Jalen collapsed onto a surface that radiated a soft, white-and-black luminescence, its smoothness a stark contrast to the chaos he had just fled. The cool material felt almost soothing against his skin, and he closed his eyes, allowing the surface to cradle his cheek as he lay there, wrestling to maintain a steady rhythm of breath. Just moments ago, he had escaped from a brutal conflict where his father battled a formidable peak-tier 2 beast, teetering on the edge of tier 3, surrounded by menacing, enhanced monstrosities. The heavyweight of that reality settled in his mind, an oppressive cloud of doubt making it hard to breathe. He couldn’t envision his father emerging victorious, and that thought gnawed at him relentlessly.

He felt utterly out of his depth. The looming, monstrous figures with their predatory gazes had been frightening enough, but for someone like him, without a class, it was a disaster waiting to unfold. Jalen squeezed his eyes shut tighter, desperately trying to block out the images of his father fighting alone. “I should’ve stayed,” he muttered, guilt washing over him like a tidal wave. “I could have helped… somehow.”

Yet, he recognized the bitter truth lurking beneath his regrets. Even if he had chosen to remain, confronting that beast would have been a desperate battle for both of them, likely leading to tragedy. He vividly recalled the moment the System had seized him, the raw force that yanked him from imminent danger.

“Maybe it’s a blessing the System took me away,” he reasoned, clinging to that idea as a fragile lifeline amid his spiraling thoughts. “Dad doesn’t have to worry about us now; he can concentrate on finding a way out.” The comforting notion that his father, skilled and resourceful, would navigate his escape while Jalen remained safely sheltered felt like a beacon of hope, pushing back against the storm of anxiety swirling within him.

“He’s guaranteed to escape,” Jalen whispered, holding onto that thought as if it were a shield against the crushing uncertainty threatening to engulf him. He could almost envision his father, composed and unwavering, battling fiercely for survival, determined to protect him. Drake had always been the steadfast rock of their family, and even in this tempest of fear, Jalen felt a flicker of faith igniting within him.

As he lay there, the luminescent surface beneath him began to pulse gently, responding to his tumultuous thoughts. “He’s strong,” Jalen murmured, the rhythm of his heart starting to steady. “And he’ll come back.” With that certainty washing over him like a soothing balm, he finally opened his eyes to the blank expanse surrounding him, feeling a glimmer of hope pierce through his fear.

In this new, surreal space, free from the chaos he had escaped, Jalen took a deep breath, steeling himself to face whatever challenges lay ahead in the System.

[System Tutorial has begun. Please approach the Awakening Stone.]

Proof that he had made it out alive. Proof that his friends had, too.

His swirling thoughts were interrupted by another flash of text.

[Please approach the Awakening Stone.]

He shook his head, looking around.

The room matched his expectations—a mesmerizing display of white and black square tiles that covered every surface. Each tile was large, measuring just over four feet across, and emitted a soft, gentle glow that illuminated the space around him comfortably. Although he perceived the room to be roughly the size of a small stadium, he knew that this was merely an illusion. From what he had heard from those who had been through the initiation before him, the room could shift to whatever size the System desired.

At the center of the chamber loomed a pillar made of a mysterious obsidian-like substance. It was difficult to discern whether it was a solid rock or a type of metal, as it seemed to oscillate between the two. At its peak rested the Awakening Stone. Blue with swirling hues that danced and flowed like water, it was an enigma that beckoned him closer.

This stone would be the key to shaping his future.

Once he reached out to touch it, he would be initiated into the System, finally gaining his class. From that moment on, everything around him would transform.

His father had chosen the path of a Warrior. Through relentless training, strict discipline, and a few fortuitous encounters, he had forged himself into a strong captain within the city guard.

His mother, on the other hand, had chosen to randomize her class and take the route of a Chief—a noncombat class with skills in cultivating rare ingredients for recipes that grant buffs and increase the mana absorption of those who consume them.

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But then there was Dylan Jr.

When Dylan Jr. had touched the stone, he had awakened as an Essence Crafter, a rare and highly coveted class. This remarkable role allowed him to create and enchant gear that could adapt to any user, regardless of class or unique abilities. This adaptation process could even interact with its user’s class mechanics, an ability otherwise reserved for System rewards.

Essence Crafters were unmatched when it came to gear customization. Once bonded to an item, their craftsmanship had the potential to amplify hidden class features that the user kept secret, known only to the System.

Acquiring personalized gear was already a challenge—expensive and elusive for those who sought traditional crafting classes. For anyone in need of a Crafter’s expertise, it was a goal shrouded in both desire and difficulty.

[Approach the Awakening Stone.]

The System’s prompt once again ferried Jalen back from his drifting mind.

He walked forward.

As he approached, Jalen noticed that the stone’s height was positioned exactly at his heart. One of the System’s peculiarities. No matter who entered the Tutorial, the Awakening Stone would always meet their heart.

Everyone he knew talked about their experience in the same way. As they approached the stone, they would feel a warm breath caress their bodies, calming their minds and relaxing their muscles. Mana slowly opening their blocked coils.

For Jalen, it was different.

The air around him was still warm, but it was piercing, like a thousand pairs of eyes were staring directly into his soul. The mana, instead of slowly opening his coils, felt like a flood cascading all at once. It felt like his body was bloating, becoming overfilled.

He felt like his coils were being forced open by being torn apart, but he knew what it was. He had heard many people describe it, but it was a feeling you could only experience if your coils were already open. The sensation of bloating was his coils expanding. It happened when your mana increased rapidly, like when you tiered up or absorbed a treasure.

He felt the danger of being exploded from the inside and had no way to resist. Then he felt a presence—the presence of the System. It instilled a primal fear in him.

It didn’t have malice; it was simply the breath of something so far beyond him that his mind couldn’t comprehend it in any way other than through a primal sense of fear.

It was the breath of the System.

His head remained still, but his eyes darted around the room. Nothing.

Jalen continued forward.

Prickling heat roiled across his skin as he arrived at the pillar.

He looked down on the Awakening Stone before quickly shutting his eyes.

Where the rest of his family had simply described a shining black stone radiating a calming heat, Jalen saw chaos. What seemed like flowing colors at a distance were now complex streams of mana performing a frenzied dance.

The front of his head began to hurt. He somehow knew that the mess he saw was precise and ordered. It was all governed by a series of rules. Very important rules. But because he couldn’t grasp the outermost edge of even a single one of those rules, the mere act of looking at that mana could cripple him.

It reminded him of the rules of the most complex game he could never conquer.

[Place your hands on either side of the Awakening Stone.]

Jalen jolted awake, blood rushing down his nose.

Controlling the instinct to open his eyes, he shook his head and blindly reached forward.

Despite the heat in the air, the stone was cool, like the tile beneath him. A comfortable tingling sensation ran through his body, and a screen appeared in the darkness before him.

[Class Options]

[1. Warrior]

[2. Guardian]

[3. Chief]

[4. Random +++]

[5. Reset]

Shit, Jalen cursed.

The Awakening Stone always presented a few options to choose from, and one of them was always random and the other allowed for a reset of the options. The rest, experts hypothesized, appeared based on a combination of an individual’s aptitudes, aspirations, and intentions. While there were often surprises on the list, most options followed the accepted pattern.

Once the class choices were presented, all a person had to do was mentally select one to get a more detailed summary of its features. Select the same one twice in a row, and the class would be finalized.

“Warrior Dad would probably like this option if it was a specialized type of warrior, but it isn’t, so it’s out. Guardian is the exact opposite of what I want. Chief? I can’t cook as it is, so that’s a no. So, I will go with resetting the options.

[Class Options]

[Flame Trickster]

[2.Goblin Summoner]

[3.Master Chief]

[4. Reset +++]

“Are you seriously one option that uses magic like I want but it's goblins? No disrespect to Gareth but it is not viable. Flame Trickster is one I haven't heard before” so I clicked on it to get its description.

A super specialized flame mage that can conduct fire as temporary living spells. Focuses on trickery and Deception and uses living spells as traps to further its goals.

“ Would probably fit Ash more, let's move on Master Chief? Jalen chuckled to himself. “I’m not cut out for that either.” to goblin summoner.”

A subclass of summoner that focuses on summoning varieties of goblins and their evolved forms.

Sorry Gareth and no disrespect but for me goblins aren't very viable and don't really fit the boot of mythical creatures.

Then he noticed something strange “ Why does the random option have pluses?

Then he noticed the Random +++ option, marked with a peculiar allure. It seemed different. Clicking on it prompted an explanation that sent a shiver of intrigue through him.

“ Randomize has evolved because of your already completed pathway. You have been awarded the option to randomize a class base on your current expectations. Class is guaranteed to be rare or above.”