I hadn't even climbed out of the barrel when I got a message from Zara saying "Everything okay? Why are you taking so long?" Remembering that I'd planned the trip to take three times less time, I seriously sped up. There was no time for euphoria from my first hookup.

I quickly threw on my clothes, warmly said goodbye to Mirelle and rushed into the corridor. On the first floor I only met the administrator, who thanked me for choosing their service and expressed hope I'd return. I was a bit paranoid, but Mirelle and I hadn't been caught.

Running outside, I returned to my original route. In about three minutes I left the market (turned out this spot was on its outskirts) and came out onto a regular street, from there through an alley I reached my destination.

Enlightenment Quarter, Novalux.

True to its name, there was a magic academy here (with ridiculously expensive tuition like any other), several libraries, an observatory, a huge crystal for mana restoration, several arenas for magical practice... and temples. Including ones for all seven gods.

I don't know if it's appropriate to say I got lucky that the Goddess of Luck's temple was on the same side I was walking. It was a medium-sized marble structure with a red roof. Above the entrance hung a large four-leaf clover made of gold. In some details, Enchantia copies reality.

I decided to stop by and donate 1 gold to my goddess. Inside everything was quite minimalist, though this varies from temple to temple. I was greeted by a friendly priest who thanked me for my faith and led me to the altar where I dropped the coin.

Behind the altar was a statue of Luck: a young girl carved from stone with long hair, a wide smile, dressed in a light dress. The priest said the goddess loves when people bow to her and express gratitude. I had to take instruction in the worship procedure.

Sounds like crazy talk? Nope, because all gods are NPCs existing in their own dimension. If you seriously commit to spreading their faith and influence, they can return the favor with a major power boost. But simple offerings aren't gonna do the trick.

You can only meaningfully spread these things in territory under your control. And a village like Misty Slope won't cut it. You need extensive territory, at least a barony.

Some servers are specifically created in a state-building style or have this very expanded mechanic. It's best to do it on those. You need to "dedicate" your territory to the goddess by building her temples and statues. The bigger and more luxurious, the better. It's also desirable to bring her new worshippers.

If you try hard enough, you can earn a personal audience with the goddess. She'll appear in the temple and can bestow her blessing upon your lands, as well as grant her special mark. This way, the 15% chance of favorable circumstances increases to 40%, or even up to 80%. If I ever manage to claim territory for myself, I'll definitely focus on this.

Leaving the temple, I walked several streets and reached the obelisk. This one already looked impressive: wide, very tall, made of some dark blue metal, completely covered in multicolored runes.

It displayed my current location, unlocking it on the map, along with spawn and the village. I immediately selected the latter and was swiftly transported as usual, flying through the tunnel for a second.

Misty Slope Village, Ruby Underwood.

It seems foggier here, flashes through my mind. Either I got used to the city, or for some reason the fog really thickened.

My feet automatically head for the direct road to the mansion... but the flashback of those slums snaps me back to reality. Since I don't know any other routes, I can't think of anything better than to walk to the entrance gates and from there follow the familiar path.

****

Either Luck noticed my offering, or some special time had come to the village. Along the whole way, except for the guards, I didn't meet... anyone. This seems very suspicious—I should ask Selena about local anomalies so I don't blindly walk into a trap.

Which I'll do in the next few minutes. Running, I managed to get there in just twenty minutes, barely winded. I hadn't warned Zara about my approach to surprise her—less than half an hour had passed since her message, and I'm already here!

However, upon reaching the mansion grounds, I was the one who got surprised—

What the actual fuck?! were the only words I could find for the scene before me—some dickhead in expensive armor was insistently talking to Zara. From the girl's expression, she wasn't enjoying the conversation at all, and something seemed seriously off about this guy.

He's turned away from me, showing short dark hair under his armor and... he's really sketchy somehow. The battle set is nearly pro level, but there's something unnatural about it.

I carefully approach closer and can now make out the words. Neither Zara nor the sketchy guy notice me.

"Just join my damn party!" he says irritably. "Why you being so difficult? Don't you want some badass free gear and a shitload of gold?"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN HIS PARTY?!

"Umm... Well... I just play more for pleasure and fun, hehe. Besides, I already said that—"

"What's with this noob party?" the guy exclaims indignantly. "No proper XP, no gear, 100% it'll fall apart by tomorrow. Sweetie, nobody here will make you such a profitable offer, think twice."

"Uhhh—"

"Why you being so fucking stupid?! I'm sending you an invite right now, just accept it and quit being a bitch. And ditch these dumbass noobs, with me you'll power level in no time," the sketchy asshole almost lost his shit.

"But I'm saying I don't really wan—"

"WHY ARE YOU SUCH AN IDIOT?! FUCKING ACCEPT IT."

So, someone's harassing the most valuable member of my party? Time to teach this fucker a lesson!

I jump out of my position and roughly shove the sketchy guy against the mansion wall. He loses his balance and falls. Zara gasps in surprise.

"Hey buddy, you've chosen the wrong tactics. Noobs are recruited and scammed at the market spawn!" I say enthusiastically. Can't go into full conflict, theoretically he could be one of the village owners. In that case, we risk dying here.

"Who the fuck are you? How did you sneak up?!" the sketchy guy howls angrily, getting to his feet.

How did I sneak up? Is his perception not leveled at all?

"I’m watching over this little one's safety, so you’d better get out of here, buddy," I said, shielding Zara. Damn, it looks like I’m not sticking to the plan...

Wait, did I just call her little one?!

"You have no idea who you're messing with, fuckhead," switching to a wild growl, the sketchy guy drew his sword and prepared to fight. And the sword is the same high level, should look intimidating but... he can barely hold it?

"Are you... pay-to-win?" I ask, putting two and two together.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING PAY-TO-WIN, FUCKING NOOB?! THAT'S IT, NOW YOU'RE DEAD."

He lunges at me, aiming for the torso. Perception triggers faster than my thoughts—I point my hand at him and with incredible ease cast ignition.

Received trait: [Novice Mage].

You are learning the basics of one of the most difficult arts in the world—magic. Having mastered a mana conductor, you have opened this supernatural world to yourself. You receive +3 to INT and +5% to mana regeneration.

Received profile badge [MAGIC!].

Conditions for receiving: use any magic.

Suddenly, this badge gave quite a bit of experience, causing:

Congratulations! You have reached level 10!

HP increased to 3,162.

Received 6 free characteristic points.

Received profile badge [Active User, Level I].

Conditions for receiving: reach character level 10.

Class selection is now available. Choose one of the offered...

Holy shit, why so much at once? I thought, barely managing to close all these windows. Not the time right now.

"AAAAAAH!! FUCKING ASSHOLE!!!" the sketchy guy screamed cartoonishly, recoiling back against the wall. "You almost killed me, dickhead! Only 30 HP left. This gear costs more than your real house. Do you even know who I am in this fucking village?"

Yeah, he really is a pay-to-win noob. I really want to finish him off and take his loot, but that last line makes something inside me twitch. Better to part ways now. I have no idea what kind of connections he has in the game.

"I'll finish you now!!!" I demonstratively pointed my glove at him. "Ooooh!! Scared?"

"GO FUCK YOURSELF YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!!"

Fortunately, the bluff works, and he hurries toward the gates, almost falling several times under the weight of his gear.

Hope I never see him again.

"Dean, thank you!" suddenly I find myself in Zara's tight embrace. She puts her head on my shoulder.

"Always happy to help the most valuable party member," I carefully hugged her back. Hmm... her breast feels bigger than I thought.

"I'm really grateful. In real life these same pushy types often bother me, and because of my character I always joke it off and put up with it. I don't have the strength to tell them to get lost."

"Buy pepper spray. After one spray the asshole will instantly back off, and others will think twice before bothering you."

"You're not the first to suggest that. I just don't want to hurt people in any way, but... seems there's no other way to protect yourself from such creeps. Thank you again so much."

"Anytime. But you really weren't planning to switch to another party?" I asked cautiously just in case.

"No way. And now definitely won't switch anywhere."

We laugh and step apart.

I tell Zara about my successful trip and how, as she saw, I also got into magic. Then I hand her the mana potions and most pitifully announce that I spent all my money. Luckily, no follow-up questions came—just sincere sympathy.

She told me that this pay-to-win noob appeared literally out of nowhere when she went to walk in the garden after a hearty snack. His harassment lasted about three minutes before I appeared. Probably he, or rather his party, has some magical tracking items or hidden familiars placed around the mansion. Definitely shouldn't linger in the village.

Now for the sweetest part.

I open the class selection window. The following are offered:

[Swordsman. An unrivaled blade master whose sword mastery is honed in countless battles.]

[Scout. A skilled tracker and observer capable of uncovering any secrets and finding hidden treasures.]

[Mage. A master of arcane arts capable of subjugating elemental forces and transforming reality to their will.]

[Adventurer. A fearless seeker of adventures whose luck and resourcefulness help overcome any obstacles.]

[Mystic Knight. An elite warrior who combines mastery of fencing with secret magical arts.]

So, victory! Mage is there, however the question is—why was Scout offered? And also...

I look closer at Mystic Knight and open its description.

- Hybrid of warrior and mage.

- Enhancement of weapons and armor with magic.

- Balance between physical and magical damage.

- Unique battle spells and techniques.

- Main characteristics: STR, INT, PER.

- Difficult to master due to need to develop two branches.

- Versatility in combat through access to different attack types.

Looks... not so bad. This is clearly some very rare class, I'd never even heard of it before.

I'm overcome with doubt. On one hand—I really want to pick mage and dive into magic. But doing that, roughly speaking, I'll throw away all progress with the sword and that branch will be gone. And I already have quite a good ability in that branch.

On the other hand—by choosing this unclear Mystic Knight I'll keep both branches, but leveling will be... FUCKING difficult. However, having two development branches at once, at high levels I might be able to become stronger than Patrick. There won't be another chance, except for a full reset.

Hardcore or hellish hardcore....?