Damien stopped just long enough to glance at it, the corners of his mouth lifting into a mocking smirk. He let out a short, derisive scoff.
"As if a sign will stop me."
His voice was low, but the confidence in it carried through the quiet clearing. Without hesitation, he stepped past the tree and into the forbidden ground.
This area was off-limits to the villagers for a reason.
Beyond this point, the forest became the territory of beasts—monsters that lurked in the shadows, waiting to sink their teeth into the careless.
They weren't high-ranked, only classified as F-rank beasts, but that was more than enough to slaughter a simple villager who wandered too far.
For the weak, this was death.
For Damien, it was opportunity.
He narrowed his eyes, a smirk spreading across his lips once again as he strode deeper into the clearing.
'Status window.' he thought.
[Status Window]
[Name: Damien Cross]
[Class: Unawakened]
[Physique: MILF Hunter]
[Health: 300/300]
[Mana: 400/400]
[Strength: 40]
[Agility: 30]
[Stamina: 40]
[Endurance: 30]
[Perception: 40]
[Charm: 57]
[Intelligence: 45]
[Hunter Points: 3510]
A faint grin tugged at his lips as his eyes ran through the tabs.
The changes were small in number, perhaps, but significant nonetheless.
His health and mana, once pitiful at a flat hundred each, had already skyrocketed to three hundred and four hundred.
Just that alone was enough to make his chest swell with pride. To anyone else in this backwater village, it would be nothing short of monstrous.
But it wasn't just his health and mana. His strength and agility had climbed higher as well.
That surge of raw power in his muscles, the lightness in his legs that hadn't been there yesterday—it was proof. Proof that he wasn't just dreaming of a different life. He was walking toward it.
Still, the memory of what it had cost him made his chest tighten faintly.
A whopping two thousand and twenty four Hunter Points… all spent in one sweep!
He could still feel the pang in his chest when he thought about it, the way those numbers had plummeted right before his eyes.
For a brief second back then, he had almost regretted it.
However, it was a necessary step.
He had used a thousand points to push his strength higher, another thousand into agility, each one climbing by ten.
The remaining four hundred he had split evenly, bolstering his health and mana further. It was precise, calculated, and, most importantly, it was worth it.
The faint grin spread further as he clenched his hand into a fist, feeling the energy coursing through his veins.
His muscles felt denser, more reliable, as though they had been reforged in steel. Every step he took seemed lighter, sharper, his balance steadier than before.
The dull heaviness in his body that had plagued him all his life was gone, replaced with a restless vitality that urged him forward.
Yes. It had been worth every last point.
Closing the status window with a mere thought, Damien's attention shifted to the glowing tabs still hovering faintly in his vision.
His gaze landed on the [System Shop], and with another thought, he opened it.
[SYSTEM SHOP — ITEMS]
[Minor Health Potion (E-grade)]
[Restores 50 HP instantly]
[500 Hunter Points]
[Stamina Recovery Herb (E-grade)]
[Removes fatigue.]
[800 Hunter Points]
[…]
[Silver Daggers (D-grade)]
[A Pair of sharp daggers. Boosts Strength and Agility by 10% when equipped.]
[1500 Hunter Points]
Rows of text flickered before him, but his gaze stilled the moment it reached the bottom.
'Silver Daggers…' he thought, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Unlike the herbs or potions, this was no consumable.
His hand twitched slightly at his side as he clicked on it.
Immediately, a notification bloomed in front of him.
[Do you want to purchase a pair of Silver Daggers?]
[Price: 1500 Hunter Points]
[Yes/No]
For a moment, Damien simply stared at it.
1500 points—that was no small amount. It would cut away nearly half of what remained to him.
A trace of hesitation flickered at the back of his mind, but he crushed it mercilessly.
He let out a quiet sigh, a deep one that carried both resolve and acceptance.
'Yes.'
The word formed in his mind like a command, and the system responded instantly.
[You have purchased a pair of Silver Daggers!]
The air in front of him shimmered suddenly.
Two long, sleek shapes began to take form, their outlines traced by faint light until they solidified into reality. A pair of silver daggers, their blades sheathed in thick, black leather, hovered weightlessly before him.
Damien's eyes widened, a spark of excitement flashing through them.
The faint sheen of the hilts, the cold glint of the metal that peeked beneath the sheaths—it was real.
His breath quickened slightly, chest rising and falling with anticipation as he stretched out his hand. The daggers reacted instantly, gravity reclaiming them. They dropped down, heavy yet perfectly balanced, and landed firmly into his grip with a satisfying thud.
The weight, the feel of the leather against his palm, the faint promise of death humming through the blades—it was intoxicating.
Damien's grip tightened around the pair of blades, his breath steadying as he raised one closer to his face. Slowly, almost reverently, he pressed his thumb against the thick leather sheath and slid it downward.
Shhhk!
A faint metallic whisper filled the air as the dagger revealed itself.
The blade gleamed brilliantly in the filtered light of the clearing, its surface catching the glow like polished moonlight.
Pure silver, sharp and clean, it reflected Damien's face with uncanny clarity. His own eyes stared back at him—hard, determined, brimming with hunger.
For a moment, he simply admired it. But then, as his fingers flexed around the hilt, a subtle difference rippled through him.
His muscles seemed to coil tighter, his body lighter, more in tune with the rhythm of his breathing.
Strength surged faintly in his arms, his legs almost itched with restless energy. The daggers weren't just weapons. They were alive in their own way, amplifying him.
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
'Inspect,' he thought.
A flicker of light blinked across the edge of his vision, and a small window appeared.
[Silver Dagger]
[Grade: D]
[Description: A Pair of daggers. Boosts Strength and Agility by 10% when equipped.]
The confirmation made his smile widen. Exactly as he had expected. Exactly what he needed.
But before he could dwell further, another notification suddenly pulsed across his vision, glowing in bold gold text.
[Hidden Quest Completed!]
[Objective: Purchase an item from the System Shop]
[Reward Granted: System Inventory unlocked]