New Job Unlocked (1)
I thought the timing was a little out of nowhere, but experience must have been building up this whole time, so it wasn’t all that strange after all.
Since obtaining my first class, I’d been moving around with Kim Hyunsung and slaughtering monsters in bulk, and after entering this place, I’d been beating the hell out of them without a break.
If anything, I’d almost started to wonder whether it was a little slow.
What I found mildly amusing was that the new class had opened right after I killed Yoo Seokwoo.
So even killing a human...
Experience still goes up.
And that probably wasn’t all.
Chances were high that every action was being converted into experience in some form.
Contribution, the finishing blow, things like that were probably being quantified. Of course, getting clean data was impossible, but I had seen the people in the Shelter’s stats rise before.
Deductions about different directions and magic increased intelligence, and using mana increased mana.
The same was true for every stat, including stamina and agility.
I figured this class would work in a similar way.
Please choose the class you deem necessary.
Available classes are being examined.
Rare grade
Rare grade
Rare grade
Rare grade
Rare grade
There are a lot of options.
I’d worried there might be something scammy in there, some class that felt like a con artist’s trick, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
In fact, I was almost grateful.
All of them were rare grade. That alone made me want to give them credit.
I hadn’t examined them in detail yet, but at first glance none of them looked outright bad.
More than anything, the best thing was that there was no Commander.
Of course there was no way that would happen, but I had been worried Yoo Seokwoo might sniff out my previous-life information and turn into a Commander parrot again.
I hadn’t said it out loud, but even back then I’d spent about three rounds agonizing over it because of Park Deokgu’s unexpectedly persuasive pitch.
To be honest, even now I was still wondering what would have happened if I’d chosen Commander.
Still, I was kind of grateful to be completely free of that Commander curse now.
Since I couldn’t keep staring at the status window forever, I had no choice but to skim it quickly.
The moment I glanced at it, a flood of information spilled out.
Summoner — Rare Grade
Summoners are not a class that fights on the front line. They battle by contracting familiars, spirits, or beasts. Later, they can advance into summoner-related classes such as Tamer, Spirit User, or Beast Summoner. Stamina +1, Intelligence +1, Mana +2.
Not bad.
In the case of Summoner, I really did like it.
What appealed to me was the idea of having a beast or spirit fighting on my behalf, taking the front for me.
I didn’t know whether I had the talent called affinity that usually showed up in novels and games, but since Summoner appeared as an option, it seemed to fit my nature as well.
Spearmancer — Rare Grade
This is a mid-range class that uses both magic and spear techniques. A Spearmancer holds the center of the battlefield, directly influencing both small- and large-scale combat by combining magic and spearwork. You gain intermediate knowledge of spears and magic. The classes available for future advancement are unknown. Agility +2, Mana +2.
Necromancer — Rare Grade
This is a long-range class that can use necromancy. Necromancy is magic from a completely different dimension, overturning all conventional magical knowledge. Because it implies borrowing power from demons, some religious groups strongly oppose necromancy, but its destructive power is overwhelmingly greater than that of other classes. You gain basic necromancy knowledge. Mana +4.
The Spearmancer was an immediate pass.
The farther up the chain I went, the fewer things I’d be able to do. Swinging a spear with my flimsy strength and agility would be inefficient at best.
The Necromancer, though, was a little different. The +4 mana alone was tempting, and so was the idea of magic that overturned established magical common sense.
“Hmm.”
But the part about provoking religious groups gave me pause.
If, after the tutorial ended, I ended up in some fantasy world based on the Middle Ages, then some deranged religious order would probably come after me with eyes blazing.
As the person who should be safest of all, I had no intention of ending up in that kind of situation.
Alchemist — Rare Grade
Alchemists are, at their core, a class devoted to researching and studying magical chemistry. They constantly seek new directions and development in sorcery, magic, and mana. You gain homunculus alchemy knowledge and basic knowledge of alchemy. Later, you can advance into classes such as Potion Maker, Alchemical Mage, or Homunculus Specialist. Intelligence +2, Mana +2.
Fire Mage — Rare Grade
Among all elemental mages, the Fire Mage’s destructive power is one of the most fearsome. This is a long-range class that supports allies with overwhelming firepower. It does consume a lot of mana, but its unbelievable output will shock both enemies and allies alike. Later, you can advance into classes such as Explosive Mage or Bombing Magic Specialist. Mana +5.
Obviously, the Fire Magic Specialist was an immediate pass.
Of course, it wasn’t as if there was no room to think about it. The fact that it raised mana by five was tempting, and the line about unbelievable firepower caught my eye, too.
Maybe I’d use it once or twice at most, and its weaknesses were obvious, but for some reason it still didn’t feel like a bad choice.
Alchemist?
Honestly, Alchemist didn’t look bad either.
In the first place, it was probably the class that suited me best, given that my intelligence was higher than my mana.
It seemed like its combat ability was somewhat lower than other classes, but homunculi, alchemical magic, and the suspicious-sounding Potion Maker class looked like they could make up for my lack of mana.
The only one I could definitely eliminate was Spearmancer.
All the rest had their own strengths and weaknesses.
At this point, it was almost embarrassing how much harder this felt than my first choice.
The first choice had been important, sure, but this was more important now.
It was like choosing a major.
The thought that this one decision might determine my position on the continent I’d be moving through made my head ache.
It wasn’t urgent, of course, so I’d have to sit on it a little longer, but I’d started wrestling with the question of which of these many majors I should dive into more deeply.
That was when a voice came from right beside me.
“Hyung?”
“Ah. Sorry, Deokgu. We should go find Hayan first.”
“Did ye get a new class, sir?”
“Yeah. A little suddenly, though. Looks like even killing the same kind of human still gives experience.”
“Ugh….”
I caught Park Deokgu carefully holding his tongue.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be too shocked.
I’d been worried he might be thinking strange things, but thankfully, he didn’t seem to be.
I’d been calling him a brain stuffed full of muscle, but in his own way, he had plenty on his mind.
Of course, so did I.
I was trying to turn my eyes elsewhere, but I’d probably never forget what happened today.
Deokgu seemed to have decided, at least, to accept the situation itself. When the awkward silence grew uncomfortable, he opened his mouth again.
“I wonder if that Kim Hyunsung fellow and the miss are all right.”
“Of course they are. Kim Hyunsung’s fine, and Hayan will be fine too.”
“How can ye be so sure? Is it because of that mana thing?”
“Something like that. The farther away they are, the harder they are to sense, but once you get mana yourself, you’ll probably understand it to some extent too.”
Of course, I wasn’t judging their safety based only on a mana-based sense.
If you considered their specs and personalities, the answer was obvious.
One of them was a regressor, and the other was a genius mage and a monster.
They might already be done and on their way over here.
As I took a few steps forward, Jung Hayan soon came into view, hurrying toward us.
The way her eyes widened the moment she saw me and Park Deokgu and she ran over was kind of cute, but when I saw the blood on her sleeve, I wasn’t all that pleased.
“Oppa... Oppa! Oppa! Oppa!”
She rushed in and hugged me tightly, and unlike usual, she was a little more aggressive than normal.
That made me feel a little better, thinking she’d been worrying about me that much.
“Are you hurt anywhere? Does it hurt? Are you okay now? Hic... Yoo Seokwoo... that... that person, what happened to him...?”
“He died.”
“Ahhhhh. That’s a relief.”
I hadn’t expected Jung Hayan to be shocked, but she accepted it far too quickly.
Maybe I was imagining it, but her expression looked a little disappointed.
Rather than asking why, she actually let out a soft breath and smiled a little, and Park Deokgu must have noticed something odd, because he started studying Jung Hayan closely.
“Miss, where did ye go... and just come back from?”
“Ah... um... I...”
For a moment she turned into a mute fish with its mouth stuffed full of honey.
She probably hadn’t prepared an excuse separately.
When I collapsed earlier, she’d been screaming her head off, so she probably hadn’t had the luxury of thinking things through.
And yet, considering how impeccably put together she still looked on the outside, it was obvious she wanted to look especially good in front of me.
Seeing her face start to panic, I decided to help her out again and spoke casually.
“You went to help Kim Hyunsung, didn’t you?”
“No, Oppa. T-that’s not it. I wasn’t really interested or anything... I just... ”
“Huh?”
“I wasn’t worried about Kim Hyunsung.”
She was reacting more strongly than I’d expected.
It seemed like she really didn’t want any misunderstanding that she might be interested in Kim Hyunsung, but that wasn’t what I was asking about in the first place.
“I was just... so angry...”
“Ah...”
“I was so angry at that Kim Jaejun person... I just did it without thinking.”
Strictly speaking, Yoo Seokwoo had been the one to drive the blade into his stomach first, but Jung Hayan hadn’t seen that scene clearly.
What stuck in her mind more vividly was the sight of the bastard punching me or driving a dagger into my back.
As if remembering it now, tears started gathering in her eyes again.
Park Deokgu realized she was about three seconds away from dropping a fat, heavy tear and turned toward me with a thoroughly flustered expression.
For a so-called Gangwon Province Casanova, he looked utterly out of place. It was obvious he was scrambling.
What love expert, my ass...
“No, no, no. I think I know what ye’re trying to say, miss. I mean, I wanted to rush out there too, so... hyung, don’t just stand there—do something about it...”
“Hic. I just can’t stop thinking about it... about that...”
“Miss, it’s all over now, so don’t, don’t cry. It’s finished now... everyone’s safe, and hyung’s wounds are all healed too, ain’t they?”
“Hnghh...”
“Aigoo... Hyung! Do something about the miss... her eyes are already all swollen and puffy... what’re we supposed to do about this...”
When I saw him sneaking glances my way and begging me to comfort her, I almost laughed.
It felt like the headache I’d had was finally clearing.
In the end, I followed his wishes and lightly hugged Jung Hayan, and I could see her shoulders trembling.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Oppa...”
I had no idea what she thought she was sorry for, but I patted her back anyway.
“It’s okay.”
“I’m sorry, Oppa. Hic.”
“Ahem.”
It was actually kind of touching.
It felt like things were ending on a warm note.
My foul mood eased up a little.
That was when I glanced sideways at Park Deokgu while comforting Jung Hayan. I caught sight of the bastard grinning from ear to ear for some reason.
That damn pig...
No matter how I thought about it, it was ridiculous. Sure, Jung Hayan had calmed down compared to before, but he was staring at us and smiling far too casually.
And naturally, that smile wasn’t the warm kind born from seeing me and Jung Hayan being affectionate.
It was lower, shabbier, and more sinister than that.
Was this all planned...?
For just a moment, I could almost taste a fraction of the frustration Yoo Seokwoo had felt when he’d been taken in by me.
That...
“It’s a very fitting pair, miss.”
Park Deokgu, the Gangwon Province love expert.
It was the moment I started wondering whether that was a lie after all, or the truth.