The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 3: Chapter 3: I Do Much Enjoy a Cup of Tea

Read chapter 3 of The Distinguished Mr. Rose by QuiteTheSlacker on NovelPedia.

Chapter 3: I Do Much Enjoy a Cup of Tea Lucius was rather perplexed. Conman? Right hand man of the devil? Oh dear, the strange panel even had the audacity to call him the embodiment of evil! How rude, he had only ever pursued his desires. Surely there wasn’t anything evil about that now, was there? Insults aside, it would appear whatever mysterious entity was controlling this game wanted him to choose a title for himself. He didn’t quite understand what classes exactly meant, but he knew that names had power—they influenced you. They swayed who you were and what you would become. On that matter, there was really only one choice he could pick out of the lot. >[Gentlemanly Florist has been selected. Granting skills…]< *[Rank F] Teatime (Growth type): Once per day, conjure a cup of tea of your choosing. *[Rank F] Flowers’ Best Friend (Passive, Growth Type): Whenever you encounter a new species of flora, you will feel affinity towards it. *[Rank D] Begone, Filth! (Passive): You clean at 1.5x the speed. >[Skill loading: complete. Assigning status points based on current physique and aptitude. Scale will be set according to the human race, with 10 representing the average adult. Allocating…]< Strength: 16 Dexterity: 32 Agility: 25 Endurance: 23 Magic: 0 Holiness: 0 Dark Arts: 99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999— >[ERROR! ERROR! Dark Arts cannot be measured! Administrator has been alerted. Awaiting response…]< >[Received. Relaying message: “Although such potential in the Dark Arts is unprecedented in the history of the Celestial Competition, it cannot be utilized due to the player’s chosen class (Gentlemanly Florist). As such, the value will be permanently set to 0.” The Administrator laments that the player did not pick an evil-aligned class]< Lucius had not the foggiest idea what just occurred, but he didn’t care to pry into it. He was much more interested in a certain skill. What’s this? I can enjoy a daily cup of tea of whatever blend I so wish? Oh my, I take back my words. To you, O’ enigmatic mastermind, I give my deepest respects. You’re a dashing soul! Of course, he just had to give it a go. “Darjeeling, if you please,” Lucius said aloud. Soon, a fresh, steaming cup of Darjeeling tea appeared right in his hands! He took a sip, and indeed, it was a lovely batch: sweet and musky, a bit fruity, with a taste similar to that of a nice champagne. Lucius was truly impressed. Whoever brewed this for him must be a master. “Woah.” Mili ran over and excitedly inspected the cup in Lucius’s hand. “That was cool.” When he finished drinking, the teacup vanished without a trace: whoosh! Just like that. Lucius greatly appreciated the convenience - a gentleman shouldn’t litter, after all. “I must be seeing things,” Marco said, rubbing his eyes. “How’d you do that? That… trick just now.” “Well, this panel told me to pick something,” Lucius replied. “So I did, and it gave me this charming little ability. Have you not done so yet, Mister Bernardi?” Marco scratched the back of his head and grimaced. “Well, I’m not sure. I tend not to trust anything I can’t see for myself, much less some fancy, magic lookin’ box. What does this even mean? Classes?” Jack cleared his throat with a loud “Ah-hem!” and gestured to himself, grinning in a smug manner that really made you want to smack him. “This is where I come in. Classes, you see, are kind of like jobs. Occupations. When you choose one, you’ll get certain skills that either make you stronger or give you a special power.” “What, like choosing boxer suddenly makes you a world champion?” Marco asked. Jack clicked his tongue and wagged his finger. He seemed to be enjoying this situation, albeit perhaps a little too much. It was as if he were speaking down to a child and patronizing them. “Well, not exactly, but I guess you could think of it that way if it helps you understand. Getting a class won’t turn you into a master right away. You gotta get experience. The more you level up, and t