Chapter 18: Hidden Class Offer

[You have defeated Darktos.] 
 
[You have defeated Darktos.] 
 
[You have defeated Darktos.]

This was like a game of “catch the rat.”  

The cooldown for Thunder Strike, which needed to be used every 30 seconds, was reduced by 10 seconds thanks to the effect of Ho-um’s club, making it possible to use every 20 seconds.  

As a result, Darktos died off one by one every 20 seconds.  

This was an absurd hunting method.  

So, Revan went to remote places where there were fewer people to hunt Darktos.  

“There’s no point in attracting unnecessary attention.”  

In the world of War Lords, popularity quickly translates into money.  

But popularity only becomes valuable if you can handle it yourself.  

Revan’s current level was 12.  

No, he had just leveled up a moment ago, reaching 13.  

In other words, that was everything.  

No matter how much Revan had obtained the Legendary Reclass and possessed an absurd amount of stats thanks to his overwhelming growth rate, he still lacked the strength to protect himself from the attention of others.  

“True attention-seeking life only starts once I have the power to protect myself.”  

Revan wasn’t a fool.  

Especially as a livelihood-type gamer, he was sharper than most when it came to money.  

That was why he had high expectations for his new job.  

“Right now, patience is the answer. There are plenty of ways to make money with this character. So for a while, the best strategy is to grow quietly by gathering video materials without drawing attention. It’s obvious that standing out will only bring interference from others.”  

This was why Revan was careful.  

[Quest ‘Follow Me (2)’ conditions have been met.]

Without realizing it, Revan had already hunted 100 Darktos while absentmindedly playing.  

During that time, he also collected a lot of high-quality dark ore.  

“With this amount, the affinity should go up quite a bit.”  

There’s no easier way to raise affinity than a repeat quest awarding 4 million affinity points.  

In that sense, gaining Elder Belkan’s recognition only took time; it wasn’t a difficult quest.  

After extracting high-quality dark ore from the last Darktos he had killed, Revan returned to Herum to find Ho-um.  

Ho-um, who discovered Revan, spoke up.  

“Hm? Little brother, what are you still doing here without leaving yet?”  

“Eh? What do you mean?”  

“I told you to go hunt Darktos over 30 minutes ago. I’m just asking because you’re still here now.”  

“Eh? I’m on my way back after hunting Darktos.”  

“Oh? How many did you catch?”  

“Exactly 100, as instructed.”  

“What, what did you say?”  

“All of them. 100 Darktos. While I was at it, the Elder asked me to collect some dark ore, so I did. Want to check it out?”  

Revan confidently showed the dark ore, leaving Ho-um genuinely surprised.  

That was understandable—less than an hour had passed since Ho-um assigned the task, yet Revan had already hunted all those Darktos.  

But Revan hadn’t lied; he really did defeat 100 Darktos using Thunder Strike.  

“This guy… he’s something else!”  

Ho-um’s eyes began to gleam sharply, unlike before.  

[Ho-um has started to have special feelings for you.]  

[Ho-um desires you deeply.]  

A sudden system message.  

Revan was stunned after seeing the message’s content.  

“What nonsense is this?”  

Special feelings? Desires?  

It was at that moment.  

“Hey, little brother...”  

“Yes? Wh-what?”  

Seeing the dangerous message at a glance, Revan instinctively took a step back at Ho-um’s call.  

Because he was using an adult account.  

Ho-um looked at Revan with different eyes than before and spoke in a subtle tone.  

“Tell me...”  

“Yes, yes?”  

The subtle tone only stirred more dangerous imaginations.  

Revan instinctively put his hand behind his back on the club strapped there, ready to swing if necessary.  

Ho-um said,  

“Have you ever thought about becoming a mercenary?”  

“...What?”  

“No, forget about mercenary for now. I’m asking if you’ve ever thought about becoming my official successor.”  

[Ho-um offers you the successor proposal.]  
[If accepted, you can reclass into ‘Hidden Class: War Mercenary.’]

Revan’s eyes widened at the unexpected proposal.  

“What is this? A hidden class?”  

Only then did Revan understand the system’s mention of Ho-um’s special feelings.  

He was dumbfounded.  

That wasn’t the feeling he thought it was.  

Of course, he hadn’t expected it to be that either.  

He was just relieved it was different from what he imagined.  

Thanks to that, Revan could laugh wryly instead of being overly anxious.  

Revan chuckled softly and said,  

“Sorry, brother. I already have a path I’m aiming for.”  

“No. You’re naturally born with the spirit of a warrior. So even now, changing direction and becoming a true warrior would be better for you.”  

“No, thank you. I appreciate your words, but I must respectfully decline.”  

“Is that so...”  

[Ho-um feels disappointed.]  

A message of disappointment appeared.  

But even though Ho-um was disappointed, his affection didn’t decrease.  

Ho-um was not a petty character.  

“I see. Then if you ever change your mind, just tell me anytime. No matter when, I will always welcome you.”  

“Thank you, brother.”  

“Phew, what a shame. If only I had known you sooner...”  

Ho-um was truly regretful, visibly sulking.  

After finishing his mood swing, Ho-um finally began talking about the completed quest.  

“Seeing how quickly you took down the Darktos, I’d say your Thunder Strike is no weaker than other warriors. Good work. Here is the promised vision device.”  

[You have completed the quest ‘Follow Me (2).’]  

[Quest rewards have been granted.]  

[You have gained experience points.]  

[Your level has increased.]  

[You have learned Thunder Strike.]  

“This is the skill that brought me glory, Thunder Strike. Thanks to this skill, my nickname in the army was ‘Thunder of the Battlefield.’”  

“That’s a great nickname.”  

“Although the path you walk isn’t that of a warrior, I hope this vision device can help you in some way.”  

“Help? Not at all. Thunder Strike will definitely be very helpful to me.”  

“This guy’s words are truly honest... ahem, by the way, you’re helping the Elder right now?”  

“Yes, that’s correct.”  

“Then is there a particular reason for assisting the Elder?”  

“Not a particular reason. Just, since we were hunting Darktos anyway, the Elder said he needed high-quality dark ore, so I helped out at the same time.”  

“I see. Efficiency is the key to everything. By the way, do you know? In our village, being recognized by the Elder is the same as being accepted by all the villagers.”  

“Really?”  

The quest regarding the vision device had been completed.  

During that process, Revan had raised his affinity with Ho-um to the highest possible level, enough to receive a hidden class offer.  

Perhaps that was why Ho-um, who normally wouldn’t reveal such information, shared something Revan wouldn’t have known otherwise.  

Revan’s eyes lit up.  

*If they share information unprompted, it’s probably valuable intelligence. Got it, I’ll be sure to use this later.*  

Revan had already obtained several pieces of special information just from Herum alone.  

But as the saying goes, the more money and information you have, the better.  

Revan perked up and began to listen carefully to the new information.  

“Do you know what being recognized by the village means, little brother?”  

“I’m not sure.”  

“To be recognized by the village means you’re no longer just an outsider or a close friend. You’re officially accepted as a member of the village, part of the family.”  

Family?  

Was that a good thing?  

He wasn’t sure.  

Because Revan had never grouped with others for friendship nor been officially recognized by any organization through quests.  

*I’ve always pursued only self-interest.*  

A lone wolf’s life.  

It was the fate of a livelihood-type gamer.  

So, honestly, the information Ho-um was sharing didn’t move him much.  

But it was too difficult a process to ignore, and Revan happened to need the Elder’s recognition.  

*Could this be connected to the Growth Cube quest?*  

Although there was no direct indication of a connection, sometimes totally unrelated things intersect.  

That was part of the charm of being a War Lord.  

So, for now, Revan accepted it.  

“Family. Just hearing that sounds nice.”  

“Indeed. Family is a powerful force that supports each other through any circumstance. So, I want to get to know you like my own younger brother.”  

[Ho-um gives you a recommendation letter.]  

[You have obtained Ho-um’s recommendation letter.]  

“Brother, what is this?”  

“My recommendation letter. Take this to the Elder Belkan and meet him. Then he will decide whether to accept you as family or not.”  

[A quest has triggered.]  

[Do you accept?]  

Ho-um’s recommendation letter.  

So, if Revan goes to Belkan with this, he can instantly receive a quest that will fill his affinity meter.  

The calculation was done.  

Revan accepted the recommendation letter with a reluctant heart.  

“Thank you, brother. I will definitely become a member of Herum as you wish.”  

“Heh heh, then I’ll be looking forward to it.”  

Member of Herum.  

For Revan, who hadn’t even properly joined a guild yet, the idea of becoming a member was overwhelming.  

He couldn’t hide his growing excitement over the increasing rare information.  

~  

*Knock knock*  

The Development Team’s Manager’s Office.  

The visitor was Section Chief Lee Seong-mi.  

Hearing no response to her knock, Lee Seong-mi opened the bulker door as usual.  

As expected, Oh Jae-hyun was sleeping again.  

Lee Seong-mi woke him up.  

“Manager?”  

“Uh... oh, Section Chief?”  

“Yes, Manager. I’m not bothering you, I have something to report.”  

“What is it?”  

“Do you remember the user Sung Woo?”  

“The War Mage? Why?”  

“Right now, that user is carrying out the ‘Member of Herum’ quest.”  

“Why... huh? What did you say? Already?”  

“Yes. We just finished monitoring.”  

“Let me see.”  

Following Oh Jae-hyun’s command, Lee Seong-mi skillfully brought up Sung Woo’s personal screen on the office monitor.  

The screen showed Sung Woo talking with Elder Belkan, holding Ho-um’s recommendation letter.  

“Wow, really?”  

“Yes. At this pace, the quest will be completed soon...”  

“It’s because of the main scenario, right? We need to speed up the update.”  

“That’s right.”  

“Ugh, faster updates are troublesome for us... but honestly, I don’t think it’s bad.”  

“Right.”  

“After all, the game is made to be enjoyed. And 18 months isn’t that late. So let’s not worry too much and keep an eye on things. Who knows? Maybe there’ll be unexpected delays?”  

“Understood.”  

Following Oh Jae-hyun’s orders, Lee Seong-mi didn’t object.  

Though he seemed dazed, Oh Jae-hyun was one of the key developers of War Lord, sharp in matters like this.  

After reporting, Lee Seong-mi bowed and left the office, while Oh Jae-hyun chuckled quietly.  

“Wow. Already a member quest. I didn’t expect it to be this fast. Is Rubix really such a carefully chosen talent?”  

After watching Sung Woo’s gameplay for a while, Oh Jae-hyun turned off the monitor and leaned back in his chair.  

After all, Section Chief Lee would continue monitoring.  

(Magician Doesn’t Hide Their Power)