Novels2Search

chapter 3

While I wait for the rest of the family to check in, I might as well read some of the tutorials. I open my UI and find the tutorial section, which lists four items: Attributes, Leveling, Inventory, and Spells. I decided to start at the top, hoping that it will make the rest easier to understand.

{Welcome, adventurer, to the Attributes tutorial. In this short guide, you will find information about Attributes. As a human in the mortal realm, you gain the following attributes per level: +2 to all stats except luck for the first 25 levels, and +2 free attributes that can be freely assigned. At level 25, you obtain a mana body, and you will only gain 5 free attributes and 25% to any skill or spell.}

The tutorial goes on to explain the concept of attributes using the adage of the tomato. Strength is described as the ability to crush a tomato, dexterity as the ability to dodge a tomato, constitution as the ability to eat a bad tomato, intelligence as knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom as knowing not to put a tomato in a fruit salad, and charisma as the ability to sell a tomato-based fruit salad.

With that tutorial finished, I pull out my phone and dial my sister then my brother with both of them going to voicemail. I hate that. I hope my little brother and sister are okay. There's nothing I can do right now, so I better continue learning. On to leveling.

{Welcome adventure to the Leveling tutorial. In this short guide, you will find information on what to expect until you hit level 25. You gain +2 all attribute points per level and +2 free attribute

To apply free attribute points you must sleep for at least 1 hour or meditate for 1 hour.

At 5 Unlock a basic class, and gain access to the stream of creation. you get greater access to the system including the quest system

At 10 you gain the ability to use the obelisk to travel to and from Radigar

At 15 Profession

At 20 you gain +1 to basin rank.

At 25 You obtain a mana body and unlock your potential.

From 25 on you go from +2 to all attributes to +5 free attribute and 25% to any skill or spell. Access to all worlds within the Radigar's first ring of planets and planes.}

Oh my, obtaining a mana body sounds fascinating, but I wonder what it means to unlock one's potential. There are so many questions I have about all of this. The earlier message mentioned the stream of creation. Well, I'll find out in just three more levels. The tutorial I'm most excited to learn about is the Inventory.

{Welcome, adventurer, to the Inventory tutorial. The Inventory works by allowing you to store items based on the size of the bag or storage device. If you can lift it and there is enough space in the device, you can store it. However, living materials cannot be stored. All bags have a weight limit specified in their description. If the bag is non-magical, you can retrieve any item you put in there through your UI, as long as it fits in the bag. This is achieved via your soul storage. Soul storage is a micro plane that connects to your soul. Using this storage has a minor cost to your MP regeneration. As for equipment stored in the inventory, you have to manually equip it. However, some abilities allow for equipping directly from the inventory.}

Wait, does soul storage mean I have a bag of chips in my soul? I don't like the way that makes me feel, so I'm going to think of it as cloud storage, where my soul is the device accessing it. Alright, time to wrap this up and move on to Spells as I open the tutorial. However, I'm greeted with a wall of text.

{Welcome, adventurer, to the Spells tutorial. There are 100 levels to a skill, and at every 15 levels, you gain one extra effect. Knowledge levels are marked as Novice, Student, Adept, Master, Grand Master, Sage, and at level 100, Cosmic Sage.

Spells that are specific to a class or granted by a class start with two basic effects: one active effect and one passive effect. This is to balance the limitation of having 10 Class spells per person. As spells level up, they gain additional effects at levels 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90.

Spells are divided into two categories. The first category consists of generic spells, which can be learned by anyone regardless of their class. These spells are often used to supplement a class's shortcomings. The other category is class spells, which are restricted and tied to specific aspects of the class."

Spells can be taught to willing individuals. Both parties must be willing to share their skills, and only one spell can be shared between individuals within 24 hours. For spells under the novice level, the skills are imparted at level 1 regardless of the recipient's current level until they reach the novice level.}

Finally, there it is—the information we needed. Now we can make some progress. It's quite a lot to take in, but if I'm understanding this correctly, it seems like I can somehow modify my spells. I'll have to experiment and see what possibilities there are. But for now, I need to stay focused. As I walk into the next room, I notice that Val and Olivia have unfocused eyes, most likely engrossed in reading the tutorials.

"So, what spells did you get, Avery? If you don't mind me asking," I ask.

"No, not at all. I got Earth Spike, Mage Armor, Ranged Heal, and Haste," Avery says.

"Okay, how about we try teaching each other a skill? We can only do this once per person per day. Which spell would you like?" I say as I rattle off the spells that I know.

"That sounds freakin' awesome to me. Whaddya wants, spell-wise?" she agrees.

"Do you know what Olivias got?" I ask.

"Yeah, she got Ice Blast, Magic Barrier, Ranged Heal, and Minor Cleanse I think," she says.

"Alright, then I'll take Earth Spike. " I say "What would you like?" I say.

"I'll take the Gift of Focus. This way, we'll have a buff, and it's the only one I don't have," she says.

After some trial and error, we figure out that teaching a spell is done by concentrating on the person and willing the spell to them. Once they have it, the sender must demonstrate the spell by casting it. This allows the recipient to see how the spell manifests, and once they cast it for the first time, they officially have the spell.

"Awesome! That was easier than I thought. Are you ladies done yet? We have some new spells to teach each other," I exclaim, rubbing my hands together.

After everyone exchanged spells, it was confirmed that we could only share spells once per person. So I chose the following spells: Healing Hands, Minor Cleanse, and Earth Spike. I felt that these would give me a good chance of surviving what is to come. The healing and cleansing spells will go a long way in ensuring my survival, while the earth spike offers a more discreet attack compared to the explosive burst of a magic missile.

"Alright, with that done, how are everyone's respective families holding up?" I ask, looking around.

They confirm that their families are as safe as they can be. So I move on to the next topic that needs to be addressed: retrieving the animals and raiding Olivia's house for food and guns.

"Alright, Olivia, your house is not far from here. Do you have any guns or other weapons that might be useful for you ladies in Urza?" I inquire.

Well, I got a shotgun and two handguns dat are mostly for shootin' overly aggressive animals," Olivia says.

"Okay, that's great. You have four guns for all of you to take to Urza for defense," I say.

"But what about you? Don't you need a way to defend yourself during your travels?" Val asks.

"Nah, I'm not the one leaving our world. I'll find more guns; after all, we live in America, where we have more guns than people," I reply.

"Alright, let's get ready to head to Olivia's house so we can pick up these doggos. Who is the best shot among all of us?" I ask.

Olivia raises her hand, her light Texan accent adding charm to her words. "Ah've been shootin' since ah was a little girl, but ah warn y'all, ah don't have combat trainin', so don't count on me shootin' while y'all are in melee range of them beasts," she says, her voice carryin' just a hint of fear.

"That's fine. Take this then. I'm an okay shot at close range," I say as I unequip the rifle and pull out the bullets.

"Oh, you know what, let me call Jake and see if he is home," I say with a bit of excitement.

He mostly works on horseshoes and other farming equipment, but he has a deft hand with making blades. I try calling him again, but there's no answer. Damn, I'll try again later.

"Let's head to Olivia's house. Do you mind driving, Val? I want to keep watch, and you know these roads better than I do," I suggest.

"Not at all, but I think Olivia should drive. She has lived here longer than any of us, and she has the highest dexterity, so she has the best reaction time among all of us," Val says, looking at Olivia. Olivia nods her head in agreement.

So we pack all the food and clothes into our inventory and make our way to Olivia's house. Along the way, we spot a couple of monsters in the light forest. They are lumbering beasts that resemble mutated cows, standing eight feet tall. These cows are covered in what appears to be stone, bound to their skin in a grotesque form of armor.

Thankfully, nothing attacks the car during the 15-minute drive to Olivia's house. As we pull up, we can see that the same cannot be said for her house, as the front door is busted in. We park the car in the driveway, and immediately, we hear the dogs barking furiously in the backyard.

"Holy shit, my dogs! We gotta. save 'em. Holy shit, my house," she says, practically jumping out of the car.

"Let's go around back to get the dogs, and then we can check out what got into the house," Val suggests to Olivia, grabbing her arm. Olivia nods, anger evident in her gaze as she directs it toward the monster that put her dogs in danger.

Avery whispers, "Are we sure dis is a good idea? It looks like a monster broke in."

Olivia turns to Avery and fires back, "My dawgs are in the backyard, and I will get 'em back." With fierce determination, she storms towards the side gate.

We approach the right-side gate. The house is a modest-sized American Craftsman, with three bedrooms and ample room on the sides. We try to keep as much distance as possible between us and the house. I keep watch on the doors and windows for any sign of a monster. Above the front door frame, there are massive claw marks.

Leaning forward, I whisper, "It is a monster. I see claw marks. Be ready with a shell."

As we round the house, grunting sounds can be heard coming from the kitchen. I chastise myself for not thinking about casting magic armor or the Gift of Focus. The dogs whimper and run over to Olivia at the sight of their human. "Alright, let's get them to the car and clear out your house," I whisper to Olivia. She nods, and we begin making our way back.

Just as we do, we hear a beast growl as it moves toward the window overlooking the backyard. All we can see is its head, which resembles that of a mountain lion.

I start casting Mage Armor in anticipation of a fight, sinking 50 Mana into the spell to grant myself an additional 25 HP shield. If it were a bear, we might be able to scare it off, but mountain lions are much more aggressive and territorial. Avery notices my preparations and also casts Mage Armor. I look at Valerie, and she is casting Iron Skin as the window explodes outward.

The mountain lion is more mountain than a lion, with stony ridges along its spine and a thin coating of what appears to be crystals across its entire body. It stands at 5 feet tall at its shoulder and measures 8 feet from nose to tail.

I started casting a Magic Missile as soon as it smashed through the window, so by the time it landed, my hand was raised and I released the bolt. Hoping that if I hit it before it was ready, it might run, but I didn't have much hope. It most likely thought this house was its territory, and we were trying to invade its den. The bolt flashed across the yard, smashing right into the beast's face. On the heels of my attack, a crack from the rifle as Olivia shot the cat in the neck. Sparks flew everywhere as the cat was rocked back. The impact sites looked damaged but not broken.

A deeper, more pissed-off growl was our reward for our troubles. The cat bunched up, preparing to lunge at us. It leaped the whole 15 feet towards us in one massive burst of power, but it paid for it. While mid-air, Olivia hit it again with another rifle round. This shot connected with the underbelly, where its armor was weakest. She was just trying to inflict damage while it couldn't change direction. But when the sparks didn't flash, I noticed it with my perception and called out, "Its underbelly is soft," hoping everyone understood. I braced myself for a melee fight, only to have my wife push me out of the way. She raised her arm to meet the beast's mouth as it landed where I had been standing. I looked at my wife in my spot, and her skin appeared like dull iron, not the tanned white skin that was normal for her.

With the lion's mouth wrapped around her arm, I tried to cast a Magic Missile at the underside of the cat, aiming for the spot where the bullet had struck the monster. Suddenly, a four-inch-thick stone spike shot up from the ground, impaling the exact spot I was aiming for. It broke off as the lion started thrashing around. I shouted, "Lift its head!" while trying to get a clear shot at the embedded spike.

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"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Valerie shouted back. I noticed her arm was covered in blood, and her chest was marked with slashes that I hadn't even noticed. She lifted the beast's head with a roar. At that moment, when the body stretched from the lift, I let loose the missile, and it slammed home right in the spot I was aiming for, crashing into the spike and driving it deeper into the monster's chest. The beast let out a pained roar. The spike must have hit its spine because the back legs buckled like wet noodles.

It let go of Valerie's arm as it fell, and she jumped back, putting some space between her and the cat. The rest couldn't even really be called a fight as we just stood there, pumping spells into the cat until it stopped moving, and we got a rush of experience points. We all started to glow as we leveled up. Valerie's wounds healed quickly, and she let out a huge sigh as the pain faded. A notification was blinking at the bottom left of my vision. A grin spread across my face as the gold-colored notification popped up. "I better be careful, I could get addicted to this feeling," I said to no one in particular.

"You have reached level 4. Congratulations! You have 6 free attribute points to spend.

Congratulations! You have earned the title Rare Hunter for killing a rare native monster. This title has been upgraded to Quartz Hunter for being the first to kill a rare native monster. Monster killed: Quartz Mountain Lion. You have been awarded +1 to perception.

Title: Quartz Hunter +10 to all attributes.

Congratulations! You have earned the title Arcane Catalyst for using an arcane spell to change the tide of battle against an enemy 10 levels greater than yourself.

Title: Arcane Catalyst +5 damage with arcane spells.

Combat Casting Level 1: 30% + 20%."

"Is everyone okay?" Valerie asks. We all give an affirmative response.

"Did everyone get the same title, Quartz Hunter?" I ask everyone, just now noticing that everyone looks shaken.

"I got a title called Shield Maiden for moving to stand between a monster and my friends," Val says.

"I got me one called Sure Shooter for hittin' an enemy weakness with a ranged weapon," Olivia proudly states.

Mine is called Makin' a Rock Bleed for hittin' a weakness with an earth spell of da same element as da creature," Avery says.

"I got one called Arcane Catalyst. It's a solid improvement in damage," I say.

"Alright, folks, that was wilder than I expected," I say, addressing the group.

"It just sucks 'bout my window and my front door," Olivia says with a touch of disappointment

I know, dat blows. Why do ya think it decided to go into ya house?" Avery replies.

"Oh, it's 'cause ah left a steak cookin' in the sous-vide," Olivia explains.

"You know, that would do it," Valerie says.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to check out this monster corpse," I say.

"For being over 10 levels higher than us, you'd think it would have taken more to kill," I say as I turn the corpse over. As I inspect the corpse, I begin to see that the quartz-like material is small diamonds.

Do ya think we should clear da house before we mess around with da friggin' corpse?" Avery says.

"You're right, I just love loot so much," I say with a sheepish grin.

With Mage Armor still active, I walk into the house, ready to throw a magic missile at whatever jumps out. We enter the house and see that the mountain lion tore up everything from the front door to the kitchen. Lo and behold, we find a half-eaten steak in the overturned pot of water. Avery is with me while Valerie and Olivia take the dogs to the car. Avery and I start on the bottom floor to clear the house, room by room, which turns out to be clear. Starting up the stairs, I hear a creaking sound from the back side of the house on the second level. I gesture at Avery to come with me as backup, only to find that she is already there, ready to have my back.

Creeping across the second story, we approach the back room of the house, opening the door to find a raven that is about four times bigger than it should be, perched on the open window and pecking at the dresser. I don't see a point in killing a random raven, so I scare it off with a loud shout. It opens its wings and lets out a cry of its own. At this point, I decide to shoot a magic missile into the floor in front of the bird. This gets the intended result and scares the bird off the window ledge with an indignant squawk as it wings away. I look over at Avery and say, "Edgar Allan Poe would shit himself if that was his raven."

We finish checking all the rooms upstairs. Once the house is clear, I go to get the teammates from the car. Valerie heads to the kitchen and starts to pack up as much food as she can carry in the car. I go and help Olivia pack up the guns so that we can get on our way. She has a standard pump-action shotgun (12 gauge) and two Glock 9 pistols.

We pack all our things into the car and hit the road, heading to Avery's apartment so she can gather some belongings. Her apartment is located on the outskirts of North Fork. As we drive along the main road, we notice that there are no cars around, except for those parked in front of people's houses. There seems to be minor damage to the sleepy town of North Fork. Suddenly, we hear someone shouting just one street over.

"If there's anybody that can hear me, please help! There's a monster in the store!" the voice cries out. I look at Valerie, and she looks back at me. We nod at each other, knowing that we can't simply leave someone in need of assistance.

"Alright, so how do we want to handle this? We all have enough guns now that we can just unload immediately, or we could use our spells," I say.

"I think we should unleash all our spells together, just unload on whatever monster is inside the shop," Valerie suggests. We all nod in agreement. As we approach the store, we each begin casting our buffs. With the buffs in place, we move to the front of the store and cautiously peek inside. Our eyes land on a massive 8-foot-tall bull covered in earthen armor, resembling the elemental Earth cows we encountered earlier, but larger, with sharp 3-foot stone horns.

Simultaneously, we unleash all our spells. The stone bull is rocked by an ice spike, a wind blade, an earth spike, and magic missiles. All four attacks strike the side of the beast, causing it to stagger. As the bull turns to face us, we manage to unleash another round of attacks before it can fully reorient itself. Its beady eyes lock onto us as it lets out a mighty roar and charges at an incredible speed for a creature of its size and weight. We quickly retreat, moving around the corner of the building to give the bull enough space to charge out into the street. By the time it realizes it has missed us, we have already barraged it with another round of attacks. Unlike our previous battle, this monster does not have a vulnerable underbelly. The bull swiftly turns around to face us, witnessing our escape behind the corner of the building.

"Alright, everybody spread out and whittle it down with spells or bullets. I don't think anything other than the shotgun will do much against the armor on this big boy," I shout.

"My earth spikes aren't doing any damage. I'll cast a barrier over the car with the dogs," Avery says to Olivia.

"Alright, here you go," Olivia says as she hands Avery the shotgun.

"Valerie, I'm going to run and shoot it in the face to get its attention. I'll lure it away from the car, and you can land a wind blade as it passes. We need to find a weakness to deal extra damage, or we'll be here all day," I explain.

"Yeah, just be safe, baby. I've got your back," Valerie assures me.

I nod at Valerie and start by casting a magic missile at the bull's face. Then, I sprint across the street to the same side where the bull is charging. The bull anticipates my movement and adjusts its course, aiming to ram into me. However, I quickly realize its maneuver and change my direction, pivoting away from its path.

As the bull charges at me, Valerie's wind blade slams into its side, slightly altering its trajectory. This intervention prevents me from being impaled, but I still suffer a deep laceration on my back. Valerie shouts from the building's vicinity, "I think I found its weakness in the loin. There's less armor there." Gritting my teeth, I cast healing hands to alleviate the pain. Checking my health bar, I discover that the attack depleted 40% of my health. I struggle to my feet, realizing that the bull is still running down the street, over 30 feet away from me.

Spotting the weakness Valerie mentioned, I charge up a magic missile and blast it directly into the bull's loin. Simultaneously, an earth spike shoots up from the ground, impaling the monster in the same vulnerable spot. I scan the street, searching for anything I can use as cover to evade the bull's path, but there is little aside from the corners of buildings. Unfortunately, there are no cars parked on the street when I need them the most. Sometimes luck just isn't on your side.

Then, a rather crazy idea crosses my mind. I rush over to Valerie and Avery, explaining the plan to them. They express their unease, but in the absence of better ideas, they reluctantly agree to go along with mine.

I venture into the middle of the street, casting a magic missile to catch the bull's attention, taunting it until it charges at me. As it approaches, I unleash round after round from the Glock, all while a yellowish shield forms around me, creating a full 360-degree dome shell.

The bull crashes headlong into the shield and becomes stunned. The shield absorbs its momentum entirely and then shatters into particles of light. Seizing the opportunity, Avery rushes behind the stunned bull with the shotgun and unloads multiple rounds into its vulnerable loin, tearing it apart like ground beef. With a final shudder, the bull succumbs to its wounds.

As a rush of experience envelops us, all four of us level up once again, with the ladies leveling up twice, bringing all of us to level 5. I check my experience bar to see why I'm only at level 5, discovering that I only need 15 more experience points to reach level 6. How unfair is that? Just 15 experience points away. Couldn't it have given me those 15 points? Seriously, though.

{Congratulations, Adventurer! You have reached level 5. You now have 10 free attributes to allocate, which can be assigned during your next rest. You have unlocked access to the stream of creation and the ability to choose a class. Additionally, you have been granted access to the quest, friend, and party systems.}

Realizing there might be a reward for being the first person to purchase from the stream of creation upon reaching level 5, I hurriedly read that I now have access to it. Opening up my character sheet, I find a new tab specifically for the stream of creation. Excitedly, I shout to everyone, "Quickly, open the stream of creation and purchase something from the first tier as fast as you can!" I say this while already opening the stream myself and scanning the available options.

I don't take the time to thoroughly read the options; instead, I simply select the first one, which turns out to be a dark Blackwood staff. A cosmic purple basin materializes in front of me, collapsing into the form of the staff. Without much thought, I grab it from mid-air and simultaneously glance at the new notification that has appeared.

Glancing over at my companions, I see them all staring at me in shocked silence. So, I urge them, "Quickly, pick something, anything! Buy now, trust me." In the next instant, the same cosmic purple appears before Valerie, and she reaches out to claim her prize.

"Congratulations, Adventurer! You have earned the title 'First to the Basin.' For being the first adventurer to access the stream of creation and claim a prize from a basin, you have been awarded +1 to the number of options in the basins. Title: First of the Basin Grants +1 Basin Rank."

Avery and Olivia gasp in awe as they, too, receive their items similarly. Everyone then turns their attention to me, wearing expressions of astonishment at the titles we've obtained. Valerie asks, "How did you know that we would receive a title?" I shrug in response.

"I figured that since I was one of the first hundred people to kill a monster in this world, we were the first to slay a rare monster native to this world. So, I thought if we were among the first hundred to access the stream of creation and make a purchase from a basin, we'd earn a cool title. It turned out pretty good," I explain.

"Now, let's check on the shop owner, make sure he's okay, and then we can pack up and head to Avery's house," I suggest, gesturing toward the shop.

We approach the front of the shop, which happens to be a general goods store. The shop owner spots us and rushes over, tears streaming down his face. He embraces me, sobbing with relief.

"Thank you so much, you've saved me. I don't have much left, but you can take anything you want from the store. I'll be going home to my family. I have you to thank for that. I surely would have been dead if you brave people hadn't come to save me," the shop owner says, sobbing.

"No problem, I'm glad we were able to help. We arrived just in time. We won't need much, but if you have a knife or a machete, that would help us out," I reply, thinking about the bull's corpse. "Also, a big sledgehammer, if you have one."

"Yes, of course. Let me fetch them for you. I'll even throw in some food," the shop owner says.

I take the machete and the sledgehammer, then walk over to the bull's corpse, examining its horns. They are straighter than most bull horns, and they might make a good sword or club. I use the machete to cut around each horn until I reach the point where the bone meets the horn at the top of the skull. Taking the sledgehammer, I begin smashing at the base of the skull, trying to break the connection between the skull and the horns. After about five minutes of relentless smashing, I finally free the horns. Each one weighs about 15 lbs and is made of solid stone with veins of metal running through them.

Harvesting: increases the likelihood of harvesting plants.

"Congratulations, Adventurer. You have learned the skill Harvesting Level 1 (+10%)."

Once we've loaded up on more miscellaneous supplies, we finally pile into the car and hit the road for Ruby's house. As we make our way there, we notice that more shops have either been abandoned or boarded up. What was once a sleepy little town has now turned into what looks like a ghost town. Fortunately, Avery's apartment building doesn't appear to be under siege by any monsters. Avery heads into her apartment and quickly packs everything she'll need.

"Is it just me, or is it too quiet? I feel like something should be jumping out at us, mostly to keep up with the constant fighting we've been experiencing everywhere we go. Though I hope this is just a symptom of the initial flood of monsters and not the new status quo," I remark.

"Me too. Havin' to fight like this would get tiresome real quick," Olivia says expressing her agreement.

I feel like it's been non-stop fightin' since we received da message from da system," Avery adds.

"I hope the rest of the world is faring better than this remote town at the foot of the Sierra National Forest," Valerie expresses.

"I think it depends on the region. The severity of the monster attacks will largely depend on factors such as the environment. From what I've seen on the news, cities are being hit particularly hard, but they're also receiving the most immediate relief from the military," I explain, standing in the courtyard of the apartment, waiting for Avery to finish packing her things. I can't help but admire the Japanese maple in the middle of the courtyard.

A truly massive tree, a Japanese maple that must have been standing here for several decades, captures my attention. As I look closer, I notice that the base of the tree appears damaged by rot. I wonder if I can help the tree. Could I heal it with Healing Hands? Approaching the tree, I begin casting Healing Hands, and as I touch my hands to the tree, I feel something wrong. It feels similar to how mold tastes but different—more alive than I would have expected mold to feel. Despite the resistance, I persist in trying to heal it. Eventually, I push harder, and like a floodgate opening, mana pours from my hands into the tree. I can visibly see the mold retracting deeper toward the roots.

Being an avid collector of air plants, I know that the battle is not over just because the mold has retracted to the roots. It is just beginning. I continue casting Healing Hands back-to-back, and it seems like the tree is learning how to fight the mold itself. As I slip into a familiar trance it is like a Flow State, I trim and clean the area around the tree. At some point during the trance, I receive two new notifications, but I pay them no mind. I am more captivated by the tree's fight against the rot. I continue healing the tree until I sense its life is at 100%. It is only then that I notice Valerie has joined me, also healing the tree and gaining the same skills.

Congratulations, adventurer! You have unlocked the skills Arborist Level 1 and Channeling Level 1. You have also leveled up Healing Hands to Level 2, making it more effective.

Congratulations, adventurer! A new class is available to you. Please see the class tome for further information.

"Hello, I just got a new class. Did anybody else receive the notification about getting a new class?" I ask.

"Yeah, I received it too," Valerie responds. Avery and Olivia come down from the apartments.

"What's this about a new class?" Olivia asks. So I explain what happened. Both of them try to heal the tree, but since it is fully healed, they don't receive the class. I suggest that we keep an eye out for sick trees on our way back to the house.

"Alright, shall we get moving back? We have to pick our classes, read through some tutorials, and explore the Stream of Creation," I suggest. The journey back home is mostly uneventful. The only notable thing is that casting spells while moving in a car counts as moving. It turns out you can't simply do a drive-by shooting with magic missiles. What a shame. It would have been an easy way to farm.