What shocked Matt wasn’t the evolution, it was getting only 1 level. The mentalist had been level 12 after all, which was 8 higher than he was. Getting a single level out of that fight felt like daylight robbery. However, thinking about it wasn’t really getting him anywhere, and he was too excited about finally getting to pick a class, so he chose not to wallow in it too much.
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His grand total number of skills was a big zero. [Minor Heal] came with the weapon, while the mana orb attack was a weapon enchantment meant to provide healers with a damaging option since that was usually what they lacked. He assumed. He didn’t really know. It was still mostly based on game knowledge mixed in with some logic, but for all he knew, healers could be gunslingers.
None of that, however, changed the fact that a powerful class was bound to come with its own set of amazing skills, especially if his stats came into play. He didn’t know how a level 5’s status page was supposed to look like. The average for humans at level 0 was between 3 and 5 per stat, putting the total at 32. He had started with 51, well above the average, which when you add in his titles, put him in a decent spot… He hoped.
Lying on the cold, hard floor, he couldn’t help but smile. Pain and exhaustion were still most of what he felt, but glee, anticipation, and expectation were slowly taking over. It was safe to say he had never looked forward to anything in his life more than this.
He cast another [Minor Heal] on himself and mentally clicked on ‘Choose class’.
You have four class options available:
Priest
Mender
Apothecary
Lifemage
Matt kept staring at his class options… and staring… then stared some more.
“I… don’t understand,” Matt muttered in bewilderment. “Those all look like… healers?”
Why was he only being offered healer classes? It made no sense. Usually you got to choose an archetype when you’re first offered a class, then further specialize in that role as time went on, but what he was being offered instead were 4 different specializations for the healer archetype.
I know it’s not a game and I shouldn’t compare it to one, but why would it decide on its own that I should be a healer? He questioned in his mind in obvious confusion, not knowing what to make of what he was being shown.
Matt got up and started pacing back and forth, the pain only a blip in the back of his mind, confusion and concern now the only feelings. He wracked his brain for any hints or clues. Did my starting Spirit influence this? Maybe the scepter of life? He contemplated, but he had no idea. It was all guesswork, which made him feel even more anxious.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding something and these are not simply healers, but variants of different casters? he thought in conclusion, figuring his best option was to further inspect the classes, see if there was more to them then simply being healers.
He focused on the priest class, a description appearing.
Priest
Warriors of faith, pawns of the divine, and beacons of hope are some of what priests have been called over the ages. With their connection to the circles of divinity, they are able to channel it, creating what many would call miracles, be it to mend wounds, banish darkness, shield allies from harm, or even smite the unfaithful in the name of their divine being, a priest can do it all. They are considered by many the conduits to their faith and a representation of the will of the divine, while others consider their power an unnatural deviation from the laws of the universe. Yet their power cannot be denied, and as healers they are second to none. May you be the refuge people need, and the light in the darkness they seek.
Stats per level:
+2 spirit
+1 willpower
+1 wisdom
+2 free points
“Okay… this is beyond being a healer, this is straight out propaganda,” he frowned. “It did seem like more than just a healer though, maybe even evolving later into an inquisitor or another fighter type,” he mulled it over.
It did leave a bad taste in his mouth just considering it as an option, though. He had always believed that if you wanted change, you had to work towards it, not simply pray and do nothing. If praying alone worked, there would’ve been way less suffering and tragedies. He didn’t deny the existence of gods or deities, he just never believed in one. None had come to his aid, and so he owed them nothing. He did hope, however, that the system integration was the new start that many people needed.
“Besides, the only divine I believe in, is that Morgan Freeman is the voice of god,” he chuckled a little as he tried to lighten his mood and banish the grim thoughts, and that’s when he received another notification.
Would you like to dedicate Morgan Freeman as your divine being?
Yes/No
He let out a laugh as he read the notification. I’m not even sure if this is the system’s equivalent of a joke or not, he thought, both confused and considering it at the same time. But before he could overthink it, he mentally clicked no. It wasn’t the time, but Mr. Freeman is definitely on top of my list, he thought with a smile and moved on to the next class, putting the priest option in the definitely-not-in-this-lifetime pile.
Mender
Many consider them merely stitchers of wounds, but a mender is much, much more. Some pursue the flesh, others the spirit, the line between the orthodox and unorthodox a blur to most. A mender is limited only by the user’s imagination of what healing entails, or what it can and cannot accomplish. May you never waver in what you pursue, and your hand never falter in what it’s able to do.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Stats per level:
+2 spirit
+2 willpower
+1 vitality
+1 free point
This was also a straight out healer, but with caveats. Limited by my imagination, huh? So what? I can ‘heal’ a broken-down car if I believe hard enough? he thought sarcastically. The description was vague, which felt purposeful. The priest had clear descriptions of what it could do, but the mender simply boiled down to ‘you figure it out’. It could also be simple flavor-text that means nothing, but with nothing else to go on he had no choice but to read into it.
He knew the multiverse had probably been around for millions of years, and the odds of him discovering something new and ripe for exploitation were unrealistic at best, but he also knew that it was impossible for everything to truly have been discovered, and as a person from a fairly new universe with fresh ideas and an open mind, he did have a higher chance since he was only limited by his own imagination as the skill suggested. Still, higher than normal didn’t mean it was any less unrealistic.
The class itself definitely had more potential than simply being a healer. It required him to put in the work, something he wasn’t averse to. He still would be anything else that wasn’t labeled ‘healer’, but as far as healers went, this wasn’t as terrible as the Priest, which was an incredibly low bar now that he thought about it.
He put it in the ‘maybe’ pile for now and moved on.
Apothecary
Healers accrue the most deaths in battles. No matter who they go up against, taking down the healer first has become the logical thing for most, and an instinct ingrained in the rest, especially with their lack of defense and escape. But what if you didn’t need to go to battle at all? Or your position was so far in the back that no one could ever reach you, where you could throw medicines at those who needed them as you cheered them on? If that person is you, then look no further!
Stats per level:
+1 intelligence
+3 wisdom
+2 free points
Matt did a double take before confirming. ”Yep, it’s real. It’s a fucking sales pitch to a profession disguised as a class, because fuck me, right? Who the fuck did I piss off for these to be my options,” he groaned, rubbing his tired face with his palms in exasperation.
He tried looking at it objectively. While he didn’t know much about apothecaries, he knew that they were similar to pharmacists, which begged the question, were classes and professions the same in the system? Because even from the description, it was clear that the apothecary was a crafter, not a battle class.
A crafter was a no-go for him. He enjoyed the rush and thrill of a fight. He wouldn’t call himself an adrenaline junkie, but he also wasn’t the kind of person to stay cooped up in a lab for months, or even years on end, researching and coming up with new recipes. It just wasn’t the life he had envisioned for himself, whether before or after the system. It was also practically useless for the next six months. He would only be crafting for himself while lacking combat skills, which negated the only draw of the class, or profession. Being safer.
With that in mind, he put the Apothecary class in the ‘no-but-I’d-rather-be-this-than-a-priest’ pile.
With a heavy heart, he opened the final class’s description hopeful, yet wary at the same time. It had mage in the name, which at least was a good sign. “Lets see if I saved the best for last,”
Lifemage
Where most mages use their mana to harm, a Lifemage uses theirs to heal and assist. That assistance could come in many forms, from accelerating cellular regeneration, to temporary buffs and boosts, to channeled heals. A Lifemage is capable of much, and while their dislike for battle is evident, they never cower from it. Equipped with endless mana pools, extended fights are where a Lifemage shines the most, and while their lack of offense is considered a weakness to most, a Lifemage does not need to inflict harm, for they provide enough for others to do it for them. May life flourish under your light, and your mana survive the endless night.
Stats per level:
+2 spirit
+3 wisdom
+1 free point
“Discard classes,” Matt commanded.
He had always been interested in the vagabond lifestyle, going from place to place, no class or role to tie him down, having his own unique combat style. The more Matt thought about it, the better it sounded, him and his trusty scepter roaming the earth, mana blasting his way through enemies and dungeons, a simple yet fulfilling life. One couldn’t ask for more.
Until a class is selected, you will be unable to evolve to (Tier 9) or level up past your current level (4).
Please choose a suitable class from the options provided in order to proceed.
At least now he knew why he had only gotten a single level from the fight against the mentalist. “The options provided suck! None is suitable! Reassess!” he yelled in frustration at the ceiling.
Request submitted…
Request accepted…
Reassessing…
“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere,” Matt sighed in relief, hope shining in his eyes once more.
Reassessing complete.
Class option (Apothecary) has been deemed incompatible.
Class options adjusted.
You have three class options available:
Priest
Mender
Lifemage
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Matt scoffed in indignation. “Sabotage. This is straight out sabotage. First, I get rejected from the tutorial, next I get stuck in a zone with monsters and beasts 10 levels higher than me, and now they are trying to make me a healer… on an empty. fucking. planet… I’M NOT BECOMING A HEALER YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A SYSTEM, YOU HEAR ME? Balanced my ass,” he vented his frustrations out loud before slumping back down on the cold hard cobblestone, sighing in defeat.
I’m guessing my spirit is why I got these options, and probably the scepter too, he wondered to himself. Why though? I’m sure there should be at least some classes that can utilize spirit offensively, or is it really just a ‘make your heals stronger’ stat?
It was frustrating as hell. This was the single most important decision he’d have to make in the system, and he was being forced into it. He had thought he was finally free to carve his own path, but it was just the same thing with a shiny new sticker slapped on top of it. He was just tired of it all. Way too tired…
Historically, healers had never been a popular class in games. People liked seeing big numbers on screen, and healers didn’t do big numbers. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he was one of those people. Whether for the dopamine rush or bragging rights among friends, big numbers on screen were just too satisfying.
Another reason was that healers had always been the most difficult role by a significant margin. While fighters usually focused on dealing damage and dodging, and tanks focused on tagging, keeping the monsters and bosses’ attention directed at them, and blocking what required blocking, healers did a plethora of things. They kept an eye on the entire fight, healing, and sometimes even pre-healing people. They provided shields, barriers and buffs, while simultaneously dodging whatever came their way perfectly, because they also lacked in both defense and escape, meaning they couldn’t afford to make a single mistake, all the while making sure they never pulled the monsters and bosses away from the tank. It was a thankless role, where your death meant a wipe, and doing everything perfectly meant the others got to shine. He respected healers and had experienced firsthand the difference between a good and a bad healer in a raid, but it also took a certain type of person to be a healer. A more confident person who didn’t need the validation of big numbers, and unfortunately that just wasn’t him.
The final, and most important reason, which was more prevalent to his own situation, healers were horrible on their own. It was just the nature of the class. They were, in essence, a supporting class, which meant they needed a party or a group to, you know, support. Going at it alone was more often than not a death sentence, or just an endless struggle to accomplish in a single day what others accomplished in a mere hour. It was the worst possible option for someone who was going to be stuck alone for six months.
“I don’t wanna be a healer,” he groaned in disgruntlement before pulling himself up into a sitting position.
Unfortunately, the question wasn’t whether he wanted to be a healer or not, it was whether he wanted to progress or not, with the ‘not’ resulting in him being stuck as a level 4 for the foreseeable future. It effectively meant the end of his path before it had even begun.
“This just keeps on getting worse,” he mumbled as he stared at the stone ceiling.
