'Simple Class Introduction?'

As Wilbert thought about it, he remembered the class that was on his status box.

Since the class was listed on his status, and his status seemed to affect his strength, Wilbert muttered, "Yes."

A new box immediately appeared in the centre of his vision, and the thick block of text momentarily overwhelmed Wilbert.

[Simple Class Introduction]

[This is a simple introduction. For more in-depth details, please visit the user manual on our website.]

[The class system in New Dawn differs greatly from other games. To allow players to try different classes and not be tied down to one class, levels and classes are not necessarily tied to classes.]

[When you gain XP, the same amount of XP goes into your character level and your class. Your character level determines your basic strength (i.e. your attributes and hidden stats), whereas your class determines your skills.]

[At level 50, a class will be eligible for a rank up, half the level required to rank up a character.]

[Certain quests are tied to certain classes, so to complete those quests, players will have to obtain the required classes.]

[Players are not limited to a number of classes, but having too many classes is not recommended. As you level up, the requirements on your skills will become harsher, and you can only gain better skills by levelling up your classes. Thus, in order to participate in high-level events, most players focus on one class.]

[Other than the three starting classes—Warrior, Ranger, and Mage—which can be obtained by completing their respective beginner quests in any settlement ranked low-tier or higher, classes require finding a suitable instructor and winning their favour.]

[The common advanced classes include rogue classes such as Assassin and Thief, fighter classes such as Barbarian and Knight, and magic classes such as Priest and Sorcerer.]

[These are but a few of the common classes, and naturally, there are many more for you players to discover and unlock. As well as advanced classes, of which you can find a full list on our website, there are hidden and unique classes that you will need to work extra hard to discover.]

After struggling through the huge amount of text, Wilbert eventually dismissed the box and concluded, 'Useless, what a useless box! It doesn't even explain what a class is, nor does it tell me what it does, other than affect skills somehow.'

Wilbert quickly checked his status, and the frown on his forehead deepened. 'My class is apparently Villager, but that wasn't mentioned in that introduction. Does that make the Villager class a secret or unique one?'

However, Wilbert quickly dismissed that thought. 'I've never done anything that would give me this, right? So, it should be something that everyone else in my village would have, right?'

As if convincing himself, Wilbert kept going over the logic. 'If everyone had the class, it should be common… ah, but those were only some examples. It could also be that the Villager class isn't common among players—events so far have proven that they're not the peaceful type.'

Frustrated, Wilbert scratched his head. 'Ah… no point worrying about this. The box didn't give enough information, so there's nothing I can do about this for now.'

Wilbert committed that new information to memory before putting it aside and closing the box.

'Now then, I'd better get moving. I'm not going to get out of this rainforest just standing here.'

Having calmed down somewhat, Wilbert had realised that charging northward without a proper plan for revenge was just plain stupid. There was still a lot to uncover about the players, the strange boxes, and the levels, but first he needed to find a way out of the rainforest to recuperate.

After wandering for some time, the Jante rainforest began to darken, so Wilbert climbed a tree to get some rest.

…

The players had been searching for the out-of-place NPC for quite some time, but it was to no avail. Some players had got bored and gone to find other activities to fill their time, but others were still searching.

There were rumours circulating among the remaining players about NPC sightings. Some said that the NPC had been spotted passing through a mysterious waterfall, others said that the NPC had wiped out a whole clan, and yet others were suggesting that the NPC had dug his way into the ground.

Due to the variety and ridiculousness of the rumours, most players did not believe anything they heard regarding the NPC or treasure hunt, believing the rumours to be distractions from the other players.

"That was quite intense."

"Yes, do either of you know who those players were?"

"No idea. Do you know if they caught him?"

"Well, I can't be certain, but a friend said that they saw five players being killed by an NPC, so that could've been them?"

"Sounds like it. That means the NPC is stronger than we thought. Was the battle with the wolves meant to mislead us, or did those players attacking him trigger the system's protection?"

"Does it matter? We've lost track of the kid." The tall, skinny mage activated the [Impatient] emote.

Before those words had disappeared from above the mage's head, the female ranger started walking off in a specific direction. "They went this way, right? Better searching that just standing around, coming up with random theories."

The red haired spearman used the [Nod] emote as he jogged after the ranger. "Yes, yes. We can come up with theories while we walk, anyway."

The trio began marching westward.

"Are we seriously just going to keep walking in one direction?" the thin mage asked.

"Yeah!" red-haired spearman replied. "I have a good feeling."

The mage rolled his eyes and typed, "So, on the off chance that this NPC has really kept going this way, what is there in our path?"

"Hmm…" The ranger quickly looked it up. "Not much. Just some small village, a rest stop before entering the rainforest."

"What's it called?"

"Dampstead Village."

"Huh… don't think I've heard of it."