There were quite a few more class upgrade options than Rowan had expected. From his experience choosing his first class, these classes were unlocked based on his past actions. This meant that no two people, unless they were trained and guided through battles in an identical manner, would get the exact same class upgrade options.
[Heavy Spear]. That’s probably from me mishandling the spear and using it more as a bat than a proper spear. And [Spear Champion] sounds like a class that comes from besting other spear users. I guess the undead soldiers count?
There was one option that was the basic upgrade path for the [Spearman] class. The [Spearman Adept] class. The baron had previously mentioned the class as something Rowan should take as a last resort. Usually, these basic classes were taken by those who limped their way up and gained experience in unorthodox methods.
Now that Rowan thought about it, a noble being force-fed experience by more experienced party members probably fell under that category. That not only limited a person’s combat ability, it also meant they had to settle for a class that was usually weaker than the others.
Or at least that’s what Kayden had said. Apparently, a sign of nobility status was how much information they had on classes. And the Suttons, had kept track of optimal progressions for almost every class.
Rowan doubted that he could manage something more impressive than killing a rare-tier demon. If that didn’t land him a good class, nothing would. He first scrolled through [Spearman Adept] to understand what the baseline for the [Spearman] uncommon advancement should look like.
[Spearman Adept]
You have proven your acumen and skill as a [Spearman], allowing you to take a step further along the path of growth.
By picking the [Spearman Adept] class, you will get a medium boost to the strength of all cards and attacks related to the spear. You will also master and improve in all spear-based combat skills much faster.
Additional beneficial effects:
* A moderate boost to the effectiveness of your dexterity and strength stats
* Boost to combat maneuvers and synergy with other spear wielders
Class penalties:
* N/A
Attached card: Spear Unity (Uncommon, Passive)
Rowan closed out of the window. The class was barely an improvement over [Spearman]. The only thing that surprised him were the beneficial effects and the penalties tabs. It seemed that at the uncommon tier, classes were becoming more specialized, pigeonholing the person in a specific fighting style.
Without any penalties, [Spearman Adept] might have been a good choice if Rowan wasn’t sure which spear path to take. But for the moment, it was at the bottom of his list.
[Heavy Spear]
You wield the spear with ruthless strength, crushing your foes. You now have the opportunity to further enhance its power.
By picking the [Heavy Spear] class, you will become capable of wielding heavy spears with the same adroitness as their lighter variants. You will also gain a significant boost to the strength of all cards and attacks relevant to strength-focused fighting style, and improve faster in all related combat skills.
Additional beneficial effects:
* A large boost to the effectiveness of your strength and vitality stats
* Increased muscle density and size
* A moderate boost to your spatial awareness
Class penalties:
* Lighter spears break more easily when you use them
Attached card: Crushing Spear (Uncommon, Active)
[Spear Champion]
You are an icon for your troops to follow. Show your strength and valor and crush enemy champions so that they might be inspired.
By picking the [Spear Champion] class, you will become a skilled frontline fighter and duelist. You will gain a significant stat boost when fighting one-on-one battles. You will also gain proficiency in mastering spear and shield related skills at a much faster rate.
Additional beneficial effects:
* A large boost to the effectiveness of your strength and dexterity stats
* Improved battle instincts and honed bloodlust aura
* A significant boost to your hand-eye coordination
Class penalties:
* You will suffer stat penalties after declining an honorable challenge to a duel
Attached card: Champion’s Resolve (Uncommon, Passive)
[Standard Bearer]
You are the symbol of hope and determination. Raise the flag of your house, and rally all those who fight under it.
By picking the [Standard Bearer] class, you will gain access to powerful buffs that can be imparted to all those who battle under your banner. You will also gain bonuses to mastering and crafting battle tactics and maneuvers.
Additional beneficial effects:
* A large boost to the effectiveness of your intelligence and wisdom stats
* Improved battlefield control and overview
* A boost to the effectiveness of all your buff cards
Class penalties:
* Decreased effectiveness of all combat cards
Attached card: Rallying Cry (Uncommon, Active)
[Spear Wall]
You are the wall between the hostile world and those you hold dear. Raise your spear and shield, and halt the advance of your enemies.
By picking the [Spear Wall] class, you will receive a boost to the effectiveness of all defensive cards and you will master shield related skills much faster. Any defensive buffs applied to you will be twice as effective. You will also gain stat bonuses when you stand in defense of another.
Additional beneficial effects:
* A large boost to the effectiveness of your strength and vitality stats
* Improved toughness and damage resistance
* A large boost to your mental fortitude
Class penalties:
* Lower pain awareness
Attached card: Spear Wall (Uncommon, Active)
Rowan paused. Of the four classes that he had seen so far, both [Spear Wall] and [Spear Champion] were bad choices. Both classes mentioned using a shield which was impossible with Keen Spear.
That left [Standard Bearer] and [Heavy Spear].
[Standard Bearer] was pretty unusual. As far as Rowan was aware, standards were pretty much just extra long spears with a flag attached. But they were more figureheads than actual combatants. The class might have been a good choice for a noble with a standing army, Rowan couldn’t see himself sacrificing combat ability so that he could become a general.
[Heavy Spear], for the most part, was actually an okay class for Rowan. He kept it in mind as he read through the descriptions for the last two classes and, luckily, those two were more on the money.
[Reckless Spear]
You desire the death of your foes much more than you value your own safety. You cast aside all defense and strike down those who dare stand in your way.
By picking the [Reckless Spear] class, you will gain a significant boost to the effectiveness of all damage dealing cards. The mana cost of all relevant cards will be reduced. You will also master all combat skills and aggressive fighting styles significantly faster.
Additional beneficial effects:
* A large boost to the effectiveness of your strength and dexterity stats
* Improved hunting instinct and heightened bloodlust
* A large boost to your mental fortitude
* Your strikes will pierce defenses more easily and cause severe bleeding
Class penalties:
* A large penalty to all physical damage resistances
* You cannot equip heavy armor
Attached card: Blood Siphon (Uncommon, Passive)
[Mystic Spear]
Your skill with mana grows, allowing you to tap into the mystical reservoir of strength. Allow this power to become a core part of you.
By picking the [Mystic Spear] class, you will gain access to minor spell casting powers. Your ability to wield your mana will improve. You will also learn mystical arts at an improved rate and grow more capable of incorporating them with your spear work.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Additional beneficial effects:
* A large boost to the effectiveness of your intelligence and wisdom stats
* A boost to your intelligence-to-mana ratio
* Increased affinity to elemental power
Class penalties:
* N/A
Attached card: Mana Spear (Uncommon, Active)
A part of Rowan wanted to pick the [Mystic Spear] class immediately. It was the spear-equivalent of spellswords. And if fantasy books were to be believed, spellswords were about as good as classes came.
That wasn’t the only reason. Deep within Rowan, he was also a little jealous of the fact that both Blake and especially Kayla got amazing magical skills. Blake was swinging around a sword made of light while Kayla got to play with fireballs and all kinds of different magic. They were having the standard hero-summoned-to-a-new-world experience, while Rowan was out in a minor barony fighting for his life with a regular old spear.
[Mystic Spear] seemed like the perfect class, except, of course, he didn’t really have the right stats for it. He’d already invested pretty heavily into his strength and dexterity, and those had saved his life more than once.
The class was also a dreaded hybrid, which meant that he’d potentially ruin his build. He needed strength and dexterity to keep using his spear well, and also needed to assign points into wisdom and intelligence in order to take advantage of the spell casting abilities. By picking it, he’d be forced to invest into four or, at the very least, three different stats.
All of that meant he’d never be quite as powerful as other people at his level, leaving him only the option of bullying those weaker. If all he wanted was to clear mobs and earn some loot safely, that was fine.
But considering that the Sutton barony was being swarmed with demons at the moment? He couldn’t afford to be distracted.
It was a hard choice between [Heavy Spear] and [Reckless Spear]. They both promised entirely different build paths. [Heavy Spear] seemed like a class that was more stand-and-fight where he had to endure enemy attacks. On the other hand, [Reckless Spear] was more of a glass cannon build. He’d do a lot of damage quickly, but he couldn’t afford to take any damage himself.
Rowan couldn’t make up his mind.
The appeal of [Heavy Spear] was that it massively increased his survivability. And that seemed like a good thing given how dire things were. [Reckless Spear] was good in that it’d reinforce his already high offensive capabilities even further, and also worked well with his current build path of strength and dexterity.
Before Rowan could sink too far into decision paralysis, he realized that there was a third person in the room. His eyes landed on Olivia, who appeared as a complete mess. The bags under her eyes were darker than he’d ever seen, her hair was wild with plenty of strands escaping her ponytail, and she was still in her battle outfit. Despite all of that, Rowan found her beautiful. That thought made his cheeks burn and he turned his gaze elsewhere.
“Well, color me impressed,” Olivia said, hands on her hips as she took in his condition. “You’re not out of bed, and since you’re not chained to it, I guess you didn’t try to go against my instruction either. For once.”
“It’s very nice to see you too, Olivia,” Rowan sighed. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips when he spotted the guard trying to slip out of the room behind Olivia.
“Don’t give me that attitude,” Olivia hissed, narrowing her eyes. “You know how bad it is for you to completely drain your mana like that. I know my father warned you about it.”
“What was I supposed to do, then? Just let those poor undead soldiers attack us while we were fighting the demon?”
“Yes. No. Maybe,” Olivia said, all bluster fading from her as she finally turned to shut the door and then stomped over to his bed, collapsing on the edge of it. “I was just worried. I am worried.”
Rowan waited a couple of seconds before saying anything.
“Olivia? What’s wrong?”
“Everything.” Olivia let out a deep sigh. “The walls need repairing. Cleanup took forever, because we had to avoid a plague breaking out. The entire village is scared after the demon came out. The scouts are gone, probably dead. It’s why we didn’t get a warning that the demon was coming. And now we have no idea what’s out there and coming for us and Bron…” Olivia’s voice trailed off.
“Olivia? I’m fine. Bron’s alive, we all made it,” Rowan said.
“No thanks to me.” Olivia’s eyes were turning red and Rowan could see the moisture welling up.
“How do you figure that?” Rowan asked. “Without your potions, we would have been doomed. I know I would’ve gotten eaten by those hounds right away. I don’t really fancy becoming a snack for monsters, no matter how cute they are.”
That got a slight smile out of Olivia, but it disappeared a second later. Rowan frowned, and considered just dropping the subject, but that idea didn’t sit well with him. She looked far too distraught.
“Olivia? You know, it’s not like I’m going to tell your secret to someone else. You’re the only one I really know around here.”
Olivia didn’t immediately respond, leaving a silent void hang between them. With every passing moment, Rowan felt more and more like he should say something. He didn’t, and his silence was eventually rewarded.
“That potion I gave Bron. I knew what it was, what it would do. I made it.” Olivia took a deep breath, and finally looked Rowan in the eye. “I knew there was a chance it would kill him. I gave it to him, and ordered him to die if it came down to it so the two of us could survive.”
Rowan could practically feel the self-loathing in her words and he didn’t really know what to say. He could try to say that the potion wouldn’t have killed Bron, but it had turned the officer into a human fireball. He could say that they needed to do something like that, but she already knew that. Olivia had given them a chance to survive the demon attack, but she had done so at the cost of directly hurting someone else.
So, Rowan did the only thing that he could and enveloped her in a hug.
Olivia stiffened, and for a moment, he thought she’d push him away. She relaxed into him a moment later, and then her frame shook with quiet sobs as she soaked his shirt with her tears. Her hands balled into fists, gripping the back of his shirt and pulling on it, forcing him to fight back a choke when his collar dug into his throat.
It was awkward, and uncomfortable, and he didn’t know what else to do to make things better.
Eventually, Olivia pulled back as her sobs turned into giggles, producing an odd hiccup sound. “I’m a mess.”
“And I’m still on house arrest because a certain someone ordered a guard to ‘sit on me’ if I tried to get up,” Rowan said. “I haven’t exactly had the chance to freshen up myself.”
“Yep, we could both use a bath. Or ten. At least you’re up now. You’ve eaten, right?”
“Yeah.” Rowan motioned to the empty tray he’d left on the floor by the side of his bed. “Even had the time to go over my battle report. I can’t believe I’m level twenty already.”
Olivia snorted. “I hit level thirty-seven. Eight levels from that one battle, this beats potion making by a mile. Did you take a look at our loot?”
“Wouldn’t you get a notification if I did? I figured I’d wait for you to visit so we can do it together,” Rowan said.
“That’s sweet.” Olivia’s teasing tone was back. “I’m here now.”
Rowan navigated to his loot screens and the cards unfurled in front of him. It was an entire wall of green. In spite of the number of cards, most of the cards were duplicates, especially since they only fought four different types of enemies.
The mauler cards were the easiest to sort through.
Plague Incubator (Uncommon, Passive)
Your body is the breeding ground for deadly diseases, granting you resistance to poison damage, rot damage, and immunity to lesser illnesses. Your blood and flesh will also spread the corruption brewing within you, punishing any foes that dare to harm you.
Titanic Physique (Uncommon, Passive) x2
Your physical might is staggering, granting your strength and vitality stats added potency. Your physical resistances and defense are also boosted, making it more difficult for foes to damage you.
Diseased Breath (Uncommon, Active)
Channel your mana into a breath attacks that will inflict your foes with a variety of negative status effects and crippling illnesses.
“Titanic Physique seems good, but aren’t these other two cards pretty much a health hazard for anyone who uses them, too?” Rowan mumbled. Only a madman would choose to sacrifice their body to breed diseases and having actual deadly breath seemed more like a debuff rather than a skill.
“Yes and no,” Olivia said. “Nothing conjured by your own mana can damage you, but Plague Incubator sounds like bad news. It’s very likely that it isn’t very compatible with a human physique, so I wouldn’t recommend trying to use it.”
“Yeah, no kidding. Guess they’re going in the scrap pile.”
Unfortunately, the hound cards weren’t any better.
Death’s Remembrance (Uncommon, Passive) x23
You carry a passive aura that will weaken the resistances and defenses of all foes within ten feet of you by a moderate amount. They will also perceive you as a specter of death, lowering their morale and inflicting terror upon broken enemies.
Pestilent Embrace (Uncommon, Active) x42
Your touch spreads disease and decay, dealing necrotic damage proportional to the amount of mana invested.
Spewing Mucus (Uncommon, Active) x61
Release a spray of caustic bile that deals necrotic damage and sticks to your enemies, eating away at their flesh.
Final Promise (Uncommon, Passive) x17
You will never perish alone. Your death releases a blast of necromantic energies that consumes your entire remaining mana pool, spreading disease and infection in proportion to consumed mana. If an enemy perishes due to the effects of this card, the effects are partially replicated on their body.
[Heart] Demonic Breeding (Rare) x3
Your race has been enhanced by demonic mana and bred for combat and violence. Your mana is inherently demonic, corrupting and damaging all it comes in contact with. Your affinity for rot, disease, death, corruption, chaos and destruction elements is enhanced. This card can subsume and replace any currently held Heart Card.
Demonic Breeding was particularly vile, and Rowan saw Olivia react to it much the same way she did to Demonic Encroachment before. She dealt with it the same way she had done with the other demonic card, rolling for it and carefully packing it away. Rowan didn't pay as much attention to what she was doing, especially because the final three cards shone with a blue light.
Persistent Regeneration (Rare, Active)
Force your body to regenerate at the cost of energy reserves or muscle mass.
Lavish Feasting (Rare, Passive)
You can devour food in excess, breaking it down using mana and storing the energy away to be used at a later date. You are limited to storing energy equivalent to three times your body weight.
Rot Shield (Rare, Active)
Summon a film of rot mana that will cover your body and protect you from blows, damaging your enemies and their weapons in the process.
Rowan’s thoughts churned as he read and then re-read the descriptions of Persistent Regeneration and Lavish Feasting. If he was interpreting things correctly, this was the combo that allowed the demon to regenerate again and again.
Making up his mind, Rowan turned to look Olivia in the eye, mentally rolling on the two cards he wanted. “These two cards. Is it okay if I take them?”
Olivia gave Rowan a long, searching look. She could tell he was up to something, but wasn’t quite certain yet what.
“Okay.” She finally conceded, even if she didn’t sound happy about it.
With that settled, Rowan finally made his choice.
All available stats assigned.
Congratulations!
[Reckless Spear] class selected.
He had a very strong feeling that Olivia wasn’t going to be happy with him once she knew what he had in mind for his future.