Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player
chapter-58

After logging out of the game, Kieran made sure to have a proper meal and take advantage of his building's spectacular gym, getting a decent yet not too exhausting workout. This way, not only would his body grow progressively better, but he also felt energized as a whole.

Approximately an hour later, once he felt wholly rejuvenated, he returned to the game and sprinted with total abandon. Without the boost from Agrianos, Kieran needed to cover a certain amount of distance to remain safe. This type of behavior was a reckless way of travel, but Kieran could afford to be careless with the aegis present. It warded off all incoming monsters.

Besides, suppose he didn't adopt this style of travel. In that case, it'd be challenging to properly judge his chances of clearing the Wildes before the buff vanished.

As a result, Kieran employed a schedule. He would only log out to deal with personal situations once he thoroughly depleted his Stamina. In the time it took to recover, Kieran would do random odd tasks in reality, such as shower, relieve himself, etc.

This process was repeated many times until Kieran narrowly escaped the Wildes' dreadful environment!

Once he crossed the border of the Wildes, Kieran raised his hand in triumph. He had made it! Because of the difficulty of the prior quest, in addition to Kieran feeling relief, he wasn't up to suffering further surprises in this area.

Approximately one minute after he made it out, the Ancient Crimson Aegis evaporated, and Kieran keeled over, heaving endlessly.

'Damn… is the realism slowly increasing? The exhaustion is becoming more noticeable,' Kieran thought to himself. If it was genuinely increasing, Kieran was curious about the number of players who successfully cleared their class promotion.

'Two to three days, that's all it takes for average players to finish their first Class Promotion. Seeing as it is moving well into the third day, there should be people moving along to proper cities. Though that might be the case, there has yet to be any sign of someone triggering the dormant systems. I suppose it's safe to assume that they've yet to reach the requirements,' Kieran thought.

There were two reasons why Kieran wasn't worried about losing the first player promotion reward. Firstly, SSS Ranked Quests typically rewarded items and opportunities far more essential than a minor transition reward. If it were the Class Advancement Reward, Kieran would be more inclined to claim the first achievement, but it wasn't.

At most, the player would receive additional World Fame, Unassigned Attributes Points, and perhaps even Skill Points. However, to clear the promotion this quickly, the odds of the player's class having a normal rating was essentially guaranteed.

All they needed to do was complete whatever simple task their Class Mentor administered. Afterward, their evaluation would be judged and based on that evaluation, a set "transformation" took place.

In short, this transformation was the introduction of the Hidden Attribute—Constitution. It was the main attribute responsible for determining the coefficient of a player's stats. Constitution also played a significant role in a player's ability to contest higher-ranked monsters.

Without a Tier 1 Constitution, defeating or even safely battling against an Elite Champion was impossible. Those who believed that they could achieve this was living in a fantasy world!

The second reason was related to the benefits of a Hidden Class. Since they were in limited quantity, the benefits surpassed the combined effects of promoting first and obtaining an ordinary Intermediate Class.

Therefore, the proportional reward for an Intermediate Class was practically negligible in Kieran's eyes.

Pushing this thought to the back of his mind, Kieran then ventured toward Gena Village while hoping it would be his last time visiting this place. From here on out, Kieran solely wished for progression, not regression.

Approximately two hours later, Kieran reached the Warrior Hall to find Scar standing in the middle of the doorway. After giving Kieran the quest, he didn't leave this post.

"Has anyone from the Warrior Class been promoted yet?" Kieran questioned.

"Nope. Though I did sense many individuals coming and going from the nearby Halls. I guess that path of a Warrior is just not as enticing as it used to be. Nevertheless, do you have it?"

"I do," Kieran nodded before withdrawing the letter Agrianos personally handed to him.

Once the letter made contact with Scar's palm, a red array manifested in the air. It was quickly rearranged so that all of the misaligned portions intertwined perfectly. As Scar resolved the blood spell, the blood stamp dissolved into a crimson droplet that seeped into Scar's chest and disappeared entirely.

Reading through the letter, Scar's expression changed countless times. There was anger, pity, pride, elation, and disappointment surfacing on his face as he checked through its contents. With the assortment of emotions rapidly appearing upon Scar's expression, Kieran couldn't even begin to estimate what was recorded in the letter.

A few seconds later, the letter was burned to ashes by a crimson flame as Scar gave Kieran a slight grin.

"So I hear you've outdone yourself and more than gained the recognition of the master. While I'm proud that you've accomplished this, it appears you'll have to follow my path more closely than I previously thought. Something I truly didn't wish for," Scar expressed with a deep sigh.

"Follow your path more closely? What does that mean?" Kieran questioned. Although it seemed like a straightforward statement, people of Scar's caliber generally possessed more than one identity. It was possible that being a Mythical Hero wasn't the only title and position Scar was given.

"It means that you'll soon need to visit the War Deity Council, Hero's Sanctuary, and Wildes. It may even happen sooner than I wished. Thus, there is no time to dawdle. You wish to be our legacy's last successor, yes? Then let's get you prepared for it," Scar said.

Following this statement, many melodious chimes sounded in Kieran's ear as a string of notifications appeared.

〈System: Congratulations, you have cleared the Hidden Quest «The Berserk Path's Original Wielder»!〉

〈System: You have gained 50,000 Experience!〉

〈System: Your favorability with Scar has increased by 4,000 points! [Status: Honored]〉

〈System: Scar, The Bloody Hero has been registered as your «Exclusive Teacher»!〉

〈System: You have received the Special Personal Trait «Zero Loss of Potential»!〉

〈System: You are now eligible to accept the «True Berserker» Class Promotion!〉

Some might say the rewards of this quest appeared lackluster since it only rewarded 50,000 Experience, which was not even enough to allow Kieran to level up, but Kieran felt otherwise. Reading through his rewards thoroughly excited Kieran, especially the fact that Scar accepted him as an Exclusive Student.

This meant Scar would no longer serve as the Hall Master for the Warrior Hall. Instead, Kieran could come to him for exclusive guidance, quests, and several other advantages!

Secondly, Kieran could finally learn more about the mysterious Zero Loss of Potential that perplexed him this entire time. What he learned left him astonished! This trait was simply too ludicrous when it came to ensuring perfection.

「 Trait Name: Zero Loss of Potential

Trait Type: Personal Trait

Trait Rank: Special

Description: A special trait that only people of extremely high potential can awaken. Furthermore, it must be awakened before the first promotion. The holder of this trait isn't subject to the same diminishing returns that may plague average individuals.

Effect: Allows the holder to freeze their level at the cusp of each promotion range, maximizing the individual's potential for growth. All Experience gained will be compiled at set aside to be rewarded in one sitting.

Note: Only the Legacy of Heroes can reward this trait since they stress perfection. 」

The practicality of being able to freeze one's leveling progress could not be underestimated! The most obvious advantage was that Kieran no longer had to fear being over-leveled for specific content. This trait was essentially a cheat for monopolizing dungeons and other content related to the short transition period between class tiers.

Furthermore, Kieran found no cons to utilizing the power of this trait. It wasn't like the experience was sacrificed due to freezing his level. It was simply set aside to be administered later once Kieran successfully completed his Class Promotion.

Finally, after focusing on the last and admittedly most important notification, a screen appeared before Kieran. At the same time, Scar gazed at Kieran as if he was awaiting an answer despite not having uttered a word.

「 Hidden Class - True Berserker

Anger, wrath, fury, madness, and ruthlessness are traits attributed to an evil individual, yet they are found in every soul. Does that make every man inherently evil? Should a man be judged by the general standards for conditions that escape the orthodox?

Suppose a man plunged into a pit of carnage, delirium, and torment potent enough to seep into their very soul emerges in control. In that case, that is no mere man—that is a True Berserker.

One who embraces their every violent impulse for the truth that they are—imperfect perfection.

The path of a True Berserker is not one forged for the faint-hearted. Only one who has conditioned their mind, body, and soul to house endless torment can carry the original burden.

While one may be driven to madness, a True Berserker holds that madness in the palm of their hands and creates undeniable strength. A grim path of carnage and torment awaits the one chosen to accept this fate.

For every step a True Berserker takes, a thousand shall fall. Though wrath guides their actions, a True Berserker's forbearance is indisputable. The seed of destruction shall be sowed, and the fruit of wrath will bear its glory.

Is this the path you wish to take? [Y / N]? 」

"I am prepared," Kieran answered with a solemn expression.

"Then you must prepare your own torment."

〈System: You have accepted the Hidden Class Promotion Quest «True Berserker's Emergence I»!〉