Han wanted to slam his head against the walls right now—maybe, not really hard enough to kill him but just enough to knock himself out. What was he thinking that time? He had fun saying stuff that pertained to his world and maybe baffling the people when he did it, but that one thing was too close to home.
Literally. Truly?
But the mere fact was that—
Han grabbed his head and dug his fingers into his scalp, he was stupid. An idiot. A complete buffoon. And his head throbbed along with his chest as he thought about the effects. One glowing disco-ball light didn't seem much but what if they actually knew that he wasn't from here? That he was some Soul inhabiting the body of a… character that he created? No, it didn't seem to fit either.
The people in the Rockfall Village acted like they've known him all his life.
So that meant that 'Han' grew up in this world and that—it was all of these webnovels he'd been reading. Or was it all generated? It didn't feel like that to him. It wasn't just him being caught up in a virtual reality isn't it? Even if the world was shared and proposed to him as a 'Virtual Life Simulation', it didn't mean that it was that, did it? False Advertising and Marketing. The mere fact that it was the Creators who'd done this—a capital C—that he hadn't paid much attention, it meant that they were gods who created this world.
Gods?
Han Jing wasn't sure but one thing was quite clear. Someone created this world of magic and levels, filled with countless people of different Races...
And he was tampering with it.
Vice versa perhaps.
The Players who were here were no doubt gaining Skills and Spells in their own actual lives while also having their own life here—but if they wanted to? Someone knowledgeable, someone who could bring about changes… the technology in this world could escalate. If he wanted to. Or if someone else wanted to.
"Hey!"
The sound of bells clang around the entire corridor along the same time that he realized that the young man was shaking his shoulder. Han looked up from his spot and saw the irritation flash on Timothy's face—an NPC? A real person? A friend?
Did it even matter?
"If you plan on skipping your class, don't include me on it. I'm going now." Timothy reached for his bag and pulled it across his shoulder. "I'll see you at lunch, oh fu—" The man scampered away from him and left Han Jing alone. The guy looked back one last time, "Don't get lost and get to class, idiot!"
Even they called him an idiot.
Well, Timothy acted too much like a harsh guy and they were, but like some old moss—it kind of grew on you in a way. Han pulled up himself to his feet and stretched. He rubbed his face and shook his head, and that was because he needed to get his game-mode on. It was time for him to get to his class and actually get his head out of the clouds.
Vortex of his gripes on the world if he wanted to be poetic about it.
Han soon ran off and made his way back to the courtyard. It was time for Physical Combat Class and compared to the other classes, this was something that Han kind of managed to get through all by himself. As he plopped down on the familiar grass, which he once again found to be coated of ice shards and other signs of elemental damage—he half-wondered what variety the grass was to actually be able to withhold the damages.
He saw the sight of well-polished shoes crush the blades of grass.
"Oh, there you are, Han. Why are you sitting there?" Sir Leon de Harrington asked him.
He looked up and realized that he had plopped randomly in the grass and hadn't joined the circle of Students. Although to be fair, the Professor wasn't present yet. Han scratched the back of his head and managed a grin, "Oh you know, trying to look introspective by sitting alone? Who knows, I might get a new Class?"
A small chuckle escaped from the man's lips, and it sounded genuine. "I'm not sure if there's actually a Class for simply thinking...oh, wait. I have heard of a Philosopher Class but I doubt that's what you're referring to." He offered a hand to him, "You should join us in front, Timothy and Ellynn aren't here so you don't have to isolate yourself."
Han wordlessly took it as the man pulled him up, "What do you mean by that?"
"The two of them are quite… they're recluse, if I have to be honest. They have their reasons for it perhaps? But one does not live in this world by keeping himself alone and without companions." A thoughtful look was apparent on the man's face, he began to walk back to the grass.
Han reluctantly followed after them. "I mean, I do agree with you, but there's nothing wrong with being alone at times. Don't you get overwhelmed when there's too many people?"
"Overwhelmed? Well, I guess there's too many conversations that you'd have to follow and that's overwhelming when you don't have a Skill or skill to help you with it. But it's quite enjoyable when you get used to it."
What they said about needing others in this world was true, of course. Nobody was an island. But it wasn't like Han was the type who really liked being in huge and numerous circles of friends either. So far, the Noble only had a handful of people he spent his time with but when they wanted it?
The guy could get paparazzi like he did during lunch yesterday.
It was just yesterday.
Han really needed to take a mental accounting of all the dates and events sometimes, they were all too bundled up together that he couldn't tell which was which. He walked past the other Students and soon made their way to the front where Donovan and Angelika were present. A few other Students he didn't know also stuck to them. The only one he could remember was the girl with the long stick in her hand—she looked Asian.
Well, not look.
But her fighting style was.
Sir Leon's voice came again, and his voice was smooth if not too casual as he said this. "I couldn't help but notice that when you said, 'I might get a new Class'—the way you phrased it was... well, you made it sound like you gained a Class. If you did, I think congratulations is in order, do you not agree?"
Han froze for a moment.
The Noble deduced that from just those six words? He didn't even realize his own words when he said it—and he probably should have said something now. He should have denied or confirmed it. Instead, the man found himself hacking his chest and coughing. His own body betrayed him in this hour.
"Are you alright, did I surprise you?" The man's brows furrowed together.
"...You could tell?"
Sir Leon de Harrington tapped his cheek for a moment, "Well…" The man moved closer to him and their voice was kept low. "Hmm… will you promise to tell me the truth if I told you something of value?" His voice was hush and the Noble's gaze studied him. It was as if they were reading him and trying to see if they were trustworthy—or maybe Han had something in his eye.
The intensity of their look made him gulp. How serious were they about 'congratulating' him for gaining a Class? Han had already mentioned it to Timothy—well, the other guy didn't make a big deal of it. But Han did tell his companion that he was a Multi-Classer and Tim had instead asked if he gained the Mage Class.
Which he still hadn't.
But just a bit more!
The Noble cleared their throat and began to speak, compared to their earlier disposition. He was more guarded and even cautious, they waved a hand at him. "A tiny secret that only selected people of Nobility and notable people are aware of is the secret to leveling. It may seem like common sense but leveling and gaining a Class pertains more to facing an insurmountable problem. To a Warrior, it's quite easy—one can delve into dangerous places. But for other Classes, it's actually a bit difficult. What difficulties does a Farmer need to face for example. And so the vast majority of the people are more inclined to think that repetition is key, especially those who find some initial success in it, but that's not how one truly grows."
...and this was the part where he was supposed to tell them what his Class was now, didn't he?