Chapter 5 - Supreme Job

"Therefore, when the day comes that you have reached your conclusion about this world, I hope you will remember this conversation, that the Isans are not just a collection of data in the form of zeros and ones."

His black eyes stared at me intensely when he said that, his gaze emanating a meaning that I didn't know.

"Oh, forgive me, I've just spoken nonsense," he then took off his cowboy hat and bowed, reverting back to his usual demeanor.

Honestly, I didn't understand the meaning behind his words. Was he giving me a warning, a piece of advice, or his hope for me?

"I will remember it," I said.

"Thank you," the cat said as he put on his cowboy hat again. "Do you have any other questions? I have plenty of free time."

"Have you ever seen a woman with a face like mine..." my voice trailed off at the end of the sentence.

Before entering this world, all players were free to determine their appearance, a perfect example being the cat in front of me, a human who chose to become an animal when entering this world.

There was no guarantee that my sister would choose the same appearance as when she was on earth, and there was even no guarantee that she would enter this world.

"Ah, unfortunately, I have never seen her," he said regretfully.

"Is that so..." I said with disappointment. I thought he might know about my sister.

"Do you have any other questions? Oh, by the way, have you seen your initial status?"

Oh, come to think of it, I haven't seen it yet.

"Status Details... here it is."

Then, a new window appeared, displaying my current status.

My level was, of course, 0, and I currently had no job. It seemed like we could take multiple jobs at once, and therefore, besides the level for each job, there was also a total level description. My level for both was still 0.

Well, it's still... 0 for me.

The other stats displayed were HP, MP, SP, STR, VIT, END, DEX, AGI, INT, and LUC. They all had low values; besides 108 HP and 46 SP, the rest were below 40. I had nothing to compare them to, but those stats might be very weak.

I didn't know what the normal status was here, but this was probably weak. I had guessed that a beginner with level 0 couldn't possibly have strong stats.

"What actions will use SP?" I asked.

"Any physical activity will consume SP, especially actions related to combat, such as martial arts and sword arts. Also, those techniques do use SP to attack, but their strength is determined by other stats like STR and DEX. Also, your stat development varies depending on your playstyle, weapon used, job, saga, and individual quality."

"That's complicated."

"Well, in the end, you will always be reflected in that status."

I more or less understood what the cat was saying. But there were some things I didn't understand, such as it being common knowledge in playing games that your stats will increase as your level increases.

So, considering that level 0 is the status of a normal human, wouldn't you become some kind of Superman when your level is high enough?

Like when your AGI has reached tens of thousands, theoretically, wouldn't you practically move at the speed of sound? So,

"How can high-level players live their daily lives?"

"really good question," the cat said as he took out a 1-gani coin and held it with his left foot.

Wait a minute, that's not a hand but the front left leg that has been wearing a glove for who knows how long."

The glove is as white as milk, possibly made of bone. In addition to having five fingers like human fingers, the outer part of the glove has detailed engraved patterns, creating a rough and organic appearance. Overall, the glove gives a unique and eerie impression.

"Take a closer look."

Is this some kind of circus performance, even though the coin is small for humans? For the cat, the coin is even bigger than its hand, no, its leg.

But it is indeed a strange sight, a cat wearing a cowboy outfit standing on its hind legs while its front legs wear gloves that look like they are made of bone, gripping a coin with its left leg, trying to crush it, but apart from small scratches, the coin remains intact.

So, of course, it will attract attention, even some people taking pictures of it. Reminding me that we are in the town square.

"Wow, it seems you're quite popular."

Looking defeated, the cat drops the coin on the bench.

"Now watch this," said the cat. He picks up the coin again and when he grips it...

"..."

The coin shatters into dust.

"Do you understand the difference between the two attempts?" the cat asked.

"...you used your hidden power or something," I replied.

"I used STR in the last attempt," the cat denied my statement. "Everyone can do it unconsciously, they also call it battle mode or something like that."

I understand now, is this also one of the features of Unbound Boundary, I want to know.

"Then what about INT, is it just a stat that shows your intelligence or is it a status related to magic?"

"It is a stat that relates to both. It's just that-" The cat stopped in the middle of his sentence.

"For some reason, INT and LUC stats can't really increase, there are even cases of some players whose INT and LUC stats decreased from their initial stats..."

I'm sure one of them is you.

"So, which stats really determine how strong your magic is? Oh, there is magic in this world, right?"

"It's calculated using your maximum MP, the level of the magic skill in question, and the amount of MP used to use that skill," said the cat.

"So that's it," I said. "If you don't mind, can you explain about jobs too?"

"Why don't we just go and get your first job?" he suggested.

"Okay, let's go."

****

So we both stood up and walked towards the street from the town square. A wide road with smooth red bricks divided the city into two parts. On both sides, there were buildings with classical-style architecture made of bricks and marble. Some of them had large doors with beautiful stained glass windows, while others had gothic-style roofs with intricate carvings.

Along the road, there were many vendors selling various goods such as food, drinks, clothing, and adventure equipment on the sidewalk.

"Here's the map." I found what I was looking for on the menu and opened it. A window appeared and displayed the map of the capital city of Vera Kingdom.

"That's it. That's it," I muttered.

The city of Vera was circular in shape and surrounded by fortress walls. The walls had gates at the four cardinal points, and there was a major road from each gate that extended to the city center. These roads then branched into many small roads, making it resemble a spider web.

Coincidentally, the road we took was one of the separate roads from the main road leading to the southeast of the city.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To the Adventure Guild in UB. To get a job, you need to touch a crystal called a job crystal. By the way, you can have eight jobs at once, six low-ranking jobs and two high-ranking jobs."

Ah, Sunshine also said that. UB, of course, must be an abbreviation for Unbound Boundary.

"I heard from the administrator that the maximum level for low-ranking jobs is 50 and for high-ranking jobs is 100, which means the maximum total level a player can have is 500."

"That's right, but for some people, the maximum total job level they can have is not 500," the cat said, looking proud.

"In this game, in UB, there is a job rank that exceeds rare and unique jobs, a special job that surpasses the job level limit. Each can only be owned by one person who is destined."

"Come on, don't use such convoluted language," I protested.

"The job is called!... Supreme job!" the cat announced it as if making a proclamation.

"Woww... Sounds very powerful," I said cheerfully.

"That's right, but the requirements and conditions for obtaining the Supreme job are very difficult. But it is all worth it for the growth of stats and skills given."

In short, the Supreme job is a strong job that has no level limit, can only be owned by one person, and has tough requirements to obtain.

Well, for more detailed information, I will check it again on the wiki later.

"Hmm, since you are just starting this game, you can only take low-ranking jobs. I suggest you take Scout and Ranger jobs. Oh, by the way, what kind of job do you want to focus on?"

What if I want a job that focuses on escaping? I thought to myself.

"I think close to medium-range combat. Oh, what if the job I take is not compatible with my weapon?"

For example, when my weapon is long-range while I take a job related to close-range combat.

"That's why I suggest you take a job that gives basic skills," the cat said in a condescending tone. "Scout gives you identification skills while Ranger gives you enemy detection skills."

Then he added, "Tsk, tsk, I thought your intelligence surpassed your appearance."

Does this cat have some kind of mental problem or something?

Why did he suddenly mock me?

I didn't want to respond to his ridicule, so I decided to look at the map again.

But I have to say, the capital city of Vera is a city with a large size, maybe the size of London.

"What about the Adventure Guild? Is it still very far away?" I asked.

Since we left the town square, we had been walking for more than 30 minutes. Moreover, the longer we walked, the worse the environment around us became.

"No, actually, the Adventure Guild is not far from the town square," the cat said.

"You damn cat, how dare you-"

Before I could finish my sentence, I was thrown 10 meters away by an impact.