Unlike with the Title Aspect, the Class Aspect had been in my status from the very day I first opened my status. Why that was, I had no idea, and I also didn’t know much about it. In fact, nothing.

Going through my memories, I felt like once talking about them briefly, but couldn’t tell when or what the conversation entailed. Unable to recall anything, I was left with no choice but to make use of the passenger in my head that just so happened to be a bundle of knowledge.

Can you tell me about classes?

The Class Aspect differed from the Title Aspect in that it did not simply bestow me a class unlocked through certain conditions. It seemed to give me a choice and there seemed to be more to choosing a class than I was aware as of yet.

“The Class Aspect allows you to choose a class, a kind of unique vocation that directs your growth and progress within the system. In some way, they are very similar to the Species Aspect, but unlike your species, you are entirely free to choose your class.”

What kind of choices do I get?

“The system considers your stats, skills, talents, preferences, experiences and dreams and from them forms classes that you are able to choose from. Once you choose one, it will discard all the others and officially grant you your chosen class.”

So once I made my choice, I cannot change my class?

“You can, but only at given level intervals and changing classes can have significant consequences, so your decision should be made with absolute care.”

I was right, it seemed to be a very important choice that had to be considered very carefully.

You said classes are somewhat like my species, does that mean they can level up, too?

“Yes, every class has the ability to level up and each level also gives a certain amount of stats, although what kind of stats vastly differs from class to class, and before we get further into that, why don’t you just pull up your class selection and you will see what I mean.”

I focused on the Class Aspect and shortly after, a new, big window, filled with words, appeared in my vision.

You have unlocked the Class Selection. You may choose from the four classes below:

Beneath this text, the window displayed for smaller blocks of text. They were the different classes and slightly excited for what was to come, I read the first one.

[Novice Scholar]:

The Scholar is a highly intellectual and knowledge-driven class, dedicated to the pursuit of wisdom and understanding. They excel in academia, research, and unraveling the mysteries of the world. While lacking in physical prowess, Scholars compensate with their vast knowledge and expertise in various fields.

Stat Points per Level: +2 to INT and PER, +1 to WIL and DEX, +1 Free Stat Point

Oh, the stat bonus is real, I thought, slightly apathetic.

“Of course, did you think I was lying to you?”

I didn’t reply and instead focused on the contents of the class description, which were honestly not very impressive. How in the world had I qualified for this kind of class? I would not call myself dumb, but I was neither an intellectual nor someone knowledge driven. Sure, I craved for knowledge as I lacked understanding of even the most basic of things, like the system, but I wouldn’t think myself particularly scholar-ish. Worse, it didn’t even sound like a class suited for combat.

“Scholar is a very common non-combat class offered to mostly those who have not much experience in fighting or any other craft. For a basic class, it has a decent amount of stat points, but its skills focus on research and the collecting of knowledge rather than survival and combat.”

So this one’s a pass. What would I do with it anyway? Read the Exapoda to death?

“It is going to be difficult with this class, but not impossible.”

A joke, Veraxia. A joke… Wait? You actually can read someone to death?

“Sure. Someone well versed in scripture magic can bring death with only their tongue. Although you would need an astronomically high level to make it useful.”

That detail aside, I wouldn’t get much out of becoming a Scholar and even if the thought of killing with only a few words was appealing, it was clearly not the right choice to make for me.

[Novice Mage]

Novice Mages are budding spellcasters and practitioners of magic. Abandoning muscle and brawn, they chose to harness their mind and will. A Novice Mage has no specialization and is thus able to cast many different spells at the cost of power and effectiveness. Their variety of spells allows for a balance between offensive and defensive.

Stat Points per Level: +2 to INT and WIL, +1 to PER and DEX, +1 Free Stat Point

The next one was something called a “Mage”. I had never heard the term, and unlike Scholar, it was very abstract in its description. I understood that they were focused on the mind rather than the body, which would be perfect from me, but I couldn’t wrap my head around what a Mage did to fight. I never heard about spells, but for some reason this particular class seemed to have less powerful ones.

Veraxia, what is magic? It seems this class uses it and things called spells, but what are they?

“I guess that was to be expected. Magic generally refers to the process of using mana to cast spells. Spells are skills that serve as means to create certain effects in the physical world or affect the metaphysical forces.”

Yeah… I have no idea what you are talking about.

“With spells you can create fire out of nowhere, manipulate the earth beneath your feet or freeze water in an instant. In other words, spells are the weapons of spellcasters, like mages.”

Mana can do that?

“Not mana, but the spells constructed from it.”

Interesting.

With that knowledge, what a mage would be capable of became a lot clearer and already made me consider picking this particular class. Not only because of spells and magic that seemed to be very powerful, but also due to the stat bonus distribution that aligned well with my Mana Affinity.

However, even I could tell that this decision was not to be taken lightly, so before making any rash decisions, I continued on with the next class and upon reading its name, my mood immediately soured and my blood started to boil.

[Novice Barbarian]

Barbarians are fighters that embrace the primitive and make it their pride. Valuing freedom above all else, they fight without rule, dignity or honor and only pursue strength and glory. They wield any weapon like an extension of their body and continue to fight even when gravely injured.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Stat Points per Level: +3 to STR, +2 to AGI, PER, DEX, +1 to WIL, + 2 Free Stat Points

…

Yeah no, I wouldn’t even bother reading that one. Why would I even get a barbarian class? Didn’t Veraxia say the system considered experience and preferences in granting classes? There was nothing in this world that would make me become a barbarian. I would slit my own throat before becoming one of those bastards.

Still, why would the system offer me the Barbarian class?

“The sole requirement to unlock the Barbarian class is to have spent a lot of time around barbarians. It is a requirement that embraces a barbarian’s simplicity.”

Fuck barbarians.

“It is not a bad Novice class.”

No, it is.

“But it-“

It is.

The issue was discussed no further and I quickly moved on to the next class.

[Novice Witch]

As an aspiring spellcaster, the Novice Witch walks a path of self-discovery. Novice Witches are capable of basic magic and curses. Unlike other spellcasters, Witches are not afraid to dabble with the darker side of magic. For defense, Witches rely on stealth and movements spells instead of barriers or wards.

Stat Points per Level: +2 to INT and WIL, +1 to PER and AGI, +1 Free Stat Point

And just like that, my anger vanished into non-existence, leaving me with a fresh curiosity over the last class in the list.

Like the mage class, this one had a “Novice” in front of it, but that was not the only thing the two shared in common. The Novice Witch, like the Novice Mage, utilized magic, although the description of the former one’s was a lot more intriguing.

However, this left me wondering if the “Novice” part had any bigger meaning that I was unaware of. And through our shared mind, the second the question appeared in my mind, a answer was already on the way.

“Novices, in any class, means nothing else than a first step. Mages, Witches, Swordsmen, Priests, a lot of classes develop from an early, unspecialized class into more specialized and advanced class. The Novice class helps individuals to lay a foundation, to help them find their path and specialization by offering a wide range of possibilities.”

That made sense. It was like allowing someone to test every weapon before letting them decide on a weapon to wield for the rest of their life.

Returning to the Witch class, it seemed to offer the same things as the Mage class, but also slightly more. The lack of defensive power was a slight reason for concern, although it would make up for it by being mobile. And I would rather dodge attacks instead of taking them head on anyway. Also, beside magic, there was the mention of curses.

What are curses?

“Like magic, they come in many forms, but most often they are negative afflictions you bestow upon your enemies. Like taking away their sight, making them sick or cause them pain.”

Interesting. They would be a great help for our goal. The only question is, which one is better, the Mage or the Witch?

Much to my surprise, there was nothing coming from Veraxia.

You got nothing to say?

“Not in this kind of decision. I have shared my knowledge, given you tips, but choosing a class is an important choice. My influence could cause you to make a choice you will come to regret. This is a decision you will have to make, you alone.”

And that was that. Or not…

“But let me clarify, if you choose to become a Scholar we are both dead.”

I thought you wanted to keep out of this?

“I will. From now on. Just… do not become a Scholar. For both our sakes.”

I chuckled slightly, but stopped before my body complained.

I assure you, I never considered to become a Scholar.

With that said, this left me with two choices. What? There were three? No, there were only two. Barbarian was already a no because of my history with them, but there was more to it. Barbarians quite clearly focused on physical prowess and there was no mention of magic in their description and to be honest, I was too curious to pass on magic.

With that it was either the Mage or the Witch. The Mage had both offensive and defensive capabilities, while the Witch focused on evasion and stealth. Oh, and curses. But would curses, that I barely knew anything about, be enough to sway my decision? Yes. Yes, they would

You have selected your class. You are now a [Novice Witch]! You will be granted three basic Class Skills.

You have acquired the Class Skill [Telekineses (Common)]!

You have acquired the Class Skill [Aggravating Touch (Common)]!

You have acquired the Class Skill [Shadow Cloak (Common)]!

My reaction couldn’t be called anything but shock, as I suddenly received three new skills out of nowhere. I quickly regained my composure and instead of fussing over this, I simply pulled up my status and looked at my new skills.

[Telekinesis (Common)]

Allows you to move things with your will by consuming mana. Mana cost may vary depending on the objects weight. Living beings may resist your skill with superior Willpower or magic defenses. Performance of this skill is heavily dependent on Willpower.

The first skill was already an interesting one. Moving things with my mind alone definitely sounded like it would come in handy. How the skill would perform in the end was a question only time would answer though, as right now, I had no leeway to mess around with mana.

Before my attention wandered to my battered body, I quickly appraised the next skill.

[Aggravating Touch (Common)]

A basic curse that causes wounds and afflictions to worsen by channeling the curse into other beings by touching them. Only wounds that have already been inflicted before the touch can be worsened. Once cursed, the curse will remain until purified or removed.

I quickly pulled my hands away from my wounds, observing cautiously if I had accidentally cursed myself. My wound didn’t get any worse, but when I noticed slight movement at the opening in my flank, I quickly put my hand back, keeping everything inside.

“You know, I did not want to mention it, but you seem awfully unbothered for someone whose organs are on the verge of decorating my lair’s floor.”

I guess it would seem that way to people. Truth was, I was used to this kind of thing. A lot of the worst, I actually couldn’t remember, but the familiarity remained. Even if I couldn’t recall the when or how often.

It would match well with the bug corpse over there.

I smiled faintly, looking at the dead Exapoda at the end of my feet.

[Shadow Cloak (Common)]

A basic dark element spell that cloaks the caster in shadows to obscure them from their enemies. If undetected, this skill will make it harder for others to perceive you, while granting you a slight increase in movement speed while walking in dark spaces. Maintaining this spell costs mana.

After all the talk about spells and magic, the last skill was my first real spell that I unlocked. A spell whose main use seemed to be in stealth. I would not consider myself a sneaky person, but in my situation, it would be a great help to keep myself hidden from enemies, and if possible, gain the initiative in a fight. It might even work well together with Aggravating Touch.

That being said, the Exapoda Drone had no eyes as far as I could tell. So cloaking myself in shadows seemed kind of unnecessary if the thing could not see me anyway. And I had no idea how the skill impacted the perception of their antennae.

So, any thoughts on that?

“The skill should still obscure you from them. Their antennae pick up on vibrations in ground and air, which Shadow Cloak should also reduce to some degree. The other senses stuffed into those antennae should not be able to work around that skill either.”

“Should”?

“Well, species with certain restrictions, like the blindness of the Exapoda, are often rewarded by the system in the form of sensing or perception skills, so it is quite possible that higher-leveled individuals will be able to sense you, even if you try to hide yourself.”

That’s troublesome, but an issue I will have to deal with later. As long as it can be helpful in the near future, that should be enough for now.

With that, my appraisal of my new skill concluded and I definitely did not regret my choice of choosing to become a Witch. My new skills were decent, even if I lacked a proper attack skill beside my Mana Affinity, but thanks to my newly unlocked stat bonuses, the skill should soon see some improvements in performance that I was quite excited for.

With this issue dealt, there was not much to do, but after peering at the dead Exapoda again, worries filled my mind.

Hey, Veraxia, how high are the chances that more Exapoda are coming here? You said that there were multiple Drones scouring around in your lair and if one of them decided to come here, I would be quite fucked.

“As long as you are recovering, you will not have to worry about uninvited guests. I am currently blocking all kind of interference with this chamber, so that you can regenerate in peace.”

You are blocking them? And you couldn’t do that before, you know, I got almost cut in half?

My thought reverberated in my head, and only silence followed for a while. After some time, Veraxia finally answered.

“For you-, both our sake, I have allowed one of the Drones to attack you.”

A frown quickly appeared on my face, but I kept a lid on my emotions for now.

What?

“It was necessary for you to grow. You are weak and I have, quite frankly spoken, no time to let you grow slowly. The earlier you got to level 10, the better and now that you have a class, we finally have a chance to fight back.”

Once she finished explaining herself, I was left stunned. Not because of her sudden confession, but because of my utter lack of anger. I mean, I almost died and now was in a lot of pain, all because of her actions, yet, I wasn’t mad.

I guess what you are saying is true.

“Wait, you are not mad?”

Not really. Slightly annoyed, because you could have just told me, but you also helped me a ton, so I guess you have already made up for that? Yeah, something like that.

Veraxia did not say anything.

Hey, don’t go silent on me now. We still have a few hours before I am back on my feet and it is basically your fault that I was almost bisected, so at least entertain me while I am recovering.

This got me a short laugh from her.

“I should be able to do that much.”