Chapter 4: Using the Privileges
Chapter 4: Using the Privileges
『An unknown energy is making your Strength more powerful. Your Strength slightly increases.』
『An unknown energy is making your Agility more powerful. Your Agility slightly increases.』
『The magic power within you is increasing explosively! It is reaching an uncontrollable level! Your Magic Power greatly increases!』
『The goddess of luck smiles upon you! She has taken a deep interest in you! Your Luck greatly increases!』
Judging by the messages, I couldn't expect a huge increase in Strength and Agility. It couldn't be helped. Strength was one thing, but an Agility of 96 was a number so high you could count the people who had it on one hand, even in the Hall Plain. However, I had high hopes for my Magic Power and Luck. Although it felt like a one-time event bonus, a special message had appeared.
It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this excited. It’s a shame my Stamina didn’t increase, though….
In any case, I hadn't expected to receive any privileges in the first place. This alone was incredible, so I calmed my pounding heart and immediately refreshed my Player Status window.
〈Player Status〉
1. Name: Kim Soohyun (Year 0 User)
2. Class: -
3. Nation: -
4. Clan: -
5. True Name · Nationality: One Who Needs to Prove Their Qualification, Prospective User · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Male (23)
7. Height · Weight: 181.5cm · 75.5kg
8. Alignment: Lawful · Chaos
(Before) [Strength 86] [Durability 92] [Agility 96] [Stamina 78] [Magic Power 48] [Luck 36]
(After) [Strength 94] [Durability 92] [Agility 98] [Stamina 78] [Magic Power 90] [Luck 88]
〈Achievements (0)〉
〈Special Abilities (0/1)〉
〈Latent Abilities (0/4)〉
Strength up by 8, Agility up by 2, Magic Power up by 42, Luck up by 52. A total increase of 104 points.
Good. Very good. My once-meager stats now boasted numbers high enough to make my eyes pop.
However, while I should have been happy, the Stamina stat was a sore spot. Comparing it to the others left a nagging feeling of disappointment in a corner of my mind.
If only my Stamina had gone up instead of Luck….
Stamina was so important that it could be called the ‘pillar’ or ‘root’ of all other stats. If Magic Power was a car's engine, then Stamina would be its frame. My current Stamina of 78 was a very mediocre number.
I should be able to get a decent output, but… sigh.
It seemed human greed knew no bounds. Even though my stats were far better than before, the disappointment wouldn't fade.
I had my thoughts on the matter, but I decided to stop complaining for now. There were still many more privileges to receive. I had no desire to just waste time dawdling like this.
“User Kim Soohyun. Shall we proceed to the next privilege?”
“Mm. Let’s do that… No, wait a moment.”
Just as I was about to nod, I reflexively shook my head. I had no control over the stat increases, so I accepted them immediately, but things were different from this point on. I could choose and build for myself. As such, I had to be careful with every single decision.
“Seraph, tell me how much time is left until the Rite of Passage.”
“1 hour, 42 minutes, and 23 seconds.”
“Hold on, let me think for a moment. 30 minutes… no, even just 10 minutes.”
“As you wish.”
I immediately closed my eyes and sank into thought.
In the Hall Plain, I had been one of the strong. I had enough power to get my hands on the Zero Code. I certainly deserved to be called strong, but I knew myself that I couldn't be considered the ‘best’ or the ‘strongest.’ I was far from such titles. My remarkably low Magic Power had always held me back.
I had solved the Magic Power issue now, but in a way, this might be as far as I could go. My body had already reached its limit. On the surface, I was listed as a Year 0 User, but I had actually loaded the body of a Year 10 User. While there were other ways to raise stats, like rewards, equipment, or elixirs, it would be difficult to seek improvement through ‘training,’ the most common method.
Of course, that absolutely didn't mean I was at a disadvantage. While it varied from person to person, on average, growth through training tended to stop between 70 and 80 points. Considering that, my current stats could be considered extravagantly high.
But that’s only in the general case.
There were always special cases that defied expectations. I had to consider the possibility of people starting with stats over 70. No, from now on, I had to think on their level. There was no guarantee that the miracles and coincidences I experienced in the first playthrough would happen again. For the sake of my goals, I absolutely needed enough power to achieve them.
I opened my eyes. Seraph was still sitting on the altar, waiting for my word. Looking at her, I spoke quietly.
“Seraph, I request Class Selection for my next privilege.”
“Yes. User Kim Soohyun's request has been received. You are granted the priority to choose a Class before the Rite of Passage and entry into the Hall Plain. Additionally, all Classes shrouded in secrecy will be temporarily revealed.”
Class selection was part of User Setup, a process available only after proving one’s qualifications. More specifically, it was a step that could normally be taken in the Summoning Room only after surviving the Rite of Passage and before entering the Hall Plain. In other words, I was skipping all those steps and configuring my Player Status from the very beginning.
I planned to choose a sword-related Class again. My increased Magic Power had opened paths to other Classes, and I had considered them, but I still felt that a sword class was the best choice. It was a path I had walked once before. There was already a shortcut; I felt no need to blaze a new trail.
Charts filled with dense information floated up into the air. Without a second glance, I dismissed the Rare Chart. Leaving only the Secret Chart, I began to slowly examine it.
『Class List (Secret)』
[War Mage]
[Battlefield Maestro]
[Requiem Assassin]
[Soul Commander]
[Jewel Mage]
[Replication Mage]
[Death Knight]
[Priestess of Radiance]
[………….]
Not this one… Not this one either… Hmm… I’m sure the Class that guy had was….
Were there always this many Secret Classes? I was momentarily speechless at the sheer number of options. After struggling to find it on my own, I decided to ask Seraph for help, fearing I would just waste time.
“Seraph. Among the Secret Classes, can you show me only the sword-related ones?”
“That is not difficult. Are you perhaps thinking of choosing a sword-related Secret Class?”
“What if I am?”
“I recommend it. An excellent choice. Please wait a moment. I will filter them for you right now.”
The reason I was so fixated on my Class was its connection to Special and Latent Abilities. A Class was chosen based on one’s stats, and Special and Latent Abilities were chosen based on one’s Class. That was the order I had decided on. I had my eye on something called a ‘Unique Ability,’ so I had to prepare as much as possible for the two randomly selected Latent Abilities.
“The filtering is complete. I will display the chart.”
“Okay.”
I began to carefully look over the Classes Seraph had sorted for me. What I wanted was a Class that was advantageous against mages. In my first playthrough, my low Magic Power and Luck stats meant I always struggled whenever I fought against mages. Just thinking about it now gave me goosebumps, making my teeth chatter.
Found it.
About halfway through the list, I finally found the Classes I was looking for.
[Sword Specialist]
[Spell Sniper]
Each Secret Class possessed a unique ‘Authority.’ Both of these Classes had appeared in my first playthrough, and their power was enough to make the world tremble.
The Sword Specialist's Authority granted an advantage to all actions related to the sword and allowed one to cut anything in existence. The Spell Sniper's Authority was the ability to completely resist magic with a certain probability.
To elaborate on the Spell Sniper, it could resist all magic cast with a Magic Power stat of 75 or lower. Against spells cast with a Magic Power stat of 85 or lower, it reduced damage by 80%; against those cast with 90 or lower, it reduced damage by 50%.
If I had accepted the Class privilege without thinking, I would have chosen Spell Sniper without a second thought. By stacking its Authority with the Latent Ability, Magic Resistance, I could turn ordinary mages into scarecrows, with the exception of archmages who had reached the pinnacle of magic.
However, after some consideration, my heart was leaning sharply toward Sword Specialist. The Authority to cut anything in existence held an irresistible appeal I simply couldn't give up. I recalled the user who had been a Sword Specialist. His martial prowess was truly incredible. He cut, slashed, and nullified countless spells. The many mages who faced him were swept away like autumn leaves in the wind.
Spell Sniper was good, but Sword Specialist was just as formidable.
“……”
After a long period of deliberation, I ultimately chose Sword Specialist. In a way, it was a gamble, but as though under a spell, I spoke in an oddly light voice.
“I’ll go with Sword Specialist.”
“The Sword Specialist? It is not a bad choice, but the Spell Sniper is also quite a fine Class. Considering User Kim Soohyun's current Magic Power, there will be few mages capable of harming you.”
“That’s true.”
“Then why…”
“To put it another way, it means there will still be some, right?”
“……”
Seraph still looked unconvinced. My resolve wavered for a moment, but I quickly firmed it and put more strength into my voice.
“Let me give you an example. Imagine there's a target system that guarantees a certain level of success, and a non-target system that depends on your control. The former offers some safety, but it has clear limitations. The latter's efficiency, however, changes based purely on my skill. Do you see what I mean?”
“I understand.”
“Then I’ll take Sword Specialist.”
“As you wish.”
Seraph seemed to ponder for a moment before giving a single nod. At the same time, I saw a message that another piece of information had been updated.
『Congratulations. You have obtained the Secret Class, Sword Specialist. Your Player Status will be updated.』
Seeing the message, I felt strangely relieved. Having cleared the first hurdle smoothly, my mind felt much more at ease. But it was too early to relax. I immediately composed myself and prepared for the next privilege. Since the next one involved a part that my will couldn't fully influence, I tensed up once more.
‘3. You will be granted a privilege regarding Special and Latent Abilities. Users normally have 1 Special Ability slot and 4 Latent Ability slots, but for User Kim Soohyun, one additional Latent Ability slot will be opened. This will also reveal all Special and Latent Abilities, including hidden ones, and you may choose what you desire.
Alternatively, you can open a slot for a ‘Unique Ability.’ A Unique Ability is a tier above a Special Ability. If you forgo the Unique Ability, you can choose one Special Ability and all five Latent Abilities yourself. (In this case, the extra slot will automatically be counted as a Latent Ability slot.)’
I slowly mulled over the information in my head.
Special and Latent Abilities had the characteristic of blooming one by one later on, following the user's disposition. This meant that just being able to decide on them from the start was a massive advantage. It meant I was starting from a different point than other Users. However, that also meant I needed to be extremely careful with my choices.
To reiterate, Special and Latent Abilities were the most crucial parts that influenced a character's efficiency. If a user obtained traits that suited their Class, they would become that much stronger. But what if the opposite happened? They would be unable to draw out their Class's full potential. That's why, if you wanted to become strong, one had to build one’s stats, Class, and abilities in harmony.
“Seraph. Let’s make the next privilege Ability Endowment.”
“Yes. Then I shall ask. Please state whether you wish to activate the Unique Ability slot. The difference is…”
“I know. I’ll choose the Unique Ability.”
“Understood. One Latent Ability slot will be consumed. Additionally, two of the four remaining slots will be selected at random.”
I had a reason to be confident. Just as the user's level of growth was considered for stat increases, a similar rule applied to unlocking abilities. Simply put, there was a high probability that the abilities would be influenced by my body, which had already become that of a Sword Master. If I was right, there was a very high chance that two of the abilities I had in my first playthrough would be selected.
While I was calculating in my head, Seraph signaled that she was ready.
“The lists for Unique, Special, and Latent Abilities have been loaded. Will you make your selection first, or will you open the two Latent Ability slots first?”
It wasn't that I was completely without anxiety. But it was better to get the painful part over with first. I decided to roll for the two Latent Abilities first.
“I’ll open the two Latent Ability slots first.”