Chen Lun rose and slowly left the Iron Fist Gang's base.
He left behind a floor littered with corpses and Gary, the Iron Fist Gang's boss, who remained bent low in a bow for a long time.
Chapter 42: A New Secondary Class
By the time Chen Lun returned to No. 7 Denton Street, it was late at night.
Drifting clouds had veiled the Purple Moon, dimming its light.
He could just make out a petite figure standing by the stairwell.
"You're back."
A familiar, ethereal voice reached him.
Hearing it, Chen Lun realized that the person waiting for him was Froy.
"You're still awake? Were you waiting here for me?"
Chen Lun answered her, then said with a soft chuckle:
"Come on. Let's go upstairs and get some rest."
Froy stood quietly in the darkness without speaking, merely giving him a smile.
"Mm."
Froy followed closely behind Chen Lun up the stairs and back to their rooms on the fourth floor.
The moment he opened the door, Chen Lun saw a furry creature leap toward him.
"Hey! It's you again, you little mutt!"
Chen Lun was surprised.
It had been dark outside earlier, and he hadn't looked closely. As it turned out, the dog was a black-and-white border collie.
It had simply spent so long roaming the streets that its fur was filthy and even matted.
At first glance, it looked like a black dog.
The dog licked his hand, looking up at him ingratiatingly.
"You're not planning to squat here and never leave, are you?"
Chen Lun eyed it sidelong with a strange expression.
The dog whined softly a few times, its wagging tail gradually slowing.
It lowered its head and slowly walked toward the door. When it reached the doorway, it made sure to glance back at Chen Lun.
When Chen Lun showed no reaction, it turned to look at Froy instead.
Unfortunately, Froy was blind and couldn't see the meaningful looks the dog was giving her.
What a fucking drama queen...
Chen Lun sighed inwardly, then beckoned.
"All right, you can stay for now."
The stray's tail wagged like a windshield wiper as it trotted happily back, tongue hanging out.
It tried to jump up and give Chen Lun a doggy hug, but he dodged. It landed on the floor with a thud, falling on its backside.
The dog gave Chen Lun a pitiful look, but he turned to Froy.
"Froy, have Connie give it a bath tomorrow."
"Mm, all right."
Froy nodded.
She stood in the living room and, sensing that Chen Lun had turned toward his own room, spoke softly:
"Thank you."
It was unclear whether she was thanking Chen Lun for taking in the dog or for saving her in time.
Chen Lun waved without looking back.
"Get some rest. It's late."
With that, the door gently closed.
Chen Lun pulled out a chair and sat down. His desk faced the window, through which he could see the Purple Moon half hidden behind the clouds.
He silently claimed his quest reward.
A drawing then appeared in his hand, completely different from the copy he had seen at the Iron Fist Gang's base.
[Mad Hands Prototype Drawing-Fireworks in the Palm] Item description: An oil painting imbued with transcendent power. A painting master versed in the mystical domain painted this reproduction of a Mysterious Object shaped like a strange mechanical glove. If a highly skilled craftsman studies it for an extended period, there may be a small chance of producing a highly faithful replica.
Chen Lun nodded. This was what Mad Hands should look like. What the hell had the Iron Fist Gang been making...?
He put the drawing away, with a feeling that it would come in handy someday.
Next, he took out the old book he had obtained from Kent.
"Record-Keeper Kemberney's Memoirs"
He had formed a theory when he first saw this book. Now was the perfect time to test it.
Opening the book, Chen Lun began to read.
Before long, his spirits lifted.
[You have discovered a valuable book containing secondary class knowledge!] [Through careful reading, you have obtained secondary class knowledge (complete)!] [Record-Keeper] [You have met the requirements for acquisition. Would you like to acquire it as your new secondary class?]
Chen Lun raised an eyebrow. Naturally, he chose to acquire it.
[You have learned the skill [Transcription LV1]!]
Just as he had suspected, this book really did contain that secondary class.
He was secretly delighted.
[Record-Keeper] was a rather unusual secondary class.
You could call it utterly useless, or you could call it ridiculously powerful. It did next to nothing for combat prowess, but it was a top-tier support class.
In his previous life, it had been exclusive to a small handful of elite noncombat players, and only the major guilds had the resources to develop them.
That was because it was extremely rare and burned through money.
In Age of Mysteries, knowledge of a Transcendent Sequence Pathway was a single-use consumable.
For example, after Chen Lun finished reading the [Beast Tamer's Handbook], a second person would gain nothing from reading it.
But someone with the [Record-Keeper] secondary class could transcribe the mystical knowledge of any Transcendent Sequence Pathway by consuming mystical materials corresponding to that pathway.
The transcendent knowledge copied this way would still work.
In short, it allowed Transcendents to be mass-produced.
However, it was limited to knowledge of low-sequence Transcendent Pathways, and each transcription consumed a large amount of Sanity.
Thus, major guilds had to supply enough mystical materials, along with rare items that could restore Sanity, to obtain a steady supply of transcendent knowledge.
That was where the expense came in.
Ordinary people couldn't afford it; only major guilds backed by financial conglomerates could. Yet despite the enormous expense, every major guild longed to have more [Record-Keepers] of its own.
Only then could they gain a greater competitive edge and appeal than other factions. Lone wolves would be more willing to join them, if only to obtain a ticket into the transcendent world.
Unlike ordinary full-dive online games, Age of Mysteries did not give players a primary class at the start. Becoming a Transcendent depended entirely on their own efforts and opportunities.
Otherwise, they could only remain ordinary people for the rest of their lives.
Countless players had entered the game only to languish in frustration, unable to find transcendent knowledge.
During the later stages of the version 1.0 open beta in his previous life, Chen Lun had seen plenty of ordinary players stuck at the version's level cap of 30 without a primary class.
Truly miserable.
Yet all they actually needed to do was join a major guild and sign a contract. They would then receive a free copy of transcendent knowledge and become a Transcendent.
Clearly, however, those players were unwilling to kneel and accept those restrictions.
Better to be mediocre than lose their freedom!
Was there a way to get their hands on transcendent knowledge without kneeling, then?
There hadn't been before. Now there was.
Chen Lun thought that once the players arrived, he could use this secondary class to copy all kinds of transcendent knowledge for sal... to help them.
But knowledge came at a price. They understood that, surely.
Only this way could he cultivate the players' respect for knowledge, make them study diligently, and teach them the noble truth that knowledge changed lives.
Chen Lun was deeply moved by his own painstaking consideration.
He decided that when the time came, he absolutely had to charge more so they could feel the weight of knowledge.
Surely money was nothing compared to freedom.
Chen Lun immediately spent nearly 3,000 experience points to max out his [Record-Keeper] secondary class.
Then he sank another four skill points into maxing out [Transcription LV1] as well.
[Transcription LVMAX] provided an additional memory function, allowing him to imprint acquired Transcendent Sequence knowledge in his mind and transcribe it without needing the original books.
[Secondary class level increased. You feel your body grow stronger. Max health +20, max stamina +10, max Sanity +2, intelligence +4, faith +2]
Before you continue