Class Quest (1)
The status system in Arcana is relatively simple.
All initial stats start at 1 point,
and with each level-up, you receive 1 stat point.
Players can distribute these points as they see fit, depending on their class's traits.
I stared at the status window:
[Name: Grandfell Claudius Arpheus Romeo]
[Class: Demon Hunter]
[Level: 67]
[Stats]
Strength: 21 / Agility: 26 / Mana: 11 / Luck: 1
[Available Points: 12]
Naturally, the Demon Hunter class didn't have any unique stat affinities.
Worse still, the previously invested stat distribution was all over the place.
'It couldn't be helped back then.'
There wasn't any established build path for Demon Hunters at the time.
Not to mention, very few players even picked the class.
As such, the ambiguous nature of the class forced me to invest stats in an ambiguous way.
'Though… it's not much different even now.'
But now it's not due to ignorance—it's about keeping multiple possibilities open.
That difference in mindset made it bearable.
I allocated the points:
[Stats]
Strength: 23 / Agility: 28 / Mana: 18 / Luck: 1
[Available Points: 1]
I had distributed 2 points each into Strength and Agility,
and 7 points into Mana, which had been relatively low, leaving just 1 point.
Originally, I had planned to invest that last point into Mana too.
But for some reason…
That measly 1 point in Luck caught my eye.
『Grandfell Claudius Arpheus Romeo, sole survivor of his noble family, chose the path of a Demon Hunter to exact revenge upon the demon who destroyed his lineage.』
"..."
Why did that bit of backstory suddenly resurface?
It was just a dramatic setting I wrote up for flavor. But damn, what a miserable life.
It almost felt like he went through all that because he only had 1 Luck.
Not that I felt guilty about it.
Feeling guilty would be stranger, wouldn't it?
After all, I was the one bearing the burden of Grandfell's setting.
So this was closer to pity.
[Available Points: 0]
A bit of pity for myself in the future,
and a bit of pity for Grandfell's tragic life.
'Still, this is a hefty investment for just pity.'
That's because Luck wasn't well regarded in Arcana.
Unlike Strength, which had clear combat benefits, Luck had no tangible feedback.
Simply put, it was inefficient.
Only certain non-combat or highly specific classes paid attention to Luck—
and even then, it wasn't a core stat.
Luck: 2
Just a 1-point increase.
But hey, it's all about perspective, right?
Think of it as doubling my Luck.
Even though doubling bad luck might not make much difference…
…But the effect of doubled Luck revealed itself immediately.
And it was undeniable.
The next morning.
"...?"
As I opened my eyes, a system message appeared.
[You have met the conditions.]
[Quest has begun.]
…A quest?
When Arcana was still a game,
Quests were a dime a dozen.
"Ugh, another fetch quest?"
"Just skip it. The rewards are trash."
"But it'll drop my affinity! I worked hard to build it!"
"Even if it chains into something else, all you get are a few potions. I'd rather just grind mobs instead."
Back then, players would choose quests based on risk vs. reward.
But now that Arcana had become reality,
quests were a privilege of high-level players.
The reason was simple:
There just weren't that many NPCs in the real world to hand out quests.
When the Mage's Tower appeared,
the mage NPCs that once resided in it also appeared in reality.
Like that, Arcana's NPCs began existing in the real world.
"How is this even possible…?"
"Never thought I'd live to see the day…"
"So this is the adventurers' world? It sparkles in the darkness. Beautiful."
Just like us, the NPCs began to adapt to this new world.
"We can't just sit back and watch any longer."
"It's the Rifts! They're the root of the problem!"
"We can't keep causing trouble for the adventurers' world."
And they began issuing new quests in response to real-world threats.
But only high-level players were allowed to take them.
"Hmm, you look untrained."
"I don't think this is a task you can handle."
"Another adventurer has already accepted that request…"
Reality's quests only widened the gap between elite and casual players.
So it was no surprise that players became extremely sensitive to quests.
"Hey! A random quest just popped up in a Rift!"
"For real?! Where? I'm heading over now."
"Sad I'm desperate enough to chase random quests…"
"Should've quit my job and just played Arcana full time. Now high-levels are doing linked quests and rankers are moving onto main storylines. What about us??"
…Yeah, that's the new normal.
I checked my quest window again:
[Class Quest: Prelude to Retaliation]
"…A class quest?"
What is this?
A Class Quest.
I had no prior info about these.
From the name, it seemed related to my class, Demon Hunter,
possibly involving exorcism, training, meditation…
I recalled some of the quests I did in Akshan.
'But those were just normal quests.'
They didn't have the grand title of "Class Quest."
Naturally, I didn't hesitate.
I immediately searched it online.
Top-ranked Paladin 'Guyver' begins Class Quest.
First Paladin to reach top 10 in player rankings?
Anticipation rising…
Information wasn't hard to find.
A Class Quest was…
A quest that's given to only one player per class—
out of all players who share that class.
Each quest was different, so the contents varied.
But I understood now…
Why such a grand quest would appear to me.
[Class Quest: Prelude to Retaliation]
To the last remaining Demon Hunter—
The time has come to strike back at the demons.
—Defeat the demon.(Complete)
Yeah, because I was the only Demon Hunter left.
That's why that great class quest had appeared to me.
As shown in the quest window, the quest must have started because I defeated a demon—an imp.
...Just looking at it stirred up desire in me.
Even though I had only skimmed through an article, it was obvious.
The class quest rewards looked amazing at a glance.
The fact that it made the news just for starting, and that people were raving about it giving access to the top 10 player rankings—yeah, that said everything.
But that desire never made it to the surface.
Of course not.
To Granfell, all of this was completely natural.
Defeating a demon.
Becoming the protagonist of the class quest because of it.
Even obtaining the rewards that would come from completing that quest.
Granfell...
No, I accepted all of it as a given.
There wasn't a single flutter of excitement.
The steady beat of my heart, unchanged from usual, was proof enough.
I shook my head slightly.
'My utterly ordinary values are starting to change.'
As if I really were the heir of some great noble house.
But I had no choice but to accept it.
To survive as a player—moreover, as a Demon Hunter—Granfell's character setting was something essential to me.
But there was one thing I had to remember:
"...I'm still too young to be stuck in the past."
That Granfell was nothing more than a part of my dark past.
Yeah, dark pasts aren't something you immerse in—they're something you overcome.
Just as I reaffirmed that, my quest window flashed.
"!"
A new quest objective had appeared.
—Strengthen your weakened body.
Suddenly, a memory of the Akshan base surfaced in my mind.
'...Wait, this quest, no way…?'
This was that brutal, agonizing quest that had made countless Demon Hunter players delete their accounts!
I sighed.
It seemed the luck buff had run its course.
But even that emotion didn't show outwardly.
"...I should've invested one more point."
Poor Lee Ho-Yeol.
As expected, I'm the only one suffering from this damn character setting.
Akshan Base.
The headquarters of the Demon Hunters.
When you hear it phrased like that, it might sound cool to someone unfamiliar.
Even I, obsessed with style, had been fooled by that and picked the Demon Hunter class.
But experiencing it firsthand? The reality was shocking.
Terrible facilities!
Class advancement quests that were no better than labor jobs!
NPCs that only yelled instead of motivating!
Of course, there were reasons attached to all of it.
"Demons constantly prey on human greed. That's why a Demon Hunter must always remain pure."
"A strong mind comes from a strong body. Want to become a Demon Hunter? Then first build a strong body!"
"Dying unexpectedly is common for a Demon Hunter. Demons feed on the grief of those left behind. Strong emotional bonds are poison. Don't try to get close to me."
...Looking back as an adult, that setting was ridiculous.
No wonder the class was so unpopular.
But back then, hearing that setting only made me more drawn to becoming a Demon Hunter.
I endured all sorts of unfairness and finally earned the right to the class.
'...I really was a hardcore chuuni (edgy teenager).'
Thinking of all this while I was suffering makes sense now.
"Hoo—"
I continued doing push-ups.
My arms felt numb, like they were about to give out.
[Class Quest: Prelude to Retaliation]
Last of the Demon Hunters,
Let the demons know it is time for retribution.
—Defeat demons. (Complete)—Strengthen your weakened body. (In progress) ▼
'Shouldn't something be different by now?!'
This is supposed to be a class quest.
A quest only one person can undertake?
So how is it exactly the same as the Akshan base quests right from the start?!
On top of that, this wasn't VR—it was real life.
Which meant I had to deal with the aftermath of the training.
—Strengthen your weakened body. (In progress) ▲● 20km run (Complete)● 1,000 push-ups (In progress)● 500 pull-ups (Complete)● 300 burpees (Complete)
Today marked the end of the first week.
Those quest objectives reset daily.
And I'd managed to keep up with that punishing training every single day.
Of course the muscle pain wasn't going away.
Still, my complaints stayed locked inside my head.
Like someone who had been waiting for this quest all along.
I continued to meet the goals with discipline.
"Granfell's towering pride did not come from his noble lineage. It was innate. A gift from the heavens, unshaken by any trial."
So I had no choice but to be diligent.
I didn't remember ever assigning Granfell the traits of diligence or hard work.
I mean, wouldn't it be weird if some overdramatic chuuni was also hardworking?
All of it was just to protect that precious pride of his.
Flaaap—
Not a breeze in the air—clear skies.
Even as I looked down at my trembling, sore arms—
"Today is quite a windy day."
I could still say that with a straight face.
But if it weren't for this pride...
'...There's no way I'd have made it this far.'
I probably wouldn't have survived a single day.
Would've given up during the running already.
"This is the last one."
...Anyway, good job, me.
Another day of grinding through this hellish quest.
And then, an unfamiliar message appeared before me.
[You have fulfilled the condition.]
[Reward granted.]
At that, I opened the system window.
The inventory... remained unchanged.
But the status window was flashing.
I checked my stats.
"!"
My level was the same—but my stats had increased.
...Yeah, no wonder people made such a big deal about class quests.