5 A Special Promotion
Written exam is followed by lots newbies like me, people who looking for class transfer to the next level. There are two large boards, divide by two different colors. Knights participants will find their names on the green board, while the mages will find their names on the red board. Since Byrond was a knight so I supposed to find my name here on the green board. To make this easier, the board was divide again into two categories. For mages, it will be assault magic, and support magic. For knights, it will be the warlords and the paladin.
Interesting to see that both participants of assault magic and support magic are almost equals by numbers. Lots people want to become aggressive magician, and lots also want to become healers.
But as you can guess, the numbers who register trials as fighters are way over the mages. And among those physical fighters, the number of participant to become a paladin this period is one.
That's why it is not difficult to see if I pass the exam or not. It says "Byrond Marshall of Snowhill, status : please contact the Judge."
Judge. They told me to see the judge. This is hilarious, I just want to be a paladin, and I am the only participant, but why they told me to see the judge? What did I do wrong?"
"Damn, I just want to be a warlord, why they told me to see the judge? I have bad feeling about this," I hear someone is talking beside me.
"Yeah, me too, lots of us are being hold because the Judge had another opinion on us," the other gamer replies.
"You mean, they are going to tell me that I should be a paladin? There's no way I would want to be a living sandbag!"
"Were those judges are NPCs? I can tell that because I repeatedly told them that I don't want to become a warlord and I insist to be a paladin, but they still try to persuade me to become a warlord," I slips in conversations between them.
"Huh? Incredible...." the gamer stares at me in disbelieve.
"No way!" the other gamer acts the same.
"I thought everyone who play this game have a very well working brain, but it appears only one person needs a little fix on their head," they begin to mock me.
"Why is everybody think that being a paladin is stupid?"
"Because only and idiot would jump straight to the enemy's formation to be ganged and chopped alive so their friends can grab all the glories unharmed," they said.
The very same reason I heard about paladin over and over again. People are sometimes like that, they just read the description, and when it sounds scary or disadvantaging, they will stay away from it. The reason why I really want to be a paladin other than money and popularity is because I read the skills paladins have.
First skill is to provoke enemies around me and disarm them from their skills for ten seconds. I also read the passive skills which basically strenghten the heavy armor I use at the moment, strenghten my muscle so I can move faster even when I am wielding heavy armor. Then, the most interesting is reflect damage. The fact that I can fight well with shield even the codex still notes me in archery class, made me realize one thing; in this game, the most important thing to determine our combat skill is actually our own natural skills. This is a realistic MMORPG. I bet I still can join the battlefield as paladin with frying pan on my hands.
As we predicted, those knights are being promoted to paladin class with some benefits if they willing to change their mind and become a paladin.
"So, did you agree with the judge?" I ask both of them.
"Well, since he think it's the best for me, and I'm not sure myself, I take it. I am a paladin now," the brown haired knight smiles sourly.
"I still say no to the offer. No matter what they will prize me, I will never take that useless class," said the blonde haired knight.
"So you still a warlord?"
"Yep. My name is Argath, beware if you see me in battlefield, I will crush your skull until you retire the game," the blonde knight laughs. He then leave the hall with warlord license.
I says to the remaining knight, "so, we are going to be rival, huh?"
"Who knows? I just want to play. I don't even know how long this game will get me hooked, so I have no expectation, I will just do what I think it's best," he answers.
"I think I like you. My name is Byrond, please accept my friend request," I open my codex and ready to write his name as my friend.
He looked happy, "my name is Rheno,"
He approve my friend request as soon as I write his name in my codex.
"See ya later, Byrond. Godspeed!" he says before left.
Now, it's time for me to face the judge. I enter a double giant door made of wood. Inside, there are three people dressed in massive armor with thorny shapes. They sit like ornaments, with scary helmet that shapes like dragon head. Those helmets made them so inhuman. For second, I forgot that I actually talking to humans.
"Knight Byrond Marshall of Snowhill," the judge on the left says. His voice echoes inside his helmet. Must be hot in there.
"You come all the way here, escape your remote village to become a knight. You then take the path of protector as Paladin."
"Correct, Your Highness," I tried to sound tough.
"We had our opinion on your abilities. If you notice, this game only provides you with lots of passive skills and only some of them are active skills. The rest, which are your strength, your power, all depends on your own biological abilities. And judging by the way you fight, your mindset, and your level of intelligence, we decided that it seems you can achieve more as a warlord."
Then he continues, "you are fast, effective, strong, and adapt well with any weapons in your hand. You are an effective fighter, can think fast, and act quick adapting the current situation. This is something that a paladin lack of. When you are a warlord, you will have support from your passive skills to empower your attack damages. But if you are a paladin, you will have to depend on your natural power. I think this is lamentable if your strongest talent is being wasted."
I wish I can tell him how bored I am to hear that opinion, "thank you, Your Highness."
"If you willing to change your mind and follow the path of destroyer, we will provides you with lots bonus such as five large packs of diamonds that you can use to buy lots of valuable high grade items, a million gils--that's our currency--, and a promotion to a top 15 rank clan in Burdio," the judge says.
Since silence gets in the way, the judge on the right adds, "you can only take the transformation class once. If one day you change your mind, you will have to erase everything; your progress, your items, your money, your achievements, your heritages, to be able to reborn and take new class you desire. We just want to prevent it, and provides you game you will enjoy to play."
The judge in the middle keep silent, but he is the one who has my license paper, and a quill hold in his right hand, ready to write my name, my class, and sign the license before he seal it then.
"Remember, no holding back once you choose," the judge on the right warns me.
Five large packs of diamonds, they said it's contains about 50.000 diamonds. I had check the market days ago, just for sight seeing, I want to understand the game too. Then, I find an interesting fact about this game's trade. First, we can only trade some special items to another players. Second thing, we are easily gain gils by destroying monsters and sell their loots to NPCs, but gils are only use to upgrade weapons, to enhance skills and abilities. Other interesting items such as cloak brooches, reset equipment's statuses, or gamble in gatchas, they use diamonds. Without diamonds, you are only an ordinary gamer with ordinary skills and equipments. All just on standard points. but with diamonds, you can level yourself to maximum level you can achieve.
in other words, if I leave my original pick which is paladin, to become what they think is best for me, I will be granted with quick access to mastery in beginning.
"Your call, Byrond Marshall," the judge on the left nods at me.
I open my mouth, "I don't want to be warlord, I want to become a paladin."
Then, the judge on the center uses his quill.
