Risky Expedition

'Helping Atun is probably not gonna be easy... I mean can anything a god asks you to do be easy?' Drew thought to himself as he checked out the request from the 'All-Maker God'.

'I do kind of owe him a favor for the supplies but he did rat me out to the guards,' Drew contemplated silently as he weighed the possible pros and cons of helping out Atun.

'Apparently, I caused the 'bind' he is in so it would be best if I helped him... but my survival is of the top priority so I can only help him after I develop my skills further,' Drew Decided.

After catching his breath for a few more minutes and reading a bit of the history books that he had yet to make a substantial amount of progress in he began the hellish sprints through the forest once more.

---

One week had passed and Drew was tired of running until his body was shaking and pleading with him to stop. But stopping wasn't an option that he had.

He stood still... taking in the forest air and the unique energy that filled him when he did so. He was tired, but he had to continue forward.

He kicked his feet into the ground as hard as possible and found himself moving at a speed that was almost majestical in nature.

Drew sped through the forest and no obstacles blocked him on his path through to his shack.

He felt indescribable freedom as he moved at speeds he never thought were possible for his body to accomplish with even hundreds of years of training... but he managed to do it in only 2 short weeks.

The critters in the forest only felt a gust of wind blast past them as they stumbled around in confusion at what had just passed them.

The trees swayed at the intense amount of wind that accompanied his stride.

After a few minutes of this beautiful serenity that filled Drew, he heard a notification from the system that pulled him out of this transcended-like state and brought him back to reality.

[The User has learned the Basic Warrior Skill [Acceleration: Lv: 1]. The user has also gained 50 energy points from the amount of progress you have made up until this point]

Drew almost stopped dead in his tracks at the surprising news but found that he stumbled forwards instead and tripped on his face as his momentum had to escape somehow.

After thoroughly eating shit, Drew stood up and brushed himself off frantically as he couldn't wait to see the new skill on his status.

-

[Acceleration: Lv: 1]: You have begun the first steps in the path that is speed. You have mastered the ability to control your body in the most minute ways to bring out the speed that normal humans could never do in their lives. You have increased reflexes and increased overall speed. You may sacrifice a large amount of stamina to increase your speed to an inhuman level and move faster than most wild animals.

---

'It seems as if the guide didn't describe it to its full extent... or maybe they themselves didn't know all that it could do,' Drew thought as he pondered on the additional changes.

'Increased reflexes were not listed in the guide... but it makes sense. How can you control your body when moving at high speeds if your reflexes are not at the same level as your speed,'

Drew took in a few deep breaths in relief as he realized he didn't have to run day in and day out anymore.

'No more pushing my body to its limit... now it's just time for some simple hunting... which should be easy with the jacket that seems to have come camouflage capabilities,' Drew thought as he finished the rest of the distance to his shack by walking slowly.

He deserved rest. And he was gonna enjoy the next few days if he could.

He entered the Shack that had been thoroughly clean to make it more comfortable than the grease-stained floor and walls that it was made out of before.

He gently put on the jacket that shifted ever so slightly in the light and sat down on a chair he made out of some loose wood. It wasn't well made but it was enough for him to sit and read on the desk that was in the room.

He leisurely read the book on the history of the Kingdom of The Seaborn and relaxed for a few hours before going to sleep early.

He awoke to the early rays of the sun and breathed in the air of the forest with happiness.

'Man this is better than Earth...'

'I can just be me and relax...' Drew thought as he stared at the rising sun in all of its glory.

'I suppose it is time to get a jump on my prey so that I can catch them while it was still relatively dark,'

He stalked the forest for a mere 30 minutes before he had three small squirrels hung on a small loop of twine he wrapped around his waist.

[The User has learned the Basic Ranger Skill [Stealth: Lv: 1]. The user has also gained 50 energy points from the amount of progress you have made up until this point]

'Fuck yeah!' Drew thought in celebration as he quickly made his way back towards his shack.

Drew thought of how easy it was to hunt the small creatures that were attached to his belt and realized he had grown much stronger than he was before. The poor creatures couldn't even see him before he was already attacking them with his Scycle. He moved too fast to be registered if he got even remotely close while hiding.

Drew also pondered on the notification from the system.

'Basic Ranger Skill... It seems like there is more to this world than Warriors and Mages,'

After reaching the Shack Drew cooked the squirrels with a little bit of trouble from lack of practice or experience but managed to cook something edible. He ate with a joy in him that had been absent for quite a while as he had not had anything that could warm him up like the hot meat before him.

After eating and relaxing a bit, Drew decided it was time to check out his new skill and find out what it did in detail.

'I wonder if it will be different compared to what the guide said...'

-

[Stealth: Lv: 1]: Shadow cloaks you and masks your face. You are a whisper in the wind and no matter your situation you find yourself blending into crowds. You may enter 'Stealth Mode' and gain a huge boost to concealment and your general stealth capabilities at the cost of reduced movement speed. You also leave fewer tracks when moving and blend into crowds subconsciously, drawing less attention to yourself.

---

'It is different...'

'It not only increases my stealth capabilities but also has the added effect of helping me blend into crowds and leave fewer tracks than others,'

'Quite useful considering my next goal...' Drew thought as he pictured the stone city once more. It would be risky, that was for sure... but it was something he felt like he had to do.

---

The busy marketplace was packed just like the last time he walked through it. Kids played along the side of the stalls and played with toys that were crudely made but they still seemed to be having the time of their lives.

He walked through the packed street with the hood of the hunter's jacket up and seemed to slip by people. No one seemed to give him a second glance as he made his way towards the inner section of the city.

'Now is time for the real challenge,' Drew thought to himself as he imagined the empty streets that lined the inner city.

Though to Drew's amazement, he managed to slip past patrols of guards with barely any effort as he simply activated his stealth skill and slipped into an alleyway.

'It seems like my training is really paying off!' Drew thought as a silent smile appeared on his face.

The trip through the city was an easy one and it wasn't long before he found himself in front of the simple church that he had been in just a few weeks ago.

He stared at the building with interest.

'How should I go about this?'

There were plenty of windows... but none of them seemed to have a mechanism to open them. The sides of the church were blocked off as to prevent people from entering the back end of the church without an arduous climb.

He thought for a long moment before coming to a conclusion.

'The only real way to gain access to the church while remaining stealthed would be by climbing the walls... the door had a bell attached to it which would prevent me from entering through the main entrance, and in addition to that I don't really want to be bound like before,'

He stared at the sleek cobblestone walls and frowned for a moment, sizing it up before he gently placed his hands upon the wall with a look of determination etched on his face.