We had to run from our location with the two bear arms in hand. By the sounds around us, it was clear more monsters were getting closer. If everything went well, they would be distracted by the bodies we left behind instead of chasing us.
But, of course, that wasn’t entirely the case. We managed to find a path that Astrid felt comfortable with, but there were still footsteps following right after us—the loud thumping sounds of large beasts. There were moments when those figures got in our line of sight, but my companion continued moving without hesitation. She didn’t say anything, but there was something in her eyes that made it clear Astrid knew where she was going. Or at least, she was confident enough in her direction not to be worried.
We kept running as more and more bears seemed to notice our presence, which was understandable since we’d stopped caring about making noise. The sound of claws scraping along the ground, hungry snarls, and frantic footfalls grew with every second that passed. Each tunnel we didn’t take only seemed to add to the symphony of noise—more bears, more creatures, more monsters, all of them chasing the new prey that had invaded their space: us.
About 20 minutes later, that cacophony started to fade. The noises grew quieter as we entered the domain of the Ice Devil. Still, we kept moving, and only once we passed by a tunnel that led directly to the creature’s lair did we decide to stop. Not in that tunnel, of course, but in one of the empty rooms nearby—one that was safely out of the Ice Devil’s line of sight.
We got lucky this time and ended up in a storage area filled with pieces of wood. Sure, most of them were encased in ice, but there was enough usable timber to start a fire, which would give us time to carve out the rest of the wood. And, of course, I also used a large piece of ice to create a door for us. Even if we were in the Ice Devil’s territory, leaving the entrance wide open wasn’t a good idea.
"So, you’re level 10 already?" I turned to Astrid after we set up a fire and started prepping the bear legs to cook.
"Yes."
"Can you get to the next tier already?" I asked while removing the fur from the limb.
Astrid paused but nodded soon after. "I can. Three classes."
"A quick Tier 1 evolution is amazing," I smiled. "That’s why you can tier up already. Without that skill, the System would only now start to consider your actions and prepare something for the next tier. Or at least, that’s what it told me."
Astrid nodded again and looked to the side, clearly reading through her options. After a few moments, she turned back to me. "Help me pick?"
I was already cutting some small strips of meat and using scraps of wood to prop them up close to the fire. "I can give you my opinions about the classes, but I’m not going to tell you which one I would pick."
"Why not?" Astrid frowned.
"That’s a big decision. You’re going to stay with that class the entire time you’re in Tier 1. That could take a few weeks, a few months, or even a few years—I don’t know. For that reason, I think you should be the one to make the final decision. Again, I’m fine helping you go through your thoughts and giving you my opinion, but I’m not going to say, ‘Hey, this one is better, and this one is crap.’"
Astrid nodded, turned to the side, and after a moment, she touched my shoulder.
[Astrid Ek would like to share the information about her possible classes. Does the user accept the offer?]
'Yes. She’s just showing me things, right? I won’t be able to do anything with that.'
[Correct. However, due to the personal nature of one’s class, the System will require confirmation of acceptance in order to receive this information.]
'Okay then, my answer remains. You can send me the info.'
[Acknowledged.]
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Frosted Lumberjack - Fledgling - Tier 1
Attribute Bonus: 1 Point per level
Body +++ Mind -
Memory Energy
A chill in the air, a crack of wood. You face the cold and cleave the world in two. The frost strengthens you and your axe, turning the very essence of Ice into your ally. A combat-oriented class that thrives in cold environments supported by the Frosted Axe.
Some skills offered by this class require physical contact with the Frosted Axe in order to be active. Without it, the skills in question cannot be utilized.
Skills offered with the class:
Cold Endurance - Passive - Fledgling
Reserved Cost: 0 Energy
Years spent in harsh, frozen landscapes have hardened your body against the bite of cold. You move through the snow like a winter beast, undeterred by the frost.
Grants resistance to cold damage and reduces stamina drain from fighting in cold environments. Additionally, cold conditions increase the sharpness of the Frosted axe and all its attacks.
Wood Cleaver - Active - Fledgling
Cost: 1 Energy
With a swing of your axe, you harness the might of a lumberjack, cleaving through your foes as if they were mere trees. The strike carries the weight of the forest.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Delivers a powerful strike with increased force. This attack has a chance to weaken the opponent’s armor for the next few seconds.
Requires the Frosted Axe.
Frostbite Strike - Active - Fledgling
Cost: 1 Energy
Delivers a powerful blow with a frosty edge. Shards of ice will be explode away from user after the impact. Targets hit by the ice have a high likelihood of becoming frostbitten. Repeated strikes will increase the severity of the frostbite.
Requires the Frosted Axe.
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Pathfinder - Fledgling - Tier 1
Attribute Bonus: 1 Point per level
Body - Mind +
Memory Energy
Blaze new trails and leave no stone unturned. Your feet tread where others fear to go, and the wilderness bends to your will. This class excels in finding hidden paths, detecting danger, and moving efficiently through difficult terrain.
Skills offered with the class:
Keen Eye - Passive - Fledgling
Reserved Cost: 0 Energy
Your experience in the wild has honed your senses. Nothing escapes your notice, and your keen eye can spot the smallest details, even in low light or dense foliage.
Increases your chance to detect hidden enemies, traps, or paths. Additionally, you gain a slight boost to your vision in dim lighting, reducing the effects of darkness on your perception.
Trailblazer - Passive - Fledgling
Reserved Cost: 1 Energy
Your experience in the wild has sharpened your instincts. You can identify safer paths and move through rough terrain with ease. Increases movement speed in forested areas and reduces the chance of triggering environmental traps. The user is also more likely to detect hidden dangers.
Wayfarer's Dodge - Active - Fledgling
Cost: 1 Energy
You react with the quick instincts of a seasoned traveler, sidestepping danger with practiced ease.
Increased reaction time. Allows user to dodge minor attacks even in situations where user is restricted in some way.
Duration: 5 minutes.
Sprint of the Stag - Active - Fledgling
Cost: 1 Energy
You move with the swiftness and grace of a fleeing stag, covering ground quickly and avoiding obstacles with ease. This burst of speed helps you escape danger or close in on prey. Temporarily boosts movement speed by. While sprinting, your subconscious is able to guide you to avoid minor obstacles and have you have an increased chance to evade attacks.
Duration: 30 seconds
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River Sage - Fledgling Tier
Attribute Bonus: 2 point per level
Body Mind
Memory - Energy +
Flow like water, adapt like the current. You draw strength from the river’s wisdom, learning to bend but never break. Drawing inspiration from the flow of water, the user gains minor healing and adaptive skills, with a focus on fluid combat and recovery.
Skills offered with the class:
Flowing Respite - Passive - Fledgling
Your body and spirit mimic the tranquil flow of a river, allowing you to recover quickly from fatigue. Increases passive regeneration when near a water source. Additionally, reduces stamina drain during any strenuous activity.
Water’s Embrace - Active - Fledgling
Cost: 1 Energy
You harness the calming essence of water, enveloping yourself in a soothing aura that heals minor wounds and eases pain. Minor regeneration effect and continuously heal minor wounds. The healing effect is stronger when standing in or near water.
Duration: 5 minutes
Ripple Ward - Active - Fledgling
Cost: 1 Energy
Just as ripples on a calm river can deflect stones, you channel the subtle force of water to create a protective barrier. This skill forms a fluid-like shield around you, softening incoming blows. Creates a watery barrier around the user, reducing incoming physical damage. The shield has a soothing effect, slightly accelerating health regeneration during its duration.
Duration: 10 seconds
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It took me a few minutes to read through everything. Not just because there were a lot of skills to go through, but because I wanted to truly understand what each class could bring to the table. A few things surprised me—like how attached a class could be to a specific weapon. The Frosted Lumberjack class was clearly the most powerful of the bunch. Astrid would get a lot of extra points in Body, plus three considerably strong skills, especially given our current situation. But there was one major flaw with that class.
'Sys, what would happen if someone stole the Frosted Axe? Or if it broke?'
[System will assume the user is asking in relation to the Frosted Lumberjack class. If a class requires a weapon or object, and that object is lost in any way, the class will become significantly weaker. Skills related to that object will no longer be activatable, and the System will be unable to generate any new skills requiring the object in question.]
'And does it have to be the same weapon? What if I were to make a new weapon and call it Frosted Axe?'
[Two different weapons cannot share the same name. If user were to create a different staff with different skills, the name of the staff would change. The same applies to the Frosted Axe. However, if user is able to replicate the skills and even add new effects, it is possible that the weapon retains its name in some form. As long as the weapon is identified as Frosted Axe—whether as part of the name, a prefix, or a suffix—the skills should still be accessible.]
I nodded, but before I could say anything, Astrid asked, "Thoughts?"
"Well, River Sage is very focused on healing. All of the skills mention recovery in some way. But the thing is, those are all fledgling skills—Tier 1 skills. {Body Regeneration} is a Tier 2 skill, and the version you and I are using right now is weaker because of that. When we reach Tier 2, that skill will be able to regrow a lost limb. I don’t know exactly how long it’s going to take, but it will be able to do that. So there’s a lot of overlap between that class and the skill.
Pathfinder sounds really useful. It’s very utility-based. Being able to sense the environment will help a lot, and the ability to find a path could save us from a lot of trouble. But then you’re missing out on offensive power—you’re trading attacks for a specific set of support skills.
Lastly, there’s the Frosted Lumberjack. I’ve never seen a class tied to an item before, and that’s a big problem. You’re dependent on the weapon. If it breaks, if it gets stolen, or if you just outgrow it, you’re stuck with it. But the class seems to give a lot of power up front. None of my class options had more than two plus marks on attributes, and even then, they were spread out. It wasn’t a double or triple boost on a single attribute. However, the skills will be expensive—it’s going to cost you a lot of Energy to use them in quick succession."
Astrid nodded and started to think as the first part of our meal finished cooking. I passed one of the sticks with bear meat to her before eating my own. I didn’t say anything after that. She needed time to decide, and I wasn’t about to start talking and distract her. I was on my third slice when the System spoke up in my mind.
[Skill acquired through consumption of relevant particles. Would user like to check it now?]
With a smile I told the System 'Yes', and just then I remembered that I also had leveled up. Maybe there were even more skills to check.