Congratulations Nathan Orion!

Level 5 reached, class options unlocked.

Choose your class.

Nathan's eyes widened at the new screen.

Finally, some firepower.

All classes listed here are tailored to you:

Gladiator (Common): The gladiator is the embodiment of the Berserker Archetype. Fearless and relentless with their attacks, this class may wield multiple weapons. Three class evolutions are possible in this class. Receive 3 free points upon choosing this class.

Choosing this class grants you the following items:

- A sword (Common - Grade F)

- Helmet (Common - Grade F)

Duelist (Common): The duelist focuses on mastery of dual weapons, suited for ferocious attacks while abandoning defense. Three class evolutions are possible in this class. Receive 3 free points upon choosing this class.

Choosing this class grants you two identical Common F-grade weapons of your choice alongside:

- Leather cuirass (Common Grade-F)

- Leather boots (Common Grade-F)

Monk (Uncommon): Monks fight unarmed, seeking to prove that the body remains the one and only true weapon. Reliable and readily available, they fortify their bodies with chi to become the ultimate weapon. Four class evolutions are possible. Receive 4 free points upon choosing this class.

Choosing this class grants you:

- Monk's Robe (Common Grade-F)

- First Step of Meditation (Basic skill book Grade-E)

Chain Warrior (Uncommon): Swords, axes, and fists—all common and popular. A chain warrior stands out from the rest with a weapon capable of both brutal and swift damage. A weapon so heavy yet flexible, this is also the way of a chain warrior: a heavy hitter with finesse second to only those who wield swords. Receive 3 free points upon choosing this class.

Choosing this class grants you:

- Chains (Common Grade-E)

- Leather cuirass (Common Grade-E)

As you are one of the 62 humans to survive skipping the tutorial, Ra'ahal has seen fit to offer you a rare class tailored specifically to you.

Wait what? 62? They'd gone from millions to thousands and now to te—

Analyzing Nathan Orion for bloodline compatibility with rare classes...

None found, offering Nathan Orion a random rare class.

Blood Pawn (rare): Information on this class is limited. This class has only been handed out once since Ra'ahal's inception. The last time this class was handed out was over a millennium ago. However, the little that is known about the class is that it meshes well with any weapon and can evolve up to seven times, with each evolution power gap vastly higher than the last. Receive 7 free points upon choosing this class.

You have ten minutes to make your choice.

Timer: 9:59

Here we go again, freaking timer.

Nathan parsed through all his options quickly before going over them individually again.

The system was right—all classes it had listed were most definitely tailored to him. Even the Monk class intrigued him. After seeing the damage he'd done with his fists against those imps, he had to admit it was a viable option.

Besides, having his sword used against him by the imps had left a sour taste in his mouth. He'd managed to adapt to the situation, but it was one he wouldn't like to repeat.

Deep down, he knew that he didn't see himself as a monk; his fists could only take him so far, and it was better to have both his sword and his fists than just his fists.

So that ruled the monk class out—too one-dimensional.

I'll pass.

Gladiator, one of the most exciting, if not the most exciting class listed there. As soon as he'd seen the class, his mind had taken him back to his history lessons in high school: the Romans and their gladiators.

It seemed like an okay class, but like every other thing, there had to be a "but." This one was very easy to pinpoint.

It was a common class with only three evolutions. Nathan didn't know what the evolutions entailed, but he did know what "common" meant, and he was definitely not going to give himself a disadvantage because the class had a nice ring to it.

I'll skip that for now.

Duelist—this was one that Nathan didn't really know. It was also a common class, and that made him even more wary of considering it, but he might as well.

Huge offense for much less defense, dual weapons—in other words, a kamikaze fighter. Going all in with little or no defense.

No thank you, I'll pass on this death trap.

Chain Warrior. Nathan couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity. Chain Warrior—what kind of stupid class was that? The mechanics of the entire thing intrigued him though. Would he have to walk around holding chains like he did his sword, or would the chains magically appear only when he needed them?

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

It was quite a mystery, but Nathan wasn't curious enough to choose the class. What kind of barbarian walked around swinging chains? He chuckled at the mental image of Mr. Wong doing that.

Hilarious, still I'll pass.

No chains for this guy. That left him with the second most interesting class he'd been offered.

Blood Pawn.

Sounds a little bit ominous.

The "pawn" part left him feeling a bit uneasy. Nobody wants to be a pawn. He honestly hoped that it was just a poorly chosen title and nothing more.

Aside from that, the class seemed intriguing. It had only been offered one other time, and that was a millennium ago, so whoever or whatever had gotten it probably wasn't alive anymore. Making him one out of one.

A fact that brought a smile to his face. One of one.

Who would've thought?

The second thing that made this class stand out was that, according to the system, it was a rare class. RARE.

That also brought to mind the casual reminders the system had been dropping about what a stupid decision it was to skip the tutorial.

The total number at first was almost three million people, and now there were only sixty-two who had survived the last three hours after making that bad decision, if Nathan's timing was correct.

What had happened to the rest of them? More importantly, why did it seem like the system was trying to punish them for skipping the tutorial? Nathan shook his head—this wasn't the time to be thinking about these things. He had a class to pick.

The choice lay between Gladiator and Blood Pawn. Once again, he was presented with the Heart or Mind options.

Gladiator made his heart beat faster while Blood Pawn seemed like the best option.

By far.

One was a common class while the other was rare. One he was familiar with, the other he'd never heard about before.

So what was it going to be for him—passion or power?

A class tailored to him or one randomly offered to him?

"I pick... Blood Pawn," Nathan said, closing his eyes as he waited for confirmation.

Is that your final decision? Time remaining is 3:42. Affirm to confirm your decision or say cancel to pick a different one.

Where was all this time when I was picking an Archetype?

Nathan briefly considered canceling and taking more time to think it over, but he already knew that his best bet was the Blood Pawn class.

I affirm.

Class successfully chosen. Integrating Blood Pawn (Rare) class into the Human (Nathan Orion)...

Evolving Archetype.

Please find a comfortable position. The first integration will be painful (scales up depending on class rarity).

Oh, come on! Couldn't it be pain-free?

How rare was rare?

Nathan didn't get the opportunity to figure it out as his body was covered in a blue dome. Before he could look on in awe, intense pain assaulted him, instantly making him drop to the floor.

He tried to move but couldn't; he tried to scream but his vocal cords didn't respond. He was left staring at a blue dome covering him as tears rolled down his cheeks. His body was on fire, and soon enough, black spots started to fill his vision until he fell unconscious from the pain.

---

"Arrrgh."

Nathan felt like his entire body had been hit with a mace, repeatedly. Pain being the first sensation he was waking up to wasn't so strange, although he'd have to admit that it had been a while since he'd last experienced that.

Red light poured through the blue transparent-ish dome that covered him entirely.

Looking upward, the little patch of sky he could see looked way different from yesterday. It was brighter and a much different color. It was a light bright red compared to the purple he'd fallen unconscious to.

Nathan was going to hazard a guess that this was a new day.

Then happy birthday to me.

Eighteen and in the middle of nowhere with a world that was now a hundred percent out for him. What worse present could he have gotten? Nothing would've been better than this.

Nathan struggled and failed repeatedly to stand, his body too weak and raw from whatever had been done to him, but Nathan wouldn't let pain define him. He defied his body until he was finally able to stand on his two feet, and then he poked at the dome, which disappeared immediately when his finger made contact with it.

Weird.

Was that supposed to be a shield? If it was, it was a poor one—or maybe it was a beacon, and the damned system was trying to kill him while he slept by using the shiny dome to attract predators.

Nathan shook his head; the pain was getting to him more than he'd like to admit. The rational part of him knew that he was just overreacting. The shield probably just protected things from getting in and was most likely made in a way that it dissolved into motes of light when whoever or whatever was inside made contact.

Pretty neat.

Nathan tried to take a step. He succeeded, and then he took another and another until he wobbled and ultimately fell on the floor, face first. He managed to roll himself and spit out the dirt and grass that he'd been unfortunate enough to have entered his mouth.

"Bollocks," Nathan cursed as he contemplated his situation. Out of sheer stubbornness, he'd broken the only thing that had been protecting him, and he was too weak to defend himself.

Fantastic.

With nothing else to do as he tried to recover his strength and breath, he called up his status, the familiar screen filling his vision.

A series of notifications seemed to be waiting for him, and Nathan was as eager as ever to find out what had happened to him.

Congratulations! Successfully integrated Blood Pawn class.

Nice.

He looked up the next notification.

Archetype Evolution complete.

Name: Nathan Orion

Imprint: N/A

Level: 5

Archetype: Blood Berserker

Class: Blood Pawn

Imprint: Balls of Steel, Skullcrusher

Strength: 5

Dexterity: 7

Vitality: 6

Constitution: 7

Perception: 6

Dao: N/A

Ra'hal coins: 600

Free points: 13

Nathan looked on in awe. Archetype Evolution complete. How many Archetype evolutions could he undergo? Or was this a one-time thing? Damn earlier him for skipping the tutorial.

Why did he have to make such a hasty and stupid decision? He'd always known that too much sleep would ruin him.

Seven hells.

Nathan shook his head as he rued his missed opportunity. The new Archetype sent shivers down his spine and at the same time made him feel... powerful.

Blood Berserker.

It sounded like he was supposed to become some kind of warlord or bloodthirsty beast, but Nathan felt like himself—if only a little stronger.

Moving on, his coins had increased, which was good. Eradicating that group of imps hadn't been easy, but he'd done it and gotten paid afterward, which was nice.

13 free points?

Nathan racked his brain trying to calculate how it had come to be. At the end of the day, it was a simple thing. He'd gained three levels after fighting the Imps, and that got him six free points. Choosing the Blood Pawn class gave him an additional seven, making it a total of thirteen free points.

Aye, all that calculus is finally paying off.

Next up was the most important thing; he saved it for last like it was a shiny new toy.

The Blood Pawn Class, I wo—

Nathan couldn't finish the thought before he was interrupted by the system.

Information is available on the Blood Pawn class.

Two New Skills awarded for completing integration.