So, you have found yourself in another world. It’s a lot to take in, but it will all begin to make sense, even the stuff that doesn’t, or shouldn’t seem to make sense. My name is Amelia Earhart, and I was brought to this world thirty years ago. I was a pilot, a navigate, and now I am a Wanderer exploring a frontier I never thought was possible. I am writing this guide should it ever find its way back to my world, but also to help anyone finding themselves in the situation like I have.

This world, ‘Serra’ is governed by an all present, and seemingly all-knowing system they cleverly refer to as ‘The System’. You’ll find a multitude of literature that outlines various aspects of The System, and how it works. I shall not delve too deeply into it in this book as it’s a well-established and researched anomaly. I fear to even call it an anomaly as they understand every aspect of it, and I would go even as far to call it a ‘solved game’. This world has everything from Classes, Levels and Feats, all the way to the possibility of understanding deeper levels of this reality at a fundamental level, which gives abilities called ‘Aspects’, which even allow individuals to warp reality to an extent.

If you too are from another world, be warmed by the fact you are not alone. People from other worlds are common here. There exists a multiverse that they call the Nexus. An extraordinary web of realities that shift like planets around the sun, and at times align in a way that allow passage from one world to another. It is rumoured to be possible to get home, yet it requires achieving a level only known as Ascendance, which is the highest possible level to get to. Once this is reached, it is allegedly possible to navigate the Nexus itself and successfully return home.

Be warned – this is not easy. This world is dangerous in more ways than one. This world is locked in a seemingly endless cycle dating back to the first annals of written history. Areas called Dungeons open every decade. These are fragmented dark times from history isolated in pocket dimensions that appear, only groups to enter and face the challenges. This allows for individuals to level at a faster rate and achieve greater rewards than what can be found elsewhere in Serra. At first, I was perplexed to this, but it quickly became obvious this is to prepare the population for what is to come. The Dungeons are here for ten years, and just as randomly as they appear, they disappear.

A new threat emerges just as suddenly, as portals to a Hellish plane of existence appear to allow an invasion force of ‘Demons’ to this world. They are cruel, and vicious. They do not negotiate and seem to exist solely to bring ruin and destruction. As well mapped as The System is, it is unclear whether the Demon invasion is a part of it, or something The System was designed to help the native populations of this world resist. Each cycle they have been pushed back, yet without fail they return each cycle to ravage the lands once more.

Be careful. You must Level to survive. You must Level to return home if that is your wish. Seek out the Domain of Knowledge libraries in each city or seek assistance from the reputable Guilds in this world. They will help you as they helped me.

I hope this helps,

AE.

The book was thick for what was meant to be a summarised guide to this world, and Patrick’s head began to spin even just glossing through the book. It reminded him of one of the old video game manuals that came with physical copies of games. He found himself beginning to skim the book feeling overwhelmed at the amount of information contained in what Amelia Earhart referred to as a brief overview, before he went back to the start and began reviewing the Class and Levelling system.

It began to make a little more sense considering some of the notifications he had already seen, having already been able to access his inventory screen. He was slightly disappointed to see he didn’t have a permanent inventory like in video games where he could just pull items out of thin air, that only applied to when he claimed items like he had with the Skull and Boots. It was more a record of current items that he currently had on his possession. He did however figure out how to access his Class screen. It wasn’t any of the options he had tried previously, but rather just a concentration on what the guide described as ‘the individual’s perception of self’.

Closing his eyes, he tried to visualise himself. Not his physical self in the sense of what he looked like, but the theoretical concept of himself, and feeling something click in his brain, he opened his eyes to see a new window in front of him.

[Name: Patrick Kavanagh]

[Race: Human (Wanderer)]

[Level: 10]

[Class: Unassigned]

Class Specialisation Available

[Feats]

World’s First

[Aspects]

N/A

[Side Effects]

Fatigued (7)

Weakened (5)

[Attributes]

Strength: 10 (-7)

Vitality: 10 (-7)

Endurance: 10 (-7)

Intelligence: 10 (-7)

Dexterity: 10 (-7)

Luck: 15 (-7)

[Available Attributes for Distribution: 40]

With a review back at the book, everything seemed to make that little bit more sense. The book referred to the fact everyone got an increase of one attribute point for each attribute, and then an additional four attribute points per level up that they could assign to their primary attributes, and that different classes would have different primary attributes. With a sigh, it dawned on him as well why he felt so weak. The Fatigue and Weakened conditions were subtracting from his attributes, and that is why he was struggling to even stand.

Conscious that Marius told him not to make any decisions on his Class just yet, he couldn’t resist the urge to at least open the Class Specialisation screen to see what was available to him.

[Class Specialisations Available]

Congratulations on achieving Level 10. Based on your performance to date, the following classes have been assigned as available to you.

[Survivor]

You have survived challenges that pose threats to those higher levelled than you. You have escaped by the skin of your teeth and use that experience to improve your chances in the future. Escape and survive dangerous situations and foes using your wits and sheer fortitude. Surviving one encounter can prepare the world for the next.

[Brawler]

You hit hard, and can get hit even harder. You are willing to get hit to land a punch, confident that you will come out better in each trade. The more you get hit, the harder you can hit. Build up knockout power and look for that finishing blow.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

[Voyeur]

You like to watch from the shadows, and see what others are doing. This can be used for both causing, and preventing wicked intentions. You may not be easily seen, although your actions may give you away. Stick to the shadows and out of sight, and only you may know what you are doing.

[Artifact Equipped]

Preparation is all that matters. Your items gained increase effectiveness with reduced drawbacks. You will have increased charges and effectiveness, with lower cool down times and reduced potential side effects. Have an item for any occasion, for they may never know what is in your back pocket.

Patrick immediately ruled out [Voyeur], slightly mortified that The System even gave that one as an option. He shuddered thinking that if this was even a possible Class that can be assigned, what else may be out there. He mentally filed that information away in case he ran into anyone who may not have as good intentions as the group he had run into seemed.

[Survivor] was ruled out quickly as well. He had seen how ineffective he had been, and whilst thankful he had survived, he definitely wanted to be a little more effective.

[Brawler] was obvious for the reason it was assigned, as it was the temporary class he used against the Lord of Rot and Decay with some effect. [Artifact Equipped] was an interesting one considering his success was almost solely down to the two items he had been given by Marius and Svenja. Knowing that any items he used would be even more effective with less drawbacks, he kept it on the list of options especially if he could get his hands on more of those whistles.

Patrick decided to hold off before he had a chance to speak with the group, as he flicked through Amelia’s guide again, but couldn’t find references to any specific Classes, and he didn’t want to risk putting his attributes points into the incorrect attributes. He lay his head back on the pillow and closing his eyes, feeling even the act of skimming the book and navigating the menus having taken a toll on him.

He wasn’t even aware he had dozed off before a knock on the door woke him with a start. The light in the room had begun to fade to a soft golden yellow as the sun had begun to set. Patrick wasn’t even sure how long he had slept, as he wasn’t even aware of what time it had been when he had first woken up.

Another knock on the door, as Patrick called out to come in.

Marius entered the room, pushing the door open with his hip as he carried a tray of food, the smell of it causing Patrick’s stomach to rumble as he realised he hadn’t eaten anything since… well, he couldn’t even remember the last thing he had eaten. Ulman entered the room after Marius, holding a stack of books as he manoeuvred to the base of the bed and placed them with care.

The tray of food was placed in front of Patrick, and with some slight delight he noticed the food looked comparatively normal to what he would usually eat. It was a bowl of stew containing red meat, and vegetables, a side of what looked like sourdough bread, and a mug of what smelled of wine.

“Sorry, there wasn’t much food left. Grunt is sort of sulking and ate most of it. He wasn’t too happy about going down in the Dungeon and is blaming that on not reaching Level 40” casually said Marius as he perched on the edge of the bed.

“Is Grunt alright? I completely forgot to ask about him earlier” Patrick enquired between mouthfuls of food.

“He’s just a bit grumpy but he’ll be fine. How are you feeling?”

“Honestly, a bit better. A bit overwhelmed, and I didn’t realise how hungry I was.”

“I’m glad! Centipede Stew is a great meal to get you back on your feet.”

Patrick’s stomach turned.

“Centipede?”

“Great source of nutritious meat once you get it out of the chitin!”

Patrick shuddered, his appetite disappearing as quickly as it came. He pushed the bowl of stew to the side and decided to just focus on the bread and wine.

Marius seeing Patrick had moved it to the side, indicated towards it, and picked it up and began finishing it.

“My dear fellow, Marius has informed me you have reached your first capstone for which you have my sincerest congratulations. It truly is a fine coming of age moment, and Marius has asked me to help you select your Class Specialisation” spoke Ulman has he began arranging the books.

“Yeah, I saw the four options… but the book didn’t really go into detail about them, so I haven’t chosen anything yet.”

“A fine and sensible choice. There is plenty of literature on Classes, far too much for one book. It is a shame you have only received four, a limited selection I must say, but fear not the initial Class choice can still provide plenty of options. An incorrect choice can only set you back so far at the start. What did you get?”

Patrick quickly checked the pop-up to confirm the names of the classes.

“I got [Brawler] which was the temporary Class from the Dungeon. The other three are [Artifact Equipped], [Survivor] and uh...” Patrick trailed off.

“And?”

“[Voyeur]” Patrick mumbled resulting in Marius snorting and choking on the stew.

Ulman shot a look of disapproval at Marius.

“Believe it or not, [Voyeur] opens up some excellent evolution opportunities through [Spy] related evolutions. Perhaps a negative reputation but each Class provides benefits, but yes, I believe we can rule that one out.”

Ulman began scanning the books.

“[Artifact Equipped] is certainly an interesting one, and one generally only available through the [Artificer] evolution. Definitely a strong starting point should you wish to pursue a Class based around item usage.”

“I was thinking it would be useful if I could stock up on those Whistles”

Marius laughed, placing the now empty bowl back onto the tray.

“I don’t think that’s realistic in the short term. It was a prototype Menizo asked us to try out if we got the chance. I’m not even sure how many there are, but judging how well it worked, it would cost a fortune to stock up on them. Menizo will place a premium on those, the greedy bastard.”

“A fair point Marius my friend, a cost intensive Class for sure, although not forced into any primary attributes.”

Ulman finished leafing through the book, and picked up another one.

“[Brawler] is a fine choice. Flexible options and evolution paths, although multiple Primary Attributes required… requiring either Strength, Endurance, and Vitality, or Dexterity, Endurance, and Vitality...” he continued holding a finger to his lips.

“It did feel pretty good when I used it in the Dungeon. When will I regain the Aspect it said I unlocked?”

Ulman’s head snapped up.

“An Aspect? Surely not. What Aspect? You must tell me more” as he eagerly began leaning forward until Marius had to pull him back.

“It was called [Flow of Battle], and it was guiding me where I needed to hit next.”

Ulman’s eyes were bulging in excitement.

“You must tell me more. How did you get it? They are beyond rare for someone of your Level. Wait let me grab some paper and quil- “

Marius dragged him back across the room as he tried to leave.

“Ulman, give the poor man some time to recover. We’re still a few days from Tyril. You’ll have plenty of time to interrogate him. Let’s get him a Class assigned and recovered first.”

Ulman sighed, picking up the final book.

“Fine, fine. I will say no to the [Survivor] class on your behalf Patrick. Poor evolutions available, and seems to be a class taken more of desperation than utility, although there are records of individuals becoming fabled heroes having started from that Class.”

“You keep mentioning evolutions? The book didn’t really give details on it. What’s an evolution?”

“It’s quite straightforward old chap, you can apply certain evolution stones to your Class to change it to a more advanced class. A [Merchant] Class may evolve theirs to a [Guild Trader], or myself for example who evolved it from a mere [Evoker] to a [Possessed Evoker].”

Patrick gulped.

“Are you actually possessed?”

“He is, and he’s positively mad at times” quipped Marius.

“I am not mad.” retorted Ulman. “I am quite sane, I can merely commune with the deceased to request they lend some mana to me to enhance my spells.”

“Are the dead people in the room with us right now Ulman?” queried Marius with a smile as he ducked dodging a book thrown at him.

“Quite sane, thank you all very much.”

Patrick eyed the book in Ulman’s hands, and doubted his own ability to dodge one if thrown.

“I believe you Ulman.” He said with a strained smile, but thankfully Ulman’s head was down in the book.

“I believe [Brawler] is the wise choice considering you have some experience in the Class already, but it is, I believe, the best option available to you at this point in time.”

Patrick nodded, and looked to Marius for final confirmation, who only responded with a double thumbs up.

“Do I choose it now?”

“No better time” shrugged Marius.

Patrick navigated back to the screen, and with a mental push chose the [Brawler] Class.

[Class Specialisation Assigned: Brawler]

[Remaining Experience granted]

[Level Up. Level 14 reached]

[Skills Unlocked]

Quick Flurry

Glancing Strikes (Passive)

Second Wind

[Additional Attribute Points to be assigned]

“Should I focus on Strength or Dexterity for this class?”

“It is ultimately your choice whether you would like to hit harder or move a little quicker. Both styles are quite viable for this Class according to records. I would recommend however you do not let one lag too far behind the other should you determine the style does not fit, and wish to change further down the line.”

Patrick checked the number of attribute points he had to assign, and read them out to Marius and Ulman.

[Attributes]

Strength: 14 (-7)

Vitality: 14 (-7)

Endurance: 14 (-7)

Intelligence: 14 (-7)

Dexterity: 14 (-7)

Luck: 19 (-7)

[Available Attributes for Distribution: 56]

“Actually, why is there no Charisma Attribute?”

“Charisma?”

“Yeah, like the ability to persuade someone or generally be charismatic.”

Both Marius and Ulman laughed.

“My dear fellow, how bizarre to think someone could just assign points to their personality. Merchants would take us for a rort, or any diplomatic leader would be whoever dumped their other Attributes for ‘Charisma’.”

“But… is it not the same for Intelligence? People would just be smarter than others?”

Ulman laughed.

“My Class has Intelligence for its primary Attribute. I fear it doesn’t make me more intelligent per se, however it increases my mana absorption rate and allows me to memorise more spells, and to cast them quicker.”

“Ah.”

“I would recommend an even distribution initially to either your Strength or Dexterity depending on your preference, and to your Endurance and Vitality. Perhaps go fifteen points in each of the three, and then perhaps seven to your Dexterity, and the remaining to either Intelligence or Luck based on your preference.”

Patrick took a moment, before he assigned the points.

[Attributes]

Strength: 29 (-7)

Vitality: 29 (-7)

Endurance: 29 (-7)

Intelligence: 14 (-7)

Dexterity: 21 (-7)

Luck : 23 (-7)

[Confirm Distribution: Yes/No]

With a final confirmation from Marius and Ulman, Patrick hit accept and felt new strength flow through his body. He gingerly leveraged himself out of the bed and found he was a lot steadier on his feet despite the lingering fatigue he still felt.

Patrick pumped his arms in the air and turned around smiling to Marius and Ulman.

“Woohoo, this feels amazing. Is this how you feel?”

Marius laughed.

“You’re still a bit of a way off us, but fear not, you’ll see it tomorrow once we start your training.”

Patrick froze.

“My training?”

Marius’ perpetual grin turned mischievous.

“We gotta teach a [Brawler] how to brawl.”