With the quarters for young goblins destroyed, and the rest of their spawning group dead, Corek was moved into the Shaman's residence with Andrew, the two of them sharing a room, and Corek… wasn't taking things well. "Corek, you have to eat something." Andrew pleaded, shaking a meat stick at him.

"Why bother." Corek muttered, lying on his bed, staring blankly off into space. "Food won't bring Vinek back. It won't bring Drinek back. It won't bring anyone back. So why? So I can keep living? To do what? Die like the rest of them?"

"Corek, you can't just give up!" Andrew protested. "Do you think Vinek would want that? No! He'd tell you to get your ass up, eat this meat, and go out and become the best goblin you can be! Become a Goblin Champion, or the next Chief! Become strong so you can keep something like this from ever happening again!"

"You're right. Too bad he's dead." Corek replied. Yeah, Corek wasn't taking things well. Not that Andrew didn't get it. For him, he'd lost some friends. For Corek, he'd lost his family. All those goblins had been his brothers, as well as his friends. It was the closest thing to family a goblin got, and it'd been ripped from him out of nowhere. Andrew had no idea how to help someone deal with something like that.

"Okay buddy, I'm going to leave this here if you decide you want it." Andrew sighed, placing the meat stick on a nearby table. "I need to go deal with my Class Advancement, but I'll be back soon, okay?" Corek just grunted and rolled over, causing Andrew to let out another sigh. This was going to take some time.

"How's he doing?" The Shaman asked as Andrew walked into the secluded chamber below the house. Apparently Class Advancement was a bigger deal than skills (obviously) and it put you in a vulnerable state, so you needed to find someplace safe before you attempted it.

"He's still not eating." Andrew sighed.

The Shaman shook his head. "I pity the poor boy. Losing everyone close to you like that… just give him time. Eventually he'll find his way. Just be there, ready to help him when he does."

Andrew nodded, though he still frowned. "It just feels wrong to just watch him give up like that… I feel like I need to do something to motivate him, but I have no idea what."

The Shaman sighed. "I understand, but unfortunately, this isn't something you can force. He has to want to be motivated before anything you say will have an effect. Until then, no matter how persuasive your words are, he won't hear them, because he doesn't want to hear them."

Andrew scowled. "That is… incredibly frustrating."

The Shaman snorted. "Indeed. But that is an issue for later. Now, we must focus on your Class Advancement. Do you have your skills ready?"

"They are." Andrew nodded. He'd merged his Concentrated Examination with Walk to create Precise Navigation for plus seven to Intellect, plus three to Sensitivity, and plus five to Strength, because apparently Walk was a Strength skill. He quickly opened his status.

[Observant Goblin: 10 [+]

Strength: 19 > 34

Agility: 37 > 58

Will: 30 > 48

Intellect: 51 > 80

Energy: 49 > 76

Sensitivity: 465 > 483

Class Skill - Insightful Self Examination: 22 > 23

Class Skill - Swift Kick Counter: 21 > 24

Class Skill - Precise Navigation: 13

Skill Points: 0]

"Though, my navigation skill is only level thirteen…" Andrew muttered. "Is that going to be a problem?"

The Shaman shook his head. "No. Class Advancement doesn't take levels into account, only tiers."

"Tiers?" Andrew asked with a frown.

"Yes, tiers. The tier of a skill is equal to the number of stat points provided by the skill, divided by the number of skills used to create it, minus one." The Shaman explained.

Andrew did a quick mental calculation and figured out all his skills were tier four. "Huh… So higher tier skills get me better classes?"

The Shaman paused. "Not exactly… it's more that it allows your class to be more versatile. With a tier one inner sight skill, you can only choose a single affinity from the basic elements. However, with a tier two inner sight skill, you may choose either two affinities from the basic elements or an intermediate affinity, like Lightning. At tier three, you can choose either three basics or an intermediate and a basic. With your tier four… you could get an advanced affinity, like Space! Space is a good match for a Goblin Pathfinder, I must say. As for how your other skills will affect your class, it's hard to say. Navigation generally gives you traits related to sensing your surroundings or an absolute sense of direction, so you'll probably get something along those lines. As for your kicking skill… I've honestly never met a goblin who's gone down that path, so I'm not sure. However, no matter what, it will be beneficial to you, I'm sure. Try to pick traits that support each other as much as possible. For example, the Space affinity plus the ability to sense your surroundings will allow for easy teleportation, since teleportation requires knowledge of your destination. Without the ability to sense your surroundings, you'd be limited to line of sight."

Andrew nodded, taking that all in. He hadn't known Class Advancement would grant him traits… the Shaman seemed to forget to teach him a lot of basic things like that, but to be fair, he already had him on a path to maximize those benefits, so he couldn't exactly blame him. He'd told him what he needed to do, he just hadn't told him why. Either way, there wasn't anything he could do about it now. His skills were set, and already at a higher tier than any goblin could reasonably expect. It was time to advance. "Alright, so, what do I do?"

"Just take a seat and focus on the option to advance. You'll be taken to your inner world where you'll be presented with your Advancement options. In the meantime, I will guard your body." The Shaman explained. Andrew nodded, taking a seat and a deep breath as he prepared himself. "Good luck." The Shaman added with a small smile, which Andrew returned, before he focused on the plus and the world went dark.

*

Andrew woke up in a small clearing in the middle of the woods. He sat up, blinking in confusion as he looked around. This- this was his domain! "What the-" Suddenly a loud *CAW* rang out and a crow flew out of the large tree in the center of the clearing, circling around before coming to land on a stunned Andrew's shoulder. "Gr-Gregory?!?" He stammered in shock.

*No, child. I am not your friend, but a simple guide, taken from your memories to ensure your comfort and acceptance.* The crow replied in a soothing voice that echoed through Andrew's mind.

"Oh." Andrew's expression fell. Right, he was in the middle of his Class Advancement. Of course Gregory wouldn't be here. This- this was his inner world. He let out a weary sigh. Damn it, now he was sad! "Let's just get this over with." He grumbled.

*As you wish.* The crow nodded, before waving a wing. As they did, a line of different goblins appeared before them, all clearly Andrew just… altered slightly. The first one was clearly the mage, complete with long, flowing robes, a large staff, and a big floppy hat, all of which looked utterly ridiculous on a tiny goblin. You needed to be at least six feet tall to pull that crap off and goblins topped out at about four and a half.

Andrew looked down the line and they were all like that. A warrior decked out like some action hero, a scout in a full ghillie suit, the pathfinder looking like some kind of survival expert, complete with the stupid little cargo shorts, and so on. Andrew frowned at the warrior, who seemed… faded, almost like a ghost. "What's up with him?" He asked the crow.

*That is a path you qualify for, but would not be suited to.* The crow explained. *You may still choose it if you wish, but it would not make the best use of your skills and your skills would not qualify for its better traits.*

Andrew frowned. "What do you mean?"

*Each class is a pool of traits which your skills allow you to purchase. A warrior has little use for navigation, therefore your skill would only allow you to choose something along the lines of situational awareness, which is a far cry from what you could get in another, more suitable class.* The crow explained.

"Huh… So then, in your opinion, which class would make the most of all my skills?" Andrew asked. He was pretty set on the pathfinder already, but it wouldn't hurt to see what this guy thought, right? The crow waved its wing again, and the goblins spun like a roulette wheel, until one stood in front of them, a goblin with gray skin, covered in black lines, eyes as dark- no, he didn't even have eyes! Just empty pits, like holes in reality! "What the fuck!?!" Andrew exclaimed, taking a step back. Why- why would he qualify for something like this?!?

*The Goblin Voidwalker.* The crow stated. *Inner sight tier three or over, navigation tier three or over, memories of another World.* The crow waved its wing again and another void goblin appeared. *The Goblin Voidmage would also do well, but it wouldn't make as much use of your navigation or kicking skill, instead focusing purely on void magic.*

Andrew blinked as he looked between the two goblins. "So… I qualify for these because I remember another world?"

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

*Correct.* The crow nodded. *To have died in another World and be reborn in this one without losing your self is an admirable accomplishment, and the system sees fit to grant you a suitable reward. Access to Void, reminiscent of the nothingness you traveled through to arrive here, seemed fitting. Do you object?*

Andrew frowned. "I- no? I mean, I didn't expect the system would even know about that, let alone want to reward it… but, does it have to look so… monstrous?"

The crow cocked its head. *The class is merely echoing your perception of a void creature, much as you have your other classes. Your appearance will experience some alteration, but nothing as drastic as this.*

"Oh… well, good." Andrew coughed awkwardly. He really should have realized that… "Can I compare this one with the pathfinder class? See what traits they both have to offer before I choose?"

The crow nodded. *Certainly.* It waved a wing, and all the other classes disappeared, leaving just the pathfinder and voidwalker standing side by side, menus appearing in front of both.

Andrew focused on Goblin Pathfinder first. The stats were… decent? There wasn't much of a change. Plus two to Strength, plus four to Agility, plus two to Will, plus four to Intellect, and plus three to Energy and Sensitivity, just an extra stat point for each one. Then again, classes weren't exactly where you went for stats. That's what skills were for. So Andrew turned his focus to the traits. The first was his affinity, which as the Shaman had said, included the advanced affinities. He could choose one of those, two intermediate, or four basic, which of course, meant he was taking Space. Navigation had a few traits available, but the big one was Lay of the Land, which gave him awareness of 'the land' around him within Will meters, his Intellect determining the level of detail, for one energy per minute. That took three of his tiers, so he also added Direction Sense, which simply let him know which way was north at all times. As for Swift Kick Counter, he chose two as well: Sure Footing, which increased his stability as he dodged and kicked, and Powerful Legs, which multiplied his Strength by one and a half when it came to his legs. He looked over his choices and nodded. Goblin Pathfinder would be a solid boost to his capabilities.

Andrew then turned to the Goblin Voidwalker. The first difference was the stats. Instead of a plus one to everything, it was a plus two, which right off the bat made Andrew much more interested in the class. Then he checked the affinities. He had to take Void, but since his inner sight was a tier above the required one, he could still take… two basics? Or an intermediate? That… shouldn't it just be a basic? Andrew frowned at the screen for a moment, before shaking his head. You wouldn't see him shooting a gift horse in the mouth… or whatever that saying was. He wasn't sure what affinities he wanted to go for though, so he moved on for the moment. For navigation, Void Sense was pretty much the same as Lay of the Land, except he sensed where things weren't, but the effect was pretty much the same. The difference was that it only took two tiers to take. Which meant… Andrew looked through the other traits offered stopping on two: Void Sight and Void Path. Void Sight would let him actually see through objects, like x-ray vision! Void Path, on the other hand, was a portal spell. It allowed him to open a portal between two previously visited points, regardless of the distance between them… okay, obviously he was taking that one, but Void Sight was really tempting. Unfortunately, they all cost two tiers, and Void Path and Void Sense were necessities. Maybe if his aura sense was better… but it only caught living things. He could see trees and whatnot just fine, but rocks and dirt and whatnot wouldn't show up, and if he was considering teleporting, not being able to see that stuff would be a problem.

Andrew let out a sigh and moved on to Swift Kick Counter. The first option that stood out to him was Void Evasion, which was just a short range teleport. He could move Intellect divided by ten meters and carry Will kilograms in the process for one energy per jump. It'd pair well with his Void Sense as well, so he pretty much had to take it. Void Step was interesting as well. It'd let him step on empty air, but… well, if he was going to have Void Evasion, Void Step would be kind of redundant, right? He looked through the other traits until he landed on one called Empty Kick. It would allow him to block attacks with his kicks, absorbing Will worth of damage per Energy spent and storing it for Intellect divided by ten seconds. As long as it was stored, he could release the attack back with another kick. It was defense and attack all in one! Yeah, he'd take Void Evasion and Empty Kick.

Andrew stepped back from the screen, letting out a sigh. After seeing what Goblin Voidwalker offered, he knew he wasn't going for Goblin Pathfinder anymore. Voidwalker was just too good! However… "What's the difference between Space and Void?" Andrew asked the crow. "They seem awfully similar."

*Space is an aspect of Void.* The crow explained. *Much like Earth and Fire make Magma, Void is made of Space and Destruction. It is Space that is empty. If a space is filled, it still exists, but a void that is filled is no longer a void. When you take a space and remove everything within, you create a void, hence Space and Destruction.*

Andrew blinked. "So… having access to it with just my tier four inner sight skill is pretty big, huh?" If the pattern held, he'd need a tier eight inner sight skill to get it naturally.

*Less than you think. Goblin Voidwalker is rank three and the tier requirements for traits are relaxed. Though, yes, you still received a four tier discount, since you were forced to choose Void.* The crow explained.

"Wait, is that why Void Sense is cheaper than Lay of the Land?" Andrew asked. "And why I can get two basic affinities or an intermediate?"

The crow nodded. *However, you will notice that several low cost traits that are available from Goblin Pathfinder are not available in Goblin Voidwalker. As the class rank increases, the cost for traits decrease in turn, so that a trait that would cost three tiers at rank two would cost two at rank three. Additionally, any traits you've previously purchased refund the difference, so if you bought a trait for three tiers at rank two, you would be refunded one tier at rank three which you could use to purchase new traits. However, once a trait's cost would be reduced to zero, it is no longer available to be purchased.*

Andrew frowned. "So would it be better to purchase the traits that only cost one tier? You get more traits, and at the next rank, you can buy everything you would have before, plus two more of the same level."

*If you could guarantee the trait would still be there.* The crow replied. *For example, did you see Sure Footing or Powerful Legs available for Goblin Voidwalker? No, because they have nothing to do with Void. You never know what chances you'll be given when you advance your class. Depending on sticking to your current path would be foolish. Particularly since your class isn't guaranteed to rank up every Class Advancement.*

Andrew frowned, checking the list. He was right, they weren't there. However… "What are the odds my next Class Advancement would give me something better than Void?" Andrew asked, a hint of disbelief in his tone.

*The odds are slim, but so were the odds of you retaining yourself through the void between Worlds.* The crow replied.

Andrew paused. That wasn't entirely true… but he did have to admit that shit happened sometimes, like the Beast Tide during the First Hunt, or the machine showing up to take Cathryn coinciding with his one and only visit to the mall. Unlikely, but it happened anyway. So in the end, he needed to focus on traits he needed, which… Void Sense, Void Path, Void Evasion, and Empty Kick fit the bill. He might be able to give up Empty Kick, but looking through the list, the one costs just weren't worth it. Empty Kick was too good, and they… weren't. Andrew nodded. "Okay, I've made my decision. Goblin Voidwalker, with these traits."

*You don't want to pick your extra affinities?* The crow asked curiously.

"Oh, crap, I forgot." Andrew muttered, frowning as he turned his attention back to the affinity list. What did he want? Void seemed to cover him pretty well for combat and travel, so he probably wanted something that would be more focused on survival… Earth? That would cover shelter pretty well. Though if he was working with portals, that wasn't such a big deal. Void Path took care of a lot of survival issues, actually… well, at least food and shelter. You don't need much when everything is a step away. No, what he needed to focus on was something that would let him avoid fights. Like… Andrew turned his attention to the intermediate affinity Shadow. That could work. Andrew glanced over the other affinities. Something primal in him wanted to choose Lightning, because lightning, but in the end, Shadow was the best option.

"Okay, Shadow affinity. Done." Andrew announced, turning to the crow.

*Are you satisfied with your decision?* The crow asked.

"I am." Andrew nodded firmly.

*Then so be it.* The crow replied, and the world went dark.

*

Andrew opened his eyes, finding himself back in the Shaman's house, the Shaman looking at him expectantly. Andrew got up, stretching slightly as he took in his awareness of his new traits, feeling their presence. Unlike skills, the traits were simply there. They did what they did, and that was that. Which, he supposed, was the difference between a skill and a trait. Traits were absolute. Skills required… Well, skill. He glanced at the Shaman, pausing as he noticed they were almost the same height now. He looked down at his clothes, noting that they were a lot tighter than they had been… he'd need to visit the tailor.

"Well? How did it go? Did you get the Space affinity?" The Shaman asked, sounding a bit impatient.

"I didn't." Andrew replied, shaking his head.

The Shaman frowned. "You didn't? Why not?"

Andrew hesitated. How was he going to explain his Void affinity? It wasn't like he could hide it. While it did share similarities with Space, it clearly wasn't. But there was no way he should have gotten it normally… and the explanation involved explaining his memories from another world. He wasn't sure he wanted to tell the Shaman about that. But he had to say something, right? "I was offered a special class. It's rank three, and… it gave me the Void affinity."

The Shaman blinked. "That- well, that would work."

Andrew nodded. "It allowed me to pick Void traits, including a portal trait and a short range teleport trait, so it was pretty much the only option. I could have gone for Goblin Pathfinder, but… it would have just been doing the same things, only worse."

The Shaman nodded. "Yes, yes, I understand… it's just- Void! That's one of the major affinities! And to have it as a part of your class… How was such a class even available to you?!?" Andrew sighed. That was the question he didn't want to answer. "But I don't suppose you would know that." The Shaman continued, causing Andrew to freeze. "Hmmm… being tier four in all your skills is definitely rare, plus that ungodly Sensitivity of yours. Is Void related to Sensitivity?" The Shaman paused for a moment, before shaking his head. "Ah, but it doesn't really matter. It isn't something anyone else could exactly emulate, now is it? Simply a matter of luck." He turned to smile at Andrew. "Congratulations! You've taken a large step towards becoming a valued pillar of our community! I can only imagine how far you'll go with the opportunities you've obtained!"

Andrew blinked, before smiling back, relief flowing over him. "Thank you. I'll be sure to make you proud."

The Shaman placed a hand on Andrew's shoulder, gripping it tightly. "I'll always be proud of you, just as I am proud of every goblin who does their best for the tribe. No matter how you end up, I know you'll have done your best." The Shaman assured him in a serious tone. "Don't break yourself trying to be more than you are."

Andrew paused, before giving him a nod back. He felt like there was a story behind that. Did the Shaman know someone who pushed themselves too hard and ended up hurt because of it? From the level of intensity he'd shown, it was probably something personal… maybe he'd ask him about it later.

The Shaman pulled back, clapping his hands together. "Now then, shall we test your new traits?"