Not suitable!

"Knight. I select Death Knight." Damien Bloodbane's said in a clear voice without any hesitation whatsoever.

There was no bloody way he would select Necromancer and deal with dead people all the time. Hell no. 

He didn't want to be an Assassin too. It was extremely tiring, having to skulk around in the dark waiting for the right moment to strike. He had spent the past few months doing exactly that to temper himself, and to put it mildly, he didn't like it.

No sir, he would rather be a Knight, doing whatever he wanted out in the open, and having the strength to defend his choices. 

It was what he wanted to do if his circumstances did not force him otherwise.

Yes, that sounded perfect indeed!

[Death Knight is not suitable for you]

[Please select your class]

[Classes available:]

[Death Necromancer]

[Death Knight]

[Death Assassin]

"... What the hell? You… Why give me the option if you would not let me pick it? Freaking dumb ass system! Who the hell designed you anyway?" Damien Bloodbane cursed at the system vehemently. 

From the moment it said its first words until that moment, it had never stopped irritating him!

"Fine! If that's the case, I choose Death Assassin! Skulking in the dark it is. At least it is better than dealing with rotting corps-"

[Death Assassin is not suitable for you]

[Please select your class]

[Classes available:]

[Death Necromancer]

[Death Knight]

[Death Assassin]

"ARE YOU BLOODY KIDDING ME?!?! WHY ARE YOU EVEN ASKING ME TO CHOOSE YOU DAMNED IDIOT!" Damien Bloodbane roared as the system stomped on all of his hot buttons once more. "Damn it. Calm down. Self-control. Self-control."

Damien Bloodbane narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath as he summoned every ounce of power he had to think happy thoughts. 

After a few moments, his anger subsided.

"Fine. I choose Death Necromancer. If you tell me that it is not suitable for me again…" He warned the system.

But thankfully, everything went well after that.

The system merely wanted him to pick [Death Necromancer] for some strange unknown reason.

[Excellent choice]

[Congratulations!]

[You are now a Death Necromancer!]

[Congratulations!]

[You have awakened the following Innate Skill]

[Raise Dead Level 1 - Raise up target fallen warrior to do your bidding]

[Congratulations!]

[You have awakened the following Innate Skill]

[Death Devour Level 1 - Devour target fallen warrior to strengthen your body]

[You may purchase useful items from the [System Shop] using your Gold]

[You may access the [System Shop] anytime]

Damien stood there quietly as he processed the System's announcements.

"So I have two Innate Skills now. Raise Dead and Death Devour, both of which are currently level 1. Both of them require a target "fallen warrior" in order to activate. 

That means I would have to make a decision as to which skill to use every time I come across a "fallen warrior"." Damien Bloodbane said to himself thoughtfully.

"Hmm? Isn't there a "fallen warrior" nearby?" He turned to look at Jeslyn's corpse which was lying nearby.

As expected, a green [Available] was hovering slightly above her dead body. 

Damien Bloodbane's lips twitched and his countenance turned grim as he grappled with the exact choices he was trying to avoid earlier by trying to select the other two classes.

"Should I devour the corpse of my own cousin to strengthen my body? Ughh. Or should I raise her up to fight for me? And be reminded that I killed her everytime she appears? Hell no! Fine, devour it is." Damien Bloodbane quickly came to a decision.

He pointed to Jeslyn's corpse and said very simply. "Devour."

A black swirl of energy visible only to him appeared around Jeslyn's corpse at that moment and proceeded to flow into his body.

Shuaa.

[You have gained 0.5 [Intelligence] points, 0.2 [Vitality] points and 0.1 [Sense] points]

All at once, he could feel his body's mana quality and capacity shoot up rather dramatically. At the same time, he felt slightly stronger and more sensitive to the mana around him. 

"Each use of devour grants me such tangible improvements?!" Damien Bloodbane was shocked. 

He clenched his fist tightly as a surge of searing hot excitement coursed through his veins. 

There it was.

His pathway to power!

For so long, he had to face a giant, unbreachable wall blocking his path forward in life.

His ridiculous E-Rank meant that his power output was only slightly above that of a normal, healthy human being.

It was practically the same as being unawakened—or as society liked to call it, a sheep.

In this Mana Awakened world, every individual was measured by four key factors:

Rank – The broadest measure of raw power output, determining one's overall strength.

Tier – A finer scale within each Rank, marking subtle differences in capability.

Element – The defining trait of an individual's Mana Type—such as Fire, Water, Earth, and beyond—shaping both offense and defense.

Class – Dictating how Mana is applied—whether in combat, healing, crafting, or more specialized roles.

Elemental affinity played a crucial role in battle. A fireball could be easily extinguished by a hydroblast, while that same hydroblast could be shattered by an earthen cannon. 

Mastering elemental counters often meant the difference between victory and defeat.

But beyond raw power and elemental advantage, a person's Class—their Mana Application—was equally vital. It defined their role on the battlefield:

A Knight charged into the frontlines, armored and relentless.

A Mage rained devastation from the rear, manipulating elements with deadly precision.

An Assassin lurked in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

While countless class variations existed, most fell into one of these three core archetypes—Knight, Mage, or Assassin.

Thus, an Awakened individual was often introduced by their complete designation: "Rank, Tier, Element, Class"—like a "C-Ranked, Tier 10, Water Knight."

For Damien Bloodbane, though, none of that mattered.

He was still stuck at E-Rank—the bottom of the food chain—where even sheep would sometimes look at him and wonder if he could be eaten.

But at that moment, as a [Death Necromancer] with the stupidly broken [Death Devour] skill able to boost all of his stats, he would be able to blast through the Ranks and Tiers at incredible speed!

All he needed were the dead bodies of Mana Awakened. Lots and lots of them.

And it just so happened that there were quite a number of live ones approaching his location.