Unknown Drive

"That guy… I can't believe him," Jake mumbled, walking out of the guild at a fast pace. In his hand, he held his residential stamp, which also included his improvised last name, Crepusculum.

He called out the skill panel again and scrolled through Alea's abilities since he had nothing better to do. Scrolling through them, he decided to ignore her unique ability and instead clicked on [Antidote Aura] as his choice.

All her other abilities would either be too weak or too risky to use, as they could hurt the user, but Antidote Aura could act as a base for the other abilities; If he can't be poisoned, then he can fight as recklessly as he wants.

"Besides, we're going to have lots of sex in the future… I hope?" he thought, aimlessly striding around in the streets.

Clicking on confirm, Jake felt a pang of chills screaming down his spine. It was merely for a second, but his body was still completely tensed up.

You have learned a new ability: [Antidote Aura] - PASSIVE: You are immune to poison.

"Ahh, what a pain that I have to wait a week before I can learn another one," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "My horny-ass just wanna have sex right here, right now."

Turning his head, he spotted a knight completely dressed in gold armor who wielded a fancy sword at his waist, walking out of the guild. Jake wanted to observe his armor further, but the man was engulfed by the group of scantily clad women begging for his attention.

"Maannn, I'm kinda jealous," he said to himself. "So being popular takes place in every world, huh?"

"But wait… Wasn't it commonly accepted or even expected for men, especially influential ones in Bladecraft's lore, to have multiple wives or lovers?" he thought, clenching his fist as if he had found his purpose. "I need to build a harem, to fully utilize my ability. That's right, I need to cycle its cooldown. If I can have multiple women, then I can stack countless abilities. Besides, it's every man's daydream."

He stopped as his mind fell into thought. "But where do I find these girls? I can't just depend on luck like before. That's right. If I can get crazy strong, then I must be destined for love in this world ruled by strenght."

He held up his residential stamp to eye level. "Guess I'll grind levels then."

***

Eiltris slid the seat back. "Are you sure we can trust him, Arthur?" she asked softly. The others had left a few minutes ago, and now they were all alone. "Wouldn't it have been better to either leave him alone or guide him at all times? What if he gets captured and spills our secrets?"

Arthur's face was expressionless as he looked down at her. "I don't think so." He leaned over, his hand resting on her knee. "You're right that we should keep an eye on him, but I'm not worried about him being captured. I hid his aura, so the others wouldn't find him. They'll never know where he is. We just have to make certain no one else does."

"What makes you so confident?" Eiltris asked, wary of his answer.

"Because he's not like them," Arthur replied. "His drive is different. I can see it in his eyes. But someone I can't figure out what motivates him."

"Meaning what?"

He shrugged. "Besides, he is plays a crucial piece in my plan."

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "There you go again, talking about obtaining hell or whatever. I'm only helping you so I can get revenge." She hesitated. "And don't you think you're using him?"

Arthur smiled slightly. "No. He's helping us, and we're helping him. It's like symbiosis between two organisms who benefit from each other."

Eiltris sighed. "So you're saying we're not using him?"

"I'm saying that we can use him without abusing him."

"Then why do you care what happens to him?"

"Because I want him to live."

"...Why would you care about him?"

He studied her for a moment. "It's complicated," he said at last. "Let's just say that if we help him, then maybe he will be able to help us later. Or perhaps he might even decide to join us. I don't know. It doesn't matter anyway."

"But it matters to me," Eiltris replied, anger rising within her. "I hate it when people are used...and taken advantage of."

"Oh, please. You've never cared about anyone," Arthur scoffed. "You just want to kill the wielder of greed because you think it would bring you happiness, think it would bring you purpose. That's all."

"That's...." she began but stopped herself before continuing. He was probably right. She'd killed hundreds already—she didn't exactly feel bad about it. In fact, she felt alive. And yet there was something inside her that wanted to protect this boy, this stranger. "Well, I guess I can understand your point of view," she said quietly.

"You done with your rant?" Arthur asked, turning away from her.

"Yeah, sorry," Eiltris apologized.

He turned back. "Good. Then I'll get going."

He stood up quickly and moved toward the door. "See you tomorrow," he called over his shoulder.