Glory's Light was in high spirits, he had finally become an apprentice of the Crimson Mage Tower.
A Mage Apprentice. That's right, he had succeeded in these past few days in joining that powerful mage tower and had officially changed his class to the most elite of careers: a Mage.
A noble apprentice of the Crimson Mage Tower!
Hahaha! Thinking about this, Glory's Light, lying in a small private room within the apprentice quarters of the Crimson Mage Tower, nearly burst out into a triumphant laugh.
He felt certain the Goddess of Luck had smiled upon him.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would actually class-change into a mage. A mage, of all things!
When he first started playing Glory, Glory's Light didn't think much of it. What's the big deal with class changes? he thought.
Just find a trainer, do a few quests, pay some money, and boom, class change complete.
But then he realized how wrong he had been. Utterly, absurdly wrong.
Forget the class trainers, he didn't even know how to ask for directions, and as for doing quests? As a Level 1 commoner, even just talking to NPCs was a nightmare. They wouldn't even look at him, only gave him scornful, dismissive stares.
His ragged linen clothes had NPCs mistaking him for a refugee.
The game's sheer realism hit him like a brick wall.
Thankfully, after queueing at the gates of the Crimson Mage Tower for two days straight, he finally earned the right to take the test.
And by sheer luck, he was accepted as a member of the Crimson Mage Tower. As recognition, he was taught Meditation.
He even received a cup of pale, white magical potion as a reward.
Just like that, he had class-changed into a Mage Apprentice, a noble Mage Apprentice!
It was the most common phrase he'd heard these past few days among the apprentices.
We are noble mages, spellcasters. Not the lowly warriors and rogues.
The deeper he delved into this world, the more Glory's Light began to realize just how hardcore this game truly was.
Among all professions in Glory, mages held the highest status.
Even a Level 1 Mage Apprentice could look down on a Level 5 Intermediate Warrior. Even if the warrior could beat the mage black and blue, that didn't matter. Status-wise, the mage was superior.
Everyone around him seemed to think the same. No one questioned the arrogance of the mages.
Glory's Light had once tried to defend warriors, only to be met with contemptuous glances and sneers.
Eventually, he could only grumble in silence and feel secretly delighted that he, too, was part of this noble class.
Sure, he had only just learned Meditation and was still a complete beginner, but he was a member of the elite now, wasn't he?
He even took a moment of silent pity for the players who'd chosen to class-change into warriors. From the NPCs' attitudes alone, it was obvious what kind of social tier warriors occupied in Glory. Their road ahead would not be easy.
"Glory's Light, you only meditated for three sun-hours today. You need to make up for it tomorrow, or your monthly subsidy will be docked by five Silver Pucks."
Just as Glory's Light was basking in satisfaction, a small, thin figure stood at his doorway, speaking with an annoyed tone.
"And Lord Hertz hates slackers more than anything. If you don't perform, you'll never enter the Magic Factory and become a real member of the Crimson Mage Tower."
Damn it. Meditation again!
Groaning, Glory's Light buried his head in his blanket. "I get it, I'll make up for it…"
If there was one thing he hated most in Glory, it was Meditation. It was monotonous, boring, and painfully tedious.
He just couldn't understand how a game would actually force players to sit still for hours to learn something as ridiculous as "magic."
The devs had to be out of their minds.
But no matter what he thought, the system wouldn't change. He had no choice but to learn and endure it.
And in this hyper-realistic game world, the requirement of meditating to learn magic didn't feel out of place at all.
In fact, if he could learn spells instantly with a ding, that would've felt fake.
Still, studying magic was painfully difficult.
The complexity of magic nodes filled him with both fascination and frustration.
His dream of dominating the world had already been beaten into the much simpler goal of just surviving tomorrow.
"Fine, I'll supervise you tomorrow." The thin boy's tone paused briefly. Then he gave Glory's Light a stern look.
"Glory's Light, I know I'm saying a lot, but as your companion, I have to speak up.
You can work harder. You should work harder."
His voice began to rise, growing more emotional.
"If it weren't for Lord Li De's generosity in accepting many students with average talent, neither you nor I would have become noble Mage Apprentices.
You're in the Crimson Mage Tower, one of the best towers in this entire city.
Do you have any idea how many people in Green City would kill for the opportunity you've been given?
And yet, you're wasting time. Slacking off. I honestly can't understand why you're acting this way.
Do you think becoming a mage is something you can just bluff your way through?"
Hearing the boy's rebuke, Glory's Light turned his head, slightly stunned.
Sunlight filtered through the window, illuminating the figure at his door. The boy's expression, disappointed and intense suddenly struck a deep chord in his heart.
There was something too real in that expression. In this moment, Glory's Light couldn't even bring himself to think of the boy as an NPC.
This game… really was too hardcore.