True to the captain’s word, we stopped about half a mile from the city to make camp. The caravan spread out in a rough circle, with wagons forming a barrier around the edges. A sense of purpose filled the air as everyone went about their tasks with practiced efficiency. Maya and I were assigned to stand guard while the rest of the crew set up camp. We took our positions, scanning the surroundings as the light faded into dusk.

The evening air was cool, the scent of pine and earth mingling with the faint aroma of stew bubbling over a fire. As the camp took shape, the guard captain came over and relieved us, recommending we grab some stew and bread for dinner and get some sleep before our watch.

We had been separated during the camp setup, and I had to admit to myself that I was relieved to get some distance from Maya. Her presence had become a distraction, a beguiling pull that I wasn’t ready to confront. I tried to refocus my thoughts on why I was here, on the mission at hand.

I headed toward the makeshift dining area, a small clearing with a few wooden benches and a large pot of stew simmering over an open fire. The rich aroma of spices and meat filled the air, making my stomach growl. I grabbed a bowl and ladled myself a generous serving, along with a thick slice of bread. Finding an empty bench, I sat down and dug in, the warmth of the food spreading through me.

As I ate, my thoughts drifted back to Earth. The memories of my girlfriend—her smile, her laugh—flashed through my mind like scenes from a movie. She was gone, and the pain of that loss was still raw. What was I doing flirting with this girl? I had a mission, get back to Earth, get back and help. I couldn’t afford to be distracted.

My internal conflict was interrupted by the whispers of a few other members of the caravan.

I could see them talking animatedly, but I couldn't quite understand what they were saying. Their faces were downcast and tight with worry. I decided to practice my Emotional Intelligence ability again to gain some insight into what they were thinking. There were three of them: two younger men in nicer clothes, likely traders, and a harder-looking older man who seemed wiser. The older man did most of the talking. I concentrated on him first. From him, I felt something that seemed like fear. The other two also felt fear, but something else as well. Mocking? No, that wasn’t it. Scorn? Closer, but still not right. After some serious concentration and a good amount of mana, I figured it out. They were skeptical—whatever he was saying, they didn’t believe it.

I wanted to dig deeper when Maya came up and sat next to me with food of her own. "Why are you all scrunched up like that? Your eyes are crossed, and you look slack-jawed," she said with a mocking look.

I immediately stopped my concentration and looked at her.

"I didn't say stop. It’s kind of cute in a level-one wyrmblood kind of way."

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

That got my attention. "How do you know about wyrmbloods? We haven't debriefed each other on what we learned yet," I asked with suspicion.

"I know all about them. I don’t need you to share knowledge with me. I was just trying to move things along," she said matter-of-factly.

"Oh," I said, surprised. "Well, what can you tell me about leveling?"

"Well," she said, pausing for effect, "it’s not that interesting, but what is interesting is how different you've been leveling because of the system. You have no idea how lucky you are!"

My curiosity piqued. "Lucky? How so?" She leaned in closer, her eyes sparkling with a mix of amusement and intrigue.

"So, everyone starts at level one, right?" Maya began, her tone now more serious. "You progress by gaining experience through combat, quests, and exploration. Pretty standard stuff. You level up until you hit level 25. That's your first cap, but you didn’t hit that cap. The tournament blew you right past it."

"Oh, okay," I said, trying to keep up. "What happens when you hit 25?"

"That's when things get interesting," Maya replied, a spark of excitement in her voice. "To evolve your class, you need to gather Lesser Essence. This essence is created by your world. You can find it in dungeons, earn it from completing tough quests, or other less common ways opportunities really are endless."

I frowned. "Lesser Essence? What's that exactly?"

"Think of it as a crystallized form of magical energy," Maya explained. "It's what allows you to transcend your current class and evolve into something stronger at the next tier."

"Wait, tiers?" I interrupted, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Maya nodded. "Yes, the world is divided into different tiers, ranging from F to S. Tier F is rare and pretty much junk, no Greater Essence there. Tier D is the most common. As world tier goes higher, the essence gets more potent or more common, and the loot gets better. But with better rewards come greater challenges."

My head was spinning, but I urged her to continue. "Alright, so I gather enough Lesser Essence and evolve. What then?"

"Well you don’t have to evolve. You already have, twice right?”

“Oh, yeah once but I don’t think twice.” I said confused.

“What was your first class? Something like warrior? Rogue? Druid?” She asked.

“No, Stormbreaker Barbarian.” I said with confidence, I loved that class.

“There you go, that’s an evolved class. I have never seen the Immortal Tournament but I believe one of the things about it is you get at least one evolution almost right away.” She explained.

“Oh, after two victories. Yeah that makes sense.” I felt like I was understanding.

“When did you get your second evolution?” She asked.

“The tournament gave me a choice after I won. There were lots of great options; I chose evolution, but I am not sure it was the right choice.” I said, frowning.

“How could it not be the right choice? You don’t understand how rare it is to evolve twice like that. You are probably one of the most powerful people around now.” She pointed at me to emphasize her point.