“So, what is this class about?” James leaned on the golden portal while resting. He was now level 40. He had certainly come a long way.
“Am I halfway to max level?”
[Maximum levels are classified information. Classes offer bonus stats. Depending on how you fight, they will also provide specific stat bonuses. For example, a Swordsman class grants you +30% stats when using a sword and -15% stats when using another type of weapon. Sometimes, it might even offer a skill.]
“Huh? There’s a demerit?” James frowned.
[Yes. That is correct.]
“Can I change my class?”
[Survivors may change their class once every day, but they may not change their class during combat. Classes also have their own level, further augmenting your stats when equipped.]
“I see. What class options do I have?”
[The default class is Attacker. It offers a 10% bonus to all stats—an all-rounder type. Here are the other classes available for Survivor James:
Swordsman:
+30% stats when using swords and -15% stats when using other weapons. If dual-wielding different weapons, both receive the penalty.
For every level of the Swordsman class, a bonus of STR +1 and DEX +2 will be added.
Axeman:
+30% stats when using axes and -15% stats when using other weapons. If dual-wielding different weapons, both receive the penalty.
For every level of the Axeman class, a bonus of STR +2 and DEX +1 will be added.
Sniper:
+30% stats when using ranged weapons and -15% stats when using other weapons. If dual-wielding different weapons, both receive the penalty.
For every level of the Sniper class, a bonus of DEX +3 will be added.
Sorcerer:
+30% stats when using Magic and -15% stats when using other weapons.
For every level of the Sorcerer class, a bonus of MAGIC +3 and MANA +20 will be added.
Attacker:
+10% stats when attacking with weapons. The stat increase only applies when attacking and is nullified when defending.
For every level of the Attacker class, a bonus of STR +1 and DEX +1 will be added.
Defender:
+10% stats when defending with weapons. The stat increase only applies when defending and is nullified when attacking.
For every level of the Defender class, a bonus of STR +1 and DEX +1 will be added.]
“That’s all? No unique or rare classes for me? I worked pretty hard in these dungeons.” James sighed. He was disappointed. He had hoped for some incredibly rare classes. However, all the options given to him seemed basic.
He thought he might get something like Berserker, Rampager, or Lone Wolf—but no such class was offered to him.
[Yes. That is correct. These are all the available classes for Survivor James. Unique or uncommon classes are classified information.]
“I see.” James raised an eyebrow. Now he knew such special classes existed.
But now, he was in a conundrum.
The obvious choice would be attacker. But axeman was also enticing. A 30% increase is huge compared to a 10% increase. However, if he chose that, he couldn’t dual-wield anymore. If only he could find another axe, the answer would be easy.
“I can choose other classes later, right? I will choose the attacker class for now.” James added.
[Yes. Survivors may change classes once a day. Class levels for specific classes will be retained even if they change classes.]
“Alright.”
[Attacker Class has been chosen.]
With nothing else to do, James scoured the area. He had yet to find a treasure chest, and he refused to go to the next floor without finding at least one chest. He had a weird belief that every floor had at least one treasure chest, and he must find it.
Unlike in normal video games, where most treasure chests were filled with common items or trash, treasure chests in the dungeons were extremely valuable. Even the chests that were filled with coins or exp scrolls were valuable to him. There were many things he could do with 300 coins that were common inside treasure chests.
As James ventured into the forest, he happened upon a nest. Dry branches surrounded the nest as three egg-like jewels hid in the center. The jewels were red, blue, and green.
“What are these things?” James held one egg in his hand.
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[These are Fishing Frog’s eggs. They are often turned into jewelry due to their pretty nature.]
“Any other use?”
[They might be used in potion-making tools. However, Survivor James lacks the necessary tools to perform such an activity.]
“Well, it’s useless then.” James left the tree eggs behind and went on his merry way. He now behaved like an animal; gold or money did not interest him.
At the center of the island, there was a pond. James chuckled at the fact that there was an island in the middle of a lake and a pond inside the island. Nevertheless, he peered inside the pond and found a golden treasure chest inside.
James was about to jump right at it, only to scold himself for being careless. First, he had to scan his surroundings for traps. He peered inside the pond, only to choke himself. He thought he was amphibious and couldn’t drown. Apparently, that was not the case. Since the location of his gills and lungs was different, James could drown if the gills on his stomach were on the ground while his nose was underwater.
After holding his breath, James peered inside the pond again. Nothing seemed amiss. As usual, James opened the chest with his spider webs from afar. The chest opened without any incident. More silver coins flowed out from the chest and soon disappeared in motes of light.
[Congratulations. You have obtained 500 Coins!]
“Alright!” James pumped his fist after seeing the number. It was 500 coins! Now James could upgrade a lot of his skills.
“How many coins do I have? And what can I upgrade?”
[There are many upgrades available. For weapon mastery, you may upgrade your axe mastery to level five for 400 coins. You may also upgrade your sword or bow mastery for 200 coins per level, or your dagger mastery for 100 coins per level.
For magic, you may advance your Mind Magic to rank 2 for 500 coins.
For weapons, you may upgrade your axe, swords, and daggers for 500 coins to enchant them with lightning attributes. You may also upgrade your crossbow to include a scope and a stronger arm for 300 coins.
As for guns, you may upgrade your Thompson Center Contender into a Winchester rifle with a scope for 300 coins.]
“Hmm. There are a lot of options,” James muttered. “What upgrade can I do after turning my gun into a Winchester?”
[That information is classified.]
“Figures. Can I upgrade my Chimera skill?”
[You would need 10,000 coins to upgrade your Chimera skill to level 3.]
“Alright. I’m not even gonna try. That stuff is clearly not for my current level.”
The price was way over the top for James to afford right now. He now knew for sure that he would be stuck with Chimera level 2 for a very long time.
“I will upgrade my magic.” James decided.
Magic was expensive, but it hadn’t betrayed him so far. Mind Magic was especially useful against living enemies.
[Your Mind Principle has been upgraded to Rank 2. You have gained a new magic: Senses Alteration.]
“What does it do?”
[Mind Flay only inflicts pain. However, Senses Alteration can manipulate multiple senses, including but not limited to hallucinations, blindness, numbness, deafness, and the senses of taste and smell.]
“Wow. That sounds powerful.”
[However, you are limited to altering two senses per enemy at a time. To achieve this, you must hit your target with the magic twice. This limit can be increased according to your Mind Principle rank. The effect lasts for 30 seconds before dissipating.]
“I should have expected there to be drawbacks.” James sighed.
James had no problems with mana before, but he could imagine how others who took the same path might struggle with mana consumption.
Moreover, despite having two mana cores, he could sense his limits.
“I’m starting to have trouble casting magic despite having two mana cores…” James complained. “I hope I meet some easy but powerful mages soon.”
After completing his purchase, James walked back to the portal.
He then had a hearty dinner consisting of meat, apples, and bananas picked from the forest before settling into his self-made hammock. As he admired the blue moon, he checked his status screen. His new class had its own tab.
James wondered why the system had set it up that way before recalling that players could have multiple classes. Satisfied with his upgraded status, he dozed off, a steak made of deer meat still in his mouth.
Name: James
Age: 35
Sex: Male
Level: 40
Coins: 390
STATS:
* STR: 134
* DEX: 128
* MAGIC: 83
* MANA: 860
SKILLS:
* Novice Axe Mastery Level 4 (Powerstrike, V-slash)
* Beginner Sword Mastery Level 7 (Hurricane)
* Beginner Bow Mastery Level 7 (Quickshot)
* Beginner Dagger Mastery Level 1
MAGIC:
* Mind Flay
* Sense Alteration
* Mana Sonar
CLASS:
* Attacker (Level 1) (10% bonus when attacking, STR & DEX +1 per level)
UNIQUE SKILL - CHIMERA LEVEL 2:
* Goblin Stomach (Iron Guts) (Stomach Slot)
* Mana Core (Water Spells: Ice Spear, Water Manipulation, Magic +60, Mana +1000) (Extra Slot)
* Orc’s Left Arm (STR +10%) (Arm Slot)
* Eyes of Mana (Mana Sense) (Right Eye Slot)
* Golem Arm of Valhalla (STR +30%, Physical Resistance +30%, Negative Trait: Repairable, Mana -200) (Right Arm Slot)
* Ratking’s Legs (STR +25%) (Leg Slot)
* Flaming Tiger’s Fire Lung (Fire Breathing Skill, Negative Trait: Mana -100, Magic -10) (Lung Slot)
* Golem Core (Poison Resistance, Negative Trait: Mana -250, Magic -10, Repairable) (Heart Slot)
* Orc’s Torso (Torso Slot)
* Orc’s Head (Head Slot)
* Shadow Snake Fang (Intermediate Life Leeching) (Mouth Slot)
* Jumping Spider’s Spinneret (Thread Creation) (Extra Slot 2)
* Flaming Tiger Lord’s Firefur (Fire Cloak Skill, Fire Resistance, Physical Resistance +15%, Negative Trait: Mana -100, Magic -10) (Skin Slot)
* SwordShark’s Gills (Water Breathing, Negative Trait: Waterbound Respiration) (Extra Slot 3)
* Rock Crab Shell (Physical Resistance +90%) (Extra Slot 4)
EQUIPMENT:
* Leather Armor Set (+10 DEX)
* War Axe
* Longsword
* Crossbow
* Waterspout Dagger
* Mask of Identity
* Leather Bag
* Sphere of Fethusiane
* Cloak of Dark Night
* Thompson Center Contender (x3)
* Frag Grenade (x1)
The next morning, he departed to the next floor without hesitation.
Unbeknownst to him, at the same time he touched the golden gate, a white light appeared some distance away, at the other side of the lake.
Three ragged men and a girl came out from it.
The girl had equipped a nice spear found in a chest that had respawned when James was away.
Kaina, Sanders, Andre, and Anderson had finally caught up to James.