NOVEL WEB Chapter 15: Berserker
Olgan glanced at the device in Olex's hand before turning to Edith. "Is that a communication device?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Don't you have one? Why not call for backup from the Magect dukedom?"
Edith scratched her cheek, embarrassment creeping into her voice. "I did have one, but it was destroyed by those 'bandits'. They waited for the exact moment I pulled it out to speak with my dear mother."
"Don't you have a spare?"
"No," she sighed. "It's a rare and expensive item crafted by the Royal Craftsman. They're always in high demand, but there's never enough supply."
Olgan pondered the situation. Maybe I could introduce them to phones. The thought flickered through his mind. He knew he couldn't create one himself, but he had a general idea of how they worked. With the help of various Classes, it might be possible to recreate a primitive version.
Or maybe not... The idea of a Royal Craftsman showing up at his door, ready to drag him to an underground prison for a "friendly chat" over a cup of totally-not-poisoned tea sent a shiver down his spine. He pushed the thought aside for now.
"What about the Friend List?" he asked, recalling the command he'd seen earlier. "I noticed it has an option to connect with friends over long distances."
Since Edith was the only one in his Friend List and she was right beside him, he didn't try experimenting with it.
Edith explained, "That function only works when both parties are in a location where they subconsciously feel completely safe—like their home. It wouldn't work if I try to use it while we're inside the forest."
"I see..." Olgan nodded, understanding the logic behind the limitation. After all, this was real life, not a game. QOL, Quality-of-life patches, weren't a necessity here. Besides, some games didn't even allow private conversations with your friends during combat.
Just being able to communicate over long distances in real life was already a blessing.
"Princess Edith, please follow me. I will escort you to the Ascension Altar," Olex said, bowing slightly before leading the way.
Edith followed him into the towering Ascension Tower.
"You aren't going to follow them in?" Olgan turned to Lenna, who stood beside him.
She shook her head. "There's no need... If there is someone daring enough to attack inside the Ascension Tower, I wouldn't stand a chance against them. It's better to stay outside, maintain our connection to share the damage, and hope the other sentries can intercept the assailant in time."
As he listened to Lenna, he glanced around at the various races milling about. Curiosity bubbled up within him. "What's the relationship like between humans and other races?"
Lenna cast him a sidelong glance before replying, "Overall? Not good. Humans have inflicted much suffering in the past through slavery. Although it's officially abolished now, some nobles still smuggle slaves of other races. Our situation is better than that of the Western Continent. I've heard the other races there endure fates worse than slavery. They're called 'demihumans' by the locals there, which is a heavy insult to them. Please keep that in mind when interacting with them."
When Lenna mentioned "demihumans," a few nearby eyes turned to her, but as her words continued, they quickly looked away.
It wasn't unusual for someone who came here for the first time to ask about the various races they encountered here; they were accustomed to similar questions by now.
"I'll keep that in mind," Olgan nodded, mentally storing the information.
Like a curious child, he continued on, "Sorry if this is rude... you don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"What is it?" Lenna asked, intrigued.
"You're at Max Level of your current Ascension, right?"
She paused before answering, "Yes."
Olgan gazed up at the towering structure. "Then, don't you want to advance further?"
She sighed, a hint of resignation in her voice. "I can't anymore."
"Why not?"
"The path of the Princess Knight is a dead end. From Novice to Knight, then Guardian Knight, and finally Princess Knight... there's no further advancement. As long as we fulfill our duty to protect the one we swore to protect, our job is done." Her tone conveyed a deep sense of helplessness.
Novice... Knight... Guardian Knight... Princess Knight... If she's already at Max Level, that means she's Level 40, assuming each Ascension happened on every 10th level. Yet she still appears to be in her early twenties. Maybe she gained a significant EXP boost when she swore her loyalty to Edith? he thought.
"That doesn't seem right. I refuse to believe there's no advanced Class above Princess Knight."
Lenna hesitated, her silence speaking volumes.
Analyzing the uniqueness of her Class and her reluctance to elaborate, Olgan speculated, Princess Knight... Could it be that advancing further would transform them into something like Queen Knight? That would certainly complicate matters without causing a coup or establishing a new kingdom...
Deciding to change the subject, Olgan summoned his courage to ask a question he'd always wanted to know.
Lenna noticed it and asked, "What is it?"
Hesitating, he finally blurted out, "Uhm... is that fashion sense normal in the Blazane Empire?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Lenna's eyelid twitched, her face flushing with embarrassment as she turned away, avoiding his gaze.
Before he could say anything further, a lively voice chimed in, "No! Only our Magect Family has such excellent fashion sense! How do you like it? It's fancy and beautiful, right?"
Edith puffed up her chest proudly as she spun around to showcase her asymmetric suit of armor. Olex, who had been following her, looked even more flustered than Lenna, while others nearby moved away, trying to avoid Edith.
Both Olex and Lenna averted their reddened faces, straining to contain their reactions.
I see... you guys have it hard, huh? Olgan thought, speechless.
"Anyways, you called it, Olgan! The Class is really named Berserker! Check it out!" Edith exclaimed, her attention shifting from her outfit to her newfound Class, excitement bubbling over as she shared the news with Lenna and Olgan.
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Class: Berserker (Common)
Description: The Berserker class is a fierce warrior, known for channeling raw rage into devastating attacks. Fueled by adrenaline and fury, Berserkers excel in close-quarters combat, using aggressive tactics to overwhelm their foes. They are the embodiment of primal strength, striking fear into the hearts of enemies.
Attribute: All +1, STR +1, VIT +3, HP+100
VIT: +10%
Heavy-type Melee Weapons: +10% Damage
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Name: Edith Magect Calantha
Race: Human
Guild: 1. Blazane (Rank: Citizen) 2. Magect (Rank: Descendant) 3. None
Title: [Child of Magect]
Class: Berserker
Level: 10 (00.00% EXP)
HP: 365/365
MP: 109/109
Attribute Points: 0
STR: [3] x [8.11] x [110%] + 25 = 51
VIT: [15] x [4.76] x [100%] + 10 = 81
CON: [2] x [4.40] x [90%] + 5 = 12
DEX: [2] x [4.64] x [90%] = 8
AGI: [2] x [6.98] x [110%] + 9 = 24
PER: [2] x [6.35] x [90%] + 12= 23
STA: [2] x [5.26] x [90%] = 9
INT: [2] x [8.04] x [110%] + 20 = 37
WIS: [2] x [7.63] x [90%] + 15 = 28
SPR: [2] x [5.12] x [90%] = 9
Effects: None
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Skill: Rage ---> Berserk (Passive)
Level: 1 (00.00% EXP)
Description: Your injuries fuel your strength, increasing STR, CON, and AGI based on current missing HP. When HP falls below 50%, you will gradually be consumed by rage, losing HP each second. The lower your percentage Max HP, the lower your sanity, decreasing PER, INT, and WIS. (Note: If any of these stats fall below 0%, you will lose your sense of self permanently.)
Warning: Every hour you remain in a Berserk state, you will lose 10% of PER, INT, and WIS which will be restored after 24 hours.
Current HP: 365/365
Stats (STR/CON/AGI) Increase: +0 bonus each
Percentage Attributes (PER/INT/WIS) Decrease: -0% each
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Skill: Berserk Cleave (Active)
Level: 1 (00.00% EXP)
Type: Weapon Enchantment
Condition: Two-handed melee weapon.
Description: Drain 5% of one own HP to enchant your weapon with blood, dealing bonus fixed damage to opponent's HP.
Current Max HP: 365
Current Bonus Damage: 18 HP fixed damage.
Cooldown: 10 seconds
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Skill: Last Stand (Passive)
Level: 1 (MAX)
Description: You shall never yield in the face of despair. When you suffer a life-threatening injury, becomes immune to all damage and debuffs for 5 seconds then recovers 50% HP after the duration ends. (Notes: This skill could only be obtained by raising [Rage] to its highest level before advancing to Berserk.)
Cooldown: 24 hours
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