Cloud Sea City.
The outskirts.
Temporary camps had been set up three days ago.
Besides the camps belonging to the various schools, there were also camps run by all kinds of guilds and corporations.
In the early stages, Class Changers naturally needed equipment and various items if they wanted to grow stronger quickly.
At that moment,
countless newly awakened Class Changers had gathered around the camps of the major guilds.
Some were buying equipment, while others were looking for teammates or a powerful carry. The place was buzzing with activity.
"Looking for a mage! I'm a B-rank warrior, tough and strong. We'd make a powerful duo!"
"Me! I'm a C-rank mage. Is that okay?"
"Damn, you want 2,000 for a pair of first-tier Swift Boots with +1 enhancement? That's way too expensive!"
"Looking for an A-rank combat class with a full set of first-tier equipment enhanced to +5 or higher. Let's compete for the day-one rankings!"
"Big shot, you're too late. Someone's already teamed up with the A-rank classes. How about me?"
"..."
At the entrance to the Abyss Guild,
Chen Ming walked out, holding a long blade.
Looking at the strength-enhancing equipment he'd just bought for 5,000, he couldn't help clicking his tongue.
"Buying equipment costs way too much."
A single first-tier piece of equipment with [Strength +4] cost half a gold coin.
He'd wanted to buy another piece of armor to boost his constitution, too.
But his little stash of money, already cut in half, couldn't support any more spending.
"C-rank Shield Guard? Hey, buddy, want to team up—"
"Hey, it's Chen Ming!"
As soon as he left the guild, several people approached, hoping to form a team with him.
Though Chen Ming had lost his title as a genius in everyone's eyes,
for ordinary people who'd awakened low-ranked classes, a Shield Guard was still pretty useful early on.
After all, everyone was still low level and had weak combat power. Having a Shield Guard dedicated to taking hits made things feel a lot safer.
"Chen Ming, I'm a C-rank mage. Let's team up. You take the hits, and I'll deal the damage."
Chen Ming naturally turned down every one of their invitations.
Then, amid the strange looks from the crowd, he headed toward the city outskirts.
"What's the deal? He's a Shield Guard. Why isn't he teaming up?"
"Tsk, why's he acting so high and mighty..."
One of the people he'd rejected was starting to feel embarrassed and angry.
"Does he still think he's a genius or something? Trying to copy those S-rankers who go solo?"
"He bought strength equipment, too. Is he actually planning to go solo?"
Why would a Shield Guard want to boost his strength instead of his constitution?
Ignoring the strange looks he got along the way, Chen Ming left the city alone.
He opened his personal status panel, and a [Map] unfolded before his eyes.
Although the Exotic Beast Forest was shrouded in mist, with many extremely dangerous areas,
after generations of Class Changers had worked at it for years, they had mapped out some areas near the city where low-level exotic beasts roamed.
These areas were known as "safe zones."
The exotic beasts in the safe zones were almost all known, and there were no dangerous areas to worry about.
The area Chen Ming had chosen was called the "Breeze Jungle."
As soon as he stepped past the uneven outskirts buffer zone, the scene before him caught his attention.
A vast grassland spread out ahead. Weeds rose past his knees, growing in thick, wild patches like an emerald-green sea.
At the far end of the jungle, the shadows of enormous valleys could be seen, looming in layers of mist.
"Chirp—"
A shrill cry came from the right.
Chen Ming gripped the hilt of his blade tightly and stared at the grass where the sound had come from.
The next second, an oval creature covered in spikes appeared before him, baring its teeth.
[Spike Roller Beast] [Level: lv.1] [Ability: Whirlwind Roll] [Description: Active along the edge of the Level One Beast Forest. When provoked, it will use its ability and relentlessly pursue its target.]
"Spike Roller Beast. Its ability is a wind-element attack that lets it charge quickly in a straight line. Its weak spot is the area beneath the thickest cluster of spikes..."
Chen Ming recalled what he knew about the Spike Roller Beast.
Because of its speed, it was difficult to dodge its attacks, making this kind of exotic beast a real nuisance.
But the Spike Roller Beast had weak defenses.
That was why Chen Ming had chosen this place.
Hard to dodge? Too bad for it—he hadn't planned on dodging in the first place.
"I wonder whether my constitution is higher than its."
Seeing that the human who'd entered its territory still wasn't leaving, the Spike Roller Beast launched its attack.
It leaped forward, curling into a ball in midair.
Its spikes scraped across the ground as it shot straight toward Chen Ming.
Chen Ming almost instinctively took a defensive stance, bracing the long blade against his left arm and using it as a shield.
Although he knew he had a bug-level ability to lock his health, he still hadn't experienced it firsthand, and that made him a little hesitant.
The Spike Roller Beast slammed into the blade without resistance, letting out a loud clang.
At the same time, at the instant of impact, small spikes broke off its body and shot toward Chen Ming.
[-0!]
There was no pain.
No impact.
Chen Ming only felt a light breeze brush his skin, leaving a faint itch.
He looked down at his wrist. The spikes had easily torn several holes in his clothes, but not one of them could pierce his skin.
If he'd been wearing armor, Chen Ming figured the attack wouldn't even have managed to tear his clothes.
"So its constitution isn't higher than mine."
Now Chen Ming could finally relax completely.
The Spike Roller Beast's attack hadn't even made him take a step back.
The force of the impact, which should have sent him reeling, seemed to have vanished into thin air.
That made sense. If it couldn't hurt him, then what aftershock or lingering effects could there be?
After testing how his abilities worked, Chen Ming finally put his mind at ease and slashed back at the Spike Roller Beast.
[-21!]
A plain, unremarkable normal attack.
He couldn't help it. Both of his skills were purely passive abilities.
He didn't have a single active attack skill.
[-21!][-21!]
Once he'd let go of all his inhibitions, Chen Ming abandoned every form of defense.
Gripping his blade with both hands, he attacked the Spike Roller Beast again and again.
The Spike Roller Beast wasn't about to back down, either. It chose to trade blows with Chen Ming.
As an exotic beast, bloodlust and slaughter were its most basic instincts.
[-0!][-0!][-0!]
One man and one beast fought like crazed warriors, doing nothing but attacking!
One of them kept losing health.
The other had locked his health bar outright...
[-42!]
Chen Ming seized his chance and slashed at the weak spot the Spike Roller Beast had exposed.
That strike had a clear effect.
The Spike Roller Beast let out a pained cry, and its eyes quickly turned blood-red.
As if provoked by the near-fatal wound, it shrieked, and the spikes covering its body began to tremble.
Whoosh—
A gust of wind rose from nowhere.
The Spike Roller Beast curled up and began rolling frantically in place.
Ability—[Whirlwind Roll]!
Chen Ming saw a spiky black blur dart quickly from side to side before suddenly lunging from outside his field of vision.
It struck fiercely at his waist.
Thwack!
Amid a gust of wind, several sharp spikes, packed tightly together, slammed into his side.
The attack had all the force and spectacle it could want, but as for the damage...
[-0!]
Chen Ming froze for a moment, then couldn't help laughing.
"This ability... is way too damn overpowered."
It was sinister beyond belief.
Before you continue