“Well that whole secrecy thing lasted less than a day, good going Dianne” I muttered to myself as I walked angrily back to my room infuriated by my own stupidity and how already being a newly awakened classer had spiraled so dramatically out of control.

Getting back to my room I decided to go over my status screen and properly start my training

Name: Dianne Elizabeth Tianshao

Class: Absorber

Strength

8

Dexterity

8

Vitality

8

Toughness

7

Willpower

12

Intelligence

10

Perception

11

Mana

20

Free Points

9

General Skills

[Senses] Common 1

[Running] Common 1

[Basic medical knowledge] Common 1

[Bartering] Common 1

[Social graces] Common 2

[Learning] Common 1

[Climbing] Common 1

[Meditation] Common 1

[Dagger Skills] Common 1

[Empty]

Seeing that last empty slot I quickly added the new pain tolerance skill I received

Absorber Class 1

[Absorb] Common 1

[Identify] Common 1

[Disguise class] Common 1

[Absorbed Growth] Common 1

[Aura] Common 5

Rogue Subclass 2

[Silent footsteps] Common 1

[Basic Shadow magic] Common 1

[Fade] Common 1

[Pickpocketing] Common 1

[Empty]

[Empty]

[Empty]

[Empty]

Looking over my capabilities a few things really stood out was that classes really were not created equal. In a vacuum the absorber class actually was very weak and its abilities rely on the ability to steal other classes, whilst in comparison the rouge class which appeared to be much more standard of a class had many more slots. “So I need to learn as much as I can about classes to try and get the best ones of myself which will be hard as no one is particularly open with them.” I muttered

The other important thing I noted is that I had managed significant levelling on my aura skill in comparison to all my other abilities which still were stuck on level one. “Maybe using it subconsciously when getting into the battle of wills with my father?” I thought to myself, “Possibly using the skills against someone of significantly higher level?”

“Anyway the goal is to level up as much as possible between now and the party and then again between now and whenever the new semester of the academy starts.” Looking there were clearly some ways that I could work out how to level up some of the skills simultaneously.

But I thought to myself I can't do it here, Nico is a shadow user and that is almost guaranteed to be better than my shadow manipulation and will be able to discover me if i use it so I wont be able to use that here.

“So, That means the majority of my training will need to be done in the city” I decided, “and I will use the excuse of doing some preparations or getting things for my ball I have to host.”

However I also knew to maximise my time there were obviously some things that needed to be done whilst at the castle. Quickly looking down my list of skills I decided [Meditation] [Running] [Learning] [Senses] [Dagger skills] [Silent movement] and [Fade] were the best options with some I could use constantly. In particular I was curious if meditation was something I could use to entirely replace sleep.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Maybe I should try to steal some of those books that were forbidden from those who weren't classers in the library, now that i can actually access them.” I thought.

Sitting down on the floor I closed my eyes, tried to relax and naturally get myself into the headspace to meditate. Having never actually being taught to meditate and only hearing those vague statement like clear your mind, relax and concentrate on your breathing. Shockingly this didn't help. The floor was uncomfortable. There was a fly in my room. For some reason I was suddenly very cold.

“Well you look like a right idiot at the moment don't you princess,” a familiar acerbic voice said completely interrupting any attempt at mediation, admittedly not that I was making much progress.

“Your a princess Dianne, princesses do not sit on the floor with their eyes closed, contorting their faces into expressions that make them look like they are having bathroom issues.” My Head maid, tutor and only real friend Lady Xing stated hands on her hips and a scolding expression on her face.

“I was not making any faces” I quickly exclaimed getting up and trying to avoid her piercing brown eyes and dark hair.

“If you keep scrunching like that you will get wrinkles,” she said completely ignoring my remark. “And it would be such a shame now that you have just awoken the system of ascension, wouldn’t it? Straighten up now would you girl.”

As flustered as I was and nodding emphatically as I tried to regain my thoughts and stance it took me a moment for her words to register. “Wait, what did you just say?”

“I wasn’t aware that you suddenly became deaf as well” she remarked “I think you heard me perfectly well.”

“Yes that’s the problem” I said my hand fumbling behind me as I tried to grab my knife. “How do you know that, no one is meant to know.”

Lady Xing looked down at me with such disdain one would have thought that I was mud on her boots. “Your knife skills are pathetic, you should not be fumbling around like such a buffoon, any true threat would have killed you many times over before you managed to even draw it out.”

Swallowing nervously I kept one hand on the knife and backed up as I repeated “how do you know that I’m a classer.”

“How do you think you silly girl?” She snapped “I suspect you have some kind of identity skill from your father’s words, use it!”

Gaping I rushed to identify her.

[Night stalker] ???

Congratulations Identify is now level 2

“Your my fathers expert?” I asked in shock

“Well don’t look so surprised” Lady Xing muttered “your father didn’t just leave the morons at the door to protect you.”

Well a great job you did yesterday I thought to myself.

Lady Xing winced slightly looking at what was probably a face that could induce a thunderstorm. “I understand that name saying that in light of yesterday is probably not ideal.” She admitted.

Damn it to the lower plains she isn’t meant to know about that either! My father doesn’t even know as far as I’m aware!

“What are you talking about?” I said trying to look innocently at her.

“Goodness your lying is atrocious” she muttered under her breath before raising her voice and responding. “ I’m not an idiot and in fact I actually know a thing or two about dead bodies. Like the fact a massive neck wound covering her body in blood does not come due to a fall out of a window that is conveniently lined up with the one outside your bedroom.”

I grimaced slightly at that “A fair call, but apparently it should be your job to get rid of them for me is it not?” I said raising my eyebrows

“Get off it, your an ascended classer with a rouge class, if you think that this will be the last body you have to dispose of then you might as well have thrown yourself out the window after your unidentified friend” lady Xing said raising an eyebrow. “Got any details you want to share about that?”

“Not particularly” I muttered glaring at her mutinously. “How is it that I had no idea about you being a classer? And how am I meant to trust you? You clearly are nothing like my loving head maid that you have acted like for my whole life.”

“You really think you have a choice?” She responded with a snort “due to your delayed awakening you have a lot of ground to catch up on before you have a chance of being a viable threat to the throne. And I am bound to keep your secrets.”

“Bound to keep my secrets with whom?” I asked crossing my arms and raising my brow. “You telling me that none of my siblings or my dad can’t find anything out about me through you? No other outside parties are also involved in this?”

“Asking some smart questions, at least I taught you something.” She replied smiling slightly “your dad is the creator of the contract and also bound into it so he can ask me anything about you and I am required to respond, none of your siblings and no other parties are involved in this. They have their own version of me who teaches them about what they know about the system. How much your brothers and sister knows about the system is up to them.”

Implying that you want me to shut up and just listen I think not. I thought. “Well are you going to start teaching me then?” I muttered mutinously deciding then and there to tell her as little as possible about my capabilities.

“Finally starting to make sense and get down to business, sit down girl this may take a while.” Lady Xing said following her own advice grabbing my desk chair as I sat on my bed.

“So the system, the ascension, the classes of power, the first and most important thing to know and remember is that now your life from now until you die will likely be almost entirely be dictated by those in the system and you will be more and more isolated from those who aren’t. The system is a very jealous master and whilst it can give vast power also can take it away.”

“What do you mean take it away” I said in curiosity drawn in despite myself “I have never heard anything like that”

“That’s the point girl, think carefully how much do you, a princess with all the access in the world really know about the system?” Lady Xing asked eyes drilling into me

“Umm not a huge amount really, it exists, there are heaps of different classes and that classes level up and those people get stronger?” I replied, thinking carefully. It was kind of odd particularly when I had 4 siblings who were classers you think they would have let a bit more slip if even on accident. I didn’t even know anything about skills before I became a classer myself

“Exactly, and that’s because the system restricts information to just that. Nothing about skills, nothing about class growth, no details on what people can do. It is so all encompassing that it restricts memory of the unawakened, and attempting to bypass it is one of the easiest ways to become a system bounty.”

“A what now?” I asked in shock reeling from the knowledge that the system itself was hiding things from me “and what is class growth?”

“A system bounty is when the system itself puts a reward on your head. You normally don’t last long after that. There is additional benefits to the person who kills one and they are targeted maliciously, and every one is kill on sight on this entire plane.”

I opened my mouth to respond but nothing came out.

“The next most important thing is that you level up skills by being better than what the skill provides. You never try different things with your skills? They aren’t changing. Skills, not levels is the most important part of a class, a class can level up thousands of times and can be killed by someone hundreds of levels below if they can’t use their skills.”

“Makes sense I guess” I muttered still feeling overwhelmed by how much I suddenly knew and how much had been hidden away just out of reach.

“Now you are some kind of stealth dexterity build from what I can tell” she said nodding to herself

“Wait” I started

“Don’t even bother I have been doing this longer than you have been alive, come with me and I’ll show you how to truly be a classer.” She said turning on her heel and marching out.