Hunter's quest went exceedingly well. He was able to circumvent the entire mountain in less than twelve hours and was well rewarded for his trouble. He had exterminated just under a hundred of the greed imps, and his skill levels showed vast improvements compared to his first few days in the Rift. By the end of his hunt, he had been slaying duos and trios of imps in less than a couple of minutes. Most of his time was spent traveling, and with that in mind, he didn't bother to eat or drink until he returned to the small valley where the Sanctuary was poised.

When he finally reached the familiar structure, he collapsed to the ground in satisfied exhaustion. Every muscle in his body was trembling in barely restrained fatigue. They had gotten quite the workout, but it was worth the trouble. He had earned enough skill levels, Paths, and Path Points to increase his power to the next tier. He knew he would need it to ascend to the next height of Snodgrass Mountain.

Despite his success, Hunter had refused to level up his greed equipment more than it already was. He wanted to complete a few Paths and increase his Willpower before trying to fight off the influence of greed. With that being said, he still stored all of the spoils of his conquest in his storage ring and Goldwrap. If Hunter were able to raise his attributes enough to be comfortable, he wouldn't hesitate to develop the quality of his equipment further.

He sighed and rose to his feet. His muscles and joints ached in not-so-silent protest. Even his Archive-assisted frame needed rest. Knowing he shouldn't be complaining about another day of life, he dismissed his errant thoughts and walked toward the Sanctuary entrance. He knew he was stalling for time by daydreaming about his accomplishments. He needed to make his preparations for the next phase of the Rift.

With a push, Hunter opened the large wooden doors that led to the interior. He inhaled deeply to capture the scent of the Sanctuary. It was an amalgamation of old wood, stone, fire, and incense. The smell was starting to grow on him. The Sanctuary was beginning to feel like a home he'd had never known. It was the source of safety and the bulwark for his power. He knew he would miss the building when he finally left the Rift. 

The warrior closed the door behind him before continuing to the barracks area. He robotically stripped out of his equipment and left them piled next to the bed he claimed as his own. Grabbing his make-shift towel, he took care to take a shower and perform other niceties. He was covered in blood, dirt, and shit. It was an odd sensation to feel the drops of water falling on his body. It cleaned everything except his face. Hunter couldn't even feel the frigid water through his damaged visage. It was a reminder that the face he presented to the world was no longer his own.

Hunter toweled off and pulled an apple and a flask of water from his ring. He crunched into the apple as he sat lotus-style on his bed. Clothed in just his boxers and mask, he looked like an esoteric cult leader. 

The warrior pulled up his gains for the day as he chewed slowly. Hunter relished each satiating bite. It was always unnerving that so much sustenance was packed into such a small package. He found that chewing slower helped his brains come to grip with the experience. Without further ado, the Archive notifications scrolled across his vision. 

Congratulations! You have earned Running Lvl 9!

…

Congratulations! You have earned Running Lvl 10!

Congratulations! For reaching Lvl 10 in Running, you've unlocked the Path: Common Runner (0/10).

Congratulations! You have earned Running Lvl 14!

Congratulations! You have earned Charge Lvl 12!

…

Congratulations! You have earned Charge Lvl 15!

Congratulations! You have earned Cleave Lvl 3!

…

Congratulations! You have earned Cleave Lvl 9!

Congratulation! You have earned Battle Meditation Lvl 9!

Congratulations! You have earned Battle Meditation 10! 

Congratulations! For reaching Lvl 10 in Battle Meditation, you've unlocked the Path: Warrior Monk (0/25).

Congratulations! You have earned Battle Meditation Lvl 12!

Congratulations! You have earned Covetous Eyes Level 10!

Congratulations! For Reaching Lvl 10 in Covetous Eyes, you've unlocked the Path: Eyes of Avarice (0/25).

Congratulations! You have earned Covetous Eyes Lvl 13!

Congratulations! You have earned Sword Mastery Lvl 11!

…

Congratulations! You have earned Sword Mastery Lvl 14!

Congratulations! You have earned Sneak Lvl 8!

…

Congratulations! You have earned Sneak Lvl 10!

Congratulations! For reaching Lvl 10 in Sneak, you've unlocked the Path: Way of Shadow I (0/25)

Congratulations! You have earned Sneak Lvl 11!

Congratulations! You have earned Mana Manipulation Lvl 2!

…

Congratulations! You have earned Mana Manipulations Lvl 8!

Congratulations! You have earned Deft Hands Lvl 2!

…

Congratulations! You have earned Deft Hands Lvl 5!

Congratulations! You have earned Fire Resistance Lvl 6!

Congratulations! You have earned Pain Resistance Lvl 6!

There were so many notifications that Hunter's eyes throbbed as he read them all. All told, he had earned forty-four levels across all of his skills. It was a vast improvement for one day's outing. He noticed that once a skill passed Lvl 10, the speed of leveling slowed drastically. He wouldn't see this many gains anytime soon. That made his Path choices even more important. If he could grind them to at least level ten, that would give him more Points and more Paths. Without a class, it was the only way to abuse the system.

With forty-eight Path points to spend, he was eager to see what he was working with.

Rift Walker (0/100), Greed III (0/50), Archive Acolyte (0/25), Body of Will (0/25), Acrobat (0/20), Monster Hunter (0/25), Common Runner (0/10), Warrior Monk (0/25), Eyes of Avarice (0/25), Way of Shadows (0/25). 

Hunter was disappointed in what he saw. While his number of Paths had gone up, he didn't raise enough Path points to complete many of them. He wondered if his strategy of completing the lower levels Paths was the correct one. After all, if he had banked all of his points up until this point, he would've been able to purchase his most expensive Path, Rift Walker. He had no idea what it did, but surely it would be a huge boon.

Sighing, Hunter looked over his choices again. He knew he needed Body of Will if he wanted to keep upgrading his equipment. Although, if Hunter picked that Path, the only other one he could choose would be Common Runner. Since he had done most of the running he was going to do, it wouldn't provide as much benefit as another choice. After considering the option, he made up his mind. He was going to purchase Body of Will and then save the rest of his points. Hunter threw twenty-five points into the Path.

You have earned +15 Willpower.

The rush of willpower hit him like a truck. Willpower was hard to put into words, but Hunter's entire outlook on life changed. He felt like a boulder at the bottom of the ocean while a hurricane tormented the world above. No matter how powerfully the waves might rock the coast or how piercing the winds blew, he became his own island of determined calm. All of his hidden fears about greed, the Rift, the Archivist, or how his friends and family were faring quietened. He was reminded of the old Serenity Prayer: "God give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

No matter what happened in this apocalypse, Hunter was confident that he would come out the other side intact.

No, I'm going to thrive here.

The feeling of supreme confidence faded away, and the final notification appeared.

Congratulations! You have completed the Body of Will Path. Your body has been forged in the fires of adversity. You have been granted the first level in all resistances. Over time, your resistances will slowly increase even if not actively exposed to danger. 

Congratulations! You have unlocked the Path: Mind of Will (0/50). 

The effect wasn't precisely what Hunter wanted, but it did give him an idea of what the next Path would entail. If Hunter was right, it might be worth saving up enough points to pursue Mind of Will. The Path might be the tool he needed to resist greed for good. Still, his Willpower had jumped by a fair bit, and Hunter was confident that he could safely upgrade his gear to the next tier. He didn't want to go any further than that. He checked his stat sheet to witness the alterations.

Name: Hunter Gold

Race: Human

Class: N/A

Level: N/A

Experience: 0/2000

 

Life: 310 (.6%/Min)

Stamina: 350 (.95%/Min)

Mana: 290 (1.85%/Min)

Faith: 20 (0.1%/Min)

STR: 25

VIT: 12

DEX: 29

END: 19

INT: 23

WIL: 37

CHA: 12

PER: 25

FTH: 2

 

Active Skills: 

Charge (Lvl 15), Dodge (Lvl 12), Battle Meditation (Lvl 12), Cleanse (Lvl 5), Covetous Eyes (Lvl 13), Midas Touch (Lvl 4), Cleave (Lvl 9)

 

Passive Skills: 

Running (Lvl 14), Sword Mastery (Lvl 14), Sneak (Lvl 11), Mana Manipulation (Lvl 8), Maintenance (Lvl 1), Deft Hands (Lvl 5)

Resistances:

Fire (Lvl 6), Shock (Lvl 1), Frost (Lvl 1), Nature (Lvl 1), Pain (Lvl 6)

Hunter's only complaint was that he had so few points in Vitality and Endurance. Those were the stats that would keep him alive. They affected his regeneration rates, and right now, Hunter's were pitifully low. He only hoped that his next set of enemies wouldn't fight him in groups like the imps, or he would be in trouble. Thankfully, his greed equipment was shoring up his lagging regenerations rates by absorbing energy from his foes. If not for that, then contests like the one against the bear would be his undoing. With that in mind, he wanted to move on to upgrading his greed gear.