When Jaco had first received the notification about the possibility of a Secondary Class, he hadn’t known exactly what to expect. All he’d known was that they were going to be based on Hell and came from him getting the Devil’s Essence.
But that fact alone had initially made him a bit weary and fearing for the worst. Like would he get Classes that would be directly based on actual Demons and their powers? Or maybe even somehow a step further than that? Yet even that doubt hadn’t been enough to hold back his curiosity. And now he was very interested in the notification before him.
Just like his initial Class selection and when he chose a Class Evolution, a golden screen had appeared that showed his options for Secondary Classes.
Brimstone Juggernaut
Abyssal Hunter
Hedonist of Sin
Hellfire Cultist
Blight Warlock
Well, not sure what else I really should have been expecting for the naming convention. The message about the Devil’s Essence was pretty direct about these being a Hell variant, Jaco thought to himself.
Brimstone Juggernaut:
A Brimstone Juggernaut specializes on the uses of heavy armor and weapons imbued with the powers of Demons. To be a Juggernaut is to be both Hell’s undeniable hammer and its uncrushable wall. It is also said that the first Brimstone Juggernaut was blessed to have the Devil’s impenetrable skin. Their primary Stats to focus on are typically Strength and Endurance.
Starting Equipment:
Infernal Plate (Lesser), Brimstone Warhammer (Lesser)
Class Abilities:
Lesser Aura of Decimation, Lesser Demonic Fortitude, Lesser Surge of Wrath
Stat Bonuses:
+20 Strength
+20 Endurance
Permanent Stat Modifications:
+1 Boost to Strength per Level
+1 Boost to Endurance per Level
This Class seemed similar to that of the Warrior. But while the latter was more of an all-rounder in terms of the description for its fighting style, the Brimstone Juggernaut was definitely skewed toward being a tank.
The only noticeable drawback that he could spot was that it started with only three Class Abilities. That was versus the original selection where every option had four.
He also noted that when it came to flat boost and Modifications for his Stats, it fell into an inbetween zone. Where what was offered was much better than the original Class’s by miles. But it was also just a bit worse than the average Stat boosts offered by the choices for his Class Evolution.
But more importantly, all of its Class Abilities and equipment start off at being Lesser instead of Minor. Is it because I already reached my Class Evolution and already have some Lesser Abilities myself? he internally asked.
Jaco wondered if the options present before him were already the evolved version of what they might have been. Like if this one had started off as just some Hellish Warrior or something, but auto evolved into the current Brimstone Juggernaut because he qualified for evolved Classes. Or if that wasn’t it and these were just the base versions of each Class, were they just that much better than the original starting Classes or was it the System boosting them?
Actually, just the fact that the System created by Heaven would even support him getting a Hell-based Secondary Class was its own can of worms. Had the Guardian Angel foreseen that this would happen when she healed him, both lessening and twisting the effects of the Infernal Plague into a different Condition? Or was the System just more adaptable than he expected?
Jaco hoped that he really would be able to someday meet that Angel again. He just way so, so many questions that needed answers. But for the time being, the young man moved on to the next option on the list.
Abyssal Hunter:
A Abyssal Hunter focuses on the use of long range weapons and the aid of shadow magic. They are both Hell’s assassins and its always present eyes in the darkness. It is also said that the first Abyssal Hunter was blessed to have the Devil’s inky eyes. Their primary Stat is Agility with a lesser focus on Spell Power.
Starting Equipment:
Shadowy Leather Armor (Lesser), Dark Bow (Lesser)
Class Abilities:
Lesser Eclipse Sight, Lesser Ethereal Marksmanship, Lesser Shadowmeld
Stat Bonuses:
+30 Agility
+10 Spell Power
Permanent Stat Modifications:
+1 Boost to Agility per Level
+1 Boost to Spell Power per Level
The young man frowned a little about reading that bit about the first of this Class having the Devil’s eyes. He hadn’t thought much of it for the Juggernaut, assuming it to be just more flavor text. But for the same thing to appear but just adapted to the Hunter was now a pattern. And Jaco wasn’t one to believe that such a direct text pattern made by the System was just a meaningless coincidence.
As for the Abyssal Hunter itself, it was fairly interesting as a Class. As far as classic video game builds went, stealth archer was pretty far up there. He did wonder if that Lesser Shadowmeld Skill would be similar to the one the Chosen Phantom Rogue had used to effectively teleport between shadows.
They likely wouldn’t happen to be exactly the same, but could be close enough in terms of functionality. In any case, he dismissed the screen and went to the third on the list.
Hedonist of Sin:
A Hedonist of Sin focuses on the use of empowering their body through the power of sin. They use both the strength of their own corruption and feed off the essence of those who oppose Hell. It is also said that the first Hedonist of Sin was blessed to have the Devil’s horned crown. Seeking to be the best at everything, their Stats are generally balanced.
Starting Equipment:
Infernal Knuckle Dusters (Lesser), Devilish Suit (Lesser)
Class Abilities:
Lesser Fists of Depravity, Lesser Veil of Corruption, Lesser Emotion Drain
Stat Bonuses:
+10 Strength
+10 Endurance
+10 Agility
+10 Will
Permanent Stat Modifications:
+1 Boost to Strength per Level
+1 Boost to Will per Level
After reading it through, Jaco felt that he’d seen enough to make a pretty reasonable assumption. Each of the choices so far had been a direct counterpart of the original Classes, down to the order that they were listed in.
The Brimstone Juggernaut and Abyssal Hunter were pretty obviously just like the Warrior and Scout, but with some tweaking as a reflection of their Hellish affinity. But the Hedonist of Sin was interesting in that it felt more like an inverse of the idea of the Martial Artist.
Where its description had spoken of self master and discipline, the Hedonist explicitly empowered itself through welcoming excess indulgence. From just a purely thematic perspective, it was probably the most interesting one so far. Yet at the same time, it just left him feeling kind of uncomfortable.
If Classes could have their own personalities, this one would definitely be the ultimate kind of selfish narcissist. Their Stats were spread out in the same way as the Martial Artist, but it really was just the opposite side of the same coin. But it was time to see the next option, which Jaco assumed would be the Hell variant of the Mage.
Hellfire Cultist:
A Hellfire Cultist focuses on the use of the flames of Hell itself as the core pillar of their infernal magic. The Cultist uses this Hellfire to scorch all who oppose Hell in body, mind, and even soul. It is also said that the first Hellfire Cultist was blessed to have the Devil’s fiery heart. Their primary Stat to focus is typically just Spell Power.
Starting Equipment:
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Cultist’s Robes (Lesser), Hell Scepter (Lesser)
Class Abilities:
Lesser Hellfire Blast, Lesser Cursed Flames, Lesser Infernal Pyre
Stat Bonuses:
+40 Spell Power
Permanent Stat Modifications:
+2 Boost to Spell Power per Level
His eyes widened a little at reading that description. The power to burn a person’s very soul? While the existence of Heaven and Hell were now obvious, there hadn’t been any direct confirmation yet on if souls were also a thing.
It could probably have been assumed, but now this text from the System had effectively affirmed that they were indeed real. Not only that, but that one’s soul could actually be damaged instead of being some entirely separate existence. While his mind was still occupied by the implication of that fact, he distracted himself by switching over to the next and final Secondary Class.
And as the only remaining one on the list, he already knew this would have to be the Hellish version of his own Class.
Blight Warlock:
A Blight Warlock on the use of rot and decay to wilt away their foes. They are Hell’s terraformers as a walking blight to eradicate all non-infernal life. It is also said that the first Blight Warlock was blessed to have the Devil’s rotten fingers. Generally, their primary Stats to focus on are typically Will and Spell Power.
Starting Equipment:
Decayed Staff (Lesser), Fungal Armor (Lesser)
Class Abilities:
Lesser Pestilent Swarm, Lesser Zone of Blight, Lesser Rotting Summon
Stat Bonuses:
+20 Spell Power
+20 Will
Permanent Stat Modifications:
+1 Boost to Spell Power per Level
+1 Boost to Will per Level
For a little while, Jaco just stared at the golden screen before him. For what he believed was now getting close to two months since the Apocalypse, he used his Druid Abilities with pride. He’d even gone as far as to truly believe himself as a bastion of life to combat the forces that would bring undeath to mankind.
He should have expected that there were only so many ways to effectively corrupt a Class focused around the power of life. Yet even so, now that he read just how it’d been twisted into a bastardized version of itself, he found himself feeling… upset? The young man furrowed his brows as he tried to mentally examine his current emotions.
Just why did it bother him so much? From a logical perspective, he recognized that picking a Class was just like choosing to wield a sword or a bow. It was just a matter of preference for what kind of fighting style you believed would suit you the best. One could even say that all the Class itself did was just act as the vehicle for its Skills and Stats to let you pick how you wanted to fight.
Yet even knowing that in the back of his head didn’t help with how he currently felt. Just the idea of seeing the powers he’d grown accustomed to corrupted in such a way left a bad taste in his mouth. Jaco simply felt disgusted by the Blight Warlock.
After taking a deep breath, the young man dismissed the screen. He pulled back up the general list of the Secondary Classes, intending to consider them as a whole. The initial wave of excitement from the idea of having a second Class had now completely worn off. It was now replaced by a sense of foreboding after realizing that even with the System, these were still within the domain of Hell.
Jaco was now certain that there would be a cost to accepting any one of these Classes. The line in each of them about receiving something from the Devil was much more than just flavor text. He was sure of that belief through an acute gut feeling.
After all, he’d only gotten access to this list after receiving the Devil’s Essence. And then there was how each so-called blessing was some kind of change to the body. Jaco had the distinct feeling that by choosing one of these Hellish Classes, he too would be changed by it.
Friedrich Nietzsche once made the famous quote of: “He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.” Something which he couldn’t help but currently hear being said within his own mind.
If just taking one of Classes as-is did change him into being more like a monster from Hell, then would it even stop there? Assuming that reaching Level 60 brought another Class Evolution, how would it impact his Secondary Class? Would this just be the first step of several to eventually become one of the Demons invading and ruining Earth?
Jaco was tempted to just completely reject every option. The System had never indicated that it would ever force him to choose if he didn’t pick one any time soon. So there was nothing to stop him from simply dismissing the golden screen entirely and never pulling it up again.
Yet just as he was about to make the motion to swipe it away, the young man hesitated. He glanced over to the still unconscious form of the woman on the bed. His mind flashed with the image of the little girl that turned out to be an Angel. Then to all the survivors back at the camp.
If he had the opportunity to get stronger but rejected it out of fear, what would it mean if he lacked the strength to protect others? Would it not be his fault if he lacked the power necessary to help those who needed his aid? How would he still feel about this choice if that were to happen? What kind of excuse would he really be willing to make for himself?
The Druid then recalled the murals he had seen in the fort’s chapel. Of the person who’d fallen into Hell and his journey. Just one human had mastered the power of Hell and gained enough strength to kill the Devil himself before taking the throne.
However, that was in itself a warning of what that kind of power could do to someone since that man had become the next Devil of Hell. One both strong and cruel enough to tip the balance of the eternal war against Heaven. On the other hand, while a cautionary tale, it was also an example of what just one human could actually achieve.
If given the opportunity, Jaco would have happily been willing to accept a Class based on Heaven instead. Such a thing might have even perfectly paired with him as a Druid especially. But even after being in the presence of a real Angel, he didn’t get any kind of Angelic options.
All he had were the powers of Hell as the Secondary Classes before him. His only two options were to either take it or leave it. Jaco felt his heartbeat steadily thumping within his chest as he slowly weighed the possibilities within his mind. The current risk of accepting versus the future consequence of rejecting.
Eventually, with a heavy sigh, he made a decision. Jaco would walk the path currently paved in front of him. Looking back at the list, he proceeded to once again expand each option. He had them all pop up and spaced out across the air in front of him.
Now he just needed to decide which version of this path he was going to walk. There were still technically five Secondary Classes to choose from, after all. Even if the Blight Warlock still made his stomach lurch with an instinctive feeling of disgust, it was left on the table for now.
Jaco decided to ignore the Warlock for the time being. Right now he still didn’t feel capable of looking at it from an object viewpoint. So he decided that he’d just start from the top and consider each potential Class one at a time.
As a tank that seemed to have both built-on offense and defense, the Brimstone Juggernaut would likely complement his bear aspect. Both with its Skills and the fact that it'd do for his Stats. Since the way it was wording, Jaco felt that he could safely assume the Stat Modifications would work in the same way as they did for his Class Evolution.
Yet while the bear form was ol’ reliable for a melee brawl, it was just one aspect of several. Jaco didn’t necessarily want to pigeonhole himself by skewing too much into being an upclose fighter.
And that was before considering how the warhammer would likely require both hands to wield and force him keep his staff stored. That and he just wasn’t sure if the idea of being a walking tower of metal was really just his thing.
One by one, Jaco went through each potential option and just couldn’t quite click with any of them. Being a stealthy assassin archer was most definitely not his style. A Class focused around being some hedonistic deviant was quickly rejected from a purely moral feeling of grossness.
In the end, just like his first Class selection, it came down to the final two on the list. The Hellfire Cultists was something of actual interest to him. Especially if the flames of Hell would still potentially be influenced by his Lesser Elemental Offense Ability. If so, then that might even further enhance his power to control them to a finer degree.
Yet the potential to burn a person’s very soul felt like it’d too be much of a responsibility to weigh on his shoulders. Jaco had long since come to peace with his killing of that one member of the Chosen Few. And when he inevitably encountered more of them, he’d be willing to kill them too for the sake of the greater good.
But burning their souls to nothing? Jaco wasn’t sure how to feel about that prospect. Like would it actually be possible to effectively just delete a person from existence? And beyond the Chosen Few, what about any other human beings who tried to fight him. Would being deserving of death really be the same as deserving one’s entire being to be destroyed?
The young man wasn’t sure if he could be trusted with dishing out that kind of judgment. Of who’d be killed and who’d be utterly annihilated. If he didn’t want that kind of responsibility, then there was still just the last option on the list.
Now looking at the Blight Warlock again, Jaco actually got an idea. What if his disgust toward it in particular could actually turn out to be a good thing? If that feeling was always there whenever he used its Class Abilities, then it’d effectively act as a constant reminder. Wouldn’t that lessen the risk of him eventually becoming drunk with Hellish power and help him retain his humanity?
After thinking about it for another minute, Jaco decided that he liked that way of thinking. Of seeing these new powers as not a boon or punishment, but a burden to carry. So with that viewpoint now in mind, he finalized his selection.
Secondary Class Gained: Blight Warlock!