“I am dead”… Those were the last words I could remember thinking from my previous life. Most of that life has started to disappear from my memory now as I float through the void. I see something in the distance and float towards it. I look down at my legs and nothing is there.
The object in the distance is getting closer. I'm being pulled towards it. I can't move any other direction. As it gets closer, I can see that it's far more than one object. It is many objects. With an old man holding a baby at the entrance.
The old man beckons me towards him. As I get close, he explains.
“I am the God of rebirth. You have died and now you get to pick the path you'll lead in your next life. If you haven't noticed yet, there are several shrines behind me. The shrines allow you to pick the class you'll be in your next life. You will also need to pull a card to see which rank you'll be. The ranks start from novice and go all the way up to master.”
I move towards a shoddy table with a bowl on it that has a few dozen cards inside… You'd think being the God of Rebirth, he'd have a better method to determine which rank you will be. As if reading my mind, the God states.
“They just don't give me a big enough budget to improve this place.”
I can't tell if he's joking or not... I pull a card from the bowl. It's a card that has master written on the underside of it.
“Ah, very nice! Out of all the cards you manage to pull a master card. Your luck must be incredible. The master shrines are in the very back row.”
As I head to the back row, I notice that as I head deeper towards the back, the shrines get more elaborate. Near every shrine is either a weapon or a piece of armor or a book of some sort. These are heirlooms given to you on your 10th and 15th birthdays. Lower ranks don't have heirlooms and are also harder to level. They don't get to pick a secondary class either and are forced to learn it through tutors in the world.
When I eventually make it to the back of the room. I start to inspect each shrine with more detail. Near the base of each shrine is the class name inscribed into it.
The one I'm closest to is warrior. It's a well maintained shrine. Almost with a polished shine to it. Compared to the other shrines, it seems this one gets the most attention. On the shrine is an extremely fancy looking sword, helmet and shield.
A sticky note applied to each shrine giving the details of about the shrine. The sticky note for warrior states.
"High damage as well as survivability. Some skills include headbutt, heavy slash, charge and armor break. Passive increase to strength and rage."
I look at a few more shrines, with a similar sticky note on each one. As I head to the left, I count around 15 classes. If each side has that many I can pick between 30 classes as my main and secondary class. The God of Rebirth says.
“As you meet specific requirements. More classes are unlocked during rebirth. You've got more than the average person.”
I head to the other side of the shrines. One sticks out more then the rest. It's very old. Older than the other shrines by appearance. Its covered in cobwebs, as if no one has picked it for a very long time.
I clear the grime off the plaque to read the class name. “Master of Learning” The sticky note had fallen off this shrine. I pick it up with my ethereal hand and read. Able to learn all classes and jobs as well as most skills. I cry out.
“What?! That seems extremely overpowered!”
“It would be if there wasn't such a negative aspect tied to it. In order to level classes and jobs, you have to put effort and training into learning them. Unlike if you picked the class, it would get stronger automatically as you leveled. The speed at which you level classes and jobs is dependent on the level of your master of learning class. So it's very difficult to level up initially… The few people I remember picking this class couldn't even make it to level 20. To make this class level other classes at a similar speed to if you have chosen them as your main class. You'd need to be around level 400. You also receive a huge stat penalty for choosing this class.”
Hearing that set me back a bit. Getting to level 400 would take hundreds of years to accomplish. It gets harder to level as you get higher up. Very few people manage to make it to level 200 in their lives.
I know from reaching it in a few previous lives. That when you hit 100 with a normal class it evolves in branching paths. Like warriors can become elite-warriors or siege-breakers. Thieves become elite-thieves or assassins.
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As I think about it though. Why would they make a class that was unusable… I turn my ethereal face towards God and point at the shrine.
“I pick that one.”
The God of Rebirth smiles from ear to ear and says.
“Oh, you're not going to regret it later are you? You only get this choice once every few reincarnation cycles. Otherwise if you die you'll be put as a random class in your next few lives.”
As I keep thinking about it. It keeps getting weirder that not many people have made it passed level 20. Maybe if I can break that hurdle. I'd stand a chance to figure out the class more than other people have so far.The God looks at me and his already big smile gets wider.
“You're very interesting to think that way. I know it's not my place to give you outside help... If you can manage to hit certain levels. I'll give you a little bonus with the first starting at 20.”
He moves towards me and touches my ethereal form where my head should be… Nothing changes though. He points at the shrine. I look at where he was pointing. Something so small I hadn't noticed it yet. Its the tiniest sword I've ever seen. So small to the point it wouldn't be usable as a weapon. A weapon close to the size of a finger tip is visible.
I inspect it to see the effect it has. “Sword of Learning” As you level more classes and jobs the sword will grow. I pick the tiny sword up and notice something behind the shrine. It's a book, as I pick it up. Before I can read any of it I'm born into the world again.
I'm reborn as a human. It would've been unfortunate to be reborn as something else. Humans have the numerical superiority. Any nonhuman races get discriminated in some parts of the world. Humans are top of the food chain so luckily I was made one. Now that I think about it... It's kind of weird that I'm able to think since I'm a baby...
Wait! How can I remember my past life?! Normally when you're reborn your memories disappear until you die again. I look up at my new mother, she's very beautiful. I think... It is hard to tell for some reason. I can tell from how many people are overlooking the birth. I'm from an important and wealthy family. I look around and my eyes stop on a slightly overweight, short man crying like a big baby.
He must be my father. As I think that, he opens is mouth blubbering.
“Elise, Elise! Look! He is looking directly at me, our child is going to be a genius!”
The woman who just birthed me spoke up.
“Of course Kite is. He's got the blood of a nobleman and the most beautiful women in the village running through his veins.”
She turns her nose up after saying this. It off put me by how arrogant it sounded. She points at the wet nurse holding me. Elise is visibly tired, sweat dripping from her face.
“You there. Give Kite to Geoffrey.”
The nurse who's name I haven't heard yet gently hands me over to my father. I feel his hand give way as he almost drops me. My mother, even having recently given birth, starts to move then stands up as she yells at the nurse.
“You idiot you almost dropped Kite!”
I don't think after giving birth you're supposed to start moving within minutes of it... The more she talks the more I begin to hate my mother. In no way was that the nurses fault. Feeling more exhausted than I've ever felt in my previous life besides when I died. I only remember parts of my past life though. I fall asleep.
New title gained Heir- increased gold gained throughout ones lifetime
New title gained Child- increase learning speed for classes
New skill gained Early bird- wake up two hours earlier than most other people with no repercussions to your well being
New skill gained Inspect- Able to scan items for valuable information