Luke didn’t think that anything could compare to the demi-god class., however, this next class was interesting.

Mixed Soul Cleric: Having combined your soul with an undead, you have gained the ability to change your race. Change between an undead and a beastman, gaining an additional class for each race. You are two individuals with a singular mind. Your power is divided, one a cleric of life, the other a cleric of death. Walk both paths simultaneously.

This class sounded way better than he had initially expected. Plus, it was something he hadn’t expected. The idea that a class would let him flip races and have access to another class entirely was crazy. It made him think about other people and wonder if anyone else had been offered something like this. Too many people kept the exact nature of their classes secret. Despite knowing the logic behind that decision, he wished he had more information on something like this.

A class that offered him two distinct skillsets would make him far more versatile. However, he had some concerns. Mainly, he wondered how levels would work with a class like this. If the second class he got started at the beginning, then it would take a while for him to get enough levels to make it viable. Plus, it would probably mean that he would need to do twice as much work as the others for the same gains. While their group leveled quickly, he would fall behind if he needed to do twice as much work. That was the main reason he didn’t see this class as something viable. He didn’t want to become a burden to the others and make them feel like they needed to help him keep up. If he received a class like this in the future, he would consider it, but for now, it was not something he could take.

He moved onto the final pillar, curious to see what it would be. Initially, he thought that all the classes in the middle would be evil considering the tinge of death that they all possessed. However, that last class was a viable option. More than that he would’ve picked it if had more information on how classes like that worked. The final pillar showed entirely grey, and he had a feeling that it wasn’t something he could seriously consider. The aura of death it released was the thickest one b far. It didn’t have the same power as the demi-lich, the aura of death it had was colder. He reached for it feeling the information fill his mind.

Cold-Soul Pseudo-Lich: Having mixed your soul with that of an undead, your soul loses the warmth of the living. It is a cold soul, one drenched in the river of death. Freeze the world around you, bringing the death of a natural disaster. The world freezes beneath your steps, and life chills in response to your magic. Contaminate others with the touch of your soul, granting them a life after death. The end of life is cold and unfeeling.

Luke shivered, and not because of the cold nature of the class. He had thought that it felt different from the normal lich, and now he knew why. It was a pseudo-lich something that straddled the line of being ethical. The class sounded like it would shift his focus, and probably grant him abilities related to ice and frost. He thought of Mash’s brother and how strong he was. Getting skills to do something similar to him would be impressive, but he didn’t think it was right for him. A class like that would be powerful, but it felt like he would be sacrificing his healing with this choice. That was a big reason to refuse the class.

After Red’s last advancement, he was the only one who could properly heal within their group. Mash could fake it with his mediation, but it was fast enough to replace the need for a healer. Jill suffered few injuries, but he knew that she was one mistake away from some serious damage. She would eventually run into something that restricted her movements, and he didn’t think she would have any way to save herself. Her class was powerful, but he knew that hers was also one of the easiest to counter. Unlike Mash, she would suffer a lot more if her skills were sealed. Deciding that this class was not an option, he looked over the two he could still consider.

Mixed Soul Clericand Grafted Demi-God, both classes were viable. He initially thought that Mixed Soul Cleric was a bad choice, but he considered it again. The class could be incredible, especially if it meant that he would have double the stats of another. He could easily imagine how much of an advantage that would give him. The extra time to level would be annoying, but it was something he was willing to do. On the other hand, the Grafted Demi-God was probably a lot stronger immediately. He wondered what it meant by “grafted”. Wasn’t that something related to trees? It wasn’t a big deal.

Ultimately, his decision came down to one fact. Only one class mentioned healing directly. The Demi-God class was the only one to reference his ability to restore the others. That was his main role in the group and choosing a class that didn’t improve those abilities would be a mistake. His mind was made up, and he drifted toward the pillar. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was making a mistake. There was a responsibility associated with a class like this, and he wasn’t sure if he could handle it. Moments before touching the pillar, he felt his heartbeat slow, and his breathing growed more relaxed. Something about the choice just felt right, and he reached into it without blinking.

He opened his eyes and gasped. He could see something below him. It was a river of light that seemed to stretch forever. It flowed continuously and he could picture it running across the entire world. It shone so brightly that he thought it would blind him. He looked away, and the light faded to nothing. Somehow, he knew what it was. It was where souls went before being carried to the afterlife. It existed at the edge of his vision, and he knew that he could see it whenever he wanted. It was just a matter of focus. If he wanted to see it, he could, but he could just as easily ignore it. That was exactly what he did, as he thought about the rest of his status.

Name: Lukas Class: Grafted Demi-God

Level: 100

Health: 2600 / 2600

Stamina: 2000 / 2000

Mana: 3140/ 3140

Fortitude: 210 → 260

Endurance: 150 → 200

Strength: 190 → 240

Agility: 175 → 225

Intelligence: 183 → 314

Wisdom: 264 → 314

Charisma: 99 → 314

Free Stats: 5

Skills: Soul Judgment → Soul Redemption, Holy Soul Manifestation → Visage of Demi-God, Soul Enhancement → Soul Blessing, Restore Body and Soul → Soul Repair, Divine Soul Marks, Corrupt Distortion Holy Soul Fire → Soul Grafting, Soul Shaping, True Holy Soul → Divine Soul, One in Mind and Body, Demi-God’s Soul, Untouchable Spirit, War Cleric’s Bond, Hero’s Mentality → Demi-God’s Mentality, Soul of Purity

Soul Judgment → Soul Redemption: Observe and judge the souls around you. In judging the soul of those you vanquish; you act as a vessel to carry their souls to redemption. Send them to the river of souls and lead them to the afterlife.

Holy Soul Manifestation → Visage of Demi-God: Let your soul manifest around you, shaping it and transforming your body to that of the Gods. Transcend the limits of mortals.

Soul Enhancement → Soul Blessing: Improve their constitution and strengthen them. The bonus is improved based on their belief in you.

+0 - 200%

Restore Body and Soul → Soul Repair: Heal people in their entirety. First, tear of a piece of your own soul, and use it to restore their soul. Shape a damaged soul, restoring their body of any wound. A perfect healing of both their soul and body.

Divine Soul Marks: Bless the souls you deem worthy. Improve their abilities while gaining them as well. Get a small portion of the benefit you provide. Grows with the person’s belief in you.

­ +50-100% increase, you gain 1-5% of the power

Corrupt Distortion: Stolen from a being of pure evil, you take its ability to crush and twist the soul, and as to be expected, the body will always follow the soul. Only affects creatures with a soul.

Holy Soul Fire: Stolen from a demonic being, your power redeems it turning the demonic fire into a holy one. Burn the very souls of your enemies.

Soul Grafting: Whenever a soul passes through you, you take a portion of their power. Their souls are yours to graft. Any soul that passes into you will leave a piece of itself behind. Shape and warp the souls of others. Your power allows you to reach into the very nature of their existence.

Gain 1/10 of the soul’s lowest stat, and a glimpse into their experience.

Soul Shaping: Tear a piece of your soul off and manifest in reality. Shape it into anything you can imagine. Any creation will have durability equal to twice your fortitude.

True Holy Soul → Divine Soul (Passive): A chosen soul of divine nature. It emanates with the power of gods. Resist any attempt to manipulate your soul. Your soul belongs to you and is protected by the very nature of the divine.

Demi-God’s Soul (Passive): Your soul is infinite and repairs itself naturally. It can be further restored with mana. Repairing your soul heals your body. Your soul is balanced, all mental stats are now equal.

One in Mind and Body (Passive): Your soul has guided your mind and body to equilibrium. Raising your mental stats will partly increase your physical ones as well.

1/10 of gain

Untouchable Spirit (Passive): Your dedication is firm, and your path undaunted.

War Cleric’s Bond (Passive): Those you deem allies will be bonded to you. Cast your magic directly upon them from anywhere. So long as the connection is maintained, they are conduits for your magic.

Hero’s Mentality → Demi-God’s Mentality (Passive): The chosen path of a God allows you to resist the temptation of evil. Gain resistance to any effects that would manipulate the mind or seal your skills.

Soul of Purity (Passive): Your soul is pure and compatible with any other.

Eyes of a Demi-God: See beyond the realms of a mortal. As a god of undeath, you can see the river of souls. See the passage to that which lies after death.

Luke was overwhelmed with the information, and that was without considering the changes to his stats. His stat increases were unbelievable. He didn’t know that skills that matched stats existed. However, it did make him consider what to do with his future levels. If he got something like this, wouldn’t that mean it was a better idea to focus on a few stats exclusively? Everyone always told him the importance of balance, of keeping stats within a range of one another but that seemed misguided now. He had a few things he wanted to test but left it alone for now. His worry for the others had returned, and he wanted to get out of the dungeon as soon as possible.

He placed his hands beneath him, as he pushed himself off the ground. Feeling a lack of pain, he glanced at his left hand. At that glance, he realized something else. The skin on both of his arms had changed. They looked as if they were entirely made of pure white stone. It was pristine, and there were golden marks wrapping around his arms. It didn’t quite look right as his normal skin color was on the darker side. Did gods have stone instead of skin? He should probably spend some more time learning about the gods when he had the chance. Either way, he was happy with the class and started walking toward the portal.

Each step showed him just how much had changed. He felt different, and he could even recognize some of the differences. The most obvious one to him was the increased confidence. He felt sure of his decision with the class. The responsibility that had seemed daunting when he had first chosen the class was now something that he felt comfortable with. It felt like it was always meant to be. It was a strange advancement. He knew that classes affected a person’s mind, but he didn’t expect it to be so noticeable. Did it have to do with the nature of the class, or was it because he was looking for it? Either way, he wasn’t sure how to feel about the revelation. He was curious to see if the others had experienced something similar.