On the morning of the 30th day.
As planned, Mother Malevolence made the announcement of the deadline being extended by another two months. She sounded like she was being generous towards everyone, and that led many of the survivors to breathe out a sigh of relief. After all, most of them had failed to gather 1000 silver coins until now.
Of course, not everyone displayed the same reaction.
"Mao Kingmaker, what is it?"
Mother Malevolence knew that he was staring at her for a long time, but she decided to reply only now and shifted her own gaze towards the man in the black suit. Mao's eyebrows rose up ever so slightly.
"It's nothing, really. Just that..."
"Just... what?"
"It's different from what I've heard."
'Wasn't it originally three months to begin with?' Mao seemed to have found a way to imply those words without saying them out aloud. Of course, he had no real reason to reveal the truth and get on Mother Malevolence's bad side.
"Is that so? What a shame. I don't know which moron told you those things, but you must have not heard that I'm the general manager this time around."
"If you say something like that, then I guess there's nothing more to say."
Mao shrugged his shoulders and turned around, breaking eye contact. Mother Malevolence then casually swept her gaze across the rest of the survivors.
"So, how was the first month of your stay in the Basic Realm?"
Her question was met with nothing but silence. The reality of the survivors' situation was that no matter how many of them gathered to form a team, none could crack a single 'Normal' difficulty mission.
"Unless you're a complete moron, I'm pretty sure you began to realize the harsh truth by now. 'Ah, I'm really worthless. If I leave this place now, I will die right away'. You must have thought about such things, no? Don't you think so, trash?"
The burly man who complained about not being let into Outland avoided meeting her gaze in embarrassment.
"Looks like you've all woken up by now."
Mother Matron seemed to be satisfied by their reactions as the tone of her voice softened just a tad.
"Now that you've become aware of your own reality, surely you're more willing to listen now than ever before. Most of you probably have amassed at least some silver coins by now, correct?"
That was indeed the case. Pretty much everyone did nothing but complete missions like madmen. Even those who entered the Realm with zero coins had amassed a few hundred coins at this point.
"Well, I've prepared a gift for all of you."
At the mere mention of a 'gift', the eyes of the survivors opened up wide in anticipation.
"Starting tomorrow, the Library will open up for you. And inside this library, you will be able to gain insight from the archives depending on your abilities. But before that, you will need to receive a specification that best suits your [Disposition] in the Chamber of Awakening. Simply put, you will be one step closer to using your internal energy similar to mana."
*Whisper, whisper.*
The once-quiet theatre grew noisy in an instant.
"Once you receive your specification, it should become easier for you to figure out what kind of missions you should take on or what kind of roles you should play during cooperative missions. Also..."
Mother Matron's eyes arched up.
"...the silver coins you've earned so far will become even more valuable."
Several questions came flying at her from the audience seats. Unlike the first day, Mother Matron patiently answered every single one of them. Meanwhile, Ariana was sighing softly on the sidelines. She could already tell what would happen in the Basic Realm after their Awakening and the Archives became available.
Just as Mother Matron suggested, the moment one's spec was chosen, one would be able to use energy similar to mana. Naturally, they would have to learn how to utilize it and receive specialized training tailored to their new abilities. In the Basic Realm, however, this matter could be resolved easily through silver coins.
One just had to purchase their desired [Ability], such as [Demonic Application], in the form of a tome sold from the stores. But that was the core of the issue. The survivors would become stronger too easily that they would mentally hit the limit to their growth just as quickly. It'd be more correct to say that one would forever be stuck at a certain level and never improve by relying on this method.
The gap between relying only on what's shown on their [Character Windows] and perceiving the 'truth' on your own was absolutely huge. And that gap would only grow wider and wider as one's levels increased. Perhaps, Mother Matron was aiming for this. To turn those who spend silver coins as soon as their specification was chosen and turned into a useable combat force as soon as possible.
In other words, those who 'knew what they were doing' would be left alone, while those who had no clue at all would be, well, ushered around like that.
Mother Matron's methods of doing things were too ambiguous to truly label it wrong, and likewise, Ariana couldn't definitely pick faults with her decision-making process. After all, it all boiled simply down to matters of differing opinions. More importantly, since she was the one in charge of the Basic Realm this time around, it was her prerogative on how she'd 'raise' this flock of young hatchlings.
***
Later, at a fine dining restaurant, Zevrad was glad to hear about the extension of the deadline by another two months. Now he'd be able to use up all the [Excess Potion of Accelerated Learning] he had bought already without feeling the urgency. He could use any items he bought here in Outland, but that was outside these safe walls. The Basic Realm was constructed solely for the purpose of ensuring the survival of newbies and the training of future demon hunters. There was no better place to use the [Excess Potion of Accelerated Learning] than here.
"Your spec will be determined tomorrow in the Chamber of Awakening."
Ariana spoke as she cut into a slab of juicy T-bone steak. Zevrad had agreed to her suggestion and stopped eating junk food conjured by magic and sold at a convenience store. He now ate proper meals from the restaurant. Doing that caused him to feel deep regret over two matters.
The first regret was all to do with him not coming here sooner. Not only did the food taste amazing, but they also provided the right amount of necessary nutrients. It didn't simply fill him up; he felt like his body was visibly getting healthier. Of course, the tastier the food, the more expensive it got, but such things didn't matter to Zevrad at all.
The second was that he should never fool around with Ariana when it came to food. There was this one time not too long ago when Zevrad inadvertently broke the promise of buying her a meal once every day. She coldly told him, "You had your meal alone, I see. Why don't we get started training right away?"
Then, she proceeded to not talk to him for the next four days. When he thought about how much he had to sweat while trying to appease her cold, simmering fury, well...
"What's on your mind?"
"Well, uh, the thing is, I'm nervous at which spec I want."
Zevrad quickly came up with an answer. Ariana sighed softly.
"It's not a difficult decision to make, there's only two, to begin with."
"Oh… is that so?"
"The Lords of the Illidari debated among themselves before granting survivors a spec out of these two beginning ones: Havoc and Vengeance."
Hearing this, Zevrad tilted his head slightly.
"Only two? That's not as many as I expected."
"That's only in the beginning. Depending on your development and [Disposition], countless other paths will become available to you."
Ariana elegantly chewed on the meat and swallowed it before continuing on.
"For instance, let's say a child uses a dagger as their starting weapon. Then, this child grows up and becomes stronger that will allow them to choose either a sword, spear, or bow. The principle can be the same for the specs that you can choose."
In other words, only the initial stages would be the same, and the evolution of your spec would entirely depend on how one developed themselves. After carefully thinking about a few things, he couldn't help but become curious.
"What would happen when you choose Havoc but decide to apply some spells from a different school? Such as a druid?"
"Then you'll have a spec that suits both magic, but I wouldn't recommend going down that path. It's very difficult to dig just one well, after all, and there is a lot we don't fully know about demonic magic."
Indeed, raising one's [Attributes] accordingly to create a spec chosen made sense. There was no point in becoming a jack-of-all-trades that wasn't good at any one thing. Zevrad nodded his head in agreement but would consider the possibility should the opportunity arises. Ariana continued on with her explanations.
"When you increase your mastery and become proficient enough to imbue demonic magic into your abilities, you will have to fuse your entire being into your demon. This achievement is the dividing line separating the lower and higher class combatants.
"I have to fuse with my demon?"
Ariana nodded as she lifted a finger representing the number 1...
"Yes, think of it this way. What you achieved earlier was the first step, otherwise known as The First Hunt, after devouring the essence of the demon you hunted and binding their soul to yours. Most people would think that'd be it, but in actuality, this is the first step into becoming a true demon hunter."
...the second finger was raised...
"The second step, The Dark Path, is the ritual that we have already invoked for you when you were unconscious. By applying the demon's blood on grafting it onto your skin to magically cage it. Whether or not it remains under control will be on you."
...then the third finger.
"The third step, The Awakening, will completely fuse your soul with your bound demon. Allowing you access to their entire being. Such as characteristics, knowledge, and traits. Even memories."
Ariana placed her hands down and studied the face on Zevrad's face, noticing how deep into thought he was. His brows furrowed slightly. He thought this whole 'specification' situation would be something a bit simpler, but it turned out to be far more complex than he bargained for.
"For now, this much information should suffice. As for our future training schedule..."
Zevrad thought that whatever the case may have been, he'd get to figure it out eventually as he carried on. However, whenever Ariana mentioned 'training', his body automatically reacted in a manner that would be quite tense.
"...you must inform me immediately what spec you chose as soon as possible. We will need to tailor your training to match that."
"Are you talking about the specific training similar to harnessing and circulating mana?"
"Yes. You know about them already."
"I overheard them today. If it's only those..."
"I strongly do not recommend that you purchase the [Demonic Application] tome from the stores."
Zevrad was slightly taken back by her sterner-than-usual tone.
"Learning how to apply demonic magic and basic skills related to your class, those can be learned via regular training. They aren't difficult at all, so there is no point in wasting your silver coins on them. Not to mention, you also have that special [Excess Potion of Accelerated Learning] potion from the VIP store so you will definitely learn them all in no time."
"..."
It felt like there was another reason for her to forbid him from buying the Applications, but Zevrad decided not to pry. One of the things he learned during the last few weeks was that he'd gained greater results with a more efficient regiment just by following her tutelage. Meaning that Ariana probably had the best interest at heart for him.
"From now on, your fitness training will only take place during the morning. During the afternoon, you will learn how to circulate demonic magic."
Suddenly, Zevrad was about to ask her when he'd get to start doing the missions but stopped. He already made up his mind that he'd only do so once his lost confidence returned on its own and that he was fully prepared. Although there was a certain sense of anxiety, a sort of urgency, he endured and told himself to wait for a little while longer.
'I won't be able to come back here again, remember that.'
There should be a good reason why Ariana was ordering him like so. Since Zevrad knew next to nothing about the world outside, it wasn't wise to disregard her recommendations at all. He slowly licked his lips, before lowering his fork.
"I guess we'll only decide after I choose my specification tomorrow."
Ariana nodded her head as if she was satisfied with that answer.
"By the way, what spec did you choose?"
Ariana picked up a glass of wine before she smiled, "Havoc."
***
The next morning, the Chamber of the Awakening opened up.
Every single survivor was told to come to the eighth floor and stand in a queue. The corridor wasn't long enough to accommodate everyone, so the queue had to snake down the staircase, as well.
The process seemed rather simple. People who entered first emerged from the chamber not even after thirty seconds passed by while looking a bit lost and dazed. Although there were some differences among the survivors, the shortest time was fifteen seconds, while the longest took around one minute.
The queue decreased quite rapidly as a result. Kor'vas was deeply worried about not receiving a spec, but once she emerged from the Chamber, she seemed to be in a strange state, just like everyone else before her.
"I chose Havoc."
"Havoc?"
As Zevrad chatted with her, over half of the survivors had already chosen their spec. It was not a definite thing, but from what Zevrad overheard, most of them had received the class that favored close-quarter battles, in other words, the Havoc spec.
Next up was the Vengeance spec which no one chose. However, Zevrad hadn't heard the details of why that was. If there was one odd thing about this whole process, it was that different specifications equated to different reactions when exiting from the Chamber. While those with the Havoc spec walked around seemingly fine, those with Vengeance spec would look quite troubled by something. In the case of Allari, who received the Vengeance class, she looked to be in a sorry state as she exited from the Chamber.
"Are you alright? Do you feel anything different?"
"Uhm, not sure yet… it feels like my body is a little bit warmer than before, but..."
Allari rubbed her chest and stomach while tilting her head this way and that, looking somewhat unconvinced. It was at this point in time that Zevrad got jolted by the loud, abrupt opening of the door and the sound of someone falling over in a heap.
When he lifted his gaze to see what happened, Zevrad saw a young female barely standing on her two feet coming out from the Chamber. She couldn't walk properly and swayed uneasily, before falling on her knees and hands. She started heaving for breaths uncontrollably. Her entire back was soaked in sweat.
"Huff, puff, huff, puff…"
She needed a little bit of time, but eventually, Odelette managed to stand back up. She leaned her head back slightly and placed her hands on her chest and stomach. It was as if she was standing there contemplating something.
'Could she have….?'
While Zevrad was pondering about Odelette's class potentially being a Vengeance spec, his turn finally came. Before he entered the Chamber, his eyes met Odelette's. Her curiosity-filled eyes seemed to be egging him on to enter already. She seemed to be waiting around to find out what kind of a class Zevrad would end up with.
"Are you feeling alright?"
Zevrad asked out of courtesy. Odelette giggled.
"I am. I'm looking forward to seeing your choice."
Zevrad smiled back and entered the Chamber.
As soon as he closed the door behind him and turned around...
'...what?!'
The Chamber's interior changed.
Everything was white.
No, it was more correct to say that this space contained no color at all. It was to the point where he couldn't tell if he was standing on something or was floating in the empty air. As if he had entered a space of nothingness.
Since he teleported around countless times in the past, including the use of the mission parchments, Zevrad was able to get used to this abrupt change pretty quickly. But he could never get rid of the astonishment he was feeling at the moment. Still holding the door handle with one hand, he slowly surveyed his surroundings.
Suddenly, several large things appeared in this space and entered his view.
They were stone statues.
The doorway was right in the middle of the encirclement of the seven 10 meter-tall stone statues.
[He is here.]
[Let us commence with his Awakening then.]
As these powerful voices resounded in his head, Zevrad felt as if a giant hand came to rest on top of his head. He flinched as all his nerves felt like they were being pricked. All the hair on his skin stood up as a cascading amount of information began swarming within his mind.
"Ah!"
Details on the Havoc and Vengeance path were being mentally transferred into Zevrad's mind and the difference between both specs was that Havoc dealt devastating destruction whereas Vengeance had more versatility.
'Was this how it felt like to be undone?'
Zevrad could feel his pores opening up one by one. This sensation of being sucked in lasted only for a short while. Something was changing within him. Inexplicably, the place just below his navel became quite itchy. It felt like a seedling of energy was slowly blooming there, before it rapidly boiled over and began enlarging in size. It didn't even take five seconds for the seedling to transform into a baby's figure. Postured in a fetal position.
[Hoh? With this much potential… the skies are the limit, no?]
[He has two Innate Abilities too.]
[I see. I get it now!]
[He must have opened his sight when he was still young. That must explain his past feats.]
[There is a trace of him losing his power once before.]
[How regretful, how regretful...]
Several different voices resounded in his head.
A voice that sounded supremely arrogant.
An eerie voice seemingly filled with rage.
A broken voice filled with annoyance.
And a sensuous voice that stirred one's hidden desires.
However, Zevrad didn't even have enough leeway to mind the voices. That energy was rising up like a wiggling wyrm and proceeded to course through every nook and cranny of his body. As the unfamiliar sensation of the unknown energy stormed throughout every orifice and hidden depth of his entire being, he couldn't even think straight.
[Indeed, it is a waste. During the time he lost his ability, his mana had also regressed a great deal. If only that didn't occur...]
[He might have surpassed his limits by now.]
[It can't be helped. He wouldn't even have been cognizant because of that planet of his.]
[Let us make our decision right away. Without a doubt, it is Havoc, yes?]
[Agreed. No debate necessary.]
It felt like the world around Zevrad was spinning endlessly. However, even though his head felt like it was stuck in a dizzying loop, he still clearly heard the word 'Vengeance'. He summoned what little willpower he could and pinched his thigh real hard.
"Vengeance..."
When he managed to murmur out a sound, the surroundings fell silent for a while.
[Vengeance?]
[What a peculiar man.]
[Now that I took another look, despite his disability, he does possess a great potential as a Vengeance. I am still unwilling to give up on this path.]
[Mmm. Certainly… I can see his compatibility. He might not suit the spec of 'Havoc', after all.]
[What are you all talking about?]
[Difficult. It is truly difficult...]
'By Elune. I don't care what it is, just make up your minds already!'
Zevrad fervently prayed in his head. He wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible. His body didn't feel fatigued, yet, the longer he remained here, the harder it was to stand upright – like, he was being pressed by an invisible force or something.
[Why don't you all stop? Have you forgotten that the longer one stays, the higher the toll?]
[Why don't we bestow the spec that he wants?]
[No! Not this time.]
[That is enough. We shall decide with a vote.]
Zevrad forced his eyes to open after realizing that they were about to come to a decision. His vision was blurry as if the liquid had gotten into his eyes.
['Vengeance.']
['Vengeance.']
['Havoc.']
['Vengeance.']
['Havoc.']
['Havoc.']
Three 'Vengeance' votes, and three 'Havoc' votes.
[My Lord... why haven't you said anything?]
Lord? Even though he was barely standing there, Zevrad tried to comb his memories. Why would all of them call that person Lord? Unless…
[I...]
As Zevrad got to hear the rest of the voice, he instinctively knew that it was finally over. He grasped the door handle and barely managed to turn it.
***
The cold air outside cooled his body down rapidly. He had no idea that the Basic Realm was this cold until now. Zevrad leaned against the wall and flinched in shock after sensing the cold sweat on his back. His entire body was soaked in sweat.
He felt encumbered. Meanwhile, that energy stirring and wildly roaming inside his body was settling down in the spot between his heart and just below his navel. He felt drowsy as well, but just by the virtue of being able to breathe freely, his condition was gradually improving.
"Haaaa..."
Zevrad opened his eyes to find dozens of pairs of eyes dazedly staring at him. Now that he thought about it, his exit from the Chamber was no different from how Odelette or Allari made theirs.
"I knew this would happen."
Odelette was waiting for Zevrad while sitting on the floor.
"I'm guessing that you've chosen Vengeance as well."
Perhaps she was feeling a lot better now since she could ask him while forming an expression that said, 'I knew it.'
Zevrad carefully regulated his breathing and quietly opened his mouth to speak.