Jack was still standing in front of the Goddess of the harvest statue, and none of the combat classes appealed to him. He started to doubt his decision; he didn’t want to be a fighter, he wanted to be a scribe.

  Despite his earlier hesitation, he thought of Jasmin again and smiled. She’d love the birds singing here. Would she marry a brewmaster or a hermit? He laughed at the thought, receiving a few strange looks from the other temple visitors.

  Don’t get sidetracked. Why didn’t the old lady tell me what to do? His recent memories felt foggy for a moment. He looked around for signs or guidance. There are no signs. What to choose? His right hand itched where he’d cut it on the blood-red rose; he scratched it absent-mindedly as he slumped back down on a pew.

  Jack made a list in his notepad of what was important.

  1. Novice combat class capable of killing Greaves in under 4 years.

  2. Fast levelling. Ideally, reach level 25 before I’m 20.

  He wrote down the faster levelling combat classes in order of levelling speed.

  Archer, Warrior: 4yrs

  Spearman, Swordsman, Assassin: 4 to 5yrs

  Jack stopped writing before finishing the list. Damn! They are all bad choices. He scanned through the remaining combat classes; there were still a few classes like Hunter and Ranger that could be levelled in under five years, but none appealed to him. Only the mage classes are appealing, but I can’t wait ten years to level.

  His shoulders slumped at the reality of not being able to choose a mage class. I could’ve chosen time mage if it wasn’t for Greaves! Anger rose like bile in his throat. I couldn’t afford the Academy fees to study anyway.

  The mage classes were the slowest to level, and more importantly, they were weak at the novice level. All Novice Mages started with four weak starter spells. It didn’t matter if the class chosen was the standard mage class or the time mage class. They all received the same four spells. It wasn’t until level 25 that the mage would gain new, higher-level spells without having to study them for years.

  [Shield] A simple shield spell that, at level 0, would take a hit or two from a weak goblin.

  [Reflect] A simple reflective spell that, at level 0, would partially reflect a hit or two from a weak goblin.

  [Ember Flicker] A simple heat spell that, at level 0, would severely burn a weak goblin.

  [Frost Touch] A simple freeze spell that, at level 0, would severely cool a weak goblin.

  None of the novice-level skills were powerful; [Ember Flicker] and [Frost Touch], were the poor cousins to [Fireball] and [Frost Breath]. Both novice skills required the mage to touch the target while activating the skill. Where a level 0 [Fireball] would kill a goblin, [Ember Flicker] would give them a severe burn; that’s assuming the goblin didn’t fight back.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  It wasn’t until the Novice Mage reached level 25 and selected the apprentice class that powerful skills like [Fireball], [Frost Breath], and [Chronos Sphere] became available. That’s when mages became a fighting force to be reckoned with.

  Jack shook his head in disappointment. If only I had ten years, or even seven and unlimited gold. I could’ve studied interesting magic for years. In his past life, he’d studied dozens of Secondary Novice Mage spells so he could level his [Inscribe Spell] skill faster; inscribing a variety of spell scrolls was the best way to level.

  An average mage would take ten years to reach level 25; even a prodigy with high affinities studying at the Academy full-time with support from a patron to pay a full team of adventurers to protect them while they trained in dungeons would take a minimum of seven years. There was no way to reach level 25 as a mage in only four years.

  He wouldn’t be capable of killing the Baron as a Novice Mage in only four years.

  Moving on, his shoulders slumped at the thought of becoming a paid assassin. It was the most obvious choice, but he’d already failed as an assassin and knew he couldn’t spend four years killing innocent people to level up the class fast enough to use it to kill Greaves.

  I can’t do it. Jack wasn’t a cold-blooded murderer. He could level more slowly without killing innocent people, but with the four-year timeframe, it just wasn’t the right choice.

  Jack considered the other classes and shook his head. In his heart, he knew he wasn’t brave enough to choose a melee class like warrior. The idea of fighting with a sword or spear was enough to give him nightmares—and he’d already suffered enough of those for two lifetimes.

  He sighed again at not being able to choose mage. He liked the idea of becoming a mage, though not as much as being a scribe.

  Realisation hit like a hammer. Fuck! I have to choose archer. The archer class was the better choice to kill the Baron before the blood magic spell book was deciphered and translated. He could train and level fast as an archer without killing people. Plus, he could earn extra coin working as an archer without becoming a cold-blooded killer.

  “Please give me the strength to make this choice, Demeter.” Jack felt a warm autumn breeze caress his sweaty skin. He hadn’t even realised he was sweating. It felt like he was standing before a field of golden wheat ready for the harvest. There was a strong floral scent, but he couldn’t place the odour.

  His hand, where the blood-red rose had cut him, itched again, like it was trying to tell him something. He had a sudden urge to choose blood mage, but dismissed the forbidden class without a second thought.

  As the sound of songbirds washed over him, he took a slow, deep breath and felt himself calm down. His turbulent mind and tense muscles relaxed, and he felt ready to choose his future path.

  Jack closed his eyes and said, “Thank you, Demeter.” He placed his hand on the Choosing Stone and selected archer as his class.

  Unknown to Jack, the old lady who had left the blood-red rose behind was observing from the shadows. She was with the strange merchant he’d purchased his dagger from. The middle-aged merchant looked annoyed as she shook her head. The old lady smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. Several more people appeared; a man shrugged his shoulders, a woman chuckled, before they all disappeared back into the shadows.

  What class do you believe the Gods want him to choose?

  Levelling Speeds

  Not convinced of this world's levelling speeds, I have example spreadsheets.

  Class Compatibility: ~50% to 60%

  Relevant Affinities: ~40% to 60%

  Average competence and consistent practice