Chapter 90: This Is Cheating!

Since she had been brought here, Celine had completely lost track of time. She didn’t know how much time had passed, and most importantly, she didn’t know where she currently was.

When she was brought here, her eyes and limbs had been tied, preventing her from seeing or knowing anything about her surroundings. But there was something particular about this place.

Clink! Clank!

Clink! Clank!

Celine had heard that sound ever since she arrived. It sounded quite similar to a train, especially when its wheels passed over the rails. Because of that, she assumed she was being held somewhere near a train station.

She then focused on listening to the voices outside. Usually, there were two people guarding her.

However, sometimes one of them would leave to change shifts, leaving only one guard behind for several minutes before the replacement arrived.

Celine began carefully memorizing their routine. That might be her chance to escape. But even if she managed to get out, she still needed to plan what she would do afterward.

“I need to tell Lars where I am right now. He must be searching for me at the moment. At least…one clue about my whereabouts should be enough…”

—

Lars was back in his room, looking at his Class Screen. They had concluded their meeting for the night, and Zane had ordered the members of Mazeltov to familiarize themselves with their new Classes.

At the same time, Emma was doing her best to locate the possible headquarters of Black Maria.

Right now, Lars was thinking about what kind of Class he should create for Vega. He had already asked Vega what type of Class he wanted.

“I want a Class similar to the Phantom Magus’s mechanics.”

That was what Vega had told him. Lars scratched his head.

“His words are very similar to Melodie’s. Looks like once a hunter becomes familiar with their Class’s style, they rarely want to change it when they switch to a new Class.”

Lars then sighed.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of feeling toward my Classes.”

He stared at the Class Screen for a while, thinking about how he could create something that would perfectly suit Vega’s fighting style.

“My initial plan was to use Generate Class for him. But after what he said, the best way to do that would be to combine it with the Phantom Magus mechanics.” Lars played with his chin as he thought about it.

“But the problem is, it will cost 50 CP, and I need two days to regenerate all my CP. Hmm…”

For this mission, Benn Strong would use War Templar, a Class he had wanted for a long time. Oscar would use Ice Warlock, while Aleph would change to Battle Reaper.

Sarah would keep her Bladesinger Class, as it was a gift given to her by Zane. Zane would also keep her current Class. Emma, meanwhile, would not be directly involved in the battle.

After thinking for a while, Lars finally made a decision.

“Even if I use Generate Class, there’s only a low chance that the Class produced will be Rare rank or above. So it’s a gamble.”

“Meanwhile, if I combine two Phantom Magus Classes, it will guarantee a Rare Rank Class, and the quality should be much better too.”

Lars nodded to himself.

“So, I think I will go with the latter. Hopefully, it will be something capable of countering Kay Sung.”

He then brought out two Phantom Magus Class Books and combined them, consuming both of the books in the process. Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared around Lars’s hand.

The shadow began swirling before condensing into a single object. A Class Book with a purple and black cover appeared in his hand.

[You have created a new class, Rare-rank Spectral Magus!]

[Congratulations on fusing a new Rare-rank class! You have obtained 3,000 Creator Coins.]

[The previous Uncommon-rank Phantom Magus has been replaced by the Rare-rank Spectral Magus!]

Lars stared at it with anticipation.

“Please be good…”

—

[Spectral Magus]

Rank: Rare

Efficiency: 0%

Type: Assassin/ Mage

Main Stats: AGI/INT

A more advanced version of the Phantom Magus, the Spectral Magus has mastered the art of combining magic with spectral movement. The class creates spectral copies, magical projectiles, and illusions to overwhelm enemies.

The Spectral Magus excels at making enemies constantly question which attack is real and where the real caster is standing.

[Stats]

AGI: +150% (+25% from BALANCING Node)

INT: +150% (+25% from BALANCING Node)

[Class Effects]

1. The class user has a chance to briefly become partially intangible, physical attacks have a chance to pass through the user.

2. Whenever the class user successfully hits an enemy with a spell, there is a chance to create a spectral copy. The copy immediately repeats the spell at reduced power.

—

[Skills]

1. Spectral Mastery Lv1 (Passive)

-Increases the damage of magical attacks.

-Reduces the MP cost of spectral skills.

2. Spectral Blast Lv1

-Fire a concentrated ball of spectral energy toward an enemy.

3. Spectral Step Lv1

-Instantly teleport a short distance.

4. Mirage Assault Lv1

-Create several illusions around the user.

The illusions simultaneously attacks before disappearing. Each copy possesses only 50% of Vega’s original power.

5. Spectral Lance Lv1

-Create a massive spear of magical energy and launch it forward.

6. Ghostfire Lv1

-Summon several floating flames of spectral energy around user. They automatically attack nearby enemies.

7. Phantom Exchange Lv1

-Create a spectral duplicate and instantly switch positions with it.

8. Spectral Nova Lv1

-Release a powerful explosion of spectral energy around user.

—

Lars’s eyes widened as he looked at it. It was completely beyond what he had expected.

“This Class is actually more spell-oriented compared to Phantom Magus. However, each of its skills is really amazing.” Lars’s excitement continued to grow as he examined the Class Book.

“I believe that if this Class is in Vega’s hands, he can become a truly deadly master of assassination. I’m sure of it. Kay Sung, count your days before your ass gets kicked hard!” Lars said excitedly.

—

The next day, some of Mazeltov members gathered inside a Rank 8 Dungeon, Basilisk’s Lair Dungeon. It was an Area-Type Dungeon, with the dungeon area located within a vast mountain valley. Their objective was straighforward, to train their new Classes.

“I can’t wait to test this new Class! Hey, giant snake! Come out and play with me!” Oscar shouted.

Suddenly, a large basilisk appeared as it slithered out from a hole in the wall before opening its massive jaws toward Oscar.

“Ice Spear!”

Ching!

A large spear formed in the air before rapidly flying toward the basilisk’s head.

THUP!

The spear pierced through its skull and pinned it to the ground as the creature struggled violently.

“Ice Prison!”

Ching! Ching!

Several ice shards emerged from the ground and completely encased the basilisk in ice. The creature then stopped moving.

“So cool! This Class is amazing! I can’t wait to let Denis see this Class. He’s going to be so jealous.” Oscar exclaimed with a wide smile.

For the next hour, Oscar, Aleph, and Benn Strong went all out as they experienced the power of their new Classes.

Benn Strong felt that his defensive power had increased several-fold thanks to the Tempered Body passive skill, which reduced physical damage by 1% for every 100 DEF he possessed, up to a maximum of 30%.

Right now, Benn Strong’s equipment gave him over 1,500 DEF, granting him a 15% physical damage reduction.

Meanwhile, Aleph was feeling a thrill of excitement that he had not experienced for a long time.

The Battle Reaper mechanic allowed its user to become faster and stronger as the battle continued, thanks to its passive skill, Predator Instinct.

With every passing minute, Aleph could feel his body becoming more responsive and powerful. For the first time in a long while, Aleph felt genuinely excited about an upcoming battle.

While the trio were having a good time, Vega was sitting on a nearby rock, watching all of them with a little bit of envy. He wasn’t involved in the battle because he wanted to save his energy to use the new Class that Lars had promised to give him today.

However, Lars had not arrived yet.

“Hey, Vega. Why don’t you warm up first? Lars might be coming late,” Benn Strong said as the trio took a break.

“Or maybe he totally forgot. Or worse, he couldn’t find a suitable Class for you,” Oscar teased Vega.

“I don’t think Lars is that type of person. He will surely come,” Aleph said.

Vega, on the other hand, remained quiet. He had never learned to panic or become anxious, as those emotions were taboo for an assassin. Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind them.

“Sorry, guys! I’m late! I got lost a bit while searching for this dungeon.” Lars finally arrived.

After greeting everyone, Lars walked toward Vega. He then handed him the Spectral Magus Class Book. Upon seeing the book, Vega’s eyes widened behind his mask.

“Hey, hey! What is that Class Book? Why does it look so ominous?” Oscar asked as he took a glance at the Class Book.

“Just wait and see,” Lars said with a smile.

Vega then stood up and opened the Class Book. Suddenly, a dark purple mist emerged from the book and completely engulfed him. At the same time, the bright sky above the dungeon suddenly changed.

Dark clouds appeared out of nowhere, covering the sun and plunging the entire area into darkness for a brief moment. Then, after several seconds, the clouds disappeared, and the sunlight returned as if nothing had happened.

“This again…” Lars muttered.

He had finally confirmed it. Whenever someone equipped a Rare Rank Class created through his Combine Class skill, a global phenomenon would occur.

‘So this isn’t just something that happened with Melodie. Every Rare Class created through combination can affect the world when it’s first equipped.’

“What the hell just happened?” Benn Strong said as he looked at the sky above. Oscar and Aleph were also staring upward, equally confused.

Vega, meanwhile, was looking at both of his hands. He could feel powerful energy flowing through his veins, a force that was waiting to be unleashed. He slowly clenched his fists.

Suddenly, the darkness from earlier caused five basilisks to emerge from their hiding spots and rushed toward the group.

Oscar and the others immediately prepared to move. But before they could do anything, five Vegas suddenly appeared in front of each basilisk.

BOOM!

Each of the clones unleashed a powerful blast, smashing the basilisks’ heads into pieces. The five creatures collapsed almost simultaneously.

Everyone was left speechless.

“This… this is cheating!” Oscar shouted.