I crouched low in the cave beneath the tangled tree roots. My eyes glazed over my surroundings as I reviewed my class options.

Class Options Available:

Warrior (Common): Warrior excels in close-quarters combat. Primary stats are Strength, Constitution. Standard abilities include physical attack enhancements, defensive skills, taunts among others

Archer (Common): Archer excels in ranged combat. Primary stats are Dexterity, Perception. Standard abilities include boosts to precision, concentration, mobility among others

Bard (Uncommon): Bard excels in harnessing the power of music and performance to cast spells. Primary stats are Wisdom, Dexterity. Standard abilities include musical magic, crowd control, charm entity among others

Ravager of Grezyk (Rare): The Ravagers of Grezyk are the most formidable warriors of the Grezyk race, feared and revered for their unmatched strength and battle prowess. Clad in armor forged from the rarest metals, they embody the raw ferocity and relentless spirit of their ancestors in every clash.

Eidikos of Nexyna (Rare): The Eidikoss of Nexyna are the most feared of the Order of Knoxsul, shrouded in shadow and whispered about in hushed tones. Masters of stealth and death, they strike with lethal precision, leaving behind an air of dread that lingers long after they’ve vanished into the darkness.

The initial options and descriptions are pretty intuitive. The last two are of higher rarity which is pretty tempting but didn’t give much details into the combat type, stats or abilities.

I usually favored melee builds with axes or sword and shield in the games I used to play. Granted I always played with my friends as part of a team and Alia only played ranged characters which kinda locked me into the tank and vanguard characters. Just that small wisp of memory felt like a stab in the heart.

Did I really die or did I just disappear from home? I can’t remember what my last memories were. Was I at home or at work? I hope everyone else is okay.

I shook my head, hoping that would clear the painful thoughts away.

The monsters I have seen so far have really hammered in the fact that I do not want to trade blow to blow. The little head jerk from the Horned Serpent has broken a rib or two probably and it still feels painful to breathe. My whole back is still stinging from hitting the tree trunk.

If I have to poke a serpent eye again in the future, I would rather do it with an arrow from far away than with a sword standing right next to it. On the other hand, melee classes would have more health and better armor so if a beast catches me by surprise, I have better chances of survival

The status screen and the whole stats thing had me thinking like this is the same as a game. It isn’t.

If I get hurt in the middle of a fight, I don’t think I will be able to continue using my full power like in a game. What if I lose a limb? Will I regenerate it back or am I disabled forever?

I don’t know. I don’t think I want to find it out the hard way either. So the smart thing to do is to not get hurt in the first place at all. To be elusive.

With that in mind, I reviewed my options again. Bard is the only class that feels like it uses pure magic but it feels like its true potential lies in fighting alongside allies.

Warrior seems like an inferior option to the rare class Ravager. Ravager on paper sounds like something that would be fun but it might involve lot of brawling and I am not keen on trading blows even with strong armor

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

That leaves Archer and the Eidikos of Nexyna. The latter description doesn't explicitly say the combat type but mentions stealth. Probably something like an assassin class then. While I usually don't prefer the rogue or assassin classes, this seems like my best ticket for survival right now.

No matter what class I pick, I don't hold any illusion that I can win against the beasts of this level here. However, the stealth trait might be handy in getting out of this jungle to a much safer area, probably even reach a town.

With the decision made, I mentally pictured selecting the class.

*You have chosen class Eidikos of Nexyna*

Select your trademark:

Two hologram-like images of distinctive weapons popped in front of the screen

On the left, there is a pair of blades that are perfectly matched, each measuring about two feet in length, with a gracefully curved design that resembles a crescent moon. Their polished, obsidian-black surfaces are etched with intricate silver runes that glow faintly.

To its right is a sleek longbow that looks like it is made from a deep shade of dark hued wood that seems to absorb light, giving it an almost ethereal quality. Its limbs are adorned with intricate carvings of twisting vines and creatures I can’t identify, each etched masterfully to my eyes

A sense of relief washed over me as I saw it. Firstly, I wasn’t even sure if selecting a class comes with a weapon or I am supposed to already have it for it to work. Secondly, the system giving even a choice of weapon is icing on the top.

At this point, I had already made up my mind so I chose the bow. Immediately, I could feel a presence in my mind like a new space has been created with the bow stored in it. With minor trepidation, I focused on it and it instantly popped into my left hand. I also felt a satchel that seems to be made of some kind of leather strapped across my body. I turned my head to the side and saw the quiver of arrows that are seamlessly attached to the satchel.

Despite the recent mishap, I can’t help myself from grinning to finally have a weapon to fight with. That soon turned into a frown when I saw the bow.

While the shown image reeked of grandeur and power, the one in my hand looked like a plain gray piece of wood curved in the shape of D with ends tied with a string of material I can’t recognize.

“What the hell! This looks like a prop. I feel like I’m being swindled by a midnight TV commercial ” I muttered under my breath.

“Fine! Whatever..” Suddenly, I felt a surge of power rising through me. My senses feel heightened and the minor body pains eased away. I focused on my status screen and quite a few new notifications popped out

Trademark Weapon Selected: Phantom Whisper

Class: Eidikos of Nexyna

Stats Acquired per Level: Strength +2, Perception: +2, Dexterity + 1, 1 Additional Stat Point

Skills Acquired:

Bow Mastery (E): Grants wielder minor proficiency with handling bows. Minor bonus to accuracy, range and damage when wielding a bow

Phantom Shroud (E): The Shroud of Eidikos allows the user to move quickly and quietly through the environment

Silent Arrow of Nex (E): Specialized technique of Nexyna that allows Eidikos to dampen the sound of arrows fired.

Charged Shot of Phantom Whisper (Unique): The Phantom Whisper enables Eidikos to channel their strength and focus into a single arrow, increasing the power and range of the shot

Level Up 0 -> 5

Upgrade: Strength +10, Perception +10, Dexterity +5, Additional Stat Points +5

I didn’t need to check the last notifications to feel the changes in my body. The boost to perception was disorienting.

Till now, even after waking up in an otherworldly place in a different body, my perspective and senses felt pretty normal apart from a slightly higher eye level point of view. But now, I feel like a blind man granted vision. I can see everything in vivid detail - the sharp edges of leaves on trees, their distinctive features standing out even from a distance far beyond what I could ever perceive before.

I am surprised to see strength attributes buffed higher than dexterity from the class levels. I guess I will soon find out what each buff to attributes translates to in reality.

Hmm, the smart thing to do is hold off on assigning the additional stat points to anything till then.

I returned to the status again, focusing on the Skills section. Time to see them in action.