38. Class Advancements.

With the Suns beginning to set, the group decided to call it a night and report their findings. Before heading back, they ran into two more packs of wolves. and two more clowders of Nekomata. They also completed four more objectives.

Sitting at over one hundred thousand experience, Lance was happy. He can max out his class and get his first advancement. He also thought about maxing out his two subclasses as well.

It didn't take them long to reach the headquarters. Once inside, Lance handed the clerk his report. She took the report and started typing on the computer, "You took out seven packs. I'll be adding one hundred and seventy-five merits to your rank and the twenty-five for completing the mission. Good job Cadet Rene!" She looked at him and smiled.

Lance promptly left the headquarters and headed back to his apartment. Along the way, he added the experience to max out his class.

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Class: Squire(20/20)

Max Level!

Skill Unlocked:

- Rejuvenate (1/5)

    - Expend 50 energy to recover 25% HP and 15% SP per use.

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With his class maxed out, he could feel his strength flowing throughout his body. Suddenly the system chimed in.

Trling

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Class Advancement Quest!

Description: To advance to a strong level, you must prove yourself. Defeat a boss creature.

Reward:

Experience: 25,000

UAC: 10,000

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'Oh, So that's how that works!' Lance was surprised. He thought that all he needed to do was max out the level.

They reached their apartment pretty fast, 'Class advancements can either be easy or hard. The quest you get will be randomized. They can range from having a set amount of a certain stat, achieving a certain rank, or killing specific monsters.' Vixen began her class advancement explanation. The time has arrived for him to get familiar with how classes work.

Lance enters their room and started to take off all his gear, hanging it by the door. "Well, it doesn't seem too bad. I beat a boss before, and I didn't have powerful gear at the time."

"Yes, well, quest aside. There are some facts you need to know." Lance headed towards the washroom to clean off while Vixen explained. Vixen watched as Lance got naked and hopped in the shower. Not wanting him to be alone, and wanting to feel closer, she too got naked and pretended to bathe. She continued to explain, "So, each class has a branching advancement. Your Squire class can become a Knight class or Assassin class."

Lance turned the water on and filled the tub, "What's the difference between the two?"

"The Knight class deals in tanking hits. Your current skill set does suit this class, though your current gear doesn't. As for Assassin, they deal with quick and agile movements. They can't take too many hits, but they can get in and out quickly." She thought for a second. "Assassin and Knight both have branching classes too." thinking about it, she knew how Lance liked to plan further ahead, maybe knowing how the class branches too, he may make a more educated decision.

Lance hopped in the tub, and let his body sink under the water. "Ahhhh. So good!" The hot water felt good on his tired body. "So if the classes continue to branch, then I should plan ahead. What do the Knight and Assassin become?"

Vixen twisted her wrist around and bubbles formed around her, "Well, the Knight becomes either a black knight, A magic damage-dealing knight with both long and close range. Or a Holy Knight, with healing and close combat. With some damage light magic."

"If I was gonna choose from those two, I'd have to go with the black knight." Lance pondered for a minute before coming to this conclusion.

"Right. The Assassin becomes either a death dealer. Primarily a long-range attacker that can summon creatures it kills. Or a Warlord, which can enthrall living creatures. Though the warlord is also a close combat class." Vixen pinched her chin as she fell into deep thought.

"So in the end, I would choose from Black Knight or Death Dealer. Tough choice!" Lance too fell into contemplation.

"Well, Death Dealer doesn't suit your current style. You seem to like being close. Black Knight is more suited to you." Vixen still thought about it. Even if he chooses a class now, it wouldn't affect him till much later. His fighting style can change, but more importantly, he needs to survive. "Would you like my opinion?"

Lance looked at Vixen, he was kind of surprised she even offered. "Sure, what do you think?"

"Seeing that you're going to get all the classes. Black Knight would be wasteful. You'll get most of the same skills that you'll get with the mage class line. And even though Death Dealer and Necromancer do basically the same thing, their skill sets are vastly different. So I say you should go with Death Dealer." Vixen was resolute. Seeing how the wolf companion faired in the fight earlier, she felt that having more like that would be good for their survival.

"What's the difference between the two?" Lance was oddly curious. They both seemed to do the same thing, bringing back the dead.

"The Necromancer can only bring out certain types and a limited amount. The Death Dealer can bring back the dead indefinitely, and in later stages, store a limited amount for later bouts." Vixen felt the two classes complemented each other greatly. Lance would still be able to get in close, but with an army backing him up.

"Assassin it is then. I do have the knife throw skill, so maybe I'll learn other range attacks too." With that little problem out of the way, the next one was yet to be tackled. Lance got lucky finding a boss the one time, so where was he gonna find another?

*

Morning came fast for the pair. Lance tossed and turned all night long, trying to figure out how he was gonna find another boss on this big planet.

They arrived ahead of schedule for the special mission with Elandra. She was standing by the front gates waiting for Lance. She was playing on her phone as usual, "Good, you're here. Now we can head out!" Without skipping a beat, Elandra headed through the gates.

Just outside, a dozen more guards were waiting. This was their raiding party for the monster den. They were all chatting amongst themselves till Elandra appeared. Instantly and like a switch had been thrown, they all quieted and stood at attention.

"Our mission is to clear out a saber wolf den that occupies the nearby forest. The latest report said there are over 5 dozen saber wolves. With both an Alpha and Beta inside the den." after the mention of the Alpha and Beta, the men and woman looked panicked. The talking started again, But Elandra raised her hand and silenced them.

Lance watched from behind her. The guards were about the same level as he was, but their strength was lacking compared to his. He couldn't help but feel this was gonna be a tough battle.

One of the men stepped forward and spoke his concerns, "Ma'am, even with both a Beta and Alpha, we should be ok. But, when did we become a bunch of babysitters!"

Elandra looked back at Lance and nudged her head sideways. Indicating that Lance to prove himself.

Without a second thought, Lance nodded. 'Dash!' In a blinding flash, Lance ran forward and kicked the man in his chest. Sending him flying several dozen feet back. Lance stood where the man once did and just looked at him.

"With that out of the way!" Elandra steps forward, "Let's head out!"