I look at the quest in front of me, then at the man with a squirrel on his shoulder, completely stunned. Bloody hell. How can a quest like this appear in the starting area?
|Whisper Along the Root|
That is the quest's name. Not bad, right? It sounds like a horror-themed mission, and honestly, it is one. According to the data in my hand, this quest rewards me with the [Rune Caster] class. It's a high-ranking class that allows spellcasting through runes.
At the beginning, it's practically worthless. You only gain access to a single rune, and it's weaker than [Fireball]. The only upside is its larger AOE. However, as you complete quests tied to the class, it grows stronger and can even evolve into a unique class.
A class related to a quest that allows me to receive a unique class.
"I accept."
"Ah, thank you, stranger. Here is the map to where the whisper lies. Solve the problem there, and I will teach you how to use the Primordial Rune."
I leave the forest and head back to the city. It doesn't take long to reach the East Gate, where players flood the streets. I cannot help but smile at the number of players playing the game.
The player count keeps rising and shows no signs of stopping. It's been seven days since launch, and peak concurrency has reached eleven million. The analysts say it will keep climbing and stabilize by the end of the month.
As for profit… let's just say we've already surpassed projections. It's a huge success and a major milestone in my career.
Reputation matters in this era, especially for a family like mine. When you already have all the money in the world, reputation becomes another form of currency; one that translates into political influence.
Anyway, with the game's success secured, I can finally focus on playing. My parents might not care if my project failed, but I do. This is my company. I want it to succeed. It is a matter of pride, you know? I might not be the one creating the game, but I am the one bringing the team together. I am the one choosing these people and giving them all they need to prosper.
Shaking my head, I enter the crafting district and walk up to the blacksmith. I open the menu, scroll through the list, and stop at the weapon I want.
[Purified Treant Staff]
It boosts mana regeneration, maximum MP, and reduces cooldowns for Tier-5 and lower spells. The cooldown reduction is the real prize. It's only 3%, but it stacks with my armor set.
Still, it doesn't even reach 10%. That is to be expected, after all, since I am still in the low-level area.
It's a shame Tanaka and his team cap stats like cooldown, attack speed, and movement speed. I get why, but it's still disappointing. A 100% cooldown build would be hilariously broken.
After crafting the staff, I head to the merchant district and buy everything I might need. With unlimited inventory, there's no reason to hold back. Plus, I can take items out in real life, which is ridiculously convenient.
When I'm done, I pause and open my status window.
I am now a Level 40 player with a level 15 Wizard, level 10 Shaman, and level 5 Armorsmith.
I still have ten levels to spend. Should I keep raising Shaman? There are good spells waiting at level 15. Or should I unlock a high-ranking class? My Wizard class is already maxed, which means new options open up.
Some require quest completion. Others only require meeting specific NPCs in other cities. I can reach them instantly by buying teleport tickets. They're expensive, but I have gold to spare.
I can always teleport back here afterward to complete the quest.
I think for a few seconds and nod my head. Yeah. Let's do that.
I open the game's database and search for dungeon-focused classes. After a few seconds, I find two options: Summoner and Totem Shaman. Those two are the perfect classes for me to be a great PVE player.
Summoner requires level 15 Wizard and a summoning-related class. Lucky for me, Shaman counts. Totem Shaman requires level 10 Shaman and a max-level caster class besides Shaman. My Wizard class takes care of that.
Totem Shamans specialize in support, summoning totems to buff allies and debuff enemies. Summoners call creatures to fight for them.
And the best part?
I don't have a summon limit. Well, that is not true. I still have a limit at my request. What? I still want to play the game, not streamroll it. I can buy a summoning scroll in the premium shop and summon thousands of mobs, clearing the dungeon with ease.
So, I ask Tanaka to slightly limit this part.
So, Tanaka makes sure that I can't summon more than fifteen creatures above level 70.
Anything below that? Unlimited. Within system limits, of course. It's still a game, so there's always a cap.
Real life, though… that's another story. I get giddy at the thought of testing this power. However, I need to prepare a few things before I can test this. I need somewhere isolated so the others do not see me do magic.
I shake my head and walk toward the Ticket NPC. I buy a ticket to Frosthaven City and enter the air balloon behind the NPC. It's a coastal city specializing in all magic casters to get the higher class. I pay, darkness fills my vision, and a moment later, I arrive.
I ignore the notification saying I'm the first player here and head straight for my destination. I'll check that later. For now, I need to complete my goal.
I enter the tallest tower and take the lift to the tenth floor. From there, I approach the NPC in the far corner.
"Hello."
"Good day, stranger. How may I assist you?"
"I heard you can teach me how to become a Summoner."
"Ah, a scholar seeking the way of spirits? Of course. Watch closely."
A notification pops up. I now have [Summoner] in my class slots. I just need to assign levels to activate it.
I buy summoner spellbooks and leave the tower.
After reading through the data, I head out of the city and into a nearby forest. It is called the Green-hue Forest. The mobs here aren't aggressive unless provoked, which is convenient. I don't want to fight them just yet.
They're all around level 35. Makes sense, I guess. You only unlock this city at level 32, after all. You can walk here, but it will take a long time and be very dangerous. It is better to use the NPC than walking.
I follow the path into a clearing with a beautiful lake at its center. A man wearing fur clothing stands there, holding a staff made from animal bones.
When I approach, he opens his eyes.
"What do you want?"
"I want to learn how to carve a totem."
"Hmph. Show me your spirit."
Without hesitation, I summon my Gray Wolf. It is now level 20. One of the requirements for Totem Shaman is having at least one max-level spirit. Players can use something weak, such as a Horned Rabbit, to meet the requirement. I can afford better thanks to Tanaka's buffs.
The man nods.
"Very well. Watch and learn."
More notifications appear. I smile and purchase the spellbooks for this class as well. I assign five levels to [Summoner] and [Totem Shaman], then learn every spell I can.
With everything done, I return to the city and teleport back to Ashenvale.
It's time to complete the quest.
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