Job Change Quest (3)
[Citizen Shin Donghoon has completed the job change quest.]
[Quest cost: 10,000,000 won.]
[Citizen Shin Donghoon has acquired the 'Warrior' class.]
The moment Shin Donghoon smashed the wooden mannequin's head in the Warrior's Room, a notification appeared announcing the completion of the job change quest.
"Clean work."
It was the first time I saw him using his abilities.
His burst of speed was impressive, but what really stood out was how skillfully he controlled that sudden acceleration-it was almost mesmerizing.
Shin Donghoon had perfect control over his body.
And-
"His combat instincts are outstanding."
It only took one exchange, but he clearly proved his worth.
"Still, that test dummy was tougher than I expected."
For starters, it was level 25.
At level 25, the dummy's physical stats were no joke. But considering all the buffs that citizens receive, even someone around level 20 could probably go toe-to-toe with it.
The real issue was the dummy's fighting style-it fought like a well-trained soldier.
"Not many people will be able to qualify for the Warrior class."
Honestly, unless someone was an awakened individual like Shin Donghoon, there wasn't much reason to go through all the effort for the Warrior class.
Most preferred using firearms over close-range combat weapons anyway.
In fact, among the members of the squad led by Shin Donghoon, the only one with the potential to become a Warrior was Lee Junho.
The rest were either specialized in long-range abilities or simply stronger with guns than with powers.
For those who mainly used guns, the Marksman class would be a better fit.
"Hopefully the difficulty of the Marksman job quest isn't too high."
I'd need to see it completed in real time to be sure, but from what I saw through the Absolute Eye, I had a rough idea of what the Marksman's Room was like.
"Looks like you just have to hit ten targets."
The room was bigger than the Warrior's, with ten total targets and various obstacles set up for cover.
"Doesn't seem that easy though."
Even in the Warrior's Room, I hadn't been able to see the dummy until the test started.
Since the enemies spawned only once the trial began, there could be similar surprises in the Marksman's test as well.
"I'll check out the Marksman stuff later..."
I used teleportation to summon Shin Donghoon, who was still on alert in the Warrior's Room.
Shoosh!
I could now freely move any citizen within my domain without physical contact.
That was because this entire domain was basically linked to my
consciousness.
Just like telepathy worked no matter the distance, teleporting people within the domain was also completely unrestricted.
Sure, it consumed some mental energy, but after teleporting an entire kilometer-wide landmass, moving a person or two was nothing.
I spoke to Shin Donghoon, who looked slightly startled from the sudden teleport.
"Congratulations on your job change."
"...Thank you."
"How difficult was the test, in your opinion?"
Shin Donghoon paused for a moment before answering carefully.
"It wasn't easy."
"I see."
Though the outcome looked like he took out the dummy in one blow, the fact that even someone like Shin Donghoon-level 37-was momentarily caught off guard was what mattered.
"When you become a Warrior, you gain buffs for melee attacks and an ability that temporarily boosts your physical stats."
"Yes, I've confirmed that."
"Based on the difficulty and the class perks, is there anyone on your team you'd recommend for the Warrior class?"
"...Sergeant Lee Junho seems like the best fit."
"Eh? Me, sir?"
Everyone turned to look at Lee Junho.
I smiled as I asked him,
"Would you be interested in giving it a try?"
"Uh-y-yes, sir! I'd like to try!"
[Would you like to assign the 'Warrior' job change quest to Citizen Lee
Junho?]
[Yes / No]
Yes.
After assigning the quest to Junho, I immediately teleported him to the Warrior's Room.
Shoosh-
This time, I had a few experiments in mind.
Using telepathy, I asked Junho:
[Mr. Junho, what kind of weapon do you use?]
"Umm... I mainly use guns."
[Even in situations where you're forced into close combat?]
"Ah, in that case, I usually just beat them with the gun."
[Understood.]
After opening the shop, I handed him the K-2 rifle, a firearm he was familiar
with.
Whirrr-
"Huh?"
Lee Junho caught the K-2 that appeared in midair and asked,
"Is it okay for me to use this?"
It was obvious the place was designed for the use of wooden weapons.
[I have something I want to test.]
Though I gave him a weapon, the door to the testing ground didn't budge.
[Would you mind picking a weapon you like from the display case?]
"Yes!"
What he picked was a long wooden sword.
As soon as Lee Junho grasped the wooden sword, the door to the testing ground clicked open.
[Would you wait a moment inside until I give you further instructions?]
"Got it.
""
As soon as he bravely stepped into the test area, a wooden dummy materialized on the far side, and the door opened.
At the same time-
'Open shop. Purchase spear.'
After buying a spear, I hurled it forcefully into the air.
'Store in inventory.'
Then-
'Summon spear.'
I summoned the spear right in front of the wooden dummy facing off against Lee Junho.
Crack!
The spear struck its chest, smashing the wooden dummy to pieces in dramatic fashion.
But there was no notification saying the class advancement quest was complete.
Instead―
Whirrr-
The shattered pieces of the wooden dummy gathered back together and rapidly regenerated.
'So this method doesn't work after all.'
|
gave an order to Junho.
[You may shoot now.]
The moment my permission was granted, the muzzle of his gun lit up.
Bang-!
The bullet Junho fired hit the wooden dummy squarely in the head.
A small hole formed at the crown of its head, but the dummy was unscathed.
Instead, it charged at Junho aggressively.
Rattatat-
Junho calmly backpedaled, returning fire, but each hit only made the dummy flinch slightly-it wasn't enough to stop it.
On top of that, the damaged parts were regenerating in real time.
The wooden dummy soon closed the distance and lunged with a spear.
Then-
"Hyaah!"
With a spirited shout, Junho raised a transparent barrier in front of him.
Clang!
After skillfully blocking the attack with his ability, Junho swung his gun like a club.
Strictly speaking, a gun, before being a projectile weapon, is just a hunk of metal.
Which is why-
Crack!
The wooden dummy's hand shattered when struck by the gun's barrel.
And then-
'It's not regenerating?'
While bullet wounds healed instantly, the spot hit by the melee strike remained broken.
That meant melee attacks worked-even if they didn't come from a weapon in the display case.
'Bingo.'
A small but critical loophole discovered.
It wasn't just important that melee attacks were effective-it was more crucial that they allowed for external support.
Even though ranged attacks, or those done by me, regenerated quickly, there was always a momentary delay during which an opening was created.
All that mattered was that the person undergoing the class advancement landed the finishing blow using a melee attack.
'This should drastically improve the success rate for class changes.'
Even more promising was the possibility of using firearms in the trial for the sharpshooter class.
Since the Archer class was inherently specialized in long-range attacks.
[Citizen Lee Junho has completed the class change quest.]
[10,000,000 won has been consumed for the quest.]
[Citizen Lee Junho has acquired the 'Warrior' class.]
I summoned Junho, who had successfully completed the class change quest.
Swish-
"Huff, huff!"
It had been an intense battle, and his whole body was drenched in sweat.
"Good work. Congratulations on your class change."
"Th-thank you!"
With Junho's successful class change, a few others started glancing around nervously.
In particular, Park Sungjun and Kim Kitae, who had also awakened B-rank abilities like Junho, had their eyes sparkling with anticipation.
I checked the system window at the Job Research Center.
[Archer]
... Under research...
Remaining time: 11 hours 41 minutes 35 seconds
Of course, the research still had a long way to go before completion.
I spoke honestly.
"It looks like the job I want to recommend to others will be available starting tomorrow. Let's wrap up for today and meet again tomorrow."
"Wait, please wait just a moment!"
It was Kim Kitae.
"I would like to change my class to Hunter."
"Hunter?"
"Yes."
"Why? Aside from leaving behind monster corpses, the Hunter class doesn't have many merits."
"That's exactly why."
His ability was "Wolf's Sense of Smell," a non-combat ability.
However, since he had awakened a B-rank ability, I had hoped to guide him toward becoming an Archer.
But what he said next was enough to convince me.
"In Seoul, one of our main sources of food was monsters. Besides the Sky Blue Marlin, I know of several monsters that can be used for food. Also, there's a chance of finding individuals with useful components like tough hides, sharp claws, or teeth."
Because food and weapons could always be obtained from the shop, I had never thought about things from that angle.
As expected, those who had struggled to be self-sufficient in Seoul thought a little differently.
"Sounds good. I'll entrust that role to you, Kitae."
"O-oh... Yes, sir!"
[Citizen Kim Kitae's trust level has increased.]
[Citizen Kim Kitae's loyalty level has increased.]
In addition to Kim Kitae, I assigned one more person the Hunter class change quest.
Given their abilities, completing the quest using orcs instead of goblins
wouldn't be a problem.
"Before you leave, there's one more thing I'd like to propose."
Perhaps because I had introduced myself and faced them directly, the overall
trust and loyalty levels of the Shin Donghoon squad had increased significantly.
'They're all eligible for vassal registration.'
Shin Donghoon, Lee Junho, Park Sungjun, Kim Kitae.
All the ones I had been keeping an eye on now met the minimum requirements to become vassals.
"I would like to accept you all as my vassals."
Afterward, I explained everything: what it meant to be a vassal, their relationship to me, their position here, the rights they would gain, and the duties they would be expected to uphold.
"Being granted great power means vassals will often face dangerous situations. What I'm asking is, in essence, for you to entrust your lives to me."
A heavy silence fell over the room at the weight of my words.
The first to break the silence was Shin Donghoon, their leader.
"Seoul, where we came from, was hell itself. Too many people died. The sight of corpses lining the streets had become the norm."
His eyes gleamed with unwavering determination.
"To be honest, we were dying too. If you hadn't saved us, we would all have died miserable deaths from starvation."
He continued, face filled with conviction.
"Since coming here, I've seen hope. The hope that we might return to how things were before."
The rest of his team gradually started to show the same belief in their eyes.
"Just knowing that our deaths won't be meaningless is enough for me. Please, use my life meaningfully."
There was a firm resolve and belief in his voice.
"I understand."
I replied, feeling the weight of responsibility settle heavily on my shoulders.
"I swear. I will repay that faith without fail."
I will reclaim our peaceful lives.
No matter what.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]