.
[Grimwalker's Grips]
[Grants adhesive grip on natural surfaces, enabling silent climbing and stealthy movement when crouched or walking. Ineffective on metal or enchanted surfaces. No bonus during sprinting or combat.]
[Worn by scouts who vanished into the cliffs without a trace.]
"I'm happy that I'm obtaining items, but what about shards?" Aiden muttered with confusion. "It seems these monsters are too weak to give me Awakening Shards."
Aiden rose from the ground while wearing the gloves. They began adjusting their size to match his hands, and Aiden felt like he wasn't wearing anything at all. He walked toward a nearby tree and tried to climb.
In just half a minute, Aiden found himself perched on a branch. He looked at the gloves in wonder, as they seemed to make him a professional climber. Furthermore, he could easily grab onto anything without making a sound.
"I have a poisonous blade and can climb without a sound," Aiden muttered with a frown. "I guess I'm an assassin."
Aiden jumped from one branch to another, seeking his next prey. He found a giant boar with iron plates covering its body. He looked at the monster from above and saw that its neck lacked the plates to allow mobility.
The monster screamed as Aiden landed on its back, stabbing his poisonous blade into the monster's neck and twisting it several times. It began running and kicking to get Aiden off, but the latter jumped to a nearby tree and began climbing again.
The boar thrashed and screamed before it also lost its sight. Aiden had to face the monster on the ground, using his Moonlight Dance to cut through its neck. Blood gushed out as the monster grew weaker until it stopped moving.
[You have received three bronze coins.]
[You have received one Unranked Rift Shard.]
[You have received a container of Boar Meat.]
The system began showing him messages as soon as he looted the creature, saving Aiden the trouble of identifying each item. He placed them into his inventory with a sigh before moving to the next monster.
[---]
Later that night, Aiden was grilling some meat to have for dinner. Bamba was beside him, awaiting its meal with a drooling mouth. Aiden smiled and talked to the elgorn.
"My blade is about to break," he told Bamba. "I came here to get some experience, but it looks like Promise won't last any longer."
Bamba let out a chirp.
"I agree," Aiden said as he offered the elgorn some meat. "I should focus on getting used to fighting."
Aiden then began eating as well. As he finished, he took another slice of his roasted meat and placed it on a plate. He then placed the plate on the tree trunk.
"You can come out and eat now," Aiden said.
No response came from the empty forest.
"I know that you are there, so you might as well come out."
"How did you know?" a voice asked from the darkness.
"Not to brag, but nothing can resist my meat. I was expecting some visitors," Aiden said while sitting down. "Are you monitoring me, or is this just a poorly planned visit?"
"At first, it was a visit," Genevieve said as she walked out of the shadows.
Her light silver armor and black coat made her look like she walked out of a fantasy movie. Light shone down on her black hair, but it devoured it all. Her blue eyes looked like blazing suns as they stared at Aiden.
"Do you know what a stalker is?" Aiden asked.
"A monster who mimics others."
Aiden was speechless that such a thing existed. "Exactly," he said. "Uh, I would much rather assume you are a stalker than the actual Guild Master."
"Why is that?" she asked.
"Because if you are the real Guild Master, it would be really annoying," Aiden said with a smile. "You came here to ask me the same question, but you already know the answer."
"Answers can change," she said while looking at the plate of meat Aiden left for her. "Can I have a seat?"
"I would be a terrible host if I said no," Aiden said while gesturing for her to sit. "Please make yourself at home."
Genevieve took a seat and smiled as she looked at the plate. Then, she began to eat, and her eyes sparkled with delight.