NOVEL NEXT Chapter 393: The Panels, Gaining a New Class
The seven panels that Stark could use floated effortlessly around him, their shimmering edges pulsating faintly as if inviting his attention.
Each panel seemed to hold its own significance, radiating a distinct aura.
Stark studied them for a moment, the flickering lights casting shifting shadows across his face.
Deciding on a methodical approach, he resolved to tackle them in order: from least important to the most vital.
Reaching out, he grabbed the first panel. With a fluid motion, it zoomed into full view.
Ding!
[Survey: What are your thoughts on the things happening around this world?]
Stark blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the question.
"Oh, the surveys are back," he muttered, his voice tinged with both curiosity and unease.
The surveys hadn't appeared the previous two times he could get a new class, and their sudden reemergence stirred a nagging feeling of dread within him.
"I wonder what the deal with these surveys is..."
There was something unsettling about them, and he couldn't shake the impression that the surveys might be tied to something much darker. Continue reading on empire
Something watching and waiting just beyond his reach.
Still, Stark resolved to answer it.
[It's bad.]
[It's good.]
[I don't care.]
The three options were there, and Stark selected the third.
[Thanks for your help :).]
Shaking off his apprehension as it disappeared, he moved to the second panel.
This one brought a more exciting revelation.
[You have reached level 150! You can now upgrade your Classifier Rank to Immortal-Rank.]
Stark let out a low whistle, the significance of this milestone settling over him.
Immortal was the rank right before [Classified], which was considered the highest rank possible by classifiers.
His skills would reach level 100 at that time.
[You can now upgrade your rank and have your skill limit raised to 80]
Yet despite the importance of the breakthrough, Stark had never had the time nor money to go buy a breakthrough stone, since he didn't care about equipment anymore.
He felt like it was time to do it though, as he had a ton of skill points to use and there was no better timing than right now.
"Those damn [Immortal Breakthrough Stones] though…" he muttered.
Not only were they exceptionally rare, but their cost could reach upward of 500 million rher coins.
"Maybe I can ask the girls to help," he mumbled.
Stark was confident Sora or Lana would gladly assist if he asked. With their help, the stone might finally be within his grasp.
Satisfied for now, Stark turned to the third panel, which displayed a familiar message:
[Domination Expansion]
[Will unlock once all classes have been gained.]
[Possibly your only chance against him.]
Stark's gaze lingered on the word "him," his jaw tightening.
It was an unmistakable reference to the Godless Demon, the shadow looming over everything Stark had faced thus far.
He knew the Demon was amassing an army, turning those desperate enough to abandon their humanity into monstrous servants of his will.
He saw that happen live with [Follower], and even the dead [Clever] was referred to as a "Godless Transformation".
But Stark's determination didn't waver.
"If I grow strong enough," he said quietly, "then none of them will matter."
Resolute, he pushed the thought aside and focused on the next set of panels.
Four remained, each one holding potential surprises.
Ding!
[ApostleDex has been updated!]
Stark's eyes lit up as he read the message. "Finally!"
It meant that he could possibly get new information about the apostles of the third line, like their locations or basic things that could aid him.
He planned to go through a complete apostle rush now that he was level 150 and able to kill monsters around level 750.
Only a bit more and he would reach the theoretical max level for his class, as well as the one where he would complete the class wheel.
[You will be able to check out this information once you wake up.]
Though it seems like something stopped him from checking it out in the void.
"It's already a miracle I can do my business here, so I'll take it," he grinned.
Moving on to the top three panels, he selected the next one.
But what greeted him was… strange.
[238 days 20 hours 3 minutes 49 seconds...]
Stark frowned. The timer glowed with a crimson aura, ominous and unrelenting.
"A cooldown…?" he muttered, tilting his head.
But to what?
There was no answer.
[238 days 20 hours 3 minutes 17 seconds...]
The timer ticked down, its glow pulsing faintly with each second. Stark couldn't help but feel uneasy.
[You'll get more information later.]
And yet again, he wasn't given everything, probably since he was in this void or too low-leveled.
"Maybe it's the Godless Demon's descent..." he mumbled, theorizing, "Who knows."
For now, though, there was nothing he could do but wait.
Shaking off the unsettling feeling, Stark moved on to the second-to-last panel.
[Level 150 Reached: Please Pick a Card.]
[Immortal Skill Guaranteed!]
A wide grin spread across Stark's face.
"Now we're talking!"
He had several powerful skills that he had never used, like for example [Limb Sacrifice]and [Revenant's Fury], but it was simply because he didn't need to.
Maybe soon he would.
[Revenant's Fury] was already charged up with 3/3 deaths, though it told him before that the conditions were met, but the time wasn't right.
So getting a new powerful skill would always be good, no matter what.
Twenty cards, yes, you heard that right, twenty, appeared around him, each glowing faintly.
[Each one is different.]
And this time, there was no twist about them all being the same, nope, each skill behind that card could probably make or break Stark's future.
"...Heh, who cares," he sighed as he instantly grabbed one of the cards, "If it's bad then nothing I can do."
The card flipped over, revealing a crude drawing of what appeared to be a bomb: a round object with a fuse sticking out from the top.
[Skill: Bomb.]
Oh yeah, it definitely was a bomb.
"...Bomb?"
[Rank: Immortal+]
His eyes widened in surprise. It wasn't just an Immortal-rank skill, it was Immortal+, the tier above it!
"Wow," he murmured, impressed.
But then came the catch.
[Warning: One-time use skill. Don't use it recklessly.]
"And of course..." Stark groaned, "My luck couldn't be this could, would it."
One-time use skills were infamous across Rheria for being both rare and frustratingly underwhelming.
Yet something about this skill felt… off.
The simplicity of its name, the strange rank, the lack of detail, it all felt deliberately cryptic.
The description wasn't much help either.
[Description: It's a bomb. You take it out and throw it, then the skill disappears.]
"Helpful," Stark muttered sarcastically.
Still, he couldn't deny that the skill intrigued him.
Ding!
[Your next skill will be given at level 175.]
"Oh."
This meant that there were now 25 levels between each skill, and also that between level 150 and 200, he would only be getting two additional skills from leveling up to aid him.
It meant that he almost was at the end of his journey.
"Well, only one more thing to check out I guess," he eyed the last panel, knowing perfectly what it would be.
[Level 150 Reached!]
[You can spin the "Class Wheel" again!]
A smirk tugged at the corner of Stark's lips.
He had been waiting for this moment.
"Class Wheel," he called out, and the colorful wheel appeared before him, hovering ahead.
Though it wasn't as colorful as it was when he started, since there were only 2 options left: Magus and Beast Tamer.
Stark could feel the weight of the decision, even though the outcome wasn't in his hands.
Would it be [Magus], making him a Grand Mage with countless spells.
Or would it be [Beast Tamer], granting him a [Domination Pet] or something like that.
Stark stood before the familiar lever, the brass handle gleaming faintly in the void's darkness.
Above it were the still the familiar words.
[Pull me!]
He'd pulled this lever countless times before, and every time, it had brought him a new class.
This time, however, the stakes felt higher.
At his current level, every single skill or perk he could get would be useful for later, meaning that whatever he got, it would be helpful.
"Either way, I win," Stark said with a confident grin, gripping the lever.
With a swift pull, the lever clanged loudly, its sound echoing across the void.
The wheel burst to life, spinning with a ferocity that made the air hum.
Its two remaining segments, one blue for [Magus], the other emerald for [Beast Tamer], blurred into streaks of color as the wheel spun faster and faster.
Sparks flew from its edges, and Stark felt the familiar surge of anticipation coursing through him.
After a while, the wheel began to slow, the segments coming into focus.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
It edged past [Beast Tamer], teasing the possibility.
Tick.
And finally, the wheel stopped, the pointer trembling slightly before settling on the blue section.
[Magus].