Colin’s life wasn’t special, but it certainly wasn’t bad. He had an okay job that paid the bills and left a little extra for fun. He had friends, an on-again, off-again girlfriend who was his first crush, and a loving family that included his mom, dad, brother, and sister. He even had interesting hobbies that brought him good memories and relaxation. His main pastime was camping and hiking.
Colin loved getting out into the tree-filled mountains of the national parks, spending days at a time in a hammock or cabin. He could start a fire, set up a brush shelter, and even do some moderate carving to make rudimentary tools. These skills had been ingrained in him by his father, an avid outdoorsman in his own right. Although Colin had some minor hunting and trapping skills, he never really got into that part of the outdoorsman lifestyle; it just never suited him.
The worst day of Colin’s life started pretty normally. He woke up, ate breakfast, drank a cup of coffee, and got ready for his job at the office. His drive through the mountains and valleys of his small town during the fall season was scenic, with vibrant oranges and reds spread out on either side of the road as he made his way into the city. Suddenly, while distracted by a particularly beautiful grove of oaks with vibrant orange foliage, it happened.
He felt the impact, heard the crunch of metal, and the shattering of glass, before he found himself staring down at the valley floor far below the mountainside road. His brain barely had time to comprehend what was happening before the vehicle slammed into the ground, and the world around him went black.
[System Initializing]
[Race detected: Human]
[Class: Error, no assigned class]
[Please select Class:]
* Warrior
* Rogue
* Mage
[No Sub-classes Currently Available]
“Huh? W… What’s going on?” Colin felt himself floating in a vast expanse of nothingness. In front of him, he could see nothing but green text imprinted against the black background surrounding him. “A class? Is this a dream? Or…?” He strained to look left and right but saw nothing. He attempted to lift his hands in front of his face, only to discover that either they didn’t exist or he couldn’t see them in this inky blackness.
“Weird. Some sort of lucid dream, I guess.” Colin pondered the choices in front of him, reminiscent of the old RPG games he used to play in high school. It had been years since he last played, but he recalled always enjoying stealth-based games. That preference probably stemmed from his introverted personality, but now wasn’t the time to delve into that rabbit hole. “Rogue.”
[Class chosen: Rogue]
[Are you sure?]
“Yes.”
[Class locked: Rogue]
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[Analyzing]
[Analyzing]
[Human: Colin has been Analyzed]
[Stats:]
* STR: 5
* DEX: 13
* VIT: 7
* INT: 5
* WIS: 4
* WIL: 9
* LUC: 15
* CHA: 6
* FRE: 4
[Analyzing]
[Would you like to choose a Profession now?]
[Note: Professions may be changed for free once within 24 hours of initiation, as long as you qualify for the profession.]
“A profession, huh? That’s new. I never saw that in the games I played… It can’t hurt to at least take a look at the options. Yes.”
[Profession:]
* Carriage Driver
* Cook
* Thief
* Mercenary
* Survivalist
* Guide
* Hunter
* Scholar
* Bandit
* Assassin
“Oh wow… some of these are just… dark.” Colin was shocked by the options presented to him. Surely some were related to his class, while others seemed based on his actual abilities. He quickly dismissed the idea of being an assassin, thief, or bandit. Playing the villain had never been his strong suit; he always tried to find ways to resolve issues without resorting to violence.
He found himself torn between two options: Guide and Hunter. They seemed similar on the surface, at least in relation to what he understood about these professions in the real world. “Is there any way to get more info on these?” he thought. Just then, two descriptions popped up in front of him.
[Guide: You have traversed the wilds and grown close to them. You are as comfortable among a hunting party as you are on a solo search and rescue mission. You often lead people through the harsh wilderness, if the price is right. +2 to Wisdom, +1 to Luck.]
[Hunter: You are an apex predator. Nothing escapes your sight in the wild, and your bow has taken the lives of many woodland critters. You’re skilled in tracking and butchering the beasts you hunt, rarely going hungry in nature. +2 to Wisdom, +1 to Dexterity.]
Colin blinked, surprised to receive more information than he had anticipated. It seemed to follow a standard RPG format for stat buffs and lines. He could also now infer what the other shortened stat names represented, thanks to these descriptions. If he knew anything, it was that raising Luck was typically challenging. “I’d like to select Guide as my profession.” Colin wasn’t sure why he was speaking to the system as though it were a living being, but it just felt… right.
[Profession: Guide]
[Are you sure?]
“Yes.”
[System Initializing]
[Selections confirmed]
[Welcome to Kythros, Colin.]
Then everything went white…