◈ Episode 6. Class Quests (1)

Arcana’s stat system is simple.

All initial stats start with 1 point.

One point is awarded for each level up.

Players can allocate their points to the stats they want, according to the characteristics of their class.

I looked at the status window.

[Name: Grandfell Claude Arpheus Romeo]

[Class: Demon Hunter]

[Level: 67]

[Stats]

Strength: 21 / Dexterity: 26 / Magic: 11 / Luck: 1

[Points held: 12]

Unsurprisingly, the Demon Hunter has no class-specific stats.

Not to mention the oddly invested stats.

“It had to be done.

At the time, Demon Hunters didn’t have much of a build.

Performance aside, the absolute number of players was also low.

As an obscure class, they had no choice but to invest all of their stats in obscure ways.

“Oh well, nothing’s really changed.

It’s not because we don’t know, it’s because we want to be open to possibilities.

It’s okay to have that difference of thought.

I invested the points.

[Stats].

strength: 23 / agility: 28 / hp: 18 / luck: 1

[Points on hand: 1]

Two points each to Strength and Agility.

After investing 7 points in Horsepower, which was relatively low, I had 1 point left.

Originally, I had planned to invest the remaining 1 point in Horsepower.

But somehow.

A stroke of good fortune, a mere one point.

“As the sole survivor of his family, Grandfell Claudius Arpheus Romeo, hereafter referred to as Grandfell, has taken up the path of a demon hunter in order to take revenge on the demon.”

“…….”

I don’t know why that setting popped into my head.

It’s just a set-up I made up as I went along, but I don’t have any luck.

It’s such a bizarre life that I wonder if I suffered such adversity because I was lucky by only one point.

I don’t feel guilty about it.

It’s a strange thing to feel.

It’s weird to feel that way, because it was me who was dealing with Grand Pell, his setup.

So it was more like compassion.

[Points retained: 0].

For me, who will suffer in the future.

Compassion for Grandpell’s life of hardship.

“That’s a pretty big investment for pity, this.

The treatment of the Luck stat in Arcana has been less than favourable.

Luck was a stat that didn’t have the same intuitive feel as other stats like Strength.

A good way to put it is that it doesn’t give you much bang for your buck.

Only non-combatant classes, and even then only a very limited number of classes, cared about Luck.

Even then, I don’t remember it being a core stat.

Luck: 2

It was only one point.

I thought to myself.

Think of it as doubling your luck.

Of course, doubling your luck doesn’t seem like much, but.

.

.

.

But the effect of the doubled luck was immediately apparent.

In plain sight.

At dawn the next day.

“……?”

I opened my eyes to a system message.

[You have met the conditions].

[The quest will begin].

[The quest is ……?

*]

Back when Arcana was a game.

Quests were commonplace.

“Oh, another job quest.”

“Just turn it down. Isn’t the reward worth it?”

“It’s not worth the intimacy. How did you get that intimacy?”

“If I were you, I’d spend my time hunting instead, even if it’s just for a few bottles of potions. The loot alone will pay for the potions.”

I’d pick and choose, weighing rewards and difficulty.

But now that Arcana is a reality.

Quests became a privilege for high-level players.

The reason was simple.

There weren’t enough NPCs in the real world to give you quests.

With the rise of the Mage Tower.

The mage NPCs that reside within it also appeared in the real world.

Just like that, NPCs from Arcana existed in the real world.

“How the hell did this happen…….”

“I never thought I’d see something like this in my life.”

“This is the world of adventurers, and it’s beautiful, glowing in the dark.”

Like us, the NPCs were adjusting to the cataclysm.

“I guess we can’t just sit back and watch forever.”

“The rift! That’s what caused this!”

“We can’t disrupt your world any longer.”

The player was given a new quest for that environment.

However, only high-level players could take on the new quests.

“Hmm, from the looks of it, you don’t seem to have much training.”

“I’m afraid it’s too much for you, Adventurer.”

“That request has already been fulfilled by another adventurer…….”

Real-world quests reinforce the gap between top and bottom players.

So it was only natural that players would become sensitive to quests.

-Dude, I heard there’s a rocket in the rift!

-Lol? Where is it? I’m coming right over.

-I can’t believe I’m actually running to a rocket!

-If I knew this was going to happen, I would have quit my job and just played arcana. Ehyo Goreps are breaking linking quests, and rankers are starting to mess with main quests, but what are we?

……Yes, that’s the new normal.

I checked the quest window again.

[Class Quest: Prelude to a Counterattack].

“……Class Quest.”

What is this?

A class quest.

I had no information about it.

Just from looking at it, it looks like a quest related to classes, demon hunters…….

Exorcisms, training, meditation, etc.

Suddenly, I remembered the quests I’d done in Akshan.

‘No, those were normal quests.’

They didn’t have any fancy labels attached to them.

Naturally, I didn’t think twice.

I immediately typed class quests into the search bar.

-Guyver, the #1 ranked Paladin class.

Start class quest…….

Will I be the first Paladin class to reach the top 10?

Expectations are high…….

It wasn’t hard to find information about it.

Class Quest.

Out of all the players of the same class.

It was a quest given to only one person.

The content of the quest varied and was unknown.

I could understand it.

I understood why the big quest had come to me.

“I guess I’m really the only one left.”

[Class Quest: Prelude to a Counterattack].

Last of the Demon Hunters.

Let the demons know that the time has come to strike back.

Defeat the demons. (Success)

Yes, I was the only Demon Hunter left.

The great class quest had come to me.

The quest was triggered by my defeating a demon and an imp, as shown in the quest window.

…… Just looking at this makes me want to do it.

I’ve only skimmed the article.

The rewards for class quests seemed to be pretty good.

The rewards of the class quest seemed great on paper, with articles about how you can get into the top 10 just by starting it.

But the desire never came.

Isn’t that the way it should be?

It was all so natural to him.

He had slain a demon.

To be the hero of a class quest.

And the reward that would come from completing it.

Grandfell…….

No, I was taking it all for granted.

My heart wasn’t pounding with excitement.

My heart was beating just as it always did.

I shake my head slightly.

‘My very civilised values are being turned upside down.

As if I were the heir to a truly great family.

But I have no choice but to accept it.

The setting of Grandfell was essential to my survival as a player, and even more so as a demon hunter.

But let’s keep this in mind.

“……I’m too young to dwell on the past.”

The fact that the Grand Prix is just my black history.

Yes, black history is something to be overcome, not immersed in.

With that resolve, the quest window flashed in my vision.

“!”

A new quest objective popped up.

─Train your weakened body.

Memories of the Akshan base flashed through my mind.

“……Wait, this quest?

Isn’t this the vicious, painful quest that caused so many Demon Hunter players to delete their accounts?!!

I bemoaned.

I must have run out of luck.

But I didn’t show it outwardly either.

“I should’ve spent a few more ……1 points.”

Poor you, Lee Ho-yeol.

Once again, I’m the only one who suffers because of the damn settings.

*Note

Akshan Base.

A garrison of demon hunters.

When you put it like that, it sounds pretty cool to a stranger.

I was one of those people who fell for it and chose the Demon Hunter class.

But when I got there, the reality was shocking.

Poor facilities!

Ex-quests that felt like no-game quests!

NPCs that didn’t do anything to motivate me, but instead yelled at me!

Of course, there’s a good reason for this.

“Demons thrive on human greed. That’s why demon hunters must always have integrity.”

“With a strong body comes a strong mind. Do you want to be a demon hunter? If so, build a strong body first!”

“It is not uncommon for a demon hunter to lose his life unexpectedly. Demons also prey on the loss of those they leave behind, so for demon hunters, too much bonding is poison. Do not try to befriend me.”

……In retrospect, it was a ridiculous setup.

He wasn’t popular for nothing, was he?

But in the past, I was more attracted to the Demon Hunter class because of the setting.

He had endured all sorts of absurdities and had finally achieved the Demon Hunter class.

‘……It was a very serious stage 2 disease.

I’m having a hard time thinking about it.

“Whoa-”

I continued to do push-ups.

My forearms felt like they were going numb.

[Class Quest: Prelude to a Counterattack].

Last of the Demon Hunters.

Let the demons know that the time has come to strike back.

Defeat the demons. (Success)

─Train your weakened body. (Ongoing) ▼

“Shouldn’t something be changed?!

It’s a class quest.

It’s a quest that only one person can do.

How could it be any different from the quests in Akshan Base to begin with!

Besides, this wasn’t virtual reality, this was real life.

It was up to me to deal with the after-effects of my training.

─Train your weakened body. (ongoing)

Run 20 kilometres (successful)

1,000 push-ups (ongoing)

500 pull-ups (successful)

300 burpee tests (successful)

As of today, it’s been a week.

That quest goal was updated every day.

I hadn’t missed a day of training in a week.

No wonder my sore muscles didn’t want to go away!

But my grumblings only stayed in my head and faded away.

It was as if I had been waiting for this quest.

I was diligent in achieving my goal.

“Grampel’s great pride did not come from his family background; it was innate, unchanging in the face of all trials, a nature literally sent from heaven.”

So I had no choice but to be sincere.

I don’t recall attaching any sincerity or hard work to Grampel.

It would be strange if a person with a terminal illness was sincere and hardworking.

Everything is just to protect his pride.

Parrr─

It’s a clear, windless day.

My forearms are shaking with pain.

“It’s windy today.”

It’s a brazen thing to say.

But one thing’s for sure, if it weren’t for my pride.

“……I never would have done it, would I?

I wouldn’t have lasted a day.

I’d probably have given up running long ago.

“This is it.”

……Long or short, me.

You’ve been faithful to your Nogada quest today.

An uncharacteristic message popped up.

[You’ve met the requirements].

[Your reward will be paid].

With those words, I opened the system window.

My inventory was……. as it was.

Instead, a status window was flashing.

I checked the status.

“!”

My level was still the same, but my stats had changed.

……Class quests, what’s the fuss?