Chapter 5: The Hidden Class Trial

[Your strength is insufficient.]

[Your strength is insufficient.]

[Your strength is insufficient.]

[Your strength is insufficient.]

No matter how many times he tried again, the result was the same. Revan was once again facing the barrier called strength.

“Why the hell?”

Why was this happening?

He had definitely changed his job to Mage, so why did the job item, the Growth Cube, keep demanding strength from him?

Revan couldn’t understand.

“Ah, what should I do…”

His head throbbed.

Since the Growth Cube quest item was something he had never seen in other classes and appeared only to him, it must be an important item.

So he couldn’t just ignore it. In fact, he thought ignoring it would be a mistake.

After all, Revan was the only Warlord with a unique hidden class.

With a troubled expression, Revan lowered his hand to look at the Growth Cube.

“If it keeps going like this, I’m in trouble…”

Still, this time, he wasn’t completely without information.

While increasing his Strength stats by 10 to unlock the skill cube, Revan discovered a subtle difference.

That difference was that the system message changed after raising the Strength stat by 5.

“After putting 5 points into Strength, the message changed from ‘very insufficient’ to just ‘insufficient.’ 
And the strength the cube demands now is ‘insufficient’ rather than ‘very insufficient.’ 
So maybe if I raise my Strength stat by just 5 more points, it might be enough…”

Although he had experienced it only once and couldn’t be certain, his intuition strangely told him so.

After some thought, Revan decided to raise his Strength stat once more.

“Alright. I’ll try just one more time. It’s a hidden class, after all. There’s no way the Warlord creators would give a hidden class a terrible build.”

Of course, if it turned out to be a terrible build later, he would rush to headquarters and throw tomatoes in protest.

Resolute, Revan raised his Strength stat by 5 at once, just as he had predicted.

[Strength has increased by 1.]

[Strength has increased by 1.]

[Strength has increased by 1.]

[Strength has increased by 1.]

[Strength has increased by 1.]

Now he had zero remaining stat points.

Revan felt somewhat restless with the increased strength but forced himself to ignore it and spun the Growth Cube.

Clack!

Like a lie, the Growth Cube began to revert.

As Revan expected, raising the Strength stat by 5 was the correct choice.

[You have successfully aligned the Rubic’s Growth Cube.]
[The god you serve offers a small trial for your growth. Do you accept the trial?]

“Hmm, I accept.”

[You have accepted the trial.]

[A quest has started.]

Ding!

[Hunt the Rabbit King Babet]

[Rank: Special]

[Condition: Hunt the field boss monster, Rabbit King Babet, alone.]

[Rewards: Rubic’s Growth Cube, Rubic’s Skill Cube Shard, Rubic’s Treasure Cube.]

Rabbit King Babet?

Rabbit King Babet was the first field boss monster found near the starting village.

But the problem was that Babet’s level was at least twice as high as Revan’s current level 5.

Babet’s minimum level is 11. And you expect me to kill that alone?

It was nonsense.

Babet was massive compared to regular rabbits, the size of an ox, and if he got hit, a low-level like Revan would be instantly killed.

“No, this is ridiculous. Babet is like a teaser raid boss provided by the Warlord developers, and now they want me to kill him alone?”

Revan recalled the past when he struggled to hunt Babet with a party formed with people he met in the starting village.

Back then, he had barely defeated Babet with a five-person party, but now his level was only half that, and he had to solo the kill.

Yet this was the quest given by the Growth Cube.

He couldn’t ignore or refuse it.

“Damn, of course. They give me a hidden class but throw balance out the window. But…”

He had no intention of backing down.

This was the path Revan chose for himself.

“I may not be a veteran, but I’ll show these experienced players why only recruiting experienced ones is nonsense.”

The condition was harsh, but there was an escape route, and Revan decided to fully show the strength of veteran users.

“Auction house open.”

Ding!

His first step was none other than shopping.

~

“Looking for people to hunt Babet!”

“Two healers! One tank! One DPS here! Need one more tank!”

“Got a healer with rare skills!”

Near the entrance of the starting village.

This place was always bustling with people trying to form parties.

Because the entrance was the area with the most population carrying hunting resources outside the village.

“Ah, it’s so hard to find a tank.”

“Right? Everyone’s either DPS or healer.”

“I get it. Nobody wants to be the one taking hits.”

People dislike pain but like to shine.

So among Warlords, healers and ranged DPS who want to stand out are more common than tanks.

But to raid, you absolutely need a tank to draw aggro.

Thus, tanks were as rare and valuable as healers in the Warlord community.

It was then.

“Hey! Nadal! That person over there!”

“Who? …Ah, could it be?”

“Yeah, he’s wearing heavy armor and holding a shield and mace. He looks exactly like a tank. Go ask if he’s looking for a party!”

“Got it. Hold on a second.”

Nadal’s party was one member short—a tank—to be complete.

Because of that, everyone was desperately searching for a tank, and they spotted someone wearing rare heavy armor, holding a shield in one hand and a mace in the other.

Anyone could tell he was a tank.

Nadal dashed towards the man before anyone else could.

“Excuse me for a moment!”

“?”

Luckily, Nadal was the first to speak to him.

As Nadal talked, other party leaders searching for tanks cast envious looks.

“Wow, that guy is definitely a tank.”

“Check his gear. Maybe a newbie raised by a guild?”

“Maybe he’s a rich kid.”

Filled with envy, they watched.

Seeing their suspicious eyes, Nadal was even more determined to recruit this man.

Nadal said, “We’re going to hunt Babet, but we need one more tank. If you don’t have a party yet, would you like to join us?”

“A tank?”

“Yes, yes.”

Nadal blinked his eyes and asked as politely as he could.

The party members holding their breath silently prayed while watching the scene.

Nadal came back.

But alone.

Unable to contain their curiosity, a party member asked, “What? Did he have a party?”

“No, he doesn’t have anyone.”

“No one?”

“He said he’s not a tank, but a Mage.”

“What? What’s that…”

“I didn’t believe it either, so I checked his character info. It’s true. He’s a Mage.”

“Why would a Mage be wearing heavy armor like that?”

“Right…?”

Everyone shook their heads and laughed.

Meanwhile.

“How on earth do I look like a tank!”

The person mistaken for a tank was none other than Revan.

After Nadal’s party, Revan was invited by several others for party casting, but each time he insisted he was a Mage, not a tank.

The reactions were always the same.

Some cursed him for messing around when they clearly didn’t want him.

“Good natured me just has to endure it.”

In the starting village, every time a user or 400 monsters died, his Karma value increased, causing great inconvenience to players.

Revan refused countless party invitations afterward and hurriedly moved to the outer field.

The beginner field boss monster, Babet, did not spawn in only one place.

This was because Babet was created for beginners.

Therefore, Babet’s respawn time was short, and the respawn locations varied compared to other field bosses.

Revan found a quiet spot, sat down, and picked up his mace.

“If I hunt here for a bit, Babet should appear.”

Revan was level 5.

Though still about twice lower in level than Babet, he no longer worried much.

Because Revan had the secret card called “현질” — paying with real money.

“Well, technically it’s not really paying with real money.”

After all, it wasn’t that he bought items with cash but that he used his existing money to purchase them.

Before buying these items, Revan had pondered.

How could he hunt Babet without forming a party?

The thought didn’t last long.

Because the unchanging truth in every online game to solve hunting problems is overwhelming specs.

So Revan bought strength-based items from the auction house that any class could equip if their strength stat was high enough.

Judging by the situation, he’d have to hunt using only Hold magic for a while.

* It’s cheap because it’s beginner gear, but I have to prepare a better strategy soon.*

If he spent money unwisely like this, he wouldn’t last half a year, maybe not even three months.

To Revan, money equaled time.

So he had to find the most efficient growth method as soon as possible.

Clack clack!

[Hold has been activated.]

In an instant, Revan matched the cube and used Hold on a nearby rabbit.

The stunned rabbit froze stiff.

When the five-second countdown started over the rabbit’s head, Revan didn’t hesitate and swung his mace.

[You have slain a rabbit.]

[You have gained experience points.]

One shot, one kill.

There’s no easier opponent than a monster that doesn’t block or dodge.

While slaughtering rabbits for a while, Revan’s ear caught a welcome electronic message.

[A boss monster has spawned.]

“It’s here!”

It was news of the field boss, Babet, respawning!

~

“Babet is up!”

“Where, where!”

“We’re first!”

Near the entrance of the starting village.

There was a well-known place where Babet respawned regularly.

So those who formed Babet hunting parties would wait there.

When the shout came, it was already too late.

The hunting order was decided by who first drew Babet’s aggro upon its appearance.

“Come on! We’re first!”

A party with an archer as their main damage dealer was the first to draw Babet’s aggro.

Other parties who missed their chance respectfully kept their distance and watched the archer party’s raid.

“Tank! Draw the aggro! Aggro!”

“Wait a moment!”

This time, Babet’s level was 12—higher than average.

Because of this, the archer party with only one tank had to carefully balance the fight.

“Ugh! Body slam coming! Dodge!”

“Ah! Tank!”

Babet had just sent the tank flying with its only special attack, a body slam.

Though it was the only special move, the level difference made it overwhelmingly powerful.

And when the tank was knocked out, the party’s fate was sealed.

“Ahhh! Nooo!”

As Babet mercilessly slaughtered the archer party, other parties swallowed their saliva.

Despite its cute appearance, the giant size and aura, and the typical rabbit agility made Babet a terrifying foe for inexperienced hunters.

One user watching the battle thought,

“Is there really anyone at this level who can kill such a reckless monster alone?”

There probably wasn’t.

At least, that user thought so.

But now—

“Ughhh!”

Far from the entrance, someone was fighting Babet alone.

“Hold on.”

That person was none other than Revan.

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