Chương 127: Chapter 124: Life on the Fourth Stage

The fourth stage was great, as long as you didn't encounter the undead, a nice farming spot, and no one was progressing faster than the owner of a certain inn. Lars was having the best time of his life. He loved cooking, grilling, and baking. Now he had the chance to serve his customers dino meat. His favorite guest was now sitting in front of him with its giant mouth open wide, waiting for Lars to throw in some of his new creations.

It was, of course, Vorlok, who had entered the kitchen again to visit his second-favorite human, the first being, of course, Eve. While Eve and Kargul were drinking, Vorlok always invaded the kitchen and gobbled up as much food as Lars could throw into his mouth. Lars loved feeding the turtle, and since many people brought him the beasts they had slain, Lars wasn't even close to running out of food. Next to disappear was some marinated T-rex leg, swallowed whole by the turtle.

Lars had a giant smoker standing in a room behind his kitchen, currently holding a whole hyenadon. Ah, life was great for cooks in this new world, Lars thought with a big smile as he kept feeding the turtle, who always licked its beak after every meal to show its enjoyment. The inn had grown a lot on the inside since the last system shop upgrade and could now hold over two hundred guests. Two of these guests were Evelyn and Kargul, who were eating, drinking, and celebrating their latest hunt.

Several weaker warriors and children worked in the inn, helping to bring the food to the tables. Evelyn and Kargul had already drunk a few bottles of vodka, with Kargul being visibly drunk, while Eve was still in perfect condition.

"You know, sometimes I feel like you're cheating," Kargul mumbled while downing another glass of strong vodka, slamming the glass hard on the table.

"I think you're just a very good teacher," Evelyn replied with a smile, mimicking Kargul and slamming her glass down as well.

"Hey, you two! I heard you were out hunting far from here. Can we ask you a few things? I'm Chloe, and this is Eddie," Chloe said, stepping up beside Evelyn with Eddie by her side.

"Yes, but only if you drink with us," Kargul roared happily, pulling out a few more bottles they had bought from the system store.

"I don't think I should drink such strong stuff," Chloe tried to avoid the inevitable.

"Oh, don't worry! Evelyn is drinking it too, and she's much smaller than you," Kargul laughed, motioning for the two to sit down.

"The reason we wanted to talk to you is that we're looking for our friends, Jack and Josh," Eddie said, stumbling over his words after finishing his first drink, already a bit drunk.

"Oh? Which direction did they go?" Evelyn asked, genuinely interested. She always liked helping people, so why not these two?

"Well, we don't know since they weren't with us but were on their way back from the ocean," Chloe said, her worry evident.

"Huh, why are you so sure they teleported to this stage?" Kargul asked loudly, a bit confused, while trying to push a piece of grilled meat into his mouth.

"No, I'm sure they also teleported. It was hard to hold them back over the last few weeks. They were already fed up with the third stage," Chloe said, tears in her eyes.

"They kept complaining that the beasts weren't strong enough."

"Hm, so they're shapeshifters?" Evelyn asked, surprised.

"What forms did they have before the teleport? Maybe they've already slain a strong beast and are doing just fine."

"No, they only had two forms—Jack had a squid, and Josh had a small crab," Chloe managed to say, a tear rolling down her cheek as Eddie laid a comforting hand on her back.

"Eve, I don't think those are good forms for survival," Kargul exclaimed loudly.

"We need to help them."

"So, what forms do you two have?" Evelyn asked, curious.

"If we're going to help, you've got to tell us a bit about yourselves."

"I have a bear, a panther, a wasp, and a tarpon as forms," Eddie said proudly, puffing out his chest.

"I have the exact same forms," Chloe murmured while taking another sip of the strong drink.

"Wait, why do you two have more forms than Jack and Josh?" Evelyn asked, confused.

"Well, the bear wasn't good enough for them, and they only wanted to take the best forms," Eddie sighed, clearly reliving some memories.

"A grasshopper and a crab don't sound to me like the most powerful forms for a shapeshifter," Kargul laughed loudly, holding his belly.

"After the grasshopper and the pike, which was our first water beast, they didn't want to take any more weak forms," Chloe sighed, staring down into her glass.

"Those sound like funny guys," Kargul chuckled.

"We'll help you, but we've got to wait for Vorlok. He's cultivating very hard at the moment."

"Come on, Josh, it's only one day until the system shop—you've got this," Jack said, trying to comfort his friend. After Josh had spent almost two days on the rock as bait, he had finally recovered enough to get off the rock and end his employment as bait. He had been swallowed by a slug and bitten by some beast when Jack wasn't looking for a moment, but he had survived it all. At the moment, Josh was experiencing an existential crisis, doubting if he was strong enough to get through the last day.

What if the 200, 000 credits weren't enough for him to get this special class? Currently, they were walking through the tall grass in search of easy prey. So far, they had been very lucky that many of the big predators hadn't bothered with them. Night would soon fall, which meant this was his last chance to earn some credits. He only earned small amounts by assisting Jack as bait or slightly damaging beasts during hunts.

It wasn't much, but if the price of the class didn't change too much, he should be able to afford it. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Still, the ordeal of spending two days on the rock as bait had left him feeling uncertain and fearful. So many things had gone terribly wrong over the past few weeks that he didn't feel like he could push through. Jack, however, was doing his best to help, dragging Josh along to the next battle.

All Josh had to do was damage the beast once while Jack fought it to gain some experience and, most importantly, credits. This pattern continued throughout the night as they carefully made their way through the tall grass. Jack's class was very powerful and capable of dealing with most beasts. If something came too close, he could transform into his squid form and devour them.

The sheer size of his squid form was such a big advantage that almost no normal-sized beast stood a chance once grabbed by one of the giant tentacles. After an exhausting night and morning, during which Josh was almost sleepwalking, the system shop notification finally appeared. The progress they had made overnight was much better than when Josh had been bait on the rock, enduring constant attacks from beasts. Josh now had 510, 630 credits and felt confident about buying his new class.

"See? You got this—I believe in you," Jack said, nodding with confidence, though he was clearly exhausted from the long night.

"Okay, I'm going in," Josh said, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself before teleporting. He appeared in the familiar setting of the system shop, with the voice of the system speaking directly into his mind.

"So, I guess you still want to become a grasshopper?" the system's voice asked, tinged with amusement.

"Yes. Do I have enough credits to afford it?" Josh asked, sounding both hopeful and exhausted.

"Actually, yes. There are different options. Last week, the Warrior variant was priced at 500, 000 credits, but it has now dropped to 350, 000 credits," the system began its explanation.

"This is only one race option for grasshoppers you can transform into. Of course, there are more, but most are weaker and not worth sacrificing your future for. The second option is known simply as the Hunter. It's a significant upgrade in almost every aspect compared to the Warrior." Josh could already feel where this was going—a super-good class with all the advantages, but one he wouldn't be able to afford.

"This class is now priced at exactly 500, 000 credits," the system concluded. A big smile spread across Josh's face as he double-checked his credit balance, just to be sure he had enough.

"What exactly are the upgrades?" Josh asked excitedly. It took all his willpower not to immediately purchase the item that would grant him his new class and form.

"Well, it's better in almost everything," the voice began again.

"It is the special unit sent in after brute force and sheer numbers have failed to defeat the enemy. It has a higher rarity, better skills, a stronger body, and all its attributes are better aligned. Maybe this is important to you—it doesn't even really look like a grasshopper. Here, take a look at both forms." With those words, two holograms appeared before Josh. One was the Warrior, an over-three-meter-tall bestial creature with powerful mandibles and claws.

It had the body of a grasshopper, but it was no longer eating grass. This whole being looked strong and powerful, reminding Josh of a meat grinder. The second form, the Hunter, looked completely different. It was only two meters tall, with an human-like body, and didn't appear nearly as dangerous. It had two legs with double knees, the lower ones bending the opposite way, which looked a bit strange. Running with those legs would definitely be peculiar.

It had no skin but instead a strong chitinous armor, more elegant than the Warrior's bulky exoskeleton. While it didn't appear to have a lot of muscle, it was hard to tell with the armor. After all, insects didn't flex their muscles like humans. There were spikes on its back, but Josh couldn't spot any wings. The arms looked cooler, though—behind the elbow, a blade-like spike extended backward.

The Hunter's claws were long and slender, unlike the Warrior's robust, heavy claws, which seemed far more dangerous at first glance. Then there was the Hunter's head. It was only half the size of the Warrior's, with two antennae on top and large black eyes, each containing three yellow pupils. While the Hunter also had mandibles, they were much smaller and less impressive than the Warrior's monstrous ones.

All in all, both creatures looked pretty awesome, but Josh couldn't see how the Hunter was supposed to be better than the Warrior. Maybe the voice had made a mistake. He blurted out, "Did you switch the Hunter and the Warrior? The Hunter doesn't look that impressive."

"What? How did you come to that assumption?" the voice asked, sounding almost confused—a rare experience for an all-powerful entity.

"Well, the claws aren't as strong, the mandibles are smaller, and it doesn't have any wings," Josh summarized, listing all the differences he had noticed while comparing the two classes.

"Wait, are you seriously saying the Warrior is superior to the Hunter?" the voice laughed, clearly amused.

"Okay, young human, here are a few more details. The Hunter has three pupils, which give it almost 360-degree vision. You can also see many more color spectrums, making it easier to spot prey. The antennae on its head can detect smells and vibrations all around you, so no one can ambush you from behind.

"Even though the body doesn't look that strong, you must have missed the tiny runes etched into its shell. These runes constantly absorb energy from the environment, increasing your strength, agility, and toughness. And as for movement—it doesn't need wings because it can levitate with ease and has multiple ways to move quickly through the air."

"Wait, like a vampire?" Josh interrupted, surprised.

"Well, not all vampires can levitate," the voice replied, clearly enjoying itself.

"And when they do, it's usually by controlling their own blood. What the Hunter does is far more efficient and doesn't require any concentration at all." The voice continued, "Your thin, long claws and the blade behind your elbow are merely conductors for your immensely powerful skills, capable of laying devastation on your enemies in no time. Additionally, the Hunter can burrow with ease, and you'll even gain bonus stats from eating specific beasts or plants."

"Okay, then I'll take the Hunter," Josh said in astonishment. If all this was true, it was definitely worth all the torture he had endured over the past days with Jack and his special hunting methods. He purchased the item that would grant him his new path: Heartroot Crystal of the Sage Hunter The Heartroot Crystal of the Sage Hunter is a rare, deep green crystal embedded within a twisted root, pulsing with a subtle, ominous glow.

This ancient artifact is said to carry the essence of the supreme Sage Hunter, granting shapeshifters the coveted High Priest of the Hunt class. Only those prepared for true transformation may bond with the Heartroot Crystal, as doing so replaces all previous forms, binding the shapeshifter to the powerful beast form of the Sage Hunter. This class channels both the mystic reverence and lethal prowess of this legendary predator, allowing the bearer to wield its primal strength and divine hunting instincts.

Josh wondered what Jack would say when he saw his new form.

"One last thing—who has the stronger beast form now, me or Jack?" Josh asked the voice before leaving.

"Hm, I'd say it's even. Both classes have their strengths in different areas. It will come down to you to decide who becomes stronger in the end," the voice answered after a short pause. Josh reappeared before Jack with a smile. He was confident he might be even stronger now. Jack, meanwhile, was still moving many of his tentacles randomly while Josh's form would be much easier to control. Oh yes, he was looking forward to finally being more powerful than Jack.