Chapter 8

# 8

1st Class Change (1)

Xiaoming arrived with a dilapidated cart at a rather large city.

Or rather, most people would feel that way, but in reality, it was only a medium-sized city.

“Wow...”

“Is this the starting city?”

“Indeed, the mainland is different.”

Everyone was gaping in amazement, but Lokan had already walked into the city.

Some of his classmates who had escaped Pocket City together formed a party, but Lokan had no intention of doing so.

“Excuse me, what is the name of this city?”

Lokan stopped a passerby and politely asked, and the person readily answered.

“Ha ha, you must be from the countryside. This city is called Kthon.”

Normally, they might have been wary or ignored, but this was also due to the effect of the [Friendly] reputation.

‘Kthon... Is this a coincidence?’

The layout of the cities following Pocket City was random. Therefore, Lokan had prepared various scenarios in case he landed in any city.

Interestingly, Kthon was the familiar city he had arrived at after escaping Pocket City in his previous life.

‘First, I need to get a job.’

Having confirmed his location, Lokan immediately sought out the Job Guild, which did not exist in Pocket City.

The real gameplay begins with obtaining a job.

Conversely, without a job, even if you showed off flying and leaping prowess against herbivores in Pocket City, you might end up being hunted rather than hunting.

From now on, not only will there be aggressive mobs that attack first, but there will also be a significant difference in combat power.

The question is which job to choose. Already, online, there were plenty of discussions about which jobs were good or overpowered.

However, Lokan had already decided on his job.

It was the same as in his previous life.

He knew the pros and cons of other jobs and the methods to obtain some hidden classes, but precisely because of this, he could not choose any other job.

Even hidden classes are not all-powerful; they have clear disadvantages as well as advantages.

‘Then, I should choose the class that suits me best.’

Lokan made this judgment. After all, the real difference would be in level, equipment, and titles.

Creak...

The un-oiled entrance gate screeched.

“Hmm, are there still people coming?”

The receptionist, who had been sleeping with a cloth over his face, turned to look at Lokan with a displeased expression.

His fierce appearance, with bloodstains behind him, would make anyone with a weak heart turn back in fear, but Lokan smiled and walked in.

To others, it might feel different, but to him, it felt as comfortable as home.

‘This place is still unpopular.’

The inside of the guild was empty. At first, many people had come out of curiosity, and there were many who were strong enough not to be scared by his appearance, but as the reviews and rumors of those who had changed jobs spread, it had become a place no one visited.

In The Road, there were countless combat jobs, production jobs, and lifestyle jobs for enjoyment, so it was not unusual for a non-mainstream guild to have no visitors for a day. Especially in a place as remote as this.

Therefore, most non-mainstream job guilds were like this.

“I want to change my job.”

“Do you know what this place is?”

Lokan approached the counter and got straight to the point, making the receptionist cautious. He seemed to think that someone might have come in with a misunderstanding and might throw a tantrum.

“Of course. I want to become a Berserker.”

“Ha ha, it's been a while since we've had someone suitable. Good, sign here.”

Seeing Lokan's matter-of-fact response, the receptionist burst into hearty laughter and readily handed over the registration form.

This was the Berserker Guild, a guild for crazy people that the weak could not handle.

As soon as Lokan signed, the receptionist snatched the form and, with a look that said there was no turning back, registered it on a magic circle.

Boom!

A red mass exploded above Lokan's head. The curse-like red powder scattered and was absorbed by him.

“Here, it's a job change gift. Choose what you want.”

Thud, thud, thud!

The receptionist presented three items. They were weapons to commemorate the job change, each far superior to the weapons bought in Pocket City.

‘That's why the guys who bought weapons before leaving Pocket City were the fools.’

Those who had bought weapons with the money they had saved in Pocket City, hoping to shine on the mainland, were the only ones who felt cheated, but not all jobs gave weapons, so it wasn't a total loss.

For someone like Lokan, who had come over with no money at all, it was a good deal.

A large sword that had been left unused for a long time. It is more like a blunt weapon than a sword.

-Attack Power: 70

-Durability: 300/300

A roughly made long sword.

-Attack Power: 45

-Durability: 120/120

A single-edged axe used by a woodcutter.

-Attack Power: 65

-Durability: 200/200

-Increases logging success rate by 30%.

‘The names are really terrible.’

Apart from the terrible names and descriptions, they were quite decent items for free job change gifts.

Lokan immediately chose one after confirming that they were the same as in his previous life.

“Ha ha ha, of course a Berserker should use an axe. You know your stuff!”

‘Already?’

Even though he started with [Friendly], it was surprising that he had already moved to a higher level.

But Lokan soon realized that it was possible. Berserkers were all abnormal.

Instead, he held up the single-edged axe with one hand and smiled back.

Choosing the single-edged axe in the tutorial was not a coincidence or a mistake. It was simply the weapon he was most familiar with.

Actually, the fact that it was easier to destroy the village hall was a stroke of luck. But even without that, Lokan would have chosen the axe.

“Now, show me the skill books.”

“Skill books, good! Let's see, you're a level 1 Berserker, so it's simple. Axe Mastery, Dash, Strike, War Cry, and Berserk. 2 silver each, so 10 silver in total.”

Ralph rummaged behind the counter and placed five faded books on it.

At 2 silver per book, they were quite expensive. If you had escaped Pocket City through normal quests, you would have about 13 silver, so it would take all your money to buy them.

‘That's why the term “skill book poor” exists.’

At least, Berserkers had fewer skill books compared to other jobs. For magic or hunting jobs, there were often more than ten skills to learn from the start, so you usually chose and learned within your budget.

However, Lokan could not pay immediately. He had started with 1 silver 50 copper, a considerable amount, but had spent it all on a month's worth of food and training ground access.

As a result, his current funds were exactly 0.

Yet there was no trace of meekness in Lokan's eyes.

“Please wait a moment.”

Lokan confidently asked Ralph to wait and then approached a man who was sleeping in a corner of the guild.

“Are you the bank's dispatched employee?”

“Ahem! I wasn't sleeping, I wasn't sleeping.”

Making a loud noise with his feet, the man jumped up and wiped his mouth. Still not fully awake, he looked around and rambled.

“I want to borrow some money.”

“Oh, welcome. I am Sitan, the dispatched employee of Aerok Bank, always ready to bring happiness. You want to borrow money, right? Could you tell me your job and name?”

“I am a Berserker named Lokan.”

Finally, he seemed to regain his composure and began the proper procedure. Asking for the job and name to verify the linked account was the first step.

“Confirmed. How much do you want to borrow? As a level 1 job, you can borrow up to 30 silver. The interest is 3% per month. The loan will be collected through the linked account, so please think carefully before answering.”

Next, he explained the loan amount and interest.

As he said, even if you went into hiding or deleted your character, it would not help. The loan would remain and the interest would continue to accumulate through the linked account.

If you did not plan to quit The Road, you should not even think about a "runaway" loan.

Some users who did not understand this properly tried to make some pocket money by listing items on trading sites when the initial market prices were high, only to find themselves in serious trouble.

“I'll borrow 30 silver.”

“Let me ask again. Are you sure you want to borrow 30 silver?”

“Yes.”

“Here you go. Have a good day.”

After handing over the loan, Sitan immediately returned to his sweet sleep mode. Lokan placed 10 silver on the counter. One-third of the loan disappeared in an instant.

In exchange, he obtained five skill books.

This was not a bad deal. At least, he would have to rely on these level 1 job skills until level 50.

Moreover, the level 2 job skills obtainable at level 50 were not numerous and mostly upgrades of the current skills, so they would be useful for a long time.

“Now you're a real Berserker. Don't do anything embarrassing!”

Lokan left the Berserker Guild with Ralph's farewell. There was nothing else to do there.

While walking to his next destination, he checked the newly acquired skills.

Indicates proficiency in handling axes. Using a weapon with low proficiency incurs a penalty, while using a weapon with high proficiency grants a bonus.

Weapon Mastery skills can be learned multiple times.

-Current Level: Beginner

-Attack Power: 70%

Moves quickly for three steps.

-Agility: 110% for three steps

Delivers a powerful attack to the next target.

-Strength: 110%

-Agility: 110%

Emits a roar filled with madness to terrify enemies.

-If the target is of a lower level, all stats decrease.

-If the target is significantly lower in level, a random short stun effect may occur.

-If the target is of a higher level, the effect may decrease or not occur.

-Weakens negative effects on the user.

Burns oneself with madness to unleash powerful strength.

-All stats increase by 200% during the duration.

-No mana cost for all skills during the duration.

-Does not die even if HP reaches 0 during the duration.

-Immune to all mental attacks during the duration.

-Madness takes over, making it impossible to distinguish friend from foe.

-Takes 50% of max HP as damage when the duration ends.

-If HP is 0 when the duration ends, dies if max HP is not restored to 10% within 5 seconds.

-All stats decrease by 50% for 10 minutes after the duration ends.

-All stats decrease by 20% for 20 minutes after the first aftereffect.

-If Berserk is used again before the aftereffect ends, the penalty duration is doubled.

-Duration: 10 minutes

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