Core was still undergoing modifications. I had given orders to reinforce the walls against all kinds of attacks. I didn’t know when the Sanctum would hit us again or what they would hit us with, and I wanted to be prepared.
But really, what kept my mind busy was the [Sorrowful Wraith]. Even though her level was a mystery, if I had to guess, I would put her rather high. She could, potentially, cause major trouble for us if she ever found the way back to Core.
Also, Nova would need newer defenses. What we were trying now in Core, at a smaller scale, would eventually have to make its way to the city. They also needed protection against the dangers of the dungeon.
I sat on my bed, contemplating all that had been done and all that still needed to happen. Honestly, I was just afraid of checking my own class book. I had peeked at it already, forcing myself to only look at the classes I had been observing.
Yasmin was already alerted that I shouldn’t be disturbed for the next few hours, maybe days if it was anything like the first evolution. Granted, not having to pay Bob a visit should make the whole thing faster. As quick as I could read, really.
I had hit a limit, a virtual wall that said that my class wasn’t going to advance anymore in its current state. I needed to rearrange my knowledge of the world and its magic.
I can’t lose any more time.
Deciding that I had been lost in thought for long enough, I opened the book on the first page. I was tempted to do it in my pocket dimension, but the knowledge that some far greater entity was waiting for me there made me stop.
I smiled as I saw [Herald of Corruption] available again. I had wanted it, and I still did. The premise was very enticing: spread corruption and benefit from it. In a way, it was like Jonas’ [Warden of the Corrupted].
It was there, red, tempting, and immediately discarded. Red. That meant that it was suitable for me—probably even a good idea even. However, now I understood why it was not golden, like {The Third Eye of Corruption} had been.
It’s a System class. I can’t pick it.
I could pick it, to be precise. I just didn’t want to. Very much like all the previous alternatives, [Energy Shaper], [Energy Mage], [Corrupted Catalyst], and the rest that I just skipped over.
I flipped over some pages, and soon enough, the names no longer appeared on red pages, but on silver ones. No gold, just darker and brighter shades of silver.
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{Dungeon Overlord}
> Those who create dungeons. An architect and designer of dungeons, they specialize their magic in shaping the environment in ways that benefit them the most.
While I had some doubts when I read the name, the description cleared them immediately. It was an [Architect] but for dungeons. Useless without actually being able to control the monsters spawned inside.
{Bloodforged Corruptor}
> The user has learned to corrupt through manipulation of blood or an equivalent substance.
>
> The ways and shapes in which corruption can be extended are limitless, and this class allows the Corruptor to explore creative ways to cause and spread corruption.
>
> A Bloodforged Corruptor focuses on the efficiency and efficacy of the transmission.
Which might have been interesting if not for the fact that my pool of energy was already big enough that efficiency was not on my watch list.
The length of the silver pages ended right there. I couldn’t resist the urge to first, quickly, check how many golden pages there were. Four. My heart was beating faster by the moment.
{Abomination Forger}
> Corrupting living beings is a fine art that can easily go sideways. The errors born of corruption are often sentenced to an early death.
>
> What if they were not faulty products but the creation of a master mind? An Abomination Forger empowers individuals using their dormant and strongest emotions.
>
> Born from broken individuals, the classes express powers beyond what the corrupted individuals might have ever been able to come up with by themselves.
It was creepy how the book—actually me if you considered it was mine—had considered what happened with Charlotte as a possible and viable route in the future. And perhaps it was, if you found people deranged enough to voluntarily submit to this process.
{Corrupt Pulseweaver Inquisitor}
> Pulses have been the bread and butter of your existence. They are the sole reason you are able to see, and they are the core of your corruption. Your enemies fear your absolute control around you.
>
> Pulses are more than harmless energy. You have proven they can be used to nullify magic, inflict harm, and spread corruption.
>
> You have scratched the surface of your ability. Attack, defense, detection, corruption—it’s uses are limitless.
I couldn’t deny that I had been using pulses more and more. They were the backbone of my corruption, and while I could probably do the same in other ways, as {Bloodforged Corruptor} suggested, I could hardly see them being as useful.
{Dreamweaver of Nightmares}
> What to some is a dream, to others is a nightmare. You are an agent of freedom and an angel of dread. To free someone from the System, you plunge them into the darkness of the unknown. You kill and sacrifice as needed to reach your goals.
>
> You feed them ideas, hopes, and fears. You train and develop them to become allies or sworn enemies. And, when they are ripe, you collect their dreams and nightmares.
>
> Material or immaterial, living or not, it does not matter to you. You become stronger by hoarding the experiences of others and by reading the underlying intent of corruption.
It was hard to put a finger on exactly what the class was. Clearly, it played around corrupting, be it people or objects. And my [Corrupted Class Book] and the ability to absorb other books played a key role. But it was not limited to that.
Underlying intent of corruption…
I read the next entry while still mentally repeating the expression.
{The All-Seeing Corruptive Oracle}
> A divinator who has chosen to take the path of corruption. Only when there is no other alternative will the Oracle choose to cleanse corruption by using force.
>
> The class focuses on drawing the hidden properties of objects by removing the restrictions that System imposed in the first place. When no such characteristics can be found, the Oracle will not hesitate to create who they see fit.
>
> Your pulses will carry additional intent, making corruption an easier task and, at the same time, providing more feedback.
The natural evolution of my existing class; reinforcing the fact that I mostly only attempt to corrupt things. And, if or when they go wrong, I clean up corruption by killing the bugs that provoke it.
It was a tough decision, one that required some time to meditate.