“An opportunity? For what?” I ask skeptically.

“Well it’s nothing crazy, but there’s this organization built to give young talents with no backing a place to go. They’re called the Saving Face Corporation. It’s a place for talented individuals to go that are in need of opportunities, such as say arena tokens, or trial keys.”

“Oh yeah? What’s the catch?”

“No catch young man. The reason this organization sounds too good to be true, is for most people, it is! Only the best of the best rank 1 and 2 talents can make it in. In return for sponsoring such talented individuals, said sponsored people are often recruited into the company. Also the organization makes trillions of credits in donations from its beneficiaries.”

“Do I have to be recruited at some point?” I once again ask skeptically.

“Nope! The company gets plenty from the amount of pr the numerous powerhouses in the universe generate. You’ve got to understand young man, the amount of prestige in which people in this organization are held is only matched by a very few similar organizations.”

“So the best of the best come from these places, or what?”

“No no no, not at all though a lot of powerhouses do come from such organizations, you’ve got to understand there are countless talents that are either entrapped in Kingdoms and Empires alike.”

He continues,

“Also many just decide not to go to these organizations, instead forgoing the attention these places can bring and gaining strength quietly on their own.”

“I see… so where is this so called ‘organization’?”

“Well there is a branch stationed on the Kingdom planet we will be warping to, registration ends in about two or so weeks, so we’ll get there just in time for the examinations!”

We sit in silence while Gael allows me to think about what he said.

‘It sounds like a good deal on paper, but at the same time, it seems like joining will be blaring a big spotlight on me. Do I really need that sort of attention?’

I continue to think,

‘No, no not really, but the chance to get an arena ticket or even a trial key. Now that’s a chance I can’t miss.’

Arena tickets allow a person to enter a special type of dungeon, usually referred to as the Arena. These dungeons appear once every five years, and goes on for close to 3 months. During that time, anyone who entered the arena can then enter contests.

Anything from cooking to alchemy, and especially arena fighting, are all on the table. Each of these events are further separated by tier.

Millions of people of all tiers, from all around the multiverse try their luck at these contests, as doing well can net a person substantial gains.

Trials keys are similar in that they allow access to a special type of dungeon knows as trials. There are hundreds of thousands of trials spread all over the multiverse, and are usually a tier 20’s legacy before they ascend to the greater realm.

Do well in one of these, and you can gain unique skills, treasures, stats, traits and even cultivation. If it’s on your status, you can gain it in these trial planets. Wars are constantly fought over planets holding these trials, as they can singlehandedly increase a talents rank.

That’s why the opportunity is so tempting, as gaining access to the Arena or a trial are once in a lifetime chances.

“Think on it kid, we still got a about a week and a half before we reach the jump pad depending on how long we spend here, so no need to rush. In the meantime focus on what’s in front of you, that being some goblins that need killing.” He says before going back to his tent to rest.

‘Well I’ll think more on it in the morning for now back to slaying goblins. My class is right around the corner, hopefully I’ll get some good options.’ I think excitedly before slowly closing my eyes inside my tent and falling asleep.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

I stalk slowly behind the group of goblins. This group in particular is the largest one I’ve come across thus far. The goblins are losing it’s members, and they know it.

Alongside the larger group, they’ve also added a couple tier 2’s into the mix. They are going to be the real problem, as with heightened senses and a larger capability for complex reasoning, these goblins will notice far quicker when something is off.

For now I decide to avoid the tier 2’s and slowly chip off member at the edge of the group, and leave whenever I think they might realize what’s happening.

I go in for a swift strike on the goblin I’ve been eyes for the past 2 minutes, quickly and cleanly cutting his head off before catching the head and quietly dragging the remains into a nearby bush.

I do this about ten more times, before I notice the tiers 2’s looking around suspiciously. That’s my signal to lay low for a bit, at least until the group reaches close to the rest of the tribe and lets their guard down slightly, allowing me a few more kills.

Continuing like this for the next few days, I’m able to slowly but surely whittle down the tier 1 goblin population until there is close to none left. This unsurprisingly nets me only one more level, as repeat actions combined with the increasing level gap between the goblins and I, result in much less experience.

The groups now are almost entirely made up of 5 or 6 tier 2’s. I decide to try my luck at using the same tactic as with the tier 1’s and slowly pick off one or two that lag behind the rest of the group.

The first time I tried this went about as bad as it could, with me getting detected very quickly while stalking my target. Escaping out of that situation was not fun, and I was done for the rest of the day after that.

Trying again the next day, though, yielded much better results. I was able to secure two tier 2 kills, almost three, but I was forced to use my spiritual energy for the second kill, leaving me to low on energy to attempt a third.

Somehow this still wasn’t enough to net me my final level, which apparently is known as a bottleneck level, taking almost three times the amount of experience as the level before it.

This little goblin excursion has done wonders for my masteries though, showing marginal gains in a lot of key areas.

I also was able to net that feat that was revealed to me a week or so ago.

I look at my status to admire my progress.

Name

Rowan Attain

Level

9

Class

Race

Human/Janin

Attributes

Strength – 13 → 14 (+2)

Agility – 18 → 20 (+2)

Dexterity – 24 → 26 (+2)(+1)

Endurance – 9 → 10 (+2)

Perception – 14 → 16 (+2)

Intelligence – 10 → 11 (+2)

Willpower – 22 → 24 (+2)

(7 AP Remaining)

Masteries

Swords – 19

Temperance – 14 → 15

Stealth – 10 → 12

Sprinting – 7 → 9

Exercise – 6 → 7

Thievery – 3

Deception – 3

Killing – 4

Blending In – 1

Misdirection – 5 → 6

Monster Hunting – 8 → 9

Skills

(9 SP Remaining)

Feats

Early Killer - The deadliest killers started young, and once you've killed once, what's another? Kill a sentient being before level 1. Very slight increased progression towards your Killing Mastery.

Swords Prodigy - You've trained and begun your path of sword mastery strong. Get Swords Mastery to level 10 before level 1. Slight increased progression towards your Swords Mastery. +1 to all Stats.

Temperance Prodigy - You've tempered your mind to be as solid as stone. Get Temperance Mastery to level 10 before level 1. Slight increased progression towards your Temperance Mastery. +1 to all Stats.

Early Enlightenment - Form your core before level 1. One trait can be chosen related to your core.

Reversal – Become critically wounded in an ambush and escape/kill your ambusher(s). One trait can be chosen related to your recent ambush.

Punching Up – Defeat 5 opponents of a higher tier than yourself. +1 to all stats.

Core

Sword – Your sword resonates with omnipresence.

Traits

Indomitable Swordsman - Your will remains steadfast and unbroken while holding a sword. Receive a slight boost to perception when in a tough situation. Scales based on willpower.

Meager Swordsman - A true swordsman needs nothing but himself and the sword. Increased progression towards your Swords Mastery while living humbly.

Sword of Silence - Your sword is silent until it strikes true. Harder for enemies to detect your sword coming. Very slight increased progression towards Stealth.

Dedication to the Sword – When without a sword, even the smallest of foes may slay you, but with a sword, giants bow to your might. +2 to all stats when holding a sword, -2 to all stats when not. Increased progression towards Swords Mastery, decreased progression towards all other weapon and combat masteries.

Willful Gains – Permanently gain 5% of your willpower in any stat. Affect continues to scale with willpower. (+1 Dexterity)

Unfortunately, my Swords mastery has also hit a bottleneck. A person's first mastery to reach level 20 is a big deal, as that’s the level that I receive a special feat for that specific mastery.

‘Alright enough stalling, Uncle Moren said we leave tomorrow, so I want to get my class before then.' I say to myself resolutely.