“Alright, let’s make lemonade,” Matt cracked his knuckles, choosing a more optimistic approach. “Thanks to the system being a dick, I now have 2 options, Mender and Lifemage.” Because Morgan Freeman knows, he won’t be a priest in this, or any other life. He still wasn’t pleased with his options or how this entire situation came to be. He could blame Sal, he could blame the system, or he could blame his own damn luck, but apparently it wasn’t a choice anymore. The only silver lining in all of this was that he didn’t know for sure if choosing a class was permanent, and while he disliked the idea of being a healer, he disliked dying more. The best thing for him to do would be to pick a class, do his best for the next six months, then take it from there.

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  It’s going to be the longest six months of my life, that’s for sure, he thought as he looked at his two logical options. First off, Mender, which sounded like the system’s version of a doctor but with more theatrics. The only information given was that not only could a Mender heal body and soul, but also anything that needed ‘healing’ from their perspective, which was very ambiguous, like what constituted healing? Did the target need a soul or was being damaged enough? Also, who decided whether it was damage or feature? Like would torn up pants get repaired even if the tear was part of its aesthetics? What about a person with a scar they wanted to keep, did they get a say in any of this?

  There were too many questions and absolutely no answers, which was the main drawback of the class. It had the potential to either be extremely powerful or severely limited. And while he liked the sound of ‘extremely powerful’, he was already severely limited as is, and his class being also the case, didn’t really inspire confidence.

  Then there was the Lifemage which seemed like the safer bet. It came with standard heals, they made use of large mana pools, and they were buffers, which meant he could buff up and just use whatever weapon or combat style he fancied, relying on sheer force and power instead of skill and prowess.

  It did, however, feel subpar as a strategy in the long run, especially with his lacking Strength and Agility compared to his other stats. He’d have to invest a lot into them to compensate, with no guarantees. 1 free point per level could simply be too insignificant, putting him in the awkward position where he needed more free points in Strength and Agility, but not having enough Strength and Agility to get those free points. A perfect example of a catch-22.

  There was also another reason. The class didn’t really resonate with him. So far he had enjoyed the fights against both the vulture and the mentalist. The excitement, the adrenaline, putting it all on the line, it was a dance, where you not only needed to outpower your opponent, but outwit them too, which was the kind of dance he enjoyed. Everyone liked a good underdog story, and right now he felt like the underdog. Every fight was a challenge, and every challenge was a chance for him to learn, to grow, to prevail. It made him feel alive and in control, and having a class that ‘disliked’ battles felt dishonest.

  At the end of the day, it was just wording, the only thing that would hold him back was himself, but he also didn’t want to pick a class that felt wrong. It might sound like the logical option, but deep inside he knew that it didn’t fit him. He’d promised himself to follow his mind over his heart, but was that really the right way forward? He wouldn’t claim his gut had never led him astray, but it was also right more often than not.

  “I really don’t wanna be a healer,” he groaned, resting his face in his open palms.

  If he could choose any class, which class would he pick? The question had definitely crossed his mind, but he never gave it much thought, having that “I’ll know it when I see it” mentality, and now, after being forced to be a healer, thinking about what class he would rather be would just make him hate his position even more.

  He wouldn’t call himself an optimist, but he liked to make the best out of a bad situation. It was better than complaining and doing nothing. Don’t misunderstand, he did complain, he complained a lot, but after complaining he would try to do something about it, after all, complaining never hurt anyone, but lack of effort on his part would definitely hurt him.

  And besides, his class may be a healer, but that didn’t mean he had to ‘heal’. He could try to shape the class in whatever way he wanted, more evolutions and tier ups were sure to come, and with them an opportunity, which was all one could ask for.

  He sighed heavily as he slumped down on the floor once more, “A healer, huh? Jackson and Izzy are gonna have a field day with this one.”

  He looked at the dead mentalist next to him and mumbled, “Lucky bastard.” Before finally making his choice.

  He mentally clicked on Mender. It felt like the right choice, so it was the one he made.

  “Guess it’s done,” he sighed with resignation.

  Mender class selected.

  Start evolution process to Tier 9?

  Yes/No

  Matt mentally selected ‘Yes’ and sat down. He didn’t know what the process entailed, and he didn’t want to risk fucking it up.

  The pain from the fight was slowly subsiding, but it was definitely still present, just more muted now. For his part, he took a deep breath and tried to calm his mind after the trauma-inducing experience he had just had.

  And then he felt it…

  It was like a prickling sensation. It started at his extremities, his hands and feet, and slowly spread until he could feel it all over his body. It was uncomfortable and definitely heightened the pain he was in, but it wasn’t unbearable.

  A few minutes later the prickling stopped, and he breathed out in relief. He didn’t want to jinx it, so he stayed quiet, but it seems like he did anyway because all of a sudden every single muscle in his body tightened, cramping all at once.

  Matt couldn’t hold a sitting position anymore as his body stiffened. He fell on his back, convulsing, as he attempted to relax his muscles, just to get some relief from the agonizing pain and discomfort, but nothing he did helped.

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  The more he moved, the worse the pain became, the worse it all felt. Nerves on fire, muscles flexing and contracting uncontrollably. A feeling of agony and helplessness he had never felt before, resulting in the state he was currently in, in the fetal position, waiting for it all to end, as seconds felt like hours.

  He didn’t know how long it lasted, all he knew was that he was in constant pain and discomfort the entire time. He could feel his brain trying to shut down as a way to cope with the endless influx of pain signals, yet it endured, and so did he.

  And finally, it all came to a stop.

  Congratulations, you have successfully been promoted to (Tier 9)

  Class skills available!

  Matt was lying on the uneven ground, sweating profusely. “Should’ve just stayed a fucking level 4 vagabond,” he panted, trying to catch his breath.

  He wasn’t in pain anymore. Whatever injuries lingered from the fight had been fully healed, even his hearing, it was just the aftereffects of what many would call a harrowing experience.

  He slowly got up and started inspecting his body, and immediately he could tell the difference. Matt wouldn’t describe himself as out of shape, but he wasn’t toned either. He never hit the gym, but he was active enough with good eating habits that he never really put on any weight. Now, however, it was like looking at a picture from a magazine.

  His muscles were more toned, more defined. Nothing over the top, but whatever was done to him seemed to have taken a few percent of his body fat with it. He tried flexing his arms and was surprised at how relaxed his muscles had become. He didn’t feel stronger, smarter nor faster, his body just felt healthier, which was always a good feeling to have, one could never put a price on health after all.

  He still looked the same and felt the same, at least from what he could tell, so he assumed it was just some minor changes, like his body adapting to his soul’s improvements.

  “Right, new skills,” he sat up, excited to finally have a skill of his own instead of relying solely on his scepter.

  His excitement was slightly dulled by the fact that he was now a healer, but he’d definitely rather be a healer with skills than a healer without. A healer with no skills was practically just a training dummy.

  You have four class skill options available:

  [Mend](common)

  [Heal](common)

  [Knockback](common)

  [Revitalize](common)

  “Great, 4 common skills,” he grumbled. “And holy fuck if this isn’t the most basic shit I’ve ever seen. Couldn’t they have come up with better names? Heal? Seriously? Like, what are they gonna offer me next time? Greater Heal?” he complained a while longer before lying down on the uncomfortable ground once more, all excitement and eagerness drained from him.

  Choosing not to prolong his suffering, he started browsing through his options.

  [Mend](common)

  Every warrior needs a weapon, and every healer needs a heal. [Mend] is the main skill in a mender’s repertoire, providing them the ability to repair what was once broken. (effect increased with spirit and willpower.)

  “Love when a description leaves me with more questions than answers,” he joked. “Yep, love it. What does mend do? Repairs. Repairs what? Fuck knows.”

  He really wanted to know what ‘repair what was once broken’ meant since it was the whole premise behind the skill, but apparently that was too much to ask. It seemed so abusable too, but he also doubted a common skill you learned at level 5 was capable of doing much in the first place.

  Starter skills were usually just that, starter skills, and judging by the minor heal he’s been using, he felt right on the money. However, even if right now it was basic with barely any functionality, it didn’t mean it would always be the case. If it could indeed ‘repair’ things, then the potential was there, he just had to get it to that point.

  While it was definitely something worth considering, it also didn’t seem that strong on paper. Like, so what if he could repair a broken car with a skill? Do people even need cars anymore? What scenarios would make it an invaluable skill to have as opposed to just a normal heal?

  He was sure smarter people than him would find uses for it, maybe even he would eventually, but right now nothing was coming to mind. It was a skill he’d want to have, but maybe right now was too soon for it, especially since it seemed unlikely to be of any help in this dungeon, unless it was that much better than [Minor Heal] which he doubted since both of them were common rarity.

  Next,

  [Heal](common)

  The basis of any good healer is their ability to heal, an ability you too now possess. You are able to use your mana to instantly recover a target’s health by a moderate amount. (effect increased with spirit.)

  “If its name is ‘heal’, and its description is heal, then it’s safe to assume it’s just your standard boring good ol’ heal,” he said in an unimpressed and very disappointed tone before moving on.

  [Knockback](common)

  Survivability is the biggest challenge for a caster. When no one else can jump to your aid, you can only save yourself. Fire a powerful mana wave in a target direction, dealing no damage but interrupting and knocking targets back a short distance. (distance increases with intelligence.)

  “This seems like the skill the mentalist used against me,” he muttered to himself. It also explained why he kept pointing the staff in his direction, or well, in the direction of whatever sound he heard.

  Aside from that, it did seem like an incredibly useful skill. Having a crowd control skill was always an advantage, especially one that didn’t seem to have a target limit. He also knew from experience that the knockback distance wasn’t short at all, so using it to push monsters off cliffs or forcing them into a vulnerable or compromised position was very possible. It was definitely a solid option and not at all a healer skill.

  He kept it in mind as he moved on to his last option.

  [Revitalize](common)

  Health is not the only limitation in battle, running out of resources could be just as detrimental, a mage is limited by their mana and a warrior by their stamina. As a mender, you have the tools necessary to make sure that resources are never in short supply. Imbue energy into a target, replenishing resources, giving it a second lease on life. (effect increased with spirit and willpower.)

  This was another classic support skill, which meant a mender wasn’t just a simple healer, but an all-rounder capable of recovering mana and stamina as well, which sounded useful. Too useful… at least for one person. It definitely came with caveats that he wasn’t yet aware of, and the wording was also… questionable.

  So far, none of the skills specified that they could only be used on the living. Was it intentional or was it simply one of those things that was logical enough to not need mentioning? Also [Revitalize] didn’t specify that it could only recover mana and stamina, it simply used the word 'resources', making it safe to assume other resources existed. Whether that was tied down to a living being or not, was the real question, one he wanted the answer for so badly, yet the only way to get that answer was to learn the skill. An incredibly risky and counterproductive thing to do.

  Yet he couldn’t help but wonder. If cast on an egg carton, would it fill it with eggs? What about an empty bag of chips? It sounded broken, but also incredibly unlikely. It was the first skill, and a common one at that, and he was already imagining it filling up dried up lakes. And the biggest issue of it all, how was it supposed to help him in the dungeon? Should he think about something so far in the future, or focus on coming out of this dungeon alive? Because nothing else mattered if he died because he needed healing, but all he had was a full bag of chips.

  That was the dilemma in his head. A heal, a crowd control ability, and a resource recovery that sounded too unrealistic. None stood out, yet they were all unique in their own way, making a hard decision even more difficult.

  Matt continued staring at the stone wall. He knew what he wanted, but was it the right choice or was it simply him sating his curiosity?

  “Brain over heart Matt. Brain over heart,” he repeated to himself as he gave the skills one more look, this time from an objective point of view.