A myriad of bright lights flashed through the interior of the carriage as the Class Change Crystal was activated by Elena. Leon watched on in wonder as the lights reflected in Elena’s eyes. He could not see what she saw, but he was able to tell that the sights that she was able to see through the System fascinated her.
This raised up a different thought in Leon’s mind. The System. This shackling mechanism that had been fastened around the ankles of every being in this world. The chains that bound them and prevented them from reaching greater heights.
If he wanted to reach his goals, then he needed to find a way to escape the confines of the System. As long as he kept on treading the path that had been fashioned by the System, then he doubted he would ever reach his end goals. But for now, he was too weak to even consider any of that. He could only think about it, but could not act on his inability to do anything for now. First of all, he would need to reach Peak A rank before he would be able to do anything from there.
Whoosh!
A gust of warm wind brushed against Leon’s face and he turned his attention back to the red haired girl sitting in front of him. Her eyes were concentrated on the crystal as it used its magical properties to change her Class.
Thanks to the high perception granted by not only his rank, but also his <Spell Weaver> skill, he was able to see how thin tendrils of dark, shadowy mana crept out of the crystal and wrapped around her body.
For a moment, Leon wanted to intervene, but his intuition told him that this was not harmful for Elena. It was something necessary, and was part of the Class Change process.
While he felt it was not harmful to her, Leon suspected that this process was something that had to do with the System limiting those who were subject to it. He would have to give this line of thought some serious considerations!
Another minutes passed before Elena returned from her trance-like state with a wide grin splitting her face.
“Thanks a lot.” She smiled and handed over the crystal back to Leon.
“You’re welcome. What did you choose?” He asked as he smoothly stored it within his spatial ring.
“I chose the Shadow Dancer as my new class. It is a Rare Class, and I was quite lucky to get it this early on!” Elena was clearly happy and excited as she explained to Leon.
“The Shadow Dancer is a Rare Class that doesn’t appear until around the third Class Change or so. It requires an affinity with Dark or Shadow magic.” She explained.
“I see… That’s pretty neat.” Leon nodded. He then listened as Elena explained a few more things, but nothing too important.
After the Class Change, she was eager to find something to fight and test her new strength. For a moment, she eyed Leon, contemplating whether or not to challenge Leon, but she soon threw the idea away, as it would just be demoralizing.
She managed to sit and contain her excitement for some time more until evening reached and the caravan stopped to make camp. Then she immediately ran away to find someone of a lower level to spar with. The weakest people in the group who were willing to spar with her were C rank, but she would manage that.
Leon stepped out of the carriage and immediately met with Eric who had been mingling with some of his men. The man had been spending time with the others to know how they were coping with the switch.
“My Lord.” Eric greeted him when he stopped at the log that Leon was sitting on. Ever since Leon had gifted him that fruit, he had become a very faithful subordinate, even referring to Leon with such a title. But it was not like he was complaining. With Eric showing such an attitude, it would be easier to convince the others to start referring to him as such too.
“Ah, Eric.” Leon nodded at the brown haired man, “How are the men?”
“They are okay. Most of them have made peace with their new allegiance. You do not have to worry about any deserters as long as you do not push them in the early period.” Eric explained, taking a seat on a conjured earth slab.
“That is good.” Leon nodded his head. He did not plan to push them to do anything against their morals. That was what Eric was warning him about, but he did not worry about it.
A few people went out to hunt some wild animals around the camp site, while some others started a large fire in the middle of the camp. All the wagons and carriages were parked in a way that they made a large circle around the camp.
Drinks and beverages were provided by the merchants who had enjoyed their time so far. They had been travelling for the past week without a single hitch. Whenever a group of monsters was discovered by the scouts, the fighters would set out ahead to wipe them out before the caravan even got close to the area. So they had been living in safety without needing to worry about their lives. This was a great thing, as every journey was followed with a multitude of risks.
Before long, a few animals were hunted and brought back to the camp, where they were cleaned and dressed neatly. The merchants provided the ingredients to cook the food, and before long, a pleasant aroma began wafting through the air.
“That smells nice.” Elena chirped from her seat beside Leon. She had finished fawning over her new skills and abilities, and had finally calmed down, much to the appreciation of the C rank woman that she had asked for help.
“Indeed it does.” Leon nodded his head.