Evolution classes
THUD.
The bear's lifeless body crashed to the ground with a heavy thump, and the group exhaled, catching their breaths.
Of the three, Jenny had been the most significant contributor, wielding the strongest firepower with her tank. The exertion left her completely drained. After exchanging brief glances, they turned their attention to the others, who had just finished dealing with the zombies on their side.
...
On the eastern side of the open field, two young men, students around 19 to 21 years old, were engaged in their own battle.
Ironically, their names were John and Joe. A few days ago, during introductions, Joe had been forced to use his surname to avoid confusion with another Joe, now deceased.
John, meanwhile, had begun to take pride in his name after Jon looked at him with a hint of surprise.
John possessed a mind-related skill, something he disliked. Until now, he hadn't even known that Jon, someone he almost admired had a similar ability.
John's skill, misleadingly named "Mind Control," in its basic form allowed him to read his opponent's intentions. While it currently only offered a glimpse into basic movements, John knew that with mastery, it could evolve into a formidable skill for spying, tracking, and more.
Joe, now called Simon to differentiate, had a skill called "Double." It allowed him to temporarily multiply a single stat by two for five seconds, depending on the amount of mana he was willing to sacrifice.
While the ability seemed simple at first glance, it held monstrous potential. As Simon's stats grew into the hundreds or thousands and the duration of this skill increased, his power would become even more dangerous. Armed with a spear, Simon could double his speed and strength, delivering devastating attacks.
In just under three minutes, the duo had dispatched nearly fifteen zombies in their vicinity.
Not far from them, two girls from Cynthia's group, Mia and Trudy, were fighting zombies near the hostel. Both appeared ordinary at first glance, but their physical abilities hinted at something extraordinary.
Mia, around 20 or 21 years old, controlled mist, using it to disorient her enemies by obscuring their vision and sense of direction. Trudy, true to her quiet nature, had a skill named Stealth. She preferred to stay unnoticed, slipping through battles without drawing attention.
Many people might have lamented their luck at receiving skills that weren't flashy or obviously powerful. But they failed to realize that every skill had its purpose. Whether linked to their personalities, ambitions, or hidden desires, each person's ability was a reflection of their potential.
Another student in the group, Jude, could gain partial characteristics from anything he touched. Placing his hand on the ground, his arm became coated with rock.
Then there was one of the security agents wielding a massive hammer, a treasure obtained from a core. He possessed the skill "Wind Gale," which combined the force of wind with his hammer's crushing blows to obliterate his foes.
Most of the group hadn't even unlocked secondary skills yet, though they were just beginning to. If there was one thing anyone could say about them, it was that their skills were strong.
At this point, their levels ranged from 7 to 10, steadily increasing as they continued to fight zombies.
Finally, after about five minutes, all the zombies in the area had been taken care of.
As one of the fighters dealt the final blow to the last zombie, he glanced toward Jon, only to realize they had already defeated the bears they had set out to fight.
With nothing left to do, they moved toward Jon's group, where the bear had fallen.
"Then let's continue." Upon reaching him, they decided to move forward. This was only the entrance of the cafeteria; they hadn't even completed their objective yet. So, they ventured deeper into the school.
They hadn't gone far when they spotted signs of more monsters.
Perhaps due to the scale of their battle with the bears, other monsters had been drawn toward this direction.
RAAARRRR...
A roar echoed through the air as the monsters came into view.
"Get ready," Jon commanded, and the group assumed their stances as the creatures rushed toward them.
"Are those—?"
"Yes, they are..."
Jenny and Cynthia could hardly believe what they were seeing. It was shocking.
"Tigers..." Jon muttered, watching the approaching beasts. They looked like tigers in size, face, and gait except these ones had extra characteristics.
First, they were white with black stripes covering their bodies. Second, they had massive, elongated canine teeth that extended past their jaws when their mouths opened. And lastly, their claws were abnormally long and razor-sharp.
'So, 20 tigers... The seven at the front are larger than the remaining 13. Their levels should be...' With his calculative skills, Jon was already analyzing the battle ahead.
The tigers closed in, now just 50 meters away.
Suddenly, brown chains snaked through the ground, wrapping around the tigers' bodies. However—
CRACK... CRACK.
Due to the distance and the strain of trying to restrain 20 tigers at once, the chains didn't hold for long.
But they had slowed the tigers down just enough for Jenny to prepare something.
BOOM!
A sudden explosion rocked the ground, sending dust flying. When the dust settled, two of the leading tigers lay dead.
"Phew..." Jenny exhaled, activating her bracelet to recover mana, oblivious to the stunned expressions of the remaining scout group.
'So, it wasn't only him,' the scouts thought, shaken by the absurdity of the situation.
They knew how powerful a modern tanker was. The fact that Jenny could replicate its firepower... Though they had never seen a tanker's full force in action, they doubted it would be much different from what she had just done.
Nevertheless, Jon and Cynthia weren't surprised. They had seen her do it before. Instead of being awed, they analyzed the situation and acted.
So, while the tigers were still reeling from their comrades' deaths, Jon and Cynthia moved forward, leaving behind an order.
"Take on the smaller ones."
Whoosh...
Jon released a bluish fog from his body, aiming to bind their movements.
RAARRR!
The tigers sensed something was wrong and roared, struggling against the fog's grip. And it was working.
'They're really resisting?' Jon was shocked. Until now, no creature had truly struggled against his fog at most, they had barely budged. But these tigers were different.
Then, all of a sudden—
THUD.
A tiger's head hit the ground.
All eyes turned to Cynthia, standing behind the headless beast, her blade dripping with blood.
RAAARRRR!
The remaining tigers roared in fury, their anger boiling over at the death of their comrade. They shattered the fog's influence and charged—
Cynthia had anticipated this. The moment the head fell, she took off running, leading them away.
Jon followed closely behind.
Jenny maneuvered around the battlefield, avoiding the tigers' advances. If there was one thing Jon currently had over Jenny and Cynthia, it was his physical stats, including his speed, which allowed him to keep up.
He could overtake, but he wanted to see what Cynthia was planning. Then, she suddenly planted her foot on the ground and propelled herself into the air.
The tigers skidded to a halt, roaring at the sky, waiting for her to descend.
'Now.'
Jon dashed forward and leaped. Activating 'Moon Gaze,' he spotted a weak point on their necks.
Applying a slashing effect to his sword, infused with moon energy—
SLASH!
A tiger split apart from its weak point, and the attack also left a deep gash in another.
As soon as Jon landed, Jenny shouted, "JON, MOVE!"
At the signal, Jon spread his bluish fog around and swiftly moved out of the way.
BOOOOOM!
Another deafening blast erupted from Jenny's tanker, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. As the dust settled, the result became clear, two tigers had been caught in the explosion and lay lifeless, while the last tiger remained critically wounded.
'Wait... is it happening again?' Jon glanced to his side but saw only Jenny. Then—
THUD...
'Ah, she did it again.' He shook his head, already familiar with Cynthia's deadly efficiency. As expected, she had slipped behind the remaining monster and finished it off without a sound.
[YOU HAVE RECEIVED...]
Jon ignored the notifications for now and turned his attention to the remaining scouts still engaged in battle with the small tigers.
'Huh... none of them died?' He hadn't expected losses, but given the difficulty of the fight, it seemed inevitable. Yet, to his surprise, the team was holding their own. Seven tigers had already fallen, and the group was now pushing to eliminate the last few.
For most of them, this was their first encounter with these creatures, except for Jenny, Cynthia, and himself, so teamwork was essential.
Mia's red mist disoriented the tigers, while John predicted their movements with uncanny accuracy. Robin and Trudy circled the beasts, chipping away at their defenses, while Simon, Norman, and Jude held the frontline. Their synchronization was almost instinctive, something they never knew they had until now.
Meanwhile, security personnel fired their pistols at any zombies that wandered into the battlefield.
'So, firearms still work…' Jon mused. When the world fell apart, he had assumed modern weapons had lost their effect. But seeing them in action proved otherwise, a relief, since it meant a better survival rate for those who weren't ready to face monsters head-on.
With the battle concluding, the scouts began searching for orbs.
[YOU HAVE RECEIVED LEVEL 22 CLAW-TOOTHED TIGER]
[YOU HAVE RECEIVED LEVEL 23 CLAW-TOOTHED TIGER]
[YOU HAVE RECEIVED LEVEL 21 CLAW-TOOTHED TIGER]
[YOUR LEVEL HAS INCREASED]
[YOUR LEVEL HAS INCREASED]
Jon finally acknowledged the messages he had ignored earlier. Among the tigers, he had been directly involved in three kills, though he had only landed the final blow on one.
Out of habit, he checked his status.
[STATUS]
NAME: Jon Whyte
AGE: 19
LEVEL: 21
CLASS: None
TITLE: None
STRENGTH: 68
AGILITY: 99
STAMINA: 87
MANA: 550
HEALTH: 160
SKILLS: Instant Calculation (First Realm) Lv.5, Moon (First Realm) Lv.3, Moon Gazing (Second Realm), Speed-Healing (Unranked Realm) Lv.1, Mind World
PASSIVE SKILLS: Composure (Third Realm) Lv.5, Soldier's Physique (Unranked)
STATUS POINTS: 14]
Leveling up was becoming harder.
Despite his significant contributions, his level had barely increased. Worse, he was becoming painfully aware of his skills' limitations. Jenny and Cynthia had offensive abilities, but his were mostly supportive. Even his Moon energy, once effective against lower-level monsters, was losing its edge. His hands ached from wielding a weapon designed for level 15 foes against level 20+ enemies.
His situation was bad. Without his physical stats and Soldier's Physique, he wouldn't be able to keep up with Jenny or Cynthia at all. But giving up wasn't an option.
If he wanted to protect Alexa, reunite with his childhood friend, and confront his parents for answers, he had to keep pushing forward. No matter what it took.
And now, something felt different. As soon as his level increased, he sensed a barrier a threshold. From his knowledge of games and stories, he suspected it was around level 25.
Meanwhile, Jenny had already reached that point. As she read her notifications, her eyes widened.
[YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 25 (UNRANKED REALM). REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET TO ADVANCE TO THE NEXT REALM.]
[AVAILABLE CLASSES FOR CONTINUING YOUR PATH:]
Summoner
Mage
Creation Master
Swordmaster]
Excited, she rushed over to Jon. "Hey, Jon! I got something about classes. Have you seen anything like this?"
Jon had just been thinking about the threshold. He smiled. "No, but I figured something like this would happen. Congrats."
"Thanks!" Jenny grinned. "What do you think I should choose?"
"Tell me what your options are."
As Jenny listed the choices, Cynthia silently approached, listening intently. Unlike Jenny, she had also reached level 25 but chose to observe before making a decision.
Jon analyzed Jenny's choices. "The system is basing these on your fighting style. 'Summoner' probably comes from the time you created that cat; it must have been a summoning ability. 'Mage' is linked to your fire, chains, and spear attacks. 'Creation Master' is from the tank you built. And 'Swordsmaster'—well, you did get that sword from an orb, so the system might be nudging you to use it more."
He glanced at Cynthia. "I bet you got 'Assassin' as an option, right?"
Cynthia's eyes narrowed. He was spot on. Realizing that her choices were influenced by her combat style, she mentally noted to change her approach for future fights.
Jon continued, "Creation Master might be a rare class compared to the others. The rest seem more common."
Jenny considered his words, then made her decision. It was obvious what she would choose.
Stepping away from the group, she whispered her selection to the system.
[YOU HAVE SELECTED THE CREATION MASTER CLASS.]
[SOME SAY CREATION IS ONLY TO BRING THINGS TO LIFE, BUT DESTRUCTION IS CREATION IN ITS HIGHEST FORM. THIS IS THE VISION OF A CREATOR.]
[TO OBTAIN THIS CLASS, YOU MUST FULFILL THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS:]
Defeat and absorb remains of First Realm creatures: 0/5
Defeat and absorb remains of Unranked Realm creatures: 0/25
Evolve your main skill to the Second Realm]
Though surprised by the requirements, Jenny smiled. The system was challenging her, but instead of discouraging her, it gave her a clear purpose. The path ahead had never been clearer.