"Yeah," I walked over and placed the silver coins in his hand. My money-saving instincts were screaming at me to hold on to the large sum, to wait another day and make sure this was what I wanted, but I let go, and the coins fell into his hand.I was determined.
"Alright, now that the job's official, let's go over the plan. I know you're probably familiar with the process, but like I said before, we've been burned a few too many times to skip over it."
I nodded.
"So, to get the Swordsman Class, you're going to need to use a sword to kill a monster that's at least Level 10. Straightforward requirement, I know, but easier said than done."
He was right about the Swordsman Class's requirement being straightforward. Some other Classes needed you to kill a specific type of monster, kill them under specific circumstances, or kill a multitude of different monsters in a limited timeframe. Just using a sword was child's play in comparison.
"You're not even Level 0 yet," he continued, "so if you tried to do that alone, you'd die before you could pull a blade from its sheath. That's where we come in. We'll find a monster, get it to the edge of death, and then you come in and get the killing blow.
The killing blow is all that matters when it comes to getting your Class, unlike how XP is earned according to your contribution to the fight."
"I do not think my partner emphasized that last part enough," the woman interrupted. "You are to get the killing blow, and only the killing blow. You are to stay out of sight for the rest of the battle.
It does not matter if we look like we need help. You, as an Unclassed, are so weak that joining the battle will only force us to worry about protecting you."
My face hardened. "Yes. I know I'm weak right now. But I'm not stupid. I won't come out of hiding until I'm sure it's safe."
"Good." The woman closed her eyes and breathed, seeming to only relax just now. "We are to be fighting together, so we should get to know each other.
I am Feiya, a Level 16 Wizard. I specialize in damage-dealing elemental Spells, with some additional Alteration Spells to temporarily make my partner stronger if things ever get messy."
"And I'm the one she uses those Alteration Spells on," the man nodded. "Name's Dorrn, and I'm a Level 18 Berserker. And I know the stereotype about my Class, but I'm really not that dumb and battle-addicted."
"He is only a little dumb," the woman – Feiya – added with a smile. Dorrn just rolled his eyes with a chuckle.
"Well, since I'm Unclassed, I'm not sure if I can say much about myself that you wouldn't already know," I said, "but I've had a good amount of practice with the sword.
I've been going to the training grounds every day for a few years now, so I'd hope that'll help at least a bit with today."
Dorrn simply nodded. "If everyone's ready, let's head out."
It was surreal being out in the forest surrounding my village for the first time – I'd never been outside the walls due to the roaming monsters that patrolled the wilderness.
The only way anyone Unclassed came out of shelter in these parts was like me: surrounded by an escort of powerful Classers.
The forest felt greener up close. Back from the walls, it was just a few splotches of whatever. But here, I could look to my left and see hundreds of trees – individual trunks all sprouting from the ground and covering the air with a thick canopy of leaves – or I could look to my right and see a hill topped with a strange rock formation – probably formed by some Classer casting a powerful Spell.
It took about an hour of hunting before we saw anything worth noting – a large, furry beast that I immediately identified as a Dire Bear. I recognized it from the monster manuals I'd read, but the experience of reading about it versus seeing one up close was completely different.
On all fours, it was still about as tall as I was, and blood-stained claws tipped its paws. Still, despite its imposing figure, Dorrn and Feiya leapt into battle. Dorrn charged and cleaved his axe through the beast's side and Feiya cast a Spell that flung a spiked chunk of earth at the monster's head, exploding into shrapnel on impact. Within seconds, the wild beast was dead.
"Only Level 8!" I heard Dorrn call, but I was still frozen in place by the show of absolute power. I blinked, barely recognizing that he was speaking to me. Sure, I knew that someone at a Level as high as theirs could single-handedly slaughter a village of Unclassed people, but experiencing that power myself truly got the message across.
"Not quite high enough for a Class," Feiya said. "Do not worry, though, we will continue our search."
We marched on, repeating encounters like that, with the adventurers killing strong-looking monsters while I watched, waiting for the call to come and get the killing blow. The call hadn't come yet, but I was ready.
It had been hours upon hours upon hours by now – I could even see the sun begin to set in the brief times we passed through a clearing and the thick canopy of leaves disappeared for long enough for me to see the sky.
We weren't following any sort of road or trail; most monsters avoided man-made structures, recognizing them as dangerous. So instead, we wandered the deep wilderness, straying away from any town or farm so as to find the largest and most dangerous beasts.
I'd long since completely lost track of where we were, or even what direction we'd need to go to get back to town. Sure, we left through the south exit, but had we strayed to the west? East?
I wasn't worried about not being able to get back, though. Dorrn and Feiya knew these areas like the back of their hands, so even though it was my first time out here, they'd always be able to lead us back to civilization. Still, I imagined we must have gotten very far and very deep into the forest after such a long time traveling and hunting.
At some point, I felt something brush up against my ankle as I trailed behind my escort. I was so nervous that I swung my sword at it without even looking to see what it was.
You have struck Level 0 Rabbit for 22 damage using Sword.
You have slain Level 0 Rabbit.
Due to being Unclassed, you have earned 0 XP.