Chapter 31: Chapter31-Witch Council
Looking at the countless main cities densely scattered across the map, John did not rush to make his choice.
With a thought, a layer of silver-white radiance spread from his body.
He activated the authority of the Goddess of Space upon the world map.
The power of space suddenly expanded outward, and large swaths of fog on the world map instantly dispersed.
The full view of the entire map was completely revealed before John’s eyes.
According to the game’s mechanics, after leaving the Starter Village, players would all travel to a new world known as Crossbridge Continent.
On Crossbridge Continent, there were thousands upon thousands of main cities, and players were free to choose any one of them as their login location.
This choice was not to be underestimated. It was extremely important.
That was because the main city stage was not merely a starting point. It was also where players would choose their first class.
A class would accompany a player throughout the entire course of the game.
And John’s current main quest was to ascend to godhood as soon as possible and find the true body of the Goddess of Space.
Therefore, based on his needs, he had to choose a place with the greatest number of opportunities related to godhood.
At the same time, because John currently had no attribute weaknesses at all, there was only one kind of class that truly suited him.
Among the tens of thousands of main cities on Crossbridge Continent, there were not many that could simultaneously satisfy both conditions: opportunities for godhood and that particular class.
His thoughts returned to the world map.
John’s gaze fell upon a main city named Axis City.
[Axis City]
[Description]: One of the main cities of Crossbridge Continent, and also the most mysterious main city. Very few players are able to reach this place.
...
As an SSS-rank main city, Axis City was hidden within the fog of the map.
Ordinary players could only obtain clues related to this city after completing a Hidden Quest in the Starter Village.
In his previous life, Axis City had been discovered by players roughly two months after the server opened.
However, because the various quests within the city were far too difficult, even though they offered generous rewards, they were still beyond the reach of most players.
Many people, even after obtaining the relevant hidden clues, would not choose this hell-difficulty main city.
But for John, who possessed extraordinarily high attributes, Axis City was just right.
With that thought, John decisively pressed the teleportation point for Axis City on the world map.
[Do you wish to teleport to Axis City?]
"Teleport."
The next moment, his figure was enveloped in white light and vanished from the castle.
...
In a boundless starry sky, John’s figure streaked across like a meteor.
When his consciousness returned, he was already standing in an unfamiliar environment.
The climate of Axis City was terrible. A mass of dark clouds hovered above it all year round.
The entire city was shrouded in rain and thick fog, with only dim yellow streetlamps piercing through the mist to provide light.
The urban districts were arranged in uneven layers, and at the highest point stood a cathedral with arched corridors and pointed spires.
The whole city was steeped in a dense, gloomy atmosphere.
At this moment, the municipal square where he stood was extremely empty. Only a few clergymen were patrolling nearby.
"It really is as deserted as ever."
John sighed inwardly.
The next moment, a world announcement rang beside his ears.
[World Announcement: Congratulations to Outlander for becoming the first player to arrive in Axis City. Reward: EXP +30,000, gold coins +500, Reputation +1,500!]
...
Glancing at the additional experience and gold coin rewards in his backpack and on his panel, John remained calm.
Right now, all he wanted was to quickly resolve the matter of his class change.
John’s goal was very clear.
He wanted to obtain the unique server-wide class: All-Class Magus.
As its name suggested, an All-Class Magus could use any skill from any class.
The attribute requirement for this class was also simple and brutally direct: the player could not have any shortcomings in any attribute.
John happened to satisfy this requirement perfectly.
In order to obtain the All-Class Magus class, John did not linger in the municipal square for long.
Following his memory, he traveled forward and soon arrived before a massive building located at the center of Axis City.
The building exuded a Gothic style. It was towering, magnificent, and overwhelmingly imposing.
Various arcane patterns were carved into its pillars, beams, and roof.
Its overall colors were an interweaving of black and purple, making it appear both mysterious and solemn.
Witch Council!
This was not a guild created by players, but an organization jointly founded by some of the top mages of Axis City.
At the same time, the Witch Council was also the strongest NPC faction in Axis City.
Even across the entire Crossbridge Continent, it was one of the strongest NPC factions below the level of gods.
The core leadership of the Witch Council was the Witches’ Round Table.
There were thirteen seats in total, but only twelve witches resided there permanently.
The only missing member was the First Seat.
Legend had it that the First Seat of the Witch Council was the founder of the organization. Unlike the other witches, he was male.
Later, however, he disappeared for unknown reasons, and no further information about him could ever be found.
Some said that the First Seat had already succeeded in ascending to godhood and had risen to the divine realm.
Others said that the First Seat had been defeated and killed in battle against a god, his body and soul reduced to nothing.
However, this First Seat had left behind the one and only All-Class Magus class-change scroll in the Witch Council.
No one could replicate this scroll.
And no one dared to use it.
That scroll was the purpose of John’s visit.
Without stopping, John calmly entered the headquarters of the Witch Council.
Just like most player guilds, the Witch Council also recruited new members on a regular basis.
However, this organization had extremely high requirements for its members, and most of those who came to participate in the recruitment were women.
The moment John entered, many beautiful women appeared within his field of vision.
As the only man present, John’s handsome appearance also attracted some attention.
Quite a few beautiful female NPCs turned their heads one after another, casting curious glances at him.
Under everyone’s watchful gazes, John arrived at the front desk.
The one responsible for receiving him was an old witch with a hunched back, a hooked nose covered in warts, and a coarse linen robe draped over her body.
John said directly, "Hello. I would like to join the Witch Council. What do I need to do to become a member?"
The old witch’s gloomy gaze swept over him. Then she casually tossed out a small booklet.
In a hoarse voice, she said, "Pick a quest from there yourself. Complete it, and you’ll be allowed to join."
John took the booklet and flipped through it.
Good grief. Not a single quest was simple.
They either required him to kill an A-rank boss or enter an A-rank Hell Mode dungeon to obtain a quest item.
Of course, that was only difficult for ordinary players.
After casually scanning through it, John closed the booklet and handed it back.
Seeing this, the old witch let out a cackling laugh.
"Little one, don’t lose heart. You can always come back in a few decades. Hahahahaha..."
She released a string of bizarre laughter so loud it almost seemed capable of tearing the roof off, terrifying to the extreme.
But at that moment, John abruptly interrupted her.
"No."
He bent down slightly, leaned close to the old witch’s ear, and said softly, "I heard there are some even more difficult quests. After completing them, not only can one enter the Witch Council, but one can also freely choose an item from the Witch Council’s collection?"
The air instantly froze.
The old witch’s eyes shifted slightly as she sized him up.
Then, immediately afterward, she burst into loud laughter again.
"Where did you hear such nonsense? Hurry up and get lost!"
