Chapter 39

But after hearing the details, that didn’t seem to be the case.

This wasn’t about team roles.

It was about ideology.

So why wasn’t he included?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Derek—who had been listening quietly—suddenly scowled.

“Wait a damn second. That bastard didn’t come to me either. What, did he just ignore me?”

Silence.

Justin stared at him for a long moment.

“…Yeah, I wonder why.”

“Huh? What’s with that look? You think I wouldn’t have been a good choice?”

“No, no, it’s nothing.”

He turned away with a sigh.

“Idiot. The answer’s obvious.”

Zachary had only approached people who he thought would agree with him.

He knew his plan relied on selfless cooperation.

So he only sought out pioneers who seemed selfless enough.

Justin had made his own stance clear during the rescue quest—he only saved people who were useful, and he made no apologies for it.

And as for Derek?

Well, he was just an asshole.

It wasn’t hard to see why Zachary skipped them both.

“Not a bad decision on his part, honestly.”

“If he’d come to me, I would’ve rejected him immediately.”

“But still… It’s interesting to see who he did pick.”

“Still… being put in the same category as this guy?”

He muttered to himself, glancing at Derek.

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean!?”

“Nothing. Let’s go hunt.”

“Wait—! You definitely meant something by that!”

Ignoring the complaints, Justin turned and led the way into the forest.

The day’s hunt went even smoother than before.

Now that they’d gotten used to fighting together, there was almost no wasted movement.

Each fight was cleaner, faster, and more efficient than yesterday.

It took less than half a day for them to collect 50 magic stones.

And as if perfectly timed, during their very next battle—

“형들! I leveled up! I’m level 3!”

Nathan shouted, practically bouncing with excitement.

“I got a prompt for an advanced class selection!”

“Nice. You didn’t have anything specific in mind, right?”

“Nope! As long as I can fight, I don’t care what it is!”

“Then pick Ranger.”

“Ranger?”

At level 3, warriors had three possible advanced classes:

• Berserker – Focused on pure strength and endurance, perfect for front-line combat.
• Paladin – A warrior with light healing abilities, useful but not ideal for raw power.
• Ranger – A hybrid between archer and rogue, specializing in scouting, traps, and long-range attacks.

Most people would instantly pick Berserker for its massive stat boosts.

Even Paladin was tempting because of its support skills.

Ranger, on the other hand, felt underwhelming—not excelling at anything in particular.

But for their team?

It was exactly what they needed.

“Ranger can scout ahead, set traps, and pick off enemies from a distance. It’ll make our hunts way more efficient.”

Nathan hesitated, then grinned.

“Alright! If he says it’s a good choice, I’ll go with that!”

With that, their team gained its fourth combat-ready member.

And their hunts?

They were only going to get faster from here.

“Still, when it comes to utility, Rangers are top-tier.”

While Rangers lacked raw power in head-on fights, their true strength became apparent in mid-to-late-game warfare.

They weren’t meant to clash head-on with stronger foes.

Instead, they specialized in ambush tactics, disruption, and sabotage—slowly breaking morale, setting traps, and creating chaos among enemy ranks.

While other classes risked getting surrounded and slaughtered if a surprise attack failed, a Ranger could slip away unnoticed, regroup, and strike again.

It was a strategist’s class, not a brute-force warrior’s.

In one of the most infamous gameplay videos, a single Ranger-class player had crippled an army by systematically cutting off supplies, baiting enemies into traps, and breaking their morale.

And when the army finally collapsed in fear and exhaustion—that same player had encircled them with his own forces, finishing them off effortlessly.

Rangers also had another massive advantage—they could enter dungeons that other classes physically couldn’t handle due to traps and hidden paths.

While others stood outside, helpless, Rangers could clear the way and loot everything inside.

For a well-organized team, a Ranger was indispensable.

“Of course, their weakness is obvious. Get caught off-guard or surrounded, and they’re dead.”

“But if they’ve got the right team backing them? That weakness disappears entirely.”

If dungeons in this world worked anything like the game, then a Ranger-class team member wasn’t just useful—

They were essential.

Hearing Justin’s explanation, Nathan didn’t hesitate.

“I’ll take it.”

The moment he confirmed his class selection, a bow and thirty arrows materialized in front of him.

“It worked!”

Excited, Nathan immediately picked up the bow and pulled back the string.

But just before firing, he hesitated, suddenly looking unsure.

“Wait… I’ve never actually shot a bow before. How do I even use this?”

“Check your skill menu. You should have Precision Shot. That’ll handle the aiming.”

A second later—

“Oh! There it is!”

Unlike most abilities, Precision Shot was one of the rare passive targeting skills with unlimited use.

Without it, bows were practically useless in the game.

Excited, Nathan quickly notched an arrow, taking aim at a tree about twenty paces away.

He exhaled—

And released.

THUNK.

The arrow buried itself into the wood—not a perfect bullseye, but close.

Nathan stared at it, wide-eyed.

He turned to Justin, still processing what had just happened.

“I… I actually hit it.”

Justin grinned and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Congrats. You’re officially a fighter now.”

“T-Thank you!”

“No need to thank me. You earned it.”

Despite his words, Nathan couldn’t stop bowing in gratitude.

The rest of the team gathered around, offering their own congratulations.

After all, this wasn’t just a personal milestone for Nathan—

It was a major turning point for their entire team.

They were now a full four-person combat unit, capable of handling far more dangerous threats.

“Alright, let’s call it a day.”

“Already? We could keep hunting—”

“Nah.”** Justin** shook his head. “Now that you’re a proper combatant, it’d feel wrong to make you keep harvesting magic stones all day.”

They’d helped him get this far.

But now?

He’d earned his place.

Besides, once they completed the current quest, they wouldn’t need to harvest magic stones manually anymore.

“Yeah… That makes sense.”