Selecting A Class
"Knock. Knock."
A sudden knocking sound coming from outside the room had caught both of our attention. The door opened and an old man with a gray beard and glasses came walking into the room. Due to his old age, he appeared to be unable to support his body by himself, and had to use a wooden cane to support himself.
"Has he woken up yet?"
"Yes, Elder. His name is Asura Rei. He doesn't remember what happened prior to when I found him in the woods. I already checked his condition and found no sign of any injury."
Elena, upon seeing the old man, quickly adjusted her clothes and stood upright, followed by a formal greeting, which hinted me of just how important the old man in front of me was.
"That's good. It doesn't matter where he came from. What matters is that he is safe."
Elder Yaga heaved a sigh of relief when he heard what she said. Despite appearing as the kind type, I was not one to be led by a stranger's impression so easily, at least not after my girlfriend of many years betrayed me for a reason only god knows. Thus, I remained quiet and let the two of them talk.
"So, young Rei, do you have any clue of where you are right now?"
Elder Yaga sat down and began asking me a lot of questions, to which I all feigned ignorance, saying I don't remember. Fortunately. the Elder didn't seem to be the doubting kind and trusted everything that I said. Because they thought I lost my memories, the Elder gladly told me about the place we were currently in.
The world I transmigrated into was called Elpathion. I was currently in the village of Ryden. A small town located in the far northeast of the kingdom of Orzburg, which is one of the five vassal kingdoms of the Alzatium Empire. The Alzatium Empire houses the majority of the humans in this world alongside its two allies, the Mages Tower and the Reclusive Sanctuary. Those three factions govern the human world.
The reason why I kept mentioning the term 'human' was because there were other races in Elpathion besides humans. Apparently, like every other fantasy story, there were also mythical creatures in this world. Beings such as elves, beast kins, dwarves as well as dragon and demons were all present in Elpathion and had been co-existing with humans.
Ryden was also one of the villages furthest to the capital. The town's population is small, consisting of 200 people of all ages. Most of the villagers were either farmers or hunters with levels ranging 5 to 15, with Yaga as their strongest fighter.
It turned out that the vicinity of Ryden was by no means safe. It was surrounded by a huge forest covered in thick fog, with monsters roaming that would rip any person they saw in half. That is why they rarely encounter a traveller who could venture through the forest,
"Pardon me, young man. But it's hard to believe that you managed to reach this village with your... strength."
A while earlier, as I was lying my way out of Yaga's curiosity, I couldn't help mentioning my level. Initially, I thought that there was no problem revealing my level because they didn't seem to mean me any harm, but when I heard about the harsh environtment that surrounds Ryden, I realized that my alibi was full of flaws.
"I'm really sorry, but I don't remember how I got here. Please believe me."
"I see. You try to rest as much as you can, see if you remember anything."
Left with no other words to say, I had no choice but to keep my persona of someone who lost all his memories. Thankfully, they didn't pursue the matter and didn't pressure me anymore. Yaga chatted with Elena for a bit before taking his leave. Elena told me to rest for a while before she went out as well.
'Phew... Those two are finally gone.'
For someone who just died minutes ago, the amount of information that my brain had to process made me extremely exhausted. The feeling of getting shot to death was still fresh in my mind, and still lingers in my memory.
Now that I was alone, the terrible things that I experienced began creeping in my mind. I remember how I was shot to death in a convenience store, how my girlfriend left me for a classmate of mine, and how my loved ones died one by one.
Fear. I felt scared. Despite being alive again, I was scared of living a life full of pain to the point that the thought of living didn't excite me anymore. I feared being betrayed again. I didn't want to get cast aside without purpose and without any chance to save myself.
'Will this world be any different? I was a person cursed by the world. I only bring misfortunes to those I care about. I am better dead than alive.'
'!!!'
[Asura Rei]
Level: 1
Stats:
[Str: 5]
[Vit: 5]
[Spd: 7]
[Int: 15]
Unique Skill: [Domination]
Skills: N/A
Class: N/A
Titles: N/A
Armament/s: N/A
(ELIGIBLE FOR CLASS SELECTION)
AVAILABLE CLASSES:
(INVOKER) | (SEER) | (BERSERKER) | (WARDEN)
However, a glimpse of my status window brought some life to my eyes. Unlike back on Earth, this time I have the means to save myself. This time, I could change my destiny. This time, my life will be different.
With those though in my mind, my will to live was set ablaze. Even though I was now all alone, I still have a reason to live, to continue struggling. I want to see for myself what this new world has to offer, and find out why I was given a second life.
'This time, I will curse the world.'
However, before I could start my brand new conquest, I had to plan my steps. First, I needed to figure out how the status window operates. When I tried to touch the Stats panel with my index finger, a message suddenly appeared:
(INSUFFICIENT STAT POINTS)
STAT POINTS: 0
'I figured it would say something like this...'
The Stats work just like in video games, where you need to kill monsters to level up and get stat points. Unable to find something useful in the Status panel, I then proceeded to touch the Classes panel, and just like when I touched the Status panel, another message popped up:
CLASS (TIER 1)
[INVOKER]
-A powerful mage, able to cause massive destruction through spells.
Unique Passive | Arcane's Grasp:
-Multiplies Int by 2x when using a skill
+5 Int
+2 Vit
Unlocked Skills: (Tier 1 Fireball) | Special Skill (Tier 2 Thunderbird)
---
[SEER]
-A being who can see through illusions, perceiving the truths of reality.
Unique Passive | Mind's Eye:
-Enables the user to see through illusions below Tier 3
+5 Int
+2 Spd
Unlocked Skills: (Tier 1 Purify) | Special Skill (Tier 2 Clairvoyance)
---
[BERSERKER]
-A blood warrior, born from the echoes of war, bringing slaughter to whoever blocks his path.
Unique Passive | Indomitable War Sense
-Increase all Stats by 3 when fighting more than one enemy. When the user is in a critical condition, the Vit Stat is doubled.
+3 Str
+3 Vit
+2 Spd
Unlocked Skills: (Tier 1: Fighter's Spirit) | Special Skill (Tier 2: Blood Burning)
---
[WARDEN]
-A beacon of order, wielding the power of justice to punish all evil, enforcing peace and prosperity.
Unique Passive | Absolute Subjugation
When fighting an enemy with a level that is lower than the user:
- Decreases all enemy stats by 50%
+ Immunity against any Tier 2 or below skill
When fighting an enemy with a level that is higher than the user:
+7 all stats
Unlocked Skills: (Tier 1 Reinforced Armor) | Special Skill (Tier 2 Warden's Command)
'Shit! They all look powerful.'
The new window contained a detailed, expanded description of the four available classes. Each class has its own specialty when it comes to combat and practical uses, which made it difficult for me to choose.
When I first saw the description of the four classes, my first pick was the Berserker Class. Out of the four Classes, the Berserker was the one most suited for combat. The three additional Stat for Strength and Vitality, partnered by the bonus when fighting more than one enemy, make the Berserker one of the most powerful combat Class.
However, we also could not overlook the destructive capabilities of the Invoker Class. As someone who has a staggering amount of 15 raw Intelligence points, plus the additional 5 points bonus, if I use a skill under the effect of Arcane's Grasp, the effect would surely be impactful.
If I was to consider safety, however, I would give a thought about choosing the Seer Class. The passive of being able to see through illusions naturally just makes me a walking detector, but since it lacked the necessary firepower to fight against multiple enemies, I quickly took down the thought of choosing the Seer.
Last, but not the least, we have the Warden Class. This Class is probably the most broken Class out of the four. Being able to reduce your opponent's Stats by half was just insane, not to mention that I would be completely unharmed against any Tier 2 skill or below when fighting someone with a level lower than mine.
And even if I was fighting someone with a higher level, I would still receive seven bonus points for all Stats! I would just need to keep raising my level and soon I would be able to fight against anyone!
But!
I knew that I must not choose out of impulse and excitement. Before I select which Class to choose, I must ensure that it complements a very important aspect of mine. My Unique Skill:
[Domination]
-Enables the user to control any living organism who fears him or surrenders to him.
Range: 20 meters
"What a fucking ability..."
If the Warden Class' Unique Passive wasn't cheating enough, then Domination surely is. Just imagine how hopeless the enemies will feel if their Stats were suddenly reduced by half and their skills not working.
Although I must be within 20 meters, the fact that I can control my enemies' movements would certainly be a tide-turning ability. I don't even need to fight and I would already win.
"I guess that settles it. I would choose the Warden Class."
WARDEN]
-A beacon of order, wielding the power of justice to punish all evil, enforcing peace and prosperity.
Unique Passive | Absolute Subjugation
When fighting an enemy with a level that is lower than the user:
- Decreases all enemy stats by 50%
+ Immunity against any Tier 2 or below skill
When fighting an enemy with a level that is higher than the user:
+7 all stats
Unlocked Skills: (Tier 1 Reinforced Armor) | Special Skill (Tier 2 Warden's Command)
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO SELECT THIS CLASS?]
[YES/NO]
'It really looks like a game...'
"Yes."
Suddenly, my vision was enveloped in white light. For the following five seconds, I couldn't see anything, but I did feel as if something was changing inside me. I felt my innards being cleansed and my blood circulating faster than before. My breathing also became smoother and I could see clearer.
[CLASS SELECTION COMPLETE]
[PROCESSING CLASS EVOLUTION PATH...]
[CLASS EVOLUTION UNLOCKED:]
(WARDEN) >>> (MONARCH)
REQUIREMENTS
-Reach Level 20 (Incomplete)
-Evolve Unique Skill to Tier 2 (Incomplete)
-Evolve Special Skill to Tier 3 (Incomplete)
-Unlock 3 additional sub-skills (Incomplete)
-Defeat fifty Level 10 or above enemies. (Incomplete)
-Defeat ten Level 15 or above enemies. (Incomplete)
Defeat one Level 20 or above enemy. (Incomplete)
"What the hell is this?"
A long list of requirements suddenly popped out in my face when I press the 'YES' button. I knew that it was the requirements needed to evolve my Class to the next tier, but I was still baffled by the amount of work needed.
'Maybe I shouldn't have chosen this Class...'
However, the deed was done. I already chose the Warden Class, so I would walk down the path that I chose. Without wasting anytime, I quickly looked at what my Class' Skills do.
Skill: Reinforced Armor (Tier 1)
-Upon activating, the user will adorn a bright red energy armor until he or she runs out of mana.
When active: +5 Vit
Special Skill: Warden's Command (Tier 2)
-For ten seconds after activation, the user would be able to manipulate elemental energy regardless of mana cost. However, decreases the user's Int and Str Stats by 20% for two hours after deactivation.
"Manipulate elemental energy?"
Because I had just transmigrated into Elpathion, I had no clue in how to use the Skills I have. However, judging by the term 'elemental energy', I presumed that it is related to the basic elements such as fire, water, wind and many more.
After checking everything that I could about my newly acquired powers, I closed the status window and laid in the bed. Everything still felt surreal despite me already touching a floating text window.
I didn't know if it was because of my sudden arrival in this new world, or the process I underwent just to select a Class, but I was extremely tired at the moment. Laying in the bed, I closed my eyes and thought about the things that had happened since I woke up earlier.
'Maybe this world isn't so bad, after all...'
After that, I fell asleep.