--
TJ stared at his storage interface, wondering just what to do first.
The items were there, still there...he hasn't touched any of them even after receiving them.
Every single one of these items was incredibly valuable; yes, even those bottles of the liquid exp themselves could fetch a good price on the market. And to think he got them all basically for nothing, just as a present for something he ought to do anyway.
Let's break down every single item he received, yeah?
First of all, was the Class Transitioning Scroll [Special!].
TJ actually feels a little embarrassed. He thought that the only way he'd get one is by enrolling in a university and maybe receiving the grace of one of the professors there. He turned melodramatic over this only for the very item to fall into his lap for free.
And this wasn't just some ordinary scroll. It has the [Special!tag with it; ordinary scrolls don't have that.
Ordinary class transitioning scrolls take the user's primary class specification and analyze their tendency to generate a class that fits the user.
So, for example, someone like TJ—a Warrior—when using an ordinary class transitioning scroll, will get one of the following: Knight, Duelist, Scout, Assassin, and so on.
The scroll will only take what TJ already has and generate a class depending on that. It will only generate three choices based on this, and TJ can only pick one.
Once he made his choice, there's no turning back. He's stuck with it. Whether to complete the class transition quest or not depends on him.
The Class Transitioning Scroll [Special!], on the other hand, was different. It doesn't just take what TJ already has and his tendencies; it also predicts his growth.
If it sensed that TJ was close to passing as a Fusion Class user, it would generate a Fusion Class Template for him. This isn't something that an ordinary scroll can do.
Furthermore, the special scroll scans deeper and more accurately compared to the ordinary one. The class templates it will generate for TJ will have at least 90% compatibility with him.
Yes, compatibility is a thing. With ordinary scrolls, it's a gamble. With special scrolls, it's not. That's another major difference.
Then, there's class rarity. There are tons, emphasis on 'tons,' of class templates in the pool. With ordinary scrolls capable of only generating three with general filters, it could be a hit or miss.
Not in the special scroll, though.
Special scrolls won't just pick the ones he's most suitable with; they could also generate up to Legendary Class tiers for him. The chances are low, but certainly much higher compared to ordinary scrolls.
With all of these advantages, how could anybody resist? If there's a choice between using an ordinary class transitioning scroll or a special class scroll, who would pick the former?
Idiots, that's who.
Aside from the special class transitioning scrolls, there were also other forms of scrolls out there. Some have more filters than others, allowing for better options.
MJ didn't send any of those because she probably doesn't have any idea of TJ's tendencies and potential. Rather than sending the wrong scroll, it'd be better to send a special one instead.
Moving on...
The Sub-Profession Badge and the Sub-Profession scroll. The badge allows him to add a sub-profession slot, and the scroll allows him to roll sub-professions.
Pros having sub-professions isn't really that rare from what TJ heard. In fact, he saw somewhere that upon reaching a certain professional rank, sub-professions become necessary. As for why that is, it has never been cleared for him, so he can't tell if it's accurate or not.
Honestly, this was nice. Whether the article he read was right or wrong, TJ planned on having a sub-profession anyway.
To others, having it this early might be a disadvantage. After all, there are only so many hours in the day, and rest is just as important to a pro as work is.
TJ knows this too, and he wasn't really aiming that high right away. Besides, his [Boons] helps with this, though it'd really clog up his schedule.
Then, there's the weapon and equipment stubs.
These stubs appeared like tickets. To use them, TJ would have to rip them in half, and then he'd get a selection of gear based on the type of stub he used.
Gears are separated by type and grade. Weapons, armor, and accessories for types, and white, blue, violet, gold, and scarlet gold for grades. Each grade attaches perks to the gear; how many depends on its rarity, of course.
White gives out a single gear perk, blue is two, violet is three, gold has four, and scarlet gold has five gear perks.
The stubs he received from MJ, once again, weren't ordinary, though.
These stubs have the [Growth] suffix on them. Meaning that once he uses these stubs, the gear he'll get will be gear that could be upgraded and grow stronger alongside him. Just like Hotshot.
Similar to skills, pros can use EXP to upgrade gears too. However, in some cases, buying new gear was much better compared to upgrading the ones already there because gear tends to require gross amounts of exp to be upgraded.
With these stubs, every single piece of TJ's equipment was destined to be growth-type gears. And if he had to follow the norm, who could say just how much exp it would take to upgrade his gear?
As if anticipating this, or just looking out for him, MJ also sends things called Liquid Exp Bottles.
A single Liquid Exp Bottle contains about 10,000 exp. MJ sent ten of them, so that's about 100,000 exp in total.
Theoretically, TJ could shower himself with enough exp to charge all the way to the Adept Rank with a few left over.
Actually, TJ was really tempted to do that, but that would be stupid. TJ's body would have to adjust each time he upgrades his star rank. The further his rank goes, the more his strength increases. Things like this can't be done overnight; people could die from doing this. That's why, despite being tempted, TJ had to reel in his impulse.
And finally, there's the black credit card—a potentially limitless source of geos.
It's the one thing that TJ dared to touch among all the items he received thus far, and even then, it felt scaldingly hot in his hands. He couldn't believe that MJ would just casually dump this on him and tell him to not worry about it.
He's very worried, actually. Thank you very much! Seriously, where did she even get all of this?
Although TJ could speculate all day. Really. He could spend so many days pondering whether he should trust MJ's words or not, but in the end, it doesn't change the fact that these items were definitely what he needs.
Actually, it exceeds his requirements, but he, nevertheless, needs them.
After two months, it'd be June again—the start of a new school year. By then, hopefully, he'd be a university student. Universities are far different from prep schools. It's more frantic and hectic there; if he couldn't keep up, everyone would leave him behind, and that just won't do. Moreover, he can't expect people to stop and lend him a hand; he has to be independent somehow.
But independency sounds rich for an orphan like him. The government subsidies will stop the moment he becomes a college student. By then, just to keep up, he'd have to fight for scholarships, sponsorships, or even apply for loans. And the workload will just pile up. Its weight will either suffocate him or make him stronger.
There's no in-between.
That's why, as much as he disliked the idea, he was very grateful for MJ's support. With all of the things she gave him, his college life should, at the very least, be pleasant.
This is also why he's finally made up his mind.
"I'd be a fool to turn this all down," he muttered to himself, "and even if I do, she won't take this back. These items will just collect dust in my inventory, and that'd be a goddamn waste."
"I'll use them, and I'll make the most out of it."
"One day, I'll repay her for this. Just so that she wouldn't use this as another leverage. But until then, hopefully, she wouldn't be insufferable."
'Of course, that's considering that I'm still talking to the same person.'
This last part was said to himself. It's a rogue thought that he didn't dwell on for too long.
Anyway, back to business.
Surprisingly, TJ has already spent most of the day pondering about his decision. But by the time he made up his mind, it was already late in the afternoon.
He had skipped his daily routine and even lunch because of this, but he wasn't really bothered.
Now, anticipation bubbled in his chest.
He took hold of the special class transitioning scroll and, once again, felt its heat scalding, figuratively, of course.
Even so, he held it tight, and a system message flashed past his eyes, asking:
[Use the 'Class Transitioning Scroll [Special!]'?]
[Note: There's no going back after using this item. Please decide only when you're certain of your choice.]
TJ has already done that, so to not delay it anymore, he declared:
"Use."