A man moved swiftly through the forest, eliminating goblins one after another. He mostly targeted lone goblins but occasionally faced two at once, and sometimes even an entire group.
As he paused his relentless massacre, the man muttered quietly, "Status."
Name: William Shaffold
Level: 5
Class: Exploit Engineer
Job: Breaker
Talent: Exploitation
Equipment: Basic leather armor, long sword.
Tutorial Status: Active
-----------------------
STR: 17(+3)
AGI: 17
END: 24
INT: 30
WIS: 35
DEX: 17
LUK: 26
Skills: Reconnaissance, Vulnerability Scanner, Social Engineering, Exploit.
-----------------------
William clicked on the description of the skill Exploit: This skill allows the user to take control of targets by utilizing previously collected information and intelligence points.
"Take control... Like hypnosis. Hmm, I need to check it out." he muttered.
William wasn't too upset about not receiving a flashy magic or skill, as he not only confirmed that leveling up was necessary to unlock skills but also figured out how many kills were required to gain enough experience for the next level.
While this knowledge was more useful to him, acquiring an offensive magical skill would definitely have been better.
---
William touched the bodies of the defeated goblins, and they withered into dust as they vanished. Notifications popped up, informing him that he had something new in his inventory.
He has already gathered the required number to complete the quest; now he just needs to submit the bag full of goblin ears.
But he didn't go back; he needed to test this new skill, to understand what it could do and what "taking control" really meant.
And there was a perfect target practice for this.
While hunting goblins, he stumbled upon a sleeping orc. At the time, he was too afraid to approach it and quietly left it alone. But now, it seemed like the perfect target.
William retraced his steps and soon found himself in the bushes. In front of him, an orc was sleeping under a tree, alone, its weapon, a club, lying on the ground just a few feet away.
William activated Reconnaissance, followed quickly by Exploit. His eyes glowed red once more as he felt mana coursing through his veins... but nothing happened.
'What? How is it supposed to work then?'
An alert appeared before his eyes: Exploit: 0.
'Is it really expecting me to create exploits? Why is there even logic involved in this? Can't I just shoot fire from my fingers like everyone else?'
Now that his plan had failed, William had no choice but to return. He retraced his steps back to the campsite, his destination now being the quest board to collect his reward, and perhaps even talk to Jonathan on the way.
Arbiter sat at his place, his head bowed as he sorted through the pile of papers he had to manage. A man appeared before him, tall with black hair, blue eyes, and a sharp face. He looked young, around his twenties—it was Jonathan, here to check on the status of his quest.
In a firm voice, he asked, "The goblin cleaning quest, has anyone taken it? I didn't see it on the board."
Arbiter looked up, slightly startled to see Jonathan, and replied, "Yes, a young man took it. William, was it?"
Jonathan nodded, relieved that someone had handled it. If not, he would have done it himself. He turned, bid farewell to Arbiter, and left.
"Must be in a hurry," Arbiter muttered, then went back to looking through his papers.
Not long after, a young man arrived, looking ragged and exhausted. His leather armor was stained with goblin blood. He had brown eyes and black hair, his face unremarkable with a bit of fat—not sharp but not chubby either.
Arbiter looked up and saw his visitor. "William, welcome back," he said with a smile.
William placed the bag full of goblin ears on the table and said, "Here, I've completed the quest." He waited for a moment before asking, "So, what's the creds for this?"
Arbiter took the bag and opened it, revealing it was filled with goblin ears. He was surprised William had managed to kill so many. "I'll need to count them, but my estimate is at least seven creds. It's quite a haul," he said, pausing briefly before blurting out, "What's your class?"
This wasn't a question people usually asked unless there was deep trust between them. Most kept their class a secret, except for a few with utility classes who relied on others for survival.
William's eyes narrowed as he raised his guard, the tension between them thick in the air. Before he could speak, the arbiter clasped his hand and apologized, "I'm sorry, I got carried away. It really made me curious—how did you manage to kill so many? There's no team behind you, so it's a solo kill. That's even more impressive."
William, with a cold voice, said, "There's a team waiting for me at the corner." He activated his Social Engineering skill to turn the situation in his favor. His charm and confident tone carried such conviction that, even if it was a lie, no one could argue against it.
The Arbiter, slightly ashamed, slowly picked up the sheet documenting the status of the Goblin clearing quest and marked it as complete, avoiding eye contact the entire time. Then he opened the bag and began counting its contents, doing something peculiar with his fingers—possibly using a skill. This piqued William's curiosity, and he activated his reconnaissance to determine the man's class.
Name: Alex Theon
Level: 2
Class: Arbiter
Job: Guardian of Forest
Talent: Restoration
Equipment: Basic leather armor, cane.
Tutorial Status: Active
-----------------------
STR: 7(+3)
AGI: 6
END: 7
INT: 12
WIS: 10
DEX: 11
LUK: 15
Skills: Restore, Verdict, Control.
-----------------------
William clicked on the description of his job: Guardian of the Forest.
The forest nurtures all life, flourishing in its care. The Guardian serves as the sole barrier protecting it, and in return, the forest bestows a special defense upon its protector.
Nature magic proficiency increased by 100%.
'What a cheat!' William seethed with envy, his insides ablaze.
Diverting his attention, he glanced at the talent description, which read:
Proficiency in restoration magic: +100%
Mana replenishment: 1.5x
He masks the pain rising in his chest with a surge of envy.
Next, he examined the skills description:
Restore: Allows the user to restore an item to its original state.
Verdict: Grants the user the ability to give a final decision that must be followed if supported by valid proofs.
Control: Improves efficiency in upholding and managing law and order by a highest authority level.
Highest Authority: Jonathan (currently)