Chapter 13

While Leo remained unconscious, a stream of notifications appeared.

[Congratulations on being the first person to reach level 10 and obtaining the right to choose a Class!

The title Unwavering Determination has been added to your Status Window!]

[Congratulations on choosing one of the ten Unique Classes to exist in Judgments Reckoning: Humanity's Last Stand!

You were the second person to have selected a Unique Class.

10 free attribute points have been added to your Status Window!]

[As a result of your Unique Class choice, your body will be optimized to the point in which it was or would have been at its peak potential.

(Disclaimer: This only applies to potential that existed throughout time and space pre-reckoning and/or in a timeline where the reckoning did not take place. Any physical potential achieved with the assistance of this system will not be calculated.)

(Disclaimer: The system will not take responsibility should the user lose their sanity due to the intense pain caused by this process.)

Physical Optimization will begin in 3... 2... 1... Commencing Enhancement.]

"Ahhhhhhhrghh!!!"

Leo found himself awoken by a pain so severe that it felt like someone had just reached into his body and torn his entire skeletal system out through his intact skin.

The sensation was unlike anything Leo could have ever imagined. Every fiber of his being seemed to pulsate with an excruciating intensity, from the deepest recesses of his bones to the taut muscles that held his frame together, and even to the very surface of his skin.

It was as if his entire body was on fire, yet beneath this torment, there was a strange undercurrent of unparalleled potential.

The pain, rather than weakening him, only seemed to bring about an even greater strength. Every time a bone was shattered and restructured, it grew more dense and resilient.

When a muscle was torn asunder and stitched back together it throbbed with an unparalleled vitality as if a simple punch could tear the fabric of space and time in half.

Even his skin, his body's outermost defense, seemed to vibrate with newfound energy, as if it was being reforged to shield an entirely new existence.

In this agony, he found an odd comfort. The pain, though overwhelming, seemed to herald the promises of unparalleled capability.

It was as though his body was a canvas, and this torment, an artist's brushstroke, etching the contours of a perfected form.

With each scream of his nerves, he felt himself inching closer to a peak he could barely understand.

Although he wanted to cry uncle every second that the process was underway, he knew that the pain heralded the coming of new possibilities.

Possibilities that he could only dream about in his past life.

And so, he endured.

When the process seemed to be coming to an end, a new pain washed over him.

In the depths of Leo's consciousness, a searing transformation began to unfold.

It started as an unbearable pain, a torment that felt like his very essence was being reshaped by forces beyond reason or understanding.

Amidst the agony, a brilliant light flickered into existence deep within his mind.

This was the birth of his magic core, a nucleus of unimaginable power that connected him to the very essence of time.

The pain, which only intensified as the core formed, each moment stretching into what felt like an eternity of suffering.

Yet, Leo endured.

Within this core, Leo could feel the raw, unbridled energy of time manipulation surging through him.

It was a torrent of ancient power, whispering secrets of ages long past. His mind, once confined by the limitations of the present, expanded into the limitless expanse of the past and the future.

Every nerve in his body tingled with this newfound ability, accompanied by visions of events that had unfolded centuries ago and scenes from a future that was yet to come.

But this power came with a heavy burden. The pain he endured was not just physical; it was a mental and emotional crucible. It was a reminder of the profound responsibility that came with the manipulation of time.

As the magic core settled within his psyche, the pain gradually subsided, replaced by a deep sense of awe and wonder.

Leo was no longer merely a resident of this new fantasy world of which Earth would become; he was now entrusted with the monumental task of safeguarding time itself.

The agony of his transformation became a distant memory, replaced by a newfound purpose and the potential to shape destiny using the threads of time.

The moment the process was completed, a profound wave of energy, a mixture of mana and the threads of time and space, began to build within Leo's body.

As the energy continued to build and coalesce, it felt as if it would tear him asunder.

When it felt like it was about to destroy him from the inside out, the energy burst forth and rippled outward in all directions with his body as the epicenter.

As the energy rippled outward and off into the distant horizon, Leo could feel the last vestiges of pain wash away.

Unsure when or how he had gotten to his feet, Leo took a moment to calm his mind and sense the changes in his body.

Unlike his previous life, the transformation he had just endured was monumentally more painful; and rewarding.

As Leo absorbed the totality of everything he had just experienced, he scanned the area to make sure that Amber and Robin were alright.

Although Amber was short of breathe and was looking at him in both fear and awe, she seemed to be managing alright.

Robin, on the other hand, looked to be on the verge of collapse.

Leo could tell that whatever had just happened to the both of them, it was not a pleasant experience for them.

Knowing that it was most likely his fault, Leo attempted to move towards Robin to assist her.

After taking a single step however, Leo found himself off balance and falling over.

With a not so graceful faceplant into the dirt, Leo groaned, reaching out his hands and arms to push himself back to his feet.

When his arms and hands came into view however, Leo froze.

'Are my hands bigger?! Why do they seem like they are shining?! What the fuck happened to me?!'

Knowing full well that the system always explained any actions that occurred to humans after the reckoning, he quickly opened his notifications and began to scan through them.

Terrified by what he was seeing, the final notification told him everything he needed to know.

[Congratulations on completing your Class transformation for the Unique Class: Chronoknight.

The passive skill Temporal Physique is now active.

Open skill menu to view other Class Specific Skills.]