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While we were selling the items we had gathered, a man wearing glasses approached us alone. The man asked if he could ride in the car we were using.
"Where are you headed, sir?" Bima asked the man.
"I want to go to Trowulan," the man replied.
"It looks like we're headed to the same place. Coincidentally, we're also going to Trowulan."
"That's great. So, what do you think? Can I come with you? There aren't many vehicles passing through here," the man pleaded with us.
"Of course, you're welcome to come along. We're happy to help you," I said, allowing him to join us.
"Thank you very much," the man with glasses said happily.
"So, shall we go now?"
"Hold on a second, Bima. I need to use the bathroom first." As I couldn't hold it in any longer, I went off to relieve myself before we continued our journey.
"Alright, be careful, Jay."
I left my friends to find a place to urinate. I headed into a forest not far from where we parked. The forest was quite vast, and I didn't dare go too deep. Inside, I smelled the scent of blood—evidence of a battle between players and monsters. Some trees were toppled, damaged, and bore claw marks and slashes from sharp weapons.
"Ahh, finally some relief. Now that I think about it, didn't that man also come from this direction? I guess he must have completed a quest around here. But did he really defeat all those monsters alone? Ah, never mind, it's none of my business. Still, if he did defeat them all by himself, he must be really strong. It would be great if he joined our party. I need to talk to him later. Alright, they're probably waiting for me."
After finishing, I returned to my friends to resume our journey. Everyone was already at the car, ready to go. They were waiting for me.
"Where have you been, Jay? Took you long enough. Did you get lost? Haha..." Bima joked.
"Sorry everyone, I didn't mean to keep you waiting. But there wasn't a toilet around, so I went near the forest," I explained.
"Alright, now that we're all here, let's get going," Loka said as we gathered.
We continued our journey to Trowulan. Along the way, we chatted with the man with glasses. He seemed intelligent and clever. Besides his appearance, he also knew a lot about the system. Not as much as I did, of course, but for someone new to this catastrophe, he was quite quick to understand. Still, I felt like he was hiding something.
"Oh, by the way, what's your name?" I asked.
"Sorry, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Yusa—Yusa Sanjaya. I was a lawyer before, and in this system, I have the Warrior job," the man said.
"Warrior? You mean you're a fighter?" Bima looked confused.
"You guys don't know about Job Classes?" Yusa asked us.
(Everyone shook their heads)
According to the novel I read, Job Class is a profession that players obtain after reaching level 5. It can be accessed through the player's status screen and activated by clicking the Job feature. The job a player receives depends on their particular skill proficiency.
At the base level, there are seven types: Tanker, Warrior, Archer, Mage, Assassin, Lancer, and Production. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. As players level up, their proficiency grows, and so does their Job Class, evolving into a specialized job.
For example, a Warrior can become a Sword Master if their swordsmanship improves, or an Archer may become a Sniper if they excel in precision shooting. The same applies to other jobs.
However, Production jobs aren't combat-focused. Players with this job improve by crafting things, such as a Blacksmith who works with metal.
There is also a Unique Job Class, outside the basic seven. I don't know much about it, but those who obtain it are potential powerful players. Very few are able to get this job.
"I'll show you. First, open your status screens," Yusa instructed.
"S T A T U S O P E N!" Everyone shouted.
"Now look at the bottom of your name. You should see a locked Job feature. Click it and then activate it."
"Wow, so this is my Job Class! Cool!" Bima exclaimed in excitement.
"See? Now you all have your own jobs."
"You're right. Thank you, Yusa. This is my job now in the system," Loka said happily.
"Something wrong, Jay?" Yusa noticed I was thinking deeply.
"Oh, no... nothing. Sorry, I was just spacing out."
"Are you tired, Jay? You can sleep if you want. It's still a long journey," Loka offered.
"It's not that. It's just... Hey, Yusa, can I ask you something?" I gathered my courage to ask.
"Of course."
What I was thinking about was the scene in the forest. Something felt off—not just the blood, but everything. I knew that when monsters were defeated, they and their blood vanished. So, the blood I saw might have been from players. But I found no bodies. Plus, Yusa came from that direction alone. I wanted to know what really happened there.
"You see, before we left, I went into the forest to relieve myself. I saw signs of battle. From what I know, monsters disappear completely when defeated, including their blood. So why was there still blood? Also, you came from that direction, didn't you? Did you defeat all the monsters there alone, or..."
"Or what, Jay?" Roro asked curiously.
"Did you kill the players in the forest?"
"Jay, I think you're going too far," Loka objected.
"No, I didn't mean to accuse him. I'm just curious. It took all five of us to defeat a Wandering and we were badly injured. I'm just wondering if he's really that strong."
"I suppose I should tell you what happened. First, I'm sorry for worrying you all. Actually, I wasn't alone in the quest. I had teammates just like you, and we worked together until the final quest. We had to fight a Boss Monster in the forest..." Yusa began to explain.
"Wait, sorry to interrupt. Do you mean the quest right before you met us?" I asked.
"Yes, exactly. In the previous quest, my team and I faced the Boss Monster in that forest."
(In my mind) So, Yusa had a different quest from us. We fought a Wandering, not a Boss Monster. It seems quests vary depending on the area. The novel I read didn't explain that in detail. Now I understand better how the quest system works.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No, Yusa. Jay was just confused because we had a different quest before. That was back in Jakarta, yesterday. So our quests must have been different," Loka clarified.
"I see. Alright, I'll continue. My team had five people. We were in the same party and faced the Boss together. It was a tough battle. In the end, all my friends sacrificed themselves so I could land the final blow. They died to give me a chance. Before the quest started, we made a promise to go to Trowulan and clear the Tower Dungeon. That was our final promise. That's why I'm going there now—to fulfill it."
"I'm sorry, Yusa. I was too harsh. I'm really sorry for your friends," I apologized.
"It's okay, Jay. It's a fate I can't change, no matter how hard it is."
After hearing Yusa's story, we continued our journey. But halfway there, something bad happened. The bridge we were supposed to cross had collapsed. We didn't know what to do.
(Bima braked suddenly)
"Ouch! Why'd you brake so suddenly, Bima?" Loka asked.
"Sorry, but I think we're stuck. Look!" Bima pointed ahead, where the bridge had been destroyed.
We all looked. It was hard to believe—we were so close, yet something like this happened.
"The bridge is gone. We can't cross." Bima looked worried.
"What? We were almost at Yogya!" Roro was disappointed.
"Yogya? I thought you were headed to Trowulan," Yusa said.
"We are going to Trowulan, Yusa. But we planned to spend a day at Roro's house first. You should come too," Loka invited.
"A vacation? Oh, I'd love that. If it's no trouble," Yusa smiled.
"But how will we cross? We're on the wrong side of the bridge," Arya asked.
"I don't know. I think our best option is to find another route. But it'll take more time," Bima said.
"There's a river with strong currents below. If we fall, we're done for," I said after looking down.
"You're right, Jay. The best choice is to find another route," Loka agreed.
"Guys, I have a way for us to cross safely!" Roro suddenly spoke up.
"What is it, Roro?" Bima asked.
"By building a new bridge!" Roro said confidently.
Everyone laughed.
"We can't build a bridge. We don't have the materials or tools. How would you do it?" Bima questioned.
"With magic, of course!" Roro said proudly.
"Magic?" We were all surprised.
"Yes! I'm a Mage and now that I've reached level 10, I can use magic. This will be my first time using it, but I'll give it my best!" Roro explained.
"Wow, Roro is already level 10? I'm a little jealous," Loka teased.
"Alright then, go ahead and try your magic, Roro. We believe in you," I encouraged her.
"Okay, leave it to me!"
Everyone stood behind Roro and watched as she cast her spell.
"Oh gentle water, source of life, flowing from the sea to barren lands. Show us the way to the ocean, where the Queen rejoices. Haaa... Water Bridge!"
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To Be Continued