"A Warrior Class? Hmm… not bad."
She began writing it down, her expression returning to professional calm. However, her tone carried a trace of disappointment.
"Warriors are straightforward, reliable, and well-balanced. It's one of the most stable classes for many people."
She glanced up at him briefly and offered a small smile.
"You won't have a hard time finding work with this."
Deep down, though, she was a little disappointed.
This was just a regular class, something the Guild had recorded countless times before.
She had been hoping for an unrecorded class, something rare that might earn her a bonus.
But alas, one should never hold expectations too high.
Seeing Jake remain silent, she tried to encourage him.
"There's no need to feel down, sir. A Warrior is a very basic class, but at least it's not a trash one."
She offered a small, encouraging smile as she looked up at him.
"Plenty of captains and noble households are always looking for dependable Warriors. It's honest work."
"Yes…"
Jake answered absentmindedly.
The woman assumed he must be feeling discouraged after receiving such an ordinary class.
It was a reaction she had seen many times before, so she didn't think much of it.
Soon, after paying the information fee and completing the paperwork, Jake finally left the Guild.
He stood in front of the building, staring ahead.
But he wasn't looking at the people… nor the streets.
He was looking at his status.
[Name: Jake Bond]
[Class: Warrior (Common)]
[Unique Class: Bonds Captain (???)]
[Strength: Average]
[Intelligence: Average]
[Vitality: Above Average]
[Agility: Below Average]
[Endurance: Average]
[Luck: Legendary]
[Skills:]
Basic Combat Mastery (Passive – Lv.1)
Slash (Lv.1)
Charisma (Passive – Lv.1)
Battle Adept (Passive – Lv.1)
Instinct (Passive – Lv.2)
Bonds (Passive – ???)
State Allocation (???)
Class Appraisal (Lv.1)
[Upgrade Point: 0]
[Crew (Pirate): None]
Jake blinked at the floating list in front of him.
Seeing that he had two classes instead of one, he couldn't help but feel a surge of relief.
After all, the more the better.
'It seems that stone wasn't able to detect my second class…' he thought inwardly.
Well, he had no plans to go back and tell them about it anyway.
And a strange look appeared on his face as he couldn't help but think, 'No way I got my unique class because of my name… right?'
Then he just shook his head and laughed it off.
With a light step, he began walking while pondering the list of his skills.
He couldn't help but notice something striking in his stats.
'My luck is Legendary? Damn… Even though I don't know the exact ranking, it sounds insanely powerful.'
Jake smiled, feeling a wave of ease wash over him.
After all, he had been a nobody with nothing before.
Now, seeing that he didn't need to live a miserable life just to awaken a class or receive some cheat ability, he felt genuinely happy.
His other stats looked ordinary, but he wasn't unhappy at all.
At least he had a class.
Then, as he looked through the list again, he couldn't help but scratch his head.
'I seem to have a lot of skills… but only one of them is actually a combat skill.'
Jake stared at [Slash] and then at the other strange skills he didn't understand.
'Bonds… State Allocation… Class Appraisal…'
Only Class Appraisal sounded straightforward.
Jake frowned slightly.
There was no explanation or description for any of his skills.
He tried focusing on one of them, mentally "clicking" on it and even muttering under his breath as if expecting a response.
But there was nothing.
"…Seriously?"
Then a thought crossed his mind:
'Maybe the Guild collects and compiles this information precisely for this reason... so that any successor can easily understand how their class and skills work instead of wasting time figuring it out on their own.'
But for some reason… he had a feeling the Guild probably had no data on his unique class.
Speaking of his class, why did it seem so… pirate-like class?
His eyes drifted back to the status window.
[Bonds Captain (???)]
At the bottom, it even listed [Crew (Pirate): None.]
Jake's expression grew even weirder.
'Does that mean… I actually have to become a pirate to use this class?'
He scratched his head.
That was definitely not part of his life plan.
Jake spent the next few minutes trying to understand the other skills just from their names.
He attempted to activate them... feeling for any sensation, even shouting and whispering the skill names out loud.
But nothing happened.
Eventually, a headache started to build.
He scratched his head in frustration and finally snapped, complaining aloud.
"Dammit! What kind of skill doesn't even give an explanation? Who the hell designed this system?!"
He exhaled sharply… then paused.
A sudden idea seemed to click in his mind.
Slowly, his gaze drifted back to two particular words.
"…Bonds… Crew…" he whispered.
Jake narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…Don't tell me…"
A strange thought began to form in his mind.
"If it's called Bonds Captain... then maybe... it only works when I'm not alone?"
Just then—
Grrr…
His stomach let out a loud, protesting growl.
Jake blinked, then let out a small, helpless laugh.
"Well… let's get something to eat first and think about this later."
He patted his stomach and began walking down the street.
He remembered one of the stall selling some kind of roasted squid... or at least that's what it resembled.
The creatures were massive, far larger than any squid he had ever seen, so he turned back and headed toward the stall, curious to try one.
_
_
_
The city was livelier than he remembered.
Vendors lined both sides of the street, loudly shouting out their goods, grilled meat, fresh bread, strange fruits, and all kinds of things he couldn't even name.
The smells alone were enough to make his stomach growl.
Then he spotted it again.
That thing.
A large, glistening creature skewered over an open flame, its surface sizzling with oil.
Its thick tentacles curled slightly from the heat, and the rich, salty, smoky scent drifted straight toward him.
It looked like a squid… but way too big to be one.
"Oi! You there!" the vendor called out, noticing Jake staring. "Freshly roasted sea beast! Caught this morning!"
Jake raised a brow. "Sea beast…?"
"Giant tide squid," the man said proudly, flipping one of the thick tentacles over the fire. "Only found near the outer reefs. Tender meat, full of energy. Good for warriors!"
Jake hesitated for a second… then shrugged.
"Alright. Give me one."
"That'll be two copper coins."
Jake hesitated for a moment but still handed over the coins.
'If I don't treat myself now that I have the money, then when will I?' he thought, justifying it to himself.
A few moments later, he was walking away with a steaming portion wrapped in rough paper.
Looking at the huge tentacle, Jake hesitated for only a moment before taking a bite.
"…Oh."
His eyes widened slightly.
The outside was crisp and lightly charred, while the inside was soft and juicy.
It had a natural sweetness mixed with a rich, savory flavor that spread across his tongue.
"…That's actually really good."
He took another bite, slower this time.
As he walked and chewed thoughtfully, his mind drifted back to his earlier thoughts.
Bonds...
Crew....
Captain....
"…If I really need people…"
Jake glanced around the busy street.
There were all kinds of people walking by, but forming a crew wasn't as simple as picking random strangers off the street.
He need to think about trust, strength, loyalty... but more importantly—
"...Why would anyone follow me?"
Jake took another bite, his expression turning thoughtful.
He wasn't strong, wasn't famous, and definitely didn't have any money.
"…I've got nothing."
Then, his gaze flickered slightly.
[Luck: Legendary]
"…Except that."
A slow grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Maybe that's enough."
Just as he was about to take another bite—
A figure suddenly bumped into him from the side.
Thud!
Jake stumbled half a step, nearly dropping his food.
"Hey! You almost spoiled my two day's worth of clean—"
He turned, ready to complain but the words got stuck in his throat.
It was the same cloaked woman who had bumped into him earlier.
She was petite woman, with large breasts that stood out even beneath her loose black cloak.
Her hood still covered most of her face, but now that she stood only a few steps away, Jake could clearly see her beautiful golden eyes.
"S-sorry," she muttered quickly, not even looking at him properly before slipping past him.
She blended into the crowd again, this time even faster than before.
Jake didn't say anything, but he was frowning.
It wasn't because the woman had been rude, nor because his mood had been spoiled.
It was because that pair of beautiful golden eyes had been full of… fear.