Chapter 7: The Puppeteer's Strings
The silence that greeted Kaelen's challenge in the Ironwood Canopy was more damning than any reply... The seed of doubt had sprouted into a thorny bush...
He stopped talking to me about his hunts... He'd spend hours on the Guild's internal network... I, in turn, retreated further into my role.
My nightly excursions to the Howling Caves were my only release. One night, after clearing a particularly dense nest of Frost Gnawlers, a familiar warmth flooded my system.
[ Level Up! You are now Level 25. ]
[ +3 Free Stat Points. ]
Panting in the frozen cavern, I willed the points into Agility. It was becoming my default. Every point shaved microseconds off my reaction time, increased the sharpness of my movements. I pulled up my status, a grim satisfaction washing over me.
[ Aiden Vance - Level 25 ]
[ Strength: 14.82 ]
[ Agility: 18.11 ]
[ Stamina: 13.54 ]
[ Intellect: 11.02 ]
[ Spirit: 12.45 ]
The numbers were deceptive. To any appraiser, they'd seem impossibly low for someone facing C-rank threats. They didn't see the +47.33 to Agility from Apocalypse's Greed, scattered across the decimals. The system's display rounded down, hiding my true power. My real Agility was over 65. This hidden growth, combined with my EX-tier skills, was my ultimate camouflage.
The break came a week later... "BREAKING: Sentinel Guild Prodigy Missing in 'Screaming Maw' Dungeon."
I saw the look on Kaelen's face... "The Guild is assembling a search and rescue team. Volunteers only."
He was going... A chance to corner the Ghost.
That night, the Screaming Maw... The air itself vibrated...
I found the rescue team—Kaelen among them—within minutes... They were huddled in a cavern, looking battered.
"The mana signature is coming from deeper in!" the team leader shouted... "We can't push forward against this!"
"We have to!" Kaelen yelled back, his body flaring with the aftereffects of recent growth. He'd clearly leveled from their previous missions, his movements sharper, his Flame Whip carving wider arcs. He'd allocated his points well. But it wasn't enough.
I bypassed them, diving deeper... I found the source... a Weeping Siren Stone...
This was an assassination attempt... I had to break it.
...I appeared before the Weeping Siren Stone, my Umbral Blades already a whirlwind of darkness. The fight was a brutal exchange. A concussive blast of air caught my shoulder, spinning me around. My health bar dipped noticeably. I gritted my teeth, merging with a shadow to avoid the follow-up. I had to end this.
My blades were a frenzy of strikes. Finally, with a shriek of fracturing crystal, the Stone shattered.
[ Defeated Weeping Siren Stone (Mini-Boss). Experience Gained. ]
[ Level Up! You are now Level 28. ]
[ +3 Free Stat Points. ]
The notifications flashed, a bizarre contrast to the scene. I instinctively dumped all 3 points into Stamina, feeling my body harden, the ache in my shoulder fading slightly. The silence that followed was absolute.
And from the entrance to the chamber, I heard gasps.
I turned. Kaelen and his team stood there... They had a perfect, unobstructed view of me.
Our eyes met. Kaelen's were not filled with awe or gratitude. They were wide with a thunderstruck, dawning horror.
He took a step forward, his voice a ragged whisper.
"You."
I didn't wait. I activated Dungeon Walker.
But just before I vanished completely, I saw his hand shoot out... And I heard his voice, louder now, cracking with a betrayal so profound it felt like a physical wound.
"Aiden?!"
The teleportation took me. I reappeared in my room, collapsing to my knees... I was safe. I was hidden.
But I had lost. He knew.