The Fallen Duke

[Elijah's POV]

<<January 13, 2023>>

<<Manila, Philippines>>

As the bright morning sun shone above the vast cerulean sky, the gentle breeze blew as pedestrians went about their own way, giving off a sense of peace. Who would have imagined that only one year ago, on New Year's eve, the whole world went through an ordeal that almost led to its end. People refer to it as "The Great Catastrophe", when monsters of all shapes and sizes flooded out from the "Gates". The whole world plunged into chaos, as destruction and carnage followed where ever this horde of monsters went. It was truly a horrifying nightmare that ate away all hope.

But then, several special individuals started transcending beyond their human capability and tapped into unknown power. These special people are referred to by the citizens of the world as the "First Generations".

These special people were given a chance to pick among the six types of classes, which are:

<<Warrior>>, <<Archer>>, <<Rouge>>, <<Fighter>>, <<Magician>>, and <<Support>>.

They were all given an equal chance by suddenly entering into an armory, surrounded by weapons of all types, corresponding to each class. Sword for Warriors; Bow for Archers; Dagger for Rouges; Gauntlets for Fighters; Grimoire for Magicians; and Staff for Supports.

So, as these brave individuals started to fight for humanity's sake, the world started regaining hope once more. It took about two whole months for the Transcended individuals, or as people refer to them as Hunters, to completely wipe out the first wave of monster attacks.

As the entire world and humanity finally attained respite, the first generation of hunters started awakening one by one. With the feat that they have achieved by fending off the monster wave, they are then given a chance to attain a new level of power.

~So, basically how it goes, is when a person transcends, they are given the choice for their base class. Once they have made their choice, their class can never be changed. After leveling up to a certain extent, a person will then awaken. You can think of this as kind of a class advancement. Now, this is where the power balance started to go haywire.

I'm sure that one way or the other, we have come across this type of genre. Honestly, I'm still pinching myself and still couldn't believe that the world has really turned into this Manga-Manhwa, web novels type of scenario. But alas here we are. I think it's really thanks to those reads, that I can really cope and adjust almost naturally with what happened a year ago.

Going back to the power balance, going haywire. In this type of genre, almost, if not all, base one's power level on a ranking system. The weakest are "F-Ranks", while the strongest are the "S-Ranks". But that's not how it works in my world's situation, where one's power is based on the class that one has advanced or awakened to.

Here's a crash course on all the known class advancements and how they are ranked based on how powerful they are.

*Disclaimer: Again, these are all based on what I know, okay? There might still be some unknown ones out there. So, don't @ me, when an unknown class suddenly appeared out of nowhere!*

[Base: Warrior]

<<Common>>

- Knight | Spearman | Guardian | Samurai

<<Rare>>

- Berserker | Sword Master | Royal Guard | Gladiator | Barbarian

<<Unique>>

- Sword Emperor | Cavalry | Rune Blade | Dragoon | Blade Dancer | Grand Marshal | Avenger | Warlord | Infinity Edge

<<Legendary>>

- Dragon Slayer | Seraphim Blade | Revenant | Mastersmith

[Base: Archer]

<<Common>>

- Hunter | Acrobat | Scout

<<Rare>>

- Sniper | Gun Slinger | Wind Walker | Trap Master

<<Unique>>

- Ranger | Beast Tamer | General | Desperado | Bounty Hunter | Seeker | Night Hound | Rebellion | Jaeger | Corsair

<<Legendary>>

- Zephyr | Ventus | Tempest | Eye of the Storm | Hurricane

[Base: Rouge]

<<Common>>

- Assassin | Stalker | Poison Mind

<<Rare>>

- Ninja | Raven | Shadow Walker | Ravager | Butcher | Trickster

<<Unique>>

- Pirate | Swashbuckler | Blood Reaper | Duelist | Wanderer | Phantom Edge | Wraith

<<Legendary>>

- Night Bringer | Chaos Ruler | Demon Blade | Heist Master | Eclipse

[Base: Fighter]

<<Common>>

- Monk | Street Fighter | Martial Artist

<<Rare>>

- Luchador | Cultivator | Striker | Savage

<<Unique>>

- Sage | Champion | Destroyer | Liberator | Crusher | Mystic Fist | Spirit Dancer

<<Legendary>>

- Ace | Shiva | Colossus | Asura | Drunken Fist | Monkey King | The Boss | Tribal Grappler

[Base: Magician]

<<Common>>

- Wizard | Alchemist | Rune Keeper

<<Rare>>

- Warlock/Sorcerer | Grand Magus | Summoner

<<Unique>>

- Creator | Necromancer | Battle Mage | Mystic Weaver | Void Prince/Princess | Sanguine Lord | Tinkerer

<<Legendary>>

- Winter Monarch | Summer King/Queen | Succubus/Incubus | Anti-Mage

[Base: Support]

<<Common>>

- Priest | Druid | Medicus

<<Rare>>

- Apothecary | Minstrel | Crusader | Inquisitor | Dryad

<<Unique>>

- Saint | Paragon | Paladin | Templar | Oracle

<<Legendary>>

- Butler/Maid | Heretic | Prophet

So, you might be thinking, "How does one awaken or advance in class?" Well, from the collective stories that were told from the people who went through awakening, most said that they were suddenly congratulated in advancing classes. The people who stated this are mostly the ones who advanced to the common grade class. While some have more peculiar stories.

One hunter was previously a scientist for a pharmaceutical company, and when that hunter awakened, she awakened to the <<Rare>> class, Apothecary. One hunter was a notorious serial killer in Russia, where he dismembers all his victims. When that hunter awakened, he awakened to the <<Rare>> class, Butcher. Another hunter was a previous military marksman on duty. When that hunter awakened, he awakened to the <<Rare>> class, Sniper. There were many more, but with the vast information provided, it's safe to say that there is a prerequisite needed in order to awaken in the other class ranks beside the <<Common>> rank class.

The first-ever hunter to attain a <<Legendary>> rank class is from Ireland. Only known by her title "Titania", she was able to attain the <<Legendary>> rank class, Summer Queen. It was stated that, when she first transcended and picked the magician class for her base class, she wouldn't use any other spells provided, except fireball. Many netizens theorized that her excessive use of fireball was the catalyst to be awakened as a <<Legendary >> classed hunter. Many tried what was theorized, but all failed. Many don't really realize that there might be more to the Awakening process, than what people led on to believe. I mean, let's be honest, it has only been a year, there's still a lot to uncover. And among those things is the fact that another level of awakening exists.

The <<Mythic>> class. Now, here's the thing, the <<Mythic>> is very unlike every other class that exists. How do I know, you ask? Well, because I am one.

I transcended last year, on the exact day of my birthday, on June 26th. It was already in the middle of the year and the world is beginning to have a semblance of order again. The moment I woke up that day, I was already inside the much-talked-about "Armory". Now, being a gaming fanatic/enthusiast and a lover of all things books, novels, web novels, manga, manhwa, and whatnot; I had to say that choosing my base class was harder than I expected it to be.

Being surrounded by all sorts of weapons and standing in the very armory that many only fantasized they could enter, to be honest, I was really ecstatic. It was truly the best birthday of my life. But of course, I couldn't let my raging emotions cloud my judgment. I only had one chance to pick and I had to make it count. So, I did what every normal human being does, over-analyze everything. I actually began weighing out the pros and cons of each base class and began looking at the bigger picture. You see, I need to get the most out of my choice. Because in the world that I live in right now, viability is what's gonna make me a living.

So, as I was scanning through the six base weapons and checking all the base stats that each base class would give me, I narrowed out my choices to three. The warrior, magician, and support. The warrior class overall is a very balanced class, while its awakening classes are highly sought after for raids. Magicians, on the other hand, have high firepower and has a variety of spells that are also needed in raids. Their only downside is, they are extremely squishy, or what we refer to them as glass cannons. They have a really low base defense stat, which can be very tricky if placed in certain types of scenarios. As for supports, what they lack in firepower, they make up for the plethora of buffs and debuffs that they have, which also makes them highly sought after in raids.

Thinking really hard about it some more, I decided to forgo the warrior class, as personally, out of the three base classes, it's the class that I'm least likely to excel at. I mean, let's be honest, a shut-in like me is the most ill-fitted person to be a warrior. So, for absolutely no reason, other than wanting to experience holding a sword, I walked over to where the sword is placed and gently lifted it. But when I lifted the sword, suddenly a notification appeared before me.

[Would you like to transcend as a warrior?]

[Accept | Decline]

I know I was supposed to be paying attention to the notification that appeared but in the reflection of the sword, at the very edge of it, a faint glint caught my attention. Turning my head in the direction of where the glint was, I noticed that it was something under a rack full of weapons. Wanting to feed my curiosity, I gently placed back the sword from where I got it and headed over to the weapons rack. Getting on my knees and crouching down, I stretched my arm out under the weapons rack and reached for the shiny thing that's seemingly been calling out to me. Getting a hold of the mysterious object, I then retracted my arms from underneath the weapons rack and slowly stood up.

Unfurling my fingers open, my breath was suddenly taken away by the beauty that lay in my palm. I stared at the simple but elegant brooch in my hand, mesmerized by its aesthetically pleasing appearance. The flower with a single golden leaf design of it was just, chef's kiss. I mean, I don't know what others may think of its simplistic design, but I'm a sucker for such simple elegance.

While I was admiring the brooch in my hand, suddenly a notification appeared before me, scaring the living daylights out of me.

[Congratulations, You have found the brooch of the Fallen Duke! Would you like to inherit the Fallen Duke's will?]

[Accept | Decline]

At that moment, I stood frozen for a good minute and a half. I mean, I was totally in shock. There are still no records of this ever happening when people transcend. But before I knew what I was doing, my emotions took over, and pressed accept. To be honest, there was no way I was declining. My emotions just made my decision quicker. I mean, declining was never an option. The brooch brought a completely new and uncharted territory that's never been explored before. And there's nothing more I like than an adventure waiting to happen. The brooch was calling out to me, I mean, who am I to not answer it, right?

So, after accepting, I was then transported back to my lovely and humble studio apartment. The moment I opened my eyes, I was immediately bombarded with system notifications, one after the other.

[Congratulations on inheriting the will of the Fallen Duke!]

[Status Window

Name: Elijah Reyes

Level: 1

Class: Duke <<Mythic>>

Title: None

HP: 300/250 (+50)

Mana: 200/150 (+50)

Stats:

STR: 5 | AGI: 5 | INT: 10+5 | VIT: 10+10 | DEX: 5 | LUCK: 10]

[Skills:

- Transcended Creative Imagination (Unique Skill) (Lvl:1)

Your innate gift and talent of creativity and imagination now have the chance to manifest into reality.

- Duke (Passive) (Lvl:1)

A duke exists by how much influence one has. The more influence gained, the more powerful the duke gets.

Influence: 0/100

- Bestowal (Passive)

A duke's ability to contract and appoint trustworthy worthy vassals. Once a vassal has been contracted and appointed by the duke, the vassal in question will gain a massive increase in power in order to meet the duke's standards. The newly appointed vassal will be branded with the duke's crest on their body (The duke has liberty on where to place it.), to symbolize their undying fidelity.

Vassal: 0

Warning! If a contracted vassal has disobeyed or rebelled against the duke, the duke can remove a vassal from their position. Once removed from the position, the vassal in question will revert back to the being they are before being contracted, and completely lose all their memories regarding the existence of the duke. Also, the crest they were branded with will disappear, replaced by a scar in its stead.

Once a vassal has been dismissed, a penalty will be given to the duke.

- Commanding Presence (Passive)

Has the ability to influence the people around the duke, to a certain extent. The higher the level of "Duke (Skill)", the stronger one's influence on others.

People under the duke's influence will gain a boost in their stats, depending on how high the "Duke (Skill)" is. The duke has full control over who to influence, and when to remove one's influence. The boost in stats will also disappear once the influenced is no longer within the skill's range.

The duke's influence will not affect a person that has a hostile or doubting heart against the duke.

Current bonus stat given: +5 STR | +5 AGI | +5 INT | +5 VIT | +5 DEX | +5 Luck

- Duke's Training Manual (Passive)

The duke has the ability to further strengthen their own vassals by personally training them. The harsher and more intense the tasks provided and completed, the higher the rewards are as well.

- A Duke's Image (Passive)

A great duke will not dirty his hands as much as possible.

The duke is not able to gain experience points by himself. The duke can only gain experience points through his trusted vassals.

EXP gain: 50% from the EXP gained by the vassal.

- A Master's Sacrifice (Active) (Lvl:1) (Mana cost: None) (Cooldown: None)

A duke treasures and cherishes the trustworthy vassals under him.

When activated, damage taken by the duke's vassals will be 100% mitigated and be transferred to the duke instead.

Damage transferred: 100%

- Duke's Authority (Active) (Lvl:1) (Mana cost: 100) (Cooldown: 1 hour)

The duke has the ability to empower and encourage his people, raising their morale.

When activated, all of the duke's vassals will gain a sharp boost in stats for a certain amount of time.

Current bonus stat given: +10 STR | +10 AGI | +10 INT | +10 VIT | +10 Dex | +10 Luck

- Duke's Benevolence (Active) (Lvl:1) (Mana Cost: 50) (Cooldown: 3 hours)

A duke has the ability to provide his people with extraordinary power, in order for them to do his bidding.

When activated, a single, targeted vassal's physical and magical attack, speed, and tenacity will have a 50% boost for 30 minutes. ]

[Equipment:

Weapon: Brooch of the Fallen Duke <<Mythic>> (Exclusive) (Bound)

A brooch that bore the will of the fallen duke. Pouring all his will into the brooch before his death, the previous duke wishes for it to find a suitable successor, to fulfill the role that he was unable to.

(Growth type weapon)

Weapon bonus stat: +5 INT | +10 VIT

Weapon Skill: Undying Will (Cooldown: 1 Day)

Can withstand and survive any kind of lethal attack, then gain a 3-second immunity to all types of attacks.

Armor (Upper): None

Armor (Lower): None

Armor (Feet): None

Accessory 1: None

Accessory 2: None

Accessory 3: None

Accessory 4: None

Accessory...]

[Quest! (Class-Exclusive)

Now that you have inherited the will of the fallen duke, you will now have to take your first step in rising to power.

Start spreading your influence! By spreading your influence, you will gain authority!

Influence: 0/100

A duke without his vassals is as good as dead. Search for a worthy individual and make them into your first vassal!

Vassal: 0/1

Time: Unlimited

Rewards: ???]

Looking and reading into all of those system notifications; at that time, one thing just kept repeating in my head.

"Oh, Lord! What did I get myself into?!"