Mikella sat cross-legged in the eternal white void that she had only been once, but apparently Zeke had been before when facing Alex’s final vestiges within Val’s soul.
It was a strange occurrence, but after everything she’s been through the past two years, she wasn’t surprised that this is where she ended up, especially for a Journeyman breakthrough.
The reason why she was having this discussion inside her head was because she was trying to distract herself from the sheer audacity this system had displayed towards her.
Mainly, the fact that out of all the racial options she could choose for her sub-race; Not a single one showed any race belonging to the fae, or even anything remotely magical based.
But apparently, the system deemed her perfect enough for every single beast variant this entire world of Tarial had to offer.
Her vision scanned at least more than a hundred options and then some flowing across a long light-blue list that was as physical as a tablet. Every single option would mention some variant of a beast, a werewolf being one of the options she was given.
After that were some amphibian choices like Lizardman, some interesting choices, like goblins and kobolds, and finally some pretty far out there choices, like arachne and lamias.
All of which had the same thing in common–none of them were pretty to look at.
If she was perfectly honest with herself, she didn’t pick one of the races belonging to the fae just for the magical nature of them. She wanted to choose something pretty like a fairy or an elven girl for the sole purpose of that–being pretty.
What’s wrong with a girl wanting to look pretty? She had nothing against Val who chose Tarasque, as that was a preferred path for her, but after seeing how pretty Myra was when she turned into a Fire Fairy, she wanted to be one herself.
There was no real reason for it. If she planned on becoming a race she’ll be stuck as for the rest of her life, she wanted something she can live with. Outside of the combat potential, which was also added into her planning for her journeyman advancement, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with wanting a sub-race that would make Clara look at her in shock and awe.
That’s right, she wanted to impress Clara with choosing a pretty race. If anyone has a problem with that, she would shove her sword right up their asses.
But now that dream of being a beautiful Journeywoman like Myra was crushed the moment the options revealed themselves. She kept scanning the list over and over, trying to read all of the options, but her hope waned for each second that passed after skimming through option after option. It eventually took a nosedive when she saw she could pick a squid-like monstrosity as her sub race.
She hung her head back, leaning on her buck-naked ass as she let out a harsh breath. Putting aside her terrible choices, she was going to have to pick one eventually. She can’t stay here forever. She was also afraid that whatever system mojo was being instilled into her after that horrible pain she went through would run out, forcing her to redo it all again to get back in here.
Or worse, made it so that she has to redo her hard work of the year to meet the journeymen requirements again. She can’t allow that to happen.
Reinvigorating herself, Mikella stared back at the list and made her decision. If she was going to pick a bestial race, then she’ll pick the strongest, the most powerful beastkin race she can have.
She surmised that her achievements and the way she trained herself proved that she at least had the potential to be more powerful regardless of her magical might. Mikella was sure that Zeke would have his own options for improving his magic, so she’ll do the same for her physical power. It wasn’t like her path directly relied on her magic, though she did wish she could keep using her magic as well as she had done so far.
So, flicking through the long list, she studied each option. She also had the great fortune of checking herself out on another body by making the system show what she would look like after previewing a race, just like in a video game.
Unfortunately, the system made it clear that these beastkin races would completely transform her body, and according to Val, it would take a long time for her body to slowly transform back into her human form. And even if she had some control, she would often return back to her race form before long.
Val had her Tarasque race because the only difference was the mouth that opens up to eat her enemies for power. When she changed, she put on a mask to avoid scaring others, but the fact that she became a Journeymen after going through the rough process of having a synthesized attunement tuned her out of the potential changes of her face, giving her enough time to settle and change her face back to her beautiful pristine self.
Mikella wasn’t entirely relying on her looks, but she didn’t want to scare Clara or Ana if she changed into some monstrosity. So she carefully previewed every race, making sure that they at least looked decent enough for a while before she can adjust herself appearance wise.
There were some good choices, some that didn’t absolutely turn her into some human-shaped monster, but she was disappointed at some of the options combat-wise.
For instance, the werewolf form that Zyler had. After checking out the preview and seeing herself, she was surprised at how… furry she was. She had the face of a female dog person like how one would see in a cartoon. And it didn’t look half-bad.
And as far as she knew, Clara didn't hate this kind of look. If she were to take a page out of Zeke’s book, this would be something the furries from the real world would drool over… though now that she got that into her mind, she winced at that.
But what actually changed her mind away from the werewolf form was the bonuses that came with it.
> Werewolf
>
> A beastkin race that prowls the night in search of prey. They have tough hides to defend themselves and sharp claws that could render steel. Leading the pack of wolves, the werewolf is a terror to be reckoned with.
>
> -For every Class level, the Werewolf gains +4 STR, +3 DEX, +2 VIT, and +1 END.
>
> -During the full moon, they gain +50 STR and +50 DEX, but they lose their sense of reason. At higher Class levels, they can keep their sense of reason.
>
> -Their Exclusive Skill can command a small pack of Dire Wolves if they are around the vicinity. At higher Class levels, they can increase the number of wolves.
It was an interesting bonus, to say the least. Her Class levels being responsible for the Sub-race features made sense, considering that the Class level represented Mikella as a whole rather than just her Class.
Though she was a bit disappointed at the bonuses. For instance, she knew that a sub-race can give more stat points per class level than this Werewolf race. She wasn’t putting down the power a Werewolf can bring, but she wanted something with a bit more oomph. She also wanted to have more Spirit and perhaps a bit of Intelligence, hence a class that solely increases her physical stats were pointless. She already had her own Class for that.
Then there were these two last bonuses. She didn’t like losing her reason for the same reason that it brought bad memories of losing herself in her Class Madness. The Exclusive Skill, a skill gained via their Sub-Race, was also disappointing as she was certain she would burn the wolves to a crisp when she goes around with her lightning magic. She can’t even defend herself from her own lightning–how could a mere Dire Wolf handle that?
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Everything about this sub-race just screams ‘no’ inside of her, so she quickly switched to another race. But no matter how often she found a race that she can work with appearance-wise, she didn’t like the bonuses they came with.
All of the bonuses, the stats gained via levels, were all directed towards the physical side, not the mental side. She grew more agitated, ignoring the looks entirely and just focusing on the bonuses, and even that proved useless.
Does the system think I’ll always be a damn brute no matter what? What does it think I am?!
Zeke had always told her that she had potential in being a mage. Even Cloud would remark that her magical control was getting better and better each day. She grew proud of that. She didn’t want to dismiss that even if she did prefer to fight with her sword.
Just like how a certain Runist started to love fighting with his fists–a certain Berserker started to love flinging lightning magic everywhere around her. It was addicting, something that Zeke understood very well.
But she was planning on giving up that dream when she spotted nothing but physical brutes for sub-races, until eventually she spotted a sub-race she didn’t think she would find.
> -Draconian
She looked back at her own self. Her very Class, Dragon Berserker, and her Class Skills. Even her Dragon Eyes, formerly called Hawk Eyes, flashed in her mind.
Without really thinking, she looked up the bonuses before even previewing it.
> Draconian
>
> A proud race of dragonkin that are extremely territorial. Anyone who dares invade their lands would be cut apart by their majestic might and magical prowess. They command the skies and the ground trembles before their overpowering will.
>
> -For every Class level, the Draconian gains +5 STR, +5 DEX, +5 INT, +5 SPI
>
> -A Draconian can fly to the skies with their own wings. The higher the Class levels, the wings become stronger and lessen their Stamina consumption.
>
> -Their Exclusive Skill can unleash a torrent of powerful magic against their enemies. The higher the Class levels, the stronger the skill becomes and the lesser the mana consumption.
Everything about this race screamed that it was perfect for her. No matter how it looked, no matter how it felt–this was the class for her. More importantly than that, even more important than its awesome Exclusive Skill and the perfect amount of stats gained per level–
She could have wings. She could fly.
Without hesitation, not even caring about how it would look through a preview, she chose the race.
Then, pain returned to her senses once again.
*****
Zeke had a difficult choice ahead of him. He considered every single race he was offered, however small in range it was, and narrowed it down to two choices.
> -Spectral Elf
>
> -Soul Elf
In all honesty, through the preview, none of the two stood out. There were the iconic pointy ears and the obvious sense of magic whirling around their bodies, but that was that.
And they couldn't be anymore similar to each other aside from the naming sense. The thing that differentiates them the most were the bonuses.
> Spectral Elf
>
> An elven race that lived for centuries, traveling across the planes of existence and non-existence to find their homes. Their magical might are impressive, but what is more impressive is their will to survive.
>
> -For every Class Level, the Spectral Elf gains +2 DEX, +5 INT, +3 SPI, +4 VIT
>
> -A Spectral Elf can impose themselves into the non-dimensional planes, turning their bodies non-existent for a short time. The higher the Class Levels, the longer one can spend in non-existence.
>
> -Their Exclusive Skill can send someone of their choosing into the non-existential planes. They can also choose to let them live with the same blessing, or perish within the planes. The higher the Class Levels, the stronger the being one can send into the planes.
If Zeke was a betting man, he would pour all of his money on this race being a pretty frightening race. It was no wonder there were no records of Spectral Elves no matter how much Zeke studied. If they lived in the non-existential planes, the dimensions that somehow co-exist alongside the different dimensions that are tacked onto Tarial–there was no way anyone with any common skills could find them.
Especially their Exclusive Skill. If any of the Spectral Elves get pissed off, they can just yeet that someone into the planes and leave them there to die. It was a pretty potent skill, though Zeke could tell that with his current level and power, he can’t send any powerful Master-rank bosses into the planes, only the smaller, probably more annoying types. Also, he was pretty damn sure it was the kind of skill that wouldn't help give him any XP, because there is no way a skill can be that overpowered without any drawbacks.
It was a pretty tempting race, and yet…
> Soul Elf
>
> Soul elves are beings loved by the mana itself. Their magical prowess surpass long-lived mages by the time of their birth. Only when pressed will the Soul Elf fight. Only when in danger will the Soul Elf reveal their true power.
>
> -For every Class Level, the Soul Elf gains +3 DEX, +3 INT, +7 SPI, +7 END.
>
> -A Soul Elf can use the mana in their surroundings to cast magic. The higher the Class Level, the more mana they can use outside of themselves.
>
> -Their Exclusive Skill can unleash a powerful blast of condensed mana at their enemies should things go awry. The higher the Class level, the more powerful the blast and the lesser the mana consumption.
These choices were difficult to pick apart. On the one hand, the Soul Elf is clearly powerful in terms of stat bonuses, but the latter bonuses are a little underpowered compared to the Spectral Elf.
On the other hand, the Spectral Elf is incredibly powerful under the right circumstances, their abilities to phase through different planes can really hit hard when fighting powerful opponents, and their last-ditch effort to yeet their enemies to nothingness couldn’t be put aside.
They were incredible choices, definitely better than the run-of-the-mill variant races he checked up for the past hour or so. But he can only choose one, and he had to make a choice.
So when faced with a question that puts his path at a fork in the road, he would look up to a senior he had made friends with over the year.
It wasn’t Cloud, Val, or even Zacharia–Instead, it was the lord Zyler of Bastion. Their former enemy now turned ally through an alliance that both consented to.
His father tried to force him to be a mage for his own ego, but his failure to raise him only compounded the fact that Zyler just liked to fight like a brawler rather than a mage. Before he realized this, he failed completely as a mage, preferring to just blitz through enemy lines than to carefully conjure spells at the right timing like his father.
One thing that Zyler would say to all those struggling with their decisions for their path had immediately stuck to him.
“Always do what you want to fucking do!”
It was a bit crude, as expected of Zyler, but truer words couldn't be better said. So what did Zeke wanted to do?
He wanted to help people. No matter how much he likes to fight now, in the end, what mattered to him the most was to be the support for his allies. To take care of his loved ones and to protect them no matter what.
That had always been his motto, his go-to when things go dark. So when he answered that question with his motto, there was really only one choice to choose.
“Guess I’ll be a Soul Elf,” Zeke casually said, making a life-changing decision with a shrug as he accepted the race change.
*****
When the pain finally ceased, his eyes opened to find himself surrounded in disgusting bile and gunk–probably from his own body. His vision was blurry, and his muscles felt like jelly that can’t even move. Thankfully, he didn’t have to literally wallow in his own filth as the circle began to glow. All the bile on the ground and surrounding him started to vanish.
They were being eradicated, mostly because he could feel the fiery sensation burning him alive. But contrary to the pain he just went through, this was just a visit to the hot sauna as he was more thankful for the gross bile being burned away to cinders. The stench, unfortunately, persisted as the dust slowly convened and gathered around, filtered through the wards around the room.
Even after being conscious of all that, he still couldn’t move, and his vision was still a mess. He thought he was going to feel powerful, but in actuality, he felt even worse than the time he got initialized by the system.
He groaned, still unable to move. But in a moment or two, he managed to move his hand across his chest and lower body, wanting to feel that his limbs were still attached. Thankfully, they were, and even more surprising, he felt nothing but sculpted muscle and firm skin.
“It was a success,” He heard Cloud say, though his hearing was ringing from all the pain he went through. “And it looks like you made your choice. How does it feel?”
“...Like shit.”
Zeke said, though he really should’ve picked a better word than that. He could still smell it.