Chapter 19: Classroom of Newbies

"Hello, I have a question." Lucas approached one of the available desks and spoke to the woman standing behind it.

"Sure, what kind of question do you have?" The woman nodded her head, seemingly pretty eager to help him out.

"I am having trouble deciding how I should distribute my stat points. Does the guild have any guides for that kind of stuff?"

"Oh, so you're a complete newbie, huh? Don't worry, we have the perfect program for people like you."

"Program?" Lucas raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, the guild offers a special beginners' program for newbies like you once a month. They are basically classes about the basics of dungeons, how to distribute your Stats, and other useful information that will help you greatly as a new Player. There are also different levels of classes from beginner to advanced. Oh, these classes are also taught by experienced Players who have decades of experience in dungeons."

Lucas nodded and said, "That does sound pretty useful. How do I attend this class?"

"Well, there's going to be a class tomorrow afternoon in the guild classroom, but it'll cost you 100 dollars to partake in the course. It lasts two hours."

"Okay, I will participate." Lucas then handed 100 dollars to the woman.

"Here's your class pass. Don't lose it since you'll need it to enter the classroom tomorrow." The woman said, and then she pointed to the room at the end of the hall and continued, "That's the classroom. Make sure you're there by 1PM tomorrow."

Lucas nodded before leaving the guild to eat some food.

He then returned to his room and proceeded to read the monster encyclopedia again.

The following day, after waking up late and skipping breakfast, Lucas made his way towards the classroom.

"Do you have a class pass?" Someone standing outside the classroom asked him.

"Here." Lucas showed him the piece of paper the woman handed him.

The man nodded and no longer bothered with him.

Lucas then entered the classroom that was filled to the brim with people— around 50 people.

With only a couple of seats left, Lucas picked one randomly.

About ten minutes later, a middle-aged man wearing a black tank top entered the room and walked straight to the front.

"My name is Jack Newton, and I will be your instructor today. I am a B-Rank Player and an A-Rank at the Guild. I also have 13 years of experience with dungeons, reaching level 51. If you have any problems with my qualifications, speak now."

The room remained silent. Everybody there was newbies with less than three months of experience. Who would dare question someone with 13 years of experience about their qualifications? That was akin to children in kindergarten questioning their teacher's qualifications.

"Good, then I will begin the class now."

Jack Newton dimmed the lights in the room and turned on the projector, projecting a clear screen on the white wall behind him.

"Let's start with the basics."

"What are dungeons? Does somebody know?"

Someone there quickly raised his hand and said, "Dungeons are places where monsters exist, and if we don't kill all of the monsters within a certain time, they will all be teleported into the real world!"

"Then do you know where dungeons come from?" Jack asked.

"N-No... We only know that they have suddenly started appearing out of the blue one day."

However, Jack shook his head and said, "There have been countless research on dungeons throughout the years, and there are theories that dungeons are actually locations of another world in another dimension that somehow crossed over to our world. Whether you want to believe that is up to you."

The people were speechless. Dungeons lead to another world? Is that even possible?

"Now let's talk about Players... What are Players?"

Another person raised his hands and said, "A Player is someone who has a Character Status!"

Jack nodded and then said, "The term 'Player' originated from video games where Character Statuses are very common. Going into dungeons... fighting monsters... leveling up... It's like we're playing a video game, but unfortunately, this is reality, and if you die, you don't respawn, so don't treat it like some sort of game."

A moment later, Jack continued, "Since we're on the topic of Character Statuses, let's talk about it, especially the Stats since that's why most people take these classes, as they're confused about how they should distribute their stats."

"First, your level. You gain experience by killing monsters, and once you reach a certain amount, you will level up and acquire Stat Points. You normally gain 5 Stat Points for every level, but for every ten levels, so Level 10, Level 20, Level 30, and so on, you will obtain 10 Stat Points instead."

"Next is your Character Status Rank. From the lowest to the highest, F, E, D, C, B, A, S, and lastly, Hero. The higher Rank you have, the more powerful and useful your ability will be. There are also special functions that can only be unlocked if you have a high Rank, so not everybody has the same Character Status."

"Your Abilities should be self-explanatory. Everyone with a Character Status should have an Ability. Your Ability can be leveled up through experience or through treasures."

Lucas raised his eyebrows upon hearing this. His abilities can level up through experience or treasures? What about quests?

"Before we go into stats, which is the most confusing topic, do you have any questions for me?" Jack asked the people there.

The newbies there began raising their hands and asking questions.

Many questions later, Lucas raised his hand and asked, "What about quests?"

"Quests?" Jack raised his eyebrows, and he said, "What are you talking about? I told you before that this is reality and not a video game, right? Or do you mean missions given to you by the Guild?"

"Y-Yes, that's what I meant." Lucas nodded his head after a moment of silence, thinking to himself that since this man didn't know about quests, there was no need for him to continue asking about it.