A Class Upgrade was one of the things players looked forward to most in this ga, right alongside the imrsive virtual reality and the richly detailed world full of monsters. After all, everyone started with the sa classes, but relatively early on, they could evolve them to match their personalities, playstyles, and even dreams.
Martin recalled that NukEncore played the ga for that exact reason. She wanted to fulfill a dream she had carried since childhood.
[You have shown a willingness to wield various weapons paired with your shield.]
[Would you like to begin the quest to upgrade your current class, Guardian, into a Warden?]
[Warden: An upgraded class from Guardian, specializing in wielding various weapons in combat, each providing buffs to the Warden and their allies. A Warden can easily carry more than one weapon for passive buffs and switch between weapons for different skills.]
Wow.
Martin stared at the class description as a rush of hot excitent went through him. A second later, that excitent sharpened into sothing deeper and more dangerous: hunger.
On paper, Warden seed like the perfect tank class for him. Every weapon promised a different rhythm in battle, a different way to hold the front line while feeding strength back into his party. It was not just a class that endured punishnt. It was a class that adapted, supported, and controlled the flow of a fight.
Combined with Martin’s food buffs, those weapon-based bonuses could turn an ordinary party into sothing far more dangerous than most players would expect. He could already picture it for a mont: stronger openings, cleaner coordination, teammates moving with more force or confidence simply because he was there at the front, setting the pace.
More than that, it felt like a class that would keep demanding more from him. More practice, more adaptability, more growth. That was exactly what Martin wanted. He did not want to beco so rigid wall that only stood there and took hits. He wanted a class that kept asking more of him every ti he grew stronger.
And the best part was that Warden did not look finished. Depending on how his future runs in the dungeons of the Light Tree unfolded, he could shape the class even further to his liking. That thought tightened his chest with anticipation. For the first ti, it felt as if the ga was not rely handing him a role. It was giving him the chance to build the kind of fighter he actually wanted to beco.
Martin decided on the spot.
[Yes.]
[You have received a new quest: Warden’s Weapon Mastery.]
[Objective: Gain mastery with three weapons: Sword, Warhamr, and Spear, while fighting alongside your shield and combining your attacks with your shield mastery.]
[Reward: Your Guardian class will evolve into Warden.]
"A mastery for each weapon..." Martin muttered under his breath.
Robert caught his words. "A weapon mastery?"
"Ah, yeah." Martin turned to the blacksmith and nodded. "I received a quest to upgrade my class, and to do that, I need three weapon masteries."
His mastery with the shield had not co from theory. It had co from impact, timing, instinct, and the steady rhythm of battle after battle. If the sword, warhamr, and spear demanded the sa kind of understanding, then he would earn it the sa way, with his shield in one hand and real fights forcing the rest into his body.
Robert gave him an approving look, as if Martin had already stepped onto the right path. "That’s right. You can practice with your teammates or challenge other players to a spar. A weapon starts teaching you proper lessons once it ets different hands and different habits. Even if two fighters use the sa weapon and the sa skills, they still move differently, think differently, and react differently. That’s what pushes mastery forward."
Martin nodded. "That makes sense. Thanks."
"Aye! Haha! You can keep this spear. May it help you until you find a better weapon for yourself!" Robert offered him the spear Martin had been training with until now, free of charge.
It was a nice gesture.
Martin didn’t hide his happiness. "Thanks. I’ll repay you in the future! I’m going now to et my friends and continue the grind!"
"Aye, sa here! Good luck, man!" Robert waved at Martin and returned to his smithy.
Martin went to the riverbank and called out to Ao Tenshin by her nickna.
Just as he had expected, she didn’t answer him.
"Angel... why are you making do this?" he muttered aloud as he took off his armor and rolled up his pant legs before stepping into the river to splash around in search of his playful Dragon Turtle. "Actually..."
As he stared at the water’s surface, Martin recalled that he had received a blessing that allowed him to breathe underwater. The river wasn’t shallow, and he could definitely imrse himself completely.
After a mont of thought, he gave it a try and lunged in, entering a new world of darting fish, drifting insects, and swaying water plants. It was beautiful, but Martin could not take it in for long. The fact that he could breathe underwater confused him so much that, for a few seconds, he could not breathe at all.
It was as if his mind, or his human body, simply couldn’t comprehend the phenonon.
And yet, he truly could breathe through the water itself and stay in the river for as long as he wanted.
Just then, he noticed sothing zooming straight toward him.
A second later, Ao Tenshin bumped her head against his forehead, essentially head-butting him and dealing a ridiculous amount of damage.
[-1 HP]
"You little trickster!" Martin reached out to catch Ao Tenshin, but she was too fast in the water.
She slipped away from him with such ease and grace that her lineage was impossible to miss.
She spun and sent a wave toward Martin for calling her a trickster.
"Oh, co on! Don’t get angry over sothing like that!" Martin yelled.
A mont later, it struck him.
I am speaking in the water... damn.
—
"And that’s why I’m wet right now," Martin explained when his teammates asked why he was late to their eting.
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