The night was slowly giving way to morning.
Since Selene couldn't go out during the day, they decided to stay put until nightfall.
The two of them had taken a modest room in a quiet, out-of-the-way part of town. The bedroom was entirely hers, the windows covered in thick black cloth so not a single sliver of light could sneak in.
The place felt more like a cave than a living space—perfect for a vampire who preferred darkness over the harsh glare of day.
Luke, on the other hand, had claimed the hallway as his own. He slouched lazily on a worn couch, legs stretched out, eyes locked on the floating status screen hovering in front of him .
[Unallocated Stat Points: 8]
[Unallocated Skill Points: 8]
"Hmmm… eight skill points is still too low," he muttered under his breath, rubbing his chin. At these early levels, the only reliable way to earn skill points was through leveling up—no shortcuts, no hidden shop to buy them from.
The real game changer would come at Level 20, when his class would finally upgrade. That was the moment he'd gain access to stronger skills, faster stat growth, and—most importantly—a chance to evolve from Combat Mage into something far more powerful.
His next class, if all went according to plan, was the Arcane Warrior. Not quite Legendary like an Archmage or Sword Saint, but still an impressive, rare evolution—a blend of offensive magic and physical combat, perfect for versatility on the battlefield.
In the game, classes were ranked: Basic, Unique, Rare, and Legendary. Everyone started with Basic, and among them, Combat Mage was already one of the strongest, with the best upgrade routes. To reach Legendary, a player had to go through three promotions, mastering each tier along the way.
For now, Luke's focus was the Arcane Warrior, his first promotion. But there was a catch. To unlock it, he needed:
MP above 400
Strength at least 20
Endurance at least 20
With only about 40 stat points spread across 20 levels, that balance was tricky. Normally, he'd need to split points between Strength, Endurance, and MP to keep his mage side strong.
But thanks to the Heart of the Infinite Well passive skill, his MP was already in the thousands. That freed him to put everything into Strength and Endurance without worrying about magical power.
Right now, he had 8 unallocated stat points. To hit 20 in both Strength and Endurance, he needed 13 total—meaning only 5 more after today's allocation.
That was just a few level-ups away, making the Arcane Warrior promotion possible the moment he reached Level 20. Miss that mark, though, and the system wouldn't let him try again until Level 30.
Unique classes like Arcane Warrior weren't just about skills—they boosted growth rates. Unlocking one meant four stat points and two skill points per level, a massive jump from the Combat Mage's two and one.
And that was before even thinking about Legendary classes, which could push someone to near godhood. Legendary wasn't just strong—it was "break the game over your knee" strong.
"Yeah… let's not get ahead of ourselves," Luke said, stretching his arms over the couch. "Legendary is still a long grind away. You don't just unlock it by snapping your fingers—it's basically its own mini-game of requirements."
A flicker of regret crossed his face. "Maybe I made this too hard on myself. Could've just coded in a one-click god-mode, but nooo… I had to go full old-school RPG. Realistic progression, realistic grind. Fun."
Letting out a sigh, he stared at the ceiling. "Alright… aim for Level 14 before leaving this world. That'll give me a nice stat boost. If I bag a few bonus points along the way, Arcane Warrior, here I come."
As he drifted toward sleep, his mind wandered. Lucian—the feared Lycan leader—came to mind. Killing him had to be worth a big payout, maybe 50,000 EXP. The guy was the first of his kind, able to transform seamlessly between human and werewolf.
Then there was the mysterious figure—the first immortal, the origin of the Corvinus bloodline. If Marcus was worth 70,000 EXP, then his father had to be at least 90 to 100 thousand.
Luke smirked. "Find them both, and I'm hitting Level 14 easy."
The smirk faded. "Finding them… now that's the hard part."
He opened his status screen one last time, placing his points: four into Strength, four into Endurance.
[Class: Combat Mage]
[Level: 12]
[Exp: 38,300 / 204,800]
[HP: 228 / 228]
[MP: 1900 / 1900]
[Stamina: 159 / 159]
[Strength: 18]
[Agility: 12]
[Endurance: 17]
[Intelligence: 19]
[Wisdom: 18]
[Luck: 7]
[Unallocated Stat Points: 0]
[Unallocated Skill Points: 8]
[Skills: Basic Martial Arts, Fire Fist, Fireball, Fire Kick, Flame Sweep, Heat Burst, Blazing Dash, Stone Spike, Stone Skin, Quake]
[Passive Skills: Heart of the Infinite Well]
[Equipment: Arcane Catalyst Gloves (Basic), Combat Mage Coat (Basic), Mage's Boots (Basic)]
With that done, he shut the screen and closed his eyes, letting the exhaustion from the day finally wash over him.