Niven made up his mind and chose [R][Weaponmaster].
While it was in many ways the best out of a whole host of bad options, it wasn’t particularly disappointing.
Such a class was quite fitting for his current situation, although he wasn’t too fond of being even more inextricably linked to Apollyon. It was also the one which needed the least amount of acclimation. Niven felt that it was better for him to get used to Apollyon at present, than it was to learn an entirely new way to use the System. At least, that was how his current priorities looked.
As things settled down, he'd probably be willing to me more adventurous, but for now, his partner was plenty enough as it was.
However, there was a minor hope in his heart for this class to turn the tide. From the skills, it could be seen that weapon master was a reflection of one’s mastery over the fighting styles of numerous and varied weapons. Yet, to some extent, it could also be seen as someone who was lorded over weaponry.
A master of weapons, so to speak. If he worked around such a definition, maybe such a pivot point will occur that shifts his class - maybe even in the next rank up - towards that end.
Admittedly, it was a pretty large stretch to say so, and he knew full well that it was nigh impossible for him to twist any class in the early Tiers into even any semblance of control over Apollyon, it was at least a vain hope that allowed him to fantasize about the future.
But he also knew not to put all his hopes on it, and to only leave a seed that had the possibility of sprouting.
His contact with Apollyon had made him rather wary of things that existed so high above him. Something like the System that he used to trust unconditionally suddenly seemed foreign. Something external. A tool just like Apollyon professed itself to be. Thus, there was no need to hinge his freedom on it, just leaving it as an aside that would become a happy accident if proven true. It was better to plant more seeds than it was to bet everything on the fruits of a single one.
Perhaps that was Apollyon's objective in the first place. To indoctrinate within him a paranoia of all things outside his control, but Niven couldn’t help but feel that its words made sense.
Previously, as it said, he had dealt with the System through blind ignorance. It worked because he followed the path everyone else had walked countless times before him. A path already blazed and proven safe. Yet it foredoomed him to a life of mediocrity, as he did not know why it was safe. Thus, he could never maximize the value. Therefore, he could never ask why. Or rather, could never meaningfully ask why.
As such, he was in agreement that it was indeed better to know more than to approach things blindly.
Finishing up his thoughts, Niven stated his decision, “I choose [Weaponmaster].”
『Are you certain? We could always wait and see if anything new pops up.』Apollyon suggested. It always offered up other options after he made up his mind, making Niven constantly question his decisions, but as much as it disrupted his flow, he wasn’t annoyed by it voicing its thoughts. That was a rather welcome trait, to be sure. Although he would prefer if it did so earlier.
This time, he’d already thought of its proposal beforehand and knew what to say, “No, it’s good enough for me. There’s no need to delay any longer. You’ve told me that it’s difficult to meet the requirements to change classes. I saw what achievements were necessary to get the options I was shown. The amount of people trapped at tier 0 is also enough of an indication that I’ll also be stuck for a good while.”
Although the people he could contact were in the lower echelons of society, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He understood through them the importance of climbing the ladder… and how much effort and luck was required to do so.
That kind of knowledge was what made him snap at the opportunity to jump classes and join the army. Becoming a veteran was a straightforward way to climb the ranks, and there was an established system of promotion from within if he strived for more - although the latter wasn’t something he held much hope for.
It was one thing to be offered a better position. It was another thing entirely for him to hold onto it with his meager accumulation.
Apollyon seemed pleased with his choice.『I see. Indeed, it will do you well to keep this mentality. Constant progress can keep misfortune at more manageable levels. Well, I suppose you want to know how to actually perform a rank up, right? It’s simple, really. Just say, ‘Initiate rank up ; From: Class - Soldier ; To: Class - Weaponmaster ; Load Speed = 10 U(nified) B(its) Per S(ystem) S(econd)’ and it’ll infuse the information onto you.』
Niven repeated the words, “Initiate rank up, from class soldier to class weaponmaster, load speed equal to ten UB per SS.”
He was rather used to the disjointed way Apollyon had given for him to communicate with the System. Niven actually quite appreciated such a way of contact. It was straightforward, removing any and all flowery prose that made understanding more difficult than it really had any right to be.
If only everyone talked like this. It would save him a lot of effort. Hell, he would even take just Apollyon adopting such a manner of speech.
Like last time, a blue screen appeared before him, indicating his success.
Node ∎∎ Received: Request: Tier 1 Rank Up / Class: Weaponmaster / Checking Requirements = Met
Processing…
Complete…
Deleting [Soldier].zip
Starting Download [Weaponmaster].zip
Niven first felt a wave of loss.
Right… If I become a weaponmaster, I need to first remove my current class. I’m no longer a [Soldier].
That means the skills… and the stats?
The process was not instant. Niven himself conveyed that limiter. He guessed that it was because doing everything in an instant was beyond what he was able to handle. But, the gradual decay… Feeling the power conferred to him being stripped away was not a particularly pleasant feeling.
There was a growing phantom of what once was. He could feel the pathways that used to exist shrink, along with the points on the other end disappearing.
The midpoint between full deletion… empty roads connected to nothing. Connections meaning nothing.
The only thing that compared was when he experienced that miserable state where his legs were completely paralyzed. Back when, he could feel himself telling himself to move, yet was met with no response.
He would really have preferred to not have been reminded of that moment where he was most helpless during what should have been a celebration of his greatest achievement thus far. No matter how one looked at it, ranking up was considered an honor. Back in his home city, entire festivals were even held to congratulate the event for those influential enough. The festivities were so grand that they even extended to his social circles, allowing him to eat to his heart's content.
Yet there was nothing he could do about this. A lesson instilled within him by Apollyon was that borrowed power could just as easily be taken away. It was a rather straightforward statement, and it hasn’t overtly lied about anything yet.
It was a fact that nothing about his status was truly owned by him.
Maybe his general skills could be considered his, but even then, it was achieved through his resonance with the System. Maybe only his baseline knowledge, which could be considered the root of those general skills, counted.
『That face. You lost your class skills, right?』Apollyon asked. Its tone was different from the times he’d suffered a loss before. This time, it was almost comforting. It continued empathetically,『The System is a giant whose shoulder you can borrow to see farther… but you cannot become enchanted. During the time you have your class skills, you need to familiarize yourself enough to turn them into something that could become a general skill the second you lose them.』
Niven nodded. But that was not what he had done. Nor was it even something he could have done. It wasn’t something he had considered, and he didn’t even have the first step towards doing so.
Such a mentality could even be considered alien. Everyone else knew to be grateful for the System and never questioned why things worked the way they did. That was not to say Niven felt he deserved more, just that he didn’t think it needed to be venerated to the point where nothing was questioned.
Niven was starting to see things Apollyon’s way. Powerful things beyond his understanding should not be shied away from.
All things could be utilized and leveraged with sufficient knowledge.
[Soldier].zip Deletion Complete.
[Weaponmaster].zip Starting Installation.
“Status”. This marked the halfway point
Name: Niven
Title: Giant Slayer
Total Level: 10
Mana: 1004 / 1004
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Age: 19
Race: Human
Racial Skill(s):
[F][Adaptive]:
[F][Quick Learner]:
Main Class: None
Skills: None
General Skills:
[D][Reading]:
[F][Sewing]:
[F][Endurance]:
[F][Keen Vision]:
[F][Mana Channeling]:
General Attributes:
Strength: 16
Constitution: 20
Dexterity: 15
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 11
Charisma: 5
Temporary Skills:
[U][Library]
[U][Camouflage]
[U][Storage]
Special Attributes:
Luck: -10
Condition: None
The stripping of his old class hadn’t changed Niven as much as he had expected. In fact, it could be said that the feeling of loss was wholly disproportionate to the status before him.
“I didn’t lose any stats. In fact, I gained some. How did that happen?” Niven was rather confused about this. He felt a slight increase in mental clarity, but it wasn't all too noticeable. It was like the difference between getting adequate sleep and a lot of sleep. A nice addition, all things considered, but nothing groundbreaking.
『Offloading the previous class does not take away the Pts / LVL. Just as adding a new class does not retroactively calculate its new Pts / LVL according to your previous levels. It is the information you accumulated over the course of using the class. Why would changing a tool have any effect on the muscles you built, or memories gained while using it?』
“So I only lost…”
『The -3 Int and -3 Wis that the imperfect inauguration into the [Soldier] class provided. I suppose it’s rather good. Clearing up garbage data. There’s a lot of clutter that goes into so-called ‘streamlined’ processes you sign yourselves off to when you trust others for the process.』
“Is that so… I always thought that it was just a price of power. I broke even after level 7.” The loss of skills didn’t seem as bad. Even though [Phalanx] was nice, [Combat Sense] was coming back with [Weaponmaster]. Trading 6 total stats for a skill that was only useful when paired with others that also had it was a worthy trade, all things considered. Especially since class skills didn’t impart any stats of their own.
『Dedicated classes that connect to the System… are rather messy in the early stages. Most of those that choose such a path are deluded zealots that have no idea what they’re even doing. The fact that what they offer can change so drastically with their level means that there is ample room for such improvement.』
『So long as they have not become an [Administrator], even if they are as devout to the System as one can be, it means you are getting a subpar, watered down result.』
“But it's safe.” Niven commented. Aside from the reduction in his stats, he was able to get the class. It was a lot more than he could have hoped for in any other scenario. If he accidentally touched upon what Apollyon had directed him to do, without any of the safeguards it taught him…
It was likely he would have died or become mentally impaired.
『Indeed. It is safer than what we did. Classes like those exist for a reason. They are a filter. What you received when you became a [Solder] was a filtered perspective of what a [Soldier] is from the lens of someone else. Impure and tainted with their bias of what it means to be a soldier. The fact that you got such a harsh penalty to your mental stats means they looked down on that class from the bottom of their heart.』 Apollyon ridiculed.
Then it asked,『Did you ever find out what level they were?』
“I don’t know. I never thought to ask. I don’t think they’d tell me even if I did, though.”
At the time, he had just been so excited about finally obtaining a class that other things were simply out of mind. Plus, people that could confer a class were rightly in high positions and someone like him could never determine their details. His contact with Bishop Ripley totaled a few minutes, the only words outside the process of gaining a class was a tired sentence of congratulations.
Even then, he knew that they were simply going through the motions, but knowing what he knew now, maybe they were only barely holding back the contempt they had for him after being forced to give classes to commoners.
Though it didn’t really matter. Niven couldn’t even hold it against him, either. He’d been told that preparatory classes, as Tier 0 was described, would bring about a short-term weakness and he had consented to it. Nothing about what he had received or given up had been a surprise.
It made sense to him.
If one wanted to get better at something, they needed to forsake others.
The [Soldier] class would give 1 stat to Str, Con, or Dex randomly as he leveled up. Anything he lost would be made up for with time.
And, most importantly, it wasn’t like he could join if he were to remain classless.
“So you mean weaponmaster won’t have any penalties?”
『Of course. It might even give you a boost if you’re lucky.』 Apollyon commented.
He looked at his luck stat. He was a little speechless. Was it making a joke? There was no way it didn’t know their current situation. Niven replied blandly, “So you mean I won’t be getting anything, either.”
Perhaps not expecting such a reaction, it choked,『Alright, maybe that wasn’t the best choice of words. Whether you get anything extra doesn’t depend on your luck. Anything directly involving the System is beyond that, really.』
Cherishing the small victory in his heart, Niven continued asking, “Then why didn’t it tell me upfront?” It would have really helped him to know these things. While it wouldn’t have really factored into his decision, as the other classes were massive red flags, it was better to know what he would get.
Although that might have just been him being impatient. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t see the change immediately after being conferred the class.
『Because it’s not something inherent in the class.』 Apollyon explained, 『And it was shown, though indirectly. It depends on your affinity. Maybe your base information is more in line with the class, so it’s able to demonstrate a higher compatibility. Did you notice how only Weaponmaster’s affinity was not artificial?』
“So I made the correct choice unknowingly?” Niven asked. It was something he had seen but didn’t regard as something too important. At least to his understanding, all of his classes were the result of Apollyon, so in a way, all their affinities were artificial. Though it seemed [Weaponmaster] was something that he was innately attuned to.
『There are no correct choices, only the best one given the information currently known. Who knows? Maybe [Starchild] was correct in the long term. It is said that the more pairs of eyes the better. If you muddied the waters a little more, you could perhaps jump out of our binding contract.』 It teased.
“I often don’t know if you’re being serious or if you’re making a joke at my expense.” Niven stared at Apollyon blankly. He knew by now that it derived amusement from his discomfort, so the best response was to simply take what it said at face value. Every time it recommended him a way out, he was given the choice of a pit even deeper than their relationship.
Goading him towards these extremes seemed to run counter to its goal of developing slowly to give itself time to recuperate, but maybe by giving these outlandish suggestions it made itself seem more palatable in comparison.
『I’m not joking. It’s a verified way of escaping the web of a [Detached] entity. I have proven it myself. Every one of them is omniscient, so in essence, your existence is bound by fate from the moment you draw one of their gazes. All roads collapse into one. The only way out is to draw the eyes of another being of similar immensity.』 Apollyon said, as if explaining a simple concept,『While I cannot compare to something like the System, to you, I might as well be.』
“What is [Detachment]?” Niven had heard it once, but only received a curt reply that he was not ready. Maybe now it was more willing to open up?
『Something very far from you. And me. Beings beyond Tier 10, by the System’s definition. Each possessing a certain facet of infinity. Limitless! Omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient!』 It enunciated with fervor.
Niven felt that his partner was not quite as calm and collected as it presented itself. There was a certain madness that it hid beneath that logical exterior, and he was only now getting a glimpse of that. Detachment seemed to be that trigger. The last time it acted out of character was also because the topic was in relation to that word it aspired towards so desperately.
He felt that he should remember this. It was perhaps the only time it truly demonstrated its genuine self to Niven. He guessed that it was because Apollyon felt that they were both equally small in the face of such a concept - [Detachment].
At least Niven had no way of wrapping his head on such a thing.
『So understand. The road is long and there is so much to do. Don’t die so quickly. There is much to look forward to.』
As if on cue, Niven received another reminder, as well as an end to that feeling of continuously welling strength. He knew from this what that System prompt was saying before he even read it, but he turned to look at it anyway.
[Weaponmaster].zip Download Completed.
Disconnecting from Node ∎∎.
“Status”
Name: Niven
Title: Giant Slayer:
+1 Str, +1 Con,
Up to 10% extra damage against higher level enemies, capping at 50 levels.
Total Level: 10
Mana: 1004 / 1004
Age: 19
Race: Human
Racial Skill(s):
[D][Adaptive]: F + D = Able to be change in relation to environmental factors (Physical)
[D][Quick Learner]: F = Open to change (Mental).
D = EXP gain * 20%
Main Class: Weaponmaster
Skills:
[F][Mastery]:
F = Intuitively grasps battle rhythm when switching weapons
[F][Combat Sense]:
F = Enters shallow concentration when fighting, can be overloaded
General Skills:
[D][Reading]: +1 Int, +1 Wis,
F = 5% Increased Reading Speed.
D = 10% more Memorized when Reading.
[F][Sewing]:
+1 Dex, +1 Int
F = Intuition when Sewing
[F][Endurance]:
+1 Con,
F = Stamina consumed while running - 5%
[F][Keen Vision]:
+1 Dex,
F = 5% Clearer sight
[F][Mana Channeling]:
+1 Int,
F = Gateway to magic
General Attributes:
Strength: 17
Constitution: 22
Dexterity: 17
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 11
Charisma: 5
Temporary Skills:
[U][Library]:
Refer to Apollyon
[U][Camouflage]:
Refer to Apollyon
[U][Storage]:
Refer to Apollyon
Special Attributes:
Luck: -10
Condition: None