Luke raised his sword, knowing they had no choice but to fight the serpent. It hadn’t even fully raised itself out of the ground before it let out a hiss and struck out towards Johnny with its maw wide open.
Luke ignored the alarming strike, trusting Johnny to take care of himself. He ran forward and sliced at the snake’s body but for the first time, his sword failed him and only left a shallow cut. Luke didn’t dare make another attempt and quickly stepped back.
Johnny had been able to dodge the snake’s attack thanks to the training over the last few days but he was soon targeted once more. For the next minute, Luke, Matt and Jim all tried their best to damage the serpent or at least distract it but it was drawn to Johnny like a moth to a flame.
“He’s gonna slip up eventually!” screamed a frustrated Matt.
Jim didn’t say anything, he was entirely focused on firing arrows, hoping it would have some effect. Luke stayed silent as well, but he was deep in thought.
The only reason it’s struggling to kill Johnny is because its movement is restricted. So why won’t it fully draw itself out of the ground?
“When it gives chase, you two follow and keep trying to distract it!” shouted Luke.
“What?!” cried Matt.
“Johnny, stop trying to stay near us. Run!” shouted Luke.
As soon as he heard that, Johnny immediately bolted away as fast as he could. Matt and Jim understood what he meant and followed his instructions as well.
The serpent continued to strike at Johnny without fully exiting the ground for as long as it could, deepening Luke’s suspicion. Finally, it could no longer reach its target and had to draw itself out of the ground.
Time seemed to slow down for Luke as more and more of the serpent’s body was revealed. He desperately scanned its figure, searching for something that stood out. At last, it fully came out of the ground, revealing the golden orb at the tip of its tail.
This has to work he prayed before he swung at the orange sized ball.
The second it was hit, the orb burst apart like a balloon. A horrid screech erupted from the creature as it crashed to the ground and thrashed about like a fish out of the water. A few seconds later, its struggle ended and it stopped moving.
Luke let out a laugh, a laugh of immense relief. Jim cheered and Matt threw his weapon aside to clap his hands in joy. Luke was about to check on Johnny when at last, a long awaited set of notifications arrived.
*You have slain [Horned Serpent (Lvl.2)], 49,000 EXP earned*
*You have reached level 10, stats allocated, free point earned*
*Classes available, choose now?*
After waiting this long, Luke didn’t even think about it before he agreed aloud.
“YES!”
What he didn’t expect was that instead of a new screen appearing, a strange mist started to form around him. As the white mist rose, the last thing Luke saw before he was completely enveloped by it was Johnny running up to the serpent’s corpse and sticking his head into its mouth.
Typical Johnny, being a weirdo thought Luke with a sigh.
A second later, he was no longer in the forest. Luke shook his head, feeling a bit dazed as he looked around. He was now in a room that reminded him of a psych ward. It was sickeningly white, white walls, white floors and a white ceiling.
However, there was something far more interesting in the room that drew his attention away from the lack of color. Luke felt a little creeped out as he walked towards the three clones of himself that were standing a few feet away from him.
The one on the left was wearing a full set of shiny armor and holding a sword that looked even better than his current weapon. The one in the middle was shirtless and barefoot but aside from that, looked exactly like his current self. Lastly, the one on the right was wearing a black hooded robe and carrying a shorter sword.
Luke stared at the blank faced clones, looking into their empty eyes and feeling more and more creeped out. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do, he just hoped they wouldn’t come to life and attack him.
Out of curiosity, Luke poked the clone on the left to see if it was just an illusion and that’s when something finally happened.
Class: Swordsman
Class type: Warrior
Class tier: Rank 1, Special class
Description: There is a certain simplicity in slicing, cutting and stabbing your way to victory but be warned, perfectly handling a sword is anything but simple.
Requirements: [Swordsmanship (Lvl.20)], all stats above 15, strength and agility above 20.
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Stats granted: +5 to all stats, +8 vitality and stamina, +10 strength and toughness, +12 agility.
Skills granted: N/A
Abilities granted:
[Cut (Lvl.1)]- The quintessential ability of a swordsman, [Cut] does exactly what you think it does and when trained to a high level, it can cut through more than just the physical.
Luke grinned at the information, he knew right then and there that he’d probably choose this one but of course, he still wanted to check out the others. He poked the clone in the middle and instantly, the screen in front of him changed.
Class: Brawler
Class type: Warrior
Class tier: Rank 1, Special class
Description: Sometimes it’s best to get down and dirty with your opponent. Why use weapons and armor when your body is stronger than any such trinket?
Requirements: [Unarmed combat (Lvl.20)], all stats above 15, toughness above 20.
Stats granted: +5 to all stats, +10 stamina, agility and strength, +15 toughness
Skills granted: N/A
Abilities granted:
[Heavy strike (Lvl.1)]- The quintessential ability of a brawler, [Heavy strike] is proof that sometimes crushing weight outclasses cutting power. A true brawler can flatten mountains with this simple yet effective ability.
Perfect for Johnny but he doesn’t qualify thought Luke, making a mental note to make Johnny practice his unarmed combat more. Luke poked the last figure, now even more sure that he’d pick swordsman.
Class: Rogue
Class type: Rogue
Class tier: Rank 1, Basic class
Description: Fighting fair? Who came up with such a stupid idea? A clever man knows that shadows and deception are his best friends in this cruel world.
Requirements: [Stealth (Lvl.10)], all stats above 10.
Stats granted: +3 to all stats, + 5 agility and perception.
Skills granted: N/A
Abilities granted:
[Cloak (Lvl.1)]- Stealth taken to the extreme, [Cloak] allows its user to become so unnoticeable that at the higher levels, you could tap dance in front of someone and they’d still be completely oblivious to your presence.
This one kinda sucks thought Luke, though he supposed that was to be expected from a basic class without stringent requirements. He removed his hand from his clone’s face and as soon as he did, he received a notification from the system.
*Would you like to choose [Swordsman] as your class?*
Yes thought Luke.
*Acquired class [Swordsman]*
*Requirements met, you have reached rank 1*
*Gained title [Ranker]*
As the notifications flashed out of his vision, Luke almost fell down from the massive surge of power he was experiencing. Nothing he’d felt while levelling up had come close to what he felt now, the increase in his stats was incredible.
Status he thought excitedly.
STATUS
Name: Luke Carpenter
Race: Human (Lesser)
Level: 10
Rank: 1
Class: Swordsman
Health: 100%
Stamina: 89%
Mana Reserves: 100%
Free points: 1
Skill points: 0
STATS
Strength: 48
Agility: 48
Toughness: 48
Stamina: 47
Vitality: 40
Perception: 42
Soul: 40
Spirit: 37
SKILLS
[Unarmed Combat (Lvl.21)]- One does not need a weapon if they can truly harvest the power within their body…You currently possess moderate skill in unarmed combat
[Swordsmanship (Lvl.22)]- The sword can split oceans when used by a Master but fail to cut wood when used by a novice…You currently possess moderate skill in swordsmanship
[Stealth (Lvl.12)]- A foe that is strong from ahead may be weak from behind… You currently possess moderate skill in stealth
[Tracking (Lvl.14)]-Great opportunities come to those who look for them…You currently possess basic skill in tracking
ABILITIES
Active:
[Analyze (Lvl.1)]- A crucial ability for those who intend to survive their battles, [Analyze] allows you to focus on any object or being and attempt to discern information about them, such as their stats or level.
[Dark vision]- An ability that all adventurers must possess, [Dark vision] allows you to see perfectly in the dark, even when there is no light whatsoever.
[Cut (Lvl.1)]- The quintessential ability of a swordsman, [Cut] does exactly what you think it does and when trained to a high level it can cut through more than just the physical.
Passive:
[All speak]- A gift to adventurers who roam far and wide, [All speak] allows you to speak and understand all languages, except the tongues that have a power of their own.
TITLES
[Champion of the third village]- A title granted to the very best of the third village, the champion. The effects of this title will be revealed as the games progress.
[Outworlder]- A title granted to those who are not of this world, to those who were brought here by unknown forces for mysterious reasons… It grants its wielder the abilities [Analyse] and [Allspeak].
[Night Hunter]- A title granted to those who have slain a monster in the darkness, a sign of great courage and perhaps poor judgement…Grants the ability [Dark vision]
[Ranker]- A title granted to those who have truly stepped on the path to power, those who have acquired a class and are ready to pursue even greater goals…+10 to all stats.
Luke grinned at the changes, he had a very strong and perhaps delusional feeling that he could beat the horned serpent with ease now. He may have spent a few hours fantasizing about slaying dragons and splitting mountains apart with his new strength if not for the fact that he saw his surroundings start to spin.
Soon, Luke was out of the “psych ward” and back in the forest. He didn’t see Johnny but he spotted Matt and Jim a couple dozen feet away and so he walked over to ask if they’d levelled up.
“I am now a badass assassin!” bragged Matt, answering Luke’s question before he even asked.
“And I am an even more badass archer!” declared Jim.
“Where is Johnny?” asked Luke, trying to distract Jim and Matt before they started bickering about who was more badass.
“Who knows? We at least know he’s alive, I saw him do some degenerate shit with that thing” said Jim nodding towards the serpent’s corpse.
“He’s always been fascinated by reptiles” muttered Matt.
“I know, I just didn’t think he was that into them” said Luke, with an involuntary shiver.
“Should we just go back? I think he realized he’s a freak and ran back to the village out of shame” said Jim.
“We’ll wait a few more minutes” said Luke, even though he wholeheartedly believed Jim’s theory.
A few minutes quickly passed and just when they were about to leave, they heard some strange squelching noises coming from the serpent’s corpse. Instantly, they became serious and drew their weapons, ready to fight…Johnny?
Luke could barely recognize the man that crawled out of the snake’s mouth. It wasn’t just that he was covered in blood, aside from a few defining characteristics, Johnny looked like a completely different person.
“Well guys, don’t I look cool?” he asked with a casual smile, making Matt and Jim sputter.
Luke narrowed his eyes as he took in the changes. He noted the pale skin and waist length hair, coupled with a figure that was even more slender than before. After that, he answered the question.
“No, you look like a femboy”