Lorelai stepped into the cool night air, the streets of the town feeling electric beneath her feet. With the rush of transformation still coursing through her veins, she felt alive in a way she had never imagined. The moonlight bathed the cobblestones in a silvery glow, illuminating the path ahead as she focused on her next steps.

“Let’s see what options I have,” she murmured, tapping her fingers against the character sheet conjured before her. The details expanded downward with a mental click of the down arrow near each class. She had already decided she would pick a hidden class as those were usually the most powerful and could lead to a hidden class advancement as well.

The three hidden Class Options laid out before her:

1. Holy Knight (Hidden) – A master of divine magic and martial combat. Capable of summoning celestial energies to shield allies, cast buffs, and smite foes. Heavy armor does not encumber, and obtain mastery skills with maces (1h), warhammers (1 or 2h), and mauls (2h). Initial Magic skills -Smite, Healing Song, Swift Wind. Initial Weapon skills- Bash, Whirlwind, Leaping bash.

2. Stormcaller (Hidden) – A manipulator of lightning and storms. Able to command the weather to unleash devastating strikes or grant allies swiftness. Grants bonuses for being lightly armored, obtain mastery with staffs. Initial Magic Skills- Thunderclap, Lightning bolt, Wall of Wind, Lightning step, Tailwind. Grants additional bonuses to mana pool and mana regeneration.

3. Martial Force (Hidden) – Harness the fundamental forces of nature and become its champion. Capable of mastering the forces of lightning and gravity, grants bonuses to wearing medium armor. Obtain mastery of swords and spears. Initial Magic skills -Lightning Clad, Weight Manipulation, Spatial Storage. Initial Weapon skills - Rapid thrusts, Dash, counterstrike.

Lorelai felt her excitement bubble from her pending choices, this was the first step to escaping her abysmal fate. Each class resonated with a different part of her newfound self, and the allure of the hidden classes was too much for her to ignore. Holy Knight would grant her strength and the ability to fight while still being capable of supporting, while Stormcaller ignited the thrill of chaos. The Martial Force class seemed to be tailored more towards her genetic disposition and was the only class that started out rewarding a movement skill. This is the path that promised endless possibilities and better synergy.

As she contemplated, the echoes of Ian’s mocking words still reverberated in her mind. She shook her head, trying to clear it. “No, I won’t let him get to me. I can’t afford to think like that anymore.” She needed strength, power, and purpose. The past was behind her; now, she had the chance to carve a new identity. With newfound determination, Lorelai began to walk again, her steps steady. She could feel the power thrumming beneath her skin, calling to her as if it knew which path she should choose.

Finally, she halted in front of a stone fountain, the water glimmering under the moonlight, and closed her eyes. She pictured herself wielding power, fighting for something greater than herself. In that moment, the choice became clear.

“I choose…” she began, her voice rising with conviction, “the Martial Force class!”

A radiant light enveloped her as the choice took root within her. The energy swirled around her, intertwining with the very fabric of her being, binding her to the class and imbuing her with divine strength. Lorelai felt a surge of power as her abilities expanded, her status sheet shifting and updating to reflect her new path.

Class: Martial Force

Strength: +2

Will: +3

New Skills:

Lightning Clad (upgrade pending): Cover limbs in lightning drastically enhancing unarmed strikes, small chance of paralysis effect. Paralysis duration 1s. increases with tiers and proficiency.

Weight Manipulation (upgrade pending)- Alter the weight of yourself or target, concentration required. Drastic changes are available at a higher tier

Spatial Storage(upgrade pending): Provides a pocket dimension to store non-living things in, the size of the space is dependent upon your INT stat.

Rapid thrusts - Give numerous quick thrusts, number of thrusts dependent upon AGI stat power of thrust dependent upon STR stat

Dash- rapidly increase movement speed for up to 2 meters cd 15 seconds. Speed of dash is dependent upon AGI stat, distance is dependent upon STR stat

Counterstrike- Parry and counter strike with a higher chance to critical. crit chance dependent upon WILL stat, damage dependent upon STR stat.

Lorelai opened her eyes, breathing deeply as she took a look at her updated stat sheet, when she noticed something peculiar:

Str - 5

Agi - 6

Will - 9

End - 5

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Int- 4

Darkvision: see well in the dark as the light

Affinities: holy, lightning, gravity, spacetime

known magic - illuminate (upgrade pending)

basic skills- dash, swordsmanship, unarmed combat

unique talent - shapeshifting (human form only all or partial)

The illuminate spell was given to her by the race change, but all her newly acquired magic had "upgrade pending" next to it, then she remembered her dragon heart. She willed her magic abilities to upgrade a tier and in doing so there was a change, illuminate from the light branch of magic became daylight from the radiant tier of magic. Her lightning upgraded to crimson lightning, and her spatial storage increased to its second tier granting an addition ten cubic feet of storage. She was almost dizzy with elation.

You would normally increase your magic tiers with levels or when a magic has reached a certain level of mastery. Using light magic as an example; tier one is light, tier two is radiant, and tier three is holy. Increasing tiers alters spells to a more powerful version of the same magic, and for a reduced mana cost can downcast them at lower levels. There is still magic out there whose tiers hasn't been discovered yet, and Lorelai's tier two crimson lightning is one such example.

As she stepped away from the fountain, she realized that she was no longer just Liam, the nameless orphan. She was Lorelai, the hidden Martial Force class, destined to make a mark on the world. The apprehension she had about her transformation intertwined with the weight of her new responsibilities, but was completely overshadowed with the happiness about being able to be in control of her own destiny.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approached. Lorelai turned, ready to face whatever came next. It was Ian again, his expression a mix of anger and disbelief.

“You think you’re something special now?” he spat, hands clenched into fists. “You think you can just choose a class and become a...what is a Martial Force? You’re still just a lowly orphan how dare you reject me!”

Lorelai squared her shoulders, refusing to let his words cut deep. “I’m not just an orphan anymore Ian! I have power, and I’m going to use it to protect not only to others, but I will use it to protect myself as well!”

Ian’s eyes narrowed, and he took a step closer, his bravado bolstering. “You think you can take me on? I've been training hard every day, and I have never seen you around.”

Lorelai felt the energy within her surge, spinning faster and faster like a tornado, the power she now possessed electrifying her every cell. She would stand her ground. “You’ve underestimated me for the last time.”

With a quick motion she got into an unorthodox fighting stance, her right palm out, left fist by her ear. Stance offset, crimson lightning snaking halfway up her arms and legs. Ian’s bravado wavered as he stared, shock washing over his face, "Is...is that tier two lightning magic? H-how?" He thought to himself. Ian knew he was in trouble, he had an earth affinity and the juggernaut class synergized with that to bolster his defenses innately so he could focus solely on offense, but earth magic could not contend with second tier magic. He would need his second tier magic, stone, to contend with that lightning, even if earth had an advantage over it.

“Let’s see what you’ve got, Ian,” she challenged, heart racing with the thrill of the confrontation. Ian was not confident, striking a hard blow to his ego since he had always been the best in this village. His pride would not allow him to back out of this confrontation, his body started to absorb the earth around him, hardening him and boosting his attack power.

Dash! Lorelai activated her movement ability and was upon Ian in a blink, however, before the blow could land, a sudden voice echoed through the air, cutting through the tension like a knife.

“Enough!”

Both Lorelai and Ian turned to see a figure emerging from the shadows; tall and cloaked, a sense of authority radiating from them. The newcomer stepped into the moonlight, revealing a stern face dropping her hood for them both to see. A look of surprise streaked across her face, but it was fleeting, only lasting a second. Ian immediately dropped to a knee, Lorelai knew then that Ian must've recognized who this older woman was.

“You two have no idea what you’re playing with,” the woman said, voice low and commanding. “This is not a game, and you are not ready for the consequences of your actions.”

Lorelai’s heart pounded, the presence of this stranger sending ripples of unease through her. Who were they? What did they want?

But before she could respond, Ian was nearly bowing to this woman and with much greese in his voice as he could muster. “Headmistress, it was only going to be a friendly spar, we are so excited about our new abilities we simply got carried away. Isn't that right...Lorelai?" Ian had to pause to briefly check her name on her status sheet.

"The headmistress? Like Fiona Windrider the headmistress of Miraculum, the biggest adventurers academy in the country. Lorelai’s eyes grew wide, she never imagined she would meet the person in charge of where she has always wanted to go, here...tonight.

“You cannot fool me, I have many noble students who think they can get away with anything with silky words and a fake smile. I am someone who sees the chaos that arises from reckless ambition, don't let it happen again.”

Lorelai sensed a shift in the atmosphere, tension hanging thick in the air. "What can I do for you ma'am?" Lorelai asked during the lull in the conversation. Fiona had turned to face Ian, motioning him to stand by Lorelai.

"I have come to personally invite both of you to the academy. Lorelai, you and I need to have a more personal chat about your magic. Its very impressive, even more so being newly awakened. "

Lorelai's heart skipped with glee, she was invited to Miraculum by the headmistress herself, she nodded to the woman who's face softened into a smile for the first time since their encounter.

“Here is a map, and your first test” she said. “Since we weed out the weak this will be your opportunity to prove that you deserve your spot at our academy. It wont be easy so pack whatever supplies you need. You must get there within a week. Good Luck.”

She spun on her heels fading into the darkness down the deserted road.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

"YOU GAVE A NOBODY THAT POTION!!!!" Mammon screamed at the imp who was cowering so terribly he was visibly shaken. "After a millennia I only acquired two of those, you wasted one and failed to get a clue about the divine spark, I ought to obliterate you for you're failure."

"Any last words?" Mammon asked raising a clawed hand. The imp stuttered but managed to get words out right before his execution!"

"At least that's a start, I am not one to leave loose ends like that. Go cash in on that favor, maybe we can fix this situation." The imp nodded and sped away as fast as his wings could carry him.

Mammon watched, hands behind his back and malicious thoughts in his head.