Jason was really confused. He thought to himself about all the possible scenarios of what was happening. Perhaps this was some kind of lucid dream. Did he hit his head hard on something? Maybe he was still dreaming. I mean, today was too good to be true. Jason said “Hello?" And then the system prompt disappeared. Suddenly, everything went bright white, to the point that it hurt his eyes. Instinctively, he closed his eyes and screamed in pain, suddenly hearing his voice again. When he opened his eyes, everything was blurry, like when someone suddenly wakes you up. He could see the rough outlines of his hands and feet, and that's when he realised he was naked.
Jason quickly covered himself up with his hands instinctively. Strangely, he didn't feel cold or hot. It was the perfect temperature, and he couldn't fault it. Suddenly, he heard a robotic voice behind him say, "Welcome, Jason Hayes." He quickly turned around and saw a floating grey orb with intricate lines running on its surface. He questioned it, "What am I doing here?" The orb replied in a robotic voice, "Your universe has finally met the required number of participants to join the multiverse." Jason was confused, still thinking this was some sort of lucid dream.
He asked the orb calmly. “What happened to everyone else?” It replied they are going through their introduction at this point, Jason asked will I see them again, and the orb responded yes you will after the introduction. Jason blew a sigh of relief, and asked “So what happens now,” the orb responded, “Please check your status screen.” Jason responded with "How do I do that?” The orb responded with “Everything pertaining to the System interface is controlled through your thoughts so you just have to open your status mentally, humans find it easier to do this by imagining themselves saying status mentally.”
Jason said, "Status," and an interface appeared in front of him, displaying the following information:
Name: Jason Hayes
Level:0
Moniker: N/A
Race: Human (F)
Class: N/A
Profession: N/A
Titles: N/A
Vitality: 8
Stamina: 6
Mana: 6
Strength: 6
Intelligence: 4
Perception: 3
Agility: 3
Luck: 4
Available points: 0
Skills: N/A
Jason was confused about what the system meant by "Class" and "Profession." His profession was a doorman, or should he say building manager now, but he guessed that's not what the system was referring to.
He then asked the orb if it was the system itself, and the orb quickly responded, stating that it was a part of the system but only a very small part with limited knowledge. Its sole task was to assist before returning to the system. Jason became even more confused but decided to focus on his stats instead. He asked the orb about the "F" next to "Human" in his race, and the orb explained that it represented his race rank. "F" was the lowest ranking in the multiverse, indicating the bare minimum required to join the system. Curious, Jason asked if there was a "G" rank, but this time the orb remained silent, leaving him without an answer.
Jason then inquired about the stat distribution and whether it was the same for everyone. The orb replied, explaining that for F-rank humans, the maximum number of points allocated at integration into the system was 50. Jason having 40 points was considered well above average. This news brought some satisfaction to Jason, as he considered himself the epitome of average. He had an average appearance, an average face and average grades in school. The only aspect he believed was above average was his physique. He had a well-built body with considerable muscle in both his upper and lower body, although he did have some unwanted fat in areas like his chest and stomach.
Feeling the pressure of the 10-minute time limit, Jason turned his attention to the prompt that appeared before him. The orb had informed him that he must choose a class, and he was presented with four options: warrior, rogue, mage, and healer. Curious if more choices were available, Jason asked the orb about the possibility of additional classes.
The orb confirmed that these were the only primary classes available at the moment. However, it explained that after selecting a main class, he would have the option to pick a subclass that deviated from the main one. For example, if he chose the warrior class, he could then specialise further, opting for a heavy warrior focused on tanking at the expense of speed or a light warrior emphasising speed while sacrificing defence. The sub-classes offered a way to customize and fine-tune his abilities based on his preferences and playstyle. He then asked the orb “What subclasses are there for the other classes?” To which he got nothing.
Jason pondered his options and thought about what he wanted. Looking at his stats Jason should pick the warrior class but it didn’t feel right to him, Jason was an introvert, he didn’t have any friends apart from his brother and Alex, if you could even count that, and didn’t like going out he just hung out at home playing games, and a warrior was all about getting up close and personal.
So Jason picked the only class that seemed logical for him. Jason turned to the orb and said, "I think I'll choose the mage class."
The orb acknowledged his decision, and a new prompt asked him to confirm his choice. Jason took a deep breath and pressed the button to confirm his selection. As he did, a surge of energy flowed through him, and he felt a connection with the mage class.
With the main class chosen, the orb asked if he would like to select a subclass, to which Jason nodded. Displaying the available sub-classes. Jason was presented with three options: Sorcerer, Elementalist, and Warlock. Each subclass had its unique abilities and playstyle.
Jason, for some inexplicable reason, felt an undeniable pull towards the Warlock class, as if it were his only true choice. Without hesitation, he selected the Warlock subclass, discovering instinctively that it focused on dark magic and the manipulation of shadows.
As he decided, an intense surge of dark energy enveloped him, solidifying his connection with the Warlock subclass.
The orb congratulated him on his choices, and suddenly, he heard a distinctive "ding," instantly recognising it as a system notification. He effortlessly accessed it through his mind, revealing his stat page and titles he had acquired:
Name: Jason Hayes
Level:0
Moniker: N/A
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Race: Human (F)
Class: Mage
Subclass: Warlock (Epic)
Profession: N/A
Titles:
Mage: +10 Intelligence, +10 Mana
Warlock: +15 Intelligence, +15 Mana, +2 Vitality
Stats:
Vitality: 10
Stamina: 4
Mana: 31
Strength: 6
Intelligence: 29
Perception: 3
Agility: 3
Luck: 4
Dark affinity: 10
Available Points: 0
Skills: N/A
As the titles appeared on his status screen, Jason couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement and satisfaction. He knew he had made the right decision in choosing the Warlock subclass. The additional bonuses to his intelligence, mana, and vitality made him confident in his choice. Jason briefly wondered what dark affinity was and why it was at 10, but quickly let the thought leave his mind.
He was relieved that he had picked a subclass in general because he surmised that he wouldn't have received those extra buffs otherwise. He thought about the other people in their introductions who hadn't chosen a subclass and felt sorry for them. However, he reminded himself of the harsh reality. It's a cruel world, where you must look after yourself because nobody else will do it for you.
After reflecting on this, Jason asked the orb about the remaining time and what would happen next. The orb responded by instructing him to open his inventory, where he should have received clothes. It also reminded him that he only had 5 minutes remaining.
Jason mentally said "inventory," and an interface appeared with the word "inventory" at the top middle, followed by tiny squares filled with various items. He noticed that the bottom right corner showed 10/10 capacity. He focused on the pants and was presented with two options: "equip" and "take out." Jason mentally chose "equip," and the pants appeared on him seamlessly, as if they had always been there. He repeated the process for the fingerless gloves, boots, and robe, all of which were black and had a simple yet sleek design. Finally, he felt relieved to have some clothes on him.
He then examined the other items in his inventory and discovered a sword, a dagger, and a bow, accompanied by red, blue, and green liquids respectively stored in glass flasks. He wasn't sure what these items were for, but he started contemplating his next steps. Finally, after all this time, he thought to himself, "Where am I going?"
The orb responded, saying, "You will be heading to the tutorial zone where everything will be explained. Are you ready to go, or do you need more time?" Jason replied, "No, I'm ready to go, but I have one question. Are these liquids and clothing just regular items, or do they have special properties?" The orb replied, "When you arrive at the tutorial zone, you will receive two passive skills: 'Identify' and 'Polyglot.' With that, a prompt appeared on the screen, indicating 4 minutes on the clock. It asked, "Would you like to proceed to the tutorial area?" Jason was confused about what the orb meant but left it alone and pressed accept.
Another bright flash of light engulfed Jason, but this time he closed his eyes in anticipation. Yet, the intense light still caused a sharp pain when he opened his eyes again. Unfortunately, he couldn't see anything. It was pitch black, but he could feel the presence of his hands and a gentle breeze caressing his body.
Jason's attention was immediately drawn to a notification from the system. He eagerly opened it and discovered that he had acquired two skills: "Identify" (Common) and "Polyglot" (Common). These skills were expected, but what surprised him were the two new titles he had gained. The first title was "Forerunner," which granted a +5% bonus to all his stats. Jason was weirded out about the percentage as it gave practically nothing.
Jason couldn't help but wonder what this all meant. He knew it had something to do with combat. After all, who equips someone with dangerous weapons and magic without expecting them to use it? Surprisingly, Jason looked forward to the upcoming challenges and couldn't quite explain why.
Jason's curiosity was piqued as he noticed the second title he had gained: "Warlock of Beginnings." It caught him off guard, as he had not anticipated such a title. It seemed confusing and didn't make immediate sense to him. However, he had a newfound skill at his disposal; it was like it was always there. He used the new skill "Identify," which allowed him to gather more information about items or titles. With this in mind, he focused on the title and mentally activated the skill. A prompt appeared, providing a description: "Be the first warlock to enter your tutorial zone." This shed some light on the meaning behind the title, suggesting that Jason held a unique position as a warlock within the tutorial zone.
Jason pondered over the absence of titles for being the first mage or the first human in the tutorial zone. After some thought, he realised the simple answer: he wasn't the first. Others had already arrived at the tutorial zone before him, claiming those titles. Jason understood that he had joined the system later, and as a result, he forfeited those titles.
If Jason thought about it, he could imagine people panicking like crazy and trying to leave the introduction. But then, he thought back to what the orb said. They had to pick a class, so they would have chosen a class without bothering to select a subclass or even inquire about it. They simply chose to leave, unaware they were being sent to the tutorial zone.
Jason finally gathered his thoughts and rechecked the title: "Warlock of Beginnings: +10% intelligence, +10% mana, +10% vitality, +5 inventory capacity." Jason was confused by the percentages again, as they seemed to offer little in terms of tangible benefits.
Jason kept thinking about the title, and the modest bonuses it provided, he realised that while the percentages may seem small at first glance, they would likely have a more significant impact as he progressed. Every bit of improvement, no matter how minor, could make a difference in the long run.
And with that Jason was satisfied, he did nothing and got all these bonuses he even got some cool looking clo……, and that's when he realised he should probably identify his clothes.
Gloves of the Novice Mage (Common): +10 mana, +10 intelligence, Self-Repair
Boots of the Novice Mage (Common): +10 mana, +10 intelligence, Self-Repair
Pants of the Novice Mage (Common): +10 mana, +10 intelligence, Self-Repair
Robes of the Novice Warlock (Uncommon): +30 intelligence, +20 mana, +10 vitality, Self-Repair
The gear now indicates that it has a self-repair feature, ensuring that Jason's equipment will automatically mend itself over time, he identified the self-repair enchantment and it stated that it needed mana to repair itself. It automatically took the mana from surrounding areas, maintaining its durability without the need for external repairs or enhancements.
Jason was thrilled to find this out because if he's out there fighting, god knows what, and his clothes get destroyed, they will just heal themselves back together. Jason thought momentarily about the possibility of wearing other pieces of clothing from another class. What if he wore tanky armour as a mage? But he quickly shot it down because he thought it was a stupid idea. He would be forfeiting valuable stats for other stats he didn’t need. And with all that out of the way, Jason checked his stats.
Name: Jason Hayes
Level:0
Moniker: N/A
Race: Human (F)
Class: Mage
Subclass: Warlock (Epic)
Profession: N/A
Titles:
Forerunner: +5% to all stats
Warlock of Beginnings: +10% intelligence, +10% mana, +10% vitality, +5 inventory capacity
Mage: +10 to intelligence, +10 to mana
Warlock: +15 intelligence, +15 mana, +2 vitality
Vitality: 24
Stamina: 4
Mana: 99
Strength: 6
Intelligence: 92
Perception: 3
Agility: 3
Luck: 4.2
Skills:
Identify (Common)
Polyglot (Common)
Jason felt content with his current stats, appreciating the benefits he gained without much effort. However, he couldn't help but question how his stats compared to others. He thought over the mechanics of his stats and how they would affect his journey.