HC:Pacifist | Ch. 51 - First of a Kind

Roth hesitated.

"Can you give me one moment to think about it?"

Roth felt a breeze caress his skin. Somehow he knew that the Treeant was saying a telepathic yes.

The choice in front of Roth was a very important one. On the one hand, being offered a unique class was a golden opportunity. Very few were given such a choice. Should he accept it?

It had been over a month since he had been locked up in the game. He would keep trying to try getting out, but nothing had come from his attempts so far. If reaching the top 10 was the only way of leaving playing the game the way everyone else was doing, it would probably not cut it.

Many players as talented as him, or even more so, had big guilds behind them, nurturing and supporting them. A conventional path would not take Roth over the competition. A hidden class might be the only way to go. By now, beads of sweat were soaking his hair. Echoes of what he had read in the forums about players resetting their accounts came back to haunt him.

This wasn't like the decision to become a broker. There was no coming back. He could delete professions he didn't like, but that wasn't the case with classes. Until now, he had found nothing in the forums that mentioned it was possible to delete a class. When people talked about giving up on a class, they always referred to resetting their characters and starting over with a new account. Unlike other players, he couldn't afford the luxury of resetting his character.

Besides that, there was something fishy here. Why would the Treeant praise his peaceful playstyle only to describe what sounded like a warrior class? It made no sense. Why would it praise peace and offer him a class designed to battle? It didn't make sense. It wasn't the first time an NPC tested him. Roth decided to trust his gut.

“I am sorry, oh Lord. I'm on the side of all life. I can’t harm my fellow man any more than I can harm this forest's mice, foxes, and boars.

I believe you have the right to a peaceful existence, but it is not my way to do so using the sword. I ask you to find someone else to be your guardian, for I want only to be your friend.”

All creatures in the clearing froze, staring at Roth. Prince Piglet let out a chuckle that broke the silence.

+10 Righteousness.

Congratulations, you now possess a [Good] alignment.

You have gained unlocked the [Kind-Hearted] alignment bonus.

“Alas, you’re even more righteous than I thought, human. I respect your decision. The way of the sword is one of strife. But there are things mightier than swords. Your path is noble and your heart is true.

Even so, you have become friends with all life in these woods. They all have asked me to bestow a gift to you that will perpetuate our bonds. Please accept this token of our relationship.”

Secret Conditions Fulfilled:

[Friend of Ratans]

[Friend of Foxes]

[Friend of Badgers]

[Friend of Corvids]

[Friend of Boars]

Good

Would you like to trade [Friend of Ratans], [Friend of Foxes], [Friend of Badgers], [Friend of Corvids], and [Friend of Boars] for a reward from the Lord of the Forest?

Roth's frowned. He had worked hard to unlock these five titles. He recalled all the adventures that he had gone through to befriend all these races. They offered him ten extra stats!

Roth sighed and accepted. He had to take a risk here. He had already made clear that he wouldn’t stand for violence. Anything he was about to be given should only be coherent with his path.

You have changed races. You are now a [Zoomorph].

Congratulations. You're the first [Zoomorph] in the game. You've unlocked a new title: [First of a Kind].

Roth was stunned. He still hadn't opened any descriptions of the rewards he'd been given, but his efforts had paid off. He had found a race!

“This way, you will always remember the bond that binds us together, human.”

“I thank you, Lord. I appreciate your trust.” Roth spoke from his heart; however, there was only so much patience a human could have. He had to hurry out of there to analyze the rewards he was given and do his victory dance.

"Goodbye, Lord. Goodbye, prince."

Roth walked away.

“Lord, this was my first hearing of the Woodland Warrior.”

“There is no such a thing.”

“Why did you offer it to him?”

“It was a test.”

“What would have happened if he’d failed it?”

“I wouldn't have given him such a valuable reward.”

*

Roth thirstily went through the description of his new race.

Zoomorph (Hidden Race)

Race Description: By spending much time with different mutated beasts, your cells have captured the essence of some of their strength. The Lord of the Woods has awakened your genetic potential, allowing you to exhibit some of its unique strengths.

Racial Effects:

Nature speaks to you, and you listen;

All animals like your smell.

Racial Skills:

Ratan Form: You can activate this form and convert up to half of your other stats into dexterity. Cooldown: 21h20m

Fox Form: You can activate this form and convert up to half of your other stats into charisma. Cooldown: 21h20m

Badger Form: You can activate this form and convert up to half of your other stats into intelligence. Cooldown: 21h20m

Corvid Form: You can activate this form and convert up to half of your other stats into wisdom. Cooldown: 21h20m

Boar Form: You can activate this form and convert up to half of your other stats into strength. Cooldown: 21h20m

What an incredible race! When Roth went to Greensburg, he had seen a lizardman warrior walking down the street and he had used some of the time on his journey back to the Green Woods to study what the forum said about races.

According to the forums, lizardmen were the most common race players could change to. All it required was for one to perform a series of quests in the swamp and build up influence with the Lizardmen living there. The locations of the villages and the different questlines were available for free. That meant that it was public knowledge by now.

Many warrior-like classes seemed to like this race because of the bonuses to stats it gave. It increased strength by a considerable amount while reducing intelligence. Lizardmen were also taller than humans, and in body combat, the wider reach could make a big difference in winning a fight.

However, the biggest perk of the race seemed to be the powerful tail one gained from changing into a lizard man. It unlocked some unique racial skills that opened up many possibilities in combat. Some guides were available for sale for real-life money or in-game currency, explaining how to become better at using one's tail.

Another famous race that wasn’t kept secret was that of the oceanlings. It was a specially popular race among the players that started the game in the Water Caves.

Whenever an oceanling was inside the water, they gained a bonus for their swimming speed and stats and, more importantly, allowed players to breathe underwater.

On the other hand, if one enjoyed adventuring across a wide range of maps, this race had many liabilities. Mermen suffered a massive debuff when they had to do a quest in the Fire Pits or the Sun Desert.

Every perk had a downside, so no race could be said to be better than the other. But depending on how your character was built, there were advantages in choosing a race.

What Roth enjoyed the most about his new race was that it kept all doors open for him, regardless of where this playstyle took him in the future. It was very versatile. For example, if he was crafting something that benefited from additional dexterity, he could activate [Ratan Form].

If he was overloaded with goods on a trip between the woods and the city, he could activate [Boar Form] and increase his weight capacity.

The greatest strength of this race was that he could relocate unused stats as needed. Inevitably, players would gain stats that they did not necessarily use. With the [Zoomorph] race, however, that wasn't a problem.

Like the lizardman or the sealing race, zoomorph also had liabilities. Its greatest weakness was that no form was balanced. The other was the long cooldown. Additionally, while changing into a lizardman or a sealing gave some stats to players, he hadn't received any. The benefits that he gained were enigmatic, and Roth couldn't understand what they would be used for. Nature speaks to you, and you listen? All animals like your smell? What did that even mean?

He wondered if these were the only forms he could take. After all, there were many different stats in the game. He already had five forms that allowed him to bolster five stats. Could there be additional forms that could allow him to boost other stats?

He would have to try to get to meet other races later. Perhaps there was more potential here to be unlocked. Additionally, from what he had recognized up until now, the game was so well-designed that there was a path that fit his shoes. He had to stick to his guns and keep playing the game on his terms.

There was also the new title he had received.

[First of the Kind] (Epic)

Title description: You are the first of your race in AstroTerra. You have braved new territory and have been greatly rewarded for it.

Title effects:

+10% Cooldown Reduction

+50HP

+5% charisma

Conditions to unlock [First of the Kind]:

- Discover a race; {complete}

- Or discover a class.

Another epic title? He had received two epic titles within the hour. That's it. He had to do his victory dance now. He looked left and right, and after making sure no one was watching, he gave himself a beat and busted a few fancy moves.

This title was terrific! It was undoubtedly well-deserved, though. Being the first to unlock a race or a class was no easy feat and warranted a reward of this caliber. It was the first time he was gaining any cooldown reduction. Since all his racial skills and his [Miniaturize] skill had long cooldowns, this was certainly a valuable stat for him to cultivate.

He went back to the description of his race. Had the title not been in effect, he would have had to wait 24 hours between each transformation. Saving two hours and forty minutes was no small matter.

Finally, Roth checked what [Kind-Hearted] did.

[Kind-Hearted] (Alignment Bonus)

Description: You have been judged as a kind soul and a generous man. Your character shines through even in adversity, and people see goodness in your heart.

Bonus effects: +1 to all stats; causes a favorable impression with righteous NPCs.

Roth hadn't known there would be a definite bonus to stats after unlocking alignment! At least it made up for some of the stats he had lost by giving away his [Friend of...] titles. It also stacked nicely with his [Martyr] title. Roth couldn't wait to see how NPCs would react to him now.

After counting all his rewards, Roth looked at his stats window.

CHARACTER INFORMATION

Name: Pax

Race: Zoomorph

Profession(s): [Broker Lvl. 7]

Level: 13

Affinity: [Empty]

Alignment: Good (110/300)

Relationships:  Badgers (1193/3000); Boars (1144/3000); Dogs (102/300); Dwarf Exiles (105/300); Foxes (1184/3000); Greenleaf Inc. (100/300); Corvids (1206/1000); Ratans (2000/3000); Treeants (400/1000)

Titles: [Art Enthusiast]; [Discoverer of Species]; [Explorer]; [First of the Kind]; [Martyr]; [Marathonist]; [Overachiever]; [Pioneer]; [Polyglot]; [Revered]; [Richling]

STATS (65 Free Stat Points)

Hp:197

Energy:146

Damage Reduction: 40.4%

Cooldown Reduction: 10%

Running Speed: 144.2%

Weight: [Light] - (0/70Kg)

Strength: 41

Dexterity: 28

Intelligence: 25 (+1%)

Wisdom: 26

Endurance: 225

Charisma: 26 (+5%)

EQUIPMENT

Right Hand:[Empty]

Left hand: [Tin Ring]

Shoes: [Crappy Shoes]

Bottom: [Woodland Trousers]

Top: [Woodland Jacket]

Gloves: [Empty]

Head: [Woodland Hood]

Cape: [Errand Cloak]

Accessories: [Crow Feather Earring]; [Crow Feather Earring]; [Crow Feather Necklace]

SKILLS:

Stat Bonuses: [Stone Skin]; [Horse’s Gallop]; [Kind-hearted]

Profession Related: [Discount]; [Porter]; [Supplier's Fortune]

Passive: [Empty]

Active: [Grapple]; [Healing Ray]; [Search] [Shepherd’s Shout]; [Taunting Shout];

It felt good to see how far along his character had come. By far, his new race was his favorite reward. The thought of being able to transform into...

A light bulb lit in Roth's mind. He could transform! He took off toward the Fox Tunnels. There was something he had to try!

Ch. 50 - Woodland Warrior

INDEX

Ch. 52 - The Tomes