Main Story-Line Quest : Ascent Of The Half-Blood.

Quest Requirement : Survive and escape the abandoned ancient-well.

Quest Reward : Unlocking the Skill window.

Quest Difficulty : Diamond-Rank.

Aaron spent the next minute looking at the moldy-walls of this well, in an attempt to figure out a proper path for him to climb before sighing and shaking his head slightly while feelings of disappointment began to spread within his chest.

First problem is that his physical-condition is really bad, second problem is that his body is too small which makes it harder for his tiny arms and legs to reach locations between different rocks.

The only advantage in this situation is that his body is much lighter which is supposedly going to make him much nimbler when transitioning between different positions.

"At least I'm sure these cobblestones can hold my weight, what's making me worry is my tank of energy." Aaron muttered before deciding to add another Ability Point to his Vitality attribute while gritting his teeth.

Once again the boy immediately noticed the sense of a wave washing over his physique and reinforcing it, he fell into a pleasurable and intoxicating spell when this mysterious force reinvigorated him for the second time.

It felt almost addictive and Aaron struggled to bring himself back and away from it, finally he managed to focus on the reality of his situation.

Afterwards he checked the window where his physical-condition is identified.

Health Points 25/136 Mana Points 142/142 Physical Condition 6 Cracked-Ribs, Malnourished, Slightly-Weakened, Moderately-Fatigued, Mildly-Poisoned. Mental Condition Slightly anxious, Somewhat-worried, Anticipative.

"No wonder I felt like junkie when that euphoric feeling struck," Aaron muttered in a daze! "Now I'm not sure if I'm supposed to add the next Ability Point on Vitality or Strength, I can move my body with much ease compared to before yet it still feels like I'm restricted somehow."

The boy took a moment to deliberate his situation before making up his mind, if the next Ability Point on the attribute of Vitality didn't give him the expected result, then the next Ability Point is going to be allocated to the attribute of either Strength or Agility.

It depends on which attribute he's currently lacking.

Health Points 35/146 Mana Points 142/142 Physical Condition A bit hungry, Vaguely-intoxicated, Normal Mental Condition Relieved, Ecstatic, Focused

He threw a triumphant fist towards the sky once he checked the updated window before saying : "Now it's time to test the waters." Aaron ignored the revolting circumstances of this well and swam towards the cobblestone walls.

The remaining Ability Point is to be used only when absolutely required, using it right now would be a foolish thing to do.

Between the Ability to hold tighter or move faster, he doesn't know for sure what's this situation needs the most!

Thankfully his delicate-looking and tiny hands would enable Aaron access to fine cracks that wouldn't be of any use to any adult, he only needs to carefully remove the mold and ensure that he's holding to a dry and firm rock.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Gradually the boy began to move up on the cobblestone walls of this abandoned ancient-well, it relieved him when he discovered that his grip-strength is sufficient for him to hold his position with stability and his movement as well as reaction is enough for him to maneuver between cracks without trouble.

However, it took quite a bit of time for him transition from place to place because Aaron needed to confirm if the next step and hold is steady and strong enough to carry the light-weight of his body.

It also took a bit of time to remove the mold from the cracks and to clean their place, often times the boy would tear a piece of his dirty and torn linen cloth to speed up the process then discard it and replace his cleaning tool with another piece from his clothes.

Aaron shook his head inwardly and smiled once he discovered that he lost the advantage of [Physical-Defense+1] once his linen cloth lost a pig part of its lower area near his legs!

*Splash*

After moving up for a few meters, the first cobblestone fell once he attempted to test how solid it is.

Not looking down and not wasting time, Aaron took advantage of the wider area the fallen cobblestone vacated and used it to take a break.

Thankfully his body is small enough for him to rest his upper-body between the cobblestones while letting his lower-body dangle freely in the air, all he had to do is endure the deep stench and repulsive smell in the air between these cobblestones.

In the beginning he thought that it's going to be a cinch for him to make this climb, all it would take from him is a bit of time and some carefulness.

Yet all it took was about seven meters up and Aaron found himself feeling dizzy and vertiginous, he never thought that it would be so mentally taxing to make this climb!

'I shouldn't be full of myself, I've got to take things very seriously or I'm never going to leave this damn well.' After gathering his thoughts and recharging his spirit, he restarted his journey upwards.

This time Aaron was a lot more careful, which also took a lot more time compared to earlier.

*Splash*

He would purposefully search for slightly larger than normal and unsteady cobblestones every few meters then make the extra effort to drop them into the green water of this abandoned ancient-well, these rest points would be key to his success if he's ever going to make it all the way up.

"Fuck! I'm out of cloth already." Aaron was stuck closely to the cobblestones buck naked just one meter below the mold-free zone, "Damn it, damn it, damn it all to bloody hell. I'm so close already! Just a bit more and I would make it out of this shitty shit hole."

He was losing his mind and his patience was running out after spending three or four hours in this struggle.

Whenever he torn a piece of his linen cloth and used it to clean that mold it would become useless afterwards and Aaron was forced to use it all to reach where he stands.

Now all he's got is the remaining Ability Point which he left as a safety measure.

Looking up he thought : 'All I need to do is make it beyond that meter and the rest is history from that point,' The boy frowned deeply which made it clear that he's squeezing his brain for ideas, 'Making the jump upwards and somehow holding into one of these dry cobblestones is the most straightforward solutions, but I'm worried about how much Strength it'd take for me to achieve this feat.'

Finally Aaron decided to gamble and added the remaining Ability Point to Agility.

He trusted in his current strength after testing the limits of his body during the past few hours, honestly Aaron was amazed by how strong he felt.

The biggest disappointment was the coordination between his thoughts and his actions, there's been this frustrating delay which prevented him from feeling like he's in total control of this small body.

'It's now or never.' Aaron firmly planted the tips of his fingers in the cracks of the furthest cobblestone above his head, then tested how much force he could pull from that hold with a single hand before searching for a place where he could put one of his feet.

That way he could pull his body up with that hand then give his body another push with that, foot in-between both actions his free foot would find the biggest crack on a slightly protruding cobblestone for a split-second of stability before his remaining hand make another swift pull on the lowest cobblestone at the mold-free zone.

Aaron was almost one-hundred percent certain that if any of his hands grabbed hold of any mold-free cobblestone then he's fully capable of making it out, because so far his struggle was against the slippery cobblestones.

Even the unsteady cobblestones didn't give him that much trouble, in fact they helped him take the much needed rest every now and then.

After making sure that his body is well rested and his thoughts are well in order since he spent about ten minutes imagining the process over and over again until it felt like Aaron doesn't even need to think about what he needs to do next.

He extended his left-hand upwards then took a deep breath in before pulling his body upwards with all his power.

With all the focus on the world he pushed with his right-foot once it touched the moldy and slippery surface of the cobblestone, he felt his body tilt slightly to the side which endangered his balance! It means that his right-hand is veering away from its course.

Aaron used his left-foot to nail his toes in a vertical crack between two cobblestones to prevent the momentum before latching into the dry cobblestone with his fingers like a hawk using its talons.

"Fuck yeah! Woohoo..." The boy ignored the screaming pain from his left-foot which became bloodied after the sharp edges of the cobblestones mutilated and deformed their skin.

The rush of adrenaline was making his heart feel like it'll beat out of his chest!

Aaron eagerly crossed the last few meters while feelings of excitement and achievement fueled his actions.

Finally his hand reached the summit of the ancient-well and the boy pulled himself up before rolling forward with his upped-body before letting gravity drag him down to the dirt without care.

Only now did his exhaustion catch up with senses and Aaron closed his eyes to rest, completely ignoring the window that popped up.