Apostle Class

Kane was stunned as he read the messages that hadn't appeared in his last life. He had decided in his mind that he would have to stick to the Warrior class that he knew best and had an affinity for, but this was a revelation he hadn't been prepared for. Apostle... Kane had heard of it before in his past life, a group of High Rankers who had special classes aside from the standard classes offered to all. Only a few had public identities like the Apostle of Life, renown for spearheading humanities effort to clash against the gates. But as far as Kane knew, they were few in number and these few couldn't prevent some of the most serious calamity's humanity had to suffer in his last life.

As he read the same lines over and over, he was certain this apostle position didn't exist in his past life. Other than the apostle of life, there were 6 Apostles who also contributed to humanity. The Apostle of Space, the Apostle of Fire, the Apostle of Wind, the Apostle of Earth, the Apostle of War, and the Apostle of Wisdom. Aside from the Apostles of Life and Wisdom who were mainly supporting humanities best and brightest, the rest were feared Rankers who decimated monsters by the army.

The Apostle of Death seemed to be a unique class not amongst those from his past life. With that in mind, Kane had trouble deliberating, since he had no clue what the class would look like or if it would be worth pursuing.

The Apostle of Death was likely a mana based class, something he would have difficulty transitioning into as a physical class in his last life. Without that disadvantage, although not insurmountable, a fair portion of the knowledge he accumulated towards his class in the last life would not hold meaning.

But he was conflicted. Kane wasn't confident he was talented enough as a warrior to become strong enough to defeat the dragon that emerged that day even with his knowledge and a head start against other players. The entire way through, he would struggle to clear gates if he tried to face them solo. The future for him was split between traveling a path he knew was ridden with obstacles or braving an all new path. He eventually made a firm decision.

"I accept the Apostle of Death class." He spoke to the goddess statue. The former messages disappeared, and a new one appeared before him.

[You are now the 'Apostle of Death.' You now have the ability to access the 'Gate' and the skill menu. Should your contributions be high enough, you may return to the embrace of the goddess to raise your level.]

As the class was granted to Kane, an ominous energy enveloped him, a chilling feeling seeking into his bones. The air grew heavy, and Kane could sense that something had begun to watch him in this moment. The cold energy seeped into his every pore, infusing itself into every fiber of his being, his very soul. Unlike the surge of power and strength he felt when he had chosen the Warrior class in his last life, this sensation was crueler and felt somewhat sinister.

Kane's breath slowed as the energy accumulated in his core, sending shivers throughout his entire body. Goosebumps erupted across his skin as a sense of wariness overtook him. He gasped, reminded of how he felt when his life had been stripped from him, a cruel reminder of what he would suffer if he didn't succeed in this life.

Just as it began, the sensations suddenly crawled to a halt. The heavy atmosphere lifted, and Kane was alone in the temple again. Trembling slightly, he let out a shaky sigh of relief. This wasn't something he wanted to go through again, but it was proof that he had become the Apostle of Death.

"Fuck..." Kane muttered as the experience was over. As he looked around, no trace of what he had felt a moment ago remained in the lonesome temple. To Kane however, it looked a little creepier than it used to despite nothing changing.

"Then, I should check my status window now," Kane waved his hand, and the window appeared in front of him with additional text included.

[Kane Wynn - Apostle of Death - Subclass (Regressor) - Status: Normal]

[Strength: 1.0, Agility: 0.9, Vitality: 1.3, Stamina: 1.1, Mana: 1.0, Luck: 1.5]

[Class Abilities: Aura of Death (Novice)]

[Legacy Abilies: None]

Kane analyzed his new status window. A few of his stats had increased just by accepting the class, which wasn't unusual. Typically, the stats most associated with the class would increase. A Warrior's strength would increase, and a Magician's Mana would increase. For Kane however, he noticed that both his mana and vitality stats had increased, and more just a measly .1 or .2 that most people would be granted.

"My mana is at a full digit already... Then, it's likely a mana based class after all..." His eyebrows scrunched as he took in the information. "In any case, I should be able to start meditations so I can work on it while I wait for the gates to open. I should be able to increase it to 2 by then..."

As Kane continued to sift through his memories, a few important events popped up. 'Soon, on September 1st, the gates will open up. At that time, people were still researching the new phenomenon, playing with their newfound powers. Gates are something only rankers could enter, and most would shy away from clearing the gates after figuring out that these gates were full of monsters. Unfortunately, these uncleared gates unleashed hordes of monsters onto their surrounding areas, a catastrophe that would claim the lives of tens of millions.'

With a sigh and no good way to grow stronger waiting for the gates to come, Kane left the temple as sunlight began to pour in from outside. All he could do for now was compile a training regimen and head home.

***

A while later, the front door to the Wynn household opened and closed quickly and quietly as a young man entered. A few lights had been turned on in the house over the course of the morning, and the family had gathered in front of the TV. Kane could only catch a glimpse of the news channel they were watching before a voice called him out.

"Kane? Where did you run off to this morning?" A grumpy chiseled voice filled the room, and Kane glanced to see his father on the sofa. Kane was reminded of himself from the future as he looked at his father now, their visages strikingly similar. He smiled to himself, glad he could see his family again.

"Sorry dad, I woke up early and decided to go for a walk." As he explained himself, he turned his attention to the other members of his family who seemed disinterested. His younger sister Katy was alive and well, snacking next their father. His mother was sitting alone, her attention focused on the TV.

"Well, Katy threw a fit about you going missing this morning, so you should tell one of us beforehand, or at least tell her what you're up to." His father chuckled while taking a jab at Katy.

"No! I was just curious about this level up message, my friends were calling me about it and its even on the news, so its highly suspicious of him to wake up early and vanish on the same day this all happens!!" She complained back to him. As she spoke Kane began to feel unease, but he couldn't point out exactly what was causing it.

"Haha, well, she does have a point Kane. Did you get the message or whatever it was this morning?" He pointed to the TV, where news reporters were commenting about the strange phenomenon. Hundreds of millions of people across the globe awoke to a phantom message appearing above them, similar to a game.

"Yes actually, I was curious about it. So, I met up with some of the guys around the block to compare our stats." Kane admitted to his family who all looked over to him now. "I thought I was dreaming at first when I saw it thought... Did any of you guys see it?" Kane threw the question out despite knowing the answer. Aside from him, his family would never have to enter the world he lived in.

"Actually, yeah! I saw it this morning!" Katy laughed. A chill ran down Kane's spine as he heard her, an anomaly that hadn't occurred in his last life.