Jeb felt his soul tug out towards everything it was Bound to. His lute sang immediately, their connection stronger than it had ever been before. After a long delay, he felt the Hive connect as well. The Swarm seemed far more dispersed than he remembered.
Still, Jeb was glad that the bees seemed to be doing well. As much as he enjoyed his time in the Academy, he did miss the presence of his bees. Hopefully I can find a way to see them sooner than later, he thought.
After connecting to each of his Bound objects, Jeb felt the part of his soul that had intertwined with them carefully unthread itself and rejoin to him. Just for a moment, he was Bound to nothing except himself.
Once again, Jeb saw himself in the center of a rotating universe. The two planets of his first two Classes seemed to be completely crystallized. There was nothing more that he could do to affect them, for all that he could see the way that they would affect each future Class he had.
Jeb looked at the options in front of him. Compared to the last time he had been there, the sky seemed far sparser. There were just a few bright points in an infinite sea of darkness.
As Jeb looked more carefully, he saw that his initial impression had been wrong. There were other Classes out there if he wanted them. They were just incredibly dim and far away. When he looked at the bright stars of Classes that seemed to be calling him, it made sense why there were no other real options.
The brightest Class was Wizard. Even though he did not have lungs in this space, Jeb let out a sigh of relief. He had hoped that he would be able to continue learning different kinds of Magics, and he knew that Wizard was the best way to make that happen.
Wizard Third Tier Magical Class (Advanced) Novel
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You have not been content to rest within a single School of Magic. Nor have you kept the Schools you have learned separated, as individual wells of power for you to draw from.Instead, you have sought to understand the very underpinnings of Magic, finding even the font of Magic.
The fact that it was not significantly brighter than the other stars in the constellation was a little surprising to Jeb. Curious, he moved over to the next point of light.
If the star for Wizard had burned with mystery and discovery, this star was entirely discovery. Just by looking at it, Jeb felt as though he was beginning to understand the roots of Creation.
Theoretician Third Tier Magical Class (Advanced) Novel
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To name something is to call it into being. To observe something is to pin it in place. Not content with simply learning what others have learned, you seek to drill down into the very depths of Creation. Find the links between Magics. Find the links between Skills. Find the links between soul and body and Status.
Just by drawing near to the star, Jeb felt himself pulled ever closer. He had to admit that the offer it gave was incredibly tempting. Even though he had loved learning Magic at the Academy, he was starting to chafe at the fact that all of his other Skills had started to stagnate. During his Alchemy course, he had expected to use what he had learned about Brewing and Distilling. To his disappointment, though, Quicksilver had emphasized that Jeb should work on removing the Essences from reagents solely with his Magic.
Even Weaving, for all that he had done an independent study, seemed to be something that Dean Aquam was letting him do out of the generosity in his spirit, rather than something the Academy valued. Now that he was presented with this Class choice, Jeb was beginning to realize that, even though he was not being kept in the box of Mud Magic, he had simply broken out of it to be placed in the larger box of Magic. As tempting as it was to choose the Class right away, Jeb pulled himself from the star that promised him answers and moved towards the third Class that seemed hand picked for him.
If the last star had promised answers to questions that Jeb had never thought to ask, the third star he orbited promised solutions to all of his problems. Creation seemed to emanate from it, and Jeb felt as though he could make the purest Distilled Water that anyone had ever made, if only he stayed here.
Crafter Third Tier Class (Advanced) Novel
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To understand Creation, one must become as a Creator. Magics, though interesting, are most interesting in how they shape the world around you. Understanding how Magic works is only as useful as the applications that understanding creates.
Now that he was orbiting this star, Jeb saw the issue with Theoretician. For all that he did, legitimately, enjoy learning the reasons that Magics worked together and the way that they worked on a fundamental level, that was not where his interest stopped. He had initially dreamed of being a Magical Farmer, somehow working great feats of Magic onto the land itself. Even if that dream had faded somewhat, there was still a deep part of him that refused to be limited in what he could do. Theoretician would not limit him to the study of Magic, he knew, but it would limit him to study.
Crafter, by contrast, rejected all notions of theory. If something worked, the star seemed to whisper to Jeb, why did it matter how? Optimization by empirical measurements was the only way that theory ever developed. Jeb found that he had drifted closer and closer to the star as he considered to ponder his choices.
Seeing the two laid out as such clear opposites firmed his resolve not to pick either. Even though he found practice important, Jeb was beginning to realize that the part of him which feared and resented being limited considered not knowing why something worked a limit in itself. He pulled away from the star, leaving the promise of perfected experiments behind.
As he flew to the fourth star, Jeb felt at peace in a way that he never had before. Drawing near, the star radiated such pure feelings of life, growth, and knowledge that Jeb felt himself drawing ever closer. The star whispered promises of theory matched with experiment and Magic mixed with reality. Forcing himself to see what Class was calling him so, Jeb focused on pulling up its description.
Druid. Third Tier Magical Class (Advanced) Novel
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Life is change. To understand life, it is not enough to crystallize it to theory. Nor is it enough to thoughtlessly create. The world is more than Magic, and all Magics rely on the existence of nature and natural products. Shape the world to your dreams, bring peace to the world itself. Note: Druid remains a forbidden Class in your nation.
Despite the warning, Jeb found himself dreaming about life as a Druid. He stood beside a great tree, wider around than the town he grew up in. Countless other plants grew in the shade of the tree, supported and nourished by its roots. Entire foot networks existed on each of the World Tree’s branches. Jeb saw himself as the tree, just for a moment, Bound even more deeply than he was to his lute.
Pulling himself out of the vision, Jeb saw that he had almost accepted the Class without meaning to. Only the fact that the System required him to confirm without a doubt that he was comfortable with gaining the Achievement: Outlaw stopped him from taking the Class. He shot back, resisting the pull of this latest Class offering.
Back in the void where he had begun the process, Jeb felt each of the stars exerting a pull on him. Every part of him was pulled towards one star in particular, for all that he could not find one that pulled all of him. Standing in the absence of space for a subjective eternity, Jeb felt the pull from the star Wizard start to change.
Curious, Jeb let himself be pulled towards the star. Focusing on the star, he pulled up the text for the Class description. It changed as he watched it, letters moving and reforming. When it stopped, the Class was slightly different.
Wizard Third Tier Magical Class (Advanced) Novel
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You have not been content to rest within any School of Magic.Instead, you have sought to understand the very underpinnings of Magic and its connection to the greater System. Delve deeper. Grow in understanding.
The fact that the System was able to rewrite Class descriptions was meaningful, Jeb knew at once. The new Wizard was slightly different. It was still a Magical Class, unlike Crafter, but that suited Jeb fine. Even though he did not want to be limited to only studying Magic, Jeb was aware that a majority of his time for the foreseeable future would be spent on Magical endeavors. He was, after all, still enrolled in the Academy.
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As Jeb discarded his objections to the Class, he felt himself changing slightly. His willingness to prioritize Magic and the study of Skills related to its craft began to crystallize. Remembering the river of fate analogy that his grandfather had given him, Jeb felt his own course settle more deeply, as though a tributary had fixed its path. Just before he accepted the Class, though, he noticed that none of the Class offerings had told him what Statistics they would give.
A voice in his head assured him that all the Classes had comparable Statistic Gains, and Jeb shrugged, trusting the half real thought. Looking at the vast expanse of nothingness, he saw the places he was Bound. Testing the connection, he made sure that the Swarm was comfortable with his choice of Class. The hive and lute, as he had expected, did not reply.
The Swarm did not seem to have an issue with Jeb’s new Class, so he flew into it, watching as the planets of his previous Classes began to circle around a new star.
Actually, Jeb thought, looking at the System, that isn’t quite right.
Second Tier Wizard was orbiting this new Class, but his First Tier Class Mud Mage was orbiting the planet. It seemed like a stable system: a star, a planet, and a moon. Before he could wonder about what that meant, his Class selection was finalized.
Congratulations! You have Tiered Up! -204 Experience, New Class: Wizard.
Excess Experience detected.Multipliers applied: Level up: 3/4 Tier Up (2-3): 0.66 Total Multiplier: 0.5 Remaining Experience: 521
Congratulations! Your Skills have Combined! Brewing (Magical) Distilling (Magical)
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Have been consumed into the Skill-
Jeb stopped reading, refusing to let the Skills go. To his surprise, the window disappeared, leaving another in its place.
Congratulations! Your Skills have Combined! Alchemy (Magical)
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Has been consumed into the Skill “Magic (Class Reward, Magical)”
Jeb collapsed on the altar, soul and body once more united.
“Are you alright?” Professor Quicksilver called out, voice surprisingly concerned.
“I’m fine,” Jeb croaked out before the darkness took him.
Jeb’s Status Sheet at End of Chapter:
Jeb Humdrum Human Age: 17 Class: Wizard Level: 4 Experience: 521/309
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Total Statistic Load: 1228 ->1278 Physical Load: 338 Strength: 52 Dexterity: 53 Endurance: 54 Vitality: 55 Presence: 124
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Mental Load: 890 ->940 Intelligence: 188 ->198 Willpower: 189 ->199 Magic Affinity: 181 ->191 Mana Depth: 166 ->176 Charisma: 166 ->176
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Mana: 2515
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Glyph Attunement: 31 Least Shape Earth (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Hold Earth (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Create Earth (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Destroy Earth (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Shape Earth - Efficient (Modified) Tier 3 Spell Lesser Shape Earth (Modified) Tier 3 Spell Least Shape Water (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Shape Water - Efficient (Modified) Tier 3 Spell Lesser Shape Water (Modified) Tier 3 Spell Least Hold Water (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Create Water (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Conjure Water (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Conjure Water - Efficient (Modified) Tier 3 Spell Least Destroy Water (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Move Air (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Hold Air (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Create Air (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Destroy Air (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Move Fire (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Hold Fire (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Create Fire (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Destroy Fire (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Create Mud (Modified) Tier 2 Spell Attune Earth Mana (Modified) Tier 0 Spell Attune Water Mana (Modified) Tier 0 Spell Attune Water Mana - Efficient (Modified) Tier 2 Spell Attune Air Mana (Modified) Tier 0 Spell Attune Fire Mana (Modified) Tier 0 Spell Attune Sand Mana (Modified) Tier 0 Spell Least Create Sand (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Attune Sand Mana - Efficient (Modified) Tier 2 Spell
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Bard Songs Known: 1 Lute Enforcement
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Skills: Meditation Gift of Gab Identify Soil Savvy Animal Handling Fertilizing Musician Pollination Brewing Distilling Smithing Wood Identification Woodworking Soil Improvement Glassblowing Magic Weaving
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Achievements: Focused Meditator Student of Magic Glyph Specializer
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Quests: Major: Slay the Dragon of the West (Progressive)