After Paul's meltdown over his entire life being flipped, the duo had slowly made their way over to the southern area of the city. Fighting multiple hordes of goblins along the way, which had netted a new skill and 2 level ups for Vals, one of which unlocked something special.
[Status]
Remnant - Lvl 5 - exp 670 | 3000
Title - °Embracer
Class - null
Health (con x 2 x 10) 420
Mana (Will x 10) 220
Strength - 26
Dexterity - 26
Endurance - null
Constitution - 21
Intelligence - 15
Wisdom - 15
Charisma - 8
Will - 25
*Free Points - null
SKILLs
-Passive
_ Aviary Expert
_ Phoenix Born
_ Holy Resistance I
_Heat Resistance I
_Precise
_Basic Swordmanship I
-Active
_Mana Perception I
_Mana Circulation II
_Metal Working II
[SELECT CLASS]
[Swordsman]
[Mage]
[Scholar]
[Blacksmith]
[Priest]
[Explorer]
[Special Conditions met for certain classes]
[Berserker]
[Manablade]
[Dark Bladesman]
[Unholy Priest]
[Magic Scholar]
Vals had unlocked the chance to obtain a class! He wasn't sure what a class did however so he had ro ask the system.
[A Class will be a generalized guide of how you will develop. It will give bonuses for skills that are considered related to the class, as well as augment your existance]
'Augment my existance? That's not concerning at all... System, would you explain what you mean by that?'
[By augmenting your existance I am referring to the inherent resistances and bonuses the user retains from being an undead. Example, a Priest would gain resistance to holy magic, negating the weakness that undead inherently have.]
'So it affects me by giving or removing passive skills as well...'
[Yes]
'I don't like that... can you remove all options that do that? Ah, or rather those that impose bad traits pnto me?'
[Processing...]
[Completed]
[Swordsman]
[Mage]
[Blacksmith]
[Manablade]
'Wow, that certainly shortened the list.' Vals thought to himself 'I noticed that all those associated with dark arts disappeared.'
[That's because those classes have weakness to holy magic, which would double your weakness to it.]
Vals shivered at the thought of that.
'Alright can you display the benefits of the remaining classes?'
[Swordsman]
- A user of a particular form of bladed weapons, excels in working with swords of various types
- Grants an increased growth of 100% to swordsmanship proficiency, as well as better ideas on using all forms of bladed weapons and general idea on how to use a selection of armor.
+1 Dexterity and Strength per level up
[Mage]
- User of magic
- Grants increased proficiency gain with all pure mana related skills by 75% and improves memory for spells, as well as improved elemental affinities towards all elements by 25%
+1 Intelligence and Will per level
[Blacksmith]
- Master of metals, creator of Items
- Grants increased proficiency gain for all smithing related skills by 75% as well as heat resistance and fire resistance
+1 Dexterity and Constitution
[Manablade]
- User of magics and steel, attacking with both might and magic.
- Grants increase proficiency gain of magic based and sword based abilities and skills by 40%
+1 Will, Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence per level
Vals looked through the options, and realised that none of them were too good for him, but he already knew that bigger stats were better for him.
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'Besides, I've got enough time that I don't think bonus growth will really be all that necessary...' he chuckled a bit to himself at that thought.
Vals selected the Manablade Class.
[Status]
Remnant - Lvl 5 - exp 670 | 3000
Title - °Embracer
Class - Manablade - T1
Health (con x 2 x 10) 420
Mana (Will x 10) 220
Strength - 27
Dexterity - 27
Endurance - null
Constitution - 21
Intelligence - 16
Wisdom - 15
Charisma - 8
Will - 26
*Free Points - null
SKILLs
-Passive
_ Aviary Expert
_ Phoenix Born
_ Holy Resistance I
_Heat Resistance I
_Precise
_Basic Swordmanship I
-Active
_Mana Perception I
_Mana Circulation II
_Metal Working II
Vals saw that his stats had changed yet again.
'So it included level 5, that's neat. Between the natural growth, and level ups I was doing great, but now I'm doing even better with a class...'
Vals returned to reality as he closed his status. They were currently camped out for the night so Paul could sleep. Perhaps Paul would become a lich one day in the future, after all it was truly wasteful- at least to Vals- that non undead creatures had to sleep.
By Vals' estimation they should arrive at the south gate soon, perhaps early tomorrow. After that... well they'd cross that bridge when it came to it. Vals thought back to when he had looked out the gate he had once looked at, remembering the sands that lay beyond it.
Putting all his thoughts aside, Vals decided to do something productive, and thus spent the rest of his night simply moving his mana around, as he'd done for the last few nights. He hadn't any access to a forge nor anvil, so he needed to find something else to do in the meantime, thus he'd found himself practicing his _Mana Circulation skill, he could even feel like he was about to break through to the next level of it!
Vals was excited, but nonetheless he took deep breaths and simply continued to let his mana flow, until it felt like something in him shattered. With the feeling of something shattering, he felt his mana flow increase by at least double in volume and speed.
[Congratulations! Active Skill _Mana Circulation has leveled up!]
The remnant smiled to himself, and quietly sat there for the rest of the night, rotating his mana, and even deciding to try making shapes out of mana for sometime, although the remnant still struggled with it.
*-*-*-*-*-*
Vals returned to reality once he noticed the Necromancer getting up, groaning as he did. At some point Vals had gotten a notification from the system, but must've missed it as he had been too focused on what he had been doing.
[You have learned the Active Skill _Mana Manipulation]
Vals squinted a bit when he read that, before asking a question.
'What's the difference between _Mana Circulation, and _Mana Manipulation?'
[Circulation is used to circulate mana in the body, while Manipulation is used to affect the mana outside of the body, at higher levels these skills will likely become one, as the lines between them blur and they impose upon each others domains.]
That explained quite a bit to Vals, but he was a bit shocked at how the system responded, as it gave him information without being prompted for once. He shook his head, and then moved onto the next notice.
[Active Skill _Mana Perception has leveled up!]
'Cool, I'll be able to see mana better now.' He had long since figured out what _Mana Perception did as a skill, although he wished he didn't have to actively use it all the time. Though, with how the system talked about the growth of the Circulation and Manipulation skills, perhaps it would become one as it grew? Vals decided to try and keep it active as long as possible to see if that would do anything.
"Vals!" The remnant looked over towards the Necromancer. "We gotta get going, come on." Paul jerked his head.
"Yeah, yeah. I was just thinking a bit." Vals followed after, his thoughts still on his skills.
*-*-*-*-*-*
Vals found himself quite enamored with looking at mana in the air. He had decided to use _Mana Perception all day, and with only a few breaks, he had been. The skill relied on both stamina and one of his mental stats, though he wasn't sure which yet.
He found himself slowly beginning to understand some of the ways mana worked. It seemed to sort of flow, like water in a way, and when it encountered things with mana it treated those things as a gravity well of sorts, though he really understood the concept of a gravity well and not what one was, while simultaneously also using it as a rest stop, with more mana coming out of the thing the were going into. Furthermore, he could tell that an aspect of the mana had changed. He wasn't sure what it was that changed, but he could tell something did.
[Active Skill _Mana Perception has leveled up!]
'That was quick! I wonder if it's my class helping me along?' Vals contemplated, and then nodded. 'It probably was my class, even if I am using it constantly it shouldn't have leveled so fast.' Vals stopped walking when he almost walked into one of the skeletons.
Coming back to reality and looking around he saw the gate, or rather, the mangled frame of the gate. He also saw the remains of what did the mangling of the gate, ensnared by the warped metal.
"Holy shit...." Paul whispered.
"Hm?" Vals made a questioning noise back.
"What in the hell happened in this city? The North gate was the same, albeit without a corpse." Paul looked over at Vals, who simply shrugged.
"The same with the gate I found, although I found the corspe of the creature that did it after following a trail. It was a Fenrir that wrecked that gate." Vals explained to Paul.
"A Fenrir!? As in the star eating wolves?!" Paul looked mortified as he yelled.
"I don't know about star eating, but yeah, it was a Fenrir. Anyhow, we need to get the gate out of our way now, since it broke in such awkwardnplaces it's going to probably take all day." Vals walked over to the gate, and went to pull it apart.
[You have encountered an object that is related to the Phoenix, would you like to return it to the temple?]
'Uh...? Sure?' Vals was confused, but he knew already that the more items related to the Phoenix that he found, the stronger he would become, and it would give him more subspace slots to store things.
The gate vanished into thin air and the remains of the creature that were stuck fell to the ground, stirring up dust.
"Where did the gate... what did you..! What in the hell is happening?!" Paul was of course shocked by what happened, as was Vals.
"It has to do with what I was talking about the other day. Although I've been told not to tell you about it too much, just know it makes our job easier for now." Vals left it at that before moving to the corpse.
'What is this thing?' Vals asked the system.
[That is the corpse of a Greater Dragon. Dragons are powerful creatures that rival the Phoenix in strength when a Phoenix is still young. A greater dragon is only born once per eon of the world, and usually marks the beggining or end of great cataclysms]
'Well that's a good sign I guess.' Vals touched it, and a prompt, similar to the one he had when he touched the Fenrir, popped up. Vals sent the corpse back to the temple, and received another prompt.
[You have contributed enough energy to awaken a new piece of the system]
[System Piece, Personality, has been awoken]
[It's lonely to live forever without anyone to talk to, hence the system has a personality built into it]
'Now that I think about it, what was that time about? Also, I'm not even alone?' Vals thought back to a bit ago, where the System displayed signs of ego, and looked at Paul, who was still freaking out a bit.
[That's because my Ego is quite strong!]
It was time for Vals to be shocked this time, as the previously mechanical voice now became the voice of a young woman!
[Why are you so surprised? Didn't expect a female personality?]
'Well, yes, but I was more shocked by the voice change than anything else to be perfectly honest.' Vals answered.
[Hm, well I guess that's fair. But that's designed to make you understand the difference between a friend, in this case me, and a notification. Notices will still read out with the previous voice.]
'Hm... I see.' Vals nodded, then looked over at Paul.
"Hey, we need to get going. I don't know how well trained Paladins of the order are, but I don't wish to find out either, and it's taken us this long to get here, so...."
Paul was a bit startled, probably with a lot on his mind, but responded with a, "Uh... yeah, we should go." Before shaking his head as he got himself in order.
Vals nodded a bit at his friends attitude, and walked over the the gaping maw in the wall, where the gate had sat just a moment ago.
"So it's time to go, huh..."
"What's wrong?" Paul walked over, not quite hearing what Vals said.
"Nothing, at least not really. It's just a bit scary leaving the only place you know, you know?" Vals sighed. "Not that we have a choice."
"Yeah, it's pretty rough having to leave everything behind. Honestly I keep forgetting that you are essentially a child." Paul chuckled.
"Huh? What do you mean I'm a child?" Vals looked at the man.
"Well, you haven't seen much nor have you really learned about the world, and you also have no memory of what you once were at some point. This city is all you know, and it's a bit scary to go into the unknown. I just forget that you haven't done stuff like this due to how competent you are, most of the time."
"Ah... I guess you've got a point." Vals relented "Welp! Lets get going then, so I can see more of the world!" Vals stepped out of the gate.