I lean against a tree, resting, trying to catch my breath after the intense fight. Sweat runs down my face, stinging my eyes as I wipe my brow with my sleeve, smearing it with dirt and gore. My whole body is trembling from the rush of the battle, every muscle aching from the effort, every joint throbbing in pain. My heart still pounds wildly, beating faster than ever before, and my lungs burn as they suck in precious oxygen. I have never felt so alive in my entire life, so exhausted and tired, yet satisfied and exhilarated at the same time.
As I study the face of my dead enemy, I search for something, anything that tells me something about the person who attacked me just minutes ago. His face is... young, far younger than I expected, at most a few years older than me. Well, I guess that explains how I could defeat him despite his class advantage. He didn’t have the time to grow into it yet, or he just lacked the knowledge necessary to exploit his power effectively. But... Why? Why did I have to fight him to begin with? What was a human doing in the Silverwood Clusters, anyway? It’s not like I will get an answer from his corpse, though. Will have to ask Mother to explain herself when I return to the dais.
Speaking of which... I should probably head back to complete the ceremony. Getting up with a grunt, I sheathe my weapon, fixing my grip on the bloody head as I begin my trek to the exit.
My mind races as I walk, replaying the events that transpired over the last few minutes repeatedly, analyzing every decision made, pondering what I did right and where I could have done better. I should have been more careful searching for the beast. The overconfidence and haste almost cost me dearly. My plan was too full of flaws. If the man shouted by himself, instead of using his skill again, I would be the one lying on the ground now, an arrow piercing my back. I could have instead found a way to disengage and led him on a chase until he ran out of ammunition or staged an ambush of my own.
As I’m getting close to the line of trees marking the edge of the arena, I look down at myself and grimace at the state of my clothing. Covered in blood and dirt, my beautiful new armor is stained crimson and brown. I’m gonna have to spend so much time cleaning this mess off! On second thought... I guess I am still lucky. An icy shiver comes over me as I remember that poor bastard, Kuleigh, who had to slay a wurm for his awakening ceremony. The acid blood of that creature left him nearly naked by the time the trial was over. Now, THAT was a nightmare!
Coming out of the forest, I put on my best smile and look up to the audience sitting above the temple gate. “People of Elziheir!” I declare, presenting the severed head for everyone to see. “I, Alice of Elziheir, have brought you my sacrifice! The hunt is complete!” I continue, keeping my voice steady and confident. “Hear me now and know that I stand before you an adult!” I bellow out the last words as loudly as I can, letting them ring out for the entire tribe to hear.
The crowd cheers at my accomplishment, and I bask in the warm feeling of their approval for a moment, letting it fill my heart. A ladder unfolds before me, allowing me to ascend back up to the dais.
Orion takes the decapitated head from me as soon as I step up onto the elevated platform, turning to the spectators, and raises the bloody trophy above his head. “The sacrifice has been offered! The ritual has been completed!” He announces to the world, earning a massive roar of approval from the people gathered on the temple grounds. The applause goes on for several seconds before dying down, leaving an excited atmosphere of anticipation as we await the final part of the awakening ceremony.
Orion, carrying my trophy, steps up to the altar, his booming voice ringing out over the temple once more. “The first hunt has concluded! Child of Elziheir, step forth to receive your class!”
It’s finally here! It’s finally here! I can hardly contain my excitement as I kneel before the altar, gazing at the statue of the God of the Hunt. This is what I’ve been working towards for so long! I clench my hands tightly in front of me, trying to control the shaking, trying not to give away my nervousness.
The priest places the sacrificial head at the foot of the statue, laying it reverently onto a cloth-covered pillow before turning back to me. “Alice of Elziheir, daughter of Faelon and Aelara, by the power vested in me by our God, I order you to choose your path and fulfill your destiny! Awaken!”
“AWAKEN!” The gathered crowd joins him in declaring the commandment, their voices echoing throughout the temple grounds, the entire village repeating the words along with Orion.
An immense pressure washes over me, squeezing the breath out of my body, the sheer intensity of it threatening to crush me. My heart races, blood pounding in my ears, the sound of my pulse deafening me. A dim light starts shining from my body, illuminating the surrounding area in a faint glow. It’s happening! By the Hunt, it’s really happening!
The radiance grows stronger, bathing the surroundings in an ethereal aura, filling my body with a warm tingling sensation. The world slows down, and the air itself seems to thicken, until eventually, everything stops moving entirely. A golden light cocoon envelops me, dazzling, blinding my eyes. The pressure abates, and a strange calmness descends upon me, easing my anxiety and fear, allowing me to breathe freely again.
Something... is touching me. It touches my soul, caresses my spirit, holds my essence in its grasp. I sense an entity, a presence that I can not fully comprehend, let alone understand, reaching out to me from beyond the veil separating us. Its voice, a mix of thousands, perhaps millions, of sounds all at once, fills my mind. A harmony of discordance, a melody of madness, an orchestra of chaos. Its words vibrate inside my skull, resounding deep within me, resonating within every fiber of my being.
<< System activation requested. Initializing... >>
<< Warning: Existing data detected >>
<< Data confirmed to be CL. Compatibility 100%. Proceeding with activation >>
<< Selected mode: Sequential >>
<< Verifying... >>
<< Confirming identity... Complete >>
<< User 64B69CCD-33A6-4779-AEF9-8FD8EF3D23C9 (Alice)... Welcome >>
I heard of the awakening process being described as strange. But what in the name of the Hunt is this? I look at the endlessly scrolling lines of numbers and symbols, trying to understand what they mean and fail utterly. A headache builds up inside my skull, growing more powerful with each passing moment. Why does the text have to be so complicated?! Ugh, this is giving me a migraine...
More and more characters appear, popping up one after another, vanishing in mere seconds and being replaced by yet another string of incomprehensible phrases, disappearing just as quickly as they show up. Are these letters? Numbers? Random gibberish? Who knows? Aaah, damn it, stop! Pain sears my brain, the intense throbbing becoming more and more unbearable with each fresh addition to the list. My head feels like it is being crushed by a giant fist, every bone shattering under the enormous pressure.
Eventually, the torrent of information halts and my vision returns to normal. A familiar screen appears in front of me.
<< Preflight checks completed >>
<< Name: Alice >>
<< Age: 18 >>
<< Species: Elf (High) >>
<< Class: N/A (CL) >>
<< Level: 0 (CL) >>
<< Skills: N/A (CL) >>
<< Titles: N/A (CL) >>
<< Perks: N/A (CL) >>
All this time just to display my normal status screen? Was all of that needed for that? No, wait, something else is happening.
<< Activating Quest subsystem... >>
<< Error: Quest list is not empty >>
<< Proceeding with merge using recursive strategy... >>
<< Successful >>
<< Quests unlocked. Review the waiting quests before continuing the activation >>
Huh? I have some quests already? How come? I don’t remember ever accepting a quest. It should be impossible for me to get any quest before awakening. No need to speculate. I need to check them out, anyway. “Quests,” I whisper. A new window appears, overlaying the previous one.
<< Worship the Hunt, and the Hunt shall bless you. >>
<< You have been chosen to receive the divine mission. >>
<< New hunt target: Kill the Rabbit >>
<< Description: The God of Hunt h███ ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ >>
<< Objective: ████████████████████████████████████ >>
<< Reward: ████████████████████████████████████ >>
What? I try reading the contents, but it is unintelligible gibberish, corrupted by random black squares covering a large portion of it. What is happening? It shouldn’t be possible. System texts are always readable. Why is this happening now? The screen flickers erratically in front of me, corrupting the message further, until it becomes entirely unrecognizable. This is bad... Something is very wrong here. Before I can react, it switches to another entry without warning, nearly throwing me off-balance.
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<< Rejoice $USERNAME#! >>
<< You have been assigned a quest by [[ERROR: NAME NOT FOUND]] >>
<< New quest: Follow the Rabbit >>
<< Description: �O��ϵi�� ����-��8���\�’�� N`C�y�oH�cĞA����ul�o�`�eջLwۮ^N�� ��<�g��O:$���Z�K�wQ�ծ@I�C�v�����n���$�d�����n�҆l��i�ct�K��%&�H5VXv�x��▒q��Y��E�8��P=ע2�l��1��2#}▒��▒���EN�Un0��䖔 >>
<< Objective: ₛₜₑfᵢᵥp ₜₕ ₗambda >>
<< Reward: 𝜂 𝜂 𝒻𝓊𝓁𝓁, 𝒬 𝒬, 𝒶𝓁𝒾𝒶 >>
<< ERROR: SEGMENTATION FAULT (CORE DUMPED) >>
The screen flickers and disappears. Alright, what in the name of the Hunt was THAT? Nothing makes any sense. Nothing has made any sense since this weird awakening started. What are those quests, and why is the content corrupted? And how come they are both about the rabbit? What rabbit? Is it about the rabbit that interrupted the awakening ceremony? But why is there also a quest to follow it? Are they both about the same one? Who sent them, and why? There are so many questions that I want answered, and the most frustrating thing is that I don’t have even the slightest idea who can provide those answers. This is just...
<< Running repair protocol... >>
<< Repair failed >>
<< Unable to purge memory from the core >>
<< Aborting... Skipping… >>
<< Activating Skill subsystem... >>
<< Success: CL removed. Skill subsystem activated correctly. Postponing calculation until class choice >>
<< Activating Class subsystem... >>
<< Searching for compatible classes... >>
<< Detected 127 relevant classes >>
<< Analyzing... Pruning class tree... Final list compiled >>
There it is! Finally! My mind clears as my thoughts return to the task at hand. This is it, the moment I’ve waited for my entire life. To select the class that defines me as a person, that guides me to my ultimate destination, that shapes my future for the rest of my life. This is it! It’s finally here! Who do I want to be? What profession will suit my personality the best? Ahh, so many options! I take a deep breath and start reviewing my choices.
<< The Hunt has given thee: Bladedancer >>
<< Bladedancer - Type: Warrior - Rarity: Rare >>
<< Description: The Bladedancer’s movements are a symphony of calculated steps and fluid strikes, each blade an extension of the dancer’s very soul. The tempo of the dance dictates the pace of battle, a mesmerizing cadence that confounds foes and leaves them vulnerable to the whirlwind of precise strikes. It is said that a Bladedancer in full flow can leave behind a trail of defeated enemies and a haunting melody that echoes in the hearts of those who witness the dance. >>
<< Key skills: Dual-wielding (Sword), Dodge, Light Armor Mastery, Coordination, Perception >>
<< Unique skill: The Harmony Of Blades - The Harmony of Blades transforms the very essence of combat, allowing the swords to execute strikes and parries independently. Like skilled dance partners, the blades synchronize with the Bladedancer’s movements, creating a mesmerizing display of lethal precision. The user becomes a conductor, orchestrating a deadly ballet, each movement a note in a symphony of destruction. >>
<< Effects: Doubled growth rate in the key skills. Growth rate reduced by 25% for other non-utility skills. >>
The first option and already looking good! My mother would definitely love it if I chose her class, too. Strong, elegant, and fast, exactly how she taught me to be.
Okay, let’s consider this. The main upside is that it focuses on my strongest sides, so I would be much more powerful from the very start. The path is also already laid out in front of me. With mom’s help, it should be pretty easy to level up my skills to an acceptable level. And I’m not likely to be wasting resources by investing in the wrong ones.
But the downsides are not to be ignored either. For starters, absolutely no ranged options whatsoever, limiting me greatly in case I encounter a target I cannot close on or need to deal with from a distance. Second, the quality of my weapons would determine how effective I am in fights, meaning I would need to invest quite a lot into maintaining them in top shape and finding better materials. Third, I would have to spend even more time training with my mother. I wince at the last thought.
If nothing better shows up, this is definitely in consideration. Next.
<< The Hunt has given thee: Nightstalker >>
<< Nightstalker - Type: Rogue - Rarity: Uncommon >>
<< Description: Masters of silent footfalls and ghostly movements, Nightstalkers are born hunters, attuned to the rhythms of the nocturnal hunt. These children of the dusk move with the ethereal grace of phantoms, their steps softer than the murmur of a breeze through ancient trees. The night is their canvas, and they are the brushstrokes of shadows, painting a portrait of predatory elegance. >>
<< Key skills: Concealment, Small Blades, Tracking, Coordination, Perception >>
<< Unique skill: Umbral Instinct - Umbral Instincts manifests as an innate attunement to the nuances of the night. With a mere thought, the Nightstalker can meld seamlessly with the shadows, becoming an elusive wraith amidst the nocturnal tapestry. When shrouded by darkness, their perception becomes an extension of the umbral realm, detecting even the faintest disturbances in the environment. >>
<< Effects: Doubled growth rate in the key skills. Growth rate reduced by 25% for other non-utility skills. >>
Okay, I know this one. Quite a few elves I know have chosen this path, but I really dislike how heavily reliant it is on night. Do I want to become someone who is strong only half of the time? No, I’d rather just choose the bladedancer over this. Next.
<< The Hunt has given thee: Elementalist >>
<< Elementalist - Type: Mage - Rarity: Common >>
<< Description: Within the Elementalist’s grasp lies the power to manipulate the fundamental elements, each spell cast akin to an intricate melody played upon the strings of creation. Flames burst forth at their command, a living embodiment of the eternal dance between destruction and renewal. Waters rise and fall with the subtlest flick of their fingers, a testament to the ebb and flow of life’s enduring cycle. The very earth itself responds to their beckoning, solidifying or yielding under the weight of their will, and the air sings with the cadence of their enchantments. >>
<< Key skills: Mana Shaping, Elementalism >>
<< Unique skill: Conflux of Elements - Conflux of Elements is the quiet pulse beneath the Elementalist’s skin, an ethereal connection that binds them to the core of creation. It is an awareness, an attunement to the subtle energies that weave through the elements like unseen currents. The Elementalist becomes a conduit of cosmic harmony, channeling the essence of earth, air, fire, and water with an innate grace that transcends mortal comprehension. >>
<< Effects: Doubled growth rate in the key skills. Growth rate reduced by 33% for other non-utility skills. Gain affinity for the chosen element. At every major class advancement, pick an additional element to attune to. >>
There it is, the famous trap option! I pity those poor souls who end up with the Elementalist class. Never-ending mana issues, versatility locked behind high levels and element types, useless in melee, and extremely poor survival in the face of competent opponents. Maybe if mana wasn’t such a big issue, it would have been decent enough. Unfortunately, I never saw a mage that survived after their reserves were depleted. Next.
<< The Hunt has given thee: Starwatcher >>
<< Starwatcher - Type: Scholar - Rarity: Rare >>
<< Description: Starwatchers... >>
Nope, definitely not picking a scholar class. I want to walk away from my awakening alive and in one piece, thank you very much. Next.
<< The Hunt has given thee: Herbbound >>
<< Herbbound - Type: Scholar - Rarity: Myth >>
Oh, that’s Nael’s class! But why would I be getting the same one? I have never felt an affinity for plants, herbs, or gardening in any form. Maybe it is another error? The system is acting funny today, after all. That myth rarity rating is attractive though, so maybe I should at least look at its description? No, I can just ask him to explain it to me in detail after. No need to tempt my poor little heart any more than necessary. Next!
The next few choices are more variants of the non-combat classes, but no matter how you name a merchant or an artificer, they will still be fundamentally the same thing and thus pretty useless for my needs. Thank the Hunt, no class with access to fleshmending has appeared among the available options. I mean, we definitely need a healer in our tribe, but it doesn’t have to be me, does it? Being forced to take a class you dislike just because it is needed is a cruel fate, to say the least. I will trust the God of the Hunt to find someone more suitable and focus on myself for now.
Aaand yet another scholar class. Seriously? No, no, and a hundred times no! I hate having to memorize long lists of effects and recipes and such. I just want to get out of here and hunt stuff, not waste countless hours researching something no one ever uses or making useless trinkets and gadgets!
That’s it? Is that all the viable options? Not going to lie, I am a bit disappointed. I was hoping to have at least some exciting picks, but the only class fitting my requirements is the bladedancer, which is neither groundbreaking nor unique. Well, no helping it. Guess I’ll take the one I know to be useful and reliable. I’ll have plenty of time to train and learn new techniques and ways to use my skill in the future anyway, and the starting position will already be pretty good. Yes, that’s what I’ll do.
Scrolling back up all the way to the first one, something catches my eye. A blood-red text unlike any of the other descriptions, smeared and faded, partially obscured by... something. That definitely wasn’t there when I just looked through all the classes, was it?. Huh. What is it? I squint my eyes, straining to make out the illegible mess in front of me, a splitting headache hammering my mind with the effort.
<< The Hunt has blessed thee: Red Queen. Go forth and conquer! >>
<< Red Queen - Type: @^@^@^@^ - Rarity: Divine >>
<< Description: The Red Queen class is not a mere pursuit of magical mastery; it is a proclamation of dominion, a declaration that control over the crucible of war lies in the hands of those who can wield both the burning fury of fire and the crimson essence of life. The Red Queen is an unstoppable force of destruction, a manifestation of wrathful passion and lust for battle incarnated into corporeal existence. To stand in defiance of the Red Queen is to invite death unto oneself, for none shall claim supremacy over her domain and live to tell the tale. >>
<< Key skills: Bloodthreading, Flameweaving, Heavy Armor Mastery, Heavy Weapon Mastery, Control, Strength, Vitality >>
<< Unique skill: Crimson Sovereignty - Crimson Sovereignty is a blood pact with the battlefield itself, a covenant that transcends the boundaries of traditional magic. As the fallen succumb to the battle, their essence is absorbed into the sovereign maelstrom of the Red Queen’s power. The spilled blood becomes an arcane reservoir, a crimson font from which she can draw to cast her spells@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^ >>
<< Effects: Doubled growth rate in the key skills. Growth rate reduced by 50% for other non-utility skills. Flameweaving affinity unlocked. Bloodthreading affinity unlocked. Progresses@^@^@^@^@^ @^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^ >>
I blink. Then blink again. Maybe a few times more for a good measure. Huh. Well... alright? So that’s a thing.