[Citizen Shin Dong-hoon has completed the class advancement quest.]
[10,000,000 won has been deducted as quest costs.]
[Citizen Shin Dong-hoon has acquired ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the 'Warrior' class.]
At the same moment that Shin Dong-hoon shattered the wooden dummy’s head in the warrior’s chamber, a notification appeared, signaling the successful completion of the class advancement quest.
‘Clean execution.’
It was my first time seeing him use his abilities.
His instantaneous speed was impressive, but his control over that sudden acceleration was even more incredible.
Shin Dong-hoon had complete mastery over his body.
And—
‘His combat sense is outstanding.’
It was just a single exchange, but he had more than proven his worth.
‘Still, the test dummy's level was higher than I expected.’
For one, it was level 25.
A level 25 wooden dummy naturally had formidable physical specs, but considering the various buffs that citizens received, even a level 20 could have put up a fair fight.
The real issue, however, was that the dummy fought like a well-trained soldier.
‘Not many will qualify for the warrior class.’
Honestly, unless someone was an awakened like Shin Dong-hoon, there wasn’t much reason to go through the hassle of becoming a warrior.
Most people preferred firearms over melee weapons when it came to combat.
Even among Shin Dong-hoon’s squad, the only one who had the potential to advance to a warrior was Lee Jun-ho.
The rest either specialized in long-range attacks or were simply stronger with firearms than they were with their abilities.
For those who primarily used guns, the sharpshooter class would be a better fit.
‘I just hope the sharpshooter class advancement isn’t too difficult.’
I’d need to complete the research and see the quest in action to be sure, but with Absolute Dweller’s Eye, I could already get a rough idea of what the test involved.
‘Looks like they just have to hit ten targets.’
In a space larger than the warrior’s chamber, ten targets had been set up, partially concealed by cover.
‘Doesn’t seem that easy.’
When I first used Absolute Dweller’s Eye in the warrior’s chamber, I hadn’t seen the wooden dummy.
It had only materialized once the test had begun, so there was a high chance the sharpshooter’s test had some kind of additional challenge as well.
‘I’ll check on the sharpshooter class later...’
I activated teleportation, summoning Shin Dong-hoon from the warrior’s chamber, where he had been keeping watch.
Shu-shuk!
At this point, I no longer needed physical contact to teleport citizens within my domain.
In essence, the domain itself was connected to my mind.
No matter the distance, as long as they were within my territory, I could teleport them as easily as communicating telepathically.
Of course, it consumed mental energy, but after using teleportation across a kilometer-wide expanse, moving a single person was nothing.
Shin Dong-hoon, momentarily dazed from the sudden transport, looked at me.
“Congratulations on your class advancement.”
“...Thank you.”
“What did you think of the difficulty of the test?”
After a brief moment of thought, he answered cautiously.
“It wasn’t easy.”
“I see.”
From the results alone, he had taken out the wooden dummy in a single strike, but the important detail was that even a level 37 Shin Dong-hoon had been caught off guard, if only for a moment.
“When you become a warrior, you gain buffs to melee attacks and the ability to temporarily enhance your physical capabilities.”
“Yes. I confirmed that.”
“Taking the difficulty and the class effects into account, is there anyone in your team you would recommend advancing to warrior?”
“...Jun-ho. Sergeant Lee Jun-ho seems like the best fit.”
“Eh? Me?”
All eyes turned to Lee Jun-ho.
I smiled and asked, “Would you like to give it a try?”
“Uhh— Yes! Yes, sir! I’ll do it!”
[Would you like to assign the ‘Warrior’ class advancement quest to Citizen Lee Jun-ho?]
[Yes / No]
‘Yes.’
After assigning him the quest, I immediately teleported him into the warrior’s chamber.
Shu-shuk—
This time, I planned to run a few experiments.
Using telepathy, I asked him,
[Jun-ho, what weapon do you normally use?]
“Uh... I mostly use firearms.”
[Even in close combat situations?]
“Oh, well, in that case, I usually just beat them with the gun.”
[Understood.]
I opened the shop and provided him with a K-2 rifle, a weapon he was familiar with.
Jiiing—
“Huh?”
Lee Jun-ho caught the K-2 that materialized in midair and hesitated.
“Am I really allowed to use this?”
It was obvious that the chamber had been designed for wooden weapons.
[I want to test something.]
Despite giving him a firearm, the entrance to the test chamber remained firmly shut.
[Could you pick a weapon from the display? Choose whichever feels right.]
“Yes, sir!”
He selected a long wooden sword.
The moment he gripped the wooden sword, the door to the test chamber clicked open.
[Please wait inside until I give further instructions.]
“Understood.”
As soon as he stepped into the chamber, a wooden dummy materialized inside the far doorway, and the door swung open.
At the same time—
‘Shop open. Purchase a spear.’
I bought a spear and hurled it into the air.
‘Store in inventory.’
Then—
‘Summon spear.’
I materialized the spear in front of the wooden dummy, where it impaled its chest in an instant.
Kwa-jik!
The impact shattered the wooden dummy into splinters.
However, no notification appeared confirming the completion of the class advancement quest.
Instead—
Jiiing—
The shattered pieces of the wooden dummy rapidly gathered together and reformed in an instant.
‘So this method doesn’t work either, huh.’
I gave Lee Jun-ho an order.
[You may fire now.]
The moment I granted permission, his rifle roared.
Tang—!
The bullet he fired struck the wooden dummy right in the crown of its head.
A small hole appeared at the top, but the dummy remained unscathed.
Instead, it charged at Lee Jun-ho aggressively.
Tudududu—
Jun-ho kept his composure, steadily backpedaling while firing additional shots. However, though the bullets caused brief flinches upon impact, they failed to stop the dummy’s advance.
Worse, the damaged areas regenerated in real time.
By the time it reached him, the wooden dummy thrust its spear forward.
And—
“Haaahp!”
With a sharp battle cry, a transparent barrier shot up in front of him.
Ka-ga-gak!
Jun-ho expertly blocked the attack with his ability and immediately swung his rifle like a club.
When it came down to it, a firearm was little more than a metal club before it was a projectile weapon.
And so—
Pwak!
The impact shattered the dummy’s hand.
And—
‘It’s not regenerating?’
The areas hit by gunfire had healed instantly, but the ones struck by physical melee attacks remained broken.
That meant it wasn’t necessary to use the weapons from the chamber’s display—any melee attack would do.
‘Bingo.’
It was a small detail, but I had just discovered a loophole.
The key point wasn’t just that melee attacks worked—it was that external support was possible.
While ranged attacks and my own abilities triggered rapid regeneration, they still created brief openings.
All that mattered was that the person undertaking the class advancement quest delivered the final melee blow.
‘This significantly raises the success rate for class changes.’
An even more promising thought struck me—if melee attacks counted, then firearms should be usable in the Sharpshooter test.
That class, by nature, was built around ranged attacks.
[Citizen Lee Jun-ho has completed the class advancement quest.]
[10,000,000 won has been deducted as quest costs.]
[Citizen Lee Jun-ho has acquired the ‘Warrior’ class.]
I immediately summoned Jun-ho back.
Shu-shuk—
“Hah... Hah!”
His entire body was drenched in sweat from the intense battle.
“You did well. Congratulations on your class change.”
“Th-Thank you, sir!”
Now that Jun-ho had successfully changed classes, a few others were starting to look eager.
Particularly, Park Sung-jun and Kim Ki-tae, both of whom had awakened B-rank abilities, were staring with eyes full of anticipation.
I checked the system window for the Class Research Lab.
[Sharpshooter]
...Research in progress...
I spoke honestly.
“For those interested in other class advancements, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. That’s all for today—I’ll return then.”
“W-Wait! Please, just a moment!”
It was Kim Ki-tae.
“I’d like to change my class to Hunter.”
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“Hunter?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Hunter doesn’t offer many advantages aside from leaving behind monster corpses.”
“That’s exactly why.”
Kim Ki-tae’s ability was Wolf’s Nose, a non-combat sensory skill.
Given his B-rank status, I had initially intended to steer him toward Sharpshooter instead.
But his next words were persuasive.
“In Seoul, monster meat was one of our staple foods. Apart from Sky Blue Marlins, I know of a few other edible monster species. Additionally, we might find creatures with useful materials—tough hides, sharp claws, sturdy fangs.”
I had never considered this angle.
Food and weapons were things I could always replenish through the shop, so I never thought of securing materials manually.
But these people had been struggling in Seoul, surviving entirely through self-sufficiency. Their way of thinking was different.
“I like it. I’ll leave that role to you, Ki-tae.”
“Oh...! Yes, sir!”
[Citizen Kim Ki-tae’s trust has increased.]
[Citizen Kim Ki-tae’s loyalty has increased.]
I assigned an additional Hunter class advancement quest to another promising individual.
At their level, they could probably clear the quest with Orcs instead of Goblins without issue.
“Before I leave, I have something to propose to all of you.”
Because I had now met them personally and introduced myself by name, the overall trust and loyalty of Shin Dong-hoon’s squad had risen significantly.
‘They all qualify for vassal registration.’
Shin Dong-hoon, Lee Jun-ho, Park Sung-jun, Kim Ki-tae.
All of them had met the minimum conditions.
“I would like to accept you all as my vassals.”
I then explained what it meant to be a vassal—their relationship to me, their role within this territory, the rights they would gain, and the obligations they would have to uphold.
“With greater power comes greater danger. What I’m asking of you is, in essence, to entrust your lives to me.”
A heavy silence followed the weight of my words.
The first to break it was their leader, Shin Dong-hoon.
“Seoul was nothing short of hell. Too many people died. Seeing streets littered with corpses became normal.”
His gaze was unwavering.
“The truth is, we were all dying. Had you not saved us, every single one of us would have perished in hunger and despair.”
With certainty on his face, he continued.
“But here, I saw hope. Hope that we can return to the way things were.”
The others began nodding, conviction settling into their eyes.
“So long as our deaths are not meaningless, I have no regrets. Please, let my life serve a purpose.”
His words carried a firm resolve.
“I understand.”
I could feel the weight of responsibility settle on my shoulders.
“I swear, I will not betray that trust.”
We would reclaim our peaceful lives.
No matter what.