Chương 5

Yes! Welcome to Class Selection. Your Class is the path you walk while you grow within the System. Once you have selected your Class, you may start to level up. You may only have one Class at a time, and your Class choice shall be binding until you reach your next milestone. It is recommended to be absolutely certain of your Class before selecting it. Classes are separated into three broad categories: Combat Combat Classes specialize in direct confrontation and battlefield dominance.

These Classes enhance a User's ability to deal damage, withstand attacks, and engage hostile entities in close or ranged combat. Combat Classes provide the highest growth in offensive and defensive capabilities, making them essential for hunting, exploration, and survival in hostile environments. Users selecting a Combat Class will typically experience faster progression through combat-related activities but may have limited efficiency in non-combat roles.

Support Support Classes specialize in enhancing the effectiveness of other Users and controlling the flow of combat or operations. These Classes focus on healing, buffing, debuffing, battlefield awareness, and tactical influence. While they possess limited direct combat capability, their presence significantly increases group survival and efficiency. Support Classes excel in coordinated environments and scale with team size and synergy.

Users selecting a Support Class may progress more slowly in solo combat but gain substantial advantages in group-based activities. Production Production Classes specialize in creation, resource processing, and economic development. These Classes enable Users to craft equipment, refine materials, construct infrastructure, and generate wealth. While possessing minimal direct combat capability, Production Classes are critical for long-term progression, equipment optimization, and sustained growth within the System.

Users selecting a Production Class gain access to specialized crafting and gathering abilities, often unlocking unique items and enhancements unavailable through combat alone. Would you like to proceed to your Class Selection? I need to have a Class to get any exp… that explains the goblin. I instantly knew that Production Classes would be immediately out; I'm not sitting around anymore like I was before. Not here. Proceed!

Currently available Classes for Alex Grant: Combat: Warrior Guardian Ranger Berserker Rogue Mage Warlock Assassin Support: Healer Druid Bard Enhancer Hexer Strategist Production: Blacksmith Tailor Alchemist Artificer Merchant Cook Enchanter A couple of things immediately stood out. Firstly, there are no class descriptions available. Do I need to infer what they do by their names alone? Secondly, every class was gray in colour apart from two – Assassin and Strategist, which were green. Different Rarity…?

It makes sense to me that the different colours correspond to rarities, meaning Assassin and Strategist are special somehow. Assassin… that word excites me. Moving about unseen and using my wits and knowledge to set up a kill instead of just blasting magic or jumping to the front line resonates with me on a deep level. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I heard a sudden commotion outside.

A woman's panicked voice reached my ears "It won't let me change it! I just wanted more information!" Other voices reached me, comforting her. Lucas's familiar voice cut through the tension with practiced ease, "Don't worry, we are all in this together. Why don't we go there and discuss what we can do next? We can all pitch in our ideas and see what we can do!" I heard voices of agreement and the woman's hysteria decreasing. He's always been good with people.

I put the disturbance out of my mind and focused back on the Classes. I tried focusing on Assassin to see if it gave me any more information, and a prompt appeared instantly. Would you like to select Assassin (Combat) as your Class? Warning! Your choice is binding. No! I snapped internally. Thankfully, the screen went away and the list of classes came back to view again. … That was dangerous. My mind went back to the commotion earlier. So, it doesn't explain anything… and it doesn't forgive mistakes.

Taking a deep breathe, I scanned the list again, trying to see if I missed something. There! The first word – Currently? Does that mean that I could have more options later on? If class options are unlocked due to some hidden mechanism, then I should try for some other options before selecting my class. Maybe I could get something better! If I have unlocked Assassin or Strategist somehow, does that mean others have differing options too? I should speak with Lucas, he'll know more.

With his social skills I'm sure others would have asked for his advice. While I was thinking, I was aware of the voices discussing, panicking, and arguing, drifting in from the outside. I don't want to go in that chaos, not yet. A thought suddenly came to me. Can I delay my class selection? I tried dismissing the screen, and to my surprise, it worked! Another screen took its place. Are you sure you do not want to select your Class?

It is recommended to get a Class as soon as possible to have the best chance of survival. I hesitated. Should I really delay my choice? Having no Class would mean I could not level up. I looked around at the empty room. I could hear muted voices coming from the door, and the sounds of footsteps moving about reached me. No threats… I can afford a bit of time to think. Yes! Would you like to proceed to Inventory? Yes. The Inventory is a personal storage space accessible only to the User.

Items stored within the Inventory are held in a non-physical state and do not contribute to carried weight. Each item occupies a designated slot. Inventory capacity is limited by the number of available slots. Items placed within the Inventory are preserved in their current state. Time does not pass for stored items, preventing decay, spoilage, or degradation. The Inventory may only store objects recognized by the System. Living entities and active effects cannot be stored.

Items may be retrieved or stored through intent. Retrieval is instantaneous and will place the item within the User's immediate reach. Caution is advised when retrieving items in unsafe environments. Upon a User's death, all Inventory contents are released at the location of death. Would you like to view your Inventory? This is convenient. I noticed it doesn't mention stacking or a limit of Inventory slots. This system seems to have a pattern of not explaining much about actually important aspects, which annoys me.

I have always liked to make informed decisions, and the lack of information here is grating my nerves. My main focus though was captured by the line about death. That is trouble. I'll have to keep anything I gain to myself. My mind went to another possibility, as a chill ran down my spine. If this System rewards experience as well as all Inventory loot upon a person's death, won't that make it more lucrative to hunt people instead of monsters? I focused on the voices drifting in from outside.

Everyone discussing, sharing ideas, and working together. That's going to change quickly. I'm sure others have come to the same conclusion too. Things will remain peaceful as everyone is empty handed right now. But for how long? I stopped myself from over-analyzing, and moved on to opening up my inventory. The screen morphed into a large square, filled with twelve smaller squares in three rows of four each. Every square was currently empty. 12? I gained 2 as a reward, meaning I started with 10.

I thought of putting my club in and it instantly vanished from my hand, as a smaller version of the club appeared inside the first square. I thought of retrieving it and immediately I felt the weight of the club in my hand, somehow already firmly in my grip. Convenient, and quick. I put the club back in the Inventory and dismissed it. Ignoring the new System screen that popped up immediately, I tried focusing on getting the club back out of the Inventory, but nothing happened.

I opened the Inventory again, and then as soon as I thought about retrieval, the club was back in my hand again. It was the same thing when I tried putting it back inside, didn't work when the Inventory wasn't open. Can't keep everything hidden then. Have to keep my weapon and armour on me, at the very least. I didn't have anything at the moment to check if things stack or not. I'll try it with some leaves later. Moving on, I focused on the screen hovering in front of me.

Would you like to proceed to the System Store? Yes. The System Store is a centralized exchange accessible to all Users. It allows for the acquisition of items, materials, and services in exchange for System-recognized currency. Available listings may vary based on User level, progression, location, and achievements. Items within the System Store are categorized by rarity, function, and compatibility with the User. Certain items may have purchase restrictions or prerequisites. All transactions are final.

The System Store may also facilitate the sale of items. Prices are determined dynamically based on supply, demand, and System valuation. Manipulation of pricing or transactions is not permitted. Would you like to view the System Store? Clear enough. I'll try and save my currency for now to get access to better items later. I thought about accessing the System Store, but suddenly a bright red screen came up! Error! System Store is not accessible to Users without a Class. Damn!

Class Selection really is important to the System. But why? Doesn't make sense to have so many restrictions for people without a Class. As my mind wandered, the error message went away and a new screen came up. The System walkthrough is now complete. Good luck, Alex Grant. I guess that's it. The Class Selection kept gnawing at my mind, so I tried thinking about making the Class Selection screen re-appear. But nothing happened! Shit! Did I mess up?

Slightly panicking, I opened up my Status, and focused on Class and thankfully, this time, a screen appeared. You do not have a Class Currently. Would you like to view available Classes for selection? Yes! It worked. Currently available Classes for Alex Grant…. The same list as before showed up. So, I can select it later. Relief spread through me as I dismissed the screen and my Status. Opening up the Inventory to put away my club, I saw the Skill Stone I had received as a reward.

I selected it as I felt it appear in my hand. Should I wait till I get a Class? Or should I use it now? I mulled it over and decided to wait till I get my Class. Perhaps I'll get a skill that synergizes with my Class instead of a completely random one now. I put it back in my inventory and closed it with a thought. I got up with a groan, painfully reminded of my aching back and sore legs. The constant noise of discussions still drifted in, louder now. Guess I should get this over with.