Chapter 23 – Rebirth and Classes

Aenon lay in bed for hours without a single thought in his head. This place was peaceful, he liked it. There were tons of notifications to go through, but he just wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet for now. The nurse had been dropping in occasionally to check up on him but had left him alone for the most part. By her admission, she had no name and would be dissolved into nothingness the moment Aenon left, and she was totally ok with that. After a bit more explanation from her, he had a rough idea of what was going on in the background without his knowledge.

Apparently, the Overseer had used his limited System granted authority to sneak in some Soul spells to make him a bit more compliant. But unlike the truly aggressive spells, he had to use the milder version to avoid triggering the System’s failsafe. It was also being applied in layers. The first layer was placed when he was just integrating with the System shard. And it was the most devious one. The Overseer’s Favor Title came with a lot more stat gains, but the scheming old man had modified it to serve his needs. It essentially placed a marker on his soul for the Overseer to track.

The next layer was the supposed “patch” that he made Allie use to fix the leak from his soul space. And the last layer was the bracelet, which apparently got dropped when Aenon was transported here by the System, since it was a soul bound item of the Overseer. The tainted elixir would be a kind of seal to ensure the spell could not be removed.

Unlike regular mind control spells, soul spells didn’t change one’s personality. Just made them more open to suggestions, which is why he had not fallen head over heels for Allie. He recalled the kiss and the flurry of emotions that ran through him then. If not for his untrusting nature, he would have just gone with the flow, and perhaps even consumed the elixir, thus sealing his fate. The act of leaving his inner soul space during the scan was a double-edged sword. It damaged his soul, but also forced the System to run a deep scan which brought to light the notoriously hard to detect chains that were getting tighter by the day.

It wasn’t all bad news though. The one silver lining he found was the Overseer wasn’t all powerful like he had assumed. According to the nurse, Aenon’s Unfettered Title was his ticket out of this mess, if he played his cards very carefully. She wouldn’t tell him what it did, because apparently even Overseers did not have the privilege of knowing the details about the Title. Which meant the Overseer had bluffed that day when Aenon asked him about it. Which, given the apparent shock the Overseer had displayed for a brief second, made sense. But Aenon had completely ignored that at the time.

“It would have been ideal if you didn’t reveal your System’s Chosen and Unfettered Titles, but what’s done is done. Just make sure to never reveal your status to anyone, not even Overseers. It’s considered a taboo in the multiverse to enquire about someone’s stats and Titles,” the nurse had explained.

Any other person in Aenon’s shoes would have been overwhelmed by the sheer pressure of what he was up against. On one end he had an entire empire worth of enemies due to the prince, and a one-man apocalypse on the other. And to be honest, Aenon was worried. But not enough to surrender just yet. So, he pushed all the irrelevant thoughts and focused on the present. He sat up and crossed his legs, deciding to finally review his notifications and go over his class selection. He had a bunch of Title notifications, which he decided would be a good place to start.

Title achieved: Outclassed

Title achieved: Abyss Seeker

Title achieved: System’s Favor

Title Combined: System’s Chosen (2) and System’s Favor into System’s Grace

Title achieved: Soul Survivor

Title upgraded: Indomitable Soul (7)

Title upgraded: Prodigy (2) to Prodigy (3)

Title upgraded: Planetary Forerunner (7) to Planetary Forerunner (8)

Outclassed: Achieve mythic rarity class options for your first class selection.

+50 all stats

Abyss Seeker: Gaze beyond the veil of your inner soul space

+30 all stats

System’s Favor: Gain the attention of and warrant the need for the direct intervention of the System.

Allows the ability to hide all stats from others, including Overseers.

System’s Grace: You’ll need this, my problem child.

Allows the ability to fake ones Titles, stats, and levels. This effect cannot be bypassed by even Overseers.

Soul Survivor: Survive a catastrophic shattering of your soul.

+80 all stats

Double the available Skill slots.

Indomitable Soul (7): Survive a soul attack from a being 700 levels above you.

+200 all stats

Skill: Detect and resist the effects of soul attacks and spells.

Prodigy (3): Be the first to gain 15 Titles with all stat boosts.

+40% gain from all Titles

Planetary Forerunner (8): First to trigger a race evolution.

+100 all stats

Before he could address the weird description for the System’s Grace title, another window popped up which was a deep golden color.

System Notification

Due to significantly boosted Title stats, an evolution has been triggered. All previous Titles, their effects, skills, and corresponding stat gains will be compiled into the new Title. Additionally, all previous injuries, including soul injuries, will be healed.

Aenon felt a current running through his body as he dismissed the latest notification. The sensation was surreal, as he felt his skin crawl and his muscles and bones shift. He felt itchy all over, but he couldn’t scratch himself as his muscles seized up. The nurse had burst into the room at some point and was staring at him slack jawed. After what felt like forever he collapsed on the bed, exhausted from the ordeal, and had the best sleep of his life. When he came to, the nurse was impatiently hovering next to his bed.

“Check your status, quick. Make sure there are no debuffs or side effects from what you just did. Also, what is your stat multiplier from the evolution?” she spoke in a hurried tone when she saw he was awake.

Name

Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)

Race

Ascended Human (F)

Level

0

Class

None

Level

NA

Subclass

None

Level

NA

HP

13780

MP

13860

HP/10 min

2754

MP/10 min

2788

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Stats

Strength

1378 (4+1344+30)

Intelligence

1386 (12+1344+30)

Constitution

1377 (3+1344+30)

Willpower

1394 (20+1344+30)

Dexterity

1382 (8+1344+30)

Perception

1384 (10+1344+30)

Titles (0 x 6 = 0)

Rebirth

+1344 all stats

Skills/Effects:

(1) Detect and resist the effects of soul attacks and spells.

(2) Double the available Skill slots

(3) Ability to fake Titles, stats, and levels. This effect cannot be bypassed even by Overseers.

(4) Can bypass certain System restrictions.

(5) Unfettered: ???

(6) Stat Point multiplier: 2

Skills (Free SP: 86)

Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps)

Savant

Stealth (Woods, Urban)

Savant

Unassigned

Unassigned

Spells

Illusion (Basic)

Earth Manipulation (Basic)

Water Manipulation (Basic)

Overcharge (Basic)

Blooming Earth

Barrier – Physical (Basic)

“Ummm, it says it is two,” Aenon said weakly in his normal voice. He was so confused about what was going on that he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

“Damn. I was hoping you would not get the multiplier. This will be tricky. It’s already a nightmare hiding you, but now that you have a stat multiplier too, these so-called powers would annihilate you without a second thought,” the nurse said in annoyance.

“So… Am I like ridiculously overpowered or something?” Aenon asked with some hesitation.

“Overpowered, yes. For your planet that is. But at the multiversal level, not so much. The average stats for a level zero human are about 10 in each category. Other races are much stronger from birth. Take the elves for example, who are on average 20 times stronger than humans. Their average stats are about 200 in each category. Another good example is the dragon race, who are considered the pinnacle of creation. They are 100 times stronger and have 1000 stats in each category at level zero,” the nurse said while pondering something.

“So does that mean that a dragon or an elf will always be stronger than a human?” Aenon asked.

“No. That is why the System created the concept of Titles. They are to equalize the base stat difference across races, since it will be significantly harder for a dragon to achieve such Titles. Titles are given based on difficulty of accomplishment. What is a dragon supposed to kill to get the Underdog title? The thresholds for them are much higher which means there is nothing for them to kill to get it. Same goes for surviving soul attacks. Only a fool would attempt to attack the soul of a dragon, no matter how under leveled it may be. The dragon will merely shrug it off like an itch and hence not gain the Indomitable Soul Title,” the nurse explained.

“I guess that makes sense,” Aenon replied. He considered the implications of what the nurse just said. In essence, he was no longer human. Even his status agreed with that notion. But something bothered him.

“But wait, does that mean I am two times stronger than a Level 0 dragon? Also, what happens when I reach level 100 since it will be significantly harder for me to gain Titles now? I don’t want a low-grade evolution,” Aenon asked.

“Good points. Yes, you are stronger than the average dragon at level 0 and therefore will have significantly more difficulty gaining good Titles. But don’t worry about the evolution grade at Level 100. The Title stats needed for a higher-grade evolution are different for a dragon after all. Your base stats, which are about 1300 each, will decide the thresholds,” she assured him.

“That’s good to know. Although, why did the evolution trigger now?” Aenon was puzzled but it.

“That’s way above my paygrade. Anyway, it seems that evolution fixed all the lingering effects of your injuries. So quickly browse through and finalize your classes. Once you do, you will be transported out. So, I guess this is farewell”, the nurse said in a matter-of-fact tone with no emotion.

Aenon felt a sense of loss and guilt about what he knew was about to happen. He wasn’t sure how to react or behave in this situation, but thankfully the nurse spoke up again with a smile.

“Don’t worry about it, kid. Not a real person, remember? I am part of something much bigger and I was just fulfilling the role assigned to me. There is nothing to feel sad or sorry about. Good luck on your travels, and I hope you kick that Overseer’s backside,” she said before giving him a nod and walking out of the room.

Aenon watched her go with a heavy heart. He wondered why the people who genuinely cared for him never stuck around longer. Shaking his head of the budding dark thoughts, he decided to focus on his class selection screen that he had been ignoring for so long now. He decided to get one physical and one magical class to cover all his bases, so he divided the choices into sets that went well together.

Class Selection

Based on your past accomplishments and life experiences, the following classes are available to you. Please select your primary class. Please be aware that changing class is an extremely rare and expensive process which will reset your progress. However, your classes may evolve if certain conditions are met.

Class Name: Novice Rogue

Class Type: Melee/Physical

Class Rarity: Common

Class Description: The most common physical damage type class across the multiverse. Rogues are masters of stealth, with abilities to slay enemies from the shadows. With clever use of traps and poisons, a rogue can devastate the backlines of enemy forces just as easily as unsuspecting prey.

Class Stats per level: +6 free stats

Class Name: Novice Mage

Class Type: Ranged/Magical

Class Rarity: Common

Class Description: The most common magical damage type class across the multiverse. Based on specialization, they are the most versatile of magic based classes with the option to evolve into the notoriously infamous Archmagi, who are the masters of their chosen element.

Class Stats per level: +6 free stats

…

The first two classes made sense to him, as they were the most generic that he assumed majority of the people would get. He scrolled and saw that the list was obscenely long, with perhaps hundreds of options. How was anyone supposed to go through it and then decide? He decided to filter the list for the rarest of classes. There might be some truly unique options he might miss by doing so, but such was life. The list shrunk to 8 sets of options and the flavor text for these was much more personalized.

…

Class Name: Blade Dancer

Class Type: Melee/Physical

Class Rarity: Ancient

Class Description: You have demonstrated great proficiency in sticking the pointy end of a knife into enemy hearts and throats. Coupled with your flawless footwork, you are carnage incarnate on the field of battle. This class provides a major boost to your physical stats, while increasing learning speed of new weapons and martial art forms, thus allowing you to fulfill your blood lust as you weave death within enemy ranks.

Class Stats per level: +7 STR, +3 CON, +4 DEX.

Class Name: Arcane Magus

Class Type: Ranged/Magical

Class Rarity: Ancient

Class Description: Most mages master one or two elements. A select few aim higher and go for four. Only the truly gifted aim to enforce their will on more. But the truly crazy one’s thirst to master them all. By demonstrating the ability to identify and manipulate multiple mana wisp types, and have rudimentary understanding of them, you have proved yourself worthy enough for this class. Unlocks every single elemental type and grants you a grimoire where you can store spells of your own creation, allowing you to quickly cast them during battle. Be careful though, not all mana combinations are stable. Or safe.

Class Stats per level: +3 INT, +3 WIL, +9 PER.

…

These two classes were much better than the generic ones. But each came with its significant restrictions. Both could be considered generalist classes. The Blade Dancer would enhance his learning speed of new weapons and fighting styles, but unless he learned them, it would be limited in scope. The same was true for Arcane Magus, he would either need to study the elements himself or have someone teach him to truly unlock its potential. But each of the classes would be a force to be reckoned with, in later stages of his life at least. He decided to look at the next two options which felt would pair well together.

Class Name: Chaos Templar

Class Type: Melee/Magical

Class Rarity: Mythic

Class Description: You are the hand of justice, defending those too weak to protect themselves. Failing which, you are the face of unwavering retribution to all those who inflict evil upon the world. You weave magic within the blades you wield and instill the same within your armor to dispel and protect. You are the first line of defense, and the last line to retreat. Grants the user several buff and debuff spells based on levels.

Class Stats per level: +2 STR, +6 CON, +2 INT, +6 WIL

Class Name: Trap Weaver

Class Type: Ranged/Physical

Class Rarity: Legendary

Class Description: Why face an enemy in glorious combat, when you can whittle them down to size through tricks. Your proficiency with insane contraptions to bring down insurmountable odds has been acknowledged. Not to mention your penchant to trigger said contraptions with your life on the line. Allows the user to disarm as well as deploy sophisticated traps within seconds, turning the battlefield into a veritable minefield that your enemies will refuse to step on.

Class Stats per level: +5 CON, +3 DEX, +5 WIL, +3 PER

…

This combination was truly formidable in Aenon’s opinion. He probably earned them by wielding his twin named daggers while also trying to mitigate damage using mana manipulation. And the way he got his other legendary class in the list was a no brainer. The dead goblin horde could probably attest to that. Stat wise he would gain a lot more CON and WIL, boosting his resource regeneration rates significantly. This was for all intents and purposes, a heavy tank build. The next combination though was his favorite by far.

…

Class Name: Void Stalker

Class Type: Melee/Magical

Class Rarity: Mythic

Class Description: Many campfire stories speak of untold horrors lurking in the night; waiting; thirsting for unsuspecting prey. You are much more than that. You do not lurk in the dark of night; you carry it with you. You do not instill fear; you feast on hope itself. Your very presence on the battlefield is a beacon of death and destruction. Imbue your weapons with magic to unleash their full potential. This class also incorporates soul magic along with all mana types.

Class Stats per level: +4 INT, +10 WIL, +4 PER

Class Name: Abyssal Warden

Class Type: Ranged/Magical

Class Rarity: Mythic

Class Description: Rarely does a mortal being draw the attention of the abyss, and rarer still does he/she survive encountering it. You have done both and somehow lived, from sheer dumb luck. Allows the user to manipulate rare and volatile magic, creating unstable mana projectiles which unleash novel forms of destruction on your enemies.

Class Stats per level: + 8 INT, +10 WIL

…

Aenon was heavily leaning towards this combo above all else. The synergy between them and his Abyssal Set pieces was phenomenal. Plus, both were Mythic classes. Add in the mysterious Soul Presence he had heard snippets about so far, and he would be an unstoppable assassin. This combo would go all in towards the magic route, which he was honestly ok with. The only reason he had not finalized it yet was the last combination. Its rarity was beyond Mythic, but it came with some serious problems.

…

Class Name: System Adjudicator

Class Type: Melee/Physical

Class Rarity: Unique

Class Description: Be the System’s sword.

Class Stats per level: +40 free stats.

Class Name: Corruption Cleanser

Class Type: Ranged/Magical

Class Rarity: Unique

Class Description: Be the System’s shield.

Class Stats per level: +40 free stats

Rarity aside, just the stat gains were mind boggling. But the description, or the lack thereof, made him cautious. Every other class, even the generic ones, had some explanation about them. But these two were the standouts. Aenon wasn’t even sure why he was being offered these. The fact that the stats were freely assignable was the biggest advantage he could think of, since he would be able to customize these classes to his own style. But he didn’t like the intonation of responsibility in the class descriptions.

And so, he made his selection and mentally prepared himself for the aftermath of his actions. He had an empire to topple, a devil to temporarily appease, and a teenaged girl to handle. Honestly though, he preferred the first two opponents.