"Right!" Jack recalled after being reminded by Peniel. He immediately turned back to the counter.
The girl still smiled politely at him, "is there anything else I can help you with, Mr. Storm Wind?"
"I wish to exchange my points," Jack said to her.
The girl then brought out the exchange interface. Jack scrolled to the top where the Exclusive items were. The four exclusive items were still there, naturally. Since he was the first to become a Silver adventurer, he was also the first with enough points to get most of the items from that list. Interestingly, there were only 9 Skill Books; someone had exchanged 30 Adventurer points for one of the Skill Books.
Jack clicked on the Technique Book: Body Double. The system automatically subtracted 100 Available Adventurer points. When he checked his Adventurer Badge, he saw that Adventurer points were still 111, but Available points only had 11 left.
The Technique Book materialized on his hand. He inspected it.
*
Technique Book: Body Double (Rare Consumable)
Grant the skill: Body Double
Restriction: Mage class
*
When he saw the description, he was dumbfounded. 'This is a skill for Mage class?' Jack asked Peniel.
'Yes. Why? Is there a problem?' Peniel asked.
'I was thinking of becoming a Healer once I become a level 15 Magician,' Jack answered.
'Oh…,' Peniel just realized she had not told Jack which class the Body Double skill belonged to. However, instead of admitting that she had been careless, she said, 'Why be a healer? A Mage is a better class!'
'Really? I thought every class had its specialties, so no one class should be better than the others?' Jack said, remembering the Fairy's words a few days ago. That was also how VR RPG class systems worked in his past gaming experiences.
Peniel was annoyed that Jack used her own words against her. She asked, 'Why do you want to be a healer anyway?'
'I thought it would work well if used in conjunction with my melee prowess; it would help me survive in combat longer.'
Well, it's your fault anyway for not telling me your plan from the start. You can't return the book anymore; give it to your friend then if you don't want it!' Peniel said in a sulky tone.
It's not that I'm blaming you, sister, Jack thought helplessly.
'Well, it's not like I was set on being a healer anyway,' Jack shrugged. Since fate had allowed him to learn a Mage skill, he might as well choose that class then. Jack stored the book away into his Inventory Bag.
'Shall we check the Silver Hall?' Jack asked Peniel to change the topic.
'You should get your Advanced class first. The quests from this Adventurers Association all have time limits. It's better if you only pick them when you have no other things to do.'
'All right,' Jack agreed.
He then walked over to Bowler and Flame, who had finished submitting their quests some time ago; they were sitting on one of the benches waiting for Jack.
"Shall we pick another collaborative quest?" Bowler asked excitedly.
Jack felt bad after seeing the guy's spirit, but he had to prioritize his class change. Peniel had informed him that attribute increases between advanced and basic classes were different, so he needed to change his class before gaining another level.
"Sorry, I have to attend to an urgent matter. Maybe another time."
"Oh… All right, no problem," Bowler replied. He tried to sound cheerful, but Jack could hear a hint of disappointment.
Flame was more indifferent. She simply nodded and said, "Good luck with your matter."
She then asked Bowler, "You want to quest alone or together? There is a quest for two people there, but another one for four people gives more rewards. We could ask John to join."
"No! Not that guy!" Bowler immediately rejected. "I've put The Man in my friend list. I will ask him instead."
Flame shrugged; it was okay with her either way.
Jack bid them farewell and left the Adventurers Association.
John came into the Association at this time, he didn't notice Jack leaving as he entered the building. John went directly to the Bronze Hall to submit his quest. In the extensive and crowded Hall, he also didn't notice Bowler and Flame looking at quests.
John went to one of the empty counters to submit his quest. After receiving his rewards, he was grinning. He said to himself, "a few more points and I will have enough for that Body Double technique book, hehe."
Before he chose another quest to take, he opened the Item Exchange list again to make sure the book was still there. When he reached the top part of the list, his hand froze. He blinked his eyes a few times to make sure that they were still working correctly. He looked again. There were only three items left in the Exclusive list. And it had to be his target, the Body Double Technique Book, that had gone missing. He thought he was very fast in accumulating points; there was someone even quicker?
"DAMN IT!" He shouted bitterly.
A few counters away, Bowler looked around. "Who the hell was it cursing inside this place? Hope the guards throw him out."
*
After he exited the Adventurers Association building, Jack realized he had no clue how to change his class. He asked Peniel, 'what should I do to advance my class?'
Peniel soon replied, 'That will depend on which class you want. You said that you want to be a Warrior instead of a Knight to learn that Technique Book Gilbert gave you. Is that still the plan?'
There was still a hint of annoyance in her voice. This Fairy was a moody one, Jack thought quietly. He then answered her, 'Yes. I still want to become a Warrior.'
'Then ask the locals for directions to the Warrior Academy.'
'Warrior Academy?'
'Yes, find that place, then go and apply to become a Warrior.'
Jack proceeded to ask the natives. Following their directions, he came to the edge of the Business district close to the Noble district.
Many guards patrolled this area where several huge and luxurious buildings lined the street. Not many players were around this street; most of the people Jack saw were NPCs. Few players knew the purpose of these buildings yet.
Jack approached one of the buildings; it was a white-painted stone building with rib vaults and large stained glass windows. There was a high tower at the back of the building. Jack saw several men and women in white robes under the open vestibule at the building's entrance.
When Jack came to the vestibule, he saw an inscription beside the entrance doors: Healer Academy.
"Can I help you, sir?" One of the women in a white robe greeted him with a polite smile.
"I am looking for Warrior Academy. I was informed that it was on this street?" Jack said to the woman.
"It is the second building that way," the woman answered, pointing.
Jack thanked her and went on his way. The next building had a logo depicting a sword and a shield; he assumed it was the Knight Academy.
The building after that was a little bit more modest than the others. It was made of wooden and steel materials with pointed arches and clustered columns. Jack went to the entrance of this building. A large man in a Viking outfit stood guard at one side of the door, and a placard was on the other side. Jack looked at the engravings in the placard: Warrior Academy. He had arrived at the right place.
"What's your business here?" The Viking asked when he saw Jack was about to enter.
"I would like to apply to become a Warrior," Jack answered with respect.
The Viking scrutinized Jack from head to toe before asking, "you are a Fighter?"
"Yes," Jack answered.
"You already reached level 15?"
"Yes, I have."
The Viking nodded, "Okay, go on then. Find an overseer named Gruff. He will let you know what to do."
Jack thanked him and entered.