"I don't want to stay in the wasteland. I want to go to Tai'an City!"
Huaxia Empire, Sanjiang Province, beneath the walls of Tai'an City!
On a simple stone platform, an 18-year-old youth, his eyes red, gazed at the faint light of the Class Transfer Stone before him. His body trembled uncontrollably, his voice hoarse and desperate!
[Xu San, Subsistence Class, Butcher! E-Rank, Unqualified!]
The thousands of people watching below shifted their figures, their eyes filled with a sense of grief.
"Your talent is too low. You must be C-ranked to even have a chance to enter the city!"
"Still a Subsistence Class. If you're in the city, you still have a chance, but surviving outside is difficult!"
"How could it be that easy? This is already my 35th Subsistence Class!"
At the end of the crowd, a young man in a black robe, his face handsome, stood straight, like a pine tree.
A pair of complex eyes, seemingly brimming with experience, reveal an unspoken sense of vicissitude, belying his tender 18-year-old face.
"Almost there!"
Lin Ran appeared calm on the surface, but within he couldn't suppress his excitement.
Since he opened his eyes in this body called Lin Ran, he had lived in a wasteland infested by monsters. Over the years, he had come to understand what this world was like.
This world was integrated with the game, and all humans would change their classes at the age of 18.
Slay monsters in the wild, in mutated space dungeons, and in secret realms to gain experience, learn new skills, and continuously hone your skills, gradually advancing and becoming stronger, protecting humanity's last pure land!
The chances of an ordinary human surviving a mutated monster were practically zero. Changing classes gave humans the ability to fight them, and for homeless wanderers, it was a crucial guarantee of survival!
Classes can be generally divided into three types: attack classes, support classes, and life classes!
Attack classes, led by elemental mages and paladins, have always been popular among all classes, offering high damage, high growth potential, and being the vanguard against monsters.
Of course, this doesn't mean support classes are unimportant. While they lack the inherent aura of attack classes, in certain situations, support classes can even outperform them.
Life classes aren't as bleak as rumors suggest. For example, an alchemist, refining potions, can thrive anywhere. Switching to a chef, while not making a fortune, at least they won't starve.
Any class has the potential to shine in the right position!
And at the bottom of this world are the homeless wanderers, left homeless by monster attacks!
Without an identity, they can't enter the main city and can only scrape by living outside it. Switching classes offers them hope. Switching to a C-rank class offers them the opportunity to study at a city university, gain a new identity, and start anew!
No longer living next door to monsters, facing the daily threat of death.
"Throw him out!"
In the blink of an eye, two level 15 armored knights nearby arrived beside Xu San, tossing him off the platform like trash.
The white-bearded elder, wielding his staff, glared at the chaotic crowd with a falcon-like gaze, and shouted.
"This is the final warning. Anyone who disobeys the rules and disrupts the rules again, regardless of class, will be killed on the spot!"
The resounding voice reverberated through the crowd. Ordinary people felt as if their heads had been smacked hard. Their faces paled, and they covered their ears and mouths with their hands. Silence returned to the scene once again!
The white-bearded elder's class was revealed.
[Zhou Qingfeng: Level 35, Formation Master]
Lin Ran was startled.
"Support classes are so powerful! No wonder those attacking classes kill monsters like chickens and dogs!" Lin Ran couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation!
"Continue with the class change! Next!"
[Zhao Fa, Support class, Blessing Master! D-rank! Failed!
Duan Feipeng, Assault Class, Blade Handler! B-rank, Passed!
Lu Ping'er, Life Class, Chef, D-rank, Failed!
Zhou Qingfeng's eyes, which had just brightened, dimmed again, and he shook his head in disappointment.
Next to Lin Ran, a man and a woman waited eagerly.
The boy's name was Liu Bo. He was a bit fatter than Lin Ran, his round face giving him a certain honesty. He was Lin Ran's half-brother, also an orphan.
The girl's name was Bai Yue'er. She had short, shoulder-length hair, a clean, fair complexion, and a delicate, girly demeanor. She didn't talk much to outsiders, and the three of them could practically be said to have been friends since childhood.
"Boss, are D-rank classes that bad? They all sound the same!" Liu Bo was only interested in food and didn't know much about anything else. He looked at their disappointed expressions with a bit of a loss.
Lin Ran, however, took this seemingly useless knowledge to heart. He understood that to leave this world, he must understand and apply the rules of this world. Otherwise, even if he did escape, he would only be a stepping stone for others.
After a moment's thought, Lin Ran spoke slowly.
"Classes can be roughly divided into five levels, from strong to weak: S, A, B, C, and D. We rank them based on the strengths of each class as determined by predecessors. While not choosing classes below C isn't 100% reliable, it's a guaranteed surefire way to avoid mistakes. It saves a lot of time and energy, so it's a smart move!"
Liu Bo held his forehead and reluctantly accepted the offer.
"Then I'll just take a C-level. As long as I can get into the main city without starving, I'll do anything!"
Bai Yue'er's eyes flickered.
"C-rank! How could it be so easy? Did you notice just now? Hundreds of people changed classes, but only a few dozen C-rank classes appeared!"
"Oh, I thought. If you're so droopy all of a sudden, then today's visit will be a waste!" Liu Bo sighed hoarsely, pulled some dried sweet potatoes from his pocket, and took a big bite.
"How do you know if it works if you don't try!"
Lin Ran tapped his head and smiled helplessly.
It was soon their turn to change classes, and Bai Yue'er was called in first.
Bai Yue'er placed both hands on the azure class change stone and activated the formation.
The next moment, a dazzling light blazed from the class change stone!
Zhou Qingfeng, still dozing off, was startled awake. He hurriedly straightened up and rubbed his eyes.
This was definitely not something a B-rank class could emit!
The light a B-rank class emits is less than one-tenth of his own. It's simply too dazzling!
A shadowy figure of a holy, hooded woman emerged, like an angel. A warm white light slowly shone down, filling those around her with an incomparable sense of comfort and warmth.
The woman existed for only seven or eight seconds before transforming into tiny specks of starlight and merging into Bai Yue'er's body.
[Bai Yue'er, Powerful Attack Class, Priestess, A-Rank! Passed!]
Zhou Qingfeng, whose expression had been serious just moments ago, suddenly narrowed his eyes into crescents, a smile threatening to burst forth!
"Bai Yue'er, what a wonderful name!"
Bai Yue'er lowered her head, somewhat stage-frightened.
She was terrified of crowded places, and now with all eyes on her, she felt even more uneasy.
"It's okay, it's okay..."
Zhou Qingfeng pulled her aside, ignoring the other class-changers, and softly offered comfort.
"This old man is hypocritical!" The crowd below grumbled.
Who knew!
The class-change stone blazed like a fireball, illuminating everyone's faces with a flushed glow. A halo of flames appeared behind Liu Bo, and a tall, handsome figure, astride a flaming steed and holding a holy sword, came into view!
Just a glance and everyone stepped back in unison!
"This figure is terrifying! I feel like I'm going to die!"
[Liu Bo, Assault Class, Flame Knight, A-Rank!]
Even Zhou Qingfeng was startled!
"The last time two A-Rank classes appeared was three years ago!"
Zhou Qingfeng was overjoyed, as if he'd drunk two pounds of fake liquor.
"It's all worth my hard work! I'm going to brag about this when I get back, haha!"
Everyone hadn't recovered from their shock yet!
The young man on the stage stared intently at the Class Change Stone in his hand.
The Class Change Stone transformed into an intense black light, swallowing all surrounding colors, leaving only black and white!
The temperature between heaven and earth plummeted!
The people in the front rows shivered continuously, and even Zhou Qingfeng, who was closest, shuddered violently, his gaze sweeping over with a solemn expression.
"Such a chilling aura!"
Zhou Qingfeng was utterly shocked. He was a Level 35 Battle Formation Master, his physical fitness had improved countless times, yet he felt the cold, the kind of cold he couldn't resist!
This was too much!
In the blink of an eye, countless dark shadows emerged from the Class Transformation Stone, floating in mid-air. They seemed to be trapped in thick golden armor, like demons. Black flame souls transformed into human forms, wielding life-dealing scythes, and knelt before Lin Ran.
"Those are the undead!"
The undead stood in a dense mass, so numerous that there was no end in sight!
"Can't this thing be alive?"
"Ghost!"
Almost everyone was terrified by this scene, their faces pale, some even bristling with fur!
It was so eerie that before I knew it, a cold sweat had formed on my back.
This lasted for about ten seconds, and the undead transformed into a stream of black light and merged into Lin Ran's body.
[Lin Ran, Assault Class, Necromancer, a new class with no previous records! Tentatively classified as a D-rank class based on the average of Undead classes]
"D-rank! Are you kidding!"
"This level of anomaly is even more terrifying than an A-rank class. How could it possibly be a D-rank!"
Zhou Qingfeng screamed inwardly.
"Crack!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Ran realized the obsidian that had accompanied him around his neck had vanished!
A voice had appeared in his head.
Lin Ran's eyes were filled with excitement.
"You're finally here!"