Hunter relaxed on the thin mattress with his hands clasped behind his head. He pulled up his Paths for the first time since he earned so many. 

Rift Walker (0/100), Greed III (0/50), Archive Acolyte (0/25), Common Thief (0/10), Body of Will (0/25), Common Sprinter (0/10), Common Swordsman (0/10), Acrobat (0/20), Monster Hunter (0/25)

There were a few new Paths for him to take. Rift Walker, his constant companion, was still there. Hunter thought the number of points required to complete it was absurd compared to his other choices. It was double the next highest Path, and it was just a single path instead of a chain. He wondered if the number of points required hinted at its rarity. Hopefully, unique Paths meant better rewards. 

Doing some quick math, he had earned seventy-three total Path points since coming to the Rift. Out of that seventy-three, he had spent forty-five of them on the Archive and Greed Paths. That left him with a net amount of twenty-eight. So far, he had focused on the Paths with the least requirements. That had to be the right move considering that if he had chosen to bank all of his points, he still wouldn’t have enough for Rift Walker.

He frowned at his collection of Paths. If he had two more points, he would be able to knock out all three of his lower requirement options. Since he could only pick two of those, he toyed with the idea of getting one of the higher options like Body of Will or Monster Hunter. Hunter thought they both looked useful. Body of Will would likely help protect himself from the influence of Greed, while Monster Hunter would probably assist against higher-leveled enemies in the Rift.

No, my strategy has been successful so far…I better stick with it. I need to pick things that I’m actively using in combat.

With that thought in mind, Hunter poured his points into Common Swordsman.

You have earned +5 to Strength and +5 to Dexterity.

Congratulations! You have completed the Common Swordsman Path. You have earned the Active Skill: Cleave.

Cleave (Lvl 1): A sweeping attack that does 110% damage to the nearest target and its closest ally. Higher levels will increase the damage modifier and the number of affected allies.

Hunter grinned from ear to ear from the notification. He could already imagine how Cleave would have helped him in his last fight. Instead of throwing that fireball into the bonfire, Hunter could have sprinted toward the nearest imp and used Cleave to take out the first one and damage the second. After that, he could’ve targeted the third before returning to finish off the second. It would-be been so much easier, and he wouldn’t have set his hair on fire. He gingerly rubbed his head. Even though the burns on his face had healed, it had done nothing for the missing patches of hair.

I probably look like an orphaned pet, he bitterly complained.

He rechecked his points and realized that they had gone up by one. He scratched his scraggly facial hair as he considered it. If he completed another path and it gave him a skill, he would have just enough to finish the third Path he wanted. Cheered, he threw another ten points into Common Sprinter. 

You have earned +5 Dexterity and +5 to Endurance.

Congratulations! You have completed the Common Sprinter Path. Your Active Skill: Sprint has evolved into the Active Skill: Charge. All skill levels have been retained. 

Charge (Lvl 10): Charge an enemy and stun it for one second. It cannot be used in combat. Higher levels will increase the distance a charge can travel and increase the duration of the stun.

Hunter was more ambivalent about this notification. He had already been using the sprint skill for the same purpose. It was nice that the evolved skill had a new effect. It did make him wonder if the stunning would be effective on sapient opponents. For example, if he charged into someone with high Willpower or Strength, would they still be stunned? Or would they pick him up and toss him aside for being a nuisance. It was something he would have to investigate when he left the Rift.

The only mildly annoying part about the Archive’s message was that instead of earning another skill and its subsequent Path point, his existing skill had been evolved and retained its levels. Hunter guessed he would have to wait for another battle to grab the last affordable Path. 

Wait.

Seized by inspiration, Hunter pulled out Equipment Maintenance for Dummies from his storage ring. He peered at the cover of the thick book with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. He was excited because it could be the method by which Hunter unlocked his next Path. Still, the book was thick, and he had never been a very studious person. When teachers lectured, he was able to pick up the lesson quickly. He never took notes or did the extra reading. He considered himself an auditory learner and assumed that’s why he preferred audiobooks over text. Just looking at the maintenance book was enough to turn his mouth dry.

Let’s do this, he sighed. 

He paged through the story and soon found himself drawn into the work. There were hundreds of diagrams showing him different kinds of equipment and described the various methods to assess and repair damage in great detail. 

I guess I didn’t have to be worried. I’m okay with picture books. 

Most of the actions were beyond his limited understanding, but he hadn’t been far off the mark when he grabbed the polishing rags and whetstones. Most armor just needed basic preventative measures to stay sharp and prevent rust. When he got to the leatherworking portion of the book, it was a little more complicated. There were different ways to stitch the leather to keep it from falling apart, and he hadn’t grabbed the weird leather loop that a person was supposed to wear on their palm to help punch the needle through the thick material. He would have to be careful not to damage the leather portions of his equipment. He didn’t like the idea of trying to repair it. 

When he reached the section describing cloaks and clothing, he received the notification he was waiting for.

Congratulations! You have earned the Passive Skill: Maintenance.

Hunter didn’t bother to read the skill. Considering the source of the skill, he already had a good idea of what it would do. H pumped his fist into the air and then stored the tome within his storage ring. Material stowed, he pulled up his Paths and threw all of his remaining points into Common Thief (0/10). 

You have earned +5 Dexterity and +5 Perception.

Congratulations! You have earned the Passive Skill: Deft Hands.

Deft Hands (Lvl 1): A thief’s best tool is their hands. Deft Hands grant ambidextrous control over both hands. As a result, all actions using your hands are more efficient, and there’s a slight chance that a viewer will be unable to perceive any actions taken. Higher levels increase the synergy of this skill with combat-related skills and increase the chance that actions are not seen by an observer. 

Hunter had to admit his new passive was pretty cool. He was going to be the first ninja the planet had ever seen. 

On second thought, ninjas don’t wear helmets, and I’m definitely going to be wearing a helmet. Oh well, at least this will help me when I’m fighting demons. 

Hunter wasn’t sure how effective the new skill would be while fighting. It seemed like the kind of thing that paid dividends when you weren’t expecting it too. The best part was being able to write with his right hand. He had always been left-handed, and writing or drawing with that hand meant the side of his palm was inevitably stained by graphite or ink. At the very least, it was another skill he could grind for more Path points.

Finished with his Path selections, Hunter laid his head on his pillow. He crashed almost immediately and dreamed about fighting demons as a black-clothed ninja.