Online Game: Starting with an SSS-Level Plundering Talent - Chapter 98

Chapter 98: A New Class System

[Announcement: Player Toby has launched an attack on Green Hill City. All players may join the resistance. Successfully defending Green Hill City will yield generous rewards.]

…

Suddenly, three system announcements echoed through the game.

John was momentarily stunned; he hadn’t expected Toby to act so quickly and launch an attack on the Dark Humans.

The information John had leaked was accurate, but Toby was unlikely to obtain the Elemental Key.

John had destroyed two cities and killed two city lords, but neither had dropped the Elemental Key.

The Elemental Key in his possession was given to Toby by Green Moon City Lord Dien, and John had acquired it by killing Toby.

He suspected that the Elemental Key wouldn’t drop automatically after killing a Dark Humans city lord.

Toby was bound to be disappointed.

[Announcement: Player SharpBlade has launched an attack on Night City. All players may join the resistance. Successfully defending Night City will yield generous rewards.]

…

[Announcement: Player FireGod has launched an attack on Water Deep City. All players may join the resistance. Successfully defending Water Deep City will yield generous rewards.]

…

More announcements quickly followed.

Several major guilds in the world of Gods had simultaneously launched assaults on cities controlled by the Dark Humans.

In the global chat, players were buzzing with speculation:

“What’s going on today? Two cities just got established, and now guilds are attacking Dark Humans’ cities?”

“Are they trying to imitate Godslayer? But what’s the point of provoking the Dark Humans?”

“I smell a conspiracy.”

“Is anyone near Night City? Let’s team up and check it out.”

“I’m in Water Deep City. Anyone want to join me? Only second-tier players and above.”

“Count me in.”

…

Most players were clueless about why these guilds were suddenly targeting the Dark Humans’ cities.

The information about attribute fusion had only been shared among the major factions and hadn’t reached the general player base.

In Green Hill City.

Toby listened to the series of announcements, gritting his teeth in frustration.

Normally, these factions would grovel before the Mike White Family, but now they dared to compete with him for the Attribute Fusion Stone.

He mentally noted each of these factions, vowing to settle the score with them once the war was over.

The sounds of battle surrounded him, as the guards of Green Hill City and the players clashed, locked in a stalemate that was proving difficult to break.

Growing impatient, Toby shouted, “Take Green Hill City, and every member will receive a 100,000 reward! Die once, and you’ll get an extra 20,000!”

With such a huge incentive, his followers seemed to be fueled by adrenaline, throwing themselves into the fray with reckless abandon.

The Green Hill City guards barely held their ground for a moment before they were overwhelmed.

Players surged forward like a tidal wave, storming the City Lord’s Manor and attacking the Dark Humans with reckless abandon.

Not even sparing the lowliest of servants.

“Toby, are you out of your mind? How dare you attack the Dark Humans!” roared a voice, as Green Hill City’s lord, Gran, appeared.

He was a formidable third-tier elite, and his mere presence caused the players surrounding him to hesitate, unwilling to attack recklessly.

Toby stepped forward from the crowd, lifting his chin slightly as he coldly met Gran’s gaze. “I don’t want to make this difficult. Hand over the Elemental Key, and I’ll spare your life.”

“What?” Gran paused, then burst into laughter.

“Haha, human, are you joking? You think you can just demand the Elemental Key from me?” He looked at Toby with utter disdain.

“Shut up!” Toby snapped, his patience wearing thin. “You know the situation you’re in. If you die, it’s permanent. Give me the Elemental Key, and I’ll let you go.”

Gran’s expression remained contemptuous as he slowly shook his head. “I don’t have the Elemental Key, and even if I did, there’s no way I’d hand it over to you.”

“No Key?” Toby frowned, sensing that Gran was telling the truth.

Gran continued, “I’ve heard that Green Moon’s Elemental Key was lost. It seems you’ve uncovered the secret of the Elemental Secret Area. Let me tell you this: only city lords of third-tier cities and above possess Elemental Keys, and those keys do not drop upon death—they simply disappear.”

Third-tier?

Toby clenched his teeth, frustration boiling inside him.

With the current player power levels, no one except Godslayer could take down a third-tier city.

And with the revelation that the Elemental Key doesn’t drop upon the city lord’s death.

Threatening a third-tier city lord was even more out of reach.

Toby was filled with regret, feeling as if his heart were bleeding.

He had once held an Elemental Key in his hands, only to have it snatched away by Godslayer.

“Godslayer!” Toby growled through gritted teeth. It was clear to him now that his only option was to find a way to steal the Elemental Key from Godslayer.

Taking a deep breath, Toby glanced at Gran before retreating back into the crowd of players. “Kill him!” he ordered coldly.

The animosity between them had already solidified; there was no reason to hold back.

Whoosh!

Instantly, a barrage of arrows and spells rained down, engulfing Gran.

“Humans, you’ll regret this!” Gran roared.

Although he was a third-tier elite boss, he couldn’t withstand the overwhelming onslaught from the players and was quickly defeated.

Toby had been shrewd—he only killed Gran and refrained from destroying the city’s altar.

This ensured that Green Hill City wouldn’t disappear, avoiding drawing attention from other Dark Humans forces.

The only downside was that he hadn’t obtained the Elemental Key.

“Godslayer, you’re next,” Toby muttered coldly, already scheming his next move against him.

…

In just one day, seven Dark Humans cities were destroyed, all of them first-tier.

Unsurprisingly, none of the attacking forces obtained an Elemental Key and were instead added to the Dark Humans’ wanted list.

Having failed miserably, these players realized they had been duped and turned their anger toward Godslayer.

John, however, was completely unfazed by this.

He received a message from Sini: the Blues Family disciples had come back online and were busy building Saint Martial Sect.

Leaving Death Land, John made his way to Saint Martial Sect and found Sini.

Nearby, Tracy’s eyes were red, clearly from crying, and the Blues Family disciples looked equally somber.

The recent upheaval had taken a heavy toll on the Blues Family.

“John,” Sini approached, signaling for him to comfort Tracy.

John silently moved to Tracy’s side, not saying a word.

He had experienced far too many tragedies like this, so much so that he felt numb and unsure how to console her.

“Old man!” Tracy threw herself into John’s arms, quietly sobbing.

Only when she was with John did she feel truly safe.

John gently patted her back, soothing her, “It’s all over now. Don’t be too sad.”

Tracy nodded slightly, wiping away her tears. She looked at him with newfound determination and said, “Old man, I want to become stronger!”

“I’ll help you,” John replied, feeling a sense of relief.

This ordeal had clearly made Tracy mature a great deal, which he knew was ultimately a good thing for her.

[Announcement: Player Chris has unlocked a new class system, the rare class ‘Martial Artist’; players can join Saint Martial Sect to switch to the Martial Artist class.]

…

Suddenly, a system announcement echoed.

Even though John had already heard some details from Chris, he was still taken aback.

Chris had actually managed to establish an entirely new class system.

John couldn’t help but wonder what kind of adventure Chris had encountered in the beginner village.

The world chat quickly became abuzz with activity:

“Can someone please explain what on earth is going on today? First, two cities were established, then every major guild went berserk attacking Dark Humans’ cities. And now, a brand-new class system?”

“This ‘Martial Artist’ seems to be a public rare class.”

“Does anyone know how to join Saint Martial Sect?”

“Don’t bother trying. I already asked; they’re only recruiting disciples from Ancient Martial Arts families.”

“Ancient Martial Arts families? Weren’t they supposed to be reclusive? And now they’re in The World of Gods?”

“They’re just not often seen in the mundane world; it doesn’t mean they’ve completely severed ties. It’s perfectly normal for them to enter The World of Gods.”

“Masters, please, this disciple has exceptional talent and has been training in martial arts since childhood. I humbly seek acceptance.”

“Are they recruiting dancers? I have ten years of dance experience, and I’m proficient in all kinds of positions. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to join Saint Martial Sect.”

“They want martial artists, not dancers.”

“Martial artists are still people, right? You never know; someone might have a taste for this kind of thing.”

…

Saint Martial Sect had once again become the focus of countless players.

John glanced at the world chat and couldn’t help but admire Chris’s cleverness.

Using the rare Martial Artist class, it was possible to unify the entire Ancient Martial Arts families without bloodshed.

This was exactly what Chris hoped to achieve.

“Brother-in-law,” Armstrong found John and spoke, “Grandfather is looking for you, and he wants my sister and Tracy to come along as well.”

He glanced at Tracy, whose eyes were still slightly red, and sighed sympathetically.

“Alright,” John nodded. The group followed Armstrong to the study in the City Lord’s Manor.

Peter was already there. When he saw John, he immediately stood up, bowed deeply, and said gratefully, “John, you’ve saved our Blues Family once again. We will never forget this great kindness.”

John quickly helped him up, feeling a bit guilty. “Lord Blues, you give me too much credit. In fact, this disaster was partly my fault. If I hadn’t been staying with the Blues Family, perhaps you wouldn’t have faced such a crisis.”

Peter quickly waved his hand. “Nonsense. Our feud with the Griffin Family runs deep; they would have attacked sooner or later, regardless of your presence. This has nothing to do with you.”

“Enough with the formalities,” Chris interrupted impatiently. He already considered John one of his own, especially knowing about John’s relationship with Tracy.

“Young man, pick a class,” Chris said, gesturing to a few scrolls laid out on the table.

John looked puzzled. “What are these, sir?”

Chris explained, “These are hidden class scrolls, all belonging to the Martial Artist category, but they are the strongest among them. See if any of them suit you.”

A hidden class within the Martial Artist category?

John’s curiosity was piqued, and he stepped forward to examine each scroll.

Coincidentally, he still had an Origin Stone, which could allow him to gain an additional class. If one of these classes seemed right, he could choose a hidden Martial Artist class as his third profession.

The scrolls revealed classes like War Soul, Martial Saint, Sword Immortal, Divine Strategist, Celestial Master, Illusionist, Alchemist, and Beast Tamer.

The all top-tier classes that he had never heard of, comparable to his Wrath of the Gods Mage and Phantom Assassin.