Aurelius decided on the Arcane Blade skill. The reason was twofold. First, Aurelius valued the versatility that the Arcane Blade skill offered. He would use this skill in nearly every fight, and with its mana infusion capabilities, it provided an advantage against magical barriers and targets, making it a valuable asset in his arsenal. The additional damage based on his intelligence and wisdom stats further solidified his choice, as it would enhance his combat effectiveness overall.

Secondly, Aurelius acknowledged the potential risks and uncertainties associated with infusing mana into his blade. However, he believed that with careful practice and control, he could mitigate those risks and ensure a safe and effective use of the ability.

With his decision made, Aurelius mentally selected the Arcane Blade ability from the list,

Are you absolutely certain?

(Warning: This decision is final).

(Yes/No)

With his mind made up, Aurelius confidently hit the "yes" button, closed his eyes, and held his breath, expecting something to happen. He half-anticipated passing out once more, but as a few seconds ticked by without any sign of change, Aurelius cautiously peeked through his eyelids. To his surprise, he was faced with a brand-new screen, waiting for him with a sense of excitement.

Ability Selected:

Arcane Blade - Infuse the Blade Dancer's weapon with the user's mana, enhancing its effectiveness against magical barriers and targets. The infused blade also deals an additional (Intelligence + Wisdom)% of damage.

Aurelius swiftly glanced at the window before eagerly opening his status screen, absorbing the changes with undivided attention.

==========Stat Screen==========

Name: Aurelius Lusam Race: High Elf Age: 18 Health: 200/200

==========Level==========

Overall Level: 10 Overall Essence: 9,985 Attribute Points: 0 Unassigned Essence: 5 Next Level Progress: Essence (185/2580)

==========Classes==========

ChronomageLevel:6Progress:0/730Description:Harness the power of time and spaceAbility:At level 6, you can teleport yourself 17 feet away for 20 manaAttributes:Each level grants +1 to Intelligence and +1 to Wisdom

Arcane Artificer Level:7Progress:0/940Description:Carve mystic symbols into objects, granting the objects enhanced abilities and elemental effects.Ability:At level 7, you can expertly carve and empower common, uncommon, and rare level runes onto objects.Attributes:Each level grants +1 to Constitution and +1 to Perception.

Blade Dancer Level:10 (Evolved)Progress:0/1750Description:Develop an innate aptitude for wielding bladed weapons and gain the Blade Dancer’s Intuition, allowing for precise strikes and heightened combat proficiency.Primary Ability:Bladed weapon strikes possess a 20% chance of landing critical hits, inflicting double damage.Evolved Ability:Infuse the Blade Dancer's weapon with the user's mana, enhancing its effectiveness against magical barriers and targets. The infused blade also deals an additional (Intelligence + Wisdom)% of damage.Attributes:Each level grants +1 Strength and +1 Agility.

==========Attributes==========Strength:20Constitution:20Intelligence:20Wisdom:19Agility:21Perception:21Luck:16Charisma:13

==========Mana==========Mana:200/200Mana Regen:1.9/sec==========Skills==========None

Huh, Aurelius thought. It appeared that his new ability had evolved into a more advanced form, while his previous ability, the critical strike chance, had become a primary ability. Examining these changes sparked a greater desire within him to upgrade his other classes. He couldn't help but speculate about the abilities that would accompany his chronomage class.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Turning his attention to other matters, Aurelius noticed that his attribute points were relatively well-balanced, except for luck and charisma. Most of them were at a similar level. Lastly, Aurelius glanced at the Skills section, which still displayed "None" beside it. Today had offered his first opportunity to learn more about skills, their appearance, and how to acquire them. However, numerous unanswered questions lingered in his mind.

Releasing a sigh, Aurelius closed his status screen. Yet, the sight that greeted him made him almost recoil in shock. A mouse stood—yes, stood—on the table in the center of the dimly lit room, gazing at Aurelius.

"What kind of mouse does that?" Aurelius thought to himself. Then, it dawned on him. There was indeed one type of mouse that he knew capable of such a feat.

"Augustus...?" Aurelius inquired, his voice filled with questions.

Suddenly, the mouse transformed into a crow and emitted a squawk.

"Yep!" came the bird's raspy voice.

While the response confirmed Aurelius' suspicions, it also engendered more queries within him.

"How did you get here? Have you been following me all this time?" he asked.

Despite the crow's limited facial features, Augustus managed to convey a look of disgust.

"No! What? Do you think I would follow a teenage boy around in his daily life?"

Aurelius nodded, acknowledging the validity of that point. "Then why are you here? How can you even be here? I thought gods couldn't traverse this... plane?"

"Well, technically, I'm not here," Augustus explained. To demonstrate, the crow flapped its wing under the table, and somehow, the wing seemed to pass through the surface, as if the table or Augustus himself wasn't truly present.

"But I'm here to be the first to congratulate you on your initial evolution," Augustus declared, flapping his wings together in a semblance of applause.

Aurelius raised an eyebrow, doubt creeping in. However, he realized that Augustus actually had perfect timing. Now that the crow was present, Aurelius could seize the opportunity to seek answers to his pressing questions.

"You mentioned the first evolution. Does that mean I can evolve my other classes as well? Can a class undergo multiple evolutions?" Aurelius inquired.

The crow's demeanor soured in response to Aurelius' question.

"I've just arrived, can't we do something other than answering questions? I came here to celebrate and have a good time," Augustus whined, flapping one wing in the air.

Aurelius simply stared at him, awaiting a different response.

"Fine," Augustus grumbled. "Let's see if I ever visit you again," he muttered under his breath.

"Yes, you can indeed experience multiple evolutions once you attain specific levels in your classes. I think they are called different names, like the second evolution might be referred to as specialization or something—I don't quite recall. You'll find out when you reach that point."

"Okay," Aurelius responded, his tone tinged with mild disappointment. "That wasn't the most informative piece of information, but I appreciate it nonetheless." He pondered over Augustus' words, his curiosity sparked by the potential for further evolutions. He couldn't help but wonder about the new abilities and enhancements that awaited him in the future.

"Moving on to the next question," Aurelius started, causing the crow to emit a groaning sound before hopping down from the table. "Let's return to the celebration," interjected Augustus, the mischievous glint returning to his eyes. "You've made a significant advancement, and that calls for a toast."

Aurelius couldn't help but smile. "Alright," he replied. "But before we continue, there's something else I've been meaning to ask you. I still have a disappointing ‘none’ under my skills tab. I was wondering, how does one acquire new skills, and what kind of impact do they have on a person's abilities?"

"Skills are like abilities that can't be upgraded. Due to that limitation, and other factors, they are usually not as potent as regular abilities. However, there are some strong ones out there. I've even heard of Chosen receiving a skill that essentially mimicked an ability from a different class they didn't possess. In regards to how you get them, I don’t know,"Augustus admitted, leaving Aurelius to give him a flat stare in response.

Caught off guard by Aurelius' gaze, Augustus attempted to shrug, but his avian form hindered the motion.

"Look, kid, I may be a god and all, but I've already told you—I'm not the one in control of the system. Frankly, even I rarely have any idea what's going on with it." Augustus continued, sensing Aurelius' curiosity. "Based on my experience, skills are usually awarded during extreme life-threatening or life-changing experiences. However, these are not experiences you can actively seek out. Throughout the years, I've known Chosen who chased after such encounters, attempting to accumulate as many skills as possible. But, most gods, like myself, tend to discourage our Chosen from pursuing this path, as it has rarely yielded positive results."

He added, "Oh, and the maximum number of skills one can possess at a time is ten. After reaching that limit, you must remove an existing skill before acquiring a new one, or so the theory goes. But don't worry about that for now; only a handful of Chosen have ever obtained that many skills."

Deep in thought, Aurelius mulled over Augustus' words, contemplating their implications. He was about to ask a quick follow-up question when something seemed to capture Augustus' attention. The crow's head snapped up with an unnatural speed, fixating on the north-facing wall. Aurelius shifted his gaze to the wall, trying to discern what had caught Augustus' eye. With caution, he asked, "What's wrong?”

After a couple of seconds, Augustus redirected his gaze toward Aurelius. As Aurelius looked into the crow's eyes, he detected an intensity that contradicted the god's typically easygoing nature.

“Well," Augustus began, his voice carrying a hint of gravity. "I suppose it's time for me to reveal the true reason behind my presence here."