『A mysterious force is enhancing your Strength. Strength slightly increased.』『A mysterious force is enhancing your Agility. Agility slightly increased.』『Your internal Mana is surging! It's almost impossible to control! Mana greatly increased!』『The Goddess of Fortune smiles upon you! She is deeply interested in you! Luck greatly increased!』
Judging from the messages, it seemed unlikely that Strength and Agility had increased by much. It couldn't be helped. While Strength was manageable, an Agility stat of 96 was already considered top-tier even in the Whole Plane. Still, the surges in Mana and Luck were promising. They came with special messages, suggesting something more eventful.
'It's been a while since I felt this kind of excitement… It's a shame Stamina didn't go up, though.'
Honestly, I hadn't expected to receive any privileges in the first place. Even this much was more than amazing. With a pounding heart, I updated my status screen.
< Player Status >
Name: Kim Soo-hyun (Year 0)
Class: -
Nation: -
Clan: -
True Name · Nationality: One who must prove qualification, Prospective User · Republic of Korea
Sex: Male (23)
Height · Weight: 181.5cm · 75.5kg
Alignment: Lawful · Chaos
(Before) [Strength 86] [Endurance 92] [Agility 96] [Stamina 78] [Mana 48] [Luck 36](After) [Strength 94] [Endurance 92] [Agility 98] [Stamina 78] [Mana 90] [Luck 88]
< Achievements (0) >< Special Ability (0/1) >< Potential Abilities (0/4) >
'+8 Strength, +2 Agility, +42 Mana, +52 Luck. Total increase of 104 points.'
Nice. Very nice. What had looked like mediocre stats were now glowing with numbers impressive enough to make me do a double take.
I should have been thrilled, but the unchanging Stamina stat nagged at me. Compared to everything else, it left a bitter aftertaste.
'If only Luck had gone to Stamina instead…'
Stamina is arguably the foundation or root of all other stats. If Mana is the engine, Stamina is the car's frame. My current Stamina was at 78—an awkward number.
'I might be able to output decent power, but… whew.'
Human greed truly knows no bounds. Even after gaining vastly improved stats, I couldn't help but feel dissatisfied.
Still, I decided to set aside my complaints for now. There were plenty of privileges left to claim. Wasting time just moping around was pointless.
"User Kim Soo-hyun, shall we proceed to the next privilege?"
"Yeah, let's—wait, hold on."
Just as I was about to nod reflexively, I shook my head. Unlike with stats, from here on, my choices would have real influence. Every decision needed to be made with care.
"Seraph. How much time until the Rite of Passage begins?"
"One hour, 42 minutes, and 23 seconds remain."
"Give me a minute to think. Just ten minutes. No—make it thirty."
"As you wish."
I closed my eyes and entered deep thought.
In the Whole Plane, I had been a powerful force. That strength had allowed me to hold the Zero Code. I deserved to be called strong, but even I knew I couldn't claim to be the strongest. Words like 'ultimate' or 'unrivaled' were still far off. My chronically low Mana stat had always held me back.
While that issue was now solved, this might be the limit. My body, technically marked as "Year 0," was in fact a loaded 10-year veteran form. Other than items, potions, or gear that could still increase stats, the most common method—training—was now ineffective.
But this didn't mean I was weak. Most users hit their training cap between 70 and 80 points. Compared to that, my current stats were luxurious.
'But that's only in general cases.'
There are always exceptions—those who exceed expectations from the start. Some start with stats already in the 70s. I needed to be ready to face those people now. The miracles and luck I had in my first run wouldn't necessarily happen again. If I wanted to get what I came for, I needed power.
I opened my eyes. Seraph was still seated calmly on the altar, waiting. I opened my mouth quietly.
"Seraph, I want to use my next privilege to choose a class."
"Yes. Request accepted. Before the Rite of Passage, User Kim Soo-hyun is granted class selection priority. All secret classes will be temporarily revealed."
Class selection is normally a process that requires proof of qualification. More specifically, it's done in the Summoning Room after surviving the Rite of Passage. I was skipping that and jumping straight into settings.
I was planning to pick a swordsman-related class again. With my boosted Mana, other options were now viable, but I still believed this was the best path. I'd walked it before. Why stray when I already knew a shortcut?
A chart filled with information floated into the air. I immediately dismissed the Rare classes and focused only on the Secret ones.
『Class List (Secret)』
[War Mage][Field Maestro][Requiem Assassin][Soul Commander][Jewel Mage][Copy Archmage][Death Knight][Brilliance Priest][…]
'Not this… not that either… hmm… the one that guy had was…'
So many Secret classes? I was momentarily stunned by the sheer number. Eventually, I decided to ask Seraph for help.
"Seraph, can you filter the list to show only swordsman-related Secret classes?"
"Of course. Are you planning to choose one?"
"If I were?"
"Then I highly recommend it. One moment. I'll sort the list for you now."
The reason I was so focused on class was because of its relation to Special and Potential Abilities. My order of priority was: stats → class → abilities. I was considering unlocking the "Unique Ability" slot, so I needed to prepare for the two randomly chosen Potential Abilities as best I could.
"Filtering complete. Here is the updated chart."
"Thanks."
I scanned the filtered list carefully. I needed something that would give me an edge against mages. In my first run, I had suffered greatly due to low Mana and Luck. Even now, just remembering it made me shiver.
'There it is.'
And as I reached the middle of the list, I finally found what I'd been looking for.
[Sword Specialist][Spell Sniper]
Each Secret class had a unique "Authority." Both of these had appeared in the first run and were powerful enough to shake the battlefield.
Sword Specialist had advantages in all sword-related actions and the ability to cut anything in existence.Spell Sniper had a certain chance to completely resist magic depending on the caster's Mana stat:
≤75 Mana: Full resistance
≤85 Mana: 80% damage reduction
≤90 Mana: 50% damage reduction
Had I chosen blindly, I would have picked Spell Sniper without hesitation. Combined with an anti-magic Potential Ability, most mages—except the most extreme archmages—would become little more than scarecrows.
But after thinking it through, I found myself drawn more and more to Sword Specialist. The ability to cut through anything in existence was just too tempting. I remembered the user who had chosen this class. His prowess was astounding—cutting, slashing, nullifying countless spells. Mages crumbled before him like autumn leaves.
Spell Sniper was great, but Sword Specialist was no slouch either.
"..."
After much consideration, I made my choice.
"I'll go with Sword Specialist."
"The Sword Specialist? Not a bad choice, but Spell Sniper is quite powerful as well. Given your current Mana, very few mages could harm you."
"True."
"Then why—"
"Because that means there are still some who can."
"..."
Seraph didn't look too pleased. I wavered for a moment but quickly reaffirmed my stance.
"Let me put it this way. Imagine there's a targeting system that guarantees a hit, and a manual one that depends on skill. The first is safe, sure—but it has limits. The second? Its effectiveness grows purely with my own ability. You get what I mean?"
"I do."
"Then I'm choosing Sword Specialist."
"As you wish."
Seraph paused, then nodded once. And with that, a new message appeared.
『Congratulations. You have acquired the Secret Class: Sword Specialist. Player status is being updated.』
Oddly, I felt a wave of relief. Getting through the first step smoothly put me at ease. But I couldn't relax yet. The next privilege wasn't entirely under my control, and I had to be ready.
'3. Special and Potential Ability Privileges:Normally, users have 1 Special Ability slot and 4 Potential Ability slots.User Kim Soo-hyun will receive 1 additional Potential slot.All slots, including hidden ones, are unlocked and freely selectable.Alternatively, you may unlock a Unique Ability slot, which is above Special Abilities.Choosing a Unique Ability consumes 1 Potential slot.You may choose 2 of the remaining 4 slots, the other 2 will be randomly assigned.'
I carefully reviewed the information in my head.
Special and Potential Abilities evolve with the user's disposition. Picking them from the start gave me a huge edge over others—starting from a totally different baseline. But that made my decisions all the more important.
Abilities directly affect a character's efficiency. A good match amplifies your power. A bad one ruins your class. To get stronger, you need synergy between stats, class, and abilities.
"Seraph. Let's move on to the ability assignment."
"Yes. Then please confirm: do you want to activate the Unique Ability slot? The trade-offs are—"
"I know. I'm choosing to unlock it."
"Understood. One Potential slot will be used. Two of the remaining four will be selected randomly."
I had a hunch. Just as stat gains were influenced by a user's past growth, I believed ability assignments worked similarly. If I was right, two of my first-run abilities had a good chance of reappearing.
While I calculated odds in my head, Seraph signaled that preparation was complete.
"Unique, Special, and Potential Ability charts are ready. Would you like to choose first, or reveal the two random Potential Abilities?"
I felt a flicker of uncertainty. But better to rip the bandage off first.
"I'll reveal the two random Potential Abilities first."