The moment Jin's hand touched the stone, the sensation wasn't violent or overwhelming, but it wasn't normal either. It wasn't just cold—it was steady, unnatural, like touching something that didn't belong entirely to the same world as everything around it. The surface felt smooth at first, but the longer his palm remained in contact, the more he noticed faint irregularities beneath it, like layers of crystal compressed together over time. The blue within the stone shifted—not visibly flowing, but subtly changing, as if something inside had become aware of him.
For a brief second, nothing happened.
Then the system responded.
Not gradually.
Not partially.
Completely.
A new interface appeared in front of him, sharper than anything he had seen before, clearer, more defined. It didn't feel like an extension of the old system—it felt like an expansion, like something that had been locked was now fully revealed.
[VOCATION INTERFACE ACTIVATED]
Jin didn't move.
His eyes scanned it once, taking in the structure rather than rushing into the decision.
Six options stood in front of him, evenly spaced, each carrying a subtle presence that felt different even without explanation.
Warrior.
Mage.
Priest.
Rogue.
Ranger.
Craftsman.
No descriptions.
No guidance.
Just names.
Jin stared at them, not hesitating, but filtering.
Warrior.
Direct combat. Strength. Stability.
Reliable.
But predictable.
He had already seen how most people fought. Straightforward. Heavy swings. Simple patterns. Effective—but only until someone faster or more precise appeared.
Mage.
High output.
But mana-dependent.
His mana was one.
That alone made the option inefficient.
Priest.
Support.
Not useful for how he fought.
Ranger.
Range advantage.
Better control over distance.
But required space, positioning, and time to create separation.
Most of the gates he had entered so far didn't allow that kind of freedom.
Craftsman.
Irrelevant.
That left—
Rogue.
Jin's gaze settled there.
Speed.
Precision.
Efficiency.
The way he already moved.
Not overpowering enemies.
Ending fights quickly.
Avoiding damage instead of enduring it.
It aligned.
Not perfectly.
But closer than anything else.
And closer meant less adjustment.
Less adjustment meant faster results.
That was enough.
Jin selected it.
[VOCATION SELECTED: ROGUE]
[Confirm Selection?]
He confirmed.
The system reacted instantly.
[VOCATION CONFIRMED]
There was no dramatic explosion of light.
No sound.
But something changed.
[EXP SYSTEM UNLOCKED]
[LEVEL SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[NEW PARAMETERS INITIALIZED]
Jin felt it—not physically, but structurally. The system wasn't the same anymore. It had depth now. Layers that weren't there before.
He opened his status immediately.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Jin Vale
Level: 1
EXP: 0 / 50
Strength: 7
Agility: 10
Vitality: 9
Mana: 1
Free Stat Points: 11
Job: Rogue
Skills:
Inferior Extraction (Inferior)
Jin looked at it for a few seconds.
EXP.
A requirement.
A threshold.
Something that moved forward.
So this was what had been missing.
Before, no matter how many monsters he killed, nothing changed there. Now, it would.
That meant two forms of growth.
Level.
And extraction.
Jin closed the system.
Then opened it again.
Same result.
Stable.
Reliable.
Good.
He stepped back from the stone.
The faint blue glow inside it settled again, returning to its previous calm state, as if nothing had happened at all.
Jin turned and walked toward the exit.
No hesitation.
No second thought.
The door opened.
The outer hall felt different—not because it had changed, but because his perception of it had.
Everything now had direction.
The waiting area had fewer people.
Daren and Liora were still there.
They looked up immediately.
Daren spoke first. "Done?"
Jin nodded. "Yeah."
"What'd you pick?" Liora asked.
"Rogue."
Daren gave a short nod. "Thought so."
Liora studied him for a second, then nodded as well. "Yeah… that fits."
"And you?" Jin asked.
"Warrior," Daren said.
"Ranger," Liora added.
Jin nodded once.
Balanced choices.
Daren stretched his shoulders slightly. "Feels different."
Jin paused for a second.
"Yeah."
Liora exhaled slowly. "Like something started."
That was accurate.
Jin didn't say it.
But he agreed.
Because before—
There was no progression.
Now—
There was.
They walked out together, stepping back into the city as the morning had fully settled into motion. The streets were busier now, filled with people moving in different directions, vehicles passing, conversations overlapping.
Jin stopped near the entrance.
Not because he had to.
Because he was already thinking about what came next.
Now killing monsters wasn't just about stat points.
It was about leveling.
About speed of progression.
Efficiency mattered more now.
Daren looked at him. "We're heading to the gate later. You coming?"
Jin shook his head. "Not now."
"Solo?" Liora asked.
"Yeah."
Daren shrugged. "Suit yourself. Just don't die."
Jin didn't respond.
Didn't need to.
Because that wasn't part of the plan.
They exchanged a final nod.
Then separated.
Jin walked away.
His pace steady.
His thoughts simple.
The system was no longer incomplete.
Which meant—
There was no reason to hold back anymore.