Chapter 53: I Want Them All! |
But wait, who was that friend of Varian's who also needed to go to Dalaran?
A friend of Varian's...
As he thought about it, he pulled up the system panel.
He still hadn't chosen his subclass.
He'd been so busy lately that he hadn't even had a moment to sit down and think it through properly.
Now, he finally had some free time.
Allen took a deep breath and called up that familiar interface.
Three options lay there quietly, radiating an alluring glow.
【Dragonblood Warlock】
【Storm Warlock】
He stared at them for a long time.
Dragonblood Warlock – you could awaken dragon bloodline, breathe fire, grow wings, and eventually even transform into a dragon... What man could resist the temptation of becoming a dragon?
Storm Warlock – you could command lightning, summon wind and rain. That thunder he'd called down from the sky when he fought the Death Knights, that feeling of controlling the heavens and the earth... it was definitely exhilarating.
Wild Warlock – full of uncertainty, but also full of miracles. Maybe a spell would blow you to pieces, maybe a spell would turn the tides. The gambler's romance... those who understood, understood.
Allen fell into deep conflict.
"So hard to choose," he couldn't help but sigh. "Can't I just have all of them?"
The system fell silent.
A moment later, that gentle, hollow female voice rang out in his mind:
「Remember what I told you? A warlock's charm and confidence can sometimes make willpower bend reality, make magic yield to your body, and even make the world favor you.」
「So—」
Allen froze.
「You can obtain the inheritance of all three subclasses simultaneously. And in the future, you may even unlock even more classes.」
"What?! That's actually possible?!"
「However—」The system paused.「Right now, you can only unlock one subclass sequence. So for the moment, you still need to choose one subclass to unlock first.」
Allen's eyes lit up.
Since he could unlock all of them eventually, what was there to agonize over?
Pick the one he wanted most first!
The dragon bloodline of the Dragonblood Warlock had the highest ceiling among the five Dragon Aspects. The elemental origins of the Storm Warlock were, in World of Warcraft, even a rank lower than the Dragon Aspects. As for the Wild Warlock, it could sometimes be obtained through exposure to some form of primordial magic... and the primordial magic of World of Warcraft...
His finger didn't hesitate as it pressed toward the second option.
【Wild Warlock Unlocked】
In that instant, Allen felt the entire world spin.
His consciousness was violently yanked into a strange space. There was no up or down, no left or right, no time, no space. Only endless surging chaos.
Dazzling light flooded in from all directions.
The light was too bright. So bright he couldn't open his eyes. But even with his eyes closed, he could feel it.
Something was watching him.
It was a presence.
A presence so vast it defied description, lurking in the deepest depths of the chaos.
It cast him a casual glance, and that look felt like billions of stars falling at once, carrying the indifference of eons and the weight of the galaxy.
Just one glance.
And then, Allen was thrown back out.
He snapped his eyes open, gasping for air, and found himself still sitting in his room. Outside the window, it was still the same quiet night. Everything was as it should be.
But something inside him had changed.
A wild surge of magical energy raced and churned through his veins, like a beast trapped in a cage, ready at any moment to break free and roar with reckless abandon.
That power was uncontrollable, lawless. It craved release. It craved destruction. It craved turning everything upside down.
「Traits Unlocked」
「Wild Magic Surge: When you cast a spell, you have a chance to release an unshaped surge of wild magic. Based on the result of a roll of a 100-sided die, the effect of a Wild Magic Surge will be randomly triggered.」
「Tides of Chaos: You can harness the power of luck and chaos to give yourself advantage on one ability check. After using Tides of Chaos, the next spell you cast will definitely trigger a Wild Magic Surge.」
Allen stared at these two traits, the corners of his mouth curling up wildly.
Simply put, Wild Magic Surge meant that every time he cast a spell, there was a chance he'd be opening a mystery box, randomly generating some unique effect. For example, your weapon might suddenly come to life, or you might suddenly grow a full body of fur, stuff like that.
As a warlock, all he had to do was—SURGE!
Leave everything else to luck!
A powerful warlock had to have that kind of confidence!
【Main Quest Triggered: Greatness Needs No Words!】
【Freely explore the wild power within you! A warlock needs a grand performance!】
【Quest Objective: Cast one great spell 0/1】
【Quest Reward: Random Mid-Level Spell x2, Unlock 1 subclass sequence】
Allen's smile froze on his face.
Another abstract quest like this?
The last one, "Weave a Great Lie," had kept him running for how long? From Goldshire to Darkshire, from Stormwind to Crystal Lake, lying to heaven and earth and a female dragon all the way.
And now another "Great Spell"?
What kind of spell counted as "great"? Was the ninth-circle Meteor Swarm great enough? But he couldn't cast it right now. So what would qualify?
Allen scratched his head and decided not to think about it for now.
He stood up and draped a pitch-black cloak over his shoulders. Pulling up the hood, it could cover most of his face.
Tonight, he still had one important thing to do.
-----------------
Outside the window, the moon was bright, and the breeze was clear.
Allen slipped out of Stormwind Keep without a sound, crossed the empty streets, and used the Anywhere Door to sneak outside the city.
The public cemetery in the northern outskirts of Stormwind City lay exceptionally still under the moonlight.
Allen Prestor, wrapped in his black robe, walked alone through the rows of tombstones.
He didn't hesitate. His direction was clear.
Eventually, he stopped in front of a simple grave mound.
Under the moonlight, a crude wooden marker stood silently.
Milana
May She Rest in Peace
There was no surname, no date of birth or death. Just that one simple line.
Allen stood in front of the grave for a moment. Then he pulled out a shovel.
He started digging.
His movements were gentle, slow, as if afraid to disturb the slumber below. Shovelful after shovelful of earth was turned over and piled to the side. The moonlight fell on him, stretching his shadow long.
He dug for a long time before the shovel hit a coffin.
It was a crude, thin-planked coffin. Not even painted. The wood had already begun to rot.
Allen pried open the lid gently, revealing the sleeping skeleton inside.
He took a deep breath and raised his hand.
Communicate with the Dead.
The familiar incantation flowed from his lips, the ancient syllables drifting on the night breeze.
The skeleton trembled, then slowly sat up.
But the moment it saw him, an expression that could only be described as "joy" seemed to flicker across its face.
"Prestor... Young Master..." The voice was hoarse and faint, yet carried genuine delight. "You..."
"Milana." Allen looked at her, his voice calm and gentle. "I've come to fulfill my promise."
In the skeleton's eye sockets, something seemed to glimmer.
"Your wish, I helped you complete it. The love of your young mistress's heart has already received their token of love. He will live well. They will be happy."
Milana's skeleton trembled slightly.
"So..." Allen's voice was very soft. "Hearing this news, are you happy, Milana?"