This is awkward. I feel like a fish at a cat convention. Luke couldn't help but swallow uncomfortably as he wiped the single drop of sweat on his forehead with his sleeves.
Darting his eyes around the majestic room, he realized the floor was made of fancy marble. The walls were fancily decorated with flowers and showcased various artworks. There were some swords and blades decorated in the showcase, too.
The bulbs that lit up the whole room caught his attention the most. Upon careful observation, he figured they were just stones shining as bright as a bulb and carved in various designs.
A row of comfy chairs was neatly placed on the marble floor around a circular glass table. It looked like a large dining room for some reason. Of these tables, precisely sixteen of them were occupied.
Tap, tap, tap!
Some of these people nervously tapped the ground with their feet, while the others just looked around in apprehension. Only a few people wore relaxed expressions as if they didn't care about being suddenly thrown into a different world and treated like VIPs.
Luke was one of them, of course. He was just as nervous as the guy tapping the floor with his feet but wasn't anxious enough to show it to the people around him. These were all the people that were 'pre-selected'.
Shhkkk!
The sound of doors opening could be heard as the last door from the other side of the room slid open, and around twenty people came out from it. One of them was the graceful Martin in his high-class dress, guiding the others inside with a swooning smile.
Luke's body, which was well-trained in making good impressions on people in power, instinctively moved and stood up, and his head lowered slightly, almost like a nod, before his back arched straight, his eyes staring blatantly at the people.
Luke's effort didn't go to waste as most of the people inside showed a slightly pleased expression. They had never met a lad who knew his etiquettes right. At least not yet.
Luke's presence turned out to be a positive influence on the rest of the group, or so it looked to the sponsors, as the rest of the group followed suit and stood up individually.
"Esteemed guests, kindly take your seats beside your sponsored candidates," Martin rubbed his hands with a fawning smile as he guided everyone.
Ah, I see now. That's why the seats beside us were empty. Figuring out the reason behind the gaps in the seat, Luke patiently waited for his sponsor to come and sit beside him.
Of course, since they were never exposed until now, Luke was just as clueless as to who his sponsor was, but he remembered to try checking the stats of everyone present.
He sneakily moved his eye toward the person at the front, a man who looked to be in his early forties fashioning a goatee and a thin mustache. He had light brown colored hair, the same as Luke's, and wore a simple black and white suit.
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Albert Heisenberg Alignment: Neutral (Gray) Title: Transcendent Duke | ?? Class: The Revering Fist Specialty: ?? Strength- ?? (?) | Agility- ?? (?) | Intelligence- ?? (?) | Divinity- ?? (?) | Luck- ?? (?) | Wisdom- ?? (?) Skills- Roaring Fang | ?? | ?? Overall rating- A Monster Of Fists [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/852793029303468083/1146494158727557171/46ce8ac3-8fdc-43e4-9e91-843b99538d0a.png]
Albert Heisenberg
Alignment: Neutral (Gray)
Title: Transcendent Duke | ??
Class: The Revering Fist
Specialty: ??
Strength- ?? (?) | Agility- ?? (?) | Intelligence- ?? (?) | Divinity- ?? (?) | Luck- ?? (?) | Wisdom- ?? (?)
Skills- Roaring Fang | ?? | ??
Overall rating- A Monster Of Fists
----------------------------------------
"....."
Luke immediately averted his eyes when he saw the man fiercely looking at him.
Heh!
Did he just snicker at me? Luke felt an ominous feeling rising in his heart. Note to self - Do not carelessly check others' status. He felt his throat dry in an instant just by seeing that man. He did not dare to lift his eyes.
"The kids this time sure are funny," Albert expressed in a slightly amused tone, which sounded more threatening than humorous to Luke. Just then, a hand was placed on Albert's shoulder.
"What do you think you're doing?" an old man came out from behind Albert, glaring at the latter. Albert's lips and eyes twitched, showing apparent displeasure, but he held it in, "Nothing? I didn't think we were close enough to put hands on each other's shoulders, General Garhan."
"We certainly are not. So you better control your fierce eyes, lest you end up getting them gouged out," A heavy pressure descended in the whole room as a visible white aura leaked out of the white-haired old man's body. He looked to be in his sixties, yet he looked full of life and had a threatening atmosphere.
"H-haha. Dear guests, let's stop this. At least for the sake of proceeding with the rules set by his majesty," Martin, who had experience dealing with people like them, mentioned 'His Majesty' in his sentence, making both people staring daggers at each other calm down.
Unhurriedly, the old man named Garhan roughly brushed past Albert as he sat on the seat beside Luke, his arms folded and his eyes closed.
"......"
Luke silently waited for every one of the sponsors to sit before he sat down, too. Following him, the others sat down, too.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
"Since everyone here has come a long way, you all must be hungry. Let us immediately start with the dinner," Martin clapped his hands lightly, and rows after rows of waiters started rushing into the room in an orderly fashion, dragging trolleys of food and refreshments along with them.
Instantly, a sumptuous meal was put before everyone. Why is that chicken so big? And why does it have four wings? Luke couldn't help but think as he looked at the two-foot-tall roasted chicken placed towards his right. He wanted to believe it was the meat of some sort of ostrich, but the name tag below every dish didn't let him.
Roasted Four Winged Falcon.
Right. Luke silently dug his fork into what looked like a sausage and placed it in his mouth.
His eyes widened, and a visible surprise could be felt on his face. Why is this so delicious? What is this? He looked at the name tag of the dish he had just eaten.
Giant Leopard Crab Sausage.
Blankly thinking for a while, he shrugged and broke one of the leg pieces out of the Roasted Four Winged Falcon. Mhmm, I can die in peace now. It tasted so good without even any seasoning.
Not only that, he felt his whole body brimming with energy. What kind of steroids are they putting in there? He felt like he should bury that question in his mind.
After an hour, when everyone was done with their food and the heavenly refreshments, another wave of silence flowed.
By the time Luke ate, he had already sneakily scanned the majority of the people out. It wasn't a surprise he couldn't check most people's information.
The most he could see were their names and class; the rest was a questionable mess.
"Since everyone is done with the feast, do I have the esteemed guests' permission to continue with the class placement?" Martin, who seemed to have disappeared, suddenly appeared inside the room and said, his smile still clinging to his face, as if he was born that way.
The people in question gave slight nods. This was a vital event for the future of the candidates they have selected. It decided the path that the candidates would be taking in the end. It was done in front of everyone so that they couldn't hide information from each other regarding the early phases of their selected candidates. It was also a way for the emperor to keep these people with tremendous power in check.
As soon as everyone agreed, a wall decorated with paintings and showcases suddenly shook and started sliding up, slowly revealing the large area below them. It was a large room that looked futuristic, brightly lit in blue color, and made out of metal from head to toe.
Till now, they have yet to communicate with their candidates. They talked amongst themselves; at least some did, but they had yet to hear anyone talk to the people they had sponsored. Neither did the candidates talk among themselves.
"Dear candidates selected by our gracious sponsors, please line up and follow me downstairs," Martin walked towards the newly opened space, his stick making tap sounds every time it touched the ground.
Luke hastily grabbed a tissue paper placed in front of him, cleaned his mouth and hands, and stood up. Straightening his t-shirt and trousers, he walked towards Martin. Tch, if I knew I would get transmigrated, I'd have at least worn a suit. He thought sarcastically.
The others joined him soon after, and the place they stood slightly shook, acting like an elevator that brought them downstairs.
Upon reaching the bottom of the chamber, Luke realized just how vast it was. The walls were pulsating with a blue glow, seemingly made of shimmering stones. He could feel something magical from this whole atmosphere.
Translucent, holographic screens were lined up in the air, and glass walls separated various small rooms with the same blue tinge.
Martin brought everyone through the middle of it all and stopped in the dead center of the whole area. It was as big as a circular cricket ground.
"Now, you'll be going through a process called class selection. When you touch this Mana Core placed here, it'll analyze your mana and help you by giving you options to pick from. Make a wise decision when selecting a class," Martin said, and as soon as he saw the confused expressions on the faces of the candidates, he continued, "Don't worry. You can consult with your sponsor before picking a class."
Everyone sighed in relief. The whole situation was confusing, and if they kept getting thrown into situations where they didn't understand the explanation, they thought they'd go even crazier.
"Now then, Roy Porter, put your hands on the mana crystal and let its energy flow into your body," Martin guided as Roy placed his hands on it. Minutes passed, and Nothing happened.
"Is it supposed to take this long?" Roy's overly sincere voice, covered in a layer of anxiousness, sounded. Looking confused, Martin shook his head and said, "No, it doesn't. There must be something–" Before he could finish his words, the colossal mana core that was almost colorless started shining with a golden light. It was so bright that everyone momentarily covered their eyes with their hands.
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Please choose a class from the following options. Sword Apostle Bow Apostle Spear Apostle Blood Lancer Midnight Assassin …….. … . [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/852793029303468083/1146496827038908487/27e20821-f7b5-4dd9-ab8c-fa6ef8f85201.png]
Please choose a class from the following options.
Sword Apostle
Bow Apostle
Spear Apostle
Midnight Assassin
Night Lancer
……..
…
.
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And the list went on and on. Gasps could be heard all the way downstairs, and Rose Whitney, the person who had sponsored Roy, couldn't control her lips from curling upwards.
After quite some time, both Roy himself and Rose, his sponsor, decided to go with the Sword Apostle class. Their exchanges revealed that the Sword Apostle class's final upgrade was a Sword Saint, the absolute being of the sword that once existed in the past and someone that everyone in Eldoria looked up to.
Jasmine, who had a fairly long list of available classes, ended up selecting a class that would be a no-brainer for anyone who had ever played RPGs: Holy Maiden.
Soon, almost everyone was done. And as if to make Luke further realize his standing, he was the last for class selection.
I'll fuck you up good in the future, Martin. Luke consoled himself, paying no heed to the smug smile on Martin's face.
He knew he wouldn't get an amazing class like everyone who went before him, but he knew he'd be able to select the best one that suited him.
Walking towards the large mana crystal, Luke slowly raised his right hand and placed it on the cold surface of the crystal.
It didn't even take half a second before the available list of classes came out for him.
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Please choose a class from the following options. Gunner [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/852793029303468083/1146497482008838255/d696ebca-42e7-4688-8a2c-34e092030a1c.png]
Please choose a class from the following options.
Gunner
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"....."
Feeling as if there was some mistake, he couldn't help but instinctively pull his hands out and touch the crystal again. But every time, he saw the same window. After doing the same thing ten times, he finally saw a change in the notification panel.
----------------------------------------
Please choose a class from the following options. Gunner Gunner [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/852793029303468083/1146497850868514826/7f4ca1fb-8441-4f93-acd8-b67d298ec1b5.png]
Please choose a class from the following options.
Gunner
Gunner
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Motherfuc— Luke couldn't even curse himself inwardly as another bout of laughter directed at him descended from above the chamber.