Outside the town, a variety of monsters roamed freely: grumpy goblins, hungry wolves, and... a particularly vicious creature that players jokingly called Brother Chicken.
These monsters had initial stats higher than new players, forcing most players to form teams just to survive.
Thomas, however, had other plans.
He spotted a Flower-tailed Chicken nearby and rushed toward it.
"Theft!"
Leaping forward, he brushed the creature's colorful tail with his hand.
The limitations were clear: first-level theft required physical touch and had a pathetically low success rate.
[Theft failed. Gain Skill Proficiency: 10 (originally 1, boosted to 10 by talent effect!)]
"The Infinite Growth effect is insanely powerful!" Thomas marveled inwardly.
Normally, he'd need 100 casts for a single skill level-up. Now, with only 10 uses, he'd reach the next level!
In "Crimson Capes," active skills leveled up through repeated use: 1 point for failure, 2 points for success.
The teased Brother Chicken clucked angrily, turning to peck at Thomas.
"Stealth!"
Thomas immediately vanished into thin air.
Thanks to Unlimited Potential, his stealth cooldown was reduced by 50%, and his mana cost by 80%.
The flower-tailed chicken, confused, wandered off.
Once stealth ended, the skill was ready again.
Another attempt to steal — and another failure!
Ouch! Brother Chicken pecked ferociously.
-10 HP!
-9 HP!
Even dodging desperately, Thomas still took hits.
"Is early game monster damage supposed to be this brutal?!" he grumbled, sprinting away.
A group of players nearby laughed heartily.
"Look! A rookie getting chased by Brother Chicken!"
"Haha, free kill, let's grab it!"
They surrounded the monster and slew it, robbing Thomas of the kill.
Thomas wasn't upset. He had other goals.
"I need weaker monsters for skill grinding. No way I'm wasting time fighting like this."
Scanning the area carefully, Thomas noticed something odd.
To the west of the town gate, near a small forest, a group of female players leisurely farmed.
In stark contrast to the chaos elsewhere, their zone seemed peaceful.
Curious, Thomas slipped into stealth and investigated.
There, three girls clumsily fought a creature —
[Bouncy Rabbit - LV1]
Health: 200
Attack: 12
Skill: Bounce Impact
Description: "A gentle creature. Only retaliates when its life is truly threatened. Poor XP and no drops. Not recommended for leveling."
"Wait... If it only retaliates when attacked, can I steal from it safely?"
The idea lit up Thomas's mind.
A passing player shook his head. "Dude, don't waste your time on rabbits! They're worthless."
Thomas just chuckled.
"The rabbit is so cute. How can I hit it?" he said playfully, reaching out with a gentle steal.
[Theft failed. Gain Skill Proficiency: 10!]
The rabbit trembled but ignored him, returning to nibble the grass.
"Good bunny! I love you!"
Thomas laughed joyfully.
Thus began his grand skill-grinding plan.
Thanks to reduced mana costs, stealth consumed only 8 mana, and theft just 4 mana.
Given the natural mana recovery when resting, Thomas could grind nearly endlessly.
[Successful Stealth. Gain Skill Proficiency: 10!]
[Theft failed. Gain Skill Proficiency: 10!]
[Theft Skill Upgraded to LV2!]
Within minutes, the skill levels rose.
Each upgrade improved success rates and skill effects!
Nearby players noticed him.
"Poor guy... fighting rabbits."
"Come join our team, man! Better than humiliating yourself like this!"
But Thomas paid no mind.
On average, he gained 60 points of stealing skill proficiency per minute.
Better yet, surprises occasionally happened!
[Theft succeeded! Stole 1 Basic Mana Potion from Bouncy Rabbit! Gain Skill Proficiency: 20!]
Successful theft angered the rabbits, but Thomas simply vanished into stealth, avoiding retaliation.
Over time, a small collection of potions and trinkets built up in his inventory.
Time passed slowly.
Around him, players leveled up, holy light flashing as they reached Level 1, Level 2, or even Level 3.
Some left town to chase bigger goals.
Thomas stayed rooted in his tiny grove, laser-focused on his goals.
His Stealing Skill reached LV5, well beyond normal early-game limits.
"Grinding skills isn't hard... but it's mind-numbingly boring after a while."
He felt the stirrings of mischief inside him.
"Maybe it's time to cause a little trouble?"
Still, he forced himself to stay patient.
"No. One more level. Reach LV6 first!"
Bored, he opened the Regional Chat to see what was happening around Maple Leaf Town.
What he saw shocked him.
[Report: Lone Wind Mountain discovered!]
[Bad News: Tyrant Guild's elite team entered the mountain!]
[Good News: Tyrant Guild's team wiped out by mountain monsters!]
[New Crisis: Tyrant and Feitian Guilds join forces!]
[More Good News: Even together, they still can't reach Lone Wind Cliff!]
[Warning: Tyrant and Feitian are now blocking access to the mountain!]
The region was ablaze with chaotic news.
"That abnormal mission really wasn't simple. Good thing I didn't rush in blindly!"
Thomas felt a wave of relief.
Had he charged up the mountain with the others, he'd have wasted precious time and effort.
He returned to his patient skill grinding.
Another ten minutes passed.
Suddenly, two system notifications burst into his ears:
[Stealth reaches LV3. Triggering "Infinite Growth" Mutation Effect. Skill Mutation!]
[Theft reaches LV6. Triggering "Infinite Growth" Mutation Effect. Skill Mutation!]
Thomas froze.
And then…
An uncontrollable grin split his face.
"The true horror of Infinite Growth... is just beginning!"
[To be continued...]