Afterlife Dream

I went back to Marsh City and partied up with my friends to quickly complete our quests. Kitty, Wolfhound, and DragonTalon all leveled to 40+ while I only gained 2 measly levels.

I could not complain much because the experience needed for the next level was much higher after level 50. At least BlackPuma got me to 55 within an hour.

I left Marsh City and went to Fairy Forest for the second job advancement quest. Fairy Forest was a fairy-themed green map with a lot of towering trees and buildings made of natural resources. The NPCs that were responsible for job advancement quests were all gathered in a small hut that hung mid-air. There was a fairy NPC that sold balloons so that the players can reach the hut.

I quickly bought one and let it carry me up to the hut. It did not carry me to the hut. The wind blew me and the balloon out of the desired trajectory and I ended up at a nearby tree.

Other players quickly giggled at the stupid me who dumbly stared at the hut.

"Oi, man! You need to pay attention to wind direction before you buy the balloon!"

...

Oh.

There was a huge compass just next to the balloon seller NPC, and it was not only there for decoration purposes. It was actually showing me where the wind blew. This was definitely a new feature because I did not remember having to pay attention to wind direction in my past life.

The wind direction changed every 10 minutes. After waiting for 20 minutes, I finally found the right one. The balloon brought me successfully to the hut.

As soon as I entered, the fairy NPC who was in charge of the mage advancement spoke up.

"Oh, young mage. It is good to see you becoming stronger after you start your journey. Have you decided to go through the second job advancement?"

Yes.

"In order to advance to the next job, you must first decide the specialization that you want."

Ok.

"Do you wish to be a [Healer] or a [Wizard]?"

Healer.

The NPC rose to the air with a soft sigh. Her hood fell back and revealed an ethereal beauty underneath. Her long silver hair cascaded down her back like sea waves and she regarded me with a cool gaze.

"Healers are noble people who focus on supporting their team members. They put the team members' well-being over their personal ambitions. Are you ready to step into the position?"

Yes.

"In that case, you must pass a test of mine. If you pass, you have enough virtue to become a [Healer]. If you fail, you must rethink your path for seven days before you redo the test."

Say what?

I did not even have time to ask the NPC what she meant before the ground opened up beneath me and I fell into a dark abyss.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH...!!!"

I thought I would die from the fall, but I did not. I magically slowed down toward landing and landed on my two feet.

"Sob sob... wahhh, help me..."

My soul almost left my body when I heard the sobbing sound.

Next to me, a little girl NPC was crying.

"Adventurer, you have been equipped with all the skills of a [Healer] for the purpose of the test. Each skill has one skill point. You are free to test the skills as you see fit."

Ok.

"Little Sue just moved from a big town to a rural area. She got lost in a nearby forest when she played outside for the first time. Please guide Sue out of the forest and bring her back to her family."

At the end of the instruction, a green bar hovered over NPC Sue's head as a sign that she and I were partied up.

I tapped at the NPC's shoulder and she got to her feet immediately while still sniffling.

"Boohoo, I want Mommy and Daddy..."

"I will take you to meet your Mom and Dad, ok?" I moved my hand to pat the little girl's head.

Right after I said it out loud, I felt incredibly stupid. Sue was an NPC. Why did I bother to comfort her?

I held a hand over my eyes as I tried to see what was above us. Sue had apparently fallen into a deep hole from which she could not climb out of. I was wondering what kind of Healer skill I could use in order to take us both out of the hole, but then the mechanical voice spoke again.

"Dear Adventurer, please use the rope that we provided to get out of the hole. Do not forget to bring Sue with you."

Oh, very convenient. Thank you, Afterlife Dream.

Carrying the NPC on my back was a remarkable experience on its own. It was almost like carrying a little backpack that stuck to you like a piece of giant gum. Thankfully she was light as a feather. As soon as we arrived at the top, she climbed down from my back obediently and started crying again.

"Boohoo, Mommy... Daddy..."

The first thing I did after getting out of the hole was cast Divine Guard over both of us and healed us both once just to be sure that we began the test with full HP. The Divine Guard made our bodies glow in bright whitish color.

I took NPC Sue by her little hand and slowly inched forward. Left and right of us, dense and thick trees loomed over us and prevented sunlight from reaching us. I could see decorative pairs of eyes blinking at us from inside the bushes. It was a typical forest map in Afterlife Dream. And then I heard a loud noise.

Thump thump thump.

It was getting closer and closer. I carried Sue on my back again and squinted into the direction from where the noise was coming.

Thump thump thump thump thump.

My eyes widened in panic when I realized what the noise was about. It was the sound of hooves hitting the ground. And it was not only one animal. It gotta be a horde. I started to run as fast as I could.