BXBX NOVEL Chapter 88: Preparations (3)
He was still learning a lot from Ingrid and Viktor, including basics.
Everyone's influence and even his legendary class also shaped him.
Not even Jake knew what he would really do next.
'If I don't become a pioneer, I'll be the next Grin Grid, right? She's a top archer and remains high in the rankings, yet not really many people want to follow her path.
Archers still have a lot of difficulties,' Jake thought, 'I mean, she doesn't appear that much on forums or streams, so it's hard to catch a glimpse of her… if my goals change and I will end up just focusing on myself and my archery, so long as I appear on streams or videos, I should still somewhat be a pioneer, right?'
Jake's gameplay had changed numerous times, including the rigid rules he set for himself.
The best example was his current direction.
He was heading to The Miner Guild to pick up a miner subclass and a title. With those in his grasp, he would be able to mine ores much easier and simpler.
It went against Jake from the tutorial times.
He matured so much that perhaps his selfishness would soon turn him into one of those adults who cared only about himself while discarding others and their feelings.
No one knew what the future held in its hands.
'Or maybe I will become an altruistic pioneer and pass everyone who wants to be an archer tips…' Jake thought, imagining himself as a man who spent days tutoring others on the training grounds. He'd pass them skills or maybe even legendary traces to enhance their archery!
He'd create a special skill to allow others to sync with their summons… or something like that.
Jake halted his steps. Someone bumped into him from behind, but he ignored that presence and fell into much deeper thought.
'Summons… it's the business I can start,' Jake recalled his misfit title, utterly forgetting the second path he had just imagined. He seemed to have matured so much already that he wouldn't do many things for free!
His parents and Ingrid would have been proud of him right now.
'Should I go to the statues?' Jake glanced up. Three sanctuaries perched high on the vista of the seemingly second unconquerable mountain.
Jake could see only one from the street he was on.
He'd been there only once since Jake hadn't died yet.
'Richard mentioned a beast tamer subclass from the statue… but it was before his revelation… Viktor told me not a lot of players get a beast-tamer class in those areas because the first monsters are corrupted, so it's pointless to try to tame them.
Other starting points have a higher percentage of beast tamers… Robert told me it's not that popular class anyway,' Jake recalled the knowledge he hoarded from others.
'I don't want to work with those statues, but I will try my luck here,' Jake said the banned in his dictionary word without realizing it and changed his direction.
A few minutes later, he was up before the sanctuary.
Just like usual, this place was amazing. So many various players were engaged in a talk here that everyone could feast their eyes without too much difficulty. Of course, ogling ladies was an exception, as staring at them too much would irk their male friends or even foreign males.
Jake, however, was lucky to receive a few invitation gestures, so this problem didn't bother him.
He shook his head at them since his direction was already set.
'If I need a party for a dungeon or a quest, I can just head up here, I guess,' Jake thought.
At last, he entered the sanctuary. It was flooded and protected like usual—nothing changed here.
Some players were having fun triggering the soldiers on guard, making Jake recall the videos of the British Royal Guard getting pissed at foolish tourists.
It was exactly the same case here.
Jake approached a statue of a woman.
The game system opened itself before him.
[You have approached the statue of Victoria, The Victorious Wonder.]
Players would usually converse through the game system with those statues.
Meaning they would click available options through the game system as though those statues were real NPCs.
Jake, however, was one of the rare players to hear Victoria's voice.
[What have you returned here for, Misfit?]
Having an experience, Jake didn't freak out and calmly inhaled.
He spoke in his head, 'I want a beast-tamer subclass.'
[I could bestow a beast tamer class upon you… on one condition.]
'Tell me what it is,' Jake deeply stared into the woman's eyes.
It felt as though the statue's eyes turned real for a moment.
[Turn your traces into loyal weapons.]
Jake's relationship level with his summons was simple—100% Master because he had summoned them and given them names, and their friend percentage was around seventy percent, depending on the summon.
He was so close with them and treated them with love and affection that it was only a matter of time before everyone would be his best friend.
Victoria, however, wanted Jake to turn that into 100% Loyalty on the other end of this friendly relationship. She basically advised what Richard had warned him about if he did not treat his summons with enough care and affection.
100% Loyalty, Servant, and Enemy—that was what Victoria demanded from Jake.
Jake and Victoria were seemingly staring at each other in heavy silence…
A minute, two, three, and five passed, yet no one had said anything.
Jake curved his lips up only when a commotion broke next to the other statue.
He rolled saliva onto his tongue and spat at Victoria's statue.
Because of the commotion—caused by a player who tucked himself in another statue's skirt—the guards were late to catch who had spat at Victoria's statue.
Jake also was gone from the scene, his presence dipping into the bustling crowd of players.