For all the hate Lucridge got as a city, it was beautiful. Sure, it wasn't the capital, and nothing noteworthy happened in Lucridge, but that made Vesper like the city even more. The buildings were simple, wooden structures but they were well spaced. The city was surrounded by a vibrant green forest that produced lumber and plenty of wild game. Vesper wouldn't be opposed to getting the [hunter] or [trapper] classes.

Vesper calmed his nerves as he headed to the only government-sanctioned building in the whole city. It was still early, so the streets weren't crowded yet. Except for the few merchants stocking their shops and the occasional courier, Vesper had the city streets to himself. It was still dark, but soon the sun would rise and banish the cold until nightfall.

The government-sanctioned building was made from stone, unlike the other buildings in Lucridge. Only the city hall stood taller than the government-sanctioned building, and, even then, the city hall was made from lumber. Lumber was cheap in the city, considering it was Lucridge's top export.

It was early, and the line outside the building was short. "Thank goodness", Vesper thought. He only had to shiver in the cold for about twenty minutes before an administrator ushered him into the building.

"What can we do for you?" she asked. Her voice was soothing.

"It's my Path day today. I've come to touch a Path stone."

Path stones were what unlocked the path. They were familiar enough and sometimes even found in the wilderness. Where they came from or what they were made of were still some of the oldest mysteries in the world. Many [scholars] and [explorers] dedicated their lives to answering these questions. Not a scrap of information had been found. What was known was that they connect the mortal world to the gods, blessing those who touched the stones with the ability to follow the path and accumulate power.

While nearly everyone could follow the path, the kingdom prevented a rare select few from following the path. Untouchables were what most people called them. They mainly consisted of young criminals and slaves bought young from neighboring powers. The path couldn't be unlocked before the age of 15, which was why everyone's fifteenth birthday was their Path day.

The administrator smiled.

"Follow me," urged the administrator.

She led Vesper through many doors filled with [clerks] and [officials] before entering the room with the stone. It was a dull purple color, vibrating slightly. It was, well, alien: something strange and not from this world, something from the world of the gods.

"You may touch the stone," the administrator said, pushing him forward.

Vesper stumbled forward and touched the stone.

Welcome to the Path Choose Wisely Vindictive Farmer (Common) Gains Exp. for tending to crops and livestock while in a state of anger, this is an inferior version of the Farmer class Skills Gained - [Pesticide], [Growth], [Water], Farmers specialize in growing food to feed the masses. Obedient Slave (Common) Obedient Slave (Common) - Gains Exp. for finishing tasks created by a slave driver, Skills Gained - [Reduce pain], [Obey], [Exert], Slavery isn't a choice in most cases, but this skill makes being a slave more bearable. One-quarter of a slave's Exp. is siphoned to the [Slave Driver]. Beware that all decisions involving future class pathways are controlled by the [Slave Driver] once this class is picked. (Class unlocked for working under Slave Driver Lorinth) Finder of Secrets (Hidden - Rare) Gains Exp. for discovering information lost to the past or unknown to the public. Skills Gained - [Unremarkable], [Increase Reading Speed], [Shelve Book].This class will be shown to others as [Bookworm], a common class. Beware, any mention or discovery of this class through the user's fault will result in [Finder of Secrets] transforming into [Bookworm]. This class was created for those curious about the origins of this world and those who can't help but pry into other people's business.

Vesper was troubled by his choices. Automatically he dismissed [Vindictive Farmer] and [Obedient Slave]. His suspicions about Lorinth were confirmed as his mind absorbed the innate information. There was no way he'd end up being a slave for the rest of his life, and he hated farming just as much. While Vesper was familiar with farming, he didn't want to live his life as a farmer, especially not an angry farmer. He wasn't surprised he'd never heard [Vindictive Farmer]. It sounded like a miserable existence.

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[Finder of Secrets] was without a doubt Vesper's best option, but there was a major flaw that he'd have to overcome if he picked that class. He didn't know how to read. A lot of commoners didn't, but most commoners never were offered classes that required the skill. No one would want to hire a [Bookworm] who didn't even know his letters. Vesper chose the class anyway.

"Took you long enough. What'd you end up choosing?" asked the administrator.

"Fin- Bookworm. I chose [Bookworm]." Vesper squeaked.

"Not a great choice, but it'll do, I suppose." the administrator said, disappointed. Administrators always got bonuses for Rare and higher classes that came from their location. Logically, this meant that the administrators within the capital made the most money. An administrator in Lucridge probably didn't make much more than the average soldier. Vesper suspected that [administrators] were more similar to [gamblers] than any other pencil pusher class.

Vesper exited the government building, slightly despondent. He'd need a job soon, now that he was technically a man and couldn't rely on the Orphanage for food. That was the King's law. Not even Lady Eldin would risk giving him a bit of bread under the table because of the unsurmountable fines and restrictions she'd face. She'd lose her orphanage.

Vesper didn't know much about books or bookkeeping, but he knew that most bookworms found jobs working for libraries. There was only one library in all of Lucridge. Luckily, the most notable buildings in Lucridge sat near each other, and the library was one of those buildings. It wasn't notable for its size or the material it was made out of. No, it was notable for being one of the oldest buildings in all of Lucridge, and the building Vesper suspected would collapse the soonest. Most residents of Lucridge knew that it wasn't a matter of will it collapse but a matter of when.

Frankly, the city council of Lucridge just didn't have the funds to keep it running. They already ran on a shoestring budget, and the library offered little to the lumber industry that the city was renowned for. The council received no kickbacks from the library as they did from the logger union, so, to them, the library might as well not even be there. With this in mind, Vesper wasn't terribly confident he could find an open position. They wouldn't have the budget to hire more than a few [scribes], let alone an illiterate [bookworm].

Vesper felt out of his element as he entered the library. Sort of like how a tree felt without soil or how a mighty whale felt stranded on a beach. It was a helpless feeling that Vesper had trouble shaking. It wasn't an impressive library, but Vesper was impressed, maybe even in awe of the rows of books. Vesper didn't have many references on how a library should look, considering this was his first time in one.

"Are you going to stand there like you're a statue, or are you going to check out books," grumbled the head librarian, Quill. He was a [scribe], but Vesper didn't know that and assumed he was a [scholar]. Vesper wasn't entirely wrong in thinking that a head librarian must be a scholar; in fact, this was very much the case in many capital libraries. But a decrepit library on its last legs of life wasn't a suitable spot for a [scholar], so a [scribe] would have to do.

Quill was an ambitious [scribe], considering he'd managed to snag a library, albeit a library on its deathbed. Fixing the place would be a miracle and require the kind of fortune that just wasn't available to a head librarian. The Builder's Guild estimated that the library only had two months before the library caved in. Quill abhorred the idea of transitioning from being his own boss to working under a pompous asshole back at the capital. To say Quill was desperate would be an understatement.

"I was looking for a job. I just had my Path day. Are you the head librarian? Vesper was sure he was, but it was always good to double-check. Due diligence was the key to success, after all.

"Yes. [scribe] or [bookworm]?” Quill asked.

"Pardon?"

“I said, [scribe] or [bookworm]?” Quill asked again.

"Uh, Bookworm. I'm a Bookworm."

Quill let out an exasperated sigh.

"Look, kid, money is tight. I can't give you a job. Better luck next time, I guess." Quill said. He felt a tad bit guilty turning Vesper down; after all, he remembered the stress that came with finding a profession after his Path day. But Quill wasn't in a position to help some nerdy kid who liked to read. Of course, he didn't know that Vesper couldn't read, nor was he particularly nerdy.

"You don't have any job? I'm a [bookworm], who else is going to hire a [bookworm]?" Vesper was starting to panic.

"I know it's tough, kid. If there was another place that dealt with books, I'd send you there. Sadly, the city of Lucridge would rather chop down the forest than fund reading and education. I swear they're a bunch of barbarians, the entire lot of them. Unless you're secretly a [carpenter], I'm afraid you're not going to be on my payroll."

"I'll do it."

Quill gave Vesper a weird look. It was the type someone gave to a raving lunatic.

"Do what? I just said I don't have a job for you."

"You said you need a [carpenter]. I could help you patch up whatever you need to be patched up."

"That's ridiculous. You clearly know nothing about construction." Quill was right, Vesper didn't know anything about construction, but he was desperate.

"Either check out some books or leave me be. I've got things I need to do before this building caves in." Quill said.