After Aaron read the mission, a wide grin lit up his face when he saw MP as rewards. But when he spotted the unassigned points that he could give to anyone in his team. His excitement doubled. He'd been worried because their classes only got 0.5 attribute points per level up. Now, these extra points could really help them out.
He walked over to the girls waiting near the mission board. When he got there, he asked, "Are you girls ready?" They nodded, and Aaron explained the mission to them. As he spoke, he saw the worry in their eyes. For them, the mission sounded suicidal. Aaron gave them a confident smile and promised to keep them safe.
The target was thirty kilometers deep, and with the girls' low attributes, it would take at least five hours just to get there. There was no way they could hunt ten Venomweave Skulkers and return tonight, so they'd have to camp out. They went back to the merchant district first to pick up some supplies.
Aaron had only a few dozen gold coins left, so he bought a simple indoor tent made of cloth. Since they would be camping inside a cave with little space, he picked a small one. He also bought a Mana lamp, some fire starter scrolls, utensils, and spices. He still had a few kilos of wolf meat in his inventory, so he just bought a traveler's water pouch with enough water for everyone for a week.
He also picked up a couple of low healing and poison potions, just in case something went wrong. After that, they headed to the western gate. When they arrived, Aaron greeted Orryn and the other guards, letting them know he'd be camping out tonight so they wouldn't worry if he didn't return. He introduced the girls, and all the guards seemed genuinely happy that Aaron was doing well.
Their pace was slow because of Kyela. Even with her gear upgraded, she only had 1 point in agility, just like an ordinary person, and her stamina was even lower. Every few kilometers, they had to stop for a short break. It took them three hours just to reach fifteen kilometers, and now they were resting by a tree.
Aaron noticed Kyela sitting with a sad look on her face. He asked, "Why do you look so down?" Kyela replied in a soft, worried voice, "I... I feel like I'm holding you both back because I'm weak." Aaron smiled and gently patted her head. "We don't think that at all. It's only for now. After this mission, you won't be weak anymore." Still smiling, he turned away and added, "You have a cute face, you know. You should smile more instead of worrying."
Aaron didn't see it, but Kyela's face turned bright red as she hid her face from Tyra with her hands. Tyra, meanwhile, felt happy that Aaron was being so kind to them. After a few more minutes of rest, they started walking again. They had only taken a few steps when suddenly Tyra pulled Kyela back and drew her knife, slashing to the right where Kyela had just been walking.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Aaron spun around, daggers drawn and ready for anything. He saw a cloud of green mist where Tyra had just slashed. The sight was all too familiar to Aaron, who recognized it from a past battle. He glanced up and spotted three monkey-like beasts perched in the trees, cackling at their prank on the girls.
Kyela was shaken by the sudden pull and the green mist where Tyra's knife had struck. Suddenly, they heard strange laughter echoing from the treetops. When they looked up, their eyes widened at the sight of the beasts mocking them from above. Tyra, who had some experience from hunting rabbits, didn't freeze in fear like Kyela, as this was Kyela's first time in the forest. Instantly, Tyra stepped in front of Kyela, ready to protect her.
These were Verdant Tricktails, also called beginner trickstars by the locals. Kyela stood ready, her bow drawn. Aaron grinned and muttered, "These fuckers think they can mess with my girls." He added with a smirk, "It'll be an honor for them to be their first kill as adventurers." With that, he activated Shadow Stealth and vanished.
Aaron had already checked their stats with Abyssal Insight: one was level 10 with 330 health points, and the other two were level 8 with 220 health each. In just a few seconds, Aaron was up in the branches, moving so fast that the Tricktails didn't even have time to react. His new daggers flashed as he struck from the shadows.
Now at level 13 and with an extra +5 strength from daggers, Aaron killed the two level 8 Tricktails instantly. The level 10 one crashed to the ground, letting out a hoarse, painful scream. With just one attack and no skills, Aaron could now deal 260 damage. The Tricktail's health dropped to 80, and with his dagger's effect of dealing 1% damage every second, its health was going down every second.
As the beast hit the ground, Aaron shouted, "Tyra! Attack the injured one now!"
The girls barely understood what was happening. Just seconds ago, the beasts had been mocking them from the trees, and now they were dropping down like apples. Kyela was still frozen by the scene. Tyra, though shocked, snapped to attention when she heard the command to attack. She didn't know where the voice came from, but she recognized it as Aaron's.
Tyra didn't hesitate. Her bow was already drawn, an arrow nocked. Her passive skill, Steady Draw, was active from the start, and she added Keen Sight for extra focus. In a few seconds, she used Cinder Nock—heat surged from the arrowhead, turning the iron tip a bright, violent red.
She let the arrow fly, all her skills working together. The shot hit the screaming beast head-on. In an instant, the beast cried out one last time and died. With her new gear, Tyra's mana was 20, just enough to use each skill once. Her attack power was 45, but with Cinder Nock, this strike reached 63—enough to finish off the dying Tricktail.
Aaron got the system messages for killing the two level 8 Verdant Tricktails, but his progress only went up by 2%. When all three beasts were finally dealt with, Aaron noticed Kyela was more at ease, though she was still a bit afraid, as this was all so new to her. Tyra, on the other hand, stayed alert, still protecting Kyela.
Aaron climbed down from the tree but didn't go straight to the girls—he didn't want to scare them, so he waited for his stealth to wear off. After about a minute, Aaron became visible again. Tyra was still on guard, searching for Aaron around her, but unable to spot him. She didn't know anything about his class or skills except for the miracle upgrade, so she had no idea what to expect.
When Tyra suddenly saw someone appear in front of her, she almost let her arrow fly, but then she heard Aaron's voice: "Chill, girl, it's me!" Recognizing him, Tyra lowered her bow and stammered, "S...Sorry, Sir Aaron, I didn't know it was you."
Aaron smiled as he walked over to them. "First, just call me Aaron—drop the 'Sir.' And it's not your fault. I should have explained my skills while we were walking." Then he asked, "So, did you level up?" Tyra grinned. "Yes! I went straight to level 4. That monster must've been really high level. It's all thanks to you."
Aaron said, "That's good. The one you killed was a level 10 Verdant Tricktail, and the others were level 8. They're not aggressive; they just like to mess with new adventurers." Both girls' eyes went wide at the mention of the levels. They knew Aaron was strong, but this was on a whole different level.
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Tyra asked, "Um, A...Aaron, what's your level? It has to be above 20 to kill them that fast." Aaron smiled and replied, "Not 20 yet—I'm at 13 right now, but my attributes are really high because of my class."
Tyra just nodded, not wanting to be pushy. Maybe Aaron would tell them more in the future. Still, in her mind, she guessed he had an SS rank class because of his strength and that special upgrade skill.
Aaron noticed Kyela hadn't said a word the whole time. He turned to her and said, "Don't be afraid—you saw how strong I am." He said while flexing his arm, trying to make her smile. Then he added, "Well, these are done. Let's butcher them and get moving. We've only got a few hours before sunset."
Then he walked over to the level 10 Tricktail, pulled out his knife, and said, "Watch me do this first. In the future, you'll be able to butcher too." Aaron began working—his hands were quick and precise as he explained each step to the girls. It took him only twenty minutes to skin and remove the valuable parts from the carcasses of all three beasts.
The whole time, Tyra watched closely. She knew a bit from skinning rabbits, but she'd never seen such a big beast butchered before. Kyela tried her hardest to pay attention to every step, though all the blood made her queasy. Still wanting to be helpful in the future, she stayed until the very end.
After that, Aaron started gathering the pelts and other valuable parts. The girls helped him with the other two beasts. Tyra looked confused. "Will they all fit in your space pouch?" Aaron smiled and said, "You don't have to worry." He took the pelts and parts and stored them in his inventory. Both girls watched, wide-eyed, as the items vanished from Aaron's hands, leaving them both staring at his hands.
Aaron saw their faces and almost laughed, but held back so they wouldn't feel bad. Instead, he decided to explain a bit about his class. "My class is kind of like an assassin. That's why I disappeared—it's a skill that lets me go into stealth for a minute. I also have a skill that lets me store items."
Both girls nodded, still a little confused. In Tyra's mind, she was sure Aaron had to be SS rank. Aaron glanced at the sky. "We should get moving—it's already getting close to evening." With that, he started heading deeper into the southern jungle.
After walking for another hour, they still had ten kilometers to go before reaching the ridges. They stopped to let the girls catch their breath. It was Kyela's first time in the forest, and she'd already walked nearly twenty kilometers with only average stamina. Aaron was impressed by her determination, but he was worried—they had just two hours before nightfall.
He walked over to the girls and said, "Kyela, I can carry you on my back. Don't think I'm saying this to make you feel bad, but we need to reach the ridges before dark, and you should save your strength—there might be a fight as soon as we arrive."
Kyela was completely flustered and didn't know what to say. She knew she was slowing them down, but getting carried by a boy her own age was embarrassing. Aaron also knew it would be awkward, but this was the only way.
Tyra offered, "I can carry her." Aaron shook his head. "That would slow you down. I'm the fastest, so I'll carry her and match your speed. Also, you should put your new attribute points into agility and mana for now—the rest are fine."
Tyra nodded, knowing Aaron really was the fastest. She also took his advice and put one point each into agility and mana. When she assigned the attribute points, she felt a warm energy flow through her body.
After that, Aaron turned his back to Kyela, ready for her to climb on. With all the attribute points he'd gained, Aaron now stood at 6'1", tall and well-built, while Kyela was much shorter, just a little above his shoulder at 5'4". Kyela hesitated for a moment, her cheeks turning red, but not wanting to slow them down any longer, she hopped onto Aaron's back.
Aaron picked her up with ease—she was so light, he could barely feel her weight, maybe thanks to his high strength. As he lifted her, he teased, "You're light as a feather." Kyela replied in a chirpy voice, "P...Please don't say that." Watching all this, Tyra couldn't help but laugh quietly.
Then Aaron said to Kyela, "Hold on tight, it's going to get a bit bumpy." She nodded, and they started moving. After running for a little over an hour, Aaron kept pace with Tyra the whole way. Now, only a few kilometers away from the ridges, they could see the dark gray rocks rising 100 to 150 meters tall as the forest turned more rugged and rocky.
With every step, the run became shakier. Each time, Aaron felt two soft, pointy things press against his back—he instantly knew what they were, and his cheeks went red. In his past life, he'd been a single, middle-aged man, and now, in a young body, even an accidental touch had him getting hard. Aaron cursed in his mind, feeling awkward and confused—was he 38 or 18, getting turned on by an 18-year-old girl's breasts?
He forced himself to stay focused, knowing he couldn't stop—the sky was almost dark. Behind him, Kyela's face was bright red. With every jump, her chest pressed against Aaron's back, but she couldn't let go to adjust herself since they were still moving so fast.
After twenty minutes, they reached the base of a one-hundred-meter-tall ridge, its sharp, jagged rocks towering above them. Aaron bent down, letting Kyela off his back. Both of their faces were bright red, and they quickly moved away from each other. Tyra, out of breath from the run and puzzled by their reactions, asked, "What happened?"