Gem started to meditate in-order to clear his mind and help his body recover from the previous traumatic experiences. Being raised in the USA and coming from a decent background, he wasn't used to that level of violence. On top of how quickly the people in this society resorted to it, he was hesitant about what decisions he would have to make in his near future.

Mentally understanding what kinds of violence exist after reading it in a book and actually experiencing it for yourself are the difference between night and day. You can read about the night time but until you actually experience it, it's merely a passing abstract thought.

Once his thoughts finally became settled, he had to forcefully stop himself from diving deeper into his status screen. The interface is purely thought based and he was concerned that a wandering thought could accidentally select something, leading to numerous long term consequences.

...

About an hour later, Old Sam finally spoke up to get everyone's attention. A few other teenagers had teleported into the city and arrived just like he did. Their clothes had the same stained, tattered appearance, Black ID card in hand, and reporting directly to Old Sam. The difference being, they didn't look nearly as shaken. If monsters commonly roamed the wilds here, village kids have probably seen it all.

Gem thought, "It almost makes sense why they thought I was just some kid from an outlying village, I'll take any advantage that I can get."

The city was still moving in full swing as the monsters at the city walls continued to attack. Gem could still hear the distant thunder strikes and explosions going off in the distance. Messengers and logistics personnel were constantly moving back and forth in the roadway. An occasional stretcher could be seen as two people carried someone with a lost limb to some undisclosed location.

"Okay kids, before we get started. I wanted to let everyone know that if you're a [Unique] class holder. Please withhold selecting any attribute or skill slot options. The following lecture does apply to you but depending on what your [Unique] class is, we might have to deviate a little from what's commonly recommended for the other kids here. We'll be having a 1-on-1 meeting after the lecture to talk about what your options are. "

"Understood?"

Every one of the black card holders nodded.

"Good, let's get started!"

Gem gave him his undivided attention. Freely provided information would be vitally important for his continued survival. Most people on Earth never fully realized the luxury of having the internet available at their finger tips 24/7.

A few teenagers were muttering to their friends and making slurs about the [Unique]s. Others were giving them slight frowns but merely accepting their presence and just rolling with it.

"As you all most likely know, a list of Classes is available to you from the minute you turn 16 years old. Any available, are based on the prerequisites you've satisfied up until this point in your life. Many of you probably worked alongside your families to aim and satisfy the requirements for a specific Class. It's not uncommon for a family full of [Rare][Magical-Bakers] to help the next generation work towards such a class. That's just an example but moving forward..."

"All classes have a rarity rating: [Common], [Uncommon], [Rare], [Epic], [Legendary], & [Mythical]. There's also [Unique] but due to it's nature, it's considered to not fall in the standard categorization hierarchy."

"A classes rarity is not correlated with how many people have a specific Class. Rarity is rather how hard it is to gain the prerequisites to achieve receiving such a Class. An example of this would be the Class: [Uncommon] [Guard]. This city alone has thousands of guards, so many in fact you could say it's rather [Common] to see a [Guard]. This does not mean a [Guard] is considered a [Common] class though."

"Two exception's would be the [Legendary] and [Mythical] classes. A [King] or [Emperor] are almost [Legendary] by nature due to the absurd requirements needed to achieve these classes at such a young age. [Mythical] classes are reserved for those who have made a World changing Achievement previous to the age of 16. There's only been two cases of this occurring and that was centuries ago. [Epic] classes are generally offered to those who are titled by a [King] or if you successfully apprenticed under someone already having an [Epic] Class. An example of this would be the famous [Wizard] Class."

At mention of the [Wizard] Class, two teenagers near him looked a little depressed. Another started spinning tale with her neighbor about how she had met a [Wizard] once in passing while walking near the city wall. Gem took in every word, silently paying as much attention as possible.

"Finally, let's talk about [Unique] Classes. These are famous do to their inherent nature. First off, everyone gets offered a [Unique] Class on their 16th birthday. Regardless of how amazing or horrid they sound, everyone is provided with one. Prerequisites to a [Unique] Class are always associated with their deepest desires and utmost wants. An example would be of a [Unique] I had helped just 3 years ago. This fine lady had an absolute love for Butterflies. On her 16th birthday, she barely glanced at the other classes before she chose [Unique] [Butterfly-Conjurist]."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Every single teenager immediately leaned back slightly and flinched at mentioning her rash decision. Gem didn't immediately flinch like everyone else. People sitting around him immediately looked at him with slightly concerned looks. Thankfully, Old Sam continued to chug right along with his lecture.

"When I started talking to her about her class choices and her options available, it actually turned out quite nicely. Without going into too many details, she now works at the city wall. She's connected to her conjured butterflies like a [Watermancer] is connected to their water. She can connect to any butterfly she's ever conjured and uses them as scouts. Even has a skill allowing to fly her butterflies into people, sacrificing their conjured existence for a quick healing factor. To this day, she's saved numerous lives by healing those who wouldn't otherwise receive healing. Providing significant tactical information for the city guard as well as helping locate [Rifts] on the outskirts of the city. Think twice before immediately dismissing any [Unique] you meet in the future, they could very well save your life one day."

Gem could see a few of the rougher looking teenagers sneer at the thought of not treating a [Unique] poorly. Though for most of the others, he could see them taking a second look at the [Unique]s that were gathered here. A few were obviously being judged but being provided with reassuring nods. He was more focused at the mention of the word, [Rifts]. Based on his previous video game experience, he immediately associated the word with some kind of monster generating dungeon. Though if it was an actual dungeon, they probably wouldn't call it a [Rift]. Based on all the magical talk he's heard and seen, it's probably some sort of extra-dimensional portal which spews out monsters constantly. That's just a deductive guess though.

"With that said, it's highly recommended that you take a well documented class. Let's not forget the famous [Unique][Horror-Clown] the City [Guard]s had to mercilessly hunt and murder. They even had to use a [Rare] grade Void Arrow to make sure he wouldn't completely regenerate."

Most of the teenagers looked slightly pale at mention of the [Unique][Horror-Clown], but also nodding as he finished up on the topic.

"Now that we've discussed Classes, let's discuss Attributes and Skills. Though they can end up looking somewhat similar, they are entirely different topics all together."

"Attributes are best described as what you 'are' and what you 'are' affects what you can 'do'. For example: if you're a [Firemancer], you're immediately provided with the attribute called Mana Control. Mana Control provides your body with the ability to intuitively become more efficient at controlling Mana based Skills. When the rank of Mana Control increases, your Mana based Skills cost less mana and become more flexible to use. Yet, if they fail to fill their single attribute slot with something that gives them the ability to regenerate and store Mana. They'll become a [Cripple], unable to use any of their Mana based Skills and likely thrown out of the city."

Gem fidgeted and made a note to ask Old Sam about being a [Cripple] and why they would be thrown out of the city. This is something he wanted to avoid at all costs until he had his feet properly under him. One of the aspects he's learning about this society is that, if you don't contribute in some fashion to the whole. You'll be kicked out or simply killed depending on the circumstances.

"The down side of Attributes is that you're entirely limited to the number of slots you have. For example, unless you're an [Epic] [Wizard], most classes that use Mana based Skills will require you to choose a mana generating and storage attribute. This leaves them unable to pick a secondary attribute allowing for physical enhancement such as better perception or enhanced cognition. In those cases, you're all but basically required to fill a Passive Skill Slot with something that hampers your mana generation but enhances your general body. Others forego that option for filling an Active Skill Slot so it doesn't hamper their mana generation unnecessarily. There are Pros and Cons to either decision, but you generally want some sort of physical enhancing skill if your attributes don't cover it."

"Those of you taking on a more traditional non-mana based class will find your skills more focused on knowledge enhancement, precision of movement, and technique. A perfect example of this would be the [Rare][Magical-Baker] mentioned earlier versus an [Uncommon][Baker]. While a [Magical-Baker] will require more skills with a wider distribution of attributes to help with mana usage, a [Baker] can be more focused on becoming the epidemy of baking at a much earlier rank. A [Common][Fighter] might take a generally balanced physical attribute while a [Baker] might take a physical attribute more focused on Dexterity and Endurance. The [Baker] might be more durable and make more precise movements, yet die quickly to a monster. The [Fighter] would be slightly less durable, slightly less precise, yet actually have the strength to slay said monster. When choosing your attributes, keep these thoughts at the back of your mind. Your decision is entirely irreversible and could [Cripple] yourself if chosen poorly!"

Old Sam had everyone's rapt attention, including Gem. The amount of analysis and details that went into finding out this kind of knowledge must have been significant. He could see why everyone was pushing for him to go see Old Sam. On top of that, he was willing to bet money that Old Sam had a [Teacher] related skill allowing him to impart knowledge more effectively than a non-[Teacher].

"Skills are best described as what you 'do' and are affected by what you 'are'. Using our [Firemancer] example, they are provided Skills: Create Fire Mana and Fire Manipulation. Create Fire Mana sounds like what it is, it allows someone to Create Fire Mana which can then be used by Fire Manipulation to do something. An interesting aspect of this is if there's a large fire near our example [Firemancer], they won't need to Create any Fire Mana. They can simply pull it from the Fire itself and save on mana consumption. [Watermancer]s could, likewise, pull Water Mana from an existing water source nearby. Every class has their interesting intricacies that are always being expanded upon and explored. Keep this in mind as you start to develop and play with your newly selected skills."

"Our final topic will be a brief reminder about Passive and Active Skills. Passive Skills are permanent augments to other Skills or yourself. Some Passive Skills have a cost to them such as Mana Physique, which will permanently decrease your mana regeneration in trade for enhancing your physical body. Active Skills are effects produced to affect the environment around us. The famous Fireball Skill would be a perfect example of an Active Skill. For non-mana based Skills: Piercing Strike, Avoid, and Aim are perfect examples of Skills Actively placing your body perfectly to enact a desired effect."

"This concludes my review lecture on the topics of Classes, Attributes, and Skills. If you have any questions, please ask them during our 1-on-1 meeting or at a later date."

...

Once Old Sam concluded the lecture, Gem felt his intense focus finally break. A few hours had passed by without him even thinking about it. No sounds of battle could be heard from the city walls though there were still plenty of logistics personnel roaming the streets. The sense of urgency had subsided greatly and numerous parents were arriving in the park to receive their kids. Many of them had damaged battle-armor or a chipped sword hanging behind their back.

The surrounding teenagers went up to Old Sam and thanked him for the lecture, followed by leaving to go home. Gem and the other black card holders continued sit and await their 1-on-1 meeting with Old Sam. Occasionally, Gem would see the arrival of more "Hero's" fly in from the sky above before disappearing behind stone buildings and likely into the red outlined square.

He quickly moved his thoughts into a different direction as Old Sam finally turned to the remaining teenagers with a stern look placed on face.