Another milestone: 100 power stones! Here is a bonus chapter to celebrate!
While Aaron had a hard time finding food, he had an easy time falling asleep, even while sitting on the ground… as usual, he underestimated his condition and thought that he was fine just because he could operate like usual. However, he confirmed that wasn't the case… he went to take a nap in the middle of the morning and woke up when the sun was setting.
"I suppose this is fine… since I didn't have anything else to do," Aaron thought when he got up. "Those guys also didn't look for me apparently… I probably traumatized them as well."
In any case, Aaron confirmed a few things that happened during the day. It looked like he could get a new skill every five levels, and their utility would increase according to his level as well… saving more points was the best option, probably not very likely considering that he was making himself an enemy of entire cities.
Aaron Hayes [Omni Absorption] - Thief Lv 11 [490/1100]
Health: 48/48
Mana: 20/20
Stamina: 136/136
Strength: 17
Magic: 05
Dexterity: 19
Vitality: 07
Mentality: 05
Perception: 49
Free Points: 40
Skills: Backstabbing Lv 01, Thousand Step Lv 14
Passive: Dash Lv 06, Silent Step Lv 01
Skill Points: 00
"So far, I would say that Perception is helping me the most in these kinds of fights, I can sense the enemies, even though they can practically turn invisible, and I gain stamina as well to use Thousand Step," Aaron said while checking his parameters and heading to the city. "Still, for how long will that be enough?"
Increasing magic and vitality weren't necessary yet since Aaron wasn't using mana. Still, when it comes to health, Aaron was still on the low end… he probably couldn't take too many wounds. That was fine, though. He would rather avoid them all.
Even from far away, Aaron confirmed that the enemies still were wary of him; in all spots of the wall, there were soldiers with torches… they really were scared of him until the very end; they wanted to treat him as a monster, even though he only killed in self-defense.
"The walls are ten meters tall, but I should climb them if I find the right spots to grab and increase my strength," Aaron thought. "Passing by those guys without killing them will be a far greater problem."
Aaron wanted to gain intel this time, and he would have to do so while checking places where people gather at night and talk while they are relaxed. They won't relax if they think that he was there.
"Come to think of it, why would someone create a weapon of mass destruction here?" Aaron thought while furrowing his eyebrows. "This place looks more than a little bit peaceful…"
After watching the city for one hour, Aaron decided to use the shadows of the clouds to approach the place. Thanks to that, not even the light of the torches revealed his movements, not even when he was right below some of the patrols. Truth be told, they weren't looking at the base of the walls. They were checking for movements beyond it.
Thanks to his high Perception, Aaron could tell where the patrols were even without looking at the top of the wall, and after studying them for a few moments, he noticed some holes in their formations. They weren't following a moving pattern, but now and then, they would stop to do things to keep themselves as alert as possible. Stretching and doing some squats, they would stop to talk about Aaron and that fight earlier… speaking of the fight earlier, Aaron had to throw away his clothes since they were too drenched in blood. Things won't last for long at that rate… his supplies.
Regardless, when Aaron found one of those moments, he climbed the wall using his hands alone and then mustered all of his strength when he grabbed the edge of the walls to propel himself upward. While spinning in the air like a knife, he crossed the top of the wall instantly and landed on the other side.
The guards heard the sound of something hustling, but they didn't find anything around and beyond the wall, so they resumed their actions. At the same time, Aaron was already crossing the dark alleys of the city.
While the city was guarded by some massive walls made of stone, most of the houses close to the wall were made of wood, and while they seemed new and well-made, they also looked pretty small for a city of that size… at least there was some organization on it. Most of the houses were on blocks, and they were aligned with each other. Thanks to it, Aaron had a hard time finding dark alleys for him to move.
"It is supposed to be nine PM, but there are a lot of people out… I thought that in the Middle Ages, people avoided going out at night most of the time, but I guess making the comparison here is weird," Aaron thought while he was heading to the center of the city, where he could see some tall buildings.
Aaron felt troubled when he saw kids running around… it was supposed to be past their bedtime, and yet… still, what really bothered him was the possibility that he might have to kill everyone in that world if things were too far gone… killing those who tried to kill him, killing those who couldn't fight was another matter altogether.
"I really can't fail here…" Aaron thought.