Chapter 337: The Assassins’ Hobby

Charlie had done it, she had reached the cap of her Class at Rank F and unlocked her long-awaited Epic Skill.

“Lady Charlie, you fought very well,” Anne said softly, watching as Charlie practiced a few elegant swings with her sword. She even clapped, quietly but sincerely.

“What about me, Anne? Did I do well too?” Jack asked hopefully.

Anne turned to him and shook her head. No hesitation.

They kept walking through the forest, a truly peculiar group: Luke, Charlie, Anne, and Jack.

The reason the two healers were tagging along was simple. Their class could level faster if they healed or used support spells during combat. Practicality over preference.

“You’re still the one lagging behind, Jack,” Luke said as they made their way along the path. “Even Eleanor hit level sixty in her profession already.”

Eleanor had reached level sixty and evolved her class from Archer to Bounty Hunter. According to her, it made perfect sense. She had been hunting down rogue criminals, and her obsession with magical items apparently sealed the deal. Bounty Hunters tracked down monsters too, hoping for rare drops or valuable parts to sell.

“Yeah, well, I hit level sixty in my class before she did,” Jack grumbled.

Eleanor had even unlocked her Rank Skill. It was odd, but somehow useful. She could control her hair. The utility? She could use it to pull arrows from her quiver and hand them to herself mid-battle.

Luke had no idea how the system decided that reflected her personality, and he wasn’t brave enough to ask.

Of their entire team, only two still hadn’t reached the peak of Rank F: Allison and Jack.

At least Jack had hit level fifty. His focus now was reaching level sixty to unlock his Epic Skill. But since he had tweaked his Woodcutter build for combat, chopping wood wasn’t going to cut it anymore. He needed real fights.

Luke stopped by a slender, towering tree that leaned awkwardly against thicker ones. He flicked a kukri, slicing through a branch. It fell cleanly, scattering a few heavy fruits onto the ground.

“You and your weird hobbies,” Jack muttered.

Out of all the fruits Luke had collected since arriving in the capital, this one was the most valuable. Extremely rare, so much so that this patch of forest was the only place they grew.

“This little hobby of mine,” Luke said, picking up one of the fruits, “is going to pay off when I retire.”

He inspected it closely.

[Midnight Cacao]: Dark and heavy pods with black seeds that release a warm, rich aroma. The taste is deep, slightly bitter, yet smooth and faintly sweet, powerful enough to leave a craving after every bite.

That fruit could be turned into chocolate. Not just any chocolate, a delicacy made from ingredients of the First Universe. Something unlike anything his world had ever tasted.

Whistling contentedly, Luke stored the fruit in his inventory.

“Cool… hobby,” Anne said with a small nod.

“See, Jack? She gets it,” Luke replied, walking again.

The truth was, Anne only liked it because she loved cooking. Anything related to food fascinated her.

“My hobby… is cool… too,” Anne said, holding up the heart of a minotaur like a trophy.

“Oh… gods,” Jack muttered, looking away. For a healer, he wasn’t great at handling organs being waved around.

“Yes, very cool,” Luke said, playing along with his doll-like companion. “You’d do great in a horror movie.”

Jack dropped his axe beside a tree, panting.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I can’t walk another step,” Jack groaned, leaning against a tree.

“Man, you really need to work on your stamina,” Luke replied.

“I’m a healer. I don’t level up stamina,” Jack shot back.

That was one of Jack’s biggest problems. His class basically turned him into a mage who specialized in healing and barrier magic. Every single free point he earned went straight into Intelligence or Vitality, more mana meant more healing power and stronger barriers. The downside was that his Woodcutter skills relied on stamina. The more he used them, the quicker he burned out. Add Strength Infusion on top of that, and he was gasping for air after just a few swings.

Luckily, Luke had given him the minotaur axe. Its blade carried a heating enchantment that boosted its cutting power when charged with mana.