Chapter 9: the first to ascend

The world around Kim Sehan shattered like glass, dissolving into fragments of light before reforming into something entirely different.

He now stood in a vast, open hall. Marble pillars stretched high into the sky, supporting a ceiling that seemed to extend endlessly. In the distance, other players materialized one by one, their confused expressions mirroring what he had already expected.

A notification appeared before him.

[Tutorial Complete.]
[You have entered the Lobby of Beginnings.]

Unlike the chaos of the tutorial, the atmosphere here was calm. Players murmured among themselves, checking their status screens, confirming that they had truly survived.

Sehan glanced at his own status window.

[Status Window]

• Name: Kim Sehan
• Level: 10
• Class: [Unassigned]
• Skills: Basic Sword Mastery (30%)

A glowing prompt appeared in front of him.

[Select Your Class.]

As expected. He was the only one who had reached Level 10.

Looking around, he saw the other players frantically checking their levels. Some were close—Level 8 or 9—but none had broken through. Confused murmurs spread through the hall as they realized something was wrong.

"Why isn't the class selection showing up?"
"Did we miss something?"
"Wait... does that mean someone reached Level 10 already?"

Sehan ignored them. He had no reason to share what he knew.

At the center of the lobby stood a massive stone obelisk, pulsating with energy. It was the gateway to class selection, but only he had the right to approach it.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward.

The other players watched, eyes widening in realization.

"He's the only one who can choose a class?" someone muttered in disbelief.

Sehan smirked. This was his advantage. The first class selection belonged to him alone.

It was time to take his first real step toward the top.