"Dan, what kind of man are you?"

"Keep your voice down, strongman. A man as a man, you express yourself in concrete terms."

"You found the secret room! You"ve got to stretch your luck on everyone," he looked at the statues. "Let"s get rich."

"Aren"t you going to sell me body parts?"

He laughed and gave Dan a ring:

"Hold your ring, or I forgot to give it back."

John was coming down the stairs:

"Come on, move over!"

He walked in and started studying the statues.

Dan took the ring and equipped it.

Then, he went with the others to examine the statues.

They were done brilliantly, with all the equipment and weapons. It seemed as if twelve more people were in the hall with us now, and they were about to come back to life.

There were inscriptions on the altars in front of groups of statues. They meant four ways.

The Way of the Strength, the Way of Dexterity, the Way of Intelligence and the Way of the Spirit.

And the inscriptions were carved in a language Dan understood, but the letters looked more elegant, with all sorts of curls.

Dan started carefully reading the available cla.s.ses:

*

The Way of the Strength: Warrior, Soldier, and Knight.

The Way of Dexterity: a.s.sa.s.sin, Thief, and Scout.

The Way of Intelligence: The Magician, Craftsman, and Scientist

The Way of the Spirit: Priest, Spiritual, and Inquisitor.

*

More and more interesting, and a little more misunderstood.

His first thought was that there are 12 cla.s.ses, and there are only 10 players in the group.

"That"s the news, there"s Invisibility in that game!"

John laughed, he was standing next to Nick on the Way of Dexterity.

Dan started by getting to know the Path of Strength. It"s the most necessary type of player for them. He opened up the Warrior"s description:

*

Warrior

Attention! There are three possible transformations of this cla.s.s. Having mastered your cla.s.s perfectly, you can perform one of the possible transformations by improving your cla.s.s.

By choosing the Warrior"s path, the player takes a step towards the power given by his body and weapon. Warriors are strong and hardy. Continuously improving their weapon skills, they can become incredibly dangerous opponents for any enemy.

Improved skills:

Pa.s.sive: The growth of skill is achieved through intensive training:

"Physical training". Only continuous training can unlock your abilities. By fully developing this skill, warriors can fight the enemy without armor or weapons. It opens up skills:

"Stone Skin". Your body is so strong that it can compete with artificial armor.

"Steel hands". Your strength is so great that neither stone nor steel can stop you.

Cla.s.s skills:

You can improve with skill points:

"Possession of weapons". By developing this skill to the max, you will turn your weapon into the perfect murder weapon. The chance to strike a critical blow is 50% at maximum skill development. That opens up the skill:

"Virtuosos". For a long time, you"ve only fought with one weapon, you"ve studied it up and down and understood its essence. Your weapons have found their Soul and become more dangerous many times.

Battle skills:

You can improve with skill points:

1. "Strike". By developing great speed and attacking as fast as you can, you can overturn, stun and crush your opponent, even if he is higher than you in level. Cooldown Time: 300 seconds.

2. "Inevitable Strike". When you put your best effort into a blow, you ignore your opponent"s defenses, inflicting increased damage. Calculation Formula: Damage to your weapon multiplied by the skill level. Cooldown time: 300 seconds.

3. "Anger". By issuing a thunderous scream, you instill fear in your enemies and slow them down. But be careful, enemies affected by this skill will do anything to destroy you as the most dangerous enemy! Cooldown time: 240 seconds.

*

The cla.s.s makes a strong impression. An "inspired" weapon is something strange at all.

What about a soldier?

*

Soldier

Attention! There are three possible transformations of this cla.s.s. Having mastered your cla.s.s perfectly, you can perform one of the possible transformations by improving your cla.s.s.

A soldier is the basis of any professional army, his life is a continuous war. A player who has chosen the path of a soldier opens up exciting opportunities.

Cla.s.s skills:

You can improve with skill points:

1. "Discipline". By developing this skill, a soldier can be prepared to meet any opponent. Discipline increases resistance to frightening, stunned, and intimidating. The skill is pumped through regular training.

It opens up skills:

"Cold-blooded". No matter how strong the enemy is, you will not be confused by it. Death itself cannot make the weapon in your handshake. Additionally, it increases resistance to frightening, stunned, and intimidated. It allows you to reach the game maximum resistance to these skills.

"Order". This skill increases the defense and attack, making you a difficult obstacle in the way of the enemy. Attention! The game"s maximum is achieved through a randomly acquired "Shoulder to Shoulder" skill.

Improved skills:

1. "Leadership". Your comrades are beginning to trust you. By exercising general command of the group, you become a united, multi-faceted and ideal killing machine. The very fact of your presence makes your allies much stronger. This skill increases the parameters for all members of the group. This skill group only increases if you lead your comrades in battle.

It opens up skills:

1. "Commander". One or a hundred? One Thousand or Hundreds of Thousands? The number of soldiers under your command no longer plays a special role, as does the number of soldiers in the enemy. By counting the battle three moves forward, you can defeat any enemy. This skill increases the parameters for all members of the group. Additionally, it increases the parameters of all members of the group, allowing you to reach the game maximum.

2. "Warlord". You have honed your mind and military skills in endless battles, you have hardened you will do that one looks at the enemy"s side can take away his strength and break his will. Attention! This skill refers to area effects. The parameters and strength of your opponents" skills are reduced by 5% per skill unit, by 20 minutes. Cooldown Time: 12 hours.

Battle skills:

You can improve with skill points:

1. "Learned Method". You know your opponent"s strengths and weaknesses, and you can easily hit a weak spot with increased critical damage. Calculated using the following formula: Critical Damage * per skill level. Time of action and Cooldown: 120 seconds.

*

It"s complicated. It"s interesting. It"s sure to interest the players.

And the Knight?

*

A Knight

Attention! There are three possible transformations of this cla.s.s. Having mastered your cla.s.s perfectly, you can perform one of the possible transformations and improve your cla.s.s.

"Honor" is not an empty sound to you.

When choosing the path of a Knight, you must remember the following: you will never be able to hit in the back, from now on you can only have an honest fight.

If you give your word, you must keep it.

By taking a Vow, you will gain a power that will greatly enhance your abilities.

The knight"s path is the path of Glory. But you must remember that if you fail, you will suffer a terrible punishment.

Attention! The amount of "Glory" received by this cla.s.s has been increased by 20% compared to the other cla.s.ses.

1. Cla.s.s skills:

You can improve with skill points:

1. "Vow". By making a solemn promise before the fight, you get the opportunity to improve one of your basic characteristics. Attention! The number of "Vows" is limited to three attempts. A "Vow" is scored by the System. The minimum term for a "Vow" is one day.

Opens the skills:

"Monster Killer". This skill increases damage to monsters.

"The Challenge". By summoning your opponent to a duel, you can reduce one of his characteristics.

2. Improved skills:

1. "The Mastery of Defense". You"re so similar to armor that it"s your second skin. The protection provided by the armor and shield increases. Attention! To develop this skill group, you must practice all kinds of physicals training in full equipment.

It opens up skills:

1. "Protection". Your sword and shield will become an insurmountable wall in the way of your enemy. This skill reduces the damage you receive from physical weapons.

2. "Defensive". By developing this skill, you can further reduce the damage you receive. Attention! The game"s maximum is achieved by developing the "Protection" skill.

1. Battle skill:

You can improve this skill with skill points:

1. "Squall. By alternating sword and shield strikes, you can deal triple damage to your opponent. Calculated by the formula: Weapons damage + Shield defense *3. Time of action and Cooldown: 120 seconds.

*

This is bad news! The system will control the player"s Obey! Brutal. How is the balance here with these cla.s.ses? It turns out that the Warrior is the main cla.s.s, and the Soldier and Knight are a specialty for a certain mission.

Once again, Dan got more questions than answers, and he went out.

Dan climbed up to the third floor of the central building, he poured coal brought by Ron out of the box and lit the fireplace. He laid cloak on the floor and placed himself in front of the fire. There"s a lot to think about. The door slammed, and Michael came up to sit next to him. He started the conversation with his news:

"The att.i.tude of the villagers to us has changed."

"I don"t understand."

"I saw the children in the village today, the locals nodding like old friends. It"s wild to see that after the alienation lane."

"So, the reputation has worked."

"It turns out that reputation works for us. The kids aren"t afraid of us at all. I have a son and a wife left in my life.""

"And I have no one there. Just friends."

"Friends are good, too. Do you think we"ll go back home?"

"I think we"ll go back. But not anytime soon. Any game has a destination. Maybe, we should do something very important in this world, and then we"ll get a chance to go back," said Dan, although he didn"t believe in going back, to be honest.

"Okay, if so. At least there"s hope. We"ve decided by cla.s.s tomorrow to make decisions. It"s a night for everyone to choose their cla.s.s. What do you think about your cla.s.s?"

"I was just looking at a branch of strength. That was more than enough to boil my brain."

"You shouldn"t have watched all the cla.s.ses. I found someone who can sanctify silver. It was the Spiritualist"s ability. It"s also very interesting how the cla.s.ses can transform themselves."

"There are three transformations in each cla.s.s! The lack of references to the game is becoming more and more unpleasant."

"In the branch of intelligence, each cla.s.s will have a choice of six transformations attached to it," he said.

"Twelve primary cla.s.ses, forty-five possible transformations, plus an unknown number of hidden cla.s.ses."

"Interesting news. Say more about hidden cla.s.ses, please," Michael asked.

Dan told him about "Nemesis". And about the possible connection of this achievement with Father of the Mountains, whom Turin refused to talk about.

"So the dwarf of his heavenly protector asked for revenge. And I just got into trouble."

"If that were the case, we wouldn"t have gotten the quest to kill a werewolf."

"Did the dwarf give you a revenge quest?"

"No. He took his daughter"s remains and said nothing. The quest then came later."

"You see, Michael. Of course, there"s a chance I"m egotistical, but I"m used to trusting my intuition. And she convinces me that there are G.o.ds in this world, and there"s something wrong with them. The locals are afraid to talk about them openly."

"Maybe we can learn more when the caravan arrives."

"What cla.s.s are you leaning towards?"

"I think between the Warrior and the Soldier," he said.

"If you become a Warrior, the clan will get an almost ready tank, but the Soldier has Leadership. And especially one interesting cheater trick that hits the square. Good luck with your hard choices," hummed Dan.

"Can you give me any advice?"

"It"s your own business. It"s a matter of life and death. I don"t plan on taking the path of strength. Think for yourself. What about the others?"

"Alexander chooses between Warrior and Knight."

"And he"s not afraid of the situation with the Vows? I would never choose the Knight"s cla.s.s. The protection that these cla.s.ses can get looks pretty tempting."

"The "Vows" scare him, so he thinks. John and Nick are having problems, too. On the one hand, he"s an Invisible a.s.sa.s.sin and a combo with a chance of hitting weak areas. But on the other hand, there"s a Scout with a fighting skill that allows you to use сamouflage and combos by firing three arrows alternately and ignoring the enemy"s armor. Just because we don"t have a bow, they don"t care. If we have to, we"ll buy a bow."

"Funny business. They can flip a coin."

Dan laughed, the choice was hard. He noticed that these two are constantly competing with each other.

"I"ll leave them out of this, let them make their own choices. Tom and Ron are going to take a warrior. Jim"s in the craft. Leo has decided to think very carefully about his choice. But Gandalf is happy."

"What do you mean?"

"And he"s already using his imagination to throw a cloud of fireb.a.l.l.s at the enemy. The fact that he"s still on level nine, they boldly ignore. He"s jumping to the surrounding woods tomorrow, naturally, with a couple of helpers to finish the level."

"A magician has decided to become."

"Yeah. From now on, he"s allowed to call himself "Your Magician" and no other way."

"Funny guy."

"He is. Oh, by the way. Dan, you should have seen the headman"s face when I said Turin was going to run our business now. I was avenged. Completely."

Michael smiled and covered his eyes, apparently remembering a pleasant moment.

"Was it that much fun?"

"Oh, yes. There was a real circus."

He told me how the Village Head tried to save the situation. The Head of the Village began to hint that Turin was a crook. And soon the good gentlemen of the castle will be left without pants and in debt servitude by a cunning dwarf. But Turin had a good ear. The dwarf stood nearby and managed to hear everything very well. And then there was a natural fight. It resulted in a solid bruise under the headman"s eye. There were losses on the Turin side, too. A solid piece of a beard! Players separated them. Then, a hard trade began between them. With mutual insults and reproaches. The whole village gathered for free entertainment.

Turin demanded that the goods be released from the shop for us as local.

The headman motivated the shop to be his family business and threatened to raise the prices of the shop to the clouds. Turin responded by threatening sanctions. I mean, that would forbid his son to sell ironware from the forge to the same shop. For about an hour the pa.s.sion kept boiling.

Eventually, Turin hara.s.sed the headman and even beat him to a hundred silver rials.

Michael spent a tenth of the coin. He gave Turin a set of silver rings for his beard. And the headman was given a mana storage device from the trophies that fell from the ghoul. It was a big piece, like a big piece of rock crystal and seemed to be worth a lot.

Then, Michael layout strange skillfully made metal gloves in front of Dan. They were decorated with scary spikes.

"Here, they decided to give this to you. A share from the ghoul."

"And where"s the rest of the armor, did you drink it?"

"These are combat gloves, bracelets, no armor, read the description."

Dan looked it up.

*

Battle Bracelets of Wrath

Type: Rare

Effects: +2 to power

Damage: 120 to 150. Critical damage: 210 - 240.

Defense: 100

Weight: 6 pounds

Durability: 100

Warning! A minimum of 15 points of strength is required to possess these weapons effectively.

Description: The credo of the creator of these weapons is "Good must be with fists". And this weapon fully justifies this saying.

Attention! When using this equipment, the slots with the weapon are blocked.

Attention! This equipment is recommended for use by the "Inquisitor" cla.s.s.

*

"Interesting weapon, even with a recommendation for a certain cla.s.s. What else fell off the ghoul?"

"Iron armor knives and boots, normal iron helmet without horns, paired blades, three iron bars. Two Talakatas and a pile of small crystals. Ghoul"s head and claws. 52 silver coins.""

"What, did the natural head fall?"

"Yes, we"ll hang our head here above the fireplace.""

"What for? We need the money, you better sell it."

"We"ll see there. Let"s go downstairs to the guys. We took the local alcohol, we"ll drink to celebrate our corner."

"We"ve found a very powerful and solid corner. What about the furniture?"

"Tomorrow we"ll go to get the material. The carpenter has his wagon, we"ll load it too. And then on two wagons back to the castle. He"ll tell the price after he inspects the front of the work. I think we"ll settle for a hundred silver rials."

When Michael went down to the first floor, he went into the dining room, and Dan stopped at the bottom of the Choice Hall. He stood up a bit, looked at the Bracelets of Wrath in his hands. And he started going down decisively.

In the hall, Dan stopped at the path of the Spirit. The Priest, the Spiritual, and the Inquisitor.

He put Bracelets of Wrath at his feet. Dan thought with anger that since he was so lucky, so be it. He cut palm on the spikes on the bracelet and sliced some blood into the altar bowl.

*

[Would you like to choose a cla.s.s? Yes/No]

""Yes.""

[Priest, Spiritual, Inquisitor]

""The Inquisitor.""

[Do you confirm your choice? Yes/No]

""Yes.""

A flash of light illuminated his body for a second.

[Congratulations! You picked your cla.s.s.

Open a detailed description? Yes/No]

""No.""

He put the bracelets in the inventory and get out of the hall. It"s a lot calmer on the soul.

When Dan walked into the dining room, Michael shook his head disapprovingly with a sad smile on his face. Dan shrugged by shoulders and sat down on the bench at the table. Leo gave him a cup of a clear liquid that smelled like herbs.

A pleasant bitterness burned mouth, and tears came out of Dan"s eyes.

Here"s to our new home! d.a.m.n it all!