For a while, Valyr stared at his notification screen, intently reading through the notifications he'd obtained from the Serpent Maiden over and over again.

Then, after taking in a deep breath, he looked at the woman that stood before him as he voiced out the question that popped up in his mind. "Mind if I obtain more information on the subclass you're giving me?"

Of course, the young man was asking this question just to be safe.

In reality, he didn't need to ask the Serpent Maiden for more information. The fact that it was a Growth type subclass that was suited for his path was more than enough for him to accept it.

However, it was that same reason why he began to have a few doubts about it.

After all, there was no mention of how suitable the subclass was for his path. That part was more important than the fact that it was a Growth type subclass.

What use would a Growth type subclass have if it did not make any use of things that were currently in his path? If that were the case, he would waste a lot of time cultivating skills and whatnot to suit the subclass rather than continue improving himself.

As this thought came to mind, he also thought that there was also the possibility of it being worse than his current Shadow Serpentine Manalancer subclass, prompting him to double down on his decision of asking her for more information.

Hearing the young man's request, the Serpent Maiden faintly nodded in response. "That would not be a problem. I suppose it was a mistake on my part on keeping a portion of the information hidden to you."

As she spoke in a slightly apologetic tone, she brought up her screen once more, interacting with it to the extent that a slight frown briefly appeared on her face at one point.

Ding!

Hearing a series of notification sounds resound in his mind again, Valyr looked back at the Serpent Maiden for a bit, seeing that she now adorned a refreshing smile on her face.

"I presume this would be more than enough to ease your worries," said the Serpent Maiden after taking notice of his gaze, prompting the young man to return to his attention the notification screen once more.

Unsurprisingly, the notifications now contained more information on the subclass he would obtain.

However, it was that same information that left the young man at a loss for words once more, briefly gazing at the Serpent Maiden with his mouth agape in the midst of it.

[The Saintess of the Shadow Plane has decided to bestow upon you a Growth type subclass that takes into consideration your proficiency with the concept of Azure Energy, as well as its fusion with the concept of the Four Elements.]

[This Growth type subclass is named the Four Paths Azure Magi-lancer subclass, taking inspiration from your current subclass, as well as the origins of said subclass.]

[This subclass starts at an initial rarity similar to your current subclass. However, its potential allows you to ascend the subclass to Mythic grade, with the possibility of even higher grades left open.]

[This subclass shall replace your current subclass of Shadow Serpentine Manalancer.]

[Would you like to accept?]

With the subclass now clearer than ever to him thanks to the notifications, it went without saying that the young man immediately accepted the prompt he was given him, making sure to thank the Serpent Maiden in the process.

In response to the young man's words of gratitude, the Serpent Maiden merely chuckled, taking delight in his abrupt shift in emotion.

Whoosh!

Within seconds after accepting the prompt, Valyr felt the Azure Energy within his body began to surge, circulating throughout his body without him controlling it.

At first, the sensation of the energy circulating on its own brought him discomfort. Though, as time passed, that discomfort gradually disappeared, instead transforming into a sensation he was more than familiar with at this point.

'I'm getting stronger.'

Although he wasn't sure which part exactly was getting stronger about him, by the time the process was done, the young man felt that his body had been more or less refined, containing a bit more strength than it used to.

Ding!

With notifications appearing in his mind the exact moment the transformation was done, Valyr adorned a smile as he brought up a screen before him.

[Your subclass 'Shadow Serpentine Manalancer (Rare)' has been changed to 'Four Paths Azure Magi-lancer (Rare - Growth)'.]

Confirming that his subclass had indeed changed to the subclass the Serpent Maiden was offering, the young man continued to look through his notifications.

[Some properties of the previous subclass have been inherited, allowing you to scale your Attack stat off either your DEX stat or your INT stat, depending on the skill used.]

[Some properties of the previous subclass have been inherited and enhanced, increasing the efficacy of the Attack stat on skills that rely on INT to be equal to skills that rely on DEX.] 'Huh.' Reading that the subclass removed the penalty on his Attack stat whenever he used skills that mainly based off INT, the young man's smile turned wider, letting out a chuckle before moving onto the remaining notifications.

After all, with the 20% penalty now gone, it meant that his combat prowess had undergone immediate improvement.

"Hmm..." By the time the young man's eyes landed on the last few notifications he obtained, a slight frown replaced the smile he had as he hadn't come across such notifications before.

[You have complete a prerequisite quest to ascend your subclass to the next rarity.] [Ascend one's Intent Seed related to Shadow Energy to an Intent (1/1)]

[...]

'Do all Growth type subclasses have this?' Looking at the last notifications in detail, it mentioned that he had completed three prerequisite quests that would allow him to ascend his subclass to the next stage.

Curious to find out more about it, Valyr went ahead and commanded the system to bring up the list of prerequisite quests needed for the subclass to ascend.

Ding!

Growth Quests (Four Paths Azure Magi-lancer):

> Ascend one's Intent Seed related to Shadow Energy to an Intent (1/1)

> Ascend one's Intent Seed related to mana to an Intent (1/1)

> Increase one's Azure Energy reserves to 250 (0/1)

> Comprehend a combat skill that utilizes Azure Energy and the Four Azure Paths (1/1) Rewards: Ascension of the Four Paths Azure Magi-lancer subclass to Epic rarity, additional skills and other miscellaneous rewards

Looking at the small screen that popped up beside the notification screen, Valyr raised his eyebrow in surprise after seeing that he only needed to complete another quest to ascend his subclass to Epic grade.

'So easy?' Getting excited from the fact that it wouldn't be long till he had an Epic grade subclass, the young man decided to take a look at the list of quests his class had, recalling that

it was Growth type as well.

Ding!

Growth Quests (The First Blacksmith):

> Forge 3 weapons that are at least Epic+ grade or higher (0/3)

> Upgrade an item to Legendary grade (0/1)

> Ascend one's Intent related to forging up to the 5th Grade (0/1)

> Emulate 80% or more of the properties of an average Rare + grade tool through [Ephemeral

Tools of the First Blacksmith] (0/1)

Rewards: Ascension of the First Blacksmith class to Ancient + grade, additional skills and other miscellaneous rewards

Unfortunately, aside from the positive news of finding out that all things related to the Growth property had quests attached to them, Valyr found out that he was nowhere near completing any of the prerequisite quests needed to ascend it to the next grade.

'In any case, this is the first time I've seen a class having a rarity that's between two grades,' thought the young man to himself as he closed the screens in front of him. 'Then again, information like that wasn't widespread among the players back then.'

'All I knew back then was the fact that they could ascend through rarities with ease,' muttered

the young man inwardly as he nodded in satisfaction. 'Now that I have them, I can confirm

that such fact is more than true.'

Though Valyr did not currently have the opportunity to complete the quests needed to ascend

his class any time soon, the young man was confident that he could complete a number of them once he was out of the Shadow Plane.

"So, are you satisfied with the reward I've given you, Valyr?" Once she noticed that the young

man was finished going through his system, the Serpent Maiden went ahead and asked him a

question.

Of course, the young man grinned as he nodded. "More than satisfied. I'm incredibly grateful to receive such a reward, Serpent Maiden."

"I'm glad to hear that." The Serpent Maiden chuckled in response. "Now, how about we move on to your next reward?" "There's more?" asked the young man back, his eyes widening in slight disbelief.

"Four in total, with that subclass being the first," replied the woman, incredibly amused with

Valyr's reaction. "I must remind you that your actions have contributed greatly to the betterment of the Shadow Plane. This is just me returning the favor."

Hearing those words, Valyr soon became confused. "Didn't you only give Sellifer the method

to achieve atavism when she first created Azure Energy?"

"I did." The Serpent Maiden nodded. "However, I compensated her with more rewards the moment she was successful in her atavism."

"In any case, let's not waste any more time."

At those words, Valyr looked back at the Serpent Maiden, only to see her slowly move towards

him.

Then, slightly bending her knees, the woman looked at her with a faint smile before...

Kissing him on the lips.

"..." With how sudden her move was, Valyr unsurprisingly stared at the woman with widened

eyes, the thoughts in his mind a garbled mess that ultimately asked the same question.

'... Why? For what reason?' Compared to the subclass he obtained, how could a kiss to the lips match its worth?

Fortunately, the young man obtained the answer to his question not long after being kissed. However, it came with the caveat of falling unconscious before he could find that out.

Thud.

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