I awaken in the night to the sounds of branches straining and something nearby hissing. Quickly getting my legs underneath me and grabbing a dagger, I imbue the blade with the light element to see what I'm dealing with. A few feet away from me is something the size of a large dog but covered densely in sharp thorns. It has an enormous mouth containing rows of razor-sharp teeth, currently straddling two rungs of my rudimentary barricade as it attempts to chew its way through. I can see lettering hovering over the creature:

[ Level 2 Thorn Lizard ]

I don't know how long the branches will stay in place, but I can't imagine the monster will be stationary for long. Invoking an arcane bolt at its mouth, I immediately rush after it to hopefully capitalize on the monster being off-balance from the spell impact. The missile flies perfectly into the creature's throat followed by the sound of a muted thud as the arcane bolt explodes. Even as I've caught up and am in the midst of slashing at its head, I can see a new message appear:

[ You have killed a level 2 Thorn Lizard. Experience points awarded. ]

An external impact of the arcane bolt to its side may have only caused moderate damage, but having the blast happen internally instead was very lucky for me. I dismantle part of my barricade and step outside to examine the creature. I thought the head consisted only of a very large mouth, but it does have small black eyes near where the teeth begin. Either way, I'm glad I didn't wake up to find this thing chewing on me.

There is less blood than I expected but enough that I worry more monsters may be attracted to the corpse, so I drag it some distance away. Walking back to my camp I wonder how much of that outcome was really luck. Pausing for a moment, I aim at a branch on a tree barely visible at the furthest reaches of my light and fire an arcane bolt that sails unerringly to hit my target. I try the same with my arm pointing in a different direction. The bolt appears off to the side of my hand this time but still hits the target perfectly. I continue with additional tests including with my dagger in hand and activating the bolt mid-swing; all with the same result.

I think I understand a little better now; I'm not casting a spell that funnels mana through my body to flow out of the hand as I have seen with other mages. The behavior is more akin to the conjuration spells in that I'm instantiating a missile in mid-air that is already fixed toward my intended target.

Arriving back at my camp I reset the barricade, start a fire and sit up to wait for sunrise. Thinking about this framework of skills, I wonder if all of this is the result of the experimentation done to me or if this is available to everyone and only the strange, seemingly nonfunctional class is related. If it is the latter, I wonder why someone would implement a widespread and complex spell framework that empowers individuals in this way.

I had heard theories in my previous world of how members of all species are selected through survival traits that could be passed on over time through reproduction. Some also believed this was no longer in effect for our race as the number of children someone could have isn't related to their individual capabilities.

I did agree that particular mechanism was no longer relevant, but I believe the overall trial of fitness is still in place only increasing in scale from individuals to herds to global scope behaviors. Perhaps in all the worlds of the cosmos, some were tested, found wanting, and perished as ours did while others unified and succeeded. Was this System an attempt at augmenting the strength of an entire civilization to better endure these trials?

As a species, the last years in my previous world had been a fight for survival constantly spent on the backs of our heels attempting to fend off the undead. I hoped the people of this world fared better than we had.

"...and regardless of whatever they may choose to do, I can't squander this chance," I say aloud to myself.

At daybreak, I set out at an aggressive pace still following the stream, and after a few hours of walking the forest thins out to give way to plains. I can make out the walls of a settlement in the distance and cautiously make my way towards it while noticing that the surrounding area has been converted to farmland. Eventually, my path intersects with a dirt road and I walk along it squinting at the occasional distant worker toiling in the sun. Nearby, I can see the walls are made of logs roughly as tall as a two-story dwelling and wrap around a large area perhaps the size of a town. The front gate has a well-staffed guard post and a line has formed consisting of individuals with carriages or backpacks waiting to enter.

I queue at the end of the line and eye the people ahead of me. So far so good- my clothes don't look unusual and aside from the lack of any goods, I could just be another peddler or merchant. As the head of the line approaches, I listen in on the conversations and realize I can understand the language. I quickly check my status, but I don't see any skill related to that. I'm happy I can communicate with these people but that just raises more questions...

Finally arriving at the front of the line, a tired-looking guard motions me to a counter.

"Name?" he asks.

"Rem" I reply casually.

"Purpose of entry?" he continues.

"Just looking for work." I say.

Looking down to add this information to the record, he says "The guild is near the center of town." then dismisses me by looking to the next person in line and motioning them over.

Passing through the entrance I'm thinking I've never been happier to encounter a bored town guard. A paranoid part of me has been a little worried this world might not contain much beyond what I've already seen.

Walking through the main street I can see assorted shops and food stalls bustling with midday activity. The populace is mostly made up of humans, but I can see demihumans and some other races I can't identify mixed into the crowds. Further off in the side streets appear to be residences and warehouses. They are a little crude, but that may be due to this potentially being a settlement on a frontier more than anything else.

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

I eventually arrive at a larger structure labeled as the "Ilona adventurer's guild" in the center of town. Looking carefully at the sign itself, it is clear the same spell is in effect here as well, allowing me to read the text despite the characters themselves being completely new to me.

Upon entering the main hall, an area with stanchions forming a zigzagging path to a set of counters is visible in front. An expansive set of boards in a shallow room to the left are filled with postings, and more than a dozen large tables and an open kitchen area to the right. This dining area occupies the majority of the open space and the two walls adjacent to it contain multiple large windows providing most of the light for the room. The guild is mostly empty at the moment with one guild official attending to the counters and a few adventurers scattered in the dining area.

I follow the cordoned path until I arrive at the counter at which the guild official asks "Yes, what do you want?"

The boredom and impatience tugging at his face are obvious. Aware I will be testing his patience further today, I respectfully ask "I was hoping to join the adventurer's guild, but I don't know what the requirements are or how it operates. Would you be willing to fill me in please?"

Closing his eyes for a moment and sighing, he recovers and tells me "Basically as to requirements, don't be a murdering criminal and pay two silvers for the registration. Then you get assigned a rank with which you can pick postings appropriate for it. After you've confirmed the posting, you go out to do the quest; for example, finding a monster and jabbing it with a pointy stick. You don't exactly need to be a scholar to do this job son."

I fish out two silver pieces and respond "Sounds good to me."

He pulls out a pyramid-shaped artifact embedded with runes from underneath the counter. "Put your hands on this, and we'll get an identification tag made up for you."

Upon touching the artifact, the runes light up and over a few seconds, most of the information in my status screen appears. Notably missing is the third class slot and the job name that I had seen earlier only identified as '#%~*@+'. I'm still happy that this system appears to be common and not the result of the experimentation; I should be able to get some better answers about how this all works now.

Starting to read my status, the guild official notes the 'level 1' in the first job slot, looks up, and blandly states "Don't get out much, do you?" but upon reading the job name appears a little confused.

Standing up to retrieve a book from the back wall, he starts leafing through the pages until he finds the entry he is looking for. After reading the paragraphs carefully, he looks up a changed man. "This is excellent, you have a truly rare class! My name is Bolaer and I manage this branch- please let me know if there is anything I can help you with."

Extending his hand to shake mine, I respond in kind, although I'm a little apprehensive at the abrupt change in attitude. I suppose having effective adventurers means more quests are completed for which I believe the guild would receive some profit as well, but I can't imagine I could make that much of a difference.

Noticing my surprise he says "Your skills can make launching large-scale expeditions much more feasible. Imagine how difficult it might be maintaining a supply line when delving deep into a remote dungeon."

'Great, I have the powers of a magical pack animal.'

Still beaming, he says "...and the entry even mentions a previous class holder manifesting a small seafaring vessel in an emergency."

'The smallest seaworthy boats I had seen were at least ten paces in length. Ok, this could be more useful than I'd previously thought.'

He continues "...Perhaps you can't do that yet, but give it time. To start, I suggest joining a party that would be willing to do some low-risk quests with you to level you up. We wouldn't want you going out and getting yourself killed, now would we!" he laughs.

Bolaer hands me a metallic strip with a hole punched in the end imprinted with my name, class, and current guild rank of 'E'. He then indicates this is all I would need going forward to obtain quests. After a moment of checking the dining area, he says "Do you see those two at the far table? They're looking for additional members but haven't had much luck for obvious reasons. I think they might be willing to help you level up a bit provided you're willing to stick around afterward as a permanent member."

"...obvious reasons?" I question.

A little confused, he responds "well... you know... they're demihumans."

Now a little irritated I flatly say "I can't remember the last time I heard something that stupid."

Raising his hands defensively he responds "I definitely don't believe in that nonsense. Of all people, I can see how all the adventurers in this branch are faring, and I have yet to see any evidence that humans are any better at this than demihumans. I just thought you should know, so you're not left wondering if they can't find members due to any specific failing on their part."

Feeling a bit bad I had targeted my annoyance at Bolaer, I apologize and thank him, letting him know I will speak with them right away. As I walk across the room toward their table, they are already watching me although given their slightly confused expressions they may be expecting me to ask for instructions to a nearby inn.

One individual is a lizard demihuman of some kind covered completely in dark red scales and wearing leather armor. The other appears to be a young canine-type demihuman dressed in a robe, although most of his features appear human apart from the ears.

Arriving at the table I say to them "Hello- I just registered with the guild and Bolaer mentioned the two of you were looking for party members. Can we talk?"

The two look at each other briefly, then the lizard demihuman responds "Certainly, have a seat. Can you tell us what your name and class is?"

Pulling a chair out for myself, I state "My name is Rem, and I'm currently level 1 in the Elemental Conjurer class. I should let you know I'm from very far away, so I may need your help with information about things that you two may consider rudimentary."

The lizard demihuman responds again and handles the introductions "Nice to meet you Rem, my name is Anira, currently a level 6 Hunter and this is Niviem, a level 5 Healer. I'm not familiar with the Elemental Conjurer class; can you tell me something about it?"

"The primary benefit is support for surviving in the wilderness and carrying items at the moment. I do have some experience in close combat with a sword and shield, but I have yet to buy the equipment and I frankly don't know how much I'll be able to afford yet. I know I'm only starting out, but I was hoping the two of you would be willing to help me level a bit if I commit to staying on for the long term or compensate you for your time in some way after I earn some money." I propose.

With that, Anira quietly observes me. Niviem's expression is far less neutral and his doubt is apparent.

Addressing Niviem this time, I ask "Can you share your concerns?"

He pauses for a second and responds "How can I put this... most of my experience with humans leads me to believe you're scum. I would expect you to disappear after you've gotten what you want."

I decide to hold off on responding until I've heard Anira's thoughts "...and what do you think Anira?"

"I'll judge you as an individual with my own eyes based on your deeds. All I see right now is a human in robes; nothing more and nothing less." she says.

I say "I appreciate your perspective Anira. Niviem- I think your expectation is generous all things considered but of my existing flaws, I don't believe that is one of them."

Pausing a moment, I continue "If we've all decided to engage an enemy, I will fight alongside the two of you. If we choose to retreat, I will not abandon either of you if it is within my ability. Two simple actions you can hold me to; let's start with that?"

"That seems reasonable to me." Anira replies, then turn to Niviem "I believe it is worth spending some of our time to assist Rem in leveling. If he does anything which warrants it, we can part ways early on. Are you in agreement Niviem?"

Niviem silently nods, although he doesn't appear to be convinced.