[Unbelievable achievement! You are the first 'Class User'.
[You have acquired the title 'First Class User'.]
[You are the first to acquire this title.]
The system notifications flashed: [First] [First Class User] [Unique]. This title, given to the first class user, held an immense power Lokan had never anticipated.
[Hold Effect]
– Combination Skill Slot +1
"OMG."
No matter how ambitious Lokan was, he had not even considered the possibility of the First Class User title. He was merely guessing about such achievements, and in his previous life, he had never once heard of this title or what kind of effect it possessed. However, the effect of this unexpected title was nothing short of enormous.
"Adding a combination skill slot…"
At level 100, a player could normally only possess three combination skills. While simply having one more slot than others might seem marginal, the utility gained was truly beyond imagination. Each combination skill represented a unique survival technique and a powerful special move, fundamentally elevating a player's combat potential.
Moreover, combination skills were not easily acquired or created. The only issue Lokan faced was his rigid class progression: Berserker → Berserker → Jin Berserker. Combination skills were a synthesis of actions and abilities, but the Berserker class had a limited number of class skills, making the creation of even three combinations difficult. Lokan himself had struggled considerably to create just three combination skills in his previous life.
"Okay, but can I fill them all up?" he mused.
It was a challenging, yet pleasant, struggle to anticipate. With a satisfied smile curling on his lips, Lokan proceeded to confirm his job advancement rewards.
The available rewards were a total of three job advancement weapons tailored to the Berserker class:
[Berserker's Long Sword] [Magic]: A long sword for a Berserker, built strong and tough for harsh combat. Stats included: Attack power: 200, Durability: 500/500, Strength +20, Agility +10, Stamina +10.
[Berserker's Great Sword] [Magic]: A massive Great Sword for a Berserker, also strong and tough. Stats included: Attack power: 260, Durability: 800/800, Strength +40.
[Berserker's Battle Ax] [Magic]: A brutal Battle Ax for Berserkers, strong and tough to match the class's ferocity. Stats included: Attack power: 250, Durability: 700/700, Strength +30, Stamina +10.
Like the aggressive nature of the Berserker class itself, all rewards were pure weapons. Lokan appreciated that the options were balanced and tailored to the characteristics of each weapon type.
His choice was, of course, the Berserker's Battle Ax. It was a nostalgic feeling to hold the axe, which felt heavy and familiar in his grip. It was a powerful weapon he was reunited with after a long absence.
"I'll take this."
"Excellent choice!" the Guild Master replied, beaming.
Lokan moved on to the next essential step without delay: the purchase of skill books. A Class User's skill book was notoriously expensive, priced at 1 gold each, but for the current Lokan, such a sum was no burden at all.
"Show me the skill books, too."
"Let's see. We need to strengthen the basic skill books first. There are seven of them: Strike, Dash, War Cry, Berserk, Shoulder Charge, Leaf Attack, and Throwing. Each enhancement skill book is 90 silver, totaling 6 gold and 30 silver. The new skills are Force, Charge, Guard, Twist Attack, and Hard Body. If you're running short on money, you can always borrow from that guy over there. Class users can borrow up to 20 gold," the Berserker Guild Master rattled off.
Perhaps because Lokan was the first Class User, the Guild Master was unsuitably helpful and accommodating. He even kindly informed Lokan of the loanable range, but it was unnecessary. Lokan could pay that entire amount in a lump sum without suffering any financial damage.
"Give me everything. Oh, and I will buy a few more skill books specifically," Lokan instructed.
"Oh, I guess you already know about the combination skill—you must, having passed the former quest. Okay, let me tell you in advance what skill books you need, but you better think carefully. The skill book used to make the combination skill disappears permanently upon use. If you recklessly combine, you won't be able to get any useful skills and you'll go bankrupt," the Master warned, his voice turning serious.
"I know," Lokan confirmed. "The skill books… First, give me 3 Forces, 1 War Cry, 2 Dash, 1 Strike, 2 Assault, 1 Shoulder Charge, and 1 Solid Body."
"Hey, that's quite a list… I see. Normally I would stop a player, but there seems to be a method to your madness!"
Even the Berserker Guild Master was momentarily embarrassed by Lokan's bold and costly request, but he soon regained his composure. The unwavering resolve in Lokan's eyes convinced him that the player had a clear plan in mind.
The information desk became a complicated mess as the Master searched and pulled out the skill books. There were 22 skill books alone, exceeding 20 gold just in raw value.
"All in all, it's 21 gold and 80 silver. I'd like to round it off for you, but it's an automated scout system, so I can't help it. Instead, I'll give you this as a bonus for your first achievement."
[Jewel of Madness] [Rare] [Consumables]
An exclusive item for the Berserker series. Allows you to use Berserk only once without penalty or aftereffects when using it.
"Thank you," Lokan replied, accepting the orb.
It was a one-time item, but incredibly useful. Not only could he use Berserk without penalty or after-effects, but the cooldown was not shared with the Berserk skill he used regularly. In other words, he could activate Berserk twice in a row, a massive combat advantage. The Jewel of Madness was originally an item obtained only after significant progress in the tertiary city, but it was acquired very early thanks to the Berserker Guild Master's favor.
"You are quite rich," the Master observed, looking genuinely surprised as Lokan paid more than 20 gold at once. The amount of 20 gold was not a sum an individual player could typically use arbitrarily.
For most players, the common path was to get a loan, purchase only the essential strengthening skill books and new skill books, and then proceed to the tertiary city to slowly match the combination skills one by one.
"Then, good luck with your future endeavors!"
Lokan, having received all the skill books, learned what he needed on the spot and stored the rest safely in his inventory. In terms of cash, the value was over 4 million won, or nearly 9 million won at the tertiary city's market price.
Although many players had been inspired to raise the Berserker class due to Lokan's plays, most were still confined to the primary city, so the fact that he became the first Class User was not yet known to the wider player base.
He reviewed his leveled-up skills:
[Dash] [Lv 3]: Move fast for three steps. – 140% agility for three steps.
[Strike] [Lv 3]: Attacks the enemy stronger than usual only once for the next attack. – 140% strength, – 140% Agility.
[War Cry] [Lv 3]: Unleashes a roar filled with madness, terrorizing enemies. -If the level is lower than the user, all stats will decrease. -If the level is severely lower than the user, a short stun effect is randomly applied. -If the level is higher than the user, the effect may be reduced or absent. -Weakens negative effects on the user.
[Berserk] [Lv 3]: It burns itself with its ferocity and draws out a powerful force. -Increases all stats by 200% for the duration. -No mana consumption for all skills for the duration. -You do not die even if your health reaches 0 during the duration. -Immune to all psychic attacks for the duration. – Madness dominates the mind, making it impossible to distinguish between enemies. At the end of the duration, you receive 30% of your maximum HP as damage at once. -If HP is 0 after the duration ends, if you do not raise to 9% of your maximum HP within 10 seconds, you will die. – 30% decrease in all stats for 10 minutes after the duration ends. – 20% decrease in all stats for 20 minutes after the first sequelae. -Double penalty duration when reusing Berserk while the aftereffects are not over. -Duration: 15 minutes.
[Shoulder Charge] [Lv 2]: Inflicts powerful damage to the opponent with a body headbutt that adds charge to power. – 150% strength. -Additional damage proportional to the charge power when used. -Additional damage inversely proportional to the opponent's strength when used.
[Leaf Attack] [Lv 1]: Leap forward with all your might, smashing enemies in front of you. The maximum jumping distance depends on the user's strength level. – 150% strength. -Additional damage proportional to the jump height. -Ignores fall damage when used.
[Throwing] [Lv 2]: Throws a weapon or throwing weapon to attack the opponent. – 150% strength, – 150% Agility. -Damage decreases as the distance from the opponent increases.
"It's worth using now," Lokan observed.
There was no dramatic overhaul, but the power of the skills was steadily rising. In addition, there was a specific reward for maintaining loyalty across three career advancement opportunities. The power, which would normally have increased by 10%, increased by 20% this time. This crucial 20% difference in power, compared to those who switched classes at the second job change, was enough to significantly compensate those who devoted themselves to a single class path.
What pleased him most was the substantial increase in the duration of Berserk and the decrease in penalties. Berserk's duration, which was previously only 10 minutes, increased by a whopping 50% to 15 minutes. Furthermore, when the skill was canceled, the amount of damage received at once decreased, and the time he could endure, from 5 seconds to 10 seconds, was increased, significantly boosting his chance of survival. Thanks to these improvements, he felt empowered to engage in much riskier, prolonged battles.
He then examined the newly acquired skills:
[Force] [Lv 1]: When used, mana is injected into the weapon to dramatically increase attack power. – Consumes 2 mana per second.
[Guard] [Lv 1]: Blocks the opponent's attack only once. Only applies to weapons, shields and arms. -1 defense increases by 200%. -Duration: 2 seconds.
[Assault] [Lv 1]: Charges forward with explosive power. -200% movement speed for 5 seconds.
[Twist Attack] [Lv 1]: It twists the body and creates explosive power. Swings the weapon in a circular motion to cut or strike nearby enemies at once. – 200% strength. -Attack range changes depending on the weapon used.
[Solid Body] [Lv 1]: Strengthens the body to increase stamina and constitution. – 5% increase in stamina. -Increased strength by 5%- lasting effect.
The new skills were also quite good. First of all, the existence of Force, which was exclusive to level 100 and would bring a dramatic increase in combat power, was immensely valuable. The rest of the skills were also useful, with the exception of Twist Attack. In the case of Twisted Attack, it was difficult to execute properly because the movement was wide and the activation time was somewhat slow.
'I don't know if it's used to knock down enemies,'Lokan thought.
Because of its limited utility, he considered not learning it, but since Berserker skills were scarce, he learned it first anyway. Perhaps someday he would be able to find a powerful use for it.
He wanted to make a combination skill right there in the guild, but time was being wasted. Even at this moment, his competitors would be racing to win the first title in the new, tertiary city.
"I have to move first."
Even knowing the exact skills required, it still took considerable time and experimentation to complete a combination skill. He decided to postpone this intricate task until after he had moved to the tertiary city and secured the first titles there.
"Damn, I have to walk again, but the wagon and teleport circles will be updated soon—the timing is just terrible."
The method for reaching the tertiary city was currently unknown to other users. Players had not yet been able to properly gather information to advance their levels, and information about the tertiary city was thoroughly hidden by the developers. It was intentionally designed to only unlock after a player reached level 100. From that point on, NPCs would give different answers to related questions, allowing players to solve the cryptic hints one by one.
Therefore, in the game's early days, it took a long time to find the obscure route to the tertiary city. Only later, when the methods were widely shared, was there no need to ask questions, but for those at the very forefront, it was a brutal race against time and their competitors.
But Lokan already knew the way. The only setback was that it required a tedious journey.
"I can't help it," he sighed.
He couldn't afford to waste time waiting for the wagon or teleport magic circle to be updated for public use. Lokan, having set his destination, started walking immediately.
His target was Kton, the first major city outside of Pocket City. He knew he had to perform a specific, special quest in Kton in order to gain the required access to the 3rd city. This was the exact reason users couldn't find the path and were forced to waste valuable time.
"It's best to be abrasive anyway," he muttered.
Blaming the developer's perverse tendency to intentionally frustrate users, he started walking, and was able to return to Kton in half a day.
Lokan, who immediately saved the location in the Rune Book using the Mark Scroll, quickly found the Wizard's Guild—to be precise, the wizard Steroian.
"After all, my eyes were correct!"
Perhaps it was due to the Investigator's Ring, but Steroian welcomed Lokan with unconcealed joy. Lokan was not only his former assistant but now also part of the same Investigation Team.
"I want to go to the Crossroads, is there any way?" Lokan asked.
Before running any errands, Lokan focused on his primary goal. He asked the Great Elder how to get to the tertiary city Crossroads.
"I wonder if you've already figured it out? Okay, I'll write you an introduction. If you take this to the Western Tunnel, you'll find a man named Likum. He will then tell you what to do. And on the way, give some of these to Malkin in Crossroads," Steroian explained.
Steroian was talking about the Western Tunnel, a path that ordinary users could not enter. Normally, a player would need to receive a simple quest from the guards or the guild leaders of each class, or successfully register one or more combination skills to obtain the required qualifications. However, as a member of the Investigation Team, Lokan immediately received a letter of introduction.
In addition, he received a linked quest leading to the Crossroads. Although it was described as an ordinary letter delivery quest, Lokan knew it was a vital hint leading to the main scenario quest, so he willingly accepted it.
"Then let's go."
Slowly, the connection timeout was expiring. However, it was impossible to delay the visit to Crossroads until the next connection, so Lokan hurriedly moved to the Western Tunnel to find Likum.
"Hey, friend, what are you doing here!"
Perhaps it was because he possessed the necessary qualifications, but a path that had been impassable before was now open. It used to be blocked by something like a transparent membrane, but now he could pass through freely. And at the end of the road, a gnome named Likum was waiting.
"Oh, you are a member of the investigation team! That's great. I'll send you to your destination by my special express train," Likum declared.
"No, even if you don't…" Lokan started.
The gnome, who was operating a massive, archaic device excitedly as Lokan presented the letter of introduction, didn't wait. Lokan hurriedly waved his hand at the gnome's words, but it was already too late. A coal mine cart was approaching rapidly from afar.
"What are you doing? Time is gold, my friend!" Likum yelled.
Clap!
Reluctantly, Lokan climbed onto the cart and grabbed the edge with a trembling heart. The express train bound for Crossroads was notorious for its sheer brutality.
"Then let's go!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
The cart started running like a violent, destructive crash.