You have Died.
Please choose where you would like to Respawn:
=> Your Current Location
The Nearest Temple
When Alissa regained her thoughts, if the feeling of floating like a drifting leaf in the middle of nothingness could be called that, she was faced by a prompt she had seen once before. She made the same choice as the last time, and before long, the same awkward sensations she felt the last time made itself known once more.
At least this time she was not caught by surprise about being brought back to life without a shred of clothing on her body, as naked as the day she had been born. Thankfully for her modesty though, there was nobody around her but Moira, who shielded Alissa from view with her own body and already proffered a fresh set of clothes for her to wear.
“Thanks,” muttered Alissa with a nod as she took the proffered tunic and put it on. The garment itself extended down to her mid-thighs, so it already covered her by itself, which was likely why Moira stepped aside as Alissa was putting on the pair of leggings. It was only then that she noticed Joshua similarly putting on clothes with Vesta’s help some distance away.
There were shreds of the thread-like creatures that inhabited the dungeon strewn about everywhere Alissa’s eyes could see. The rest of the party must have cleaned up the remaining broken parts of the boss, which had lost cohesion due to the destruction of its core, in record time. Probably to make sure she and Joshua wouldn’t have to deal with the awkwardness of respawning naked in the midst of a fight.
“How is Ethan? He hasn’t [Respawn]ed yet?” asked Alissa as she looked around the vicinity.
“Oh, Mister Greene hadn’t fallen in the aftermath of the battle, Miss O’Connor,” replied Moira with a smile. “He did take some pretty bad injuries, but it wasn’t anything that would have killed him. He even helped out with the cleanup with the rest of us.”
“Huh. I guess building his stats to go tank all the way does benefit him quite a bit,” noted Alissa with a shake of her head. While her own stats also leaned slightly towards the Body stat, her highest sub-stat was Dexterity, and she was nowhere near as invested into it compared to Ethan. Suffice to say, she was neither as durable nor as powerful as him, when it comes to a purely physical bout.
Hopefully some new skills at the next tier would start giving her more benefits from her relatively higher Mind and Soul, though.
Speaking of Experience, while Alissa – and Joshua too, for that matter – missed out on the experience gained from the slaughter of the broken remains of the boss, they had gained a lot of experience from their efforts in taking down the core of the beast itself. More than enough experience to propel Alissa straight to level 20, in fact, as she noticed while browsing her notifications.
As a bonus, apparently being dead skipped the headache part of the notification spam since it apparently went on the logs while she was busy being too dead to feel the pain from it. A silver lining for every cloud, as they say.
When Alissa finally made her way to where the rest of the group was already in the midst of setting up camp, she finally noticed Ethan, who was lying by the fire, clearly still suffering from the aftereffects of the magical healing he received from Cerilla. He gave a weak wave of his hand to welcome Alissa, his face still looking somewhat pale from all the blood he must have lost.
The beast had skewered him through with its spear, after all.
“Not looking so hot today, huh, Bookworm?” asked Alissa as she made use of Ethan’s childhood nickname in a jestful manner.
“I was really thinking that just getting killed and [Respawn]ing might have been less painful for a while. I swear, why does healing magic not also dull the pain!?” replied Ethan with a scowl, though it was more of a playful one than one out of actual anger. “Doesn’t help that the headache was the worst one ever after we finished off that boss either.”
“Huh, actually missed out on that, so lucky me, I guess,” replied Alissa with a smirk on her face. “Turns out being dead and waiting to [Respawn] spared you from that part of the experience.”
“Bloody hell! Really ought to have let the damned beast kill me there at the end had I known that!” complained Ethan as he shook his head in frustration.
“Anyway, you got your third tier yet?” she asked back.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Nope, not yet. My head’s still abuzz from the bloody headache I had, don’t think I can think clearly enough to make that sort of choice yet, so maybe I’ll do it after some rest,” he replied with another shake of his head. “Already hit twenty too, huh? Gonna make your choice right away? Or giving it more of a think like last time first?”
“I’m taking a look first. Can’t tell till I know what’s on offer, after all.”
A glance at the choices she had made Alissa notice that the system seemed to have taken into account her previous choices up to the current point as well.
[Hallowed Hoplite of Heaven]
You are a warrior wielding a spear and shield, of hallowed body and soul, who fights on behalf of the heavens. March forth, brave warrior, and may thy name be hallowed forevermore!
Gain +30 Body +5 Mind +10 Soul upon Evolution
Gain +10 Strength +5 Dexterity +10 Constitution +5 Wisdom +5 Sanity per level
Gain 4 Free Major Stat Points per level
Gain [Hallowed Spear of Heaven] Skill upon Evolution
Gain [Hallowed Stance] General Skill upon Evolution
Do you want to become a [Hallowed Hoplite of Heaven]? Yes/No
The first skill looked to her like a likely upgrade to the [Consecrated Warrior] class she skipped out on back in the previous class change and still pretended to be. It definitely took her weapon choice into consideration, given its pointed focus on the shield and spear, but otherwise looked to be pretty standard for its type. The “hallowed” part also made her feel like it had more ties to the gods than she liked.
[Laurelled Lancer of Legend]
Your prowess with the spear is the stuff of legends, the subject of tales sung by bards. Your mastery of the spear is beyond compare, at least amongst mortals.
Gain +35 Body +5 Mind +5 Soul upon Evolution
Gain +10 Strength +10 Dexterity +5 Constitution +5 Perception +5 Intuition per level
Gain 4 Free Major Stat Points per level
Gain [Shadowless Thrust] Skill upon Evolution
Gain [Body and Spear as One] General Skill upon Evolution
Do you want to become a [Laurelled Lancer of Legend]? Yes/No
The second class Alissa had on offer was quite straightforward. A clearly physical-based class that focused on the spear, and from the gist she got, likely a more offensive option compared to the previous one. It did not seem to mention any of the gods as a bonus, so that was another good thing about it, which made her lean towards it more than the previous offered class.
As such, she decisively struck out the [Hallowed Hoplite of Heaven] from her potential choices, as she saw no reason why she would take it over [Laurelled Lancer of Legend].
[Avatar of Righteousness]
You had been chosen to embody the righteousness of the gods upon the mortal world. May all who blaspheme against the gods tremble before the retribution you shall disperse upon them!
Gain +20 Body +20 Mind +20 Soul upon Evolution
Gain +5 Strength +5 Dexterity +5 Constitution +5 Intelligence +5 Perception +5 Wisdom +5 Willpower +5 Intuition +5 Sanity per level
Gain 4 Free Major Stat Points per level
Gain [Holy Smite] Skill upon Evolution
Gain [Halo of Righteousness] General Skill upon Evolution
Do you want to become a [Avatar of Righteousness]? Yes/No
When she looked over the third class though, Alissa had to frown. The class was clearly an upgraded version to the [Chosen of The Gods] class she was offered back in her second tier, and like back then, it still had the same red flags that made her discard the class as a choice. It just felt too much like the sort of class that would turn her into a puppet for the so-called gods if she took it instead, power notwithstanding.
She decisively crossed it out from her list of options, as she had resolved to find out what truths might be hidden instead of just blindly believing in the Kingdom’s narrative and obeying their every command. For the moment, their commands mostly helped her and Ethan grow in power, so she had no qualms about them, but it was something she was all too aware might change in the future.
[Pathfinder of Hidden Trails]
No truth, however obscure or hidden, shall hide before your eyes. You shall find the paths long forgotten, the trails of those gone and forgotten, and bring them back into the light.
Gain +20 Body +15 Mind +15 Soul upon Evolution
Gain +5 Strength +10 Dexterity +5 Constitution +10 Perception +10 Intuition per level
Gain 4 Free Major Stat Points per level
Gain [Unravel the Firmament] Skill upon Evolution
Gain [See no Falsehoods] General Skill upon Evolution
Do you want to become a [Pathfinder of Hidden Trails]? Yes/No
The fourth class on offer was one that looked more like a direct upgrade to [Truthseeker] as a whole. Alissa’s only worry was whether [For Your Eyes Only] would also apply to it or not, which was a worrisome prospect. One thing she became certain of was why there was such a difference between the tiers, and why it was generally considered nearly impossible for those of the second tier to beat a third tier opponent, unless they were a [Hero] or their opponent was not of a combative class.
It was because the amount of stats gained at the third tier greatly dwarfed what people would have gained in the previous two stats. Even if she assumed that the best of the classes that the natives got only offered maybe half what she received per level, it was still a several fold increase compared to what they would have received in the second tier.
[Inquisitor of Lost Covenants]
To rediscover and spread the words that had long been lost is your calling, your destiny. Find the lost covenants, and be its prophet in the world that had long forgotten its existence!
Gain +10 Body +20 Mind +20 Soul upon Evolution
Gain +5 Strength +5 Constitution +10 Intelligence +5 Wisdom +10 Willpower +5 Sanity per level
Gain 4 Free Major Stat Points per level
Gain [Expose the Heresy] Skill upon Evolution
Gain [An Inquisitive Mind] General Skill upon Evolution
Do you want to become a [Inquisitor of Lost Covenants]? Yes/No
The last choice Alissa had was… interesting, to say the least. It also seemed to be an upgrade to [Truthseeker], albeit one that took a more radical path compared to [Pathfinder of Hidden Trails]. She was uncertain what the “Lost Covenants” in the skill’s name referred to, but guessed that it might be related to the old gods supposedly deposed by the current pantheon of gods.
It also focused notably more on the Mind and Soul compared to the body, which was slightly different to the path she had pursued so far, but on the other hand, it might also offer clues and possibilities that might not be available elsewhere. In the end, it was a relatively hard decision for Alissa to make, though fortunately she had the luxury of thinking about it until everyone not on guard duty had gone to sleep later that night.
Like before, she made her choice in the middle of the night, with the hope that nobody would notice until she would reveal it herself.