Having distributed his available points into his Characteristics, Chase took a moment to find out what his new Achievements were about.
Defier of Odds: Be the first on your world to gain a class despite possessing a Damning Curse. (+15 Fateblessed, +10% Primary Characteristic, +5% Secondary Characteristic, +2% Tertiary Characteristic)
Early Lead: Be the first on your world to reach 100 in a Characteristic. (+3 to all Characteristics)
Head of the Pack: Be the first on your world to reach Level 20 & gain a class. (+15 Primary Characteristic, +10 Secondary Characteristic, +5 Tertiary Characteristic, +5% Class Characteristics)
Well, looks like after everything Chase had gone through, he was the first person on Earth to get a class. He’d honestly expected people in the Tutorial to have gotten one by now though. He hadn’t been trying to level grind or anything like that, he’d just been trying to survive.
And, looking at the achievement, the rewards had been pretty substantial. While Fateblessed, if his hunch was right, had a chance of increasing his overall luck, it wasn't something he wanted to count on. Besides, if the rewards were this good now, how much would they increase once he hit Legendary or Mythical achievements? Assuming those were things.
Pushing that aside, he instead turned his attention to a new ‘tab’ he felt attached to his character screen.
Class: Trophy Hunter (Legendary - L)
Associated Characteristics: Cunning, Resilience, Vitality
Class Perks: Echoes of the Hunt
Class Abilities: Mirror
Staring at the screen, Chase found himself wondering just how something called ‘Mirror’ was tied to a class called Trophy Hunter. Still, he decided to look at Echoes of the Hunt before Mirror, since he had a hunch that he wouldn’t be able to use it either way.
Perk: Echoes of the Hunt – Passive. Any item worn, wielded, or otherwise used by the Trophy Hunter that they made from the remains of something that they were the one to kill has its strength, durability, and overall efficiency improved by 10% of the Trophy Hunter’s Cunning.
Chase’s eyebrows shot up. He’d already been planning on boosting his Cunning Characteristic a lot when he found out that his making things out of the beasts he fought was influenced by it, but now he had an even bigger reason to do so. The fact that it said Passive meant that it wasn’t affected by his Mystic Malediction curse, since that specified it locked out Active magic.
Excitement building, he pulled up the description for Mirror.
Ability: Mirror – Magic, Passive. When the Trophy Hunter is hit with a physical, melee attack, the Attacker suffers a portion of the damage that they would have done sans the Trophy Hunter’s defenses equal to 10% of the Trophy Hunter’s Cunning. Mirror can be Upgraded through future Class Quests.
If Echoes of the Hunt had made Chase excited, Mirror had his jaw drop and his eyes bulge. This ability was going to save his life, he was sure of it. And, judging from the fact that it could be upgraded, that could potentially mean some truly ridiculous effects.
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Pulling himself together, Chase forced himself to breathe and try and think logically. He could be getting ahead of himself, Mirror was still a passive skill, but he didn't know what the limits of its potential upgrades were. It might cap off a lot earlier than the more powerful magic abilities out there.
Still, he was sure that Mirror would save his life more than once. If he couldn’t avoid a strike, the damage he suffered would be sent back at his attacker. And, depending on what upgrades it could get, that damage could possibly be redirected entirely. That last thought brought him up short. Was it possible that the upgrade would let him make the attack completely harmless, or redirect it entirely? If so, how much would the Cunning Characteristic increase the potential damage?
Chase shook his head. There were just too many variables, and he had no way to test any of it. Not unless someone decided to attack him in the near future. With the adrenaline fading from his system, exhaustion hit him like a truck. The day of hiking, the fight against the jackalope, the quest completion reward, and his class choice all combined to drain every last bit of energy he had left. He needed to rest, recuperate, and strategize based on his new abilities and perks.
Heading to the cabin’s master bedroom, Chase pulled off his patchwork armor and mask before collapsing on the bed. The whistling noise that came from breathing with his nose missing had long since become a white noise for him, and he soon fell asleep.
~*~*~*~
When he woke up, Chase ate some dried meat for breakfast before returning to the Network Interface. He wanted more information, and he was hoping that he’d be able to scrounge through it for some explanations.
Network Interface – Class Overviews & FAQs
Grinning, Chase selected it and began to delve deeper into the links. But within a few minutes, his excitement was quenched as he repeatedly failed to find anything mentioning his specific class. The closest he came was a list of the class rarities.
Common: Upgradable at Level 50
Uncommon: Upgradable at Level 60
Rare: Upgradable at Level 75
Mythic: Upgradable at Level 85
Legendary: Upgradable at Level 100
Apparently classes could be improved in some manner, but the information available didn’t specify how, what that entailed, or whether or not it was even necessary. And of course, he was stuck waiting the longest to be able to upgrade his class. Hopefully that meant it was a powerful one.
Chase sighed, his frustration building as his quest for knowledge came up dry. He glanced back at the screen, considering the rarity of his class and pondered on the high level needed for upgrading. Level 100 seemed ages away, but it also hinted at the immense potential that lay dormant within his class. If only he could get a sneak peek at what future abilities or perks would be unlocked.
Determined not to be discouraged, Chase logged out of the Network Interface and decided to use his day for practical training instead. If he couldn't learn more about his class through the interface, then he would explore its abilities firsthand. Though first he needed to get the jackalope hide ready to be used. It had been surprisingly durable and resistant to his pick, so he was thinking about incorporating it into his standard kit somehow. Maybe as a hood or part of a cloak?
Heading outside, Chase set his mind to the task. Curing the hide was more time consuming than difficult as by this point, he'd had a lot of practice. Once the hide was stretched and curing, Chase spent the rest of the afternoon crafting with other components. He decided on making a new pair of gloves and bracers that would incorporate the mountain lion’s claws along the top of his left hand knuckles and right forearm. The reason for the difference was simple: if he missed a swing with his pick, he could potentially still cut his target with the bracer, but on his left hand they’d press up against his shield.
As he worked, his thoughts drifted back to his new abilities. Mirror could potentially offer him a significant edge in combat, reflecting damage back at attackers. It was a passive defense mechanism that didn’t require him to lift a finger, which suited his solo, curse mandated style perfectly.
Eventually the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the forest floor, Chase tested the fit of his new gear. The gloves felt snug, with the mountain lion claws curving menacingly over his knuckles. The bracers were equally formidable, the claws protruding just enough to be effective without hindering movement.
He moved through a series of practiced combat drills, adjusting to the added weight and feel of his new equipment. Each swipe of his arm left an imaginary streak in the air, a reminder that every part of his gear was a weapon. Even his shield, which he’d once thought of as purely a defensive tool, had delivered more than one kill in his countless fights with the various beasts that roamed around.
As the shadows deepened, Chase's mind began to weave together possible strategies for utilizing his upgraded equipment and abilities in concert. With 'Mirror' promising to be a cornerstone of his defense, he speculated on other ways he could maximize its effectiveness. Perhaps, he pondered, he could bait aggressors into overcommitting to an attack, turning their momentum against them with his reflective ability.
Nightfall approached, and the air grew chill as as the setting sun cast its final rays of warmth on the Newell Homestead. The shadows grew thick, and the trees cast dark and twisted shapes upon the forest floor.
And still Chase trained, his mind sharp and his body moving with the practiced efficiency of a well-oiled machine. After another hour or so, he felt satisfied with his training. His body was coated in a thin sheen of sweat, but despite the fatigue that had begun to creep into his muscles, he felt more alive than he ever had before the world went mad.