-[1]- Choosing A Talent
I’m fucked!
Alex groaned inwardly; his glare fixed on the prompt from the [Akashic Record].
Congratulations, Alex Brown! You have been blessed with the [Wizard] Class.
Choose your Primary Talent.
In the [Altar of Blessing], bathed in resplendent golden light, Alex felt his entire world crashing down around him.
Today was his coming of age, a transition into adulthood. With high spirits, he arrived at the Temple of Akasha, eager to receive his blessing and unlock his [Class].
The [Class] Alex desired most was Swordsman—easy to master, quick to grow, and with high returns at advanced levels. Coming from humble beginnings, it seemed like the ideal choice. Yet, he was prepared to accept the simpler [Warrior] Class if necessary.
But reality was too cruel.
I’d have been happier even if it was a Gardener class, but Wizard?
Alex felt all his strength drained out of his body.
Objectively speaking, the [Wizard] Class held far greater potential and power than the [Swordsman]. At higher levels, a single [Wizard] could decimate an entire battalion of swordsmen of equal rank. Ideally, it was hundreds of times better than [Swordsman] class.
The keyword here was ‘ideally.’
Because, in reality, things were not that simple. The early stages of a wizard were hellish, to say the least.
“Alex, are you done yet? Stop wasting time and mana. I’ve got a long queue waiting for their blessing.”
An angry holler echoed from outside the altar room, dragging Alex from his spiraling thoughts. He straightened his back and pushed his worries deep into the recesses of his mind.
“Almost done, Priest Noah.”
Alex bellowed, his voice bouncing off the cavern walls like a pinball. The glowing prompt danced before his eyes, a tempting mirage in a sea of uncertainty.
“Choose talent.”
Talents are important tools for the Blessed to aid them in their growth. Once chosen, there is no way to undo it.
Make your choice wisely.
1. Spell Master
>+10% spell proficiency; doubles every ten levels.
>1% chance of an epiphany on a spell’s evolution, doubles every thirty levels.
2. Mana Management
>-10% Mana consumption; effect improves by 5% every 50th level.
>Intuitive control over mana increases with level.
3. Rapid Recovery
>+5% innate Mana regeneration rate; doubles every 10th level.
>+20% to Mana regeneration from potions, tools, and buffs.
4. Mana Pond
>+5% extra maximum Mana for every allocated point to Magic Stat.
5. Earth Affinity
>Twice the efficiency when learning and mastering Earth elemental spells and hexes.
6. Sacrifice Vitality
>Extra HP automatically converts to MP instead.
A wall of text blinked into existence as Akashic Records provided six options for Alex to choose from.
After a brief read, he rejected the first choice without missing a beat.
The Spell Master talent was nothing short of extraordinary, one of the most coveted abilities for anyone with the [Wizard] Class. The accelerated spell mastery, thanks to bonus proficiency points, combined with that elusive 1% chance for an epiphany—one that could evolve their spells to unimaginable heights—was a gift from the heavens.
From what he’d heard, only one in a thousand ever got the chance to choose this talent. A gift of extraordinary rarity.
But to Alex, it felt utterly useless. He lacked the resources, the knowledge, and the means to fully harness its remarkable potential. It was like being handed a legendary sword without the strength to wield it.
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Yes, the Spell Master talent could make him stand out among many Wzards, pushing his battle prowess to the peak rank at the same level. But the Wizards at the higher levels never cared about battle prowess, but Mana itself. With the help of Akashic Records and an abundance of money, it was easy for them to increase proficiency in any spell. Why would they need a talent for it?
Thus, even if he could select this talent and appear extraordinary, no one would spare him a second glance.
The [Wizard] Class burned money like they were paper. In the early stages, a wizard could hardly cast a couple of spells before their mana was depleted, forcing them into long, grueling periods of recovery. Mana potions offered a solution, but they were obscenely priced, ranging from hundreds to even thousands of silver coins.
Don’t even get me started on those spells. Last time I checked, even a simple Mana Bolt was sold for two gold coins. Two gold coins, man!
His family’s monthly income barely scraped together a few hundred silver coins. Thus, although this talent held potential, it was not for him.
Are you blind, Akashic Record? From which angle do I look like someone who could afford a Wizard class? You should’ve given it to those who could handle it. Fuck you!
Despite his mad internal ravings, nothing changed. Alex was still struck at the Talent Selection stage.
Speechlessly, he switched to the next talent on the list, hoping it would be more practical.
But only disappointment awaited him.
The next three choices also joined the growing pile of rejections. Though these mana-related talents had great potential, they weren’t practical for Alex's immediate situation. At the early levels, where the scarcity of mana posed a daunting challenge, they offered no real solution to his struggles.
The last two talents appeared nearly identical in their lack of proper description, further deepening Alex's dilemma. He found himself sinking into a quagmire of confusion, unable to decide which talent would serve him better. Each seemed promising, but none felt like the clear choice he desperately needed.
What to do?
“Alex, you brat! Stop dwindling and come out. What taking you so long?”
“Almost do- wait a second!”
Alex’s eyes brightened. Priest Noah was a high-ranking official in the Temple of Akasha and his level was above fifty. He should be knowledgeable enough to help him, right?
“Priest Noah, may I ask for your advice?”
Alex called out; his voice laced with hope. He didn't dare move from the altar; the priest’s stern warning echoed in his mind—once you stepped into the [Altar of Blessing], leaving before finalizing your class could result in grievous consequences. He wasn't about to test that theory.
The heavy door to the spacious hall clicked open, and a man in his mid-thirties stepped inside. Dressed in the simple yet dignified gray robes of the temple, he carried an air of quiet authority. His gaze swept across the altar, landing on Alex with a raised brow.
“What’s the matter? Why are you wasting my time here?” He fired off questions in rapid succession as he strode closer. Alex couldn’t help but notice the way the man’s eyebrows knitted together and the deep creases forming on his forehead—clear signs of mounting annoyance.
“Priest Noah, help!” Alex said, his lip trembling in a calculated half-cry meant to invoke pity from the priest.
“What?” Priest Noah tilted his head in confusion, the annoyance momentarily giving way to curiosity. Without missing a beat, Alex filled him up on his situation as well as the class given to him by the [Akashic Records].
After thoroughly understanding everything, Priest Noah had only one thing to say: “Boy, you’re fucked!”
“I know,” Alex said, drooping his shoulders. “Help me choose a talent. I don’t know which one to take.”
“Well, I’d say, you should take the Sacrifice Vitality talent,” Priest Noah said, scratching his chin. His eyes narrowed in concentration. “With your family situation, you can’t afford those expensive magic potions. You can’t follow the usual paths young wizards take. Since abusing potions is out of the question, you can only sacrifice your health for mana.”
“What? Won’t I die if I do that? That talent converts HP to mana, you know!” Alex trembled, his voice shaking with disbelief. Health Points represented his very life force. If it hit zero, it meant he was as good as dead. A talent that could potentially lead to his own demise? He’d rather not have it.
“Are you struck dumb due to heartbreak, or that you can’t understand English?” Priest Noah shook his head, exasperation building up.
Noticing Alex’s confusion, he elaborated, “There’s the word ‘extra’ in the description. Do you know what that means? It means all the additional HP you could have gained from sources such as items, potions, skills, or buffs will be converted into mana instead. Your base HP—your original vitality—won’t be touched.”
“Oh!” Finally, Alex understood and his face lit up in joy. “Isn’t that great, then? It addresses a wizard's single most harrowing problem during their early levels.”
“Don’t be in a hurry to judge, brat,” the middle-aged priest admonished, his voice gruff with experience. “Sure, it solves the mana issue, but it also opens up a glaring disadvantage for you. All that extra HP you could have gained will be used up, leaving you as fragile as glass. One roar from a hobgoblin, and you’re as good as a corpse on the ground.”
Alex shivered at the thought. Hobgoblins were a nasty bunch. Even the weakest among them was a level ten monster, its hulking body brimming with tremendous strength. But what made them true nightmares wasn’t just their brute force—it was their terrifying ability to deal damage through sound, specifically their roars. A single roar could incapacitate a low-level Blessed, leaving them vulnerable to a gruesome end. Take enough of those and you would end up in a meat paste.
A scary and disgusting way to die, no doubt.
But… Alex glanced at the choices and silently chose the sixth option. His decisiveness made the priest gawk for a moment.
You have chosen [Sacrifice Vitality] as your primary talent.
Congratulations! You are now a Blessed with the [Wizard] Class.
Generating attribute panel…
“Distant water can’t quench immediate thirst, priest Noah,” Alex said resolutely as the Akashic System’s messages disappeared from his view. What would happen in the future was something he would think about in the future.
Choosing that talent would eventually make him fragile, but Alex reasoned that it was an acceptable trade-off. There were countless spells to bolster bodily defense. If his HP couldn't go out of the limits of his level, then he'd simply focus on growing his defenses instead. Better to have mana to spare than an emptied-out MP gauge with tons of HP.
“Smart,” Priest Noah praised. “After you wrap up your Blessing, swing by the temple’s library. You might find some advice on how to build your class and attributes.”
“Thank you, priest.”
Your attribute chart has been successfully generated. Displaying…
You learned a Class-specific spell: [Magic Hand].
Name: Alex Brown
Class: Wizard
Level: 0
Experience: 0/100
Physique: 10
Strength: 5
Agility: 4
Magic: 7
Focus: 3
[Spell(s)]
Magic Hand Lv 0
HP: 100
MP: 14