Chapter 15 - First Class Advancement
After decapitating the final acolyte, Lucas finally received the system notification he had been anticipating.
“Girls, I can finally pick a class,” Lucas announced to the girls, his voice laced with tinges of excitement, as he calmly sheathed his sword.
Excited by his words, Chloe immediately jumped and asked, “What are you going to choose?”
Samantha approached as well, her curiosity piqued. “Yeah, what's it going to be?”
“I haven’t checked my options yet,” Lucas replied with a helpless smile at their enthusiasm. He then summoned his status window, navigating to the Class section.
A moment later, a list of selectable classes materialized before him, glowing faintly in the air.
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Available Class
Warrior
Archer
Mage
Rogue
Vanguard
Scholar
Crafter
Mechanic
War Savant
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“Nine classes,” Lucas muttered as he recited their names to Chloe and Samantha.
Unfortunately, when he tried tapping on the classes for more details, nothing happened. “What a janky system,” he shrugged.
Rubbing her chin, Samantha spoke thoughtfully, “I can see why the first four are there, those are pretty standard in most games. But what about the others?”
Chloe grinned and teased, “Why not go Mechanic? Your dad owned a workshop, didn’t he? You wouldn’t want the family business to die on your watch.”
“Why not? Maybe I’ll build a giant robot and blast off into space," Lucas chuckled, amused at the thought. "I’m guessing Vanguard is something like a tank, probably linked to my VIT stat being the second highest. Scholar seems obvious since I read a lot."
“Then Crafter must be because you’ve made bombs and some of our previous equipment," Chloe theorized, nodding at her own deduction.
Samantha chimed in with a thoughtful look. "Which would make Mechanic some kind of combination of Scholar and Crafter, maybe? Like crafting tech?"
“There you go! You get the gist, physicists," Lucas smiled at the girls' reasoning, as that was what he had assumed as well.
He added, “As for War Savant, I’m guessing it’s a Class specialized in combat. A savant is someone highly skilled or knowledgeable in a specific field. In this case, war.”
The girls nodded thoughtfully. Samantha chimed in, “That does make sense.”
“So, which one are you going to choose?” Chloe leaned in eagerly.
With a smirk at their curious gazes, Lucas replied cryptically, “I don’t know. Why don’t you take a guess?”
“Is there a point to this?” Samantha asked, rolling her eyes.
“Just trying to add a little fun to this grim environment,” Lucas replied with a slight grin.
Turning back to the class list, Lucas’s eyes were already fixed on a specific option. He had been waiting for this moment. It was the reason he had crammed countless books, including those thick engineering textbooks, into his brain during his short stay in the university’s library. It was why he had chosen skills like
‘Mechanic.’
The moment Lucas made his decision, the screen before he vanished and was replaced by a new system notification.
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Please Select
1) Aiming Module
2) Data Compilling
3) Oversurge Protocol
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Machinery Affinity I
Rank: Class-Exclusive
Passive
Enhances the craftsmanship quality of all constructed machinery while establishing a basic connection to mechanical constructs. Provides innate mechanical knowledge essential for design and optimization.
Special Note: The core of the Mechanic class.
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Aiming Module
Rank: Class-Exclusive
Active
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Projects a heads-up display that assists in targeting, significantly improving projectile accuracy and increasing the likelihood of critical strikes.
Data Compiling
Rank: Class-Exclusive
Active
Accelerates the process of data collection while enhancing the depth and clarity of the analysis performed.
Oversurge Protocol
Rank: Class-Exclusive
Active
Channels energy to temporarily boost the performance and output of machinery, sacrificing durability as a trade-off.
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‘So, I got Machinery Affinity, and now I need to choose a second skill. Interesting,’ Lucas mused, weighing his options as he stared at the available choices.
‘Data Compiling feels redundant since I already have Matrix Simulation and Analysis, assuming the skill works the way I think it does. So, that leaves me with Aiming Module and Oversurge Protocol.’
Lucas's gaze lingered on the two skills as he mulled over their utility. ‘Aiming Module is an obvious pick to improve accuracy, while Oversurge Protocol sounds like a skill that overclocks machinery for a temporary power boost while damaging it.’
After a moment of deliberation, Lucas nodded to himself. ‘Alright, you'll be more useful in the long run.’ With that, he made his decision and selected
The moment Lucas confirmed his chosen skills, the system notification dissolved into shimmering white particles that surged directly into his body.
A sharp jolt of electricity coursed through him, making every fiber of his being hum with energy. He could feel his cells adapting and strengthening. At the same time, an avalanche of knowledge overwhelmed his mind. Intricate blueprints, mechanical theories, and a cascade of technical know-how were flooding his mind.
It was both thrilling and overwhelming.
But after a few intense seconds, the sensation subsided, leaving Lucas revitalized.
"Well? How does it feel?" Chloe and Samantha leaned in eagerly when they saw the energy coursing through Lucas's body calm down.
Clenching his fists, Lucas answered, "Feels more exciting than just leveling up."
“Come on! Let's go and see how much stronger you are!" Chloe eagerly jumped forward before Lucas interrupted.
“Stop. There's a trap there.”
Startled by his statement, Chloe froze in place while Lucas stepped forward and stomped on a brick on the ground.
A volley of arrows shot out from the left wall, embedding themselves into the right wall.
Chloe and Samantha stared in shock as the arrows struck, just as Lucas had warned.
“Wow. How did you know that?” Chloe asked, baffled.
“Is it related to your class?” Samantha quickly followed up.
Pulling out one of the arrows to examine it, Lucas replied, "Sort of. Thanks to my new skills, I can only vaguely sense the trap's mechanism."
Upon closer inspection, the arrowhead was spiral-shaped. "If this hits, it's going to be painful," Lucas muttered, clicking his tongue.
Hearing his comment, the girls leaned in to examine the arrowhead. Samantha, shaking her head, playfully smacked Chloe. "Next time, let your hubby lead the way. Got it?"
“Sure. I was already doing it anyway," Lucas chuckled, while Chloe smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.
Throughout the corridor, the trio managed to avoid every deadly trap, thanks to Lucas. His
As they made their way through the traps, the girls managed to reach Level 9, aided by the experience gained from defeating the Corrupted Acolytes lurking in the corridor.
Eventually, the trio reached the end of the corridor and stood before a massive wooden door. Above the door hung a signboard etched with unfamiliar symbols.
“It says ‘Archive,’” Samantha suddenly announced.
Surprised, Chloe turned to her. “You can read it?”
“Apparently, I can,” Samantha replied, her eyes fixed on the foreign symbols.
“Must be the effect of your talent,” Lucas added thoughtfully. Unsheathing his sword, he continued, “Alright, I’m opening it. Watch my back.”
Slowly, Lucas pushed the giant wooden door open. His first glimpse inside revealed a wall of swirling black energy. Then, standing right in front of the entrance, was a humanoid figure glaring at them menacingly.
The creature resembled the Corrupted Acolytes they had encountered before, but the robe it wore was trimmed with silver, and its physique was far more imposing. Its bulging biceps were thicker than Lucas’s thighs.
“A mini-boss,” Lucas muttered, gripping his sword tightly. “Stay focused.”
“How hard has he been hitting the gym?” Samantha quipped snarkily, eyeing the creature's bulging muscles as she drew her spear.
Flicking her sword, Chloe replied, “Maybe he's had too many protein shakes?”
The creature's muscles tensed, and in an instant, it charged forward, swinging its fist at Lucas.
Effortlessly dodging the blow, Lucas slashed his sword downward, cutting deep into the creature's arm. Blood poured from the wound.
Growling in pain, the creature ducked and launched an uppercut, but it never connected. Samantha's spear had already pierced its armpit. The creature stumbled, dropping to one knee, realizing its ankle had been slashed.
Distracted by the sudden injuries, the creature never saw Lucas's final strike coming. With a swift motion, he swung his sword across its neck, severing its head clean off.
Once the creature collapsed to the ground, the black swirling wall before them dissipated, revealing rows of dusty bookshelves stacked with forgotten tomes.
“That was rather anti-climactic,” Chloe remarked, flicking blood off her blade.
Samantha sighed as she sheathed her spear, “At least it was a free level-up. I can pick my class now too.”
“Take your time,” Lucas said, already moving toward one of the bookshelves. “I’ll check these out first.”
He pulled a dusty book from the shelf, inspecting it closely. The book was vintage, with a leather cover and yellowed pages, resembling something from an ancient library. As he flipped through it, Lucas was pleasantly surprised that the text was written in a language he could understand, not some foreign script.
On the cover of the book was the title, ‘Heart Equals Body’.
Blue rings shimmered in Lucas’s eyes as he quickly flipped through the pages. Within seconds, he closed the book and muttered to himself, “It’s a meditation guide. Channeling outside energy into the body.”
“Is this some kind of cultivation manual? This used to be a temple, so I guess it's not uncommon for them to have some kind of wacky cultivation manuals that don't work. But what if the system somehow altered these manuals into something usable? Then, like Zhang-laoshi, I could merge these cultivation manuals into an effective one!” Lucas's eyes shone as he rambled to himself.
Excited by the thought of being a cultivator, Lucas hurriedly pulled out another book from the shelves and began flipping through it.
By the time Chloe and Samantha had finished choosing their new classes, Lucas had already gone through one bookshelf of books and was heading to another.
Baffled by the man's actions, Samantha nudged Chloe and whispered, “I think he went crazy. Are you considering getting a new boyfriend?”
“He was an idiotic lunatic the first time we met him,” Chloe shrugged, but she stared at Lucas endearingly. “But at least he seems happy now.”
Samantha rolled her eyes at her friend's statement but didn't retort, as she knew the man before them was a bit of a weirdo. Still, they had befriended him, and somehow, her best friend had ended up dating the man.
Sighing deeply, Samantha walked to one of the bookshelves and pulled out a book. “Heavenly Scroll of Strength? What kind of name is that?”
Curious, she opened the book and began reading. Unbeknownst to her, she quickly became engrossed in its contents.
Seeing Samantha begin reading, Chloe did the same. She picked up a book titled 'Sun Paths' and started flipping through it. Much like Samantha, she soon found herself captivated by the book's contents.