Vickers University was the oldest and most prestigious institution in the Kingdom of Bryston, perhaps even the entire world. Its history stretched back to the era of the Four Heroes. To even think about setting off a bomb here... you'd have to be completely insane.

  If these lunatics succeeded, it would send shockwaves throughout Bryston. Of course, not the good kind of shockwaves.

  Julian Thorne's expression turned serious. He might not feel a strong sense of belonging to this world yet, but he was still a student at Vickers. And if his memory served him right, he was scheduled to help with the freshman welcoming ceremony in three days.

  What a damn coincidence.

  He had to get involved.

  Sherlock's face was pale. He took a deep breath and said, "This is urgent. I need to report back to Sir Keene Vester immediately. The police will be here shortly to handle things." He paused. "By the way, since you took down the suspect, you'll be receiving a substantial reward once I file my report."

  But Julian shook his head, a serious look in his eyes. "I didn't kill him. It was you, the brave and fearless... uh, Sherlock, who took him down."

  Sherlock nodded, understanding immediately. He wouldn't want to expose his identity and draw the attention of those madmen from the Curse Cult either.

  Sherlock gestured to the worn leather-bound journal in Julian's hand. "May I take Horvath's diary as evidence?"

  "Of course." Julian handed it over without hesitation.

  "Thank you," Sherlock said sincerely, carefully stowing the journal away. "One more thing. We tested those firearms you provided. They're quite effective. Do you have any more in stock?"

  Julian's ears perked up. He still had five revolvers and two rifles sitting in his inventory, and he was itching to sell them. "I do. You can pick them up anytime."

  "Excellent. I'll send someone over tomorrow afternoon," Sherlock confirmed. "Same price as before? 15 Vics per handgun, 18 for the rifles. And what about the bullets? Are those for sale?" He had witnessed the battle firsthand, and those fire bullets had left a deep impression. If they could be replicated, the firepower of the Sun Wardens would increase significantly.

  "I only have eight of those special bullets left," Julian explained. "And the crafting process is incredibly complex. Each one is a labor of love."

  "I'm prepared to offer a premium," Sherlock said, a hint of urgency in his voice. He emphasized the word "premium."

  Julian shook his head. "What I mean is, they're for sale... but the price just went up."

  Sherlock: ...

  After some intense negotiation, Julian and Sherlock reached an agreement for a batch of the special ammunition. Each round, which cost a mere 2 Shins to produce (and could potentially be made even cheaper), was sold for a whopping 10 Shins.

  To show his good faith, Sherlock even paid a deposit of 10 Vics upfront, padding Julian's meager wallet a little more.

  "Keep this matter under wraps," Sherlock advised, his mood much improved after sealing the deal. "Leaking this information could bring you a lot of trouble."

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  "I understand," Julian replied, knowing exactly what Sherlock meant.

  Sherlock tipped his fedora in farewell and climbed into his carriage, hurrying away.

  Julian watched the carriage disappear into the distance. He pulled out his pocket watch and flipped it open: 4:20 AM.

  He took a deep breath, picked up his umbrella from the ground, and propped it open, a satisfied feeling washing over him.

  Tonight's haul was undoubtedly the biggest since he had entered the game. But the treacherous game world and the looming crisis also ignited an unprecedented sense of urgency to improve his abilities.

  Back in his dorm, John and his idiot dog were still fast asleep, cuddled together on the sofa.

  "Ignorance is bliss," Julian mused.

  Closing the door, Julian took stock of his gains.

  Completing the hidden quest [A Literary Life] had netted him 30,000 EXP. The B-Rank Quest [The Alchemist Phantom] had rewarded him with a hefty 50,000 EXP. Adding his previous savings and the EXP from killing Horvath Guy, Julian now had nearly 90,000 EXP in his account.

  With such a surplus, there was no need to hold back. Julian decided to dump his EXP into his [Alchemist Apprentice] secondary class.

  [[Alchemist Apprentice] leveled up to 2. Willpower +1 (1.35 with Extraordinary Physique), Intelligence +1 (1.35 with Extraordinary Physique). You have gained 1 Attribute Point.]

  ...

  [[Alchemist Apprentice] leveled up to 10 (MAX). Willpower +1 (1.35 with Extraordinary Physique), Intelligence +1 (1.35 with Extraordinary Physique). You have gained 1 Attribute Point.]

  Each class was capped at level 10 and required a class advancement to continue leveling.

  He spent a total of 80,000 EXP, raising his [Alchemist Apprentice] secondary class from level 1 to the maximum level of 10. Including the bonus from his Extraordinary Physique trait, he gained a total of 12 Willpower, 12 Intelligence, and 9 Attribute Points.

  His overall level rose to 13.

  Generally, it's a good idea to prioritize leveling your main class—like Mage, Warrior, or Paladin—since the main class grants a substantial boost to HP, which is pretty crucial.

  But Julian was a special case. He still didn't have a combat-oriented main class, so he had to settle for leveling his [Alchemist] secondary class for now.

  Now that [Alchemist Apprentice] was maxed out, further advancement required him to reach the Advanced level in Basic Alchemy, which would take some time.

  As for using Goethe's Alchemy Manual to level up?

  The cost-benefit ratio was just too low. Possible, but not worth it. He'd be better off saving it for when his Basic Alchemy skill was higher.

  After maxing out his [Alchemist Apprentice] secondary class, Julian had less than 10,000 EXP remaining. He decided to spend it on upgrading his [Hot Pursuit] skill to intermediate. He had discovered during the earlier fight that this skill was incredibly useful. When activated, his combat awareness became razor-sharp, even surprising himself.

  Horvath was actually stronger than him in that fight, but he had managed to kill him thanks to his exceptional composure and battle instincts. This skill had played a major role.

  And just like that, 90,000 EXP was gone in under half a minute. Julian's character sheet was refreshed.

  —-----------------

  Name: Julian Thorne/Wayne Stilwell

  Race: Human

  Template: Elite NPC [Beta Testing Countdown: 43 days, 12 hours, 22 minutes]

  Level: 13

  Class: Student/Assistant Instructor [1/10]

  Secondary Class: Linguist [2/10], Alchemist Apprentice [10/10]

  Attributes: Strength 20, Dexterity 23, Constitution 18, Willpower 21, Intelligence 27, Charisma 99

  HP: 180/180

  Stamina: 196/196

  Willpower (Stat): 18/21

  Attribute Points: 9

  Combat Rating: 399

  (Other details omitted)

  —-----------------

  In just one night, Julian's combat rating had skyrocketed.

  He decided to hold onto the remaining 9 attribute points for emergencies.

  With his leveling complete, he checked the time again: 4:50 AM. Feeling pretty good about things, Julian decided to catch some more sleep. This time, he didn't dream of anything weird, and his nap was especially sweet.

  [Important Notice: Episode 2 of the "Apocalypse" series is now available on the forums and other platforms. This series is automatically generated by the game's Super AIs. Players interested in learning more about the game's lore are encouraged to watch.]

  At 7:00 AM the next morning, he was jolted awake by a system notification.

  Julian's eyes snapped open, startled. He was in the middle of a deep sleep when a mechanical female voice suddenly echoed in his mind. He was lucky he didn't fall out of bed from the shock.