Ivory Online - The Dragon Knight: A LitRPG saga Read online

  The thief class was useless to my style of play in every way. The only reason I would consider it was the final class in its chain – Assassin. The assassins in IO were very annoying because they could stealth anywhere. Anywhere. They could crouch and the next thing you see is a combat alert saying they’ve dealt backstab damage of over 20x normal damage. Even with that boon though, they were one trick ponies. Sure you could probably massacre a small group by stealthing in and out, but that would only work so long against a larger – and better – group. Thief class was out.

  The Archer class was a good beginner class, though many did not know it. Similar to the mage class, it allowed a player to attack from a distance, giving a tangible advantage against melee fighters or any class that required medium to close combat. The downside was that if that melee fighter managed to close in on you, you were going to look like one of the enemies in a Punisher movie. The animal familiar seemed pointless, as I already had a soul familiar with abilities. The Archer class was a no.

  Spearmen were one of my secret favorite classes only because of how truly representative the class was of its users. Literally every prick and pay-to-play user used this class and it’s advancements. Keith was an uncomfortable exception to the rule though. I liked the class not because of its users however, but because of the final class in the chain: The Lancer. Watching a Lancer execute combos is a sight that would give anyone goosebumps. How they could even manipulate spears to move like that….

  Still though.

  In terms of progression and general utility, lancers weren’t much in battle but a point to pause and admire for a bit before continuing to gut your foe. In other words, like the people that used it, the class was all talk and no show. The spearman class was out of the running.

  A Maverick huh? The manly part of my soul resonated with such a class. Looking at it and knowing the future classes like Berserker and Colossus made me pause for a bit. But only a bit. The problem with the maverick class was what that dwarf displayed when he picked a fight with Clarent. Even with a high defense stat, picking fights too often wouldn’t do for me. Neither would turning heads away since people knew the Mavericks were crazy.

  The shapeshifter class would’ve been a good idea had one been able to transform into sentients and mythical beasts. I had no idea what class existed after this – very, very few people chose this and yes, they were furries – but I wasn’t interested in finding out. With a similar – or even worse – public opinion than Mavericks, it just wasn’t worth the obvious downsides.

  The Gunner class however, was a tentative choice. It came in a very recent update of IO, so I hadn’t much time to check it out due to preparations for the Arena’s finals. The ‘outlaw’ vibe it gave was certainly appealing and its perks were interesting to say the least. The ability to use tech somewhat similar to the real world was definitely worthwhile. It was not a leap to say that MOBs – Mobile Object Blocks or simply, enemies that inhabit open areas – would have next to no idea about bullets or grenades much less how to defend against them. I marked it down as the only other possible choice.

  Then, I honed in on the one class that captured my attention almost instantly, because it was the only one completely new and unique to this version of IO. There was no class like this in the original IO. A Hero class. And it seemed that heroes could use both warrior skills and mage skills effectively. The use of medium armor meant that the hero class would not suffer from the heavy armor penalty when sneaking, but have better protection than light armored typically offered. This honestly captured my attention, but I focused on each class to make sure I was making the right choice. In the end, when I looked at it, this was the class I wanted.

  The gunner class had its perks for sure, but the hero class was a combination that was hard to pass up. The ability to retain my proficiency with magic while plagiarizing Keith’s warrior abilities? It was a Godsend.

  The clear downside was the experience gain. Of course, it couldn’t be too easy, no. It did make sense though. If you gained one level in both the warrior class and the mage class – assuming you played each till you leveled up once – that would be the equivalent of one level gained in the hero class. A nice way to balance out progression so that those who picked the hero class did not hopelessly outstrip their rivals in other classes.

  But with the Burst ability, that problem was negated… no, it was turned on its head. I gained a 100% boost to experience and skill progression in any class, meaning that the measly 50% jumped to 150%. While I’d gain 200% in any other class, it became moot now that the ‘Hannah Montana’ class had been boosted to gain 1.5x the normal exp. At this point, I could see how much of a cheat I was.

  I snickered to myself as I walked up to the class, placing my hand on the panel right before it.

  “Do you wish to equip this class, Adventurer? Know that you can switch classes at any time,” Mirea questioned emotionlessly. I actually forgot about her, even though she was the one doing the explaining in regards to each classes’ abilities.

  “Yes.”

  “Understood. Please stand back while you are awarded the starting gear.”

  I complied with her directive and took a few steps back. When I paused, a soft golden light enveloped me, bathing me in power and knowledge that I had no idea of mere moments before. When the luminescent coating dissipated, I immediately noticed the difference. The prompts that came up told me the universe noticed it too.

  __________________

  You have equipped the Hero class.

  Starter items have ben auto fitted to your body as well as auto equipped.

  __________________

  __________________

  Alert!

  The starter apparel of the hero class have been rejected because you are already wearing better armor! Only the weapons and spells have been equipped!

  __________________

  __________________

  Congratulations! You have acquired;

  Hero’s sword

  ATK: 10

  SPD: 5

  Durability: 50/50

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Quality: Standard

  Weight: 10 kg

  __________________

  __________________

  Congratulations! You have acquired;

  Fireball

  DMG: 10 + 2 burning DPS for 5 seconds

  Cost: 25 mana

  Cooldown: 5 seconds

  Cast time: instant

  __________________

  __________________

  Congratulations! You have acquired;

  Iceblast

  DMG: 10 + 2 freezing DPS for 5 seconds

  Cost: 25 mana

  Cooldown: 5 seconds

  Cast time: instant

  __________________

  __________________

  Congratulations! You have acquired;

  Thunderbolt

  DMG: 10 + 2 shock DPS for 5 seconds

  Cost: 25 mana

  Cooldown: 5 seconds

  Cast time: instant

  __________________

  __________________

  Congratulations! You have acquired;

  Minor heal

  DMG: 25 health restored instantly

  Cost: 25 mana

  Cooldown: 5 seconds

  Cast time: instant

  __________________

  __________________

  Congratulations! You have acquired;

  Hero’s helmet

  DEF: 10

  Durability: 50/50

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Quality: Standard

  Weight: 5 kg

  __________________

  __________________

  Congratulations! You have acquired;

  Hero’s studded armor

  DEF: 10

  Durability: 50/50

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Quality: Standard

  Weight: 10 kg

  __________________

  __________________


  Congratulations! You have acquired;

  Hero’s Bracers

  DEF: 10

  Durability: 50/50

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Quality: Standard

  Weight: 3 kg

  __________________

  __________________

  Congratulations! You have acquired;

  Hero’s boots

  DEF: 10

  Durability: 50/50

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Quality: Standard

  Weight: 1 kg

  __________________

  __________________

  Congratulations! You have acquired;

  Hero’s gloves

  DEF: 10

  Durability: 50/50

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Quality: Standard

  Weight: 0.2 kg

  __________________

  That was it for the item gains, because next came the class gain.

  Well done!

  You have activated the Hero class!

  Bonuses:

  Gain for combat skills = Base 100% + Burst 100% + Class 25%

  Gain for magical skills = Base 100% + Burst 100% + Class 25%

  All stats boosted by 2

  Spell cost reduction: 10%

  Stamina cost reduction: 10%

  Exp gain: Base 50% + Burst 100%

  Hmm, not bad. There was one more alert beeping on the side, but I was more curious about what the earlier prompt meant by my current armor was better. As far as I knew, I had been wearing some form of Victorian era Gentleman’s outfit, with fitting blue pants that were elastic enough that I could perform extreme acrobatics without worrying whether my crotch would be exposed to the world by one untimely rip. I had a waist length coat – almost a topcoat – with ornate black and silver buttons. The coat itself seemed to go with the general theme of blue, with a darker shade as compared to the pants. Buttoned neatly under the coat was a cream vest, along with a nicely fitted light blue shirt buttoned at the neck by a knob that bore a sigil. It was small, but I could tell it was the logo of IO. Like my pants, my top garments seemed to… stretch… easily where and when needed, giving me no sense of discomfort whatsoever, despite their tight fitting fixture. My shoes were leather loafers that were – you guessed it – dark blue, matching my coat with ease. I also had two earrings that were of the same design as my top button on my inner shirt. What was out of place in my opinion, was a drape skirt similar to Clarent’s but different in that it didn’t cover my whole lower body, but rather formed two long ‘V’ shaped points behind me, almost at my ankles. Ridiculous I say. It almost looked like I had two tails!

  I focused on them, bringing up their details to see what exactly made this fancy garb so special. I was not disappointed.

  __________________

  Astute Earrings of the Lord

  Level 2

  DEF: 12

  Durability: Invulnerable

  Rarity: Relic

  Quality: God-tier

  Note: This piece is scalable! Stats grow along with the user!

  Weight: 0.1kg

  __________________

  __________________

  Wealthy Gambit of the Lord

  Level 2

  DEF: 12

  Durability: Invulnerable

  Rarity: Relic

  Quality: God-tier

  Note: This piece is scalable! Stats grow along with the user!

  Weight: 2kg

  __________________

  __________________

  Swanky Pants of the Lord

  Level 2

  DEF: 12

  Durability: Invulnerable

  Rarity: Relic

  Quality: God-tier

  Note: This piece is scalable! Stats grow along with the user!

  Weight: 1kg

  __________________

  __________________

  Shiny Loafers of the Lord

  Level 2

  DEF: 12

  Durability: Invulnerable

  Rarity: Relic

  Quality: God-tier

  Note: This piece is scalable! Stats grow along with the user!

  Weight: 0.5 kg

  __________________

  Scalable armor. God tier quality as well as relic tier rarity. This wasn’t looking good to be honest.

  I was receiving far too many boons in the early game. I hadn’t even began my first exploration of a zone and I’d received items and advantages that would’ve cost thousands of dollars worth of lootboxes in any MMO. I understood that it may be some form of luck, but that worked both ways. What could the other players be receiving? Could someone else be able to access some class I had no idea of? Like the way this Hero class was a new addition I’d never seen. I wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but that was the same mistake the Trojans made. Sometimes, it paid to be cautious at every step.

  Of course, I couldn’t say no to the armor. It was something I got just by being here. I was guessing its very existence had to do with my Seamless ability. Naturally, in RTS games, you as the player could not be attacked and couldn’t die in anyway, because you could only give orders. You weren’t truly physically present in your town in a way that could affect your existence. No matter how badly it was burned down after another player’s attack, you were alive and well to rebuild.

  In the original IO, the same rules applied in the RTS section. Heck, you couldn’t see the full body of your character minus the portrait. When you shifted to the RPG zone, there was a short cut scene where your character exited your town before a loading screen appeared, depositing you in the nearest altar you had bound to.

  Here, the effects of Seamless were clear. My altar was in my town hall meaning that I spawned in my city, instead of someone else’s. My heroes could become my companions and gain immortality – the ability to respawn endlessly – by pledging to the same altar that I had. Even our characteristics transferred if certain conditions were met. Most of these were RTS to RPG benefits, because they originated from the RTS side of the game. I guessed I’d see more RPG to RTS benefits soon, but my earlier excitement flushed away as Vena’s – and even the Universe’s – warning came to mind. This ability was a doubled edged sword. So far, I was seeing the end of the blade that was pointed at my enemies.

  When would I see the end of the blade that was pointed at me?

  I sighed with sudden fatigue and checked my last prompt which I had ignored because I needed to check the reason for the auto-equip failure. The color of the prompt alone told me more ‘good news’ was coming. I groan as I opened it and started reading, but that groan turned into a primal shout of excitement and glee. All my earlier fatigue and wariness disappeared in the face of the new prompt.

  HA-HA-HAA-I-YAH!

  By choosing the Hero class, Your seamless ability allows you deploy yourself as a Hero for your township as you would a regular hero!

  Note: When deployed, you act as Commander of the troops and can boost morale.

  Note: When deployed, all your skills and abilities are available for use.

  Note: When deployed, your progression resumes as it is treated as an adventure!

  “YEAAAAHHHHHHHH!!! WHO’S THE MAIN MAN!?! WHO’S THE MASTER HAND!?!?! SAY IT MIREA!!!” I bellowed, all forms of etiquette and composure fleeing me as I basked in the power of this new ability.

  How many times in the original IO had I wished I could deploy my Legendary Sage character as a hero to thrash my enemies? Anyone who had played an RTS knew that unlike RPGs where a dedicated player could surpass a pay-to-play user by investing hours of playtime, that did not make a difference in the RTS, as everything hinged on time. No matter how much time you spent online, you could not change the remaining build time or coax your resource count to boost unless you had hard currency – things we buy with microtransactions – to do the talking.

  I had been rolled over by such players timelessly and I grew to develop a special feeling of hatred for them. While I did have the funds to pa
y beyond the average pay-to-play user, it was simply a matter of principle and self-control.

  But now… now with this new ability, I could roll over those who stepped on me. How could I not be ecstatic out of my mind?

  “Thank you for your selection, Adventurer. Would you like to proceed to the combat tutorial?” asked the all but forgotten bed lamp.

  “Ah, no. I already have a good grasp on combat within VR mode,” I replied while coughing awkwardly to cover up my embarrassment. I really should try to control myself.

  “Understood. Then, I shall transport you back to the zone you chose to enter along with your companions.”

  “Please do.”

  The floating cube flared once, twice and on the third flare, the light became blinding, forcing me to raise my arms to protect my eyes. When I did lower them, I noticed I was no longer in the bleak area that defined the training ground, but a lush evergreen forest. I also noticed a weight I had forgotten – but missed – on my scalp as well as a voice speaking to my left.

  “Uh Jax, are you okay? You sort of… fizzled there for a bit,” Clarent asked with a raised eyebrow. Shaking my head to clear the slight pain from the bright light, I waved his concerns away. Shrugging, Clarent laid the matter to rest, although he remarked on the obvious changes. “I see you now have a class as well as a blade. I was worried I’d have to protect you all the time out here,” he commented with a smirk. I grinned back and shook my head.

  “There’s no way I’d leave you to have all the fun. Let’s get going, I’m interested to see what this place has in store for us.”

  Chapter 6

  Two man army

  The forest itself was larger than I thought. For about four hours Clarent and I had been walking in an almost straight line, and we’d yet to see a break in the canopy or any other sentient being. We had come across critters and beasts by the hundreds however, but killing them was a pointless waste of resources. When I eventually came here with an army, those beasts would go into feeding my people, not the soil.

  Occasionally, we passed a water body with a few deer milling about, drinking at leisure. The water was wonderfully clear, sparkling in the sunlight. Every time we encountered one, we would break and relax for a bit before walking again. There was no use in tiring ourselves before we even met the enemy.