1. Falling into the Labyrinth City
During a trip for students who had all become adults, the bus went off a cliff in a traffic accident.
We, who should certainly have died, were sprawled in the middle of a marble temple that looked like something out of Greek mythology.
A Western man appeared before us in our confusion and informed us of two facts.
First. This place was a labyrinth where things abandoned by the world gathered, called 'Tartarus'.
Second. If we wanted to return to our original world, we had to hunt the labyrinth's monsters and offer up 'Contribution Points'.
When we couldn't accept it,
"Have you come from a land where mysteries slumber? Then I shall show you."
The man gripped his necklace with one hand and extended the other,
"Lightning Bolt."
──CRACK-BOOM!
A massive bolt of lightning shot out from his hand.
The scorched black mark left where the lightning struck insisted that what had just happened was real,
so now there was no one left who doubted the man.
"Then close your eyes and picture your own form."
And then,
［Name］ː Seo Do-hyeon
［Race］ː Human
［Level］ː 1 (0 EXP)
［Class］ː □□
□STR : 9
□DEX : 14
□CON : 14
□INT : 11
□WIS : 15
□CHA : 20
【Perks】
Isn't this a status window?
The Western man urged us not to reveal its contents carelessly to others and continued speaking.
"Find a suitable temple and obtain a class."
"It would be best to choose a class suited to your stats and Perks."
When the man had spoken that far, Ms. Kwon Chae-a asked,
"Wait a moment. How long does it take to gather the Contribution Points needed to return?"
"At the fastest, a month; at the longest, half a year. If you have no talent, forever."
"If it takes that long, that's a serious problem."
To the worried teacher, the man spoke as if it were nothing.
"Rest assured. Tartarus is a world abandoned by all things, even by time."
"If you return to your original world, you will return to the place and time from which you came here."
The teacher let out a sigh of relief, but the class president raised a hand.
"Teacher! What do we do? If this is where we came from..."
We had been riding the bus, gotten into a traffic accident, and were in the middle of falling off a cliff.
In other words,
"Aren't we going to be inside a bus falling off a cliff even if we go back?"
Before the teacher could answer that,
"You were in the middle of falling off a cliff? Well, that's a common enough thing."
The Westerner cut in.
"Rest assured. You can also return with the power or items you obtain here."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you can obtain the ability to fly through the sky,
or return with a body that can survive falling from a cliff."
"Of course, returning with power or items requires more Contribution Points than simply returning."
And so our activity guidelines were decided.
Explore the labyrinth, gain power and Contribution Points, and return to Earth.
***
The Westerner's explanation continued after that.
"Perks are divided into five types."
"Feat, Gift, Boon, Blessing, Grace."
"Whatever Perk you have received, if you can use it properly, you will be able to return to your original world."
Listening to those words, I checked my Perk.
【Perks】
［Authority］Incubus Lord
▶Authority of Phantasmal Dreams
▶Authority of Dream Infiltration
▶Authority of Nightmares
▶Incubus Soul
▶Incubus Gaze
▶Wisdom of the Night
▶〔Locked〕
▶〔Locked〕
▶〔Locked〕
Wait, they said Perks come in five types.
If it's something that doesn't fit into the basic categories, it's either a total dud or a jackpot.
This one has "Authority" right in the name, doesn't it?
Jackpot confirmed.
▶Authority of Phantasmal Dreams
Growth type.
From level 1, you always have the Sleep spell prepared and can use this spell a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (5).
You can also use this spell in its classical form.
You recover all uses whenever you finish a long rest.
▶Authority of Dream Infiltration
You can access the dreams of a sleeping individual.
If you touch an unconscious individual, you can enter the world within their dream.
You can enter a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus (2), and you recover all uses after finishing a short or long rest.
▶Authority of Nightmares
Your spells can put to sleep or charm even individuals who do not sleep or are immune to charm.
▶Incubus Soul
Your Charisma score rises to 20.
▶Incubus Gaze
You possess sight that can see clearly in dim light and darkness out to 54m. This special darkvision can see through magical darkness as well.
You can also glimpse the information of other individuals.
▶Wisdom of the Night
You are connected to a deep, dark phantasmal dream.
Whenever you make a check, if it falls within the knowledge contained in the Wisdom of the Night, you automatically succeed.
You can glimpse beyond the night.
▶〔Locked〕
▶〔Locked〕
▶〔Locked〕
As befitting the name Incubus, they were abilities related to sleep and dreams.
But what were things like modifiers and Proficiency Bonus?
As I thought that,
『They are values that rise as the respective stat and level increase.』
I heard a somewhat stiff voice.
'Who is it?'
As I was about to look around,
『I am the night spirit connected to my lord.』
I realized the voice was resounding inside my head.
'You can hear my thoughts?'
『I respond to your questions.』
Hearing that, one Feature came to mind.
▶Wisdom of the Night
You are connected to a deep, dark phantasmal dream.
Whenever you make a check, if it falls within the knowledge contained in the Wisdom of the Night, you automatically succeed.
'Is this, by any chance, you?'
『Yes. But even if I disappear, the Wisdom of the Night will remain connected to you from within.』
So that's how it works. Nice.
'Then can you also teach me how to use my Perk?'
'I want to compare my Perk with other people's. If I use this 'Incubus Gaze', I can see them, right?'
『Gaze at another individual, then concentrate.』
For now, someone who received a high-grade Perk, even if not an Authority like mine, would be a suitable comparison.
Who got a good Perk?
『Those who possessed outstanding talent in the lives they had before coming to Tartarus are more likely.』
Speaking of talent in our class,
I looked at Lee Se-rin, the female student beside the class president, her hair tied back and a bamboo-sword bag slung over her back.
Winner of a women's kendo tournament, excellent school grades, accomplished in both literary and martial arts.
Was there anyone in our class who could be said to have more 'talent' than this?
I looked at that female student and focused my mind.
And then,
［Name］ː Lee Se-rin
［Race］ː Human
［Level］ː 1 (0 EXP)
［Class］ː □□
□STR : 15
□DEX : 19
□CON : 16
□INT : 12
□WIS : 15
□CHA : 16
【Perks】
［Grace］ Swordmaster
A new status window appeared before my eyes.
Are we really the same kind of person?
Her lowest stat is 12, and the only high stat I have is Charisma (CHA).
『Affirmative. Excluding my lord, she is a top-tier talent.』
'You're good at flattery, aren't you?'
『Negative. I merely stated the facts.』
Finishing that idle thought, I checked the Perk called Swordmaster.
Swordmaster
▶Master of the Sword
Damage you deal using swords is always maximized.
▶Sword's Limit
You choose one type of sword.
You gain the following benefits depending on the chosen sword type.
I got the gist. Your level.
My Incubus Lord has 9 ▶ entries.
Your Swordmaster has 2 ▶ entries.
Anyone can see my Incubus Lord wins by a landslide.
『Partially negative. The number of Perk functions has no causal relationship with a Perk's strength.』
But if it's only partially negative, that means it's true that Incubus Lord wins by a landslide, right?
『Affirmative. The Authority of Incubus Lord holds an overwhelming advantage over the Grace of Swordmaster.』
Then that settles it.
But maybe because I stared too long, Lee Se-rin was glaring at me.
As I turned my head forward as if fleeing, the man was in the middle of droning on with a boring, pedantic lecture.
Maybe I should fiddle with my smartphone, I thought, and patted my pocket, only to realize my phone was gone.
What was in its place was a gleaming gold coin.
『Items classified as assets are confiscated at the moment of entering Tartarus.』
『In exchange, a certain amount of money is provided.』
Nothing to be done about it.
I didn't have a smartphone, but I did have a fantasy AI.
Shall I kill time with this?
'Spirit. What's your name?'
『I am a spirit born from the Wisdom of the Night. I have no name.』
'Then what should I call you? Since it's night... "Night" would be a bit much.'
'Night, Nightmare, Mare, that's a bit off too. Let's go with Mary.'
『Understood, my lord.』
『But is it all right for you not to focus on the explanation?』
'If it's necessary, you'll explain it to me, Mary.'
『......』
***
With the explanation of the 12 classes as the finale,
the man's boring, pedantic explanation finally ended.
"That concludes the explanation of each class."
"In one hour, I will guide you to the temples where you can obtain your desired class."
Even in RPGs, choosing a job is a major decision.
"Can you not change your class once you've chosen it?"
When the teacher asked that,
"You can change it if you pay a sufficient price to the gods."
When the man finished his explanation and left,
everyone began chattering in their own groups.
"What class are you going to take?"
"Fighter, obviously."
"Ah, damn. I was going to take Fighter too."
"You can just go double Fighter. They say Fighter is the strongest early on."
"Maybe I'll go Druid."
"Druid? Then I'll go Bard."
"I knew you'd say that."
"So, Yu-na, are you going with Wizard?"
"Yeah. Do you think it'll be okay?"
"You're the only one among us who'd go Wizard."
Amid the students talking in their own groups, I realized something.
I didn't have any friends in our class.
It's fine. I have Mary.
As I was observing the other students alone like that, the class president approached.
"Hey, sorry."
"Huh?"
"I was wondering if maybe it's my fault you got caught up in this."
Wondering what she meant, I remembered the day of the trip participation survey.
Originally, since I didn't have many friends, I was considering skipping the trip,
but the class president came trotting over and asked me, "Do-hyeon, you're participating too, right?" and I ended up saying I'd go.
I could blame that on the class president, but,
"Hey, that's not it. It was my own decision."
Seeing the class president fidgeting with her fingers and looking up at me with wavering eyes, I couldn't do that.
"Really? Thanks. Let me know anytime if you need help."
The class president let out a sigh of relief,
and after finishing those words, waved and returned to her group.
One of that group, Lee Se-rin, seemed to be glaring at me, but that's probably my imagination, right?
I haven't done anything wrong.
Now then,
'Mary. Recommend a class suitable for me.'
『Understood. Considering my lord's status and Perk, there are three suitable classes.』
Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock.
They all commonly use 'Charisma' as their main stat.
My Charisma was unrivaled, so that was probably why Mary recommended these three.
But wait, if my Charisma is this high, does that mean my appearance has gotten more handsome or something?
What if my parents don't recognize me when I get home?
『Negative. Charisma refers to spiritual projection power.』
『Before you obtain a class and handle mana, it is only slightly noticeable.』
Then does something change once I get a class?
『Your presence will strengthen, making you easily noticeable.』
That's a serious problem. Doesn't that make me an involuntary attention-seeker?
『When you obtain your class, they will teach you how to control it at the temple.』
Good. Then, going back to the original class discussion.
Bard. A class that handles magic through poetry, song, and music.
'Eliminated. I can't sing.'
『Then which do you prefer, Sorcerer or Warlock?』
Sorcerer is a mage who awakened power through external mana.
Warlock is said to be a mage who gained power through a contract.
'Let's go with Sorcerer.'
Gaining power through a contract seems a bit lame.
I received an Authority as my Perk, so why would I need to use power received from someone else?
『Affirmative. Also, your Sorcerer origin may interact with your Perk.』
Huh? What does that mean?
『A Sorcerer advances in different directions depending on the 'origin' from which they awakened their power.』
At those words, I remembered the Western man's explanation.
He said each class has something like a job advancement from RPG games.
『Affirmative. It is called a Subclass.』
So, my Perk influences my Subclass?
『High possibility. The mana of Incubus Lord is sufficient to awaken as a Sorcerer.』
And what's good about that?
『You can obtain a Subclass with good synergy with my lord's Authority.』
So something like a custom job advancement is possible.
Good. Then there's no reason to choose anything else.
It's decided. Sorcerer.
Just as I made up my mind,
The Western man returned, bringing people wearing robes.
"Line up according to your desired class."
Following the man's words, we split into lines.
I went and stood in the line gathering Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard, and Warlock,
"Then I will lead the way."
We exited the temple to obtain our classes.