[…
Congratulation Aldrich for obtaining Rare Rank
Select one of these Classes as the Update
1. Blessed Scholar
2. Master of Words
3. Item Creator
…]
Aldrich immediately felt attracted to the "Item Creator" Class. Even those who could create Items of Common and Rare Rank didn't have such a Class. The apparent boost in creating better Items was enticing. But Aldrich held back the impulse.
The "Blessed Scholar" felt nothing special to him, considering he already had Generalist as his Class. It didn't seem to have any direct upgrade related to his Class-specific Skill, which would accompany him forever. The most out of place was the "Master of Words". It was neither here nor there. He could only guess that it had something to do with the newly gained Skill.
"Select Item Creator."
Going with the obvious bet, Aldrich put forward his choice. "Blessed Scholar" was out of the question and "Master of Words" just seemed a little fishy.
[…
'Item Creator' Class is selected
Updating Class...
?#?#?#?#?##?#?#?#?#
This Class is no longer available
Select one of the remaining Classes
…]
The mask on Aldrich's face did its duty and hid the ugliest face Aldrich had made so far. A man who had thrived to live a normal life was made to live an abnormal one. And now that he was about to walk on another Normal path, something just didn't want him to. Two puffs of heavy breathing came out of Aldrich's nostrils like an angry bull.
"Select Master of Words."
As Aldrich said the sentence, he looked towards the ceiling, seeming to search for something.
[…
'Master of Words' Class is selected
Updating Class...
?#?#?#?#?##?#?#?#?#
This Class is no longer available
Select one of the remaining Classes
…]
BOOM!!!
Aldrich punched the enormous doors, and it got blasted outwards. Patience was patience, and rage was a pure outlet of emotions. One needn't mix them up unnecessarily.
Taking a deep breath Aldrich said, "Select Blessed Scholar."
[…
'Blessed Scholar' Class is selected
Updating Class...
Class is updated
Class: Blessed Scholar
Description:
1. Perception +50
2. Dreamers can sacrifice Wills to ?#?#?#
Class-Specific Skill: Metacreativity
…]
The seething rage in Aldrich's rage hadn't subsided yet. Not only he didn't get an obvious advantage over his previous Class but also he didn't get any new Class-specific Skill. It was like someone had chosen a worst-case scenario for Aldrich. But the target of this scenario seems to be his Perception.
Aldrich turned around to watch the enormous mound. Who could have told that there were three more chambers full of dangers in it? With a swift jump, Aldrich reached to the mound's top and towered above it. He looked straight ahead and could see an enormous cliff rising to heaven in the distance. And he could also see a blurry pillar at the bottom of the cliff. Seeing a transparent film of Mana enveloping the cliff along with that pillar, he guessed the Boss would be there. But this wasn't the time to go there yet.
Assigning the newly obtained 12 Attribute Points and the Unassigned Skill Points, he brought up his Stat window for a quick view.
[…
Record of Aldrich
Time Left: 00:00:00 hrs
Status: Healthy
Level: 11 (9800/11000 ExPs to next level)
HP: 413/413
SP: 500/500
MP: 1245/1245
Rank: Rare
Class: Generalist, Blessed Scholar
Title: NA (1)
Attributes -->
Strength: 25
Defence: 20
Agility: 25
Vitality: 21
Perception: 150
Correspondence: 15
Unassigned Attribute Points: 0
Active Skills -->
1. Metacreativity: Lvl 2 (Rare)
2. Target Lock (Common)
3. 3 Miles Shot (Common)
4. Banish: Lvl 1 (Common)
Skill Points: 1
Passive Skills -->
1. Shared Vision
2. Intimidation
3. Beginner's Dagger Proficiency
Inventory --> (2.5/20)
…
Skill: Metacreativity (Rare)
Nature: Active, Upgradable
Lvl: 2 (0/7 Skill Points to Upgrade)
Cooldown: 105:00:00 hrs
Description: Dreamer can create Items and Skills of Common Class upon sacrificing Experience Points.
Warning: Items must be equipped upon creation. Unequipped items would be destroyed.
Warning: Only 'Active Skills' can be created. The Skills created can't be upgraded using Skill Points.
Warning: Dreamer would permanently lose the ExPs once used. There is a high chance of dropping to the previous Level.
Warning: The number of ExPs would be calculated based on the description provided by the Dreamer
…]
In Rare Rank, with every level up, one would get 12 Attribute Points and 2 Skill Points. But the total number of Skill Points required for the next Rank had also risen to 21. If one adds the newly obtained Upgradable Skills over it. Then one might as well forget about ever reaching the next Rank without attempting more Quests. But leaving this trouble for the future, Aldrich was quite happy about something else. The Class update had reset the cooldown for his Class-specific Skill. He had just reached Level 11, but this marked the time to go back to the beginning.
"Metacreativity."
[…
Skill Metacreativity is now active
Specify your creation: Item or Skill?
…]
"Item."
[…
Fill up the given template for Item
Item Name:
…
Warning: The above data would be optimized according to the maximum available ExPs
Warning: Item-Specific Skill would not be upgradable
Warning: Item's Rank can be upgraded using ExPs
…]
Aldrich originally wanted to upgrade his "Oldest Change" mask to the next Rank. But after analyzing his recent battles and seeing the upcoming one, he faced an immense problem. No Item of any Rank or Type would ever suffice his requirements. The existence of "Oldest Change" provided him with the means to use many types of weapons. But his Inventory restricted him, contrasting the most important Item he had. And Aldrich had come up with a simple but effective solution for it.
[…
Item Name: Shadow Homunculus
…
…
Do you want to submit this data?
…]
Aldrich nodded.
[…
Submitting request to create Item….
Optimizing Item…
Item 'Shadow Homunculus' is created
ExPs consumed: 9799
Warning: The consumed ExPs are permanently lost
Warning: You have fallen back to Level 1
…]
Aldrich saw the Skill sucking his Experience Points dry, but his Rank didn't fall back from Rare.
A gooey black mass materialized in front of Aldrich. It tried to take the shape of something but couldn't manage to. The squirming mass seemed to lose its substance with each moment. It leaped towards Aldrich's shadow and, with the noise of dripping water drops, entered it. A weak will of hunger surfaced in Aldrich's mind and he took out his "Ripper Claws". Watching his shadow with a grave look, he dropped the daggers over it.
BWAAA!!!
An enormous mouth opened up from within his shadow, which gulped down the Daggers without even chewing. Aldrich waited for a few seconds and thrust his hands in the shadow. The shadow seemed like a chasm on the earth's surface and Aldrich's hands went inside it. He took hold of something and, for the first time in a while, a smile crept upon his face.
ZIINGG!!!
With a sudden jerk, Aldrich pulled out two ominous-looking dark daggers from which shadowy vapors were emanating. Aside from their color and horrifying presence, everything about them was the same. Aldrich eyed the distant pillar and Sonu's face, with a slight smile, surfaced in his mind. With rage brimming out of his eyes, Aldrich turned the dagger's tip towards himself.
SNAP!!!
With two quick movements, Aldrich stabbed himself in the heart and took out the knife. Before he could even feel anything, blood spurted out and painted the ground red. The searing hot pain followed an itch of crisis, but Aldrich's eyes were still dead set on the pillar. Aldrich's hot chest turned cold second by second and his breathing felt rough and forced. As his sight became dark and blurry, Aldrich closed his eyes and said the only thing he had wanted to say.
"I'll be the Master of my Dreams."
Aldrich didn't know if he could come back. He didn't know if he could open his eyes again. He didn't know if the darkness would ever welcome him again and would let him leave. But he went there, anyway. And the call that had summoned him was one of the main reasons for it.
Yet one could still ask the question. Given that there was a possibility of never coming back, a possibility to lose oneself in that perennial darkness, and a possibility to spend millions of years to reach one's destination. If one had a chance like this, how many could still die so easily?
The same old darkness, like the destruction of a Dream-world, greeted Aldrich. His hair had turned white, and the black and white of his eyes had exchanged colors. A bottomless hole opened up on his forehead and a black robe materialized over his naked body. The call within him turned into a beacon, telling him of a direction. And a long journey awaited him again, for only he could travel freely on the path where none other could imagine treading.
After a long time, Aldrich saw the familiar being behind the fluttering Veil. But this time, he didn't need to say anything. The Call within him turned into a feeling, praising him for the sacrifice. Aldrich's ethereal body throbbed with unwelcomed pleasure. The Call turned into a feeling, thanking him for the meal. And the Call turned into a feeling, bestowing upon him an exchange.
Aldrich saw an unusual flutter of the Veil and found a rotten arm full of pus and torn flesh in front of him. And he could see words hovering over it.
[…
Item: Broken Faith
…
…]