The relentless practice is paying off. My strike will pierce true; right over the goblins heart. It’s going to be a critical. I can tell. Sharp spear meets thin flesh, I easily overcome the expected resistance. What follows is the damage numbers, which I have long become accustomed to, appearing in my mind, along with the gratifying level up ding sound ringing in my ears.

Critical Hit: Dealt 26 Health Points: Piercing damage

Awarded 2 experience points for assisting in the defeat of a goblin.

Experience threshold reached.

Level Up!

+1 Statistics Points

+1 Ability Points

“I leveled!” I cry while yanking my spear out of the goblin’s chest.

“Well done Reed!” Graem cheers, and then pulls his spear out a second later. “Gorm, Laela, we’re going to take a breather while Reed sorts out his level up.”

Laela stands up out of her hiding place and walks over grinning. “Good job rookie. Nearly caught up.”

Gorm too makes his way over from the other side of the cavern. He doesn’t say anything but pats my shoulder a couple times before hoisting the dead goblin off the ground and dragging it out of the area.

I turn back to Graem as he begins speaking. “We’ll wait here for Jaed and then get moving. I know hitting level three is exciting, but don’t lower your guard just yet Reed. Wait till we’re outside the dungeon.” Thankfully only seconds after Graem finishes his sentence Jaed appears at the cavern entrance.

“Good timing. I don’t want to wait a moment longer to check out my status screen.”

“You’re really as bad as Graem, rookie.” Laela rolls her eyes.

“Then we had better not keep him waiting, right sis?” Graem laughs. “Jaed we’re taking a breather, Reed leveled.”

Jaed smiles at me and then hastily moves closer entering a tight formation with our group as we march off to the exit.

----------------------------------------

We sit outside the dungeon in the grassy area that I rested in on my first day in this world. How quickly things have changed.

“So, explain to me why I don’t have any subclass options yet?”

“Because Reed, your subclass options are determined by the combination of your ability choices.” Graem replies.

“Hold on. It determines subclass options?”

“Yeah, Wizard is only available to people who take the Mana Bolt ability. Channeler, on the other hand.” Graem gestures to Jaed. “Is only available to people who take both the Second Wind and Lesser Healing abilities. Each combination of abilities in that way leads to a choice between three subclasses.”

That sentence is like a dagger to the back. “So, because I picked Berserk there are some subclasses that are just completely unavailable to me. I told you to tell me everything I might not know!”

“It is basic. Everyone knows.” Gorm responds. Apparently, my only companion with the guts to hold my gaze.

I grit my teeth. “So, which subclasses are no longer possible then?”

“Monk, Channeler, and Spiritualist,” Graem responds, still unwilling to look at me.

My jaw loosens. “Okay. Fine. They don’t sound that cool anyway. No offense Jaed.”

Jaed stares at me listlessly.

I glance back at Graem and sigh. “Fine. What are my remaining options then?”

“Like I said it depends on the combination of abilities. You’ve definitely unlocked the Berserker subclass because it only requires Berserk. Otherwise, the other options will depend on your ability choice.”

“So…” my voice drawls.

“If you take Second Wind you will unlock the Rogue and Warrior subclasses, if you take Mana Bolt you’ll unlock Wizard and Spellsword, and if you take Lesser Heal you’ll unlock Healer and Knight.”

“I see.”

“Look, I’m sorry Reed. I should have realised you might not know this when you asked about how stats work.” Graem says despondent.

“It’s fine. No use crying over spilled milk. None of those subclasses appeal to me anyway and I guess I now know I have to ask about everything”

There is silence for a while before a puzzled Gorm finally breaks it. “Who would cry over milk?”

I scratch my head. “It’s a saying where I come from. I guess not everything translates perfectly.”

“Ahh, a saying. In my tribe we have similar saying. Tchuk Wah Wah. Means babies cry.” Gorm smiles and bows low to me as though he has imparted great wisdom.

Unsure how to respond I bow in kind.

“Anyway Reed.” Graem says. “Before you choose would you like me to list the strengths and weaknesses of each subclass?”

“Are there any other traps I need to be aware of? Subclasses which are totally useless for instance?”

Graem looks at me funny. “No. There is nothing like that. Every subclass is strong in the right hands.”

Laela interjects. “Anything can work Reed. Every subclass, every ability. It’s the person not the status screen that enters the dungeon.”

“In that case you can list them Graem, but it probably won’t affect my decision. I’ve already got a good idea of what I’m going to pick at this point.”

“Oh? You have an idea of what you’re going to choose?” Laela asks.

I nod and then focus internally. In the background I can faintly make out Graem listing the various pros and cons of each of the classes I can choose. I listen for a while, but it makes no difference. My heart is already set.

‘Ability Choices.’

Ability Choices:

Second Wind – For 90 seconds grants 100% bonus to stamina statistic and 200% bonus to intelligence statistic. Cost 20 mana. 270 second cooldown.

Mana Bolt – Launch a projectile of pure mana at a target. Base damage equals 100% of Charisma statistic. Cost 6 mana. 20 second cooldown.

Lesser Heal – Channeling Spell. Heal a target by Charisma statistic each second, requires the wound to be held. Cost 5 mana per second. 10 second cooldown.

‘I choose Mana Bolt.’

Are you sure you want to use 1 ability point to learn the Mana Bolt ability?

‘Absolutely, like I’m going to miss out on the ability to shoot a magic bullet out of the palm of my hand.’

Learned Mana Bolt ability.

New Subclass Choices available.

‘Subclass Choices.’

Subclass Choices:

Berserker – Increases Strength and Constitution by 20%.

Unlock Requirements: Learned Berserk ability.

Spellsword – Increases Strength and Charisma by 20%.

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Unlock Requirements: Learned Berserk and Mana Bolt abilities.

Wizard – Increases Intelligence and Wisdom by 20%.

Unlock Requirements: Learned Mana Bolt ability.

‘I choose Spellsword’

Are you sure you want to choose the Spellsword Subclass?

‘Yes.’

Assigned Subclass: Spellsword.

Refocusing on the group I find Graem has stopped speaking. Seems he caught on.

Laela’s eyes are almost glowing with anticipation. “How long are you planning to leave us in suspense!?”

Everyone is watching me expectantly. I smile. May as well have a little fun. “Hold on! Give me a second to check my status first.”

“No!” Laela cries. I ignore her for the glowing blue box before me.

Name:

Reed Williams

Race:

Human

Subrace:

Otherworlder

Age:

19

Level:

3

Experience

0/400

Health Points:

100/100

Mana Points:

90/90

Class:

Dungeoneer

Subclass:

Spellsword

Statistics: (+1 Unused Points)

Strength: 6

Stamina: 7

Constitution: 10

Charisma: 8

Intelligence: 12

Wisdom: 9

Traits:

Human:

Built for endurance:

Every 5 levels gain 1 bonus point to Stamina.

Otherworlder:

Linguistics Correction:

Innately understand the language of the first being you speak with (Language Designated: Lavraelian). Gain increased efficiency towards learning new languages (intelligence modifier)

Dungeoneer:

Increases experience gain by 10% within any dungeon.

Spellsword:

Increases Strength and Charisma by 20%.

Abilities:

Berserk: Level 1

For 60 seconds grants 100% bonus to strength statistic and provides bonus to pain resistance dependant on strength statistic. Cost 30 mana. 120 second cooldown.

Mana Bolt: Level 1

Launch a projectile of pure mana at a target. Base damage equals 100% of Charisma statistic. Cost 6 mana. 20 second cooldown.

“So, which subclass did you take?” Graem asks calmly as I blink a couple of times after dismissing the status screen.

“The only one it makes sense for someone like me to take.”

My companions look at me with a mixture of puzzled and impatient expressions.

“Very funny Reed.” Laela snorts. “Out with it.”

“Spellsword of course, the coolest class.”

“The…” Graem pauses midsentence and stares at me blankly. “Coolest class?”

“Yeah.” I can’t help grinning

He opens his mouth as though he is about to speak but closes it shortly after.

Instead, Gorm breaks the silence. “Wrong. Warrior is the coolest class.”

“What!? How can warrior be the coolest class?”

“Warrior is the manliest class.” Gorm responds smugly.

“Gorm, manliness is not the same thing as coolness.” Laela says a sharp undertone clear in her voice.

“Is for me.” He shrugs, plainly uncaring about Laela’s feelings on the matter.

“But Gorm.” I reply. “Warrior has no spells. How can it be the coolest class without the majesty of spellcraft?”

“Bah. Cheap tricks compared to real strength.”

Graem groans loudly interrupting our gentlemanly disagreement. “You are both joking right? Surely you didn’t choose your classes based on coolness!?”

“Of course not.” Gorm laughs then confidently asserts. “I chose based on power.”

I brush some hair from off my face. “I mean, I didn’t only choose based on coolness.” Graem glares at me. “Err besides, coolness is also a type of power.”

Gorm howls with laughter and slaps his big meaty mitted paw on my back. “Wrong!”

“It’s a good choice,” Jaed softly prompts, “congratulations Reed.”

“Hmm?” Graem turns to Jaed and his face shifts to the one of I recognise as contemplation before he nods in agreement. “Indeed, it will help to have a balanced class to fill any holes in our battle formations and strategies. Spellsword definitely fits that nice being capable of both patching any defensive gaps or providing enough offensive pressure to create a breakthrough.”

Laela rolls her eyes, and gently elbows her brother, while speaking in a stage whisper, “he thinks it’s a good choice too.”

Graem gives a single unimpressed side-eye glance to his sister, before he turns to me and agrees. “Yes, as my knucklehead sister said, I think it’s a good choice too. Even if the intention was… questionable.”

“I also think so,” Laela quickly adds. “It’s good you picked something you like, will make it easier to maintain your determination towards improvement. If all it took was just picking the most powerful abilities to become strong, there would be far more S rank adventurers wouldn’t there?”

My companions all looks towards Gorm. Noticing the attention Gorm huffs and then rips some grass out of the ground. “As my tribe elders would say. You choose your path, then you follow it. Only at end will you know if path was worth it.”

“Right, well. I don’t know about you lot, but I’m famished. Since we’re already out here now’s a good time to eat lunch.” Laela pulls out some bread rolls from her small rucksack and lays them flat on a cloth. “Baked fresh today.”

As Laela passes an especially large bread roll to Gorm, Graem turns back to me and asks. “So, do you have any questions about the system that we might be able to help with? I don’t want to leave you feeling like you missed out on some important information that would have changed how you picked your abilities.”

“Actually yes, I do have a few questions. I’ve been meaning to ask how health and mana regeneration actually work. Like how quickly does it happen and how exactly do stats effect regeneration speed?”

“Health and mana both regenerate depending on stamina and intelligence as Laela explained before. I’m assuming that isn’t what you are asking though.”

“No, I want to understand how stamina and intelligence effect the actual rates of regeneration. Like are their diminishing returns at higher stat levels and or anything else like that?”

“You want to understand the maths?”

I nod.

Graem seems to sit up a little straighter. “Right well, it’s actually the opposite. The rate of health and mana regeneration increase exponentially as the stats increase. I won’t bore you with the specif-”

I interrupt him. “No, please do.”

Graem pauses and stares down the rest of our group with reproach. “Now why can’t the rest of you be more like Reed!?” Then he turns back to me positively beaming. “Very well, the exact formula as determined by the Adventurer’s guild is the stat modifier to the power of one point two per every minute. The stat modifier is the total value of either stamina or intelligence, after factoring in class and ability boosts. Make sense?”

“Err...” I cough into my fist. “I don’t really get it.”

Graem sighs before speaking slower. “It means that if you have an intelligence stat of ten and it isn’t boosted by traits or abilities you will regenerate about sixteen mana points per minute. However, if you have an intelligence stat of twenty and it isn’t boosted you will regenerate about thirty-six mana points per minute. Double the intelligence but over double the mana regeneration.”

“Okay. I think I get it. Basically, the opposite of diminishing returns?”

“Basically.” Graem nods.

“So, just to be sure, what about forty in intelligence?”

“I can’t remember off the top of my head, but next time I go to the library you are welcome to come and I could show you the graph.”

“Go to the library to look at graphs?”

“Yeah. Trust me it’s easy to understand and will give you a better idea of how regen works.”

“Umm, I’ll think about it.”

“Up to you.” Graem shrugs. “Any other questions?”

“Yes, I know last time you said you need to raise all stats somewhat equally, but how can that be the case if regeneration stats improve exponentially?”

“Because regeneration is important for elongated fights and gets more important the deeper you delve into the dungeons where combat frequency increases. But sometimes you need the constitution to take an especially big hit without being knocked out of the fight, or the wisdom to unleash a salvo of abilities in a short time. And without strength or charisma it won’t matter how long you can last in a fight if you are barely able to hurt the monsters in the first place.”

“So, which would you recommend I put my free stat point into then?”

“Probably strength since with our current strategy it will have the biggest impact on how quickly you level and by extension grow.”

“Not intelligence? Wouldn’t that let me use my abilities more often helping me level them?”

“You don’t have enough abilities for running out of mana to be a legitimate concern at this point in time. However, that would be a sensible priority once you have a few more abilities and are at greater risk of running out of mana.”

Strength it is then. ‘Increase Strength by one point.’

Are you sure you want to increase your Strength value by 1?

‘Yes.’

Strength value raised to 7.

“Okay, one more question. Why is that the main class is something random not to do with anything combat or ability related and the subclass is the one combat and ability related? Isn’t that kind of, totally backwards? Shouldn’t the main class be combat related and the subclass be related to something less important like being a tradesman or whatever?”

Nothing but blank stares from my companions. Guess I asked a stupid question.

Hesitantly, Graem speaks up, “why would it be that way?”

“Well, because it just makes more sense?”

“How does it make more sense? Doesn’t it make more sense the way it is since that’s the way it is?” Laela asks in the same slow drawl Graem just used to explain how regeneration works.

“No.” I sigh.

“Why, no?” Laela raises both eyebrows in mock anticipation.

“Because it just doesn’t! Your main class is always Wizard, or Paladin, or whatever and your subclass is blacksmith, or gardener, or trader. It just makes more sense. Especially since you level through experience from fighting!”

There is another second of silence before Gorm booms with laughter. “Good point Reed! Strength is most important. Subclass should be main class.” I’d like to be pleased that someone agrees, but somehow the fact that it’s Gorm agreeing with me on this point makes me feel even worse about the rationality of my argument.

Worse still, Laela has a look on her face like she’s about to explode with questions. No way I’m getting into an actual argument about this. I better change the subject fast! “Let’s just forget about that. I still have one more question, I promise it’s not philosophical!”

“I can’t wait for this one.” Laela remarks with dry sarcasm, but her eyes betray her interest. The rest of my companions’ stare at me with a mixture of mirth and apprehension.

I find myself unable to keep the grin from spreading across my face. “I just want to know when we are heading back into the dungeon, so I can Mana Bolt some damn goblins!?”