Blademancer

For the entire walk, the older girl had given up on questioning the absurdity of the situation. Honestly, trying to figure out why a baby spoke fluently, complete with sass and occasional condescension, was too exhausting.

Besides, with the humid air clinging to her and the sun feeling like it was personally trying to roast her, Meila was far too uncomfortable to care.

"Here," Lyrasia said, flicking yet another coin into Meila's hand like a benevolent but exasperated monarch. "One gold coin for not asking questions."

Meila stared at the coin, then at the smug baby walking beside her.

Not only did she have no clue where Lyrasia's endless stash of coins came from, but being referred to as "kid" by a literal infant was starting to chip away at her ego. Fine, maybe she would stop overthinking. More questions meant fewer gold coins, and she wasn't about to mess with her new piggybank setup.

Lyrasia tilted her head, already bored of Meila's silence. "Where do you even get your books?"

"I borrow them from Mister Usario," Meila said, her tone softening. "He used to be a scholar in the capital but retired here. There's no library in town, but ever since he moved here, we've been able to borrow books from his collection."

"How far's the capital?" Lyrasia asked.

"It takes about 14 days to get there."

'Fourteen days?!'

Medieval transportation was truly something else. In her past life, a two-hour delay on a flight would've been cause for a tantrum. Here, people casually accepted journeys that took weeks. She briefly entertained the idea of introducing trains, planes, or heck, even bicycles to this world.

But nah, too much effort.

She'd just work around it.

"Alright, take me to Mister Usario."

When they arrived, Lyrasia was pleasantly surprised. The place gave off a cozy, bookish charm. Wooden shelves lined the walls, filled with books of varying sizes, their spines worn but inviting.

It reminded her of the quaint cafés in her modern world, except there were no frothy lattes or pastries, which was a shame.

A sturdy wooden counter sat at the back, manned by a wrinkled old man who somehow managed to look both gentle and intimidatingly wise. His back was perfectly straight, his demeanor serene.

"Oh? Little Meila! What can I get for you today?" Mister Usario greeted warmly, his smile softening his lined face. "And is that a friend?"

Meila lit up like the sun. "S-Sir Usario!" she beamed, practically skipping toward the counter.

Meanwhile, Lyrasia had already wandered off, her sharp eyes scanning the bookshelves. Her fingers itched to pull out a book or two, but she paused. There was no point in randomly picking something when she hadn't even unlocked her sub-class yet. For all she knew, her options might become clearer after opening that part of the system.

"Alright," she muttered under her breath, standing amidst the shelves. "Open the sub-class section."

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[SUB-CLASS UNLOCKED!]

Congratulations! You've unlocked the Sub-Class Interface. As you level up further, you can unlock more of the sub-classes. Select your specialization to further define your abilities.

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[AVAILABLE SUB-CLASSES:]

Choose your path wisely. Each sub-class will determine your playstyle in the Merlysian Realms. Your choices are:

[Blademancer]

A master of both swordsmanship and elemental magic. Combines close-range combat with devastating magical strikes.

Bonus: Increases physical damage while adding magical effects to your sword strikes.

[Mysticweaver]

A wielder of the primal forces of nature. Specializes in controlling concepts, elements, and magic itself.

Bonus: Unlocks powerful elemental spells with devastating AoE damage.

[Shadowstrider]

A master of stealth. Strikes from the shadows and uses illusions to confuse and disorient enemies. Bonus: Increases critical damage and enhances invisibility spells.

[Warden]

A tank class that specializes in defensive playstyle and shields. Protects allies by drawing enemy attention and absorbing damage.

Bonus: Increases defense and the ability to create magical barriers to shield allies.

[Hawkeye]

A ranged specialist that harnesses energy to enhance projectiles, turning bows, crossbows, and guns into powerful weapons of mass destruction.

Bonus: Increases attack speed and adds magical effects to ranged attacks, allowing for devastating long-range combat.

[Vitalist]

A support class focused on restorative and buffing magic. Provides healing and protection to allies while manipulating light magic.

Bonus: Increases healing potency and grants buffing abilities to support allies in battle.

[Ameliorator]

A hybrid class that specialize in fortifying their allies, providing shields, buffs, and strategic support to tip the scales in battle.

Bonus: Enhances equipment and provides temporary buffs to allies.

[Pactbinder]

Pactbinders are masters of forging pacts with powerful entities from the realms, calling forth creatures and spirits to fight or support alongside them.

Bonus: Increases summoning power and the ability to command pets in battle.

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[SELECT YOUR SUB-CLASS]

If there was one thing she'd always been curious about, it was anything involving blades or anything that required actual movement.

In her previous life, the only "exercise" she got was the occasional mad dash to grab snacks before a game loading screen ended.

Let's be real, she spent most of her time studying, playing games, or hiding from the world indoors.

So, when she saw strong, capable women wielding swords and showing off some serious muscle, she couldn't help but admire them. It was like a whole new world to her.

"Yep, I know what to choose now..." Lyrasia pressed the invisible screen with curiosity, selecting Blademancer with a flourish.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

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Sub-Class Chosen: Blademancer

Description: The Blademancer is a master of wielding blades and harnessing magic simultaneously. Combining swift, graceful swordsmanship with elemental magic, Blademancers excel in close combat while manipulating magical forces to enhance their strikes. Their agility and magical prowess make them deadly both up close and from afar.

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[SUB-CLASS STATS]

[Rank: D]

[Level: 0]

[Accumulated EXP: 0]

[Strength: 0] - Level One

[Agility: 0]- Level One

[Intelligence 0]- Level One

[Endurance: 0]- Level One

[Magic Affinity: 0]- Level One

[Mana: 10/10] - Low

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"Yes, now that's settled," she grinned. She glanced up at the shelves, only to realize they were written in a completely foreign alphabet! She tried to coax the strange signs into making sense, but alas, her baby charm had no such power over letters.

In addition, with her baby-sized height, she couldn't reach a thing!

"Need anything?" a voice suddenly spoke, breaking her concentration. There it was, a man his gaze already scanning her with that classic 'I'm-a-scholar' look.

'It's sir Usario!'