Billy only rested for five minutes, enough to heal the worst of his injuries.
He stood up to see the others waiting expectantly.
“What are we waiting for?” he said with a grin. He then quickly dodged the rock that Trevor threw at him.
The chest was plainly made despite the golden embossing. There was no lock.
“What if it is trapped?” Yuki asked.
“I don’t sense anything,” Billy said. “One way to find out for sure.”
He moved towards the chest but halted when Trevor blocked his way. It was Lorna who stepped forward. With her spear, she lifted the lid slowly. As soon as the chest opened, Billy felt a surge of mana that inundated his senses.
It took him a few seconds to clear his head. Then he saw what was inside.
Five objects were resting on five different plinths.
On the first plinth, there was a gnarled staff with a small green bud growing from the tip.
On the second plinth, there was a pearl white polearm that resembled a staff with curved blades at the end.
On the third plinth, there was a black t-shaped helmet.
On the fourth plinth, there was a scaled mail cuirass.
On the last plinth, there was a golden trident.
Remembering the trident wielded by the boss, Billy looked around, just realising for the first time that the yuren corpses and equipment had all disappeared.
Seeing his distraction, Su Li whispered. “We tried to pick up one of the spears, but it just vanished in our hands. Seconds later, everything just went poof!”
“Poof?”
She shrugged. “Poof!”
“Let me see if I can identify the items,” Trevor said.
He stepped forward to get closer to the chest. “There are some words written here. ‘One shall you take and one only.’ I guess that is fairly obvious. Now, I can only see the names of the objects. My identify skill is still too low to give more information. Okay, the first is called nature’s blessing.”
“Well, I wield a staff,” Yuki said. “Maybe I should take that.”
“Wait!” Billy said. “Let’s see what the rest are.”
“The next is called shippū naginata. The third is called the yōu miàn. The fourth is called abyssal lorica. The last is called dawnsiren’s trident.”
“Well, I guess they made it quite clear then,” Su Li said. Before anyone else could move, she stepped forward and picked up the helmet. “A bit racist mind.”
Billy laughed. He then stepped up and took the lorica. It was heavy in his hands, but not as heavy as he had expected. He threw it on over his clothes. It felt comforting on his shoulders and fit snugly to his waist.
“How did you know that was for you?” Lorna asked.
“I will tell you later. You should take yours.”
She sighed and grabbed the trident.
Yuki looked at Trevor, who smiled. She then reached out and took the naginata. Trevor picked up the wooden staff as if it were a living creature. He cradled it in his arms.
“Better?” Billy asked him.
“Better!”
Billy suspected that Trevor had found his path.
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Billy felt a sickening transition, similar to the one when they had begun the dungeon. They were back in the cave. The light was fading outside, highlighting everyone in shadows.
Before Billy could react, he was pinged with another notification.
He could see from the others’ reactions that they were getting the same message. When he went to his menu, he saw that he had reached level five even before the performance reward. He mentally selected the class option.
There, he saw five options waiting for him.
Option 1: Abyssal ravager (rare): +3 strength; +3 constitution; +1 agility; +1 wisdom; 2 unassigned.
Option 2: Void warden (rare): +2 strength; +2 constitution, +2 wisdom; +2 perception; 2 unassigned.
Option 3: Eschaton soldier (uncommon): +2 strength; +3 constitution; +1 agility; 2 unassigned.
Option 4: Voidflare mage (rare): +3 intelligence; +3 wisdom, +2 perception; 2 unassigned.
Option 5: Skyfall enforcer (uncommon): +2 strength; +2 constitution; +1 agility; +1 intelligence; 2 unassigned.
He was interested to see that he had three rare and two uncommon classes available. He wondered what he would have been offered if he had pushed his cultivation and skills higher. The options were tailored to his own development so far.
Now he did have a choice on his hands. He figured that it would be better to match his class to his cultivation. It was nice to see that the class would assign most of the stat points automatically. That should make life easier, too.
He wondered if there was a downside to choosing a rare class. The rare classes gave more stat points but there had to be a cost. From his experience so far, he knew it was not just a case of rare being better.
Still, there was one class that resonated more than the others. It felt like it would be a balanced class for him, plus it sounded cool. He selected Void Warden.
He felt a surge through his body not unlike the one he had experienced when he had chosen his cultivation path. The spells were listed on his menu. Seeing the others were still fixed on their own advancement, he perused his new spells.
Billy could imagine how the spells could be used. The first seemed like an effective control spell. The second was a useful defence against attacking spells. As he levelled up the spells, they would become stronger and more effective.
Lorna opened her eyes.
“Well, I guess you have chosen your class already?” she asked.
Billy grinned. “Yup. You?”
“Of course. Go on, then, what did you choose?”
“I chose Void Warden, a rare class. I think it is intended as a hybrid class. You?”
“Mine is called Solar Lancer, rare. Thought it would tie in well with my skills and cultivation.”
Trevor was next. He was actually smiling.
“Well?” they both asked together.
“Nature’s sentinel, uncommon.”
Billy nodded. It made sense.
Su Li was next.
“Twilight Dancer, uncommon,” she said.
Yuki was last. She looked quite sombre.
“Tidecaller, uncommon.”
On a whim, Billy said, “Mia, what is the difference between the different type of classes?”
“Thank you for asking, Billy. It might have been sensible to ask before selecting your class.”
Billy shrank back a little as he was scolded. He did seem to forget the SAPIA was there. And it did not communicate unless he initiated a conversation.
“Anyway, as you have probably noticed the higher-grade classes offer more stat points, but they need more experience points to level. For example, a common class needs fifty percent more experience points to level than a basic classes. Given the hybrid nature of progression choosing a high-level class or profession increase the complexity of evolving. Evolving is what offers higher power boosts.”
“Why were we not told this before?”
“It was not permitted until after you have chosen a class. Don’t be surprised at the grades of the classes offered, you are, after all, the first participants in this system. However, you now need to live with that. Those who focus on cultivating normally choose a lower grade class. It is important to try to keep them at the same rate. Your first full evolution will happen at level twenty for your class. You cultivation also needs to be ready by then.”
“How will I know when my cultivation is ready?”
“You will feel it. You will feel stuffed with energy – almost as if you are about to explode.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“Don’t worry you have a long way to go and I am here to assist.”
“You mentioned a profession.”
“Yes you are now able to select a profession too. Profession manuals have to be purchased from the store. Professions are important too for getting stronger.”
Billy sighed. He had a feeling he was going to be broke again and this was all so complicated.
Billy pushed the conversation aside for now. It was getting dark and he wanted out of this cave.
“Come on,” he said. “I would rather chat around the camp fire with some hot food. We should have time to get a good night’s sleep before the end of this tutorial section. Maybe slip in some training too with all these changes.”
“My SAPIA said we might want to buy a profession manual before the end of the tutorial,” Yuki said.
“Okay, so some food, sleep, a visit to Dilchak and some desperate training. Perfect!”