Chapter 42: Changing Professions

After parting ways with Big Brother Bai and Black Tea, I quickly calmed down and began to consider my class change. Given my proficiency in close combat, I narrowed my options to knight, swordsman, warrior, and rogue—these were the four general categories I focused on as I wandered the streets of Frostveil City, entering and leaving notable establishments like the Knight Academy, the Warrior Guild, the Hall of Heroes, and the Thieves’ Guild in search of a vocation that suited me.

The Knight Academy was an official martial institution established by the Empire of Knights. There were thirty-six advanced instructors of unknown rank, and their sole purpose was to select those with latent warrior talent from among the commoners, nurturing and training them to become the finest fighters.

Much like the Knight Academy, there was also a Magic Academy, set up by the Empire to train mages… but that’s a topic for another time.

It’s worth mentioning that the Warrior Guild, which stood on equal footing with the Knight Academy, was among the most popular choices for players. This guild was a civilian organization formed by a group of renowned mercenary warriors, each with exceptional combat experience. Unlike the orthodox knightly tradition, they placed a greater emphasis on lethal efficiency.

Compared to the first two, the Hall of Heroes was far more obscure. Still, these places had given rise to some truly powerful heroes. Though only a handful of vocations were offered there, and their skillsets were rather plain, many newcomers still flocked to them.

Last was the Thieves’ Guild, a profession notorious for its unsavory reputation… Cunning and ruthlessness were their hallmarks, but in this world, thieves were indispensable.

After all, many places that players couldn’t reach required their particular skills.

Knights, swordsmen, warriors, rogues… These four broad categories were really just umbrella terms—each contained no fewer than twenty different branches. Sometimes a single word’s difference meant a completely distinct path, so choosing required the utmost caution!

Take knights, for example: There were light cavalry, heavy knights, archer knights, lancers, sword-and-shield knights, rangers, phalanx riders, foot knights, and dozens more. Upon reaching the second tier, these knights could further specialize—Gale Knights, Silver Knights, Crossbow Riders, Radiant Knights, Dragonwolf Cavalry, and so on.

As one advanced in rank, not only did the player become stronger, but the advantages and flaws of each vocation grew more pronounced.

Let’s take White Valentine, whom I know quite well. Back then, his first-tier class, Sword Duelist, blended the styles of swordsman and warrior, so he chose that path to develop.

But when he reached the second tier, a sudden desire for strength and defense led him to advance into a Heavy Sword Warrior. Although this class balanced offense and defense, making it quite suitable for solo play or small parties, it didn’t fit the high-defense, high-attack, high-HP niche required by many teams. As a result, his level hovered stubbornly at around 26.

Reflecting on White Valentine’s personal experience, I quickly decided on my own development path…

Solo play! That wouldn’t be a problem for me.

High agility and high attack for stat allocation! I wanted a class that could push these attributes to their limits and deliver devastating strikes, and it absolutely had to include some means of countering ranged attackers.

As for speed… that could be achieved through stat distribution and superior equipment. So long as I was fast enough, I could fully utilize my combat skills and guarantee my own safety to the greatest extent.

Additionally, with the gear provided by “Whisper,” I had no reason to worry about attack power or defense.

The only thing I needed to watch for was how the class skills could benefit me… and, of course, my ability to deal with ranged attackers.

I searched through nearly a hundred knight, swordsman, and warrior classes in-game, but none of their skills satisfied me. Warriors had overly demanding strength requirements; knights were too traditional in their attack styles. Swordsmen, who were more neutral, focused on balance—strength, agility, and stamina in equal measure, plus that blasted intelligence stat, leaving them with no real standout features.

The handful of classes with decent speed had no way of resisting ranged attackers—Black Tea’s frost magic and magic scrolls were an all-too-clear warning.

In the end, I turned my attention, somewhat disappointed, to the rogue classes.

But that was even more frustrating! Some rogue subclasses specialized in stealing from others—not just monsters, but players as well. The thought of such abilities sent a chill down my spine! Was it possible for a skill to do that? The “Dragon’s Reach” pickpocket technique, when mastered, could reach a success rate of 60%…

Terrifying!

Fortunately, the following note put my mind at ease: Each act of theft resulted in a one-hour bounty!

In other words, the more a rogue stole, the more exposed they’d become to attacks from NPCs and players alike… From novice to intermediate, one needed to steal two thousand times.

At this point, I finally relaxed. Whew… That was a relief! No matter how bold a rogue was, they’d never dare court death inside a city crawling with NPCs; even a failed attempt would get them wanted.

Settling my mind, I continued my search.

But, alas…

Poisons, traps… curse them all.

After wasting several hours combing every corner of Frostveil City, not only had I failed to find my ideal class, I had thoroughly exhausted myself.

Frustrated, I sat down right outside a shop, propping my chin on my hand as I gazed at the stream of players of every imaginable type flowing by, hoping to spark some inspiration.

It was then that a peculiar figure stepped onto the street behind me…

Clad in a black, unknown-beast hide coat, black fitted leather pants, a short dagger hanging at the waist, and a heavy metal bow with a faint, dark gleam slung across the back.

At this utterly unconventional and striking appearance, I was momentarily stunned—then, suddenly, my eyes lit up…