2 2. Class Selection

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕌𝕡!

There was a flash of blinding white light; when it faded, he felt nothing. A conspicuous nothing. No throbbing in his head, no pain lancing up his leg. He felt oddly, impossibly... fine. Healed.

Blinking, he got to his feet. His sweatpants had been shredded to bloody fluttering strips, but his leg was whole underneath. He touched the flesh. It felt fine. How? He took a couple of steps, shook out his leg, bent the knee, kicked the air.

"Fuck..." He breathed. Not just healed. Fully healed. For nearly all of the past two years, there had been a dull ache in his knee, courtesy of his injury. It flared especially hot when he squatted. Now he bent down all the way, and savored that beautiful nothing.

It was such a little thing, but he was stunned. He hadn't known how that pain had affected him until he was without it. It was like every moment was at least 10% worse, and eventually he'd gotten used to it, stopped noticing it; it was like a constant debuff. For two whole years, he hadn't felt like himself, not really.

…'constant debuff?' Really? This game stuff was getting to him.

ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖 𝕎𝕒𝕝𝕜𝕖𝕣

ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤: ℕ/𝔸

𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕥 𝕎𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕠𝕟: ℕ/𝔸

𝕋𝕚𝕥𝕝𝕖𝕤: ℕ/𝔸

𝕃𝕒𝕨𝕤: ℕ/𝔸

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟚

𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕤:

𝕍𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝟙.𝟟

ℝ𝕖𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝟙.𝟙

𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕙: 𝟙.𝟝

𝔻𝕖𝕩𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝟙.𝟚

𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕖𝕕: 𝟙.𝟜

𝕌𝕟𝕦𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕡𝕠𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕤: 𝟘->𝟙

Huh. So the level-up brought a stat screen. The stats he could understand. The others—Titles, Law, Spirit Tool, meant nothing to him.

And what was with 'essence' in front of level? He'd assumed the bright stuff that goblin gave him was like experience points. Was that essence?

He shook his head. He'd really started taking this seriously, hadn't he? Then again, why not? Might as well have some fun with it, whatever it was, while it lasted. He was having a good time.

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟚 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕕. ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤 𝕤𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕞 𝕦𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕖𝕕. ℙ𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕗𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤. 𝔸𝕝𝕝 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖 𝕖𝕧𝕠𝕝𝕧𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕗𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕤.

Oh?

ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤: 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕣 [ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟]

Warriors are paragons of strength and martial prowess. They make for formidable frontline fighters, capable of absorbing significant damage. Ideal for those who enjoy the thrill of battle and a blunt approach to combat. Common first evolutions: Knight, Berserker, Gladiator, Martial Artist.

ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤: 𝕄𝕒𝕘𝕖 [ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟]

Masters of the arcane, Mages harness the energies of the universe for use in their spells. They specialize in elemental magic, mystic enchantments, and strategic combat, leveraging intellect and magical prowess. Ideal for those who prefer a tactical and versatile approach. Common first evolutions: Elementalist, Sorcerer, Enchanter.

ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤: ℙ𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤𝕥 [ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟]

Priests channel divine powers, often focused on healing, protection, and support. They may also wield holy magic against foes. Ideal for those who wish primarily to support their allies, serving as healers and buffers. They fight through divine intervention. Common first evolutions: Paladin, Exorcist, Healer.

ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤: ℝ𝕠𝕘𝕦𝕖 [ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟]

Rogues are symbols of cunning, agility, and stealth. They excel in evasion, sneak attacks, and exploiting weaknesses. Ideal for those who favor a stealthy approach, enjoying outwitting opponents and operating from the shadows. Common first evolutions: Assassin, Thief, Shadow-Dancer.

ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤: ℝ𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣 [ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟]

Rangers are experts in survival, tracking, and ranged combat, skilled in using their environments to their advantage. They work well in solo and party scenarios. Ideal for those who enjoy a blend of stealth, archery, exploration, and tactical combat. Common first evolutions: Beastmaster, Scout, Sniper.

Even the classes were RPG-like. He didn't have to think twice. He always chose the bruisers. Sometimes he liked playing mage too, but there was nothing quite like getting up close and personal with it. Of course, Warrior.

He made the thought form the intent, and the screen faded away. Was it that simple?

ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤 𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕕! 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕣 [ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟]

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝-𝕦𝕡 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕥 𝕓𝕠𝕟𝕦𝕤: 𝕍𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪 +𝟘.𝟛, ℝ𝕖𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 +𝟘.𝟙, 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕙 +𝟘.𝟛, 𝔻𝕖𝕩𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕪 +𝟘.𝟚, 𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕖𝕕 +𝟘.𝟙

𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕕!

𝕎𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕀 (𝔸𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖) [ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟]

ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕪 𝕚𝕟 𝕞𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕖 𝕨𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕠𝕟𝕤.

𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕕!

𝕌𝕟𝕒𝕣𝕞𝕖𝕕 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕀 (ℙ𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕧𝕖) [ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟]

ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕪 𝕚𝕟 𝕦𝕟𝕒𝕣𝕞𝕖𝕕 𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘.

𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕕!

𝕌𝕟𝕒𝕣𝕞𝕖𝕕 𝔾𝕣𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 (ℙ𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕧𝕖) [ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟] 𝕀 -> 𝕀𝕀

ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕪 𝕚𝕟 𝕦𝕟𝕒𝕣𝕞𝕖𝕕 𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘.

Apparently so.

𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕚-𝕞𝕒𝕡 𝕦𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕖𝕕!

In the top left corner of his vision, a tiny translucent map popped up. He found he could blink it away and summon it again at will. The title read, 'Luminous Forest (F),' and it was split into three regions—the 'Emerald Woods,' the 'Crystalback Highlands,' and the 'Grove of Whispers.'

It was simply drawn, dashed with bare lines to mark out basic topography and boundaries. The white dot was him, he assumed—he was in the 'Emerald Woods.'

Weren't there three bosses? He frowned. What were they, again? He tried remembering, and the box popped back up—

𝟙. 𝕊𝕝𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕠𝕓𝕘𝕠𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕟 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕖𝕗

𝟚. 𝕊𝕝𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕣𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜 𝔹𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕙

𝟛. 𝕊𝕝𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕂𝕖𝕖𝕡𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕠𝕧𝕖

Right—he thought the regions sounded familiar. The 'Crystalback Behemoth,' whatever it was, had to be in the 'Crystalback Highlands.' The 'Keeper of the Grove,' was in the 'Grove of Whispers.' Which probably left the 'Hobgoblin Chief' where Zane was. He'd just fought a goblin. Made sense.

It seemed he could only make out red dots within a certain radius of him, since the rest of the map was blank. They were moving. RPG logic said they were monsters. But there were yellow dots too, stationary, and those he was less sure of—save areas? Traps? Treasure boxes? He was guessing; he'd have to check them out. That, and all the skills he'd just been thrown.

First, though, he still had one free point from that level up. Again, the choice was pretty easy for him; he willed it into strength.

He didn't feel much stronger afterward either; other than a mild tingling, he didn't feel much of anything. On a whim he walked over to the nearest tree, cocked back a fist, and rammed it with a right hook.

His fist went a foot into the bark, and the whole tree wobbled, dirt rucking up at its roots. Pale, crystal blue fruit fell like giant raindrops, splattering against the ground, hissing as if there was acid in them. Zane looked at his fists in consternation. The knuckles were scraped bloody raw.

Either the trees here were made of tissue paper, or...

"Holy shit," he breathed.

***

He wasn't sure when the transition had happened, but he was in. Whatever this was, he went along with it. Some part of him believed.

He set off deeper into the forest at a brisk pace, feeling pumped. By this time of day, he should have been so sleep-deprived he was barely functional, but he felt fresh, like he'd just woken up. His mind knew the fight was over, but his body was still running hot; he was fiending to get his hands on something, to play with his new toys.

On the way, he saw a white-furred mother monkey swinging from branch to branch, cradling a little one. It trailed a light mist as it went.

𝔽𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕜𝕖𝕪 (ℂ𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖)

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟚

It didn't show up on his map.

They blinked at each other; it looked slightly spooked, like it thought Zane might come for it. He supposed he gave off that impression—he had strong features, and at rest, his expression was so flat his gaze was more intense than he meant.

"Go on. Shoo," sighed Zane. It went.

He was no bully. He needed a worthy foe, a foe that deserved it. Another of those goblins, maybe, or some other monster. The system had said they were soul-less killing machines, or something, right? At the thought—

𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘! 𝕄𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕣𝕦𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤, 𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕤. 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕙𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕝𝕪 𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕧𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕥. 𝔽𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕒𝕗𝕖𝕥𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕤𝕦𝕓𝕛𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕤, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕀𝕞𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕦𝕞 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝕚𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕖𝕩𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟.

Right. His goblin run-in backed it up well enough. Sure, he'd play pest control.

He made for the nearest red dots—there were two of them.

He took in the Forest as he went. Little stone statues of what seemed like gnomes and gargoyles, fuzzed with moss, draped with vines, dotted the land. Their hollow eyes seemed to follow him as he went. He saw butterflies flitting about with wings like tiny mirrors, and vines sneaking around trees that seemed to whisper at him as he passed in some secret language.

The red dots were heading his way, so he crept around to get a closer look. Through a weave of vines and wood, he saw them—the backs of bobbing green heads. He crept closer, and the rest of them came into view.

𝔾𝕠𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕟 (𝕄𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣)

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟚

𝔾𝕠𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕟 (𝕄𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣)

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟚

He thought about sneaking up on them, taking them from behind, unawares. But where was the fun in that? He wanted a good fight—he wanted to see the whites of their eyes, to feel his heart beating so hard it might burst out of his chest. He wanted to feel alive.

So he dashed straight for them.

They whirled almost instantly. Yellow eyes widened. Then they let out shrill, spittle-flecked screeches, and their spears flashed up to greet him.

He ducked.

Then he ripped one of them to the belly, felt the satisfying squelch of knuckles digging deep into flesh, heard its strangled choke. Then the other one tried bringing its spear around to jab at him, but he got in too close. He tackled it, and they went tumbling over, clawing at each other. He ended up on top. Before it could get up, he rammed an elbow up its nose, heard it crunch. There was an awesome force in his hands, in his arms—it felt like he was dropping hammer blows. He slammed another, and another –

His back erupted in pain. He whirled and saw the other goblin circling. The tip of its spear was coated red.

He was starting to smile.

He picked up the fallen goblin's spear. It fit snug in the palm of his hand, and he tossed it from one hand to another; somehow, he knew just where to grip it to keep it balanced. Armed Combat I, eh?

The goblin launched itself at him. Its spear shot for his throat. But he had the same idea, and his arms were longer.

For a few moments, it gurgled, thrashing; then it went limp. Its body dissolved in a rush of white light, and its essence was released.

Zane turned back to the goblin on the ground. It was groaning, trying to scramble to its feet but couldn't see through all the blood leaking into its eyes. He put it out of its misery.

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝-𝕦𝕡!

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟚 -> 𝟛

A flash, and the pain in his back vanished.

His whole body tingled warm, and when he hopped around, he could feel a little extra spring in his step. At this level, it felt like he had a new body every single boost.

It wasn't enough.

He'd won, but he'd barely gotten warm. Coach was always on him about this. Zane cared less about winning than having a good fight. Winning was nice. But to Zane, a good fight was a different way of being alive. Those little moments, those beautiful moments when he was locked in a cage, and pouring out his soul and blood and sweat, pouring out all he had, win or lose—it made real life feel like sleepwalking.

In high school, he'd read a quote that'd stuck with him ever since. It was his favorite quote, from a famous tightrope walker—"Life is on the wire, the rest is just waiting."

He was done waiting.

Even now, he could feel himself cooling, could feel the light leaking out of his world. No, no, he needed a hit of the stronger stuff. There was another dot nearby—a couple of hundred feet out, by the looks of it.

When he got there, he saw this one was no goblin.

It was much bigger, laden with cords of muscle like goblins gone through puberty. Its spear was a grown man's spear. It was at the bottom of a hill, half-hidden in the foliage—it hadn't seen him. But he could make it out just fine.

ℍ𝕠𝕓𝕘𝕠𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕟 (𝕄𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣)

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟝

Five? That gave him a bit of pause. If leveling worked for them like it worked for him, that thing could be a lot stronger than him. He probably shouldn't do this. He should probably run.

One problem. If it was level ten, he would've run. Maybe even eight.

He didn't have a death wish—it was no fun getting mauled. But five was close enough he could just about convince himself he could bridge it. And if he couldn't—well, he'd have fun on the way down, wouldn't he?

Why was he so damned excited? He was shaking. It's been so long since he'd had a proper fight—then that goblin had given him a taste of it—it woke a hunger in him; he needed more.

…Jesus. He sounded like an addict relapsing.

It did kind of fit him, didn't it? After his knee gave out and he couldn't fight anymore, that huge depression…were those withdrawal symptoms?

Had he been addicted? It sounded kind of absurd.

He stopped thinking about it. Fuck it. Just this once. If it fucked him up, he'd be good and stick to Monsters his level. Just this once, then he'd stop, he swore it—

He blinked. He just had a startling realization about himself. "…Damn."

Then, shrugging—"Eh."

He put his unused level-up point into strength. He had a feeling he was about to need it.

Then, grinning, he charged.