***
"Seriously, is this an endless parade?" Lucas grumbled; his head bowed as he plunged his jian into yet another zombie. His arsenal of skills, including hurricane spiral and fire blaze, had all been depleted, leaving him with limited options. The surrounding ground was now littered with lifeless undead bodies, yet the influx showed no sign of abating. The strain on his hand had become palpable, a reminder of the relentless battle.
Inwardly fatigued, Lucas wished for an explosive device to clear the area. However, the very thought of detonating such a device would only attract more of the relentless horde. As the memory of the orb's location crystallized in his mind, Lucas knew he had to act decisively.
"Lucy," he said quickly, his voice taut with urgency, "I'll draw the zombies' attention away. You take Meri and Cale, retrieve the orb, and find refuge in the university."
Lucy, who stood beside him, was ready to protest, but the gravity of the situation stilled her retort. "Understood!"
Without hesitation, she bolted into the nearby alleyway, leaving Lucas to orchestrate his diversion. Turning his attention to the pursuing zombies, Lucas grinned wryly. "Over here, you lot!"
The fireballs he unleashed at their heads made them abandon their pursuit of Lucy, homing in on Lucas instead. As they advanced, he retreated slowly, keeping their focus trained on him. His hand felt like lead, the weight of his sword magnifying with each swing. He grimaced, realizing that even a tier one human had limits; wielding a heavy sword against an unending onslaught was exacting.
"C'mon, then," he muttered, sending a volley of fireballs their way, momentarily halting their advance.
Exhausted and frustrated, Lucas watched Lucy and Meri take cover within the university building. With a sigh of relief, he reoriented himself to face the zombies. He knew he couldn't maintain this pace indefinitely.
"Enough of this," he muttered. With a quick calculation, he gathered the wind beneath him and invoked a hurricane leap, propelling himself upwards. As he ascended, he managed to land on a nearby building's rooftop, stumbling slightly upon contact.
Glancing down at the swarm below, Lucas caught a glimpse of the frenzied horde. Their arms and vacant gazes reached towards him; their collective frenzy palpable. Yet, from his elevated vantage point, the scene felt detached, the once overwhelming masses reduced to mere specks on the ground.
Taking a deep breath, Lucas scanned the surroundings. Unlike their initial day in the city, the scene before him was now all too familiar, a grim testament to the world they inhabited.
The initial shock of charred vehicles, decaying corpses, and dried crimson stains etched onto the weathered walls – once enough to hush them into silence – now evoked only a resigned sigh. This desolation had become routine, part of their daily existence, a reminder that even the simple act of breathing felt like a privilege.
From his elevated position, Lucas surveyed the expansive terrain before him. Stretching far beyond the immediate surroundings were trees, once vibrant and lush but now showing signs of neglect and decay. The absence of regular rainfall, coupled with the pollution, had taken a toll on the once-thriving greenery. It was a stark contrast to the images of rainforests and bountiful vegetation depicted in various texts on climate change, a crisis that in this world had begun within life forms, not inflicted upon them by nature. The notion of a divine reckoning seemed absurd to Lucas, who viewed the cataclysmic events as anything but a divine act.
"Huh? Oh, this again?" Lucas' voice carried a tinge of nonchalance as he regarded the looming black building in front of him. Once a subject of indifference, he now saw it as a potential resource to exploit.
'I should make the most of this opportunity,' he thought, his mind weighing the pros and cons of claiming the building. The proximity of the university and the black structure was intriguing; perhaps their coexistence indicated a correlation between high death rates and the appearance of black buildings.
Lucas entered the ominous structure, a sense of familiarity washing over him despite the absence of lighting. The room bore an eerie resemblance to his previous encounter, with the exception of the illuminated table at its center.
Approaching the table, Lucas pressed the solitary button. What was once a nerve-wracking act had become routine, a reflection of the progress he had made since his initial visit.
Before him, the familiar options materialized once again.
---
[Detecting Player Coins!]
[Auction Market Initiated!]
---
Lucas recognized the significance of this moment. His diligence and determination were yielding tangible results.
---
[ Herbs | Foods | Potions | Classes | Weapons | Materials]
---
The six categories stood before him, tempting him with their potential. The accumulation of coins had granted him the means to indulge in long-awaited shopping.
"Initiating System Interface!"
---
Name: Lucas Tharla
Age: 16 years old
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Class: God of Fire and Heat
Subclass: King Authority
Subclass: None
Subclass: None
Level: 23 (8200/40000)
Stats:
Agility: 24
Strength: 40
Intelligence: 30
Vitality: 42
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
Skills:
[Clawing Fang: Manifest a temporary long claw for 30 seconds. (2 uses/day) Grade 1!]
[Fireball: Summon a fireball and launch it at a target!]
[Knight's Blessing: Bestow the class of a kingdom knight upon a living creature. (1 use/month) Grade 1!]
[Knights Summon: Summon the kingdom knight to guard the king. (1 use/month) Grade 1!]
[Royal Blood: Protection of the spirit. (1 use/month) Grade 1!]
[Subordination: Mark a living creature as a follower of your domain. (2 uses/day) Grade 1!]
Unallocated Skill Points: 23
Coins: 62,500
Achievements Completed: 8 ᐁ
[Silver] Class Change in One Week
[Silver] Sixty-Eight to Discover the Class Change Building.
[Gold] Forty-Eight to Discover the Auction Market Building.
[Gold] Eliminated One Level 2 and Nine Level 1 Zombies in Two Days.
[Platinum] Eliminate Four Level 2 and Forty Level 1 Zombies in Four Days.
[Platinum] Eliminate One Level 3 and Ten Level 2 Zombies in Five Days.
[Platinum] Retrieve One of the Artifacts Before Phase 2 Started. (Crown)
[Mithril] First to Clear a Level 8 Dungeon.
Items: 9 ᐁ
Basic Dagger [Common]
Appraisal Magnifier [Uncommon]
Holy Bracelet (0/3) [Rare]
Steel Jian [Rare]
Inventory Pouch (98/100) [Epic]
Fire Ring [Heroic]
Hurricane Ring [Heroic]
King's Crown (Artifact) [Heroic]
Fire Robe [Legendary]
---
"62,500 coins, quite the accumulation. I seem to have gathered more than I initially estimated." Physically, he was adorned with only his attire, the jian sword, and the small pouch secured to his belt.
"Now, let's explore further..." With a click, Lucas accessed the 'Classes' section, revealing the familiar array of options.
---
Rank 1: Warrior, Fighter, Archer…
[Average cost: 100 coins!]
Rank 2: Merchant, Thief, Chef…
[Average cost: 1,000 coins!]
Rank 3: Tamer, Mage, Assassin…
[Average cost: 10,000 coins!]
Rank 4: Tailor, Engineer, Blacksmith…
[Average cost: 100,000 coins!]
Rank 5: Priest, Monk, Paladin…
[Average cost: 1,000,000 coins!]
Rank 6: Berserker, Enchanter, Cleric…
[Average cost: 10,000,000 coins!]
Rank 7: Summoner, Elementalist, Illusionist…
[Average cost: 100,000,000 coins!]
Rank 8: Hero, Sage, Saint…
[Average cost: 1,000,000,000 coins!]
---
"Frustration!" Lucas exclaimed. In just a month, his 62,500 coins felt paltry in the face of the exorbitant prices of these classes. "How much did Lucy pay for her class again?" Considering Tamer was a Tier 3 class, he assumed it might have cost around 10,000 coins. "It's like a sixth of my total coins... ugh."
Scanning the class options for one that promised long-term utility, he weighed his decision carefully, cognizant of the three available class slots. "Ugh, and they even imposed a class on me." With only two slots remaining, he examined the options below, though their prices were far beyond his current means. "My hard-earned sweat and blood from dealing with zombies only amounts to this."
Granted, it had only been a month since the apocalypse began, and accruing this sum was an achievement in itself; many still walked around with a mere 100 coins. Shaking his head in mild disappointment, Lucas moved on to the next promising category: 'Weapons'.
---
Common [Average cost: 100 coins!]
Uncommon [Average cost: 1,000 coins!]
Rare [Average cost: 10,000 coins!]
Epic [Average cost: 100,000 coins!]
Heroic [Average cost: 1,000,000 coins!]
Narrative [Average cost: 10,000,000 coins!]
Historical [Average cost: 100,000,000 coins!]
Legendary [Average cost: 1,000,000,000 coins!]
---
Perusing the list, Lucas then shifted his attention to the rare category, a realm he could vouch for as his steel jian and the holy bracelet he had received were both of rare grade. "Huh? Why is this even listed here? They consider this a weapon?"