In the forest, resting on the grass, three young adventurers lay back after finishing a small yet satisfying feast.
Aron sat against the trunk of a tree, while his sister lay beside him, her head resting on his arm.
Twig, on the other hand, lay on the grass under the sunlight, protected only by the shade of the leaves above. With his hands behind his head, he watched the branches sway and thought,
"That meal was so good... man, it was really good. But I really miss the food from my old world... I'd kill for a pizza, a cheeseburger, a hot dog... heck, even some popcorn. God, I miss eating meat. I'm so tired of these leftover chicken scraps. Those guests always leave the tiniest bits on their plates… cold and dry, and always the worst parts. I can't take it anymore."
"Then again, now that I think about it, since some monsters drop apples, carrots, and potatoes, surely there must be some monster that drops meat too. Hmm, wait a second… oh, right! Baby Wolfs drop meat. Can't wait to kill a few wolf pups. No, wait— not Stark pups! I'm not that cruel. That's Lannister stuff, haha."
Aron and Jenny watched their friend laughing to himself like a lunatic, daydreaming.
Once they were ready, the children packed up their belongings. Jenny and Aron looked at Twig expectantly, and he simply smiled, nodding while extending his hands.
They understood the signal. It was time to repeat the same ritual from the day before— the way to return to that magical world of adventure, the cave where the monsters roamed.
Holding hands, they formed a small circle, as if about to start a little dance.
In his mind, Twig activated the Kafra teleportation skill, and in an instant, the group was transported back into the cave to continue their grind.
Already inside the dungeon, Twig handed his friends the swords he kept in his inventory so they could fight alongside him.
However, he warned them not to start fighting yet. He told them to ignore the Porings and the Lunatics and go straight to the end, where the Willows awaited.
Those were much stronger monsters, and the reward would be worth it, at least in experience. He couldn't exactly explain that, though, so he kept it to himself.
Following Twig's instructions, the group pushed deeper into the cave.
It didn't take long before they encountered the first Willows, and the chopping, or rather, the fighting, began.
While the three youths calmly farmed those damned tree monsters, Twig quickly gathered a decent amount of experience.
It wasn't long before he leveled up his Base Level, though his Job Level still needed a little more.
"Man, I love that perk where you recover all your HP and SP when you level up. It's so refreshing... feels like I just had a full night's sleep."
They'd been fighting and grinding for over an hour and a half when Twig finally reached Job Level 9. Curious about his new ability, he thought, "Skills."
[Ding!]
Novice Skill Lv. 8 – Limit Break
System User: Can select multiple classes after completing requirements. Each additional class increases Job Level EXP requirements by 20%.
Non-System Users: Gain the passive skill [Lucky Strike], with a 30-day cooldown. Allows a random enemy who, when defeated, will drop all possible items, ignoring normal drop rates.
"System... I'm blown away by this skill."
"I can have every class in the game... I could be a warrior mage! I could mix and match different abilities. The possibilities are endless!"
"And on top of that, when my friends reach level 9 and get this skill, once a month, when they defeat an enemy, they'll drop every possible item— rare gear, cards... wow, the sky's the limit!"
[Ding!]
"Host, calm yourself. Indeed, this skill is very useful. However, if you analyze it carefully, you'll notice some nuances and limitations."
[Ding!]
"Yes, your friends can obtain all possible drops from a monster. However, it's random. They might get it from a powerful monster with amazing loot, or they might get nothing at all. Then, when the next Poring is defeated, the skill could activate and all they'd get are Poring drops. So it's not exactly an almighty skill; it depends entirely on luck."
[Ding!]
"As for you being able to obtain all classes— yes, in theory, you could become invincible if you maxed them all. But consider this: for every new class acquired, your required experience increases by 20%. And if you try to level multiple classes simultaneously, the experience will be divided between them."
[Ding!]
"In other words, you can't level up more than one class at a time, especially at these early stages. The cost is too high. Your growth will slow— even stagnate."
"Damn it, system. Way to ruin my excitement. I got all hyped up for nothing."
"Yeah... logically speaking, it's a good skill, but it's got a lot of drawbacks."
"Man, I really wanted to be a battle mage... I'll have to max out one class first before switching, or I'll just get stuck."
BAM! The sound of wood cracking echoed through the cave.
Aron had just cleaved a Willow clean in half with a solid swing when he noticed Twig standing still, lost in thought. That caught his attention.
Moments later, Jenny— who had just defeated her own Willow— noticed it too. She glanced at her brother, then at Twig, her eyes full of curiosity.
Aron stepped closer and asked, "Twig, why'd you stop? What are you thinking about? Come on, man, I'm feeling stronger! You were right— sorry for doubting you. After all those Willows, I really feel it. It's amazing!"
Jenny nodded. "Yeah, me too. I can tell I've gotten stronger."
Snapping out of it, Twig refocused on the dungeon.
"See, guys? I told you. Never doubt me! Why would I lie to you?"
He smiled, but in his thoughts, he muttered, "Well, of course they feel stronger... they leveled up. Obviously. Damn, I can't tell them that. It's too complicated to explain."
The chopping resumed with full force.
There were so many Willows that even after cutting down dozens, they kept respawning almost immediately.
The cave felt endless, just like one of those infinite spawn maps from Ragnarok Online.
After a short rest, they fought for another two and a half hours.
Altogether, they'd been grinding for more than four hours straight inside the dungeon.
The mental exhaustion was setting in.
Even though their levels were rising, their minds could no longer handle the constant combat. Focus and alertness were fading fast.
Jenny eventually sat down to recover— for her, this was more than enough for one day.
Twig, however, could feel he was close to reaching Job Level 10 and finishing his novice class progression. "Just a little more… just a little more," he thought, determined.
Aron was exhausted too, but seeing Twig push on, he didn't want to look weak.
So he gritted his teeth, raised his sword once more, and kept fighting alongside his friend, cutting down monster after monster.
When Twig finally reached Novice Level 10, Aron was already sitting beside his sister, who had long since given up. For today, they'd had more than enough.
Satisfied with the result, Twig sat down, drained, to recover some energy.
Seeing him stop, Aron and Jenny both sighed in relief.
"Phew! Finally, he stopped…"
Aron looked at him. "Twig, we're done for today, right? Can we go now? I'm exhausted."
Jenny, frowning, added, "Yeah, come on, let's go already. I'm starving."
Twig chuckled. "Alright, alright. We're done. Just let me rest a bit before we head back to the entrance."
"Sure."
"Okay," they said.
"I'll take advantage of the break and check out this new skill I got. Maybe it's something special. Let's see… Skill."
[Ding!]
Novice Skill Lv. 9 – Master Apprentice
Congratulations! There is nothing left to learn. You may now begin quests of your choice to advance to the next class.
Twig's excitement was immense.
Finally, he could choose the class that would grant him the power to become invincible— or at least start grinding toward it.
"System, system!" he thought eagerly. "I want to choose my class! How do I do it? How does it work?"
[Ding!]
"Host, to define your class, you must indicate the one you desire. Once chosen, a mission will be generated, and upon completion, you will acquire the next class."
[Ding!]
"Host, before you proceed, I must warn you. This is an important notice regarding your friends."
"Your friends cannot select their own class, as they lack a system capable of assigning classes or generating quests. Since you shared your novice abilities with them, the first class you choose will automatically be assigned to them as a default class. When they reach Job Level 10, they will inherit that class without the need for quests."
[Ding!]
"Therefore, your current choice will determine their path. Will you choose the class you want? The one you like? Or the one that allows your friends to grow stronger?"
"Even if you later reach high levels with this class, you'll still be able to learn others. However, your friends won't— they'll be bound by your decision."
"The choice is yours, Host. Do as you wish. But be warned— choose carefully, so you don't regret it later."
"No way, system… that's not possible. What do you mean?"
[Ding!]
"Dear Host, the class you select will determine how your friends evolve."
[Ding!]
"For example, if you choose the Mage class, you'll gain access to magical skills and active abilities. They, however, will not. Their progression is entirely passive. They cannot cast spells or access skill upgrades."
[Ding!]
"Their growth happens automatically and is extremely limited. Without a system of their own, their power increases only through passive activation."
[Ding!]
"The system recommends that, if the host wishes to help his friends as much as himself, he should choose a class that offers high combat and survival value, and evolves efficiently through passive means."
[Ding!]
"The main options are: Swordsman, Archer, Thief, and Merchant."
"Damn it... I really thought that in a world of swords like this, I could become a great mage. I mean... I still can, just not yet. What a bummer."
"I don't know what to do with this system. I wanted so badly to use magic... Of course, nothing against knights or archers— normal classes and all— but I wanted to cast spells so bad…"
"Still, I guess the right thing is to pick a class that benefits everyone. It's not like I'd be weak if I chose one of those."
"Alright then… I just need to think carefully about which one to pick. That way, I can choose something I like— and something that helps my friends too."
Jenny and Aron noticed their friend sitting quietly, making strange faces of discomfort.
Jenny was the first to ask, "Twig, are you okay? You feeling something? Did something happen?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Twig looked at her and smiled. "No, Jenny, I'm fine. I was just thinking."
Aron tilted his head. "Thinking about what? What we'll eat when we get back to the inn?"
Jenny immediately perked up at the mention of food. "Ah, I can't wait to get back! I'll cook something good for us."
Twig laughed. "You two only think about food, huh?"
"What else is there to think about? We're tired and hungry," Aron replied.
"Well, I think we should be thinking about our future. Don't you agree?" Twig said.
"Our future?" Aron repeated. "What do you mean, our future?"
"Yeah, Aron. We're getting stronger, right? Soon, stronger enemies will appear. So what do you think— swords? Bows and arrows? Maybe daggers? Or a mighty axe to crush our foes?"
Jenny frowned, confused. "What are you talking about, Twig? Axes? Swords? What does that have to do with our future?"
"Yeah, Twig, what's going on?" Aron asked.
"Nothing, really," Twig said quickly. "I was just wondering what kind of weapons we should use in the future to get stronger."
Aron grinned. "A sword is a knight's best friend. You know I want to be a great knight, right?"
Hearing his friend talk about his dream, Twig paused for a moment, looking at him.
"A great knight, huh? Well... to become a knight, you first have to be a swordsman. And Jenny, with swordswoman abilities, would be really powerful too. She could protect herself and fight off evildoers, like Xena, the one she admires so much. That'd be a great path for her."
Looking at his friend admiring the sword in his hand, Twig smiled.
He thought to himself, "It's decided then."
"System, I made my choice, begin the quest to obtain the Swordsman Job."
[Ding!]
"Host acknowledged. Initiating quest: The Path of the Sword."