Tanker or Assassin?

The three bars on Nathan's left wrist bracelet flashed rapidly. As the minutes slowly turned into hours, the bars continued to blink and refilled themselves until finally, he regained his senses.

[Blue Bar (Mana): 40%]

[Green Bar (Energy): 30%]

[Yellow Bar (Will Power): 10%]

Nathan opened his eyes quickly. He immediately woke up and took a quick moment to adjust his eyes to the darkness that surrounded him.

His heart pounded rapidly as he tried to recall what had happened.

"I fell unconscious right after defeating the boss of this dungeon. Luna, are you there?"

A beam of light spun in front of him, and Luna floated there.

"Master Nathan, you're really doing a great job," Luna said, beaming with satisfaction.

"I'm still breathing, so that's something," Nathan replied, wearing a broad grin.

"You should be proud of yourself, you're amazing!"

Nathan turned to look at the body of the Rat Warrior, who was lying dismembered near him.

He walked over to the monster, stepped on the monster's wrist, and grabbed its sword.

He looked at the description of the sword.

[Rotten Iron Sword]

[This sword grew up with someone who dreamed of becoming the best fighter among his people.]

[Grade: Normal]

Nathan squinted his eyes. "What kind of thing is this?"

Nathan gripped the sword. Its blade was full of grit. 

He twirled the sword, throwing a slash forward. He was satisfied and quite comfortable using the sword.

Nathan paid attention to the details of the sword. "Although this sword does not have any attractive features, it is still a sword. And I'm also trained to fight with two swords. I guess the souvenirs aren't bad either?"

Nathan then split the monster's body and grabbed a Monster Core there.

Nathan gripped the tiny rock with a big smile. "At least this horrible monster still left this thing for me. And-"

Nathan rechecked the notification he received when he defeated the monster.

"Why did I get an experience bonus of up to 550, Luna? Isn't that too big? And I reached level 11 in one try. Isn't this too easy? Or?"

"Experience bonuses are often given on several occasions for various achievements. And, of course, in this case, you truly deserved a bonus. You not only killed a monster that is far above your level, but it was also a boss monster."

"But, as the level increases, the experience required to level up also increases. It seems I'm still too early to be happy." He sighed.

"As your level increases, you will also be able to hunt stronger monsters, giving you more experience points."

Nathan nodded. "Okay, let's leave this dungeon, Luna."

Nathan turned and walked towards the circular portal that appeared after he had defeated the dungeon boss.

***

Nathan stepped out of the portal and put his feet on solid ground. A gust of night wind instantly brushed against his face, making the mud and blood covering it slowly dry up.

Nathan found a military figure guarding the dungeon. The man walked up to him.

"Woah, you're already back, kid?" The man raised his eyebrow. He walked past Nathan and approached the dungeon portal.

He was silent for a moment, then turned and walked to Nathan. "Phew… Nice try, kid. You managed to clear the dungeon." He was about to pat Nathan on the shoulder but halted when he noticed his extremely dirty state.

"Please take a bath there." He pointed instead to the emergency bathroom that was nearby.

Nathan nodded. "Thanks, sir."

"Your friend went camping there. Go, hurry, get to her after that."

Nathan ran slowly and entered the emergency bathroom, prepared by the military.

He took off his dirty clothes and immediately washed in the shower. The dry mud took some time to completely leave his body.

"Ugh…" Nathan groaned softly.

He felt the scars on several parts of his body.

"The wounds on my body actually healed faster than usual."

He gently touched the wounds. The slashes of the sword and the claws of the monsters. The wounds were not that deep. They were more than halfway healed already.

Luna suddenly appeared beside him.

"Tell me, Luna. If I were to open a new quest route, what kind of class would you suggest for me to take?"

After a while, she floated away, avoiding the splashing water, still sitting on her crescent moon. 

"So…. Master Nathan, do you have any other plans for your preferred fighting style?"

"I like direct combat. I like to use a sword, hammer, or spear. But in the future, I still need a partner or subordinate who can help me do even harder tasks-" 

Nathan was silent. Then he said, "Why do I feel like my task will be that heavy?"

"For now," he continued. "I want to focus on a class that matches the stats I will maintain in the near future. Like, for now, I'm focussing on Strength and Stamina, like what you suggested to me."

Luna nodded. "As a sword user, commonly known as the Warrior class, Strength and Stamina are the most important stats. And if you want to focus on those two stats for your next class. I suggest that you pick a tanker or assassin."

Nathan washed his shampoo-filled hair. He turned to face Luna. "Tanker? I'm not thinking of becoming a tanker. Getting the Berserker class is enough for me."

"Then, Assassin is the right choice. Because Assassins also use Strength stats, although this class relies more on Dexterity and Agility."

"Hmmm…." Nathan ended his bath. "I think adding Assassin to the combination of skills I currently have will feel quite weird. But it seems I got an idea about what class I'm going to take after this." He grinned.

Nathan finished his bath and prepared to meet Edna, however-

Suddenly, Nathan felt a warmth radiating on his chest. He glanced down and was astonished to see his crescent moon pendant, which was a gift from his mother, glowing brightly with a silvery light. 

"Huh? Why is this thing lit?" he exclaimed, grabbing it to take a closer look. He squinted curiously, wondering if it had any special powers. "Does this thing have any special powers?"

"That will be another surprise for you," Luna chimed, hovering around Nathan's body. 

"Surprise? Tell me, why is this thing lit, Luna?" he asked, eagerly awaiting her reply.

[Activating Crescent Moon Pocket Dimension]

[Cooldown Available]

[Visit Time: 30 mins]

"Pocket dimension? Something like dungeons?" he pondered. "This thing was left by my mother to me. Is this also what Leon is looking for?"

Nathan thought again about what Gardner might want from him. "Or is there something even more valuable in my house?"

"I'm really excited. Tell me, how do I activate this thing, Luna?"

Luna hovered over him. "Just say Enter Crescent Moon Dimension. And you will be transferred into that dimension."

"Will my body move physically, or is it just my mind?"

"Since this is a separate dimension, your body will be transferred completely."

"Hmm," Nathan nodded. He then walked towards the door, making it completely locked. "At the very least, I have to ensure no one doesn't force its way in while I'm away."

"Anyway, there's no one else in this place, and someone from the military has also left after the dungeon was successfully cleared." Nathan nodded, and "I'm ready. Enter the Crescent Moon Dimension."

The crescent moon pendant in Nathan's hand seemed to sparkle even more. A bright light appeared and then expanded rapidly, instantly wrapping around the young man's body and making him immediately disappear from the room.