"Shit. What are we supposed to do, how are we supposed to deal with monsters ..." Andy sounded scared and numb like he was accepting his fate.

"We go out there Andy and we kill some damn monsters." I looked right into his eyes trying to push the conviction I felt onto him.

It didn't work, Andy was scared, I understood where he was coming from, heck I should be scared too. I looked over to Lilly, she wasn't as terrified as Andy, but she was scared all the same.

"Look both of you, we can be careful about it, but I think we should be hunting these monsters, if only because they're going to hunt us." I stared between the two, hoping they would see some sense.

"I-I can't do it Cass, I'm not ready for this, I'm sorry." Andy wouldn't meet my eyes.

I looked to Lilly a question in my eyes, she shook her head.

"Fine I get it, but I'm going out there. Both of you should stay in here if you're not coming with, make sure to keep the door locked." I wish they would have joined me, but really, I'm not surprised. Any sane person would not try to run out onto the streets filled with monsters.

Andy walked up to me, some shame on his face.

"I'm sorry Cass, I just can't." Andy said in a barely audible voice.

"I understand Andy, I understand."

I gave Andy a last nod and told him to lock the door behind me. I understood why they decided to stay, but to me this was even more exciting than yesterday. Yup I'm a damn battle junkie. Heading down the stairs I stopped before the first floor, I could hear monsters running about clawing at doors. I quietly made my way down and to the door separating the staircase from the lobby of the building. Not many people lived on this floor, most of the floor space was for the staff rooms, so I figured I didn't have long before they hauled the few people down here out and ate them for breakfast.

The monsters in the lobby looked like a dire wolf mixed with a saber tooth tiger. The large two front teeth of these "saber toothed wolves" as I mentally named them, varied between specimen anywhere from the smallest at four inches to the largest at about 9, but those were only the ones I got a look it; they could vary even more. Their sharp claws had made quick work of the doors, tearing the wood to shreds, their shoulders barely fit through the doors of their prey.

I waited for there to be no more than two in the lobby at once. Then I struck, the first blast hit the one closest to me right in the chest tearing a hole through what I hoped was his heart and lungs. I must have hit something vital because the wolf dropped to the floor and didn't get back up. That was good because his friend was coming right for me now. I took a breath as I pooled the energy into my palm, aiming for the saber wolf's chest I released the energy as soon as it was ready. They are damn fast. I need to remember that when fighting the rest of them. The saber wolf dropped dead and slid, almost touching my kneeling form with his snout.

I wanted to celebrate my success, but a saber wolf came out of the closest apartment maw bloody, and his two eight-inch canines covered in gore. It looked at me and charged ignoring the bodies of its brethren like they weren't even there. Having already prepared my energy as he was coming out of the door, I was ready for him and released the blast when he was just a little further away than the last one. My aim was true, though that's not hard to do when they are only a few meters in front of you and your target is a massive pile of muscle claw and fur. The beast fell on top of the second, you wouldn't think that a pile of two would amount to much, but it does when they're massive monsters the size of pony but broader. I used this pile of monster semi blocking the door to my benefit and took a breather.

I need to regen some of my energy, I only have one more of those blasts. Maybe I could use less energy per shot, I've killed everything with a single blast so far. I thought about that and started willing a very small portion of energy into my palm while I peeked around the corner to make sure nothing was coming at me. Okay focus, feel the energy, bring a small portion to your palm. Hmm too much, can I send some back into myself? Turns out I could, I sent enough energy back that I had maybe a third of my normal blast in my palm. I waited for only a few seconds before the next wolf came out, it didn't see me past the pile of two I was crouching behind. These monsters are pretty dumb, they didn't even make a sound to alert their "pack," and they don't seem to care if others have died. They only care for prey. Before the saber wolf could run off, I launched my newest iteration of blast into his chest from the side like I did for the first.

Again, my aim at a few meters was accurate, taking the wolf in the chest cleanly. Maybe a little too cleanly with less energy the bolt made a smaller hole. The wolf looked over and started to lunge at me before he fell halfway to me. I already had the rest of my energy in my palm before he slumped dead. I stored all the energy back into my body and backed up into the stairway contemplative. So, it works but it's not broad enough to do sufficient damage quickly when I use less energy. That's when I thought about my Title [Primus]. Specifically, the +35% to personal energy control. That increase didn't show up on my stat sheet like the bonus to stat effectiveness, there must be hidden variables that aren't accounted for by my status. Honestly it made a lot of sense, how can you quantify every part of yourself.

Small discovery made I went back to mulling over the personal energy control boost. Sneaking back around the corner with an idea I waited for another saber wolf to come out of the apartments, their savage work done. Unfortunately, two came out at once, luckily these also seemed just as belligerent as all the others. I put the corpse pile between me and the saber wolf on the left, opening myself up to the one on the right. I fire quickly, but this time I focused my will onto the energy leaving my palm and guided it into a shape as I forced it out. I wanted it broader; I needed more surface area for these smaller blasts.

It worked; the blast was bigger than the original. The saber wolf went down fast, but I noticed the energy didn't come out the other side like it usually did. Saving thinking for after I'm hidden again, I moved around the pile, and shot at the saber wolf - who was just standing still staring at its dead companion like it couldn't understand why it decided to take a nap - with great success, it dropped just as fast as the first one. Getting back inside the staircase I took some time to think about what happened with my newest blast. I did more damage by spreading the energy out, but it didn't have the same punching power to spear the saber wolves all the way through. I think this has something to do with the density of the energy. When I keep the shot in a compact ball it punches right through their body, but when I stretch it out, I hit more of the beast but don't have enough punching power for that entire area of effect to cut through their bodies and out the other side.

This I can work with; I don't need through and through's if I can just destroy their heart wholesale. I waited in the stairway feeling energy flowing into me. When I had enough energy for 5 more of the new blasts I crept back into the lobby. I think they all left after their meal, not seeing the door to the stairs through the corpses of their pack mates. Not taking the chance I go room to room checking for saber wolves and survivors alike. It was ... brutal, there were pieces of people left over and liters of blood on the floors, and not much else. The saber wolves were fastidious in their meal. Clearing the last apartment, I went back to the lobby, tired of looking at leftover people. Before I could do anything else a different creature came prowling through the front door, it wasn't looking at me, but at the corpses of the saber wolves. I quickly crouched behind the pile near the stairway, still keeping an eye on the new monster.

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This monster was smaller, sleeker, it looked like a black panther, the only differences were that it had two tails both tipped with barbs or stingers, and small spines along its back. I named the creature a barbed panther in my head. Watching the creature, it advanced towards the closest wolf to the door, the first one I killed, and started ... eating it? Wow a real dog eat dog world out there now. After the surprise wore off and I thought about it for a few seconds I realized that it shouldn't surprise me. Animals eating animals was standard operating procedure of the world long before today, and just because I classified both of these creatures as monsters doesn't mean they are the same.

Deciding I had watched enough of the barbed panther, I sent a blast to its chest, killing it instantly. Thats when I felt it, like something inside me I didn't even know was there had reached a threshold. Words started appearing in front of me, I dashed up the stairs and onto the second floor before giving them my attention.

Congratulations, you have reached the threshold for level 1.

You now have access to the [Class] system.

You may now choose a class.

Warrior:

A standard class for those that like to use their brawns as their primary asset.

Stat increases per level: +2 Strength +1 Vitality +1 Endurance +1 Free stat

Rogue:

A standard class for those that like to use their speed and stealth as their primary assets.

Stat increases per level: +2 Dexterity +2 Agility +1 Free Stat

Archer:

A standard class for those that like to use distance and accuracy as their primary assets.

Stat increases per level: +2 Dexterity +1 Agility +1 Intelligence +1 Free Stat

Tank:

A standard class for those that like to use their resilience as their primary asset.

Stat increases per level: +2 Vitality +2 Endurance +1 Free Stat

Cleric:

A standard class for those that like to heal from safety instead of fighting.

Stat increases per level: +2 Wisdom +2 Intelligence +1 Free stat

Mage:

A standard class for those that like to deal damage from afar.

Stat increases per level: +2 Intelligence +2 Wisdom +1 Free stat

Random:

A random class for those looking for something different, and willing to put their path in the hands of fate.

Achieved Class:

A class that has been earned and reflects what you have accomplished.

Advanced Mage:

You have shown a great proficiency for the mage arts.

Stat increases per level: +4 Intelligence +3 Wisdom +3 Free stats

Note that it is possible to improve your class options by accomplishing feats and gathering more energy for your class.

"Wow" I surprised myself by speaking out loud. This was a lot to take in. First of all, this was freaking cool, I could pick a class and increase my stats. This was another step on the realization of my dreams and desires. Looking through the first few classes I was a little disappointed, these were all basic standard run of the mill classes that probably anyone could get. Reaching the random option, I was tempted but it was far too risky I would end up with something like gardener. I read on to the Achieved class and knew this was probably what I was going to pick. However, when I read the actual class, I was distraught. Advanced mage! Thats it! I internally screamed, no this can't be I was supposed to have some Arcane wizard class or a Legendary knight class. What saved me from utter devastation was the last line. The possibility to improve my class options by accomplishing feats and gathering more energy. This was it, this was my goal, I had to improve myself so I could earn a better class.

After settling myself and firming my resolve, I read back over the text one last time in case I missed anything. It wasn't until the last line again that I noticed anything, "gathering more energy for your class." that reminded me of the feeling I'd been ignoring since the screen popped up. It felt like I was at a threshold, but not full. I must receive this energy from killing monsters. That would explain why I hit the threshold after slaying that barbed panther. Discovering the "xp" of this world just added to my resolve to get a better class. I knew what I had to do, I needed to slay more monsters.

Gathering myself and sending the class screen away without choosing an option I decide there's no time like the present and move down to the front door. I decide luring monsters into the lobby and killing them a few at a time is probably my best option for staying with the living. Looking out onto the street I find that there are two additional kinds of monsters. One is a beetle the size of a medium sized dog, these beetles are in larger groups than the rest, but they seem less threatening. The other type is what I imagined a velociraptor looked like, with two big hind legs they walk on and two shorter arms, both with dagger sharp claws tipping them, along with an elongated maw full of razor-sharp teeth. The raptors travel in groups of three, though I can only see one group of them.

I get to work and start by opening one of the doors and leaning out to wave my hand at the group of three raptors. It only takes a few seconds for the raptors to see me and charge at the door, before they even reach the door, I blast the lead one in the chest then retreat to let the other two inside. By the time they have entered the lobby I'm standing next to my original pile of wolves near the stairs, I fire immediately at the one on the right and kill it. The third one launches itself at me and is dead before its two thirds of the way to me. Paying attention as the last one falls; I can feel the threshold of the well holding the energy for my class being surpassed. Checking on my internal energy reserves - that remain distinctly different to the energy for my class - I still have about 9 shots if I had to guess. I should look into the differences between these energies when I'm back in my apartment.

Moving the raptor bodies aside takes more effort than I expected, it feels like hauling 150 pounds of dead weight across the floor. After the bodies are moved from in front of the door to the sides to make a funnel, I look outside and see the group of beetles has moved closer. I think there are about fifteen or sixteen of them in the group. If I use the same blast I have been using for the others on these guys, I'm going to run out of juice before they're dead. I think I can use less energy on them though, I can keep the potency but reduce the size of the blast since they're smaller, and I should be more precise with my shots anyways. With the problem of "ammunition" solved, I should be able to kill them all. Decided, I lure the group of beetles into the building, taking a few shots at them while they skitter towards me. The smaller blasts seem to be killing them just fine. They also seem slower than the other monsters around, making it easier for me to kill them. Backing into the lobby, I decide to try using my second hand for "casting" my bolts. Trying to figure out how to will the second bolt to fire ends up with me shooting both at the same time, thankfully they're packed together close enough that my second shot still hits one of the bugs. By the end of the slaughter, I've learned a lot about using both of my hands, and once again I can feel the well of energy for my class increasing.

Out of energy for my attacks, I retreat to the second floor and wait for my regeneration to fill me back up before I start killing more monsters.