The hooded figure knelt beside the corpse slumped in the alley's murk. No struggle, no trace of a fight just a clean slit across the throat..
"Rat's dead?" he muttered under his breath. "With his scouting skills? No Tier 1 professional should've been able to take him down."
His gaze narrowed. "And not a single signal. Not even a flare... Damn it."
He stood abruptly, with a cloak rippling behind him. "This wasn't a mistake. Someone's protecting the target someone dangerous."
A grim pause.
"We need to inform the boss. Now."
Saying nothing more, the hooded figure slipped from the alley and vanished into the mist.
...
Meanwhile, just outside Blueish City...
A carriage barreled down a dirt path, wheels jarring against uneven stones. David, hands tight on the reins, muttered, "No signs of pursuit yet."
Fiona glanced out the window and nodded. "That's good news."
Auriel crossed her arms, her voice clipped and cold. "Let's hope it stays that way."
Inside, Aaron exhaled deeply, the tension finally easing from his shoulders. He shifted, then asked, "Hey... can one of you explain the whole tier thing to me? Like, how are adventurers classified?"
Auriel and David exchanged a glance. Clearly, it was time for some fundamentals. But Fiona jumped in first, smirking. "Wait you don't even know the basics? How in the world did you become an adventurer?"
Aaron scratched the back of his head, his cheeks coloring. "I, uh…"
Fiona sighed, the teasing dropping from her voice. "Forget it. I'll walk you through it."
She leaned forward slightly. "Let's start with tiers."
"There are ten main tiers, Tier 1 through Tier 10. Each one represents a major leap in power and capability."
"We're currently Tier 0, Level 10. Once we hit Level 11 and complete our Advancement Quest usually a boss fight that's when we become Tier 1, Level 1 adventurers."
Aaron blinked. "So... why not just call someone Level 11 instead?"
"Because," Fiona explained, "those tenth-level transitions are more than just number jumps. You need to conquer a real challenge and pass a kind of trial. It's not just leveling; it's evolving."
"Evolving?"
Aaron's brows furrowed in confusion.
Fiona sighed, then nodded. "Yes it's actually called evolution."
She leaned back, flicking a glance toward the passing treeline outside the carriage. "Take my basic skill, Fireball. Right now, it deals about seven points of damage you've seen what that looks like."
Aaron nodded, so she continued.
"But after completing an Advancement Quest, if I use the exact same Fireball, the damage could jump to anywhere between fourteen and seventeen points. And that's not all I'd also unlock access to Tier 1 skills."
Aaron's eyes lit up with realization. "So… if someone reaches Tier 2, does the skill keep scaling like that?"
"Of course," Fiona replied. "But it's more than just raw power."
She turned to face him fully, her voice more animated. "The skills themselves begin to mutate. A basic Fireball might split into a Double Fireball, or evolve to burn longer, strike at higher temperatures, or even explode on impact. It's like… the skill changes with you."
Aaron leaned back, letting the idea settle in his mind. Skills that grew, adapted evolved just like the people who wielded them.
Fiona continued, her tone turning serious. "And it's not just your skills that evolve."
"Your physical abilities strength, reflexes, endurance they all surge. After advancing, it's like you carry the power of ten ordinary people."
Aaron's eyes widened.
"Your lifespan expands too," she added. "Even Tier 1 can live up to two centuries, sometimes more if they avoid getting themselves killed early."
She paused, watching the flicker of awe in Aaron's expression.
"Advancement changes everything. It's not just a level-up... it's the beginning of what you could become."
Aaron sat quietly, gaze fixed on the rolling landscape outside the carriage window. A thoughtful expression clouded his face.
This world... it's far more layered than I imagined mysterious, intricate. Danger and depth hiding beneath every promise of power.
His thoughts drifted to the Naruto System his hidden trump card. A system that grants points for every enemy defeated, redeemable for ninjutsu, bloodline abilities, weapons, and more.
This thing… it breaks the rules entirely.
With enough points, he could redeem skills far beyond his current tier and wield them without restriction. Power that bypassed the world's natural progression entirely.
Cheat? No... It's a fracture in the very logic of this reality.
Still, despite that edge, he found himself curious maybe even eager to see what the world itself would offer when he completed the Advancement Quest.
How much stronger would he become without using shortcuts? What might he unlock by following the system everyone else was bound to?
A subtle grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
Let's see what this world's evolution really feels like.
Auriel spoke, her voice calm but edged with that familiar chill. "Aaron, you know that everyone awakens with one primary profession, right?"
Aaron gave a nod.
"But there are a rare few," she continued, "who managed to master a secondary path. Like Fiona she's not only a fire mage but also an alchemist. People like her are highly sought after."
Fiona let out a small sigh and shook her head. "I'm not a genius," she said quietly. "I just found an old scroll hidden in a dusty box. It looked ancient, glowing a bit with magic. I didn't mean to open it but somehow, I did."
Auriel glanced at her, her voice flat. "Scrolls like that don't just get left behind."
David chuckled under his breath. "Especially not ones still carrying magic."
Fiona paused, her smile faint and a little distant. "Maybe it was luck. Or maybe someone wanted me to find it."
Aaron stayed quiet, a strange feeling rising in his chest. If something like becoming an alchemist could start from opening one scroll… what else might be out there, hidden beneath the surface of this world?
Aaron glanced around the group and asked, "So, where are we heading?"
David, guiding the reins from the driver's seat, called back with a grin, "Straight to Marsh Hollow that's our stop, man."
From the shadows of the carriage, Auriel's voice cut in, cool and resolute. "No battles today. We'll make camp at the outskirts and rest."