February 25, 2029
For four consecutive days, Lucy immersed herself in rigorous sword training. The echoes of zombies below persisted, punctuating the air with a constant reminder of the peril outside. Despite the dire circumstances, her sole companion, Lucas, insisted on pushing her to hone her skills with the katana.
In a surprising turn of events, Lucas had successfully converted everyone into his loyal citizens, everyone except Lucy. This fact disappointed her, considering that even if he could convert only two people per day, the total number, including him, stood at eight, enough for everyone to be converted over these four days. Yet, Lucas steadfastly denied her request, a refusal that persisted from the previous day.
Amidst the relentless swinging of blades, Lucy, sweat dripping to the ground, appealed to Lucas, "Lucas, come on, let me join, too. I've been by your side the longest!" Her plea reached Lucas, engrossed in his Jian practice.
"No," Lucas's resolute voice echoed, his face reflecting a mixture of confusion and contemplation as he continued his paced movements. Unperturbed, Lucy persisted, "Pretty please…"
Of course, there's a good reason he keeps denying her request. Among everyone here, Lucy is the only one with the level and ability close to him. She would be powerful elsewhere if he weren't next to her. Alas, because of that, making Lucy a subordinate is not the best solution.
Once again, Lucy voiced her plea. "I swear I won't regret it. It's strange that I'm the only one here not affiliated with this base."
Lucas, shaking his head, responded, "You deserve better. Wait for the right time. One of these days, it will pay off."
Lucy, realizing that Lucas remained unfazed by her desperation, resumed her silent Katana practice, contemplating, 'I can't be a knight, I can't be a subordinate. What am I then?'
However, her thoughts remain unspoken as both of them silently swing their swords. Throughout these four days, Lucas persistently guides them in various sword techniques, as if he were an expert in swordsmanship long before the apocalypse. Yet, armed only with their small knives, all they can do is attentively listen and mimic his movements.
The primary beneficiary of this training isn't Meri or Lucy, Lucas's steadfast companion. Surprisingly, the one reaping the most rewards is their prisoner of war, John.
Equipped with a shield and a cleaver knife, John's appearance is a stark contrast of mismatched aesthetics. The shield appears to have withstood the test of time, adorned with intricate decorations befitting a legendary knight. On the other hand, the man himself, in sweatpants and shirtless, gripping a cleaver knife, resembles more of a regular jogger or a butcher than a noble knight.
Even before attaining the knight class, John, who had previously complained about the tightness of the ropes binding his hands, exhibited newfound strength after just four days of training. Originally second in command to Julia, John now, with the knight class, holds the third-highest level among them, relegating Meri to the fourth-highest position.
Although he hasn't reached level 20 to become a tier-one human, the improvements are remarkable. It appears the effects of his class are continually activating, as within these four days, John achieves another milestone.
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Achievement Unlocked:
[Silver] The First Kingdom Knight Path to Dedication
Rewards:
Strength Potion [Rare]
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With the strength potion in hand, John consumes it directly, gaining 5 stat points in strength and further augmenting his power. Lucy shoots him an envious glance as he nervously chuckles.
On the third day after acquiring his class, while grappling with the intricacies of the shield ability, Belle informed John about Lucas's possession of a magnifier capable of appraising an item's effects. This revelation left John in stunned silence as he stood there, attempting to decipher the shield's capabilities. Fueled by a desire to preserve his pride, he refrained from seeking assistance from Lucas and feigned ignorance.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Once again, to the surprise of onlookers, it appeared that fortune favored John as he accomplished yet another milestone.
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Achievement Unlocked:
[Bronze] The First Kingdom Knight Path to Pride
Rewards:
Wisdom Necklace [Uncommon]
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This necklace bestowed upon John a boost of two points to his intelligence stats. It seemed as if the world was generously showering him with stat points. With each reason to level up, the rewards alone created the illusion that he had advanced multiple levels. This stark contrast baffled many, especially considering Lucy had not attained any new achievements since the kill count was locked, while John had already achieved three in this brief span.
"John, tomorrow you'll need to face the zombie in front of the university," Lucas suddenly announced, his gaze scanning the others beside John. "And the three of you will accompany him. You've trained enough, and I don't want any unnecessary baggage."
Lucas's words were delivered with a cold tone, met with nods of understanding from Belle and the others. The impending task was not a surprise, given the days of preparation they had invested. Resistance was futile; they had little choice but to comply.
"Fine, Lucas," John responded, his voice devoid of emotion as he continued his sword swings, his countenance losing its usual vibrancy of emotion.
Lucas, aware of the underlying issue, tapped John's shoulder. "Train yourself."
Having concluded his instructions, Lucas turned to Lucy and addressed her. "Lucy, come with me, and..." He gestured toward Meri, who was occupied with Cale on the rooftop. "Meri, watch over them tomorrow and assist in shooting down any threats. However, exercise caution; they need to face real danger."
Meri could only nod in response, replying, "Yes, sir Lucas." Immediately, she redirected her attention to playing with Cale, stealing glances at Jeremiah and Kristian, who were still practicing their sword swings under the guidance of John and Lucy. Their fear of Lucas was palpable.
Descending the stairs, Lucas led Lucy to a room on the third floor. As they entered, Lucy broke the silence, asking, "What is it, Lucas?" She moved to a chair and sat down.
Lucas offered a meek smile as he joined her, placing a table between them and retrieving a small pouch from his pocket. From it, he extracted five emblems and displayed them to Lucy, who recognized them well.
Dividing them into three groups, Lucas explained, "I've been experimenting with these. As we discussed last time, these two emblems are ours—the dragon and phoenix symbols. They share the same carving style and detail." He grouped the two emblems together. "And these two," he continued, "one was given to me by Vanessa, as I told you yesterday. The other one you found in the pocket of that crazy guy. They have a different carving style compared to ours. The spider emblem has a more flowery design, while the clock emblem looks more detailed, spectacular, and stylish than ours."
Lucas paused, acknowledging that Lucy was already familiar with this information. During their free time, alongside training, they had been trying to decipher the meaning behind the emblems. If these symbols were exclusively for those with gods and goddess classes, why did they also possess different ones?
Lucas separated the spider emblem and the clock emblem, then turned his attention to the final emblem, disrupting their existing theory. "But this," Lucas said, gesturing to the emblem John had given Lucy—the lion emblem. "I still don't know why he has it or why the system granted it to him. As far as I know, his class is simply called 'moonlight hunter,' with no apparent connection to gods and goddesses."
Lucy nodded and spoke after absorbing the information in silence. "But that's not all there is to it, right? His emblem is less detailed and less intricate than ours, but it's not as if the emblem is given to just anybody. Others who already have a class don't have it."
Lucas nodded, gazing at her. "I'm starting to think John's class is more special than others. Although he always said he didn't gain any skills or any books from the class, all he gained is this emblem."
"Lucas, you're aware I'm already well-informed on this matter. We've discussed it before. So, why did you summon me here to discuss it again?" Lucy questioned.
Lucas nodded again. "I've been thinking about it, so I asked him this morning. He told me that he gained this class when he first acquired the system..." He paused. "Isn't that strange? That means he gained that class the moment the apocalypse started. That's how he survived for so long, and yet... that class of his seems to do nothing except occupy the main class slot."
Lucy's shocked voice emerged. "Since the start? What?"
Lucas nodded, his finger rubbing the surface of the lion symbol on the emblem. "Yes, since the start of the apocalypse. And so, I asked him more, and he said the only thing he got was a metal ring, which he suddenly found in his pocket. He gave it to his daughter, who had been asking for it that night. You have to know, this was before they faced zombies; it was the morning of that day when he was separated from his daughter."
Another wave of shock washed over Lucy. "Yes, and if we want to know what the emblem does, we have to find his daughter," Lucas affirmed.