Chapter 339 - The Third Class II (Patreon)

AN: Reminder that this is Friday's chapter two days early. This chapter is significantly improved by reading it in gdocs, where it has COLOR! Enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SCdmRa4Gu72-jqBMmwVHcGUu6M9EupEgaRZzC1YZQ7k/edit

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I stretched and cracked my neck. It made an extra-satisfying pop, all possible because this was the world of my soul, and not reality. I could do things like that.

“Ok! Hit me with classes that haven’t overlapped, from strongest on down. Let’s get cracking!” I was in good cheer, having already gotten offered three black quality classes and seven varying shades of purple quality classes.

Librarian smirked, and an entire bookshelf slammed down behind her, stuffed to the point of overflowing with books.

“Challenge accepted.” She declared, and it was on.

[She Who Fights With Monsters - Void] Monsters take on all sorts of shapes and sizes. From gargantuan Formorian Queens, to the smiling man on the corner, to the tiniest parasite, there is no telling what shape a monster can take. From Formorians at the walls, to wild beasts in the forest, dinosaurs in the sky to shimagu in the brain, you fight monsters wherever you see them. You stand against the tide that would overwhelm civilization, regardless if there are people standing beside you or not, fighting for a better tomorrow for both yourself, and others. Your efforts have contributed towards two monster species becoming extinct. What will be the next feather in your cap? You will not stop, you will not hesitate to fight more monsters, wherever you see them. Careful not to become a monster yourself. Take this class, and continue to be She Who Fights With Monsters. +40 Free Stats, +15 Strength, +15 Dexterity, +30 Speed, +30 Vitality, +60 Mana, +60 Mana Regen, +60 Magic Power, +60 Magic Control per level.

“Does this come in anything besides Void?” I asked Librarian after a cursory check. Sometimes classes were like that, especially at the initial class up.

“Yup, although Void’s the strongest version. Dark’s the next best choice.”

“I am not taking a Void Mage class. Not with the potential to explode.”

“You’d probably survive it with your healing. If it ever happened.”

“First, my [Oath] would cripple, if not kill, me for the sheer collateral damage from everyone nearby who dies.That assumes I have enough mana to handle whatever the problem is! And living my life on the edge, waiting to explode, isn’t for me. It might be rare, but eternity, remember? However, I’m going to keep this one… although let’s ditch other monster-fighting classes and other Void mage classes. Also, let’s skip any other hunting-related classes.”

This classing up stuff was hard. There was just so much to check and look over!

Books practically flew under my gaze as I skimmed the introductions, making snap judgements if I should keep the book or not, and rearranging the remaining books that I was getting offered.

[Escape Artist - Mist]. [Everchild - Fossil]. [The Great Stink - Miasma]. [Slayer of Tyrants - Gravity]. [Dawn of the End - Celestial]. [Disaster Diplomat - Decay]. [Elven Courtesan - Water]. [Voice of the Downtrodden - Sound]. [Merchant of Immortality - Gemstone]. [Ambassador of Growth - Wood]. [Tree of Knowledge - Forest]. [Draconic Maid - Pyronox]. [Legacy of Sealing - Brilliance]. [Breaker of Chains - Storm]. [Herald of Draconic Fury - Sound]. [Protective Packrat - Spatial]. [Reverse Cuckoo - Ash]. [Caged Songbird - Sound]. [Glutton - Fire]. [Preener - Mirror]. [Haven of the Weary - Spatial]. [Beautician - Light]. [Shroud of Miracles - Mist]. [Elaine Sutra - Mirage]. [Legionnaire of the Ancients - Fossil]. [Town Guard - Metal]. [Provocateur - Fire]. [Discerning Cannibal - Decay]. [Living Wood Armorer - Wood]. [Fae Adventurer - Spore]. [Tunnel Dweller - Dark]. [Illusion Buster - Radiance]. [Evaporator - Steam]. [Denied by the Gods - Void]. [Heretic - Decay]. [Lady of Shadows - Dark]. [Vampiric Vestibule - Water]. [Survivor of the Black Flames - Pyronox]. [Squishy Warrior - Ooze]. [Arrogant Destroyer - Lava]. [Couatl Snackbringer - Wood]. [Fiance Annihilator - Inferno]. [Earthquake Evoker - Mountain]. [Protector of the Meek - Mountain]. [Tiding of Misfortune - Celestial]. [Senator’s Bane - Dark]. [Undying Muse - Sound]. [Escaped the Inevitable - Celestial]. [Voice of Authority - Sound]. [Finger Launcher - Poison]. [Guest of the Summer Court - Radiance]. [Mango Trapper - Wood].

Hundreds of books, each taking a few minutes of skimming before I decided if I wanted to keep them to check out later, or if I was going to ditch the idea entirely. For particularly nice classes, I elected to keep that particular type of class over all others, and asked not to see any other classes relating to that field.

I swear Librarian was having some fun. Each time I made a request, dozens of books would shimmer off the massive bookshelf behind her, and all the remaining books would slide over. Then dozens of new books snapped into existence, keeping the shelf just as full as it had been.

I cursed my own perverse sense of humor. She was me, after all, and I was getting pranked the same way I’d prank someone else.

I had a number of standouts, even among the books that I kept. Classes that were particularly exciting, or in the case of the mage classes, classes that exemplified an element particularly well, and I’d use it over other sorcery-style mage classes of the same element.

I had my list of elements I was interested in grabbing, and I quickly matched the best sorcery classes to the elements I was interested in.

Radiance - [Sunchild]

Lava  - [Earthblood Manipulator]

Storm - [Etalix’s Devoted]

Lightning - [Lightning of Galeru - Lightning]

Gravity - [Force Arcanist]

Spatial - [Seven League Ranger]

Ice - [Cryomancer]

Gemstones - [Jewel of the Ancient Hoard]

Arcanite - [Font of Mana]

Brilliance - [Kekkaishi]

Celestial - [Herald of the Ever Changing Moons - Celestial]

Mirage - [Hoard Thief - Mirage]

Mirror - [Copycat - Mirror]

Sound - [Sonic Spellweaver]

Verdant - [Witch of the Woods - Verdant]

Ooze - [Oozenomicron]

Sand - [Eternal Hourglass]

Inferno - [Phoenix Immolator - Inferno]

There were a number of classes that popped out as being particularly interesting as well. They weren’t sorcery classes, but out of the list of classes I was going through, they were strong and interesting enough to catch my attention.

Honestly, I was marking a number of classes as “acceptable”, but when push came to shove, it was the sorcery classes and the ones I found truly “interesting” along with the powerful classes that would make the final cut.

[Wandering Bard - Sound]. Providence has brought you to Pallos, filled with songs and stories of a faraway land. You’ve tirelessly played for food and lodging, securing your future with song and stories. You’ve wandered far and wide, telling tales in each place you go. You are the epitome of the [Wandering Bard]. Now take this class, and perform on new stages! +100 Free Stats, +20 Strength, +100 Dexterity, +100 Speed, +20 Vitality, +50 Mana, +50 Mana Regen, +50 Magic Power, +50 Magic Control per level.

[Stormrider - Storm]. You’ve soared through the sky, oh [Beloved of the Wind], and little in life brings you more joy than feeling the breeze through your hair as you enjoy the unlimited freedom that flying gives you. Now surf on thunderclouds! Swim through blizzards! Follow the currents of the wind, wherever they may blow you, and ride the storms of the world! +40 Free Stats, +80 Speed, +40 Mana Regen, +60 Magic Power, +60 Magic Control per level.

[Arcane Trickster - Mirror]. Trickery and stealth is part of your kit, along with a great desire to use all the magic of the world! Use this class to yoink the skills of other people you see, being able to copy them for a limited time - and even lock them out of using the skills themselves, if you have enough mana, power, and control for it! +80 Mana, +10 Mana Regen, +80 Magic Power, +80 Magic Control per level.

[Asura’s Legacy - Brilliance]. Asura’s legacy lives on within you. You have witnessed the unbridled might and fury of the former Guardian Asura, the Destroyer. You have marveled at her grace, power, beauty, and majesty. Her casting was excellent, and even to this day she would be considered a top tier wizard, if using an unusual and somewhat antiquated method. Revive her ways, and cast like none other! +20 Mana, +20 Mana Regen, +120 Magic Power, +120 Magic Control per level.

Well, I found my wizardry class if I was going to take one! It cleanly edged out almost all the other wizardry options I had, although the ‘antiquated methods’ was somewhat concerning.

That was why I was waiting a bit, and studying up before grabbing a class. I could ask someone knowledgeable about the details of wizardry I was finding inside the book, and see if it worked for me or not. Progress!

Ok, to be clear, I had probably found my wizardry class. There was a second wizardry class that was appealing.

[Nebula Starweaver - Celestial] Not only have you gazed endlessly upon the stars, wondering what it would be like to walk among them, but you are made out of stardust.  You wish to use the mystic runes to cast, taking on a legacy that you predate. Now take starlight, and weave it into runes to cast every skill under the vast skies! +50 Free Stats, +50 Mana, +50 Mana Regen, +50 Magic Power, +50 Magic Control per level.

On paper, it was weaker than [Asura’s Legacy]. But, I was going to be upgrading [The Dawn Sentinel] to a [The Mother of Modern Medicine] variant in all likelihood when I reached that class-up. My [Celestial Affinity] skill would go through the roof, and while Librarian and I couldn’t confirm it right now, I suspected I’d be getting [Celestial Spirit] as an upgrade. [Nebula Starweaver] didn’t need a second affinity skill, so I’d get to double-dip in that respect, powering up the class through a cross-class skill.

There was nothing about ‘using ancient methods’ either, implying that modern methods were perfectly valid. There wasn’t enough right now to say that one was better than the other, but if it came down to ‘pick a wizardry class’? It’d be one of those two.

[Jack of All Trades - Gemstone] You want it all! Have it all! Every skill under the sun is yours to borrow… poorly. You’ve extensively used gemstones to supplement and expand your arsenal, now expand it even further! Capture, borrow, and copy every skill you can, store it in your gems, and gain access to as many skills as you can find! +15 Strength, +15 Dexterity, +15 Speed, +15 Vitality, +15 Mana, +15 Mana Regen, +15 Magic Power, +15 Magic Control per level.

Ooooooooh. The class for doing everything! There was a subtle shade of difference between this and the wizardry class. They both claimed they could do basically everything, but the methods seemed to be different. This was another great area of research for me to look into! Figuring out what made this type of jack class different from a wizardry class, and what the pros and cons of each were. Once I knew, I could make an informed decision, instead of blindly guessing and hoping.

I was feeling quite pleased with myself.

“Ok, I think that’s enough.” I told Librarian after ditching [Civic-minded Revolutionary], a class about bringing about change… peacefully, through technically legal means. A reward for my work with Emperor Augustus, and insisting on equality.

I was fried, and the class qualities were getting lower. I didn’t see myself hitting up anything else that might be shown. I’d gotten most of the major aspects of my life in a class or two, and had endless options.

“Show me the two best [Student] classes that won’t steal [Passionate Learning] or [Immortal Recollections]. Also classes that’ll let me get the [Dabble] skill, and let me practice various things that I get taught, so I can get some practice in before picking my final choice.”

“What about [Learning Languages]?” Librarian clarified.

“Meh. It can steal that if it wants. The skill’s temporary, and I’m quickly mastering one language. Like, it’ll drop from its current level to 32, but then [Sentinel’s Superiority] is going to kick in and boost it back up to effectively level 40. Which was good enough for picking up new words and phrases quickly. And skip the classes focused on learning languages!” I quickly cried out as the books changed, then changed again after my last sentence.

I looked down at my two options, totally ready to just pick something. I had to remind myself that proper prior planning was the answer, and running out of gas at the last moment wasn’t the way to get the best class I could.

I raised my eyebrow at Librarian.

“Really?” I complained.

“Yes, really. The restriction on not absorbing [Passionate Learning] killed multiple high quality [Student] classes. There’s a light green, bordering on dark green [Love of Learning] student class, but it’ll kill our general skills. We’ve worked too hard on [Passionate Learning], and the skill’s too big of a boost, to give it up.”

I nodded my agreement.

I took a deep breath, and reminded myself that the plan was to eventually - within a year or two - ditch the class, and take my “real” final option. This was temporary.

[Disciple of Magic - Light] - Wherever you go, you study magic. Trying to learn it, absorb it. Figuring out how it works, wanting to make it your own. When you meet new people, you want to know what their skills are and how they work. You’ve found yourself in the premier place in the world to learn more magic! Take this class, and crack open the mysteries of magic, one book, one potion, one transformation, one ward and shield at a time. +5 Free Stats, +5 Strength, +5 Dexterity, +5 Speed, +5 Vitality, +10 Magic Power, +10 Magic Control, +15 Mana, +15 Mana Regen per level.

[Student of the Ages - Wood] - No matter where in the world, no matter when in the world, you seek out places of learning. No school? Raid the library. The only place is a military academy? Join the army. Traveling with new species? Get them to teach you everything they know about the world. Found yourself in a strange world? The first place you go to is a school. The School. You are a [Student of the Ages], through and through. Take this class, and learn. +5 Free Stats, +10 Dexterity, +10 Speed, +10 Vitality, +10 Magic Power, +10 Magic Control, +10 Mana, +10 Mana Regen per level.

The first class was more focused on the magical aspects of learning, and being a student. It had a strong focus on magic, learning magic, and experimenting with various types of magic. [Something Doesn’t Look Right], and various other meta-skills around [Dabble] would let me experiment with different classes more often. Included were skills that helped me with transcriptions and copying diagrams, which my brief research on wizardry suggested would be useful. I could also imagine it was useful for things like potion recipes, and I frankly lacked the world knowledge to properly guess at all the other uses such a skill could have. Endless, I imagined.

I loved magic. I hated how the System only gave me three class slots.

The second was more focused on being a student generally. A stronger focus on learning, and a whole host of secondary skills that would make being a student easier. Like [Study], and [Taking Good Notes], [Find the Reference], along with a mental calculator. The class’s [Dabble] variant was weaker.

The class stats were roughly the same, and gods, it was such a let down from the sheer power that was present in the black quality classes I had.

Six of one, a half-dozen of the other, my choices were practically the same.

I was big on magic. Big on grabbing skills and trying things out. That’s part of why the [Jack of All Trades] class was so appealing. [Disciple of Magic] was absolutely the “try lots of magic out!” class.

However, I was also going to be a student. It wasn’t like the skills in [Student of the Ages] were that much weaker, and I had infinite stats to throw at the problem. The class was also better at generally being a student.

I’d be dabbling in numerous different fields of study anyways, getting a feel for them. Likely evolving my class to something else to give it a proper shot anyways. I didn’t need to have strong magic abilities right now, I’d get them in a few weeks once I was sure what to try! I was still leaning towards the “Go biomancy, improve myself, then reset to something else” route, and both classes let me do that. Plus, going that route also let me talk with people about what I was going to take, and get a ton of advice on what route I should go. It was nice having people to directly discuss class options with, as opposed to just blindly going ahead on my own!

Although, I doubted anyone would be able to give me proper advice on the black classes.

[Student of the Ages] let me be a better student though, and I was confident in my ability to use skills to try various things out. The book was explicitly clear that I’d be able to. I hadn’t been a student, a real student, in decades, and I might as well be good at what my class wanted me to be. Frankly, it’d also help shore up my distractibility weakness better than [Disciple of Magic] would.

“[Student of the Ages] please!” I grabbed the book and took it to the checkout.

“Always a pleasure. See you soon!” Librarian waved to me.

“Yeah! Can’t wait to be back!” I said as the world faded around me, and the real world came back.