“Have you noticed the sun sinking lower?” Lucy remarked as they continued their walk.
Lucas took out his phone to check the time. “Absolutely. It's been a few hours. It's currently four in the afternoon.”
“I didn't realize,” Lucy admitted, glancing at the sun.
While encountering the occasional zombie on their journey, most were easily dispatched, with few reaching level 2. They hadn't come across any level 3 zombies at all.
“Hey Lucas, have you ever wondered what zombie meat tastes like?”
Lucas was caught off guard by her question. “Zombie meat? Seriously? Out of all things?”
“Actually, I am a bit hungry,” Lucy confessed.
He sighed. “You could have just told me you were hungry. We narrowly escaped being dinner for humans; I'm not exactly keen on switching to zombie cuisine.”
Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a handful of snacks. “But if you're hungry, here.”
Apologizing for her curiosity, Lucy accepted the chocolate bar. “Sorry, it's just a strange thought.”
Taking a bite of his own chocolate, Lucas continued, “Curious about cannibalism, huh? Well, I've heard from interviews with actual cannibals that human meat tastes a bit like pork, but chewier.”
Lucas's next words made Lucy slightly embarrassed. “This might be the first time I've heard of a girl my age contemplating zombie feasts.”
Trying to appear nonchalant, Lucy regained her composure. “Well, pork does sound kind of... delicious.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Actually, it's not that amazing. It's slightly better than pork, but quite fatty.”
Lucy was about to ask how he knew when Lucas abruptly pointed ahead. “Look, isn't that the class change building?”
Her query was forgotten; Lucy followed his gaze. In the distance, the white building stood out, seemingly illuminated by the sun's rays. Though it was constructed from pure white material, Lucy doubted it would gleam like glass under the sunlight.
“Lucas, why is the building glowing?” Lucy's curiosity prompted her question.
Lucas retrieved his pouch. “It's not just the building; my pouch is glowing too.”
Perplexed, Lucy inquired, “Is it because of the pouch?”
“No, I've had this pouch since before I met you, and it didn't shine then.”
Confused, she pressed, “Then why is it shining now?”
“I think it's related to these,” he explained, producing the two class change scrolls. “Not everyone might have found the building before acquiring the scrolls, so the glow might help players with the scrolls locate the class change place. I still don't understand why they need a whole building for such a simple class change mechanism.”
With her ice and snow scroll in hand, Lucy followed Lucas into the building. Observing the illuminated black button, she commented, “Even the button is glowing.”
Glancing at Lucas, she said, “You can go ahead and try it first. I'll wait.”
He was taken aback. “You're making me test it first?”
Unfazed, Lucy retorted, “Yes, and remember, you did the same to me before. But look, now you have a system too.”
Lucas found himself speechless, his argument defeated. He sighed and walked to the center of the room.
Lucy encouraged him. “Think about the achievements you could earn. Not many people have changed their classes yet. Besides, the system won't harm us just for changing classes, right?”
Slightly embarrassed by her persuasion, Lucas walked hesitantly to the middle of the room. He stretched out his hand, this time with much more caution than his initial class change.
A gentle sound chimed in the air, and unlike the first time, Lucy kept her eyes open, watching Lucas closely as a holographic screen appeared before him.
---
[Class Change Initiated!]
[Level Requirement Reached!]
[Detecting Soki Scroll!]
[Taking Out the God of Fire and Heat Class!]
[Mutated Human: Lucas Tharla!]
[Class Detected, Updating System Profile!]
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
---
As the notifications were displayed in front of him, Lucas felt a sensation of emptiness in his hand.
Glancing over, Lucas watched the scroll levitate to the center of the black table and then seamlessly meld into its surface. This sight didn't surprise him much, considering he had already encountered two mythical beasts. Compared to that, this was relatively mild.
“ZZZ...ZZ…ZZZ!” A sudden change caught his attention. One of the room's tiles turned black. He hadn't noticed before, but a few other tiles had the same dark hue. The black tiles suddenly opened, revealing a hidden compartment from which a stack of books emerged – not the typical magical appearance of most system items.
As his gaze shifted to the fire symbol on the table where his scrolls had vanished, realization struck. “Oh, right!” He exclaimed, his excitement causing Lucy's eyes to widen in surprise. Ignoring her startled reaction, Lucas retrieved one of the legendary class item scrolls.
“Hmm,” he muttered, noticing that the scroll didn't float like the class change scroll had. He simply placed it on the table.
“ZZZ...ZZZ...ZZ!” Another notification resonated in his mind.
---
[Detecting Class Item Scroll!]
[Grade: Legendary!]
[Player Class: God of Fire and Heat!]
[Mutated Human: Lucas Tharla!]
[Receiving: Fire Robe!]
---
Lucas felt like he was witnessing a ritualistic gathering as a fire robe materialized on the table. Merely three minutes had passed since he pressed the button. Empathizing with Lucy's experience earlier, another notification interrupted his thoughts.
---
Achievement Cleared:
[Silver] Class Change in One Week.
Rewards:
Steel Jian [Rare]
---
Lucas looked at the silver jian sword at his feet, baffled by the reward that the achievement had granted him. Picking up the jian, he wondered, 'Why would someone with a class as the God of Fire and Heat end up with a sword as a reward?'
Observing Lucy's still-open mouth and stunned expression near the door, Lucas sighed. He gathered the books and stowed them under his arm, then approached the table and snatched the long red robe from its surface.
“Lucy, your turn now,” he announced, walking over to her.
“Huh? Okay,” she replied, snapping out of her daze. Unlike Lucas's earlier mistake, she carried both the God of Snow and Ice scroll and the legendary class item scroll in her hands. Placing both scrolls on the black table, she pressed the button in the corner.
---
[Class Change Initiated!]
[Level Requirement Reached!]
[Detecting Khione Scroll!]
[Taking Out the Goddess of Snow and Ice Class!]
[Mutated Human: Lucy Lyons!]
[Class Detected, Updating System Profile!]
---
Lucy observed as the two scrolls vanished into the black table, replaced by a robe as white as snow. 'Do all legendary class item scrolls come with a robe?' she pondered; her gaze fixed on the hologram's text that materialized before her.
---
[Detecting Class Item Scroll!]
[Grade: Legendary!]
[Player Class: Goddess of Snow and Ice!]
[Mutated Human: Lucy Lyons!]
[Receiving: Snow Robe!]
---
She held the snow robe in her hands, feeling a sense of excitement coursing through her. The system's voice resonated in her mind.
'Hey! Isn't this pretty cool?' she thought, relishing the moment.
Then another notification chimed in her mind.
---
Achievement Cleared:
[Silver] Class Change in One Week.
Rewards:
Frost Earring [Rare]
---
'Frost Earring? Why are all my rewards earrings and not rings? This is so biased,' she silently complained, her mind playfully grumbling as she picked up the earring from the ground. Walking over to collect the books that had emerged from beneath the tiles, she glanced back at the now-black tiles. The pristine white had transformed, almost one in five tiles now turned ebony.
Returning to Lucas, she asked, “Lucas, do you think the black tiles are a result of changing class?”
Still engrossed in inspecting the fire phoenix symbol badge on his newly acquired fire robe, Lucas lifted his gaze to meet Lucy's. “Yes, but considering how many people around the world are changing to God's class, I believe the black tiles might indicate the frequency of such changes. Out of the forty tiles, around eight have already turned black.”
“Wait... does that mean we're among the exceptional ones?” A realization hit her suddenly, and her voice carried a hint of amazement.
Lucas seemed surprised by her reaction. “Lucy, we were the first to clear a level eight dungeon. Didn't you read the achievement cleared notification? It rewarded us with legendary scrolls. Pay attention to the word 'Legendary!’”
“Oh, right... I forgot about that,” she admitted with a nervous chuckle.
“You know, sometimes I'm flabbergasted by your thought process,” Lucas remarked, rolling his eyes.
'It's not like everyone is as sharp as you,' Lucy mused internally, her response almost seeming to elicit a reaction from him.
“No, it's not just me. Anyone else would have figured out that receiving a legendary item within a week is something special,” he retorted.
Lucy remained silent; a tinge of wounded pride evident in her expression. 'Well... that stings a bit.'