Chapter 37: Class Awakening

Raven, Rose, and Claire made their way to a nearby stream.

The area was eerily quiet, with no sign of life around them. Fortunately, it seemed safe.

There wasn’t a single monster within a hundred meters.

Even if one showed up, Raven would notice it right away thanks to the virtual map.

Raven sat down by the riverbank and dipped his feet into the cool water.

The cool water instantly refreshed him. Rose and Claire soon did the same.

None of them spoke. They simply enjoyed the peaceful silence.

A few minutes later, Raven finally broke it.

"It’s time. Let’s awaken our classes."

The other two nodded. Together, they took the Keys of Awakening out of their storage.

The moment the keys appeared, a golden light bathed the area.

Gulp!

Claire swallowed hard as she stared at the key in her hand.

"Is this really the Awakening Key? Why do I feel like I’m holding a sacred relic?"

"Pfft!" Rose laughed. "That’s a strange comparison, but you’re right. This key really does feel like something from mythology."

Raven just smiled as he listened to them.

"Let’s not waste any more time. I have a feeling the third challenge will start soon."

Rose and Claire nodded before holding their keys out before them.

In an instant, a golden box appeared in front of each of them.

It looked just like the legendary Pandora’s Box from ancient Greek mythology.

Its surface was covered in intricate carvings.

As soon as they opened the boxes, three golden cards shot out and floated before each of them.

Claire studied the cards one by one.

The card on the left showed a wizard holding a magic staff. Five stars were displayed beneath the illustration, while the words "Elemental Wizard" were written across the top.

The card in the middle showed a woman wearing a pointed hat. A sinister smile curled across her lips as she raised her magic staff high into the air.

Beneath the illustration were four stars, with the words "Witch" written at the top.

The last card depicted a young woman brewing a potion. Beneath the illustration were three stars, with the words "Alchemist" written at the top.

"Three classes...? Does that mean I can choose one of them?" Claire muttered.

She began reading the descriptions of each class. A few minutes later, she finally understood how they worked.

The Elemental Wizard class allowed its user to master the four primary elements, as well as three advanced ones: lightning, space, and time.

Of course, she couldn’t learn them all at once. She’d have to meet some requirements first.

Even so, she could master the four primary elements simply by studying a few magic books.

With her S-rank talent, she wasn’t worried in the slightest. Learning them would be easy.

At first glance, the Witch class looked similar to the Elemental Wizard class. In reality, though, the abilities it granted were completely different.

The Witch specialized in dark magic, with spells centered around death, curses, and other sinister arts.

Without a second thought, Claire ruled it out.

She simply couldn’t bring herself to use a class like that.

The last option was Alchemist. Unlike the other two classes, it focused on creating all kinds of potions and poisons.

On the surface, it seemed like a solid choice. However, Claire didn’t think it suited her, especially since she preferred classes that excelled in direct combat.

She had promised to fight alongside Raven, so becoming stronger was an absolute necessity.

"Then the Elemental Wizard class it is," she muttered.

Without hesitation, she pressed the Elemental Wizard card.

Instantly, the other two cards crumbled to ash, while the Elemental Wizard card shone with a brilliant golden light.

Claire closed her eyes as a subtle change spread through her body.

A moment later, she opened them again and smiled.

"So this is what it feels like... to awaken a class."

She clenched her fists, unable to hide her excitement.

Her strength had increased several times over. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she could defeat her former self with a single spell.

What’s more, the spells she had already mastered had become significantly more powerful.

Previously, she could only cast ten fireballs at once. But now, she was confident she could cast thirty or even forty with a single incantation.

After calming herself down, Claire turned to Rose and asked,

"Have you awakened your class yet?"

"Mm-hmm... I did." Rose nodded with a faint smirk. "My class is Assassin!"

"Assassin?" Claire’s eyes widened in surprise. "Does that mean you can kill people without anyone noticing?"

Images of assassins from fantasy movies flashed through her mind. They hid in the shadows, threw knives with deadly precision, and eliminated their targets without leaving a trace.

Rose let out a soft chuckle.

"Something like that. But my Assassin class is a little different."

She opened her status panel and read through the class description.

"The Assassin class lets me move like a shadow. I can hide my scent and conceal my presence with an innate skill called Stealth. Besides that, I can also..."

She went on to explain the rest of her class in detail.

Normally, the details of her class were supposed to remain a secret. She wasn’t even supposed to tell her closest friends.

After all, there were no true friends in this test. Even so, Rose didn’t seem to care.

Spending time with Raven and Claire had convinced her they were people she could trust. They were her friends, and to her, it was only natural to be honest with them.

After Rose finished explaining, Claire finally understood just how incredible the Assassin class was.

"That’s amazing!"

She clapped her hands excitedly.

Rose puffed out her chest with pride.

"By the way, what about you? Did you awaken your Elemental Wizard class?" she asked.

"Mm-hmm! I awakened my Elemental Wizard class."

She then told Rose all about its abilities, including its innate skills.

Rose let out a low whistle in admiration. Although her Assassin class was impressive, she felt it was still slightly inferior to Claire’s.

Even so, she wasn’t jealous. The stronger Claire became, the more she could help both her and Raven in the future.

The two of them then turned to Raven, who had been quietly listening the entire time.

"Raven, what about you? What class did you awaken in?" Rose asked.

Raven gave a faint smile.

"Hunter."

"Hunter?"

Rose and Claire exchanged puzzled glances.

"In short, it’s a class that helps me grow stronger by hunting monsters," he said with a light chuckle and a shrug.

Rose and Claire caught the hint of disappointment in his voice, making them feel a little concerned.

"It’s okay. It still sounds like a good class," Rose said gently.

"Mm-hmm! Rose’s right! Your class will definitely be a huge help when we hunt monsters later!" Claire added with an encouraging smile.

Raven simply nodded. Then he stood up and stretched his stiff body.

"All right, let’s continue hunting."

Rose and Claire stood up as well and nodded in unison.

But then...

[The third mission is about to begin!]