Level Up!

Seeing that his initial strike didn't do much damage, Aiden slowly moved away from the wolf. He wanted to think about his next move.

Knowing that his weapon wasn't effective against the massive wolf-like creatures, Aiden decided to run away. There was no way he would be winning against that wolf.

Scanning the area, Aiden's eyes fell upon the rubble of destroyed buildings. Among the debris, he spotted large pieces of twisted metal and scattered bricks.

Although these objects lacked the sharpness for a killing blow, their weight and size presented an advantage if used strategically.

With a determined mindset, Aiden meticulously examined the surroundings, assessing the terrain and seeking the ideal location for his trap. He envisioned a high vantage point on one of the sturdy buildings, strategically positioned to maximize the force of gravity and enhance the impact of his makeshift weapons.

Moving the sizable pieces of metal and brick proved challenging, their weight far surpassing what he was accustomed to handling with his dagger.

He attempted to lift them initially but quickly realized it was futile. Undeterred, he adjusted his approach, deciding to drag the heavy objects to the designated location instead.

Straining every muscle, Aiden exerted himself to position the pieces atop the chosen building.

He carefully arranged them, ensuring that they were stable and ready to be released. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he focused on aligning the contraption, knowing that the success of his plan hinged on precise timing and execution.

Finally, when everything was in place, Aiden surveyed his handiwork. The anticipation built within him as he realized the trap was set. Now all he needed to do was lure the creatures into the kill zone.

Aiden contemplated his next move, strategizing how to attract the attention of the monsters.

'Creating a distraction through noise would be the most effective method.'

With a deep breath, he summoned his vocal cords and clapped his hands, making a bunch of noise that echoed through the desolate streets.

The commotion drew the attention of every creature in the vicinity. 

Their heads turned, and they began converging toward the source of the noise.

Aiden had successfully baited them into his trap.

As the creatures closed in, Aiden watched downward with a wide smile, ready to unleash the trap he had meticulously set. 

When the timing was just right, he released the heavy objects from their precarious positions. 

With a thunderous crash, the metal and bricks rained down upon the creatures, incapacitating many of them and causing chaos among the pack.

As they kept dying, Aiden's system was having problems showing all the rewards he got.

[You have killed a wolf.]

[You have gained XP.]

[You have killed a bear.]

[You have gained XP]

[You have leveled up.]

…

…

…

…

The notifications weren't stopping, and it seemed he had leveled up at least one time.

Aiden was interested in seeing what rewards he would get for leveling up.

'Status,' Aiden thought.

[Aiden Nightshade]

[Level 4]

[Health: 100]

[Mana: 5]

[Race: Human]

[Class: None]

[Strength: 1]

[Agility: 1]

[Dexterity: 1]

[Defense: 1]

[Stamina: 1]

[Charm: 2]

[Unallocated Stat Points: 4]

[Skills]

[Shadow Steps Lvl.MAX(Passive)]

[Dagger mastery Lvl.3 (Passive)]

[???]

'What is this?' Aiden thought, not understanding why a skill had appeared in his status, and he couldn't get any type of information about it, which was quite weird.

But he also knew that thinking about this wouldn't give him anything, so he quickly switched his thoughts to the free stat points he could add to his current stats.

Aiden had leveled up to level four, and while it didn't shock him that much, the speed of his progression was unparalleled.

If any of the teammates who had initially abandoned him heard about this, they would feel even more shocked from merely seeing those notifications popping up in front of them.

It was a leveling speed unlike anything they had seen before, and Aiden was oblivious to his extraordinary achievement.

As he saw he could allocate those free points to his stats, he understood that when leveling up, he would be able to get one unallocated stat point which he would be able to apply to the stat he wished.

Seeing his four free stat points, he questioned himself to see what stat would be best to upgrade for fighting against those monsters.

At first, Aiden considered it would be best to boost his agility, a familiar trait that aligned with his assassination-focused skills and would help him, too.

However, he didn't want to only add stats points to his agility.

'Strength and dexterity are good options since having more strength can probably allow me to hurt stronger enemies just like those wolves.'

He also wanted to avoid being caught in a situation like earlier when he had to rely on improvised traps.

However, he dismissed stats like defense, stamina, and charm, as they held little immediate utility but might prove valuable in future trials.

In the end, Aiden decided to add two stat points to agility, one to strength, and one to dexterity.

After adding those stats, he started moving and immediately sensed the changes.

His movements became swifter, and he felt a tangible increase in his speed, even if it was a modest improvement.

***

On the other side of the city, the rest of Aiden's teammates were still fighting hard against the monsters and it seemed that they had a bit of difficulty.

However, as they were acting as a team they didn't have to employ a strategy that looked like the one of Aiden.

They were straight-up fighting the wolves, but it wasn't as efficient as Aiden's method, and they were slower than him, which caused them to see all the notifications of his kills.

They knew that they had made a mistake separating from him.

Although they were still able to kill all the monsters coming after them, it didn't prevent Ava from regretting her choice of abandoning him.

She looked at the rankings, astonished by the number of points Aiden had accumulated.

[Rankings]

[Aiden: 32 points]

[Ava: 14 points]

[James: 10 points]

[Gus: 4 points]

Now, Ava was deeply disturbed by the pace Aiden had been killing monsters.

'Just who is that guy?' She wondered. 'He shouldn't be able to kill that amount of zombies in such a short time. Is he someone from one of the four founding families?'

Ava was shocked. She simply didn't understand how someone without the slightest skill or class could be so powerful.

Gus and James, too, found themselves grappling with similar thoughts.

The speed and efficiency with which Aiden had decimated the first wave of monsters left them bewildered.

It became evident that Aiden had intentionally concealed his true power and identity during their encounter in the waiting room.

Ava couldn't help but regret her previous attitude towards Aiden. If only she had been nice to him.

If he truly hailed from one of the founding families, then...she would be in big trouble when coming out of this trial.

They dictated the rules and norms of society, with the power to shape the world according to their whims. If Aiden belonged to such a lineage, he could easily make her vanish without a trace, erasing any lingering questions or doubts.

However, she didn't seem scared on the outside and kept a smile on her face, trying to show that she was still confident about her decision.

The moment the two other boys saw her smile, they immediately lost control of any rational thought and wanted to protect her.

"Should we go back and go see him? Maybe he can help us after all," Ava declared.

"Yes, you're right, that's a great idea!" The two other guys responded, only looking at Ava's body like good little dogs.