“We’re here,” Pell said.

They arrived at a shabby-looking wooden door near the far end of the dungeon floor. Pell walked up and opened the door inwards. The door scraped against the ground, and dust fell from the top hinges of the door. The inside was dark and filled with shadows as if it was a portal into a realm with no sun, the only thing illuminating it being the outside light that trickled in.

Pell strolled straight into the darkness and disappeared a mere second after entry.

“Um, Pell. I can’t really see in there,” Enya said, leaning forward and adjusting her body in an attempt to see anything inside.

“Give me a second. I’m trying to find the lights,” replied a grouchy echo of voices.

After a few dozen seconds, the room flashed with light. Enya’s eyes widened as she stepped forward.

Inside was a beautiful chamber, four stone pillars in the center, spread out a few meters apart to support the ceiling. Aligned at the far corners of the room were marble altars with engravings that wrapped around their base. They were like miniature pillars. Atop the altars was…light. They floated above the altars and shimmered, unsupported by anything she could see. At the far opposite end of the room was a desk, with various papers and books scattered along its surface. Behind the desk were four bookshelves that spanned across the entire wall with mostly empty contents, save for a few books randomly placed on the different shelves.

“Woah,” Enya gasped. “What is this room?” She looked around, taking in the unique sight.

“It’s a study, I guess. Not exactly sure why it’s here, though,” Pell replied.

The room was slightly worn, indicating that it was used frequently in the past. Being located here on the 5th floor and not the 10th floor or the 1st floor, or some hidden room, was quite odd. Why keep a study on a random floor like floor 5, and also in an area that was so…mundane? This floor contained skeletons and zombies, and aside from that, it held nothing unique to it compared to the upper floors. Pell had to question the owner's architectural placements.

The path to the study consisted of long, narrow hallways that led into more hallways, that led into even more narrow and longer hallways. There were no statues, no traps, no signs, no decorations, no anything. To an outsider who didn’t know this room was here, they may end up thinking they were going to reach a dead-end or that the floor wasn’t even finished. The entire route to the room was unsuspecting and suspicious.

“What are these?” Enya questioned from over at the corner.

Pell walked over to her. “These are light stations. They are devices that have been inscribed with the Create Light spell circuit. You can engrave these onto basically anything, and I guess the dungeon master used these marble altars as the medium. The spell itself just creates a small spark of light. It has a set brightness, but the darker the area is, the brighter it will shine,” Pell explained. "The spell is mostly used to light up rooms and some street lamps."

Pell walked over and stooped low to look at the runes. “There are also variants of the spell where it can directly illuminate whatever it is installed into.”

“Ill…loomnate?” Enya said, tilting her head as she continued looking at the altar.

Pell stood, “Ill-lum-in-nate.” Pell said slowly, emphasizing each syllable. “It means to make something glow or become brighter.”

Enya gazed at the various lines on the marble altar. There were straight lines, thin lines, lines that crisscrossed, and lines that randomly stopped. The pattern repeated itself a few times as it circled around the cylindrical altar. Enya’s eyes were entranced by the circuit. There was an invisible energy flowing through the engravings. Her eyes were glued onto the spell circuit. Studying it. Feeling it. It felt as if she were part of the circuit, gliding alongside the lines. She could feel the motion of the mana flowing, twisting, and turning, funneling into different paths, traveling along itself until it repeated.

“Brat!”

“Huh?!” shrieked Enya, losing her balance and falling over and landing on her behind.

“Wh-wh-what?” Enya asked frantically, flicking her head both ways.

“Calm down brat--err, kid. You okay?” Pell said. He extended his bony hand towards Enya to help her up.

Enya grabbed his hand and lifted herself off the ground.

“You were just staring at the altar. That was the third time I called your name,” Pell said, annoyed.

“Ah, sorry. I was just…the spell circuit looked so…I don't know. I can't explain it.” Enya said awkwardly.

Pell crossed his arms across his ribs. He sighed. “Well, I guess seeing your first spell circuit would get you a bit interested in it. Still, don’t be distracted by something so normal. That’s an extremely basic circuit. It’s practically sold anywhere for a single copper,” he continued, "some places even engrave it for free."

“Ah… okay,” she said, looking back and forth from Pell and the circuit.

“So, why are we here? Am I going to be reading those books?” She asked, pointing towards the various stacked books scattered on the desk.

“Yes, and no. There are two books here that I want you to read.”

Pell guided Enya over to the desk. He sorted out the dozen or so books stacked on top of the table and brought forth the two he wanted. Enya looked at the titles of the books. One book was titled: Sacrificing the innocent—A Necromancer’s Daily Life, while the other was called: Who Needs a Phylactery?

“Why these two books?” Enya asked, unfazed by the book titles—mainly because she didn’t know what the word sacrificing or phylactery meant.

Pell cleared his throat with a theatrical cough. “Alright, let’s dive into these delightful tomes! These two books are all about the marvelous world of necromancy. While they’re not exactly step-by-step guides, they’re perfect for beginners and offer a charming introduction to the dark arts.”

He waved his bony hand with grand flair. “Necromancers are incredibly powerful and prestigious. Who doesn’t adore a necromancer? It’s like stepping into one of those epic tales you’ve read. Imagine being able to summon the dead! The power to resurrect beloved souls is a skill that could make anyone the hero of their own story. Necromancers are like one-person armies, wielding strength and magic beyond imagination!”

Enya winced and was deeply pained by the act that Pell was putting up. It was like the spirit of anti-Pell had taken over his body. However, her eyes still sparkled at what he said. Summoning the dead sounded like an amazing ability. And if they could call upon legendary heroes or even majestic dragons—like those in the novels Pell had lent her—then necromancers must have been awe-inspiring.

"Oh, and just in case I make a huge mistake..." Pell muttered to himself quiet enough that she couldn't hear him.

"Can you please tell me what your innate class is called?" He asked, with a playful tone.

“What’s that?” Enya replied with a tilt of her head.

Pell grumbled and slammed his arms back down to his side, demeanor reverting to normal. “Just check your damn status screen. If I ever ask you for something, it’s probably inside your status screen. Just think innate class and it’ll pop up,” he said with a groan.

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Enya nodded, unfazed by his sudden tonal shift. She popped her status screen before her eyes and searched for what Pell asked for. "It's something called... Visionary," she said plainly.

Pell stayed silent for a moment before speaking, "Hmm, okay. I'm not sure what that class does. Never heard of it. But I can probably bet it isn't a combat-focused class," he said, mainly to himself. "Alright, well whatever. Plan is still the same. These two books will teach you everything you need to know about necromancy. Probably."

“What about all the other books?” Enya asked. She glanced at the books behind her on the shelves, and turned to look at the ones on the table.

Enya picked up the book about sacrificing the innocent. It had a crudely drawn picture of a zombie arm reaching out of the ground in front of a standing round stone rock that had the author’s name carved onto it.

“Well, these other books aren’t too important. You can read them if you want I suppose, but only after you finish these two. These two are the important ones. The other books go a bit into advanced spell circuit theory and whatnot. While the rest are about managing the finances of a fiefdom and an incomplete adventure series.” Pell replied nonchalantly. "Seems like the owner of this dungeon also liked his fair share of literature and magic-fiction."

“So I can read them after I finish these two?” she asked.

“Sure brat--err, Enya, I mean," he replied, coughing as he corrected himself.

This was another thing that happened frequently. Pell often referred to her as a “brat”. While there wasn’t any doubt that she was a kid, Enya felt conflicted about being called a brat. She wasn't exactly sure what it had meant, but she could tell from connotation that it wasn't a good thing.

Before, Pell would just call her a brat and be done with it. However, it was only recently that he started to correct himself whenever he called Enya a brat. It was annoying, but it wasn’t something that made her upset. He made the effort to correct himself as if he was afraid of making her mad. So maybe Pell started to like her a bit more? She wore a small grin.

“So if I become a necromancer, we can leave the dungeon?” Enya looked away from Pell and redirected her attention back to the desk and looked at the book cover.

“Yes. Necromancers are pretty rare in the world, and having some actual necromancy-related books here is quite lucky for us. Necromancy itself isn't the solution for us leaving. The solution is for us to conquer the dungeon. And for that, we need to kill the monsters along the way and defeat the boss. You should know a bit of that from the novels, right?”

"Mhm! The heroes fight the evil monsters and kill the boss!" Enya replied enthusiastically.

"Good enough. Usually it’s adventurers that fight and conquer dungeons. But I’m not an adventurer, I’m a merchant," Pell stated. “Since I’ve already chosen my path, the only thing that me and you can rely on now, is your ability to still choose a class.”

Enya looked up at him, "But why a necromancer? The stories had people that could use magic like fireballs or...um...sword... ora? or...a? aura!" she stuttered, trying to sound out the words. "Will I be able to do that too?"

Pell twitched upon hearing her question. "Hmm… yes… you’ll be able to. Just not right now," he said. "Classes are what let you do most things from spells to skills, to techniques. And right now there isn't a solid way to get you any of those classes you read about in the books. All we have are necromancy books and tomes for now."

Enya nodded in understanding.

"Alright. Now, brat, listen up. I’ll only explain this once," Pell said.

Pell walked over to the door before turning around. “As I think you might have learned already from the books, most people are given classes when they are born. This is called an innate class. Innate classes are determined from birth. Some people have powerful ones, while others have weaker ones,” he said.

“However, just because your innate class may be rare or powerful, doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a good life. You, of course, also have to have the resources needed to grow. A poor child born in the slums with a rare class will rarely ever succeed compared to others who are wealthy or have powerful backing," he explained. "And most nobles will-" Pell cut off abruptly, snapping his jaw shut. Enya stared at him with bewilderment, wondering why he stopped. Shit. He thought.

He needed to keep as much information about how nobility went about growing their heirs. She would... probably come up with that conclusion herself later on. But as long as she became a necromancer first, there wouldn't be any going back.

Pell regained his composure, "Sorry. Just ignore what I was about to say. It was outdated information."

Enya nodded again in understanding. She didn't have any reason to doubt Pell. If what he was about to say was just a mistake, then it was just a mistake.

“But rare classes are really strong or… useful right? ”

In the stories she read, there were a lot of people who looked for those with strong abilities. Clans would sometimes go out and look for children and make deals or contracts with their guardians. This was rare, and clans mostly waited for people to come to them, but certain exceptions would convince clans to look for them themselves. It was a recruitment effort, and was a common trope in the books she read.

Pell sighed, “Yes, that would be true in theory. If not for the fact that it takes a lot of resources to help those children grow. Some classes grow at different rates and some need specialized resources. A merchant like me wouldn’t earn a lot of experience from killing a monster, but instead from doing trades,” Pell answered.

“You can look at your own class now too, since you can access your status page. Your class still says unassigned, right?” Pell asked.

Enya’s eyebrows furrowed. That was right. Pell just said that children are assigned classes when they are born, but when Enya saw her status, it said ‘unassigned’.

“Uh, yes. My class is unassigned.” Enya replied.

“Your main class is unassigned. You still have an innate class. Your so-called Visionary class. Almost every living creature has an innate class, barring some specifics. I know little about the other races,” Pell said, shifting his gaze up to the ceiling.

“Now, there are two important distinctions you need to know.” Pell held up one finger. “First, Innate classes, are not your ‘main’ class. Innate classes are assigned at birth, but that does not mean you are locked into that class. They are sometimes referred to as secondary classes, sub classes, passive classes, blah blah blah,” he continued, waving around his hand in a circular motion.

“Innate classes always have a quest or condition related to them. Regular classes just require you to learn enough about a certain subject or area of expertise. The prerequisites for innate classes should appear on your status screen when you want to view it.”

“pre..req..qwi…uhh what does that mean?” Enya’s voice trailed off as she tried to pronounce the word.

“Ah... Prerequisite means something you have to do before the class is unlocked. It's like the word requirement,” Pell said awkwardly. I need to find a damn dictionary in this dungeon. He thought.

“Generally speaking, the unlock conditions almost always have something to do with the actual class. It’s sort of like… an introduction—or err… a…” Pell added, but his face became frustrated as he began fumbling his words at the end.

“I know what introduction means,” Enya said, realizing what caused Pell’s expression change. She actually just learned what ‘introduction’ meant recently. It was the beginning portion of every book she read. The very first books she read in the dungeon didn’t label themselves as that, but the most recent book she read had the word plastered in near the beginning as a chapter title.

Pell’s face cleared up slightly. “Ah good. Well yeah, whatever. As I was saying. The unlock conditions are usually like an introduction for what's to come and what the class offers.” Pell said.

Pell held up his second finger. “Second, you can technically have your main class be anything.”

“What do you mean?” Enya said as she leaned forward, showing interest.

“The possibilities for your dominant class are determined by how you live, breath, and act,” Pell stated. “Live near a volcano, use fire magic, and… I don’t know, take regular baths in fire, and you will probably get some class related to fire magic or something,” Pell said.

“How do I get my class then?” Enya asked. “Do I just need to read these books?”

“Long explanation, short, yes.” Pell gestured towards the two books on the table. “These two books have a lot of information about how necromancers act, use their powers, and how they live. Necromancers use corpses for the most part, and are weak to holy magic, for instance. These books should hopefully give you enough insight into necromancy that you can unlock it as an option." Pell placed a hand on his chest before continuing, "I, myself, became a merchant after studying about merchantry and taking part in trades."

“Ah… just saying. Once you awaken a class, it’ll be harder to use skills or spells that aren’t related to your class. A fire mage will find it hard to use water spells. It’s not impossible, but they would have an extraordinar—" Pell said, cutting off with a cough, “or very, very hard time learning how to use it properly.”

After finishing his explanation, Pell turned towards the door, “I recommend reading the Phylactery book first, as I think that is the one with information on the necromantic spells. It should be an easier of a read. I think.”

“I’m going back to the shop. This room is protected by an access spell, so the demon rat shouldn’t be able to come in, since it’s not a dungeon creature.” Pell added as he opened the door.

Enya closed the book she had in front of her and grabbed the book titled Who needs a Phylactery? As Pell started to leave, Enya wanted to ask about what a ‘demon rat’ was. However, a different question came to mind and she asked that one, instead.

“Um wait, what is your innate class then Pell? You said your class was a um…uh… oh! A merchant right? Is that your innate class?” Enya questioned quickly. "Oh wait, no. You said that was your regular… main class right?"

Pell was already halfway out the door before he stopped. Silence followed for a few moments. Enya couldn’t see Pell’s face now, or see the expression he held.

“No… I was unlucky and my innate class was that of a regular farmer,” Pell said plainly. Pell closed the door, leaving Enya alone with the books before she could voice another question.