Chapter 4 – Teeth Behind Smiles
Velden City – Market District
Aayu stood under the shadow of a tavern awning, eyes flicking across the crowd like a hawk measuring prey. His cloak dripped from morning rain, but he didn't move.
He wasn't looking for comfort.
He was watching.
A noble merchant—round, smug—haggled with a glassmaker, flanked by two guards. His window blinked:
> [Name: Oren Dalthyr – Level 7 – Affiliation: House Dalthyr]
[Status: Greedy, Careless – Emotional State: Frustrated / Distracted]
[Goal: Sell cursed artifact without alerting Adventurer Association]
Aayu's gaze narrowed.
Cursed artifact? Interesting.
He didn't care about curses. He cared about leverage.
That was the game: find the secret people would kill to protect, then use it before they did.
It wasn't just survival. It was power.
And Aayu craved it—not for glory, not for vanity—but for control.
He had lived too long under others' boots. Now he wanted to be the one wearing them.
---
Flashback – Age 11
The alley had been cold that night. His mother had vanished for three days. When she returned, her dress was torn, her eyes vacant.
She dropped a single copper coin into his hand and whispered, "Don't trust anyone. Not even me."
She was gone by morning.
That night, he promised himself:
I won't die like her. I'll take what I need. I'll never beg.
---
Present
> [SP Earned: +3 – Strategic Eavesdropping / System Insight]
[Total SP: 4]
Not enough for the next trait. He grit his teeth.
The system rewarded intentional, meaningful action. Not petty theft. Not gossip.
Real power came from risk.
Which meant... he needed something bigger.
---
Meanwhile – Cathedral Undercroft
Seraphim knelt in meditation, her white armor glowing faintly with divinity.
Her thoughts circled around the elusive seventh. The Shopbearer.
The others were easy. The Warrior of Ash rampaged in the north. The Blood Alchemist left trails of corpses. The Masked Oracle whispered into the ears of kings.
But the Shopbearer?
He vanished between cities like smoke.
She admired that, almost.
Almost.
She rose to her feet, grip tightening on her holy spear.
"Fate gave us these systems to guard the world," she muttered. "If he uses it for selfish gain…"
She closed her eyes.
"…then I'll be his end."
---
Adventurer's Guild – Late Evening
Aayu walked through the front doors, ignoring the shocked looks from junior clerks. He rarely came here.
The front desk woman adjusted her glasses. "Uh… can I help you?"
"I'm registering a request," he said coolly, sliding a parchment across. "Level 3 monster-sighting, near South Sewer junction."
Her brow lifted. "That's a rough area. You're going alone?"
He smiled, false warmth coating steel resolve.
"I'm not the reckless one. I'm the one who comes back."
She blinked, then slowly stamped the approval.
He left without waiting.
---
South Sewer – Midnight
The creature was ugly. A slithering, half-melted thing with too many eyes and a stench like old rot.
> [Monster: Plague Maw] – Rank: D-Rank Mutant]
[Threat Level: Moderate]
Aayu didn't fight head-on. That wasn't his way.
He lured it with spoiled meat, trapped it in a narrow tunnel, then used oil and a lit rag.
The tunnel went up in flames, screams echoing through the stone.
He waited until silence fell.
Only then did he step forward and plunge a scavenged spear into its scorched eye.
> [SP Earned: +12 – Victory over Corrupt Spawn]
[Total SP: 16]
[New Skill Available: Shadow Veil – Temporary invisibility under darkness. (Cost: 14 SP)]
He didn't hesitate.
> [Skill Purchased: Shadow Veil – Acquired]
[Remaining SP: 2]
He sank to one knee, panting.
Burn marks covered his sleeve. His hands shook.
But he was smiling.
Not because he liked pain.
Because he'd earned something.
Not stolen.
Not begged.
Earned.
---
Elsewhere – Magic Tower Dormitory
Elrien scowled at the reports.
More mana distortions. Strange behavior patterns. Guild movement.
All signs pointed to him.
"Why hasn't the Church caught him?" she snapped.
Her aide flinched. "He's... too good at hiding. It's like he senses who's watching."
She frowned.
That wasn't normal.
That was... System-level awareness.
She opened her journal and added a new title:
> The Seventh: The One Who Watches Back
---
Velden – Rooftop Overlook
Aayu stood watching the city's sleeping lights.
He had 2 SP left.
But more importantly, he had something new: a sense of who he was becoming.
He wasn't the strongest. He wasn't righteous.
But he was alive. Free.
And growing sharper with every breath.
His goal wasn't to save the world.
But if destroying 12 Demon Kings was the price for freedom…
…then they were already dead.