Nick hummed to himself while considering his final option, eventually deciding that he liked pretty much everything the class had to offer. The Magician seemed great when fighting at range, and the idea of becoming a true mage made his inner geek gush with excitement. The class featured a decent number of attributes per level, had two useful abilities, and provided a trait that seemed like a weaker version of the Kineticist’s with none of the drawbacks.
The Generalist trait would pair well with his mana dart, as well as the fireball that came with the class. The meditation ability would let him cast more spells per day if he had a chance to rest between fights.
The skills, on the other hand, were harder to quantify, although they sounded decent at face value. However, they were all specialized in dealing with magic, and offered nothing that would help him in melee combat. Nick didn’t know what ritual magic was, but he was certain that being able to use it would come in handy in situations where he had the luxury of time. Being able to sense magic in any capacity was certain to be useful across a wide range of circumstances as well.
His only concern was that the class was geared toward quick battles at range. Nick was worried that it would fare poorly if he was ambushed or had to fight for prolonged periods, like his recent match in the arena and the end of the tutorial. Being able to drop magical bombs from long range sounded amazing, but it would be far more useful when fighting as part of a team than if he were off on his own. Unfortunately, Nick had no idea what conditions on the ground would be like when he began Taltos’s challenge for the fate of Earth.
He glanced at the timer floating in the corner of the display. He had just a little over forty-five minutes to make the most important decision of his life, and he intended to make every second count. Squire, Kineticist, or Magician? Each class offered powerful advantages and featured distinct drawbacks. Nick was certain that all three would suit his needs, and he was already considering how they could be used to create novel strategies and tactics. But which is the best choice here and now?
He wracked his brain, trying to decide which class offered him the greatest chance of surviving the ordeal ahead. And, equally important in its own way, which represented the kind of person that he wanted to be? This choice would dictate how Nick made his way through the mysterious multiverse for quite some time to come, both on and off the battlefield, and each resonated with different aspects of himself.
The Squire excelled at fighting up close. Its emphasis on physical attributes and martial skills would enable Nick to go toe-to-toe with powerful adversaries. The regeneration ability would let him fight for far longer than the other two offerings, with less downtime when the battle was over. As a Squire, he would become a bulwark on the battlefield, able to deal out and take heavy hits while shielding the rest of his team. It was the strongest pick for pure survivability and would grant him incredible flexibility in developing his unique fighting style.
Also worth considering, the Squire offered a straight shot to obtaining the rare and presumably powerful Knight class. Taking Squire would let him master his sword and wear armor far superior to the thin layers of cloth and leather guarding his tender flesh.
The main drawback was a lack of ranged skills or abilities, although Nick already had mana dart, and nothing would stop him from using a bow if he wanted to. However, becoming a Squire would be stepping away from the mastery of magic. That mysterious force that was, day by day, becoming an integral feature of his life.
He decided to keep Squire in the running and moved onto the next class he was considering, the Magician.
The Magician class was, in many ways, a polar opposite of the Squire, forsaking the martial path in favor of the magical. It excelled at fighting from a distance and would arm Nick with powerful area of effect spells that could take out multiple opponents in a single strike. Fireball would be devastating if he got the drop on his enemy, enabling a fiery alpha strike that would end the battle the moment it began.
As a Magician, he would become a linchpin for his team when fighting as a group. A heavy hitter that could turn the tide of battle all by himself. The strategic use of powerful spells synergized strongly with his tactical nature as well.
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There were two major downsides to the Magician, the first being that his big spells would be limited in number. His offensive output would plummet the moment that he ran out of mana. On top of that, the class offered nothing that would help him when fighting up close and its attributes were purely mental/energetic in nature.
If Nick was alone or his party was ambushed, the enemy might take him out before he could retaliate. He risked getting burned by his own fireball if an opponent was already in his face, although mana dart would be useful in a brawl, which helped to mitigate the drawbacks of the class.
On the other hand, it seemed that the Magician could learn new spells relatively easily, greatly enhancing his flexibility and lethality over time. As he leveled, he would likely learn combat magic better suited to fighting up close and his energetic core would expand, letting him fight longer in each battle before running dry.
The Kineticist class split the difference in many respects. If he chose it, Nick would have his sword skill for fighting up close and combat spells that were most effective at medium range. The attributes were balanced between physical and energetic, and the free point would offer him some flexibility in determining his growth going forward.
The sticky issue was the Force Adept trait, which would offer him considerable power here and now at the cost of drastically limiting the direction of his magical development. Leaving him compatible with only two types of mana going forward and forever closing the door on countless advanced classes. Taking Force Adept would also lock in another part of his bloodline, a resource that was critical to his ongoing survival and continued growth.
After long deliberation as he watched the timer inexorably tick toward zero, Nick crossed Magician off the list. While the class might become incredibly powerful over the long run, it posed too many vulnerabilities here and now, both in combat style and staying power.
If he was certain that he would be working with a team throughout the entirety of Taltos’s next challenge, he might have reconsidered. But while he knew that other people would be participating, he might find himself alone once more when he stepped through the next portal.
Moreover, the skills sounded like they would require considerable investment to raise, perhaps even necessitating a formal education that might not be available for quite some time to come. While he found every aspect of magic to be absolutely fascinating, with the fate of his planet hanging in the balance, he couldn’t afford to wait to grow into his new class. Nick needed power and he needed it now.
While he pondered his remaining options, he drew his sword and conjured a mana dart, focusing on these tangible representations of a martial or hybrid path while searching for inspiration. The timer ticked down as Nick weighed the most important decision of his life, evaluating the various pros and cons of the Squire and Kineticist to the best of his ability.
In the end, his lack of information helped him to arrive at a conclusion. He had no idea what challenges he would face in the future. What lands he would travel to, and what forces would stand in his way.
He needed a class that was balanced. That could handle the widest range of situations. That offered abilities he knew would help him, no matter what he encountered. Being able to cast more powerful mana darts more often would be incredibly useful, and Nick really wanted to keep using his sword, as he had grown comfortable with the weapon at his side. Finally, he didn’t want to face every problem head on, an approach that would do him little good when fighting magic-and-ranged-attack-wielding opponents.
If he was going to survive his new reality, find his family and fight for the future of the Earth, then he had to be willing to take some risks. Risks like forever losing the ability to use elemental magic.
Before he committed to a choice that would irrevocably change his life, both now as well as altering the course of his future advancement, Nick spent the final seconds at his disposal visualizing taking each of the three appealing options one final time. Just in case he’d missed something important or had been hasty in his analysis. When he was done, he was certain that he was making the right choice, and the last traces of hesitation faded away.
In the final seconds before the clock hit zero, Nick made his decision, voicing his intentions to the open air. “I’m ready to choose. I want to become a Kineticist.” For just a moment, nothing happened. But then a new message appeared before his eyes.
Acknowledged. Class selection is confirmed as: Kineticist (uncommon).
Deactivating all abilities and skills provided by class Survivor (basic).
Note: deactivated skills can still be used, however they can no longer be improved.
Activating new skills and abilities.
Ten seconds later, Nick felt the System’s presence intensify. At that point, things really started to get interesting, triggering an experience that he would remember for the rest of his days.