Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Hidden Class (2)
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In Elsia, you could change your class at level 30 by visiting a sanctuary in any town.
However, that was only for normal class advancements.
Hidden classes were obtained through advancement scrolls dropped by monsters.
“Did you get a good item or something?”
“Yeah. An advancement scroll dropped.”
“An advancement scroll? Does that mean you’ll get a class related to that thing?”
Bio asked, pointing at the dissipating corpse, but I shook my head.
“I heard hidden classes are random.”
Tae-soo had told me he got the Maestro of the Battlefield advancement scroll after defeating a giant scorpion named Lakla, the 30th floor boss.
Besides Tae-soo, there was another hidden class user among the Golden Lion Guild’s executives, a man named Chan-ho.
His class was Flame Swordsman, and he’d apparently gotten the scroll from the boss of the 11th floor’s Frigid Mountain Range.
Besides, the item name itself was ‘Scroll of Hidden Class Advancement,’ not tied to any specific class.
I took it out of my inventory, and sure enough, it was just as Tae-soo had described.
[Scroll of Hidden Class Advancement
An advancement scroll containing a mysterious power.
A summoner without a class can gain one by saying ‘Advance’.]
“Is that so? Well, I hope you get something good.”
“Don’t just pray, stay still for a moment. Let me send the others back too.”
Bio, who had been holding Geum-yong, snapped his fingers, and Rina, Hanna, and Alpen appeared.
“Hyeon-ung!”
“Mister, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Sir Hyeon-ung, are you alright?”
They all seemed very worried.
“I’m fine. It was nothing.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Thank goodness.”
“Mister, are you really okay? Where did that weird necklace go?”
Rina had a sharp eye.
The thought that I might never have seen them again if the wheel had spun just a little differently sent a shiver down my spine.
“Uh… it’s not that I threw it away because you all complained. I fed it to Geum-yong.”
“Something about that answer feels awkward. You’re not hurt, right?”
“Yeah, I’m not.”
I fudged the truth, thinking they’d worry more if I told them what really happened.
“Kyuuing! Kyuiiing!”
“Can I let him go now?”
I nodded, and after glaring at me and Bio, Geum-yong waddled over and leaped into Hanna’s arms.
“Sir Hyeon-ung, I think Geum-yong is a little sulky.”
“I scolded him a bit for not listening, that’s why. Anyway, Hanna, Alpen, could you both return for a moment?”
“…Return?”
“D-Did I do something wrong?”
Both of them looked startled at the suggestion.
“No, it’s not that. It’ll just be for a moment.”
I remembered getting a secret dungeon crystal from a mimic on the 9th floor of the labyrinth by raising my Luck stat.
It was uncertain if the same mechanism applied to the advancement scroll, but I had to try everything I could.
I explained this to them and sent them back, planning to summon my Hero-grade companions one by one first.
With my status window open to the side, I called out.
“Karkas, the Lord of the Frozen Castle.”
A handsome man in ornate armor appeared in a flash of red light.
He reminded me of Radios, but since I hadn't fed him many memories yet, a Hero-grade companion would be more efficient.
“You are the one who summoned me…”
“Karkas, sorry, but please return for now.”
Unfortunately, like Hanna, Karkas raised Strength and Agility.
“We haven’t even introduced ourselves…”
He looked slightly disappointed.
“My name is Oh Hyeon-ung. It’s nice to meet you. I’ll call you again next time.”
“Ah… I understand.”
After Karkas left, I immediately grasped the next Hero companion’s card and called out.
“Timi Elise, the White Flame Sorceress.”
A red light burst forth, revealing a blue-haired young woman in a white robe.
She seemed about five centimeters shorter than Hanna, and in her right hand, she held a staff adorned with a red jewel.
“Hello. Are you the one who summoned me… Oh? Sir Bio!”
She looked surprised to see Bio.
Was she another one of Bio’s fans, like Hanna?
“Well, what do you know? The little brat from the Cult of Daina is here too.”
“Who are you calling a brat!”
“It’s good to see you, Timi.”
“Oh, my goodness. Forgive me. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Timi Elise, the finest sorceress of the White Tower.”
She offered her hand with a beaming smile, seeming to have a very outgoing personality.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too. My name is Oh Hyeon-ung.”
“What a wonderful name. And seeing as you’re with Sir Bio, you must be incredibly skilled. I’m so, so happy to be with you, Hyeon-ung.”
Her words were as pretty as her face, but her cheerfulness was a bit overwhelming.
Still, thankfully, the status window I had open showed that my Magic and Luck had each increased by 20.
“Mister, what are you grinning at? That woman is the queen of phonies, a total vixen!”
Rina, however, did not seem to like her at all.
“Oh my, little girl. You shouldn’t speak to your elder sister like that.”
“Who’s your sister? Don’t act so high and mighty just because you were born a month earlier!”
It seemed she and Rina already knew each other, just like Hanna.
“Why are you two fighting? You’re companions now, so get along.”
“Hmph, who would want to be friends with a fox like her?”
“My, still as ill-tempered as ever. I’m not fond of rude little brats either, but if it’s Sir Hyeon-ung’s command, I must obey.”
They were still bickering, but since I had intervened, it seemed they wouldn’t come to physical blows, so I let it be.
“Milli Bright, the Master Archer with the Eyes of a Seven-Colored Falcon.”
A pink-haired girl appeared in a flash of red light.
“Hello. My name is Milli Bright.”
She was maybe around 160cm tall?
Taller than Rina but still petite, she carried a bow on her back that looked much taller than she was.
Wouldn’t that drag on the ground?
“Nice to meet you, Milli. My name is Oh Hyeon-ung.”
When I offered my hand, she hesitated for a moment before shyly taking it.
Let’s see… oh, Milli also raised Luck.
My Luck and Agility had each increased by 20.
“You have a lot of companions already.”
“Yeah. Do you all not know each other?”
Rina and Timi shook their heads.
All the companions I’d met so far had known each other…
“What about you, Bio?”
“I’ve never seen this face before either. Hmm, could your home be in Arte’s Domain?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
She nodded, blushing. Arte?
“Arte?”
“She is one of the sanctuary guardians, like Sir Bio.”
Timi answered, which meant she was probably a Mythic-grade companion.
“I heard there are many who live only within Arte’s Domain. You must be one of them, then?”
Milli nodded instead of answering.
“What’s there to be shy about? I’m Rina Alsmeyer, High Priestess of the Cult of Daina.”
“She’ll get used to it as we travel together. I’m Timi Elise.”
They were all being friendly, but Timi’s last words bothered me a little.
“Um… I’m still not capable enough, so Timi and Milli, I’ll have to call you back later.”
“What? No, Sir Hyeon-ung, do you not like me?”
“I understand, Sir Hyeon-ung. Should I return right now, then?”
“N-No.”
She was the first companion I’d met who seemed to like the idea of returning.
Timi’s reaction was similar to the others, but Milli seemed exceptionally shy.
I explained the situation to them one more time.
“Well, I suppose it can’t be helped. But you have to summon me first next time.”
“…I don’t mind coming outside… No, being second is fine too.”
When Timi glared at her, she immediately changed her words. She seemed even more timid than Hanna.
“Why are you giving her the evil eye?”
“When did I ever give her the evil eye?”
“Y-You did glare at me.”
Oh, she speaks her mind after all.
“What?”
“Your name is Milli, right? You’ve got guts.”
“Thanks for the compliment, but who are you to speak so informally…”
“W-What? If you have a problem, you can speak informally too.”
She even managed to fluster Rina.
She might turn out to be an interesting companion…
“Ahem, it’s getting a bit chaotic. Wouldn’t it be better to just pick one and send them back?”
Bio sidled up to me and whispered, and I agreed.
With Geum-yong, Hanna, and Alpen gone, I was just huddled in a corner.
I nodded and shouted.
“Advance.”
[You have used the Scroll of Hidden Class Advancement.]
[Based on the user’s experience, three… The user possesses overwhelming luck.
A total of five classes have been selected.
—Pilgrim of the Sword.
—Knight of Radiance.
—Blade Dancer.
—Dragon Knight
—Lucky Pioneer.
Touch your desired class to confirm.]
So it wasn’t completely random but rather selected based on my experiences.
Still, I’d never heard of getting choices. The notification window suggested it was because of my high Luck stat.
Hmm, since I primarily used a sword, there were many sword-related classes.
Dragon Knight probably appeared because of Geum-yong.
What was a Lucky Pioneer?
I wondered if there were any descriptions, but since touching them would confirm the choice, I couldn't check.
“Mister, what did you get?”
“Judging by your expression, it seems you didn’t get anything good.”
“No, that’s not it. I got several options, but there are no descriptions.”
I told my companions the choices and asked if they knew anything, but they all shook their heads.
It would be hard to find a better sword than the one I was using, so a knight class didn’t seem bad…
And since I’d be with Geum-yong for the long haul, Dragon Knight also looked like a good option.
As for Pioneer, I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I liked the ‘Lucky’ part.
“Mister, you seem to be thinking hard about it.”
“Yeah. They all look pretty good.”
“If they all look good, why don’t you just pick the one you’re most drawn to?”
She was being so casual since it wasn’t her class.
“For once, I agree with Rina. When in doubt, it’s not a bad idea to trust your own intuition.”
Even Bio was taking Rina’s side, but what he said made sense.
“I’ve decided.”
In truth, there was one class that had drawn me in from the very beginning.
My ability to adapt so well and come this far, despite being suddenly dragged into a game I’d never played, was thanks to one thing.
It was because I was lucky enough to receive the trait, ‘Failed Game Master.’
As I made my choice, a golden light poured over my entire body.
[Congratulations. You have advanced to Lucky Pioneer.]
With the choice made, I immediately opened my status window and tapped on the class.
[Lucky Pioneer.
A pioneer who rejects the mundane and always seeks the new.
May fortune favor the pioneer who adventures and explores the unknown world.
The Lucky Pioneer is blessed by Aldes, the God of Fortune, and Miter, the God of Adventure.
Blessing of Aldes.
Luck +50
Luck +1 per level.
Blessing of Miter.
Upon reaching a new location untouched by other summoners, all stats +1.
Upon arriving at a new location, for one week, the drop rate of common items will decrease significantly, while the drop rate of rare or higher items will increase significantly.]
For a moment, I couldn’t help but doubt my own eyes.
I’d heard that a normal class advancement gave about 20 stat points and a hidden class gave a bit more, but this was an absurdly high number.
It even boosted my drop rate under certain conditions, and best of all, there was no penalty.
Hidden classes usually came with a penalty.
Tae-soo could provide buffs far superior to a cleric’s, but his stats dropped tremendously when he participated in direct combat.
Chan-ho took five times more damage from water-elemental attacks.
But Lucky Pioneer had no penalty whatsoever.
“…Mister? Your silence must mean you got something bad. Did I say the wrong thing…?”
“W-What does the class matter? Even if it’s not that great, you have us, don’t you? Cheer up.”
Both Rina and Bio misunderstood my silence.
“No, it’s amazing! This is incredible!”
“Well then, you should have said so… You know it’s all thanks to me, right?”
Rina puffed out her chest smugly, but at that moment, I felt like I could give her a kiss.
Of course, I didn’t act on it, as I was sure she’d be disgusted.
“Ahem, I also advised you to trust your intuition.”
“Right, it’s thanks to you too, Bio.”
“Congratulations. You made a good choice, Sir Hyeon-ung.”
“Congratulations.”
Timi and Milli, who had been watching cautiously, also congratulated me.
“Thanks.”
“So, we can go now, right?”
“Yeah. I’ll be sure to summon you both again soon.”
“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”
“Sir Hyeon-ung, don’t forget about me.”
I felt a little sorry, but I sent them both back for now and re-summoned Hanna and Alpen.
Geum-yong, who had been in the corner, immediately clung to Hanna like glue the moment he saw her.
“Sir Hyeon-ung, you summoned us back quickly. How did the class turn out…?”
“I got a great class thanks to you two.”
“Congratulations on obtaining a good class.”
“It was lonely, but I’m glad it was worth it.”
Alpen seemed to be offering genuine congratulations, but Hanna’s words had a sharp edge, likely because she was upset about being sent back.
“Oh, right. Sister Hanna, earlier, Mister summoned that vixen, Timi.”
“A vixen? Ah! Timi?”
“Yeah. Mister was completely mesmerized looking at the other women.”
What a ridiculous thing to say.
Hanna looked at me with a disappointed expression.
“I-It’s okay. I guess that can happen…”
She did not look okay at all.
“That’s not true at all. It’s obviously a false accusation. All I was thinking was that I needed to finish up quickly so I could summon our Hanna.”
“Hmph, Sir Bio, you saw it too, right?”
“High Priestess of the Cult of Daina, why do you make such accusations? He sent them both back and summoned Hanna as soon as he obtained his class.”
Ahh, our Bio is the best.
“Hanna, did you hear that?”
“Rina, why would you lie and trouble Sir Hyeon-ung like that?”
Rina looked indignant, but with Bio on my side, she couldn’t continue her slander.
“Um, Sir Hyeon-ung, did you not want to see me?”
When the goby jumps, the squid jumps too. Now even Alpen was chiming in.
“Alpen, do you want to go back to the sanctuary?”
“N-No, sir. That was an unnecessary question… I will take good care of Geum-yong.”
How dare a male character…
“Well, now that the chatter seems to be over, I shall send you to the next floor, one that befits your level. And then I will take my leave.”
“Huh?”
“My presence hinders your growth.”
It seemed the thought had finally occurred to him.
Well, considering I had dismissed and summoned companions just for the Luck stat, it would have been strange if he hadn’t figured it out.
“Alright. Bio, before you go, I have a little favor to ask. Could you just help me with that?”
“What is it?”
Now that I had a class, it was time to put it to use.