Erin walked into her empty apartment. As usual, her older brother wasn't there. He was probably running around with that gang of his. She sighed as she collapsed onto the couch. School was as irritating as it always was. She didn't mind the classes too much, as she enjoyed some of them, even if they weren't very relevant to the world she lived in.

But as always, the bullies were relentless. Orphan. Spawn of villains. Loner.

But none of that matters anymore, because tonight, I'll be chosen.

Every single person on the planet was chosen at seven in the night on their 18th birthday. Upon being chosen, there were three options. Either you joined specialized governmental institutions to train your abilities and serve the System, or you stuck to your regular life while working constantly to pay the opt-out fee, or if you were feeling particularly rebellious, you could join a gang, like Erin's brother Max and work live as a criminal to be captured or killed on sight by the Enforcers while still serving the System. The System didn't care which you chose.

Erin was no rebel, but she didn't want to sit back and accept her life either. After putting her school bag at home, she grabbed the duffel bag she'd prepared ahead of time and headed to the nearby library, which was almost empty around this time.

Thank god my 18th birthday is earlier than most. I can finally get out of this hell. I'll go as high as I can, higher than anyone else. So high that no one will dare take anything of mine ever again.

Flashes of the past came to her mind. Flashing cameras that blinded her. Being held tightly by her brother, his grip on her hand on the verge of causing her pain. Giving an innocent answer, unaware of the consequences that would follow.

With a deep breath, she let the memories flow past her. She checked her watch and counted down.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

And then, the notification arrived.

Congratulations. You have reached the eligible age to work for the System. If you do not wish to participate, click here to pay the requisite points. Otherwise, press the start button to continue.

Points were the currency of the world with the System, but paying the fee wasn't an option Erin was even considering. Without a second thought, she pressed the start button.

Immediately, the System showed her all the information, most of which she was familiar with. The first option was to choose the class.

There were seven of them: Alchemists, Berserkers, Manipulators, Mages, Healers, Communicators, and Oracles. Alchemists had the ability to combine objects to create different products. They were useful, particularly at higher levels, but the things they could create were based on arbitrary rules determined by the System that no one fully understood.

Berserkers were those who enhanced the physical body. Useful in straightforward fights, but without much flexibility, and they had a tendency to lose control, hence the name.

Manipulators were those who manipulated particular things, varying from something as simple as water to as complex as weather. They could even manipulate abstract concepts, but those were rare. There were several issues with this class. First, the more powerful options like weather manipulation also tended to be borderline unusable at early levels. Second, while the variety of options were beneficial, it also meant that there were many junk options, and whether anything good was available was largely based on luck. And lastly, manipulators could only utilize the specific option they chose.

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Mages were those who used innate magical energy to cast spells. The main strength of this class was the sheer flexibility. There were spells to do pretty much anything, and there were only two limiting factors, one's magical energy and one's skill at carting spells. Mages were on the weak side early on, but as they levelled up, the possibilities increased exponentially.

Healers, as the name indicated, could heal. A very important and useful support class.

Communicators were those who could access and utilize the communication network used by the System. A important support class for coordination and planning, but it wasn't very popular.

And lastly, there were the Oracles, those who could see into the future.

Erin carefully considered her options, but only one option really stuck out to her. With a deep breath, she chose the Manipulator class.

I need the strength to defend myself, the flexibility to deal with a variety of situations, a role that doesn't put me right on the front lines in combat, and one that lets me and gather and use my pawns. This is the only one that fits.

With that choice made, Erin began to scroll through the available options, but what she saw made her doubt herself.

Manipulator of gusts, manipulator of Coke, manipulator of shit?! Why are all these options so weird?

Just as she was about to lose hope, she found a viable option.

Manipulator of cards. This can work. It's more flexible than one would expect, and I can start using it right away. It's not perfect, but it's good enough.

Witb a sigh, she turned her attention to the final step, deciding how to split her stat points. She had a total of 10 points to add to her base stats.

STRENGTH: 2

DEXTERITY: 3

MAGICAL ENERGY: 0 +3

PROCESSING: 4 +1

CHARISMA: 2

DURABILITY: 3

PERCEPTION: 4

Hmm. While the system is fair in that the extra stat points it gives are the same in each class regardless of the person, my physical abilities aren't that great right now, and that's reflected in my stats. Maybe I should have trained more. Well, nevermind that. From what I know, the plus signs represent the class bonus. I suppose it makes sense. You need magical energy to use even other class abilities. Processing seems to be have quickly the brain operates, and I get a class bonus since I'm connected to other objects, I suppose. As for Perception... I'm not sure, but it does seem useful. The main stats I'll focus on are Dexterity, Magical energy, and Durability, which seems to also include physical stamina per my research. Maybe a bit in processing and perception as well.

After some back and forth discussion with herself, Erin finally decided her stats.

STRENGTH: 3

DEXTERITY: 5

MAGICAL ENERGY: 3 +3

PROCESSING: 5 +1

CHARISMA: 2

DURABILITY: 5

PERCEPTION: 5

As she saved her options, she felt a powerful shock that made her clutch her head in pain. Her head shook as her brain literally grew bigger, as neurons rewired themselves. Her senses expanded, her vision became clearer than ever, her ears were now sharp. She felt her muscles tear themselves apart and grow back tougher and stronger. Her skin burned in pain as it became tougher. She felt a strange sensation, as the magical energy took root.

She nearly collapsed from the process, but the pain subsided almost immediately.

Note to self, the application of points hurts. Maybe I should do it bit by bit? But maybe the body gets used to it. I'll look into that later. I want to start using my powers, but I can test that later. My brother will probably come to drag me away soon enough.

With her decision made, she left again, this time to the nearest station of the Watchers, the ones who kept track of all System based movement.

They probably already know of my existence. Thankfully my brother hid our connection, so there shouldn't be any trouble on that front.

As she walked to report her choice, she wondered to herself whether this was the best choice.

I'm sorry I didn't make the same choice you two did, mom, dad. I hope you don't mind.