Kaedelin City.
Rather than a city, it was more like a checkpoint.
In the setting of Earth Online, Kaedelin was the largest city in the northern region of the continent. Nearly all players emerging from the northern starter towns would be teleported here next, making it an enormous city.
To defend against the invasion of dark creatures, almost every city had comprehensive defensive facilities, and Kaedelin City was no exception.
From a distance, Kaedelin looked like a massive beast lying quietly in wait. The city walls were lined with dense defensive mechanisms, while broad moats and heavily guarded soldiers surrounded the perimeter.
It was impossible to tell what level those guards were, but as Sheng Sheng passed through the city gates, she felt an instinctive sense of dread, as if she were being stared at by a ferocious beast from afar.
Of course, the game didn't involve anything as mystical as a sixth sense. That sense of pressure was simply the system's warning that their levels were far higher than hers.
—If the black dragon she'd encountered earlier hadn't been severely injured, standing before it would likely have produced the same oppressive feeling.
Compared to the solemn, oppressive atmosphere outside the city, the interior felt unexpectedly peaceful.
The moment she passed through the gates, a system notification appeared.
[System]: Congratulations on discovering Kaedelin City. Personal Achievement Points +10. Main quest updated.
The task list on the right side of her vision refreshed, instructing players to report to the Adventurers' Association.
Sheng Sheng entered calmly. The first thing she saw was a massive fountain plaza. There were no pigeons, but many NPCs and a small number of players.
Most players inside the city moved with purpose, clearly rushing to complete quests. At this stage, anyone who had reached level ten or higher was focused on leveling up, with little interest in sightseeing.
Sheng Sheng was no exception.
—Especially since she'd already wasted an entire night because of that man.
If not for the massive experience she'd gained from the black dragon side quest earlier, she would have fallen far behind the main group by now. After briefly admiring the city scenery, she followed the map's guidance and headed straight toward her destination.
—The Adventurers' Association.
After arriving at the Adventurers' Association and presenting the letter of recommendation from the town mayor, the receptionist NPC smiled warmly and guided her to the class-change area in the back.
The class-change NPC was an elderly man with white hair and beard. Holding her recommendation letter, he gave Sheng Sheng a courteous once-over before speaking.
"Warriors are steadfast and brave. Mages are intelligent and knowledgeable. Priests are gentle and kind. Assassins come and go like shadows…"
He listed the characteristics of all six major classes before asking slowly, "Young adventurer, what kind of person do you wish to become?"
Sheng Sheng raised an eyebrow and answered without hesitation, "A priest."
The old man adjusted his glasses and looked at her deeply before stamping her recommendation letter.
Sheng Sheng noticed that each class had a different seal. The one stamped onto hers depicted a six-winged angel.
…
All players who reached level ten were required to visit the Adventurers' Association to initiate their class change. Only after that could they head to their respective class guilds to accept class-specific quests.
Sheng Sheng's class change was only halfway complete. Next, she needed to go to the Priest Association and complete a class-change quest before she could officially become a priest.
The Priest Association wasn't far from the Adventurers' Association.
—In fact, all six class guilds were clustered nearby. Sheng Sheng suspected this was a subtle form of recruitment competition.
At the entrance of the Warrior Association stood a towering divine sword, gleaming with golden light, practically screaming the words "wealth" and "power." The Mage Association featured a flowing water curtain at its entrance, looping dazzling displays of magical skills. The Archer Association had two illusory elf projections standing guard, drawing in countless appearance-focused players. The Gunner Association showcased a mech-like construct, said to resemble a late-game skill where gunners could summon a combat robot.
Compared to those four, the Assassin Association and the Priest Association were far more understated.
The Assassin Association had no flashy decorations at all—only a high-level NPC standing silently at the entrance. He wore a white cloak with his head slightly lowered, his face completely hidden. Yet his mysterious aura and the two brilliant daggers in his hands were more than enough to draw attention.
—Many players were drawn to that sense of "leave no trace after the deed is done."
As for the Priest Association…
Sheng Sheng looked at the building before her, which resembled an opera house more than a guild hall, and felt utterly helpless.
—Apparently they weren't lacking in people at all, to the point that they didn't even bother recruiting. Talk about not giving the other five classes any face.
Sheng Sheng stepped inside the Priest Association.
Despite its low-key exterior, the interior was lavish. The floor was paved with milky-white jade, while the pillars and walls were made of the same material, all carved with angels. Their outlines were traced in pale gold, and every feather of their wings was exquisitely sculpted.
As Sheng Sheng walked through, aside from the angel carvings, there were no particularly extravagant decorations. Yet the entire place exuded an air of understated luxury and refinement.
The Priest Association had three floors.
The first floor served as a service hall, where players accepted and submitted quests. Class changes could also be completed here. The second floor was a library. According to brief mentions in the original novel, all priest skills—including second- and third-class advancement skills—could be found there. However, access to the second floor required a certain level of reputation.
As for the third floor, it was far more mysterious.
Even the original novel's female lead—who later became a top-tier Holy Priest—had never qualified to enter the third floor. Sheng Sheng knew nothing about what lay above.
And that raised a problem…
Sheng Sheng looked at the guidance map Charles Edman had given her and felt a headache coming on.
The map clearly indicated that her next destination was the third floor of the Priest Association.
If even the novel's chosen heroine couldn't go there, how was she supposed to?
If she couldn't find the right person, the letter of recommendation would be useless—and without that, the reward might as well not exist at all.
Feeling utterly deceived, Sheng Sheng muttered, "…So Charles Edman scammed me out of an entire black dragon with just a set of green equipment? What a massive loss."
But what could she do? The black dragon was long gone, and there was no way to go back and confront him.
Sheng Sheng sighed. Guess she'd just have to forgive him like a long-suffering father.
Rubbing her temples, she decided to go with the flow for now and first look for a class-change NPC within the Priest Association.
There were many female NPCs inside the association, most of them gentle and beautiful. Sheng Sheng glanced around and soon spotted one nearby. She had light golden curls and deep blue eyes like the ocean. Most importantly, a "Class-Change NPC" marker hovered above her head.
There was more than one class-change NPC in the Priest Association.
Earth Online claimed to be fully immersive, so its functional NPCs didn't stand rigidly in fixed positions like in traditional games. Instead, they moved about like real people, and players had to search for them manually.
—Of course, their movement wasn't excessive. NPCs with heavy workloads, such as class-change NPCs, usually stayed within their guild buildings.
The Priest Association was enormous. If she missed this one, who knew where she'd find the next. In this crucial early phase, every second counted.
Sheng Sheng immediately headed toward the woman.
But before she could reach her, a male player rushed past like a gust of wind and stopped in front of the NPC, shouting loudly, "I want to change my class to priest!"
Those four words—"I want to change my class"—were essentially trigger phrases. The NPC immediately stopped, smiling gently.
"That's wonderful. Is our Priest Association welcoming another new member?"
The male player nodded enthusiastically, then turned and shot Sheng Sheng a smug look.
Sheng Sheng: "…"
She had no idea what he was so proud of. The NPC wasn't a one-time resource—she could just wait her turn.
—If she could. Unfortunately, years of inactivity meant she simply couldn't outrun him. Skill issue; she accepted it.
But for some reason, the man didn't proceed with the class change at all. Instead, he started chatting her up.
"You're really pretty. What do you like?"
"I want to go on a date with you. What quest do I need to do?"
"This game claims to be fully intelligent—can you be my girlfriend?"
…
Sheng Sheng sucked in a sharp breath and turned around to leave.
If she stayed any longer, she was afraid she'd catch some kind of stupidity virus. Compared to the risk of becoming an idiot, she'd rather spend more time looking for another NPC.
Unfortunately, luck wasn't on her side that day. After circling the association hall several more times, she finally found another NPC with a "Class-Change" marker—one who looked nothing like the previous beauty.
This one was an elderly man, seemingly in his seventies or eighties, with a long white beard. He didn't look like a priest at all. If he were holding a crystal ball, he'd pass for a mage instead.
And perhaps male and female priests followed different dress codes. His priest robes differed from the woman's and looked somewhat similar to Charles Edman's, though with even more intricate detailing.
Sheng Sheng checked his information.
Name: Antonio
Class: Thunder Priest
Level: 180
HP / MP: ???