Jack stared at the blazing pearl. It pulsed like a contained star. Radiating ancient power and heat.
Rune had confirmed. It wasn't the cause of the Twilight Death. But it was undeniably something. And it was undeniably valuable.
"Not the Twilight Death, huh?" Jack muttered.
He took another cautious step. The air around the pearl was thick. Almost tangible. Filled with energy. It buzzed against his skin. A faint tingle that resonated with his human form.
Instinct, or perhaps some deeper, innate drive for power, pulled him closer. This wasn't just a shiny object. It was definitely an object of power.
Jack extended a hand. Slowly. Deliberately. His fingertips brushed the surface of the pearl.
There was no heat. No pain. Only an immediate, overwhelming surge of power. It wasn't electric kind of power. It was a raw, fundamental force. One that coursed through his arm. Through his core. And then exploded within his very being.
The cavern brightened immeasurably. Briefly blinding him. Then, the world changed.
A blaring, insistent alarm ripped through his vision. It wasn't just text on a panel. It was an urgent chimes blaring in his mind. And a deep, resonant voice that echoed in his soul.
[DRACONIC PRIMORDIAL FIRE DETECTED!]
[FUSION INITIATED!]
Jack froze. His body locked up. His muscles went rigid. Unable to move. The pearl was now pulsing violently. He felt a profound disorientation. A sense of his very essence being unraveled and rewoven.
Rune, startled by the sudden outburst of energy, zipped away. Orbiting him anxiously. Her light was flickering through a spectrum of panicked colors.
An energy cocoon erupted around Jack. A swirling vortex of golden light and smoldering embers. It wasn't merely encasing him. It felt like it was consuming him. And being consumed at the same time. It was... fusing with him.
He could feel supernatural energy manifesting and the burning themselves into his essence. It was intense. Almost painful. But beneath the discomfort, there was an exhilarating sense of power building within him.
Jack's mind raced. He knew what had happened. This was another primordial fire. Just like when he was in the prehistoric world. Inside the volcano. The primordial fire that time made his Undead Draugr form evolved into his Black Buto form. What about this time?
The process felt like an eternity. Though logic told him it was probably only moments. The cocoon pulsed. Shrieked. Then imploded inwards. Merging with him.
Another notification appeared.
[FUSION COMPLETED!]
Jack leaned against the cold skull of the dragon. Catching his breath. His head spun. He felt his senses were heightened. The cavern walls seemed to breathe. The ancient dust shimmered with latent magic.
He looked at Rune, who now hovered closer. Her light was a reassuring, solid green.
The system, however, wasn't done with its announcements. Before he could fully digest what had happened with him, another message materialized. Floating serenely before his eyes.
[AVAILABLE SECONDARY CLASS FOR TRANSCENDENT HUMAN] CHOOSE ONE:
[MARTIAL MONK]
[MYSTIC SCHOLAR]
[TREASURE HUNTER]
[PRIMAL SORCERER]
[PRIMORDIAL WARRIOR]
Jack blinked. A secondary class? He already had Steamrune Engineer as his primary human transcendent class.
He mentally scrolled through the options. His mind quickly assessing each one. Sifting through the potential and implications.
Mystic Scholar... That was the first to be dismissed. While the idea of delving deeper into the Mystic Arts was tempting, it felt redundant. His Jack Mystery persona already covered much of that ground.
Primordial Warrior... It was similarly placed on the back burner. He had his Judge Jack persona. The Black Buto. The hulking rakshasa. This form was already a Primordial Warrior. The embodiment of direct physical clash and overwhelming strength.
If he needed the power of a Primordial Warrior, he could just transform into his Black Buto form. Redundant class was not necessary for him.
Martial Monk... It stirred a different kind of thought. This class was different. It could channel inner energy into devastating strikes and precise maneuvers. It could harness the power of Ki. Inner power.
But it required dedication, meditation, a certain ascetic lifestyle. Jack scoffed internally. Discipline? He barely had time to manage his existing forms and his Steamrune projects. Let alone dedicate himself to years of serene martial arts training.
No, Martial Monk was unfortunately not for him.
That left Primal Sorcerer and Treasure Hunter.
Primal Sorcerer... sounded intriguing. Also known as Supernatural Sorcerer, it was a class that harnessed and exercised innate supernatural talent. It would likely allow him to gain random supernatural powers.
This held appeal. Random powers could be incredibly useful. They could offer unexpected solutions to unpredictable problems. Although it could be useless too.
It was indeed a wildcard. And Jack appreciated a good wildcard. It would definitely diversify his abilities. Giving him access to power beyond his current abilities.
But then, Treasure Hunter... This class caught his eye. He hadn't encountered this class before. It was an unknown. And this unknown Treasure Hunter, to Jack, was the most fascinating.
A Treasure Hunter. What kind of a transcendent class would it be? Was it one who gained probability power to find more loot? Did it offer something more profound than simple material gain?
The very name implied something related to wealth. Perhaps an innate connection to the valuable. Or perhaps a link to even more magical, objects.
This class felt like it could synergize well with his existent Steamrune Engineer class. It sounded less flashy than a sorcerer. But it could potentially be more fundamentally useful to his overarching goals.
He weighed them. Primal Sorcerer. Or Treasure Hunter.
"Rune!" He mused aloud. Turning to the fairy guide. "What do you think is better? Treasure Hunter? Or Primal Sorcerer?"
Rune zipped around him. Her light was cycling through shades of a thoughtful yellow. Then it settled on a vibrant orange. Indicating curiosity and a slight leaning towards the unknown.
"So, you like the unknown too, huh?" Jack chuckled softly.
He quickly made the decision. It felt right after all. He mentally chose the [TREASURE HUNTER].
A short, almost imperceptible chime sounded. The class selection panel vanished. Replaced by an updated system notification that flashed into existence.
[SECONDARY CLASS ACQUIRED!]
[SETTING TRANSCENDENT CLASSES... COMPLETED!]
[PRIMARY CLASS: STEAMRUNE ENGINEER]
[SECONDARY CLASS: TREASURE HUNTER]
Jack focused his intention. The system notification immediately shifted into his System Panel.
[CHARACTER STATUS]
[Name: Jack Night]
[Incarnation Type: Human]
[Persona: Jack Night]
[Race: Transcendent Human]
[Primary Class: Steamrune Engineer]
[Secondary Class: Treasure Hunter]
...
But, before he could scanned further down the list, another barrage of system notifications appeared.
[DRACONIC PRIMORDIAL FIRE AFTER-EFFECT DISCOVERED!]
[INCREASING PERMANENT ATTRIBUTES...]
[FOR CURRENT INCARNATION... INCREASING ATTRIBUTE: PHYSIQUE]
[FOR CURRENT INCARNATION... INCREASING ATTRIBUTE: MYSTICISM]
[FOR CURRENT INCARNATION... INCREASING ATTRIBUTE: PASSION]
Jack immediately re-entered his Status Panel and checked his attribute changes.
[Archetype: Mortal Creature]
[Power Source: Spirit of Judgement]
[Attributes: Physique (92) Mysticism (92) Passion (92) Essence (99)]
[Karma: Positive]
"Well, that's a nice baseline bonus." Jack quickly noted.
Each of his core attributes, Physique, Mysticism, and Passion, had jumped up by two points. Bringing them all to a respectable 92.
He felt the subtle shift. A reinforcement of his physical prowess. A deepening of his connection to the mystical. And a surge in his conviction and willpower. The fusion and the class selection had definitely enhanced him across the board.
Now, for the main event... What did being a Treasure Hunter actually do? He focused. And a detailed description of his new secondary class appeared.
[Secondary Class: Treasure Hunter. A rare transcendent class that grants the ability to comprehend the inspiration of valuable objects and manifest their power. Upon touching an item deemed to have enough value, the Treasure Hunter has a chance to generate a unique 'Spell Card' encapsulating a facet of that item's power. Each Spell Card possesses its own distinct magical effect, activation requirements, and cooldown period.]
Jack's eyes widened. "Spell Cards?" He grinned.
This was far more interesting than what he had anticipated. He he could weaponize acquired treasure. Or at least harness their properties.
It meant that every unique artifact he encountered, every strange fragment of forgotten history, could potentially become a new ability in his arsenal. This wasn't just about gaining great loot. It was about acquiring additional power from that loot.
And then, he looked at the gigantic skeleton of the dragon right in front of him. It was a treasure, wasn't it? He immediately touched the skull again.
Sure enough, a new panel shimmered into view. Distinct from the previous system notifications. It was now emblazoned with an ornate border.
[NEW SPELL CARD ACQUIRED!]
[SPELL CARD: DRAGON'S LULLABY]
A fancy tarot-like card appeared. Hovering on air in front of him. It had a classic painting of a sleeping dragon on one of its side. Jack immediately activated his [Eyes of Judgement]...
[Spell Card: Dragon's Lullaby]
[Type: Supporting/Healing]
[Effect: Releases a potent, ancient draconic melody that bypasses conventional defenses and directly targets the subconscious mind. Target(s) affected will immediately fall into a deep, tranquil sleep. While under the effect of Dragon's Lullaby, the recipient's natural rate of recovery is increased by a thousand-fold. Mending wounds, restoring stamina, and alleviating exhaustion at an accelerated pace.]
[Requirement: Usable by any transcendent who has seen a dragon or the physical remains of a dragon. Caster must possess a minimum Mysticism of 30.]
[Cooldown: 7 hours per use.]
Jack stared at the description. A thousand-fold recovery? This wasn't just a sleep spell. It was a potent healing and restorative ability. Disguised as a sedative. It could be used to incapacitate foes without lethal force.
But its true power lay in that insane recovery rate. Imagine using that on Reina after a tough battle. Or on himself after pushing his limits. A seven-hour cooldown was completely acceptable for such a powerful effect.
The activation requirement was also interesting. Usable by any transcendent who has seen a dragon or the physical remains of a dragon. The one in front of him was the remains of a dragon.
He had seen it. So, he qualified. But, this also meant that if he ever wanted anyone else to be able to use this spell card, he could just bring them here.
That was only if they met the Mysticism requirement, obviously. But a minimum Mysticism of 30? Anyone who could use grimoire should basically have Mysticism above 30. He could bring Reina here.