"Your... Your Holiness!" Paytowin uttered.
Jack was surprised by the sudden appearance. Seeing Callan's stern gaze and remembering what he had just spoken, he quickly said, "Your Holiness! I'm just joking about asking for anything from inside your legacy orb. Please don't take it seriously."
"Hm?" Callan's ghostly apparition seemed to only now be aware of the two before him. His stern expression softened. "It's you two. I'm sorry. My mind was elsewhere. What were you saying just now?"
"Oh? Nothing! Nothing! I'm just saying that we are glad to find that you are still alive and well, haha...," Jack gave an awkward laugh. Paytowin rolled his eyes at Jack while standing back up.
"Alive? Sigh... Unfortunately, it is not so. I am lost in thought just now because I have sensed my real body's demise."
"Real body?"
Callan nodded sadly. "I'm just a residual consciousness left behind by my real self to oversee the legacy. My real body was still at Daminos Square Garden, and he just met his end a moment ago."
"Your Holiness...," Paytowin and Jack felt their hearts sink. When Callan decided to stay behind, they knew this was the most likely outcome. Yet, hearing about the confirmation of his death still brought them great sadness.
"There is no need to pity my death. I've carried out the duty to my God. My purpose in this world is done. Now all I have to do is help you in rebuilding our faction. For that, Paytowin, you need strength. I noticed that you tried to access our legacy orb just now."
"I... I'm just checking to make sure its contents are safe! I never meant to take anything out," Paytowin said apologetically.
'Dude, do you have to act like a busted thief?' Jack mocked in his mind. Peniel, who heard him, mocked him back, 'Who was it just now that said he was just joking about asking for anything from inside the legacy orb?'
'You stay out of this!' Jack talked back in his mind.
Callan chuckled. He then replied to Paytowin, "That's okay. I understand the temptation is indeed great. However, although I wish very much to give you many things to strengthen yourself, there are rules and regulations that even I must follow. I can't just give everything as I like. I'm going to give you a series of tasks. Whenever you complete them, I will grant you rewards to help you become stronger."
"I will follow your instructions," Paytowin said obediently.
"That being said, I am entitled to give you a little something to help you carry out your duty in safeguarding the legacy. Paytowin, I hereby announce and appoint you as one of the divine warriors of the Council of Virtus, a Brave Techno Warrior!"
A shining light fell upon Paytowin. It lasted only briefly. When it subsided, there was no apparent change to Paytowin, but Jack's mana sense told him otherwise.
"Do you just..."
"I... I was given a special class," Paytowin uttered. He then said to Callan, "Thank you, Your Holiness! I will do my utmost to not let you down."
Callan nodded with a warm smile. "That is good," he said. He then turned to Jack. "As for you, mister Storm Wind. You have been a good friend to Paytowin and to our faction. You came to our aid without concern for your own well-being. Your bravery makes you one of us even though you are not a formal member of our faction."
Jack smiled wryly. He was not truly aware of the situation when he was called, so he couldn't really accept the credit.
"I know that you will continue to help Paytowin, so I will also help you. I am aware of your three classes. But I sense that your archmage's special class is more profound than anything I can offer. So, which special class would you like from me? The Blade Dancer or the Beastmaster?"
"Um... Can I choose both?" Jack asked.
He was immediately smacked by Peniel on the head. "Can you be any more shameless?" She uttered.
"You are lucky she did that. Otherwise, I would have been the one to do so," Paytowin added.
"Ahaha, I'm just joking. Don't take it seriously, Your Holiness. I'm already glad that you are willing to offer me one," Jack said to Callan with a laugh. Peniel and Paytowin rolled their eyes. They both knew Jack enough to know that he was actually not joking. The guy was trying his luck.
"In that case, I choose the Blade Dancer's one," Jack made his choice.
Callan nodded. A similar light landed on Jack as well. He heard a notification, "Congratulations to have been granted a special class. Your Blade Dancer class has been upgraded to the special class, Brave Swordsmaster."
'Peniel, what special class classification is this Brave Swordsmaster?' Jack asked in his mind.
'First-class,' Peniel replied.
Jack remembered Peniel had explained that there were four classifications to the special class. The highest one was the pinnacle class that belonged to the Council of Twenty-four, such as his Time Sage. The next after that was the first-class. This meant he had gained the best special class there was unless someone got the Blade Dancer special class from the Council of Twenty-four.
"Thank you, Your Holiness!" Jack uttered sincerely. "I am truly grateful!"
Callan nodded. "I'm not done," he said.
"Eh?" Both Jack and Paytowin looked at the divine priest's apparition.
"I see you are in a guild now?" Callan said.
"Yes, but it is only temporarily until Mihos gathered enough of our brothers and sisters," Paytowin explained.
"No need to worry, I don't blame you. It's fine for you to be in an outworlder's guild while still a member of our faction. You have made the right choice. I will also have proposed you join a guild if you haven't. You will be in danger if you are alone. Do you trust this guild?"
Paytowin glanced at Jack briefly before replying, "I do."
"All right, in that case. I will also grant that guild something to improve themselves." Three items floated out from the golden orb in Paytowin's hands.
Jack and Paytowin used Inspect on the three items.
*
Mana Gathering Stone (Legendary Consumable, for guild purpose)
Increase the mana density in a guild structure.
*
Ancient Battleground Legacy (Legendary Legacy, for guild purpose)
Activate Ancient Battleground legacy dungeon
*
Brave Golem Blueprint (Unique blueprint, for guild purpose only)
Allow blacksmith workshop to construct Brave Golem
*
"Le–Legendary...," Paytowin uttered with disbelief. Two of the three items were legendary.
"An–Ancient Battleground Legacy...?" Jack was also trying to make sure that he didn't read wrong. "Your Holiness. This ancient battleground legacy, is it the same one as the one we used during the world tournament?"
"The usage is a bit different, but the content is generally the same," Callan replied. "You will have to try it out to make sure."
'Yes!' Jack exclaimed within. If this ancient battleground was the same as the one they had used previously, it would provide an excellent source of income for mana cores. Jeanny would flip when she learned of this. She would be able to copy even more items.
"Well, that's all I can spare for now," Callan said.
"These are already more than enough, Your Holiness," Jack replied.
Callan turned to paytowin, "I will be watching. If either you or your guild act in a manner that befits our courageous principles, I will bestow more rewards. Likewise, if you or your guild do cowardly acts, I will hold back from giving you any more assistance."
"I will uphold our faction's disciplines," Paytowin said.
Callan nodded. His image slowly turned transparent before vanishing altogether. Paytowin stored the golden orb. He then gave the mana gathering stone, ancient battleground legacy, and brave golem blueprint to Jack, who received them with gratitude.
"Should we go to the headquarters now to use those items?" Paytowin asked. Jack gave him a Guild Return Scroll, now that he was a member, the scroll would bring him to Heavenly Citadel when used.
"In due time, first thing first," Jack said.
"What first thing first?" Paytowin asked.
"Duh, our special classes, of course! Aren't you curious about it? Peniel told me these special classes were first-class ones."
Paytowin was not familiar with first-class special classes, so Peniel explained to him the special class classification. Jack, in the meantime, opened his class status page to check his new class.
Similar to Time Sage, this Brave Swordsmaster also gave him several passive skills as well as one active skill. Peniel mentioned before that special class gave a new skill every ten levels. Jack was now checking its passive abilities.
*
Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Reflex +10%.
Damage, critical chance, critical damage of all sword-type weapons +10%.
All allies within a 30-meter radius increase their attributes by 20%.
5% chance to reduce received damage by 50%.
*
"Hehe," Jack grinned after seeing the upgrade. "Hey, Peniel. I am wondering. I got these passive abilities now but my old passive abilities from advanced class and elite class are also still in effect. What if later I find that Blade Dancer special class from the Council of Twenty-four? If I change into that special class, will I still have the passive abilities from Brave Swordsmaster?"
"You are rather confident to think you can find another special class from the Council of Twenty-four," Peniel said with a mocking tone. "To answer your question. No, if you change special class, the previous one disappears with all the passive abilities and skills it grants. You can't have two special classes from the same branch in effect."
