Class Quest: Part 1

Madison Avenue Bridge, The Bronx,

As the sun shone on the Harlem river, Adam's journey with the captives ended and it was time to say their farewells.

"Once you cross this bridge, it's Manhattan. " Adam spoke while looking at the mesmerizing sunrise, "you know what you need to do next, right? " He turned to the people following him and asked.

""Head to the 32nd precinct! "" The group replied in unison.

"Great, I wish you good luck and hope we meet again. " Adam was not one for long goodbyes, so he turned around after saying those short words.

"Wait! " Hazel exclaimed before running in Adam's direction. "Where can I meet you again? " She asked with pleading eyes.

"There's a nice cafe near the precinct. Meet me there in two weeks. " Adam replied with a gentle smile, "you should all come! We can have a small get-together! "

"Y-yeah! That would be great... " Hazel said with a bashful expression while averting her gaze.

'Idiot... ' Cassandra thought as she slapped her forehead. Adam's dense mind disappointed her.

"Okay then! I'll see you all in two weeks! " Adam said and turned around while waving his hand.

"Let's go, Hazel. " Cassandra said to the dazed Hazel before walking.

"I'll be right there... " Hazel replied with an absent expression while looking at Adam's departing back, 'I hope I get to meet you soon. '

_______________

'Quest description. ' Adam ordered as he ran back to the Orc settlement. He wanted to check the details of the quest before accepting it.

[Class quest:

Success condition:

Survive the trial.

Rewards: Right to choose a class

Platinum potion +1

Penalty: Soul corruption.]

[Do you accept? Y/N]

[The trial will start when the user accepts the quest]

'This is too vague... ' Adam's eyebrows knit into a confused expression, 'what is soul corruption? What is this trial? ' Many questions went through his mind as he read the quest description.

[Information restricted]

[Do you accept? Y/N]

[The trial will start when the user accepts the quest]

'Seems like that description is all the information I'll get... No use thinking about it, I'll just get it over with. ' Adam shook his head to regain his composure while running through the streets of The Bronx.

He only had one option; finish the quest and gain the class.

_______________

After a brief run, Adam finally arrived at the Orc settlement riddled with corpses. He chose this place for two reasons.

The first was to be nearby in case the person responsible for leading the captives here comes back, which would allow him to gather more information about the bizarre situation.

And second,

'Time to loot those Orcs for some money... ' Adam took out his sword and walked towards the corpses with dollar signs in his eyes.

...

'That should be it. The inventory comes in handy in situations like these... ' Adam wiped the green blood off his hands while looking at his inventory.

[3/230]

Despite the large amount of Orc skin and tusks he collected, only three icons occupied his space. One was his sword, the second was the skin, and the third was the tusks.

'Similar materials stack with each other. It's saving me a lot of effort. ' Adam thought with a smile before he turned to the building.

'It's time to go. ' His expression turned serious and his eyes shimmered with fighting spirit. He did not know what the system had prepared for him, but he knew it wouldn't be something simple.

[Do you accept? Y/N]

[The trial will start when the user accepts the quest]

"Yes... " Adam replied to the system's question calmly.

*Du-dum! *

But as soon as he accepted, a strange feeling struck him, an eerie feeling, like something bad was about to happen, making his heart thump like it wanted to escape his chest.

*Du-dum! *

'What is going on?! ' His heart thumped once more, as he observed the mana in the surrounding convulsing, twisting, and turning into an incomprehensible pattern.

*Du-dum! *

'What is this weird feeling?! ' Adam felt anxious, excited, happy, depressed, and confused. He could feel the cold sweat running down his back, the wind on his skin, and the blood flowing in his veins.

*Du-dum! *

His vision turned blurry while the mana started surrounding him, forming an intricate set of characters and lines.

*Du-dum! *

'M-my body... What is happening to my body?! ' He could only look at his body while it disintegrated into small particles with every passing second, starting from his fingertips.

*Du-dum! *

'S-somebody! Somebody help me! ' He tried screaming for help, but it was futile. No sound would come out of his mouth, no matter how hard he tried.

*DU-DUM! *

His heartbeat turned louder as the lines of mana started forming a circle under his feet.

*DU-DUM! *

He could no longer feel his limbs or his skin. The only thing telling Adam he was alive at the moment was his beating heart.

*DU-DUM! *

All his emotions merged into one, the most primal, basic human instinct: fear. Adam was afraid, but he couldn't move.

*DU-DUM! *

'NO! ' He cried, but only in his mind.

*DU-DUM! *

'NO! NO! N- '

Silence.

Even the heartbeat, which was his only proof of life, seized and Adam sank into a deep sea of nothingness.

No sound.

No sight.

Nothing...

The silence was eerie, while the darkness was ominous.

He could feel nothing, hear nothing, and see nothing.

'Is this death? ' Adam did the only thing he was capable of at the moment, he thought. The only plausible explanation he could come up with for the mysterious happening was none other than death.

He couldn't tell whether he was standing or floating.

He could not feel his body, or anything else, for that matter.

The only constant thing in this endless void was the deep fear he felt.

*Clink. *

A faint sound of glass pieces colliding together woke Adam from his stupor.

*Clink. *

It was Adam's body, which started reforming, piece by piece, starting from his limbs.

*Clink. *

*Clink. *

It was like small pieces of broken glass coming together.

*Clink. *

His legs formed, but he could not feel the ground he stood on.

*Clink. *

Followed by his hands, which could not feel any walls around him.

*Clink. *

His lungs found no air to fill them.

*Clink. *

His heart stopped beating in his chest.

*Clink. *

His eyes could only see darkness all around him.

*Clink. *

And his ears could hear nothing.

'Where am I?! ' Adam tried talking, but his mouth only moved, letting no sound out.

'What is this place? Is this the class quest? ' Adam thought as he started 'walking' in the endless space filled with nothing.

______________

Back in the Orc settlement, midday,

A hooded person arrived at the place riddled with Orc corpses.

"What happened here? " She spoke, her voice, charming and reassuring, but with a hint of contempt and anger.

"These useless Orcs seem to be dismantled. Must have been the work of a High Human. " She noticed the skinless corpses as she walked towards the building while taking out a dagger and assuming an alert stance.

"They're not here, as expected... " She walked into the empty building and inspected it thoroughly. "We need to find the person responsible for this. "

"This is agent 317 reporting back to base. Do you copy? Over. " The woman pressed a tiny button on a bracelet wrapped around her wrist and spoke to it.

"Agent 317, this is the base. Did you investigate the unusual occurrence? Over. " A deep voice came from the wrist.

"The captives escaped and the Orcs are dead. This is the work of at least a B-rank High Human. Over. " She reported.

"The captives must be nearby. Bring them in before they expose our operation. Over. " The deep voice ordered.

"Already on it. Over and out. " The woman said before sprinting out of the settlement to look for the captives.