Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Kaiden thought, nearly bouncing in his seat. He was actually getting a class tome. Not just an ability tome—a full class tome!
As his heart raced, the full notification filled his vision:
Common Class Tome: Health Weaver (Bracer)
Class Bonus: +50 Mana, +5% Mana Regeneration
Ability 1: Healing Touch
A beginner’s healing ability that allows the caster to mend minor wounds with a simple touch. This ability channels the caster’s mana into the injured area, closing shallow cuts, easing bruises, and dulling the pain of minor injuries.
Ability 2: Cure Poison
This ability lets the caster purge minor poisons and toxins from the bloodstream. While initially limited to low-potency poisons, it strengthens with leveling, allowing for more efficient purging of complex toxins over time.
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Kaiden’s eyes scanned the abilities again, scarcely believing it. The reason classes were so highly coveted was clear right away. Even a common class, the lowest tier, gave him two new abilities and two immediate attribute boosts. That extra +50 mana was a game-changer—a full 50% increase from his original mana pool. And as the class leveled up, there’d be even more benefits. Kaiden could hardly believe his luck, his excitement practically spilling over.
Rendall’s gruff voice snapped him back to reality. “Well?” he grumbled, eyeing Kaiden impatiently.
“Sorry, Sergeant. I’ve never seen a class tome before,” Kaiden said, grinning sheepishly. “I got excited.”
Rendall crossed his arms. “Just hurry it up. I need to make sure you actually gain the class and don’t try something stupid, like selling it.”
The thought hadn’t even crossed Kaiden’s mind, and his eyes went wide. “I would never—” he started, but Rendall cut him off, rolling his eyes.
“Just get on with it.”
“Yes, Sergeant.” Kaiden focused on the tome, turning to the first page and a new notification popped into his vision:
Do you want to adopt this Class? Adopting this class will consume the tome. Do you wish to proceed?
Absolutely. Yes. He mentally confirmed, and the rush of knowledge and energy swept over him, even more intense than when he’d gained his abilities. He clenched the edges of the desk, bracing himself against the powerful sensation as the information settled within him.
A final notification appeared in his vision.
New Class Unlocked: Health Weaver (Common)
As soon as Kaiden finished adopting the class, Rendall shot to his feet. "Finally. We’re done here," he grunted, gesturing for Kaiden to follow as he headed out of the small office without another glance back. Kaiden hurried to catch up, weaving back through the endless maze of shelves and cages.
While they walked, Kaiden’s mind raced and a question popped into his head. Both the class tome and the box both had time-turner symbol, but his class had nothing to do with time. "Sergeant, what does the, uh… time-turner symbol mean, exactly?"
Rendall barely looked back. "What!? You people don’t learn anything, do you? That’s the mark of a Bracer."
"Bracer?"
Rendall huffed. "It’s about survival, not time," he said flatly. "For a party that’s stuck in a dungeon’s depths, a Bracer's the closest thing they’ll get to turning the clock back. As in injuries and even death." He shrugged as they reached the counter. "You want to be the reason someone lives? Or gets dragged out dead? You either turn the time back or watch it run out."
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Thank you, Sergeant,” Kaiden said, realizing the weight of that symbol and role.
Rendall eyed him for a final moment. "Remember, not a word to anyone about this, got it?" Then, with a grunt, he waved Kaiden off. "Dismissed."
Kaiden walked out, feeling estatic about his new class. He brought up his status screen to get a good look at his gains.
Kaiden Hayward
Age: 26
Class: Health Weaver (Common)
Skills / Abilities
Regeneration: Level 2 (Passive)
Mindforge: Level 2 (Passive)
Arcane Vision: Level 1 (Active)
Healing Touch: Level 1 (Health Weaver)
Cure Poison: Leve 1 (Health Weaver)
Attributes
Strength: 0 {0%}
Stamina: 10 {0%}
Constitution: 20 {0%}
Mana: 160 / 200 {0%}
Mana Regeneration: 15 {5%}
Still zero strength. Damn, Kaiden thought, but the disappointment was short-lived. Can’t win 'em all, he reasoned, but he was more than happy with his other gains to care that much. Now he turned his thoughts to what he’d tell Davick. He figured it’d be fine to share a little, knowing Davick wouldn’t purposely rat him out, though he might accidentally let something slip. So, he decided on an abridged version—just enough to keep Davick satisfied. He’d only tell him he’d received Healing Touch.
When Kaiden finally made it back to the barracks, he found Davick sprawled out on his bunk. “Hey, I’m back.”
Davick’s head turned immediately, a grin spreading on his face. “Well?”
“Well, what?” Kaiden tried to play it off casually, but Davick wasn’t buying it.
“Oh, gimme a break. You got something good, didn’t you?” Davick sat up, narrowing his eyes with a smirk. “That’s not the face of a guy who just picked up rations. C’mon, what’d you get?”
Kaiden shrugged, but his face betrayed him. “Well…” he started.
“Oh, c’mon! I can tell.” Davick gave him a look, practically bouncing on his bed. “You got that stupid-ass, shit-eating grin plastered all over. Now spill it!”
Kaiden chuckled, but he kept his voice low, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening. “Alright, keep it down, will you? I got a new ability, but I can’t exactly use it til’ we get to the dungeon. I’m supposed to keep it quiet.”
Davick leaned in, whispering loudly with barely contained excitement, “For fuck’s sake, just tell me! You can’t come in here with that stupid ass grin and expect me to wait. C’mon, man!”
Kaiden laughed, then spoke quietly. “Alright, it’s a healing ability. I got Healing Touch.”
Davick’s jaw dropped. “Healing? No way!” He slapped Kaiden on the shoulder, grinning. “You lucky bastard!”
“Don’t get too excited. It’s just basic healing, nothing crazy,” Kaiden said, shrugging, though he could feel pride edging into his voice. “And it’s not for testing out, so don’t go getting hurt just to make me use it.”
“Right, right,” Davick said, nodding, though the gleam in his eye said he couldn’t wait to see it in action. “Still, that’s pretty damn awesome. I mean, you’re practically invincible now, right? With Healing Touch and Regeneration, who could kill you?”
Kaiden chuckled, then his expression shifted, growing more serious as a thought struck him. “Yeah… I guess that’s the point...” he murmured, almost to himself.
Davick looked at him, curious.
Kaiden waved away those thoughts momentarily. “Look, just don’t tell anyone, alright? I don’t want this getting around.”
Davick made a zipping motion across his lips, grinning ear to ear. “Your secret’s safe. But you better save my ass with that ability when it counts, alright?”
“Just don’t annoy me and we’ll see.”
“Asshole,” Davick said, chuckling.
They talked until lights out, and Kaiden lay in his bunk, his mind turning over everything that had happened. Boran’s words about not needing these abilities in training made sense now. And then the first time they talked about him being a Bracer, there was the comment about his Regeneration ability. It was valuable to have a Bracer who couldn’t die... Of course. It was a setup from the start.
Master Sergeant Hales had seen something in me, he thought, something that made me worth the time. Hales had sent orders ensuring he was made Bracer instead of Defender, ensuring he got a healing class too, almost like trying to protect an asset. Kaiden wasn’t positive why Hales was invested, but he had a working theory.
He initially thought it was his Arcane Vision ability, but now he remembered that Hales had brushed it off as D-rank, almost dismissing it, but what if that was a tactic to keep it from standing out? After all, Arcane Vision was an ability chosen by a god. Nothing else in his status hinted at why he might be worth special treatment. It has to be Arcane Vision! Being a Master Sergeant meant he’s been around for awhile. And having such a high military rank could possibly lead to him knowing something that most weren’t privvy to.
His curiosity burned. Tomorrow, he’d finally give it the attention it deserved. I wonder if there’s a library here.