The Awaited Trigger

Due to his condition, Kieran took his time returning to Gena Village, resting when he needed to. It would take quite a lot of time and effort for people to reach his level, so Kieran earned the right to rest.

However, this feeling made Kieran recall why he needed to prepare ample funds. 'VR Helmets are considered basic VR equipment. I need to set funds aside for when the more perfected cabins are released.'

It was announced some time ago that more refined VR devices were in production, but when interviewers questioned the release date, the Gamer Republic and its partners merely answered with a single term—undecided.

Many players didn't like this answer, but Kieran knew those devices would become available within the next two months. So, that was his timeline—two months to build all of his foundations and acquire the connections he needed.

Some may say two months wasn't enough time for Kieran to cause significant waves, but that wasn't true. After all, he possessed information that no one else had access to. As long as he executed his plan with minimal deviations, two months was ample enough time.

Aside from the VR equipment's release date, Kieran also needed to secure a solution to his H-COS. For that, he would have to rely upon the Private Sector, which was admittedly a shaky decision.

The Private Sector didn't operate within the same guidelines as the public society, which made it infamous for bending the rules according to its whims, and it usually entered illegal and immoral territories.

If his presence wasn't menacing enough, the odds of Kieran getting trampled over were high.

'If I'm giving myself two months to unleash hell, that means I have approximately four months within Zenith Online,' Kieran thought.

With a time dilation equal to twice that of Earth, Zenith Online was perfect for "getting more things done in the same amount of time," many players called it.

It was for this reason many players loved the game.

Even casual players were bound to enjoy the game if it wasn't their goal to compete with people who played for a living.

…

Not too long after…

Kieran returned to Gena Village and approached the Warrior Hall directly. 

The moment he arrived inside the Warrior Hall, Scar lifted his head and gazed at Kieran with a faint smile. A crimson glow danced within his pupils as he stood from his throne-like chair and walked towards Kieran while applauding deliberately.

"I can sense it—you have completed that task I've given you," Scar remarked. After reaching Kieran, he stopped and inhaled softly. 

A proud smirk appeared on his face as Scar nodded contentedly.

"I smell the blood of a strong beast  in your possession."

Kieran was shocked that Scar's nose was so keen, but he nodded nonetheless. 

"That's because there is some," Kieran said before revealing a small vial. 

Although the quest didn't mention anything regarding a quest item, this still appeared within his inventory after Kieran cleared the dungeon. It was a small vial containing a liquid oddly similar to blood.

「 Blood Essence (Quest Item)

Item Rank: Rare

Item Grade: Exceptional (54)

Description: The condensed essence of a monster. The essence holds all of the properties of its previous owner. It can be used in multiple ways, but alchemy and forging are the most common. 」

Scar gestured his hand, which made the vial float above Kieran's palm.

At the same time, Kieran received a series of notifications.

〈System: You have completed the quest «A Warrior's Task»!〉

〈System: You have received 5 Silver Coins.〉

〈System: Your favorability with Scar has increased by 50 points! [Status: Friendly]〉

〈System: Congratulations, you have leveled up! [Lv.17 → Lv.18]〉

〈System: You have received 5 Unassigned Attribute Points and 2 Skill Points.〉

"You mentioned that you should be rewarded for your efforts, no?" Scar asked, sparing Kieran a cursory glance.

"Naturally," Kieran answered matter-of-factly.

"Very well, young fool. Stand still," Scar instructed.

Once Kieran obliged, the vial floating above Kieran's palm shattered, revealing a glob of bright-colored blood. The look in Scar's eyes changed as one of the symbols on his hand released a faint glow.

Snap!

Following a snap, Scar flicked his finger, which prompted a reaction from the glob of blood suspended in the air.

The essence penetrated Kieran's chest, but he shockingly felt no pain. On the contrary, a pleasant feeling sprouted in his body. Once the sensation subsided, Kieran received a few notifications.

A few notifications appeared before Kieran's view in exchange for the disappearance of the pleasant feeling.

〈System: Strength has risen from 75 to 85.〉

〈System: Vitality has risen from 33 to 45.〉

〈System: Endurance has risen from 33 to 40.〉

Kieran's eyes widened in surprise. 

He didn't know that Blood Essence had such an effect. It was like consuming a one-time consumption elixir from an Apprentice Alchemist, perhaps even slightly better. 

The amount of stats he received was equivalent to leveling up five times. This result made Kieran skeptical.

"Does all Blood Essence have this kind of effect?"

"Nope. Only those familiar with the intricate benefits of manipulating vitality can accomplish this. It's part of my expertise. However, I'm intrigued by how receptive your body was."

〈System: Scar's favorability towards you has increased to «Intrigued»!〉

"I see," Kieran nodded before ultimately taking a seat. 

He looked at his stats before softly shaking his head with a difficult-to-read expression.

┌───────────────────

Name: Aatrox

Lv.18 (Experience: 0/30,000)

Class: Warrior

Title(s): None

----------------------------

[«Stats»]-

Health: 535/535 (0.2 HP regen/sec)

Mana: 155/155 (0.16 MP regen/sec)

Stamina: 150 (0.15 Stamina regen/sec)

Attack Power: 202

Defense: 127

-----------------------------

[«Attributes»]-

»Strength: 85 (54 + 31 + 0)

»Intelligence: 25 (25 + 0 + 0)

»Agility: 55 (47 + 8 + 0)

»Endurance: 40 (20 + 20 + 0)

»Control: 40 (40 + 0 + 0)

»Vitality: 45 (30 + 15 + 0)

»Perception: 50 (50 + 0 + 0)

[Unassigned Stat Point: 10]

[Skill Points: 4]

└───────────────────

Kieran was satisfied with the current condition of his attributes. 

However, the fact his EXP progress was erased somewhat bothered Kieran. Because of how long it had been, he forgot the catch of quest reward level-ups.

All EXP Bar progress was erased, meaning the next level started at 0 rather than the user's previous value.

While Kieran was lost in thought, Scar continued to analyze the young man, rubbing his chin in thought. 'The boy is quickly approaching a level where he must accomplish a promotion to continue growing. He's not a bad choice, but I wonder what path he intends to follow.'

"Aatrox," Scar suddenly called out.

"Hm?" Kieran looked toward Scar, pushing his current thoughts regarding his condition to the back of his mind.

"Are you aware of a Warrior's many paths?" Scar questioned, crossing his arms.

"I am aware of them."

Like most of the basic classes, a Warrior could follow one of four paths.

The first path was a Swordsman, who relinquished the unruly ways of a Warrior to take up the path of the sword. This class specialized in wielding slender swords with a decent balance of speed and power. 

The second path was a Lancer, which was admittedly one of the Warrior's more disciplined paths. It specialized in close to mid-range fighting and wielded various types of polearms.

The third path was a Shield Warrior, which was a Warrior's defensive path. Its tanking capabilities were sub-par compared to a Knight's promotion into a Guardian Knight. However, it was more mobile and could provide adequate support damage. 

The fourth and final regular path was the Berserker, which Kieran had chosen in the past. It was the Warrior's most destructive path, but it could be wielded differently. 

Kieran was an oddball because he frequently switched the way he fought, sometimes indulging in several one vs. ones or sometimes going against many at once. 

A Berserker specialized in heavy weapons and Heavy Armor but could somehow still muster adequate speed.

"I see. And if you had to choose, what path would you choose?" Scar asked.

Kieran didn't hesitate or consider the question before answering. "A Berserker."

An imperceptible grin formed across Scar's face as he asked an additional question.

"How exciting. But I have a question for you, boy. Do you know what a Berserker is?"

Ding!

〈System: You have triggered a hidden questline! You may continue with the questline depending on your response and action.〉

Kieran's eyes sparkled with excitement upon reading this message despite his exhausted condition. The prompt may have been vague, but he knew where this questioning would lead. 

It was undoubtedly the trigger to accepting the hidden class change Kieran sought!