“It’s always good to grab a class for what you’re doing.” Julius agreed with my choice of [Student], the five of us sitting down for one last dinner before they had to leave.
“Don’t keep it too long, and I wouldn’t take another [Student] class at 128. Your leveling speed has been insane, but if you find yourself at level 140, having graduated the School already? You’re going to be in trouble leveling it up.” Artemis said.
“You’d be an eternal student!” Amber quipped.
“But you think it’s a good idea?” I asked Artemis again, valuing her opinion. She was someone I trusted who had a solid look at how the class worked.
“Oh yeah. Something to keep in mind though. Your [Student] class is going to want to pull some of your general skills, and if you’re not careful, you’ll lose them forever with your reset.”
I pulled a face at that. She was right. [Student] was ripe to absorb [Passionate Learning], [Immortal Recollections], and [Learning Languages]. The last one I didn’t mind getting pulled, but the other two I liked. If a class pulled the two, then I reset it, POOF! The skills went away. I could probably recreate a perfect memory skill, then retrieve the “lost” memories, so that wasn’t a huge issue, but I’d worked my ass off on [Passionate Learning], and at this point, it was giving me a significant buff to my experience. A buff that I suspected applied to experience that got funneled off to Auri, but I wasn’t quite sure of that.
“Did I tell you my Medical Manuscripts survived till today?” I asked Julius.
He raised an eyebrow at me.
“The collection of scrolls you kept scurrying off to work on, muttering and cursing about edits instead of drilling with us?”
I stuck my tongue out at him.
“Artemis was the boss! She said it was fine! Plus we were stuck on that damn boat!”
“Oh! When you were getting charcoal dust everywhere?” Artemis asked. “How’d they let a grubby kid like you into Ranger training, let alone a Sentinel, I’ll never know.”
I flipped her the bird.
Amber was bouncing in her chair, purple eye glowing.
“Wait, wait! The same scrolls that you gave me to study? Can you quickly whip up a set of them? If they’re really famous, a first edition set of the Medical Manuscripts would be worth a FORTUNE. Please?”
I grinned at her.
“A much more reasonable request! Not right this second, it takes me longer than a minute to make a set, but next time we meet up, sure! I’ll have a set ready for you! Plus, if I’ve proved I’m the original author, it’ll authenticate them, which should make them more valuable. Or something. I’m planning on talking with some [Archivists] or [Appraisers] to find out how that works.”
Amber walked over to give me the biggest, crushing hug, which I was touched at. It reminded me that everyone was about to go.
“No wonder your name and ‘healer’ is now the same word! Oh, I gotta class up my healer class, I should have some high value options! Just a few more levels.”
“I wish you didn’t have to go.” I complained, somewhat changing the subject.
“Well, write to us!” Julius encouraged.
“Oh, did you finally decide what you’re going to do?” I asked him.
Julius and Artemis traded looks.
“Hunter’s guild.” Artemis said. “Amber managed to negotiate our entrance, and we’re already familiar with hunting down monsters.”
“Nice! Good job, Amber.” I shot Artemis a thumbs up, and a smile at Amber. She preened under the praise. “Artemis. Will you need my armor? I’m not going to need it for now, and you could use the protection.”
On one hand, it wasn’t exactly mine to give away. On the other? Everyone who could care was dead, and I cared deeply about Artemis staying alive.
Artemis and Julius traded looks, and she nodded.
“That’s generous of you Elaine. Thank you.” Julius gave me a grateful look. It was his fiancee I was helping keep alive.
“Don’t get me started on the relative price of wands between this place and the town below. Why-” Amber interjected, unable to contain herself.
“BRRRPT!” Auri fiercely interrupted, reminding Amber she’d said not to let her get started.
“Good bird.” I handed Auri a slice of fruit.
“I’ve been looking at the schedule. I think we’ll next be able to meet up in around a year and a half.” Julius said. “Unless we start traveling to exotic locations.”
Artemis snorted, and made a broad, sweeping gesture.
“Like this place isn’t exotic?”
Julius conceded the point with a tilt of his head.
We lingered over dinner, knowing the end was coming, but not wanting to hurry it along.
At last we said our goodbyes, and parted.
For now.
I had food and drinks for after my class up. I’d elected to do it in my room, because it felt safer than the hospital, and Auri was safe outside my room, with plenty of juice. I’d let my roommates know what I was doing. I had spare time, and a plan.
With all my T’s crossed and I’s dotted, I laid down on my uncomfortable bed, and fell into the world of my soul.
I opened my eyes to a scene of… well, I wouldn’t call it organized chaos. Books were scattered haphazardly on tables, the lights were dim, shelves had books stacked sideways on top of the properly-done books, a few flowers were haphazardly placed artfully to spruce the place up, and poor Librarian was hustling along with a cart full of books to re-shelve. She was still in her Sentinel armor, but with a great big poofy mage’s hat on her head.
“Elaine! Great to see you! One minute.” Librarian blazed past me with a number of multicolored books, each one promising fantastical powers.
“Uh.” I said kind of stupidly. “Is everything ok?”
“I don’t know, is it?” Librarian bit back. “This is the world of your soul, not mine.”
I looked around at the piles of disorganization, and had to admit that it was a solid mirror of how life felt for me at the moment. I was trying to settle into the new world, but everything was just so different in so many ways. I constantly felt off-kilter and off-balance.
There hadn’t even been any wars that let me work as a battlefield medic! That was at least easy from a “what do I do” perspective.
“So because I feel like my life is in shambles…” I slowly said, letting Librarian finish the sentence.
“Your inner world is in shambles, yes.”
“Can we fix it?”
“Well, not really. Every time you fix one thing, it just pops back. Watch.” Librarian straightened a few books, left, and they became a mess again after she walked away.
“Joy. Are you still able to pull the books I need?”
“Oh yeah! Easy as anything! It’s a reflection of what’s going on, but the System isn’t about to not let you get a class or anything, or even make it particularly hard for you. It’s more of a visual thing. Are we checking out the [Student] classes first, or do you want to see what you’ve got open?”
Tricky, tricky.
“Other stuff first. Let’s hit things from the highest quality on down?” I told Librarian as I sat down at a table, brushing off two white classes and a grey one off the table. They vanished before they hit the floor.
I wondered what [World Traveler] looked like these days! The fae realm had to count as another world, improving the quality of the class.
A book with a starry cover landed in front of me, with big black bold text staring at me in the face. I felt my heart go still, and my hand trembled as I reached for the book.
No way.
I’d qualified for a black quality class!? That was the highest class quality possible! The absolute peak! I didn’t believe it. Had I accidentally flipped my elemental coloration and quality coloration? Getting offered a Dark or Void class was entirely reasonable, but no. The cover was obviously Celestial.
[The Mother of Modern Medicine] the title boldly proclaimed, and fascinated, I cracked it open.
[The Mother of Modern Medicine - Celestial]: The process of learning and discovery is a long one, with thousands of contributions by millions of individuals. However, if any one person can be credited with shaping the field of medicine as it is seen today, it is you. Your work in creating the Medical Manuscripts, your distribution, the quality of the contents, the importance of medicine and healing, and the ethics and morals espoused inside ensured that the text would be picked up. Read. Studied. Then expanded upon, copied, and spread more. Throughout the eons the text has been copied countless times, several volumes always surviving the Immortal Wars, and your name has come up time and time again as the founder of medicine, to the point where your very name literally means ‘healer’ in multiple languages.
Congratulations.
This class is the culmination of your work, your reward for your selflessness and survivability. +1000 Mana, +1000 Mana Regen, +1000 Magic Power, +1000 Magic Control per level.
Buh.
What.
WHAT.
I just stared at the book, short-circuiting a bit. I’d gotten a black class. BLACK. And it was absurd.
“ELAINE!” Librarian snapped her fingers in front of me, bringing me back to - well, this wasn’t reality, was it?
“Black.” I just pointed at the book.
“Yes, and it’s not the only one you’ve qualified for. Come on! You’ve done absurd stuff in your life, we’re getting rewarded for it.”
I slapped both my cheeks with my palms.
Right! Sentinel Dawn was here to kick ass and read books, and I was all out of ass!
I read through the book.
It was a bit of a weird class, and that was saying something. It was naturally a strong healing class - although I didn’t see anything about Immortality - while also something of a combo writer-fame class. I’d level basically just by existing, as long as the Medical Manuscripts kept circulating.
Kind of like how Auri seemed to level just by existing as a phoenix.
The less that was said about the utterly absurd stats, the better.
“Ok. I know I said I was taking a [Student] class when I came in here, but what’s stopping me from grabbing this class, then cycling [The Dawn Sentinel] once it hits 768?” I asked Librarian. “I know I’m missing something, I’m just a little stunned.”
“Oh totally. You should’ve seen the look on my face when the class showed up!” Librarian sat down across the table from me. “It’ll be easier for me to show you why you should take something else, than to tell you. Here.”
She handed me a book, and it was one I was well familiar with
[World Traveler - Spatial]: You’ve traveled across realms, visited gods and fae in their home, and lived in two more worlds. You speak multiple languages, have lived and integrated with the inhabitants almost everywhere you go. Now take this class, and continue to explore the multiple worlds that exist in this vast cosmos! +16 Free Stats, +160 Mana, +1600 Magic Power per level.
I had a little more experience now, and I somewhat recognized what the class was saying with the Magic Power thing.
“How do I still not have enough power to make the class work!?” I complained to Librarian.
“Mostly because ripping the veil between worlds costs millions upon millions of mana - and the corresponding magic power. Honestly, the class could use a version that was focused on mana regeneration and channeling, letting you sit down and channel enough mana to make it happen.” Librarian poked at the book, like the class inside personally offended her.
“Still technically manageable now though, right? It’s not like I’d be constantly hopping through different worlds, I can afford to take some time to travel.” I thought of Destruction, and how long he channeled his [Earthquake] for.
“Yes, you could. Not the point though. Look at the stats.”
I looked a second time, remembering the pitiful stat offerings I’d gotten the first time. It had been +6 Free Stats, + 2 Strength, +3 Dexterity, +7 Vitality, +4 Speed, +10 Mana, +14 Mana Regeneration, + 9 Magic Control, +20 Magic Power per level.
At the time it had seemed absurd. Like nothing could compare.
Now? Now it just looked laughable.
“I am so glad you stopped me taking that class in the first place.” I told Librarian. “Why’s it so much stronger now?”
“The first class up is weaker for some reason. Not sure why. However, even if that wasn’t the case, the first class is always going to be on the weaker side, while the third class is always going to be a bit stronger. They just start from different baselines. Imagine if you reset your first class, and wanted to be a mage with it. How many stats per level would you get?”
I thought about the class I’d been offered years ago.
“8. 8 stats per level, as a pink class.”
“Exactly. Now, tons of stats in other places will help it along - that’s the entire idea behind cycling - but the starting baseline is always going to be different. Plus, there’s the entirety of your achievements and the like that have built the class up.”
I thought about what Librarian was saying for a moment.
“Either way, my first class is always going to be a little weak?” I asked her.
She shook her head.
“It has a harder baseline to work off of.” She corrected. “And [The Dawn Sentinel] is an excellent class.”
“Just not as good as [The Mother of Modern Medicine].”
“Right. But if you went [The Mother of Modern Medicine], then reset your first class, there’s no guarantee that you’ll do things as crazy as what you did to get [The Dawn Sentinel] in the first place, or have the sheer number of insane achievements waiting for you once you class that up. The other thing to consider is that the class is a combination class. It’s about a third being famous, a third being an author and a writer, and only a relatively small amount healing. There’s a version of the class waiting for you after [The Dawn Sentinel] upgrades that’s much more strongly healing-focused. I think we should tread that path. Taking [The Mother of Modern Medicine] now also means we have two healer-focused classes at the same time, and then we need to decide each time we heal someone what class skills we’re going to use, which also informs which one gets experience, and… it’s a mess.”
I agreed with the logic. No doing fancy class slot musical chairs with [The Dawn Sentinel] and [The Mother of Modern Medicine]. Only upgrading it later. I’d get the power, just not right this second.
“Since [The Mother of Modern Medicine] levels just by existing, I could take the class and use it to pump my stats to absurd amounts, couldn’t I?”
“Yup! And you’ll happily march along down the levels with it. You’ll have unusually low level skills in it if you don’t use the class at all, but it’d be fantastic for your stats, empowering your other two classes to an absurd extent.”
Gods.
I briefly considered the writing elements of the class, and spreading my medical knowledge. But… I’d already done that. Medical knowledge had outpaced me. I needed to catch up with the modern world, and boy did thinking that feel all sorts of wrong.
Also, I was here at the School to learn, and I didn’t need a gigantic stat stick. I needed to learn.
“And this is just the first class you’re showing me. How insane are the rest of them?”
A flaming red book landed in front of me, with another black title.
[Lady of the Dance - Fire]:
You danced in the morning, at the start of the world.
You danced under the moons, the sun, and the stars.
You came from another world, and you danced on the earth.
You picked up your feet and you flung them high.
You danced on the day that would never ever die.
You danced yourself raw in Summer’s Hall,
The entire time you never did fall.
You danced your feet off at dawn.
Throughout the time there was never a yawn.
You are the [Lady of the Dance],
And the dance goes on.
+77 Free Stats, +777 Strength, +777 Dexterity, +777 Speed, +777 Vitality, +77 Mana Regen, +77 Mana, +77 Magic Power, +77 Magic Control per level.
Welp, looks like spending a year in personal time, tens of thousands in System time, literally dancing my feet off counted for something! I suspected if I let this class get widely known that people would be flinging themselves into fairy rings in the hopes of obtaining strong classes.
I didn’t see myself as a [Dancer], but boy was I getting tempted by power.
I was starting to get into the swing of things, and Librarian kept me supplied with books. Books that I quickly scanned, then either tossed, or put aside to read more later.
At the end of the day, I was checking them out to get a general feel for what my choices were. I wasn’t making one today.
[Lady of the Dance] got marked in the “keep” section, in case I ever wanted to grab a physical, fun class. By the same token, I knew I could easily and happily ditch any other books that were attractive purely on their physical stats, and any other dancing-related books.
Next up was a third black-quality class. And it was one of the new elements- I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, but it certainly was interesting. What element would this have been if Erosion was still around?
[Paragon of Patience - Fossil]: You’ve displayed unparalleled patience by waiting tens of thousands of years from when you unlocked your third class, to selecting it. Nobody in the history of the world has ever been so patient with the selection of their class. Take this class, and patiently wait for good things to come. +2400 Vitality per level.
The class description was a little vague, and I delved a little deeper into the book, just to get a quick overview of how it worked. I got seven pages of boring text deep in before pulling a face.
“Is this class really all about waiting around?”
“Waiting around patiently, yes.” Librarian grinned at me. I pulled a disgusted face.
“How the System ever thought I was patient is beyond me. Plus, these skills suck. Who would ever take [Waiting Around]!?” There wasn’t even [And Find Out]! [Good Things Come to Those Who Wait] seemed vaguely interesting, but like. The entire thing was boring. [Patience is a Virtue].
I chucked the book over my shoulder in disgust, the book entirely not worth reading in the first place. I probably had millions of books in here, I wasn’t wasting my time on that one.
“Let’s remove all healing-related classes, and physical-related classes from the options.” I told Librarian. If I was going to take one of those, it’d be [The Mother of Modern Medicine] or [Lady of the Dance]. Easy.
She dramatically snapped her fingers.
“Done! No [Dragon Healer], [Undying Cockroach], or [The Quasi Immortal]. You might see them when [The Dawn Sentinel] upgrades though.”
“Also, let’s remove completely boring classes like [Paragon of Patience].”
“You did ask for the highest quality classes with no caveats.” Librarian reminded me.
“No Papilion classes, no classes that’ll cause me mental pain seeing them.” I told her.
“Dragon related classes?” Librarian asked me, and I hesitated.
Half my life had told me to avoid dragons at all costs. The other half seemed to have a casual relationship with them, Vitus casually swearing by dragon’s blood, and there apparently being an entire species called dragonlings.
I remembered my old mantra, one I hadn’t needed to lean on in years.
Fear is the mind-killer.
I let my fear pass over me and through me, examining the question with a slightly more rational mind.
“Include them.” I’d need a lot more convincing to take the class, but there was no reason not to take a look.
[Phoenix Nurturer - Inferno]: You rescued a phoenix from being a trophy egg, and protected and nurtured the egg to the best of your abilities. You successfully hatched the phoenix, and didn’t stop there. You hand-reared the phoenix towards her first ignition, bonded with her, and have carefully worked towards making sure she’s happy and well educated. Rare are those who are able to raise a phoenix so well. Take this class, and be a friend to all the beautiful fire birds of the sky! +100 Free Stats, +200 Strength, +200 Dexterity, +200 Speed, +200 Vitality, +200 Mana, +200 Mana Regen, +200 Magic Power, +200 Magic Control per level.
Librarian starting off strong! I could totally take this class briefly, help Auri become even stronger and smarter then, once she’d caught up with me, cycle it back and grab something else.
I had a problem. I wanted everything. Why did the System limit my classes and skills?? It was so unfair.
[Phoenix Immolator - Inferno]: You set a phoenix on fire. You set a PHOENIX on FIRE. Somehow, you have accomplished the impossible, and ignited the master of flame incarnate. You’re bonded with a phoenix, regularly bathing in her flames. You’ve always been attracted to fire, jumping into burning buildings and… getting spit-roasted over a fire? You’ve been exposed to all sorts of fires and flames, from the explosion of a hatching phoenix, to the fiery breath of a dragon, you’ve come through intact on the other side. Now take this class, and become the flames yourself. +10 Free Stats, +100 Mana Regen, +100 Mana, +400 Magic Control, +400 Magic Power per level.
A quick skim through the book - in spite of Librarian’s tutting in the background - showed that I wouldn’t get [Inferno Affinity], oh no. I’d get straight up [Inferno Spirit], the best and final evolution of the skill - getting access to it let Librarian know that was the case, and by extension, she let me know - and I would be able to literally turn myself into flames, like Auri. Or like what I’d seen Galeru do.
I wasn’t keen on an Inferno mage class, but wow. This one blew all the other starter mage classes out of the water, and was seriously tempting if I decided to go that route.
Bit of a shame it was Inferno, and not Fire. I would totally be tempted to aim for Radiance again, and maybe switch around [Butterfly Mystic] to something else. I liked Radiance.
[World Traveler - Spatial] I was familiar with it from earlier, and while the stats distribution was suboptimal at the time, I knew I could get the right skills to make it work. Heck, with how the System worked, I’d immediately jump to level 32. I bet that I could grab [Channel], travel to one or two worlds, then class up, making it a class skill. The only tricky question, that I had no answer to, was could I come back? If I made it to, say, Earth, and lost System access, I’d be stuck.
Earth was nice. Pallos was my home now, and I’d fought too hard for everything I had to lose it all.
Interesting that I had the option of exploring everything if I wanted to. This current world felt so gigantically large in the first place though. If somehow, with an entire world at my disposal, I found myself bored?
It was a nice option to have.
[Bookwyrm - Spatial]: You are a reader most voracious, consuming every book you find. Your greed for books rivals a dragon’s lust for gold! You spend endless hours when you class up doing nothing but reading, and even when encountering new and different places and cultures, one of your first thoughts is ‘how do I get my hands on new books?’. Indeed, even under the gaze of a dragon, attempting to hide in her lair, you found the time and courage to go perusing through her personal collection, trying to find books to read. Take this class, and read more! +40 Speed, +40 Vitality, +100 Mana, +100 Mana Regen, +300 Magic Power, +300 Magic Control per level.
The class was a terrible pun on bookworm, and I couldn’t deny that I was one heck of a bookworm. I took pride in it! A quick look at the start implied that it wasn’t exactly the most combat-oriented of classes, but it did neatly represent a thing I loved.
Reading.
I marked it as a keep class. Who knew, maybe I’d be able to take it!
[Hoard Thief - Mirage]: You managed to steal from a dragon. Inside her lair. You managed to steal from a dragon! There’s only a few thefts more daunting, a few acquisitions more famous, than managing to boldly and openly waltz into a dragon’s lair, secure part of her hoard, then abscond with your loot. Congratulations! Take this class, and take liberties with anything not nailed down. +250 Dexterity, +250 Speed, +300 Magic Control per level.
Illusions and theft. Well, if everything went to shit, stealing to survive wasn’t the worst. Better than a lot of other options, but hopefully I wouldn’t ever need to go there.
“Just checking. Is there an illusionist or Mirage-based class that competes with this one in terms of illusions?” I asked Librarian. My interactions with Lun’Kat practically guaranteed a number of Mirage-based classes.
Librarian hesitated a moment, thinking.
“If you focused on the illusion aspects of this class… and disregarded the fact that your leveling rate would be lower because of how it likes to level… then no, this is the best illusionist class you’ll get.”
“Perfect. We’ll keep it, and don’t bother showing me the rest of the Mirage classes.”
Librarian nodded.
“Good call.”
Next book! Hilariously, it was basically the exact opposite take of what had happened inside Lun’Kat’s lair.
[Polite Guest - Water]: Finding yourself in the dragon’s lair, you were a most polite and respectable guest. Carefully acting like the place was a museum, you looked, and only touched the bare basics of what you needed to survive. You ensured the host ended up in the best of health, asking nothing for yourself, and left as soon as you believed your welcome was at an end. If only all hosts could have guests as polite and well-mannered as you were! +1200 Free Stats per level.
Did… did I just get a social class!? No way.
The class didn’t sound that interesting to me, but I peeked in a little deeper, just to see if I’d finally broken my stranglehold on social skills and classes. Getting those would make my life that much easier.
And… kind of, but mostly no. There were skills that helped me learn various culture’s norms and rules, and would prompt me to follow them, which was sort of a social skill, but mostly memory, learning, and application of what I’d learned. It somewhat was a social skill if I squinted and tilted my head, but… well, either way the class wasn’t that interesting to me.
I was getting fairly disappointed. All my efforts in life. All the things I’d worked for, everything I’d dedicated years of efforts towards, and the System gave it low marks.
A week in Lun’Kat’s lair?
A half-dozen purple quality classes.
It was enough to make a girl scream.
[Snapdragon - Verdant]: You practically lived in a dragon’s garden-
I stopped reading, throwing the book across the room.
“What the fuck is with the dragon and these absurd classes!?” I screamed at nobody in particular as the book popped back into existence in front of me.
“They’re totally unfair!” Librarian agreed with me. “We should’ve asked to be a dragon when we got reincarnated.”
“Oh yeah.” I grumbled in agreement. “I never regretted asking to be a human over a bird, but this is just stupid. Being near a dragon gets me this!? Just…”
I made a disgusted noise as Librarian gently tapped on the book.
“How about this. I’ll keep it reserved in the ‘for the future’ pile. If you decide to take up gardening or,” Her eyes started to twinkle. “Growing mangos for fun, this is the class that’s best for it.”
That got my attention. I nodded my agreement, putting the book into the ‘keep’ pile.
[The Wanderer - Gale]: Travel is in your blood. You are always moving, always seeking new horizons. You were born traveling. You left home at an early age to see more of the world. You joined a group dedicated to traveling around, and when the call came, you traveled even beyond the borders of humanity, exploring strange new lands that were unknown to the culture you belonged in. Then you wandered to another world, dancing with the fae, before coming back to Pallos. You wander without a home, without an anchor, as free as the wind. Take this class, and wander some more! +400 Free Stats, +400 Speed per level.
Interestingly, they didn’t mention anything about me being the first human to do stuff like that… which meant others had beaten me to the punch.
I was delighted with this class on a personal level though. I’d earned it. Myself. No draconic nonsense boosting me into the purple tier. No reincarnation snafus randomly unlocking a purple class. As much as I loved Auri, no handling a powerful creature granting me access.
This class was mine. It was all because of me, and I felt a deep sense of pride and joy as a result.
It had a minor power issue though.
“Advantages of this class over [World Traveler]?” I asked Librarian.
She waggled her hand.
“A few. It’s better for traveling around in one world, as opposed to going to many, and the elemental inclination lets you more frequently use the skills for minor things. Apart from that though… [World Traveler] overlaps strongly.”
I looked at my piles of black and purple classes, and chuckled to myself.
I was just getting started on the mountain of books that waited for me.
“It’s always good to grab a class for what you’re doing.” Julius agreed with my choice of [Student], the five of us sitting down for one last dinner before they had to leave.
“Don’t keep it too long, and I wouldn’t take another [Student] class at 128. Your leveling speed has been insane, but if you find yourself at level 140, having graduated the School already? You’re going to be in trouble leveling it up.” Artemis said.
“You’d be an eternal student!” Amber quipped.
“But you think it’s a good idea?” I asked Artemis again, valuing her opinion. She was someone I trusted who had a solid look at how the class worked.
“Oh yeah. Something to keep in mind though. Your [Student] class is going to want to pull some of your general skills, and if you’re not careful, you’ll lose them forever with your reset.”
I pulled a face at that. She was right. [Student] was ripe to absorb [Passionate Learning], [Immortal Recollections], and [Learning Languages]. The last one I didn’t mind getting pulled, but the other two I liked. If a class pulled the two, then I reset it, POOF! The skills went away. I could probably recreate a perfect memory skill, then retrieve the “lost” memories, so that wasn’t a huge issue, but I’d worked my ass off on [Passionate Learning], and at this point, it was giving me a significant buff to my experience. A buff that I suspected applied to experience that got funneled off to Auri, but I wasn’t quite sure of that.
“Did I tell you my Medical Manuscripts survived till today?” I asked Julius.
He raised an eyebrow at me.
“The collection of scrolls you kept scurrying off to work on, muttering and cursing about edits instead of drilling with us?”
I stuck my tongue out at him.
“Artemis was the boss! She said it was fine! Plus we were stuck on that damn boat!”
“Oh! When you were getting charcoal dust everywhere?” Artemis asked. “How’d they let a grubby kid like you into Ranger training, let alone a Sentinel, I’ll never know.”
I flipped her the bird.
Amber was bouncing in her chair, purple eye glowing.
“Wait, wait! The same scrolls that you gave me to study? Can you quickly whip up a set of them? If they’re really famous, a first edition set of the Medical Manuscripts would be worth a FORTUNE. Please?”
I grinned at her.
“A much more reasonable request! Not right this second, it takes me longer than a minute to make a set, but next time we meet up, sure! I’ll have a set ready for you! Plus, if I’ve proved I’m the original author, it’ll authenticate them, which should make them more valuable. Or something. I’m planning on talking with some [Archivists] or [Appraisers] to find out how that works.”
Amber walked over to give me the biggest, crushing hug, which I was touched at. It reminded me that everyone was about to go.
“No wonder your name and ‘healer’ is now the same word! Oh, I gotta class up my healer class, I should have some high value options! Just a few more levels.”
“I wish you didn’t have to go.” I complained, somewhat changing the subject.
“Well, write to us!” Julius encouraged.
“Oh, did you finally decide what you’re going to do?” I asked him.
Julius and Artemis traded looks.
“Hunter’s guild.” Artemis said. “Amber managed to negotiate our entrance, and we’re already familiar with hunting down monsters.”
“Nice! Good job, Amber.” I shot Artemis a thumbs up, and a smile at Amber. She preened under the praise. “Artemis. Will you need my armor? I’m not going to need it for now, and you could use the protection.”
On one hand, it wasn’t exactly mine to give away. On the other? Everyone who could care was dead, and I cared deeply about Artemis staying alive.
Artemis and Julius traded looks, and she nodded.
“That’s generous of you Elaine. Thank you.” Julius gave me a grateful look. It was his fiancee I was helping keep alive.
“Don’t get me started on the relative price of wands between this place and the town below. Why-” Amber interjected, unable to contain herself.
“BRRRPT!” Auri fiercely interrupted, reminding Amber she’d said not to let her get started.
“Good bird.” I handed Auri a slice of fruit.
“I’ve been looking at the schedule. I think we’ll next be able to meet up in around a year and a half.” Julius said. “Unless we start traveling to exotic locations.”
Artemis snorted, and made a broad, sweeping gesture.
“Like this place isn’t exotic?”
Julius conceded the point with a tilt of his head.
We lingered over dinner, knowing the end was coming, but not wanting to hurry it along.
At last we said our goodbyes, and parted.
For now.
I had food and drinks for after my class up. I’d elected to do it in my room, because it felt safer than the hospital, and Auri was safe outside my room, with plenty of juice. I’d let my roommates know what I was doing. I had spare time, and a plan.
With all my T’s crossed and I’s dotted, I laid down on my uncomfortable bed, and fell into the world of my soul.
I opened my eyes to a scene of… well, I wouldn’t call it organized chaos. Books were scattered haphazardly on tables, the lights were dim, shelves had books stacked sideways on top of the properly-done books, a few flowers were haphazardly placed artfully to spruce the place up, and poor Librarian was hustling along with a cart full of books to re-shelve. She was still in her Sentinel armor, but with a great big poofy mage’s hat on her head.
“Elaine! Great to see you! One minute.” Librarian blazed past me with a number of multicolored books, each one promising fantastical powers.
“Uh.” I said kind of stupidly. “Is everything ok?”
“I don’t know, is it?” Librarian bit back. “This is the world of your soul, not mine.”
I looked around at the piles of disorganization, and had to admit that it was a solid mirror of how life felt for me at the moment. I was trying to settle into the new world, but everything was just so different in so many ways. I constantly felt off-kilter and off-balance.
There hadn’t even been any wars that let me work as a battlefield medic! That was at least easy from a “what do I do” perspective.
“So because I feel like my life is in shambles…” I slowly said, letting Librarian finish the sentence.
“Your inner world is in shambles, yes.”
“Can we fix it?”
“Well, not really. Every time you fix one thing, it just pops back. Watch.” Librarian straightened a few books, left, and they became a mess again after she walked away.
“Joy. Are you still able to pull the books I need?”
“Oh yeah! Easy as anything! It’s a reflection of what’s going on, but the System isn’t about to not let you get a class or anything, or even make it particularly hard for you. It’s more of a visual thing. Are we checking out the [Student] classes first, or do you want to see what you’ve got open?”
Tricky, tricky.
“Other stuff first. Let’s hit things from the highest quality on down?” I told Librarian as I sat down at a table, brushing off two white classes and a grey one off the table. They vanished before they hit the floor.
I wondered what [World Traveler] looked like these days! The fae realm had to count as another world, improving the quality of the class.
A book with a starry cover landed in front of me, with big black bold text staring at me in the face. I felt my heart go still, and my hand trembled as I reached for the book.
No way.
I’d qualified for a black quality class!? That was the highest class quality possible! The absolute peak! I didn’t believe it. Had I accidentally flipped my elemental coloration and quality coloration? Getting offered a Dark or Void class was entirely reasonable, but no. The cover was obviously Celestial.
[The Mother of Modern Medicine] the title boldly proclaimed, and fascinated, I cracked it open.
[The Mother of Modern Medicine - Celestial]: The process of learning and discovery is a long one, with thousands of contributions by millions of individuals. However, if any one person can be credited with shaping the field of medicine as it is seen today, it is you. Your work in creating the Medical Manuscripts, your distribution, the quality of the contents, the importance of medicine and healing, and the ethics and morals espoused inside ensured that the text would be picked up. Read. Studied. Then expanded upon, copied, and spread more. Throughout the eons the text has been copied countless times, several volumes always surviving the Immortal Wars, and your name has come up time and time again as the founder of medicine, to the point where your very name literally means ‘healer’ in multiple languages.
Congratulations.
This class is the culmination of your work, your reward for your selflessness and survivability. +1000 Mana, +1000 Mana Regen, +1000 Magic Power, +1000 Magic Control per level.
Buh.
What.
WHAT.
I just stared at the book, short-circuiting a bit. I’d gotten a black class. BLACK. And it was absurd.
“ELAINE!” Librarian snapped her fingers in front of me, bringing me back to - well, this wasn’t reality, was it?
“Black.” I just pointed at the book.
“Yes, and it’s not the only one you’ve qualified for. Come on! You’ve done absurd stuff in your life, we’re getting rewarded for it.”
I slapped both my cheeks with my palms.
Right! Sentinel Dawn was here to kick ass and read books, and I was all out of ass!
I read through the book.
It was a bit of a weird class, and that was saying something. It was naturally a strong healing class - although I didn’t see anything about Immortality - while also something of a combo writer-fame class. I’d level basically just by existing, as long as the Medical Manuscripts kept circulating.
Kind of like how Auri seemed to level just by existing as a phoenix.
The less that was said about the utterly absurd stats, the better.
“Ok. I know I said I was taking a [Student] class when I came in here, but what’s stopping me from grabbing this class, then cycling [The Dawn Sentinel] once it hits 768?” I asked Librarian. “I know I’m missing something, I’m just a little stunned.”
“Oh totally. You should’ve seen the look on my face when the class showed up!” Librarian sat down across the table from me. “It’ll be easier for me to show you why you should take something else, than to tell you. Here.”
She handed me a book, and it was one I was well familiar with
[World Traveler - Spatial]: You’ve traveled across realms, visited gods and fae in their home, and lived in two more worlds. You speak multiple languages, have lived and integrated with the inhabitants almost everywhere you go. Now take this class, and continue to explore the multiple worlds that exist in this vast cosmos! +16 Free Stats, +160 Mana, +1600 Magic Power per level.
I had a little more experience now, and I somewhat recognized what the class was saying with the Magic Power thing.
“How do I still not have enough power to make the class work!?” I complained to Librarian.
“Mostly because ripping the veil between worlds costs millions upon millions of mana - and the corresponding magic power. Honestly, the class could use a version that was focused on mana regeneration and channeling, letting you sit down and channel enough mana to make it happen.” Librarian poked at the book, like the class inside personally offended her.
“Still technically manageable now though, right? It’s not like I’d be constantly hopping through different worlds, I can afford to take some time to travel.” I thought of Destruction, and how long he channeled his [Earthquake] for.
“Yes, you could. Not the point though. Look at the stats.”
I looked a second time, remembering the pitiful stat offerings I’d gotten the first time. It had been +6 Free Stats, + 2 Strength, +3 Dexterity, +7 Vitality, +4 Speed, +10 Mana, +14 Mana Regeneration, + 9 Magic Control, +20 Magic Power per level.
At the time it had seemed absurd. Like nothing could compare.
Now? Now it just looked laughable.
“I am so glad you stopped me taking that class in the first place.” I told Librarian. “Why’s it so much stronger now?”
“The first class up is weaker for some reason. Not sure why. However, even if that wasn’t the case, the first class is always going to be on the weaker side, while the third class is always going to be a bit stronger. They just start from different baselines. Imagine if you reset your first class, and wanted to be a mage with it. How many stats per level would you get?”
I thought about the class I’d been offered years ago.
“8. 8 stats per level, as a pink class.”
“Exactly. Now, tons of stats in other places will help it along - that’s the entire idea behind cycling - but the starting baseline is always going to be different. Plus, there’s the entirety of your achievements and the like that have built the class up.”
I thought about what Librarian was saying for a moment.
“Either way, my first class is always going to be a little weak?” I asked her.
She shook her head.
“It has a harder baseline to work off of.” She corrected. “And [The Dawn Sentinel] is an excellent class.”
“Just not as good as [The Mother of Modern Medicine].”
“Right. But if you went [The Mother of Modern Medicine], then reset your first class, there’s no guarantee that you’ll do things as crazy as what you did to get [The Dawn Sentinel] in the first place, or have the sheer number of insane achievements waiting for you once you class that up. The other thing to consider is that the class is a combination class. It’s about a third being famous, a third being an author and a writer, and only a relatively small amount healing. There’s a version of the class waiting for you after [The Dawn Sentinel] upgrades that’s much more strongly healing-focused. I think we should tread that path. Taking [The Mother of Modern Medicine] now also means we have two healer-focused classes at the same time, and then we need to decide each time we heal someone what class skills we’re going to use, which also informs which one gets experience, and… it’s a mess.”
I agreed with the logic. No doing fancy class slot musical chairs with [The Dawn Sentinel] and [The Mother of Modern Medicine]. Only upgrading it later. I’d get the power, just not right this second.
“Since [The Mother of Modern Medicine] levels just by existing, I could take the class and use it to pump my stats to absurd amounts, couldn’t I?”
“Yup! And you’ll happily march along down the levels with it. You’ll have unusually low level skills in it if you don’t use the class at all, but it’d be fantastic for your stats, empowering your other two classes to an absurd extent.”
Gods.
I briefly considered the writing elements of the class, and spreading my medical knowledge. But… I’d already done that. Medical knowledge had outpaced me. I needed to catch up with the modern world, and boy did thinking that feel all sorts of wrong.
Also, I was here at the School to learn, and I didn’t need a gigantic stat stick. I needed to learn.
“And this is just the first class you’re showing me. How insane are the rest of them?”
A flaming red book landed in front of me, with another black title.
[Lady of the Dance - Fire]:
You danced in the morning, at the start of the world.
You danced under the moons, the sun, and the stars.
You came from another world, and you danced on the earth.
You picked up your feet and you flung them high.
You danced on the day that would never ever die.
You danced yourself raw in Summer’s Hall,
The entire time you never did fall.
You danced your feet off at dawn.
Throughout the time there was never a yawn.
You are the [Lady of the Dance],
And the dance goes on.
+77 Free Stats, +777 Strength, +777 Dexterity, +777 Speed, +777 Vitality, +77 Mana Regen, +77 Mana, +77 Magic Power, +77 Magic Control per level.
Welp, looks like spending a year in personal time, tens of thousands in System time, literally dancing my feet off counted for something! I suspected if I let this class get widely known that people would be flinging themselves into fairy rings in the hopes of obtaining strong classes.
I didn’t see myself as a [Dancer], but boy was I getting tempted by power.
I was starting to get into the swing of things, and Librarian kept me supplied with books. Books that I quickly scanned, then either tossed, or put aside to read more later.
At the end of the day, I was checking them out to get a general feel for what my choices were. I wasn’t making one today.
[Lady of the Dance] got marked in the “keep” section, in case I ever wanted to grab a physical, fun class. By the same token, I knew I could easily and happily ditch any other books that were attractive purely on their physical stats, and any other dancing-related books.
Next up was a third black-quality class. And it was one of the new elements- I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, but it certainly was interesting. What element would this have been if Erosion was still around?
[Paragon of Patience - Fossil]: You’ve displayed unparalleled patience by waiting tens of thousands of years from when you unlocked your third class, to selecting it. Nobody in the history of the world has ever been so patient with the selection of their class. Take this class, and patiently wait for good things to come. +2400 Vitality per level.
The class description was a little vague, and I delved a little deeper into the book, just to get a quick overview of how it worked. I got seven pages of boring text deep in before pulling a face.
“Is this class really all about waiting around?”
“Waiting around patiently, yes.” Librarian grinned at me. I pulled a disgusted face.
“How the System ever thought I was patient is beyond me. Plus, these skills suck. Who would ever take [Waiting Around]!?” There wasn’t even [And Find Out]! [Good Things Come to Those Who Wait] seemed vaguely interesting, but like. The entire thing was boring. [Patience is a Virtue].
I chucked the book over my shoulder in disgust, the book entirely not worth reading in the first place. I probably had millions of books in here, I wasn’t wasting my time on that one.
“Let’s remove all healing-related classes, and physical-related classes from the options.” I told Librarian. If I was going to take one of those, it’d be [The Mother of Modern Medicine] or [Lady of the Dance]. Easy.
She dramatically snapped her fingers.
“Done! No [Dragon Healer], [Undying Cockroach], or [The Quasi Immortal]. You might see them when [The Dawn Sentinel] upgrades though.”
“Also, let’s remove completely boring classes like [Paragon of Patience].”
“You did ask for the highest quality classes with no caveats.” Librarian reminded me.
“No Papilion classes, no classes that’ll cause me mental pain seeing them.” I told her.
“Dragon related classes?” Librarian asked me, and I hesitated.
Half my life had told me to avoid dragons at all costs. The other half seemed to have a casual relationship with them, Vitus casually swearing by dragon’s blood, and there apparently being an entire species called dragonlings.
I remembered my old mantra, one I hadn’t needed to lean on in years.
Fear is the mind-killer.
I let my fear pass over me and through me, examining the question with a slightly more rational mind.
“Include them.” I’d need a lot more convincing to take the class, but there was no reason not to take a look.
[Phoenix Nurturer - Inferno]: You rescued a phoenix from being a trophy egg, and protected and nurtured the egg to the best of your abilities. You successfully hatched the phoenix, and didn’t stop there. You hand-reared the phoenix towards her first ignition, bonded with her, and have carefully worked towards making sure she’s happy and well educated. Rare are those who are able to raise a phoenix so well. Take this class, and be a friend to all the beautiful fire birds of the sky! +100 Free Stats, +200 Strength, +200 Dexterity, +200 Speed, +200 Vitality, +200 Mana, +200 Mana Regen, +200 Magic Power, +200 Magic Control per level.
Librarian starting off strong! I could totally take this class briefly, help Auri become even stronger and smarter then, once she’d caught up with me, cycle it back and grab something else.
I had a problem. I wanted everything. Why did the System limit my classes and skills?? It was so unfair.
[Phoenix Immolator - Inferno]: You set a phoenix on fire. You set a PHOENIX on FIRE. Somehow, you have accomplished the impossible, and ignited the master of flame incarnate. You’re bonded with a phoenix, regularly bathing in her flames. You’ve always been attracted to fire, jumping into burning buildings and… getting spit-roasted over a fire? You’ve been exposed to all sorts of fires and flames, from the explosion of a hatching phoenix, to the fiery breath of a dragon, you’ve come through intact on the other side. Now take this class, and become the flames yourself. +10 Free Stats, +100 Mana Regen, +100 Mana, +400 Magic Control, +400 Magic Power per level.
A quick skim through the book - in spite of Librarian’s tutting in the background - showed that I wouldn’t get [Inferno Affinity], oh no. I’d get straight up [Inferno Spirit], the best and final evolution of the skill - getting access to it let Librarian know that was the case, and by extension, she let me know - and I would be able to literally turn myself into flames, like Auri. Or like what I’d seen Galeru do.
I wasn’t keen on an Inferno mage class, but wow. This one blew all the other starter mage classes out of the water, and was seriously tempting if I decided to go that route.
Bit of a shame it was Inferno, and not Fire. I would totally be tempted to aim for Radiance again, and maybe switch around [Butterfly Mystic] to something else. I liked Radiance.
[World Traveler - Spatial] I was familiar with it from earlier, and while the stats distribution was suboptimal at the time, I knew I could get the right skills to make it work. Heck, with how the System worked, I’d immediately jump to level 32. I bet that I could grab [Channel], travel to one or two worlds, then class up, making it a class skill. The only tricky question, that I had no answer to, was could I come back? If I made it to, say, Earth, and lost System access, I’d be stuck.
Earth was nice. Pallos was my home now, and I’d fought too hard for everything I had to lose it all.
Interesting that I had the option of exploring everything if I wanted to. This current world felt so gigantically large in the first place though. If somehow, with an entire world at my disposal, I found myself bored?
It was a nice option to have.
[Bookwyrm - Spatial]: You are a reader most voracious, consuming every book you find. Your greed for books rivals a dragon’s lust for gold! You spend endless hours when you class up doing nothing but reading, and even when encountering new and different places and cultures, one of your first thoughts is ‘how do I get my hands on new books?’. Indeed, even under the gaze of a dragon, attempting to hide in her lair, you found the time and courage to go perusing through her personal collection, trying to find books to read. Take this class, and read more! +40 Speed, +40 Vitality, +100 Mana, +100 Mana Regen, +300 Magic Power, +300 Magic Control per level.
The class was a terrible pun on bookworm, and I couldn’t deny that I was one heck of a bookworm. I took pride in it! A quick look at the start implied that it wasn’t exactly the most combat-oriented of classes, but it did neatly represent a thing I loved.
Reading.
I marked it as a keep class. Who knew, maybe I’d be able to take it!
[Hoard Thief - Mirage]: You managed to steal from a dragon. Inside her lair. You managed to steal from a dragon! There’s only a few thefts more daunting, a few acquisitions more famous, than managing to boldly and openly waltz into a dragon’s lair, secure part of her hoard, then abscond with your loot. Congratulations! Take this class, and take liberties with anything not nailed down. +250 Dexterity, +250 Speed, +300 Magic Control per level.
Illusions and theft. Well, if everything went to shit, stealing to survive wasn’t the worst. Better than a lot of other options, but hopefully I wouldn’t ever need to go there.
“Just checking. Is there an illusionist or Mirage-based class that competes with this one in terms of illusions?” I asked Librarian. My interactions with Lun’Kat practically guaranteed a number of Mirage-based classes.
Librarian hesitated a moment, thinking.
“If you focused on the illusion aspects of this class… and disregarded the fact that your leveling rate would be lower because of how it likes to level… then no, this is the best illusionist class you’ll get.”
“Perfect. We’ll keep it, and don’t bother showing me the rest of the Mirage classes.”
Librarian nodded.
“Good call.”
Next book! Hilariously, it was basically the exact opposite take of what had happened inside Lun’Kat’s lair.
[Polite Guest - Water]: Finding yourself in the dragon’s lair, you were a most polite and respectable guest. Carefully acting like the place was a museum, you looked, and only touched the bare basics of what you needed to survive. You ensured the host ended up in the best of health, asking nothing for yourself, and left as soon as you believed your welcome was at an end. If only all hosts could have guests as polite and well-mannered as you were! +1200 Free Stats per level.
Did… did I just get a social class!? No way.
The class didn’t sound that interesting to me, but I peeked in a little deeper, just to see if I’d finally broken my stranglehold on social skills and classes. Getting those would make my life that much easier.
And… kind of, but mostly no. There were skills that helped me learn various culture’s norms and rules, and would prompt me to follow them, which was sort of a social skill, but mostly memory, learning, and application of what I’d learned. It somewhat was a social skill if I squinted and tilted my head, but… well, either way the class wasn’t that interesting to me.
I was getting fairly disappointed. All my efforts in life. All the things I’d worked for, everything I’d dedicated years of efforts towards, and the System gave it low marks.
A week in Lun’Kat’s lair?
A half-dozen purple quality classes.
It was enough to make a girl scream.
[Snapdragon - Verdant]: You practically lived in a dragon’s garden-
I stopped reading, throwing the book across the room.
“What the fuck is with the dragon and these absurd classes!?” I screamed at nobody in particular as the book popped back into existence in front of me.
“They’re totally unfair!” Librarian agreed with me. “We should’ve asked to be a dragon when we got reincarnated.”
“Oh yeah.” I grumbled in agreement. “I never regretted asking to be a human over a bird, but this is just stupid. Being near a dragon gets me this!? Just…”
I made a disgusted noise as Librarian gently tapped on the book.
“How about this. I’ll keep it reserved in the ‘for the future’ pile. If you decide to take up gardening or,” Her eyes started to twinkle. “Growing mangos for fun, this is the class that’s best for it.”
That got my attention. I nodded my agreement, putting the book into the ‘keep’ pile.
[The Wanderer - Gale]: Travel is in your blood. You are always moving, always seeking new horizons. You were born traveling. You left home at an early age to see more of the world. You joined a group dedicated to traveling around, and when the call came, you traveled even beyond the borders of humanity, exploring strange new lands that were unknown to the culture you belonged in. Then you wandered to another world, dancing with the fae, before coming back to Pallos. You wander without a home, without an anchor, as free as the wind. Take this class, and wander some more! +400 Free Stats, +400 Speed per level.
Interestingly, they didn’t mention anything about me being the first human to do stuff like that… which meant others had beaten me to the punch.
I was delighted with this class on a personal level though. I’d earned it. Myself. No draconic nonsense boosting me into the purple tier. No reincarnation snafus randomly unlocking a purple class. As much as I loved Auri, no handling a powerful creature granting me access.
This class was mine. It was all because of me, and I felt a deep sense of pride and joy as a result.
It had a minor power issue though.
“Advantages of this class over [World Traveler]?” I asked Librarian.
She waggled her hand.
“A few. It’s better for traveling around in one world, as opposed to going to many, and the elemental inclination lets you more frequently use the skills for minor things. Apart from that though… [World Traveler] overlaps strongly.”
I looked at my piles of black and purple classes, and chuckled to myself.
I was just getting started on the mountain of books that waited for me.
