The Girl in the Abyss

Chapter 3

We appeared in a forest next to a very large river. It was my first time experiencing the beauty of nature so I was very excited, Arty was of course still in my arms.

“Arty look at all the water and trees! Do you think I could try swimming?” Since I was finally free things that I always wanted to try filled my head.

“In a river that large you’d probably get eaten by a monster. We need to be careful on land as well.”

As we were speaking a sailboat came into view traveling close to the shore.

“It’s a boat!” I had never seen a boat before.

He left my arms and pushed me down. “You have to be more careful! You’re a 10-year-old girl alone in the wilderness, Slavers, bandits, and monsters will see you as an easy target!”

“Arty I’m not alone, I have you with me?”

Arty’s face changed to a sad expression. “That… That will take a little to explain. It's pretty late let’s find a spot to set up camp for the night.”

I didn’t know anything about making camp so Arty did all the work for me. It was thankfully very warm out but the fire still felt nice.

“How come you said I was alone when you’re right here?”

“I’m sorry Ellie, I’m useless. My soul’s covered in many powerful curses that have merged with it. Not only am I stuck in this form, but my attacks also can’t do damage. The most I can do is act as a small shield since I can’t die. If any other member was picked you wouldn’t have to worry about a thing, but you got me. I’m so sorry Ellie.” Little ghost tears started falling from his eyes. I pulled him in and hugged him against my chest.

“I’m happy I got you Arty, please don’t apologize.”

I held him while we quietly watched the fire. A little while later he returned to his usual self and I opened my status screen.

‘I remember seeing a skill that had soul in the title, maybe it can help him.’

Soul Link - For the Noir demon bloodline love is a power far stronger than any magic. You and your partner may both share one skill with each other.

Passive

Source: Artel Noir

Skill Level: 5/10

‘Didn’t he say something about a demon bloodline in the Fallen Abyss?’

“Arty my status says you gave me a skill! See, you’ve already helped me!”

“I gave you a skill? What is it?”

“Its called Soul Link, it says we can share a skill!”

Arty left my arms and flew in front of me. His face was completely red.

“T-That’s my bloodline power! You shouldn’t have that skill! I refuse to believe it. A member of the table must have told you to say that, yea that’s it, that must be it!” He began nervously laughing.

“I really have the skill, is it bad that I have it?” I asked, confused by the sudden outburst.

“It's embarrassing!” His face was still red and he was no longer making eye contact with me.

“Please tell me what’s going on, I don’t understand why this skill is embarrassing?”

“All demons have bloodline powers and the Noir family is considered one of the most powerful. When a member of the Noir family gets married the couple can link their souls. Once linked they will be together forever and everything they learn is shared. If one was a blade master and the other was a master of magic they would now both be a master of sword and magic. Can you tell me what the skill specifically says Ellie?”

I read it out loud to him.

“Even my bloodline was damaged from the curses… Wait that’s not what’s important here! T-This means that we’re…” His entire body was red and he refused to look at me.

‘I think I understood now! This meant that Arty and I were linked together forever by love!’ I immediately grabbed him and hugged him tightly. “Arty you’re my marshmallow ghost husband now!”

“Don’t say it out loud like that! This is so embarrassing, we’re too young to get married, and I didn’t even agree to it! I was only 12 before I became like this!”

“You don’t want me as your wife, Arty?” I jokingly gave him the saddest face I could.

His started to nervously panic before finally answering in a quiet grumble. “I… I guess it's not to bad being linked together with you...”

I giggled and laid down next to the fire with him in my arms.

‘I stood up to Robert, I met a bunch of kind people, and I found out I had a cute little marshmallow ghost husband. I’m so happy!’ A few tears fell from my eyes as I drifted off to sleep.

~~~

The night passed without issue. When I got up Arty was staring at what I assumed was his status screen.

“I think I know how I can make use of this form and the Soul Link skill! I usually can’t have any skills besides my EXP increases, but if you send me a skill with Soul Link, I will be able to level it while you’re sleeping or doing other things. I only have two skills I can share with you, which would you prefer Origin Divine or Power of the Fallen Abyss?”

I opened my status screen and went down to the EXP Bonus skills.

[Divine] Origin Divine - You have obtained a Divine Origin class. Prove to the world why you are superior. Exp bonus of 10% per level of this skill. Current Total: 10%

Passive

Source: Have a Divine Origin Class.

Skill level: 1/10

[Mythical] Origin Mythical - You have obtained a Mythical Origin class. Prove to the world why you are superior. Exp bonus of 10% per level of this skill. Current Total: 10%

Passive

Source: Have a Mythical Origin Class.

Skill level: 1/5

[Racial] Power of the Fallen Abyss - You have become a member of the Fallen Abyss, its power flows through you. Exp bonus of 10% per level of this skill. Current Total: 10%.

Exp bonus of 200% for the first level of all skills. Exp and skill level bonus increases per level of this skill. Current Total: 200%

Passive

Source: Fallen Race.

Skill level: 1/5

[Racial] Human - Humans are versatile creatures. Exp bonus of 10%.

Passive

Source: Human Race.

Skill levels: 1/1

‘I think Power of the Fallen Abyss is better for me, this way I can get the skills I need even faster. We can also change them once a day according to Arty so it's not like I’m stuck with this choice.’

I picked Power of the Fallen Abyss and I gave Arty Housekeeping to test out how fast he could level it.

[Very Common] House Keeping – Cleaning speed and quality slightly increased.

Passive

Source: Granted by God’s Guidance based on life lived until that point.

Skill level: 2/10

-House Keeping has now been shared with Artel Noir-

-Artel Noir has shared Power of the Fallen Abyss with you-

“Arty, is the only way to gain new skills practicing stuff?” I asked while still staring at my status screen.

“You can use skill points to buy skills from your class, attribute, and affinity shops. Skill points are gained from completing skills which grant a set amount based on rarity. You also get a skill point every class level and there is a bonus amount every 10 levels for uncommon classes and up.”

I thanked Arty and checked all my class stores.

-Fallen Class Store-

[Divine] Grasp of the Abyss – 50 SP

[Divine] Passage – 50 SP

[Divine] Summon Abyssal – 50 SP

[Divine] Reality Shift – 50 SP

[Divine] Extinguish Life – 50 SP

[Divine] Requiem of the Fallen – 100 SP

[Divine] Land of Death, Sky of Darkness – 100 SP

[Title] Lord of the Fallen Abyss – Store Completion Bonus

Available Skill Points: 43

-Hero of Darkness Class Store-

[Mythical] Shadow Fade – 40 SP

[Mythical] Darkness Unending – 40 SP

[Mythical] Barrier of Darkness – 40 SP

[Mythical] Night of a Thousand Blades – 80 SP

[Legendary] Hero’s Refuge – 20 SP

[Legendary] Analyze – 20 SP

[Legendary] Limit Break – 40 SP

[Companion] – 40 SP

[Title] Hero of Darkness – Store Completion Bonus

Available Skill Points: 43

-Slave Class Store-

[Very Common] Labourer – 2 SP

[Title] Slave – Store Completion Bonus

Available Skill Points: 43

-Attribute Store-

[A] Enhanced Constitution I – 20 SP

[A] Enhanced Endurance I – 20 SP

~ Store Updates based on Attributes ~

Available Skill Points: 43

-Affinity Store-

[Rare] Generate Random Dark Skill – 10 SP

[Rare] Generate Random Death Skill – 10 SP

~ Store Updates based on Attributes ~

Available Skill Points: 43

“It says I already have 43 skill points, how did I get those?” Arty was cleaning random things around camp so he explained while he worked.

“When you received your classes some of the skills must have merged which completed them. Skills can merge with other similar skills and when you complete a skill it can also evolve or derive a new skill.”

I checked my notification log. The mythical skills Death Resistance III and Dark Resistance III merged which created the divine skill Abyssal Resistance IV.

[Divine] Abyssal Resistance IV - 70% reduction to death and darkness damage. An additional 3% per level of this skill. Current Total: 76%

Passive

Source: Merging of Death Resistance III and Dark Resistance III.

Skill level: 2/10

I was overwhelmed by all the different options. “Which skills should I focus on first? There are so many!”

“Everyone at the table agreed attribute enhancement skills were the most important. They give you a better foundation for other skills and make the attributes stronger.”

Trusting everyone’s judgment I used my skill points on the two attribute skills.

-Skills Enhanced Constitution and Enhanced Endurance have now been purchased for 40 SP-

[A] Enhanced Constitution – All constitution bonuses increased by 50%.

Passive

Source: 10 Constitution & 20 SP

Skill level: 1/1

[A] Enhanced Endurance – All Endurance bonuses increased by 50%.

Passive

Source: 10 Endurance & 20 SP

Skill level: 1/1

Since I already had my status screen opened, I decided to change one last thing. I never knew my last name so I put Noir to match Arty’s. I looked over the status screen once more before deciding to check the rest later.

HP: 75/75 (0.75/H) STM: 75/75 (0.75/M) MP: 10/10 (0.05/M) DP: 0/?? (??)

Active Level: 3

Total Level: 3

Title: N/A

Name: Ellie Noir

Race: Human/Fallen

Age: 10

Gender: Female

Mana Affinity:

[Death: 87%], [Dark: 91%], [Electricity: 2%], [Fire: 2%], [Unaspected: 23%],

Origin Classes:

[~D~ Fallen Lvl: 1/100], [~M~ Hero of Darkness Lvl: 1/70]

Classes:

[~V~ Slave Lvl: 1/5]

Sub Classes:

Attribute Points: 0

Skill Points: 3

Companions: [Artel Noir Lvl: 1],

Attributes:

Strength: 1 Dexterity: 1 Constitution: 10 Endurance: 10 Perception: 1 Intelligence: 2 Wisdom: 1 Charisma: 1 Luck: 3 Craftsmanship: 0 Control: 0

Attribute Enhancements:

[Enhanced Constitution], [Enhanced Endurance],

EXP Bonus: 50% (1.5x)

EXP Bonus to Skill level 1: 450% (5.5x)

[Origin Divine 1/10], [Origin Mythical 1/5], [Power of the Fallen Abyss 1/5], [Power of the Fallen Abyss 1/5], [1/1 Human],

Titles:

[Human], [Fallen], [Divinity],

Combat Skills:

Passive Combat Skills:

Passive Combat Defence Skills:

[Pain Resistance III 8/10], [Fear Resistance III 6/10], [Blunt Damage Resistance III 4/10], [Slashing Damage Resistance 6/10], [Piercing Damage Resistance 2/10],

Magic Skills:

[Touch of the Abyss 1/10], [Aura of Divinity 1/10], [Abyssal Infusion 1/10],

Passive Magic Skills:

[Soul Link 5/10], [Eyes of the Abyss 1/10],

Passive Magic Defence Skills:

[Abyssal Resistance IV 2/10], [Electricity Resistance 1/10], [Fire Resistance 1/10],

Survival Skills:

[Climbing 9/10],

Passive Survival Skills:

[Hunger Suppression 9/10], [Emotion Suppression 7/10],

Life Skills:

Passive Life Skills:

[English 5/10], [Noble Etiquette 4/10], [Housekeeping 2/10],

Crafting Skills:

Passive Crafting Skills:

[Cooking 2/10]

“Let’s start following the river to see if we can find the place Hysa was talking about.”

We went in the direction the boat from yesterday was going. The beauty of the forest and river made me excited for all the places our adventures would take us. After a few hours of walking, we came to the edge of the forest where Farms scattered the land and a huge yellow stone wall stood in the distance.

-You Have Entered the Country: ‘Safe Haven,’ Capital City: ‘Safe Haven’-

Arty entered my shadow so that others couldn’t see him and I began walking alongside the farms. Eventually, a dirt road came into view and more farms could be seen on the other side of it. As I grew closer I could see large carts being pulled by horses waiting in line. There was a horse in my storybook, so I wanted to meet one but I was being given strange looks so I kept to myself and got in line. When I reached the front a guard dressed in a mix of metal and leather armor approached me.

“Miss, are you traveling alone?”

“Yes, I was told this place was somewhere safe.”

The man looked at my previously white gown that was still stained with dirt. “Hmm… Let me guess escaped slave?”

“How did you know?!” I was surprised that he could guess.

“Not many little girls travel alone or dress like that. If someone told you to come here, you were either abandoned or escaped from somewhere. Regardless you’re safe now. This is one of the last countries that still outlaws slavery. Wait on the other side of the gate, the owner of the third orphanage was just here to check on a recruit, I’ll have someone run and grab her.”

I walked through the gate and was met with a bustling city. The buildings were at most two stories tall and looked like a mix between modern and medieval, the roads were made of cobblestone, and the people going about their day were dressed in rougher handmade clothing made to look like a modern style. While I was looking around a woman came and kneeled to match my height. She had long orange curly hair in a pony tail, freckles, and blue eyes. She looked to be in her twenties and her outfit was a simple dress.

“Hello, my name is Lesley. I run the residential district’s third orphanage, would you be willing to tell me your name?”

“I’m Ellie. It's nice to meet you!”

“Well Ellie, I’m happy to see your in high spirits after traveling alone. Let’s head to the orphanage and get you cleaned up. On the way I will tell you a little about Safe Haven.” She glowed with genuine kindness.

Lesley held my hand and led me through the busy streets. I was getting a lot of looks due to the state of my clothing but I didn’t mind.

“Safe Haven was founded by 25 heroes. When the old world came to an end they used their knowledge of classes and skills to create a place for people to find refuge. These 25 Heroes started all the guilds that make Safe Haven unlike any other country, even the Adventurer’s Guild which can be found all over the Human Continent today was started here in Safe Haven. The guilds send experts to the orphanages for free lessons and recruitment, an expert from the Adventurer’s Guild will visiting us tomorrow so you're just in time!”

“Ms. Lesley does Safe Haven have a King and Queen like the Teller Kingdom? Did the 25 heroes all have the Hero class?”

“Safe Haven has The Council of 25, each of the 25 seats is top-ranking members of different guilds here. The 25 heroes all had different classes but none of them were the Hero class itself sadly. Ellie are you from the Teller Kingdom?”

I nodded my head yes.

“You’ve come quite far. It's very rare we get any escaped slaves from there. I‘m sure the 25 heroes would be happy that you made it, their biggest goal was providing a safe place for children to grow and live peacefully. We’re here now, the third orphanage.”

The building was very large, looked like a log cabin, and had a big sign on the front that read “Lesley’s Home for Lost Children.” There was even a small park across the street.

“Ms. Lesley is this place named after you?”

Lesley Chuckled. “I wish I were that important, this building and I were both named after one of the 25 Heroes.”

As we entered the double doors we were greeted by a man about Lesly’s age sitting at a desk. The building was made of dark brown logs giving it a cottage look and the walls also had many children’s drawings hanging from them. Passing the desk, we entered an area with a large table and many chairs. On the left side of the room was a bookshelf which had windows above it and the opposite side of the room had the same windows but underneath was a smaller table with paper and paints. The back of the room had identical staircases on each side that led to an interior balcony and underneath were three doors. One was the bathroom, one was the kitchen, and one was Washroom/Baths.

There were children of different ages all over the room however there was one specific girl that caught my attention. She looked like a normal person outside of two fluffy triangle ears being on her head and a tail waving back and forth behind her.

“Everyone! We have a new girl that will be joining us. She has traveled very far to get here so please make sure she feels welcome!”

Most of the children stared without saying anything the girl with strange ears on the other hand ran over and excitedly greeted me.

“I’m Poko! Why is your outfit covered in dirt? Did you fight a monster!?!”

The excited girl had tanned skin, strawberry blonde hair, and large cat-like amber eyes. Her fingernails looked to be more pointed then regular people’s and she spoke fast.

Lesley shook her head. “Poko, she just got here. Give her a little time before you ask questions like that.”

“Its okay Ms. Lesley I don’t mind!” I didn’t want the girl to get into trouble.

“In that case Poko will be your guide and help you with the bath while I go get you some new clothes. Ellie, if she starts asking too many questions just splash some water at her.”

We both agreed and Poko quickly dragged me off to the bath. I had cold showers in the tall building but never a warm bath so I was pleasantly surprised. Poko used the time I was washing to tell me all about her dreams of being an adventurer. After I was done Lesley came in with a new outfit in her hands. It was a simple navy-blue uniform like Poko’s and it even had socks and shoes which I was very grateful for.

‘I’m finally clean and comfy!’

“Ellie will be taking the open bed in your room Poko. Make sure she doesn’t get lost!”

Poko was again dragging me along, this time up the stairs. It was a long hallway with many doors and just a little to our left we entered a room labeled “5”. It was not very large but it looked cozy. It had two bunk beds on each side and a window on the back wall. The size or sharing didn’t bother me since it was much better then I was used to.

Poko jumped to her top bunk with ease. “The one under my bunk is free! We each have a bin under the bed to keep our things in as well.”

I felt the bed with my hands, it was so soft, I never touched anything like it before. I slowly laid down and my body relaxed. ‘I get to sleep on something like this?’ My previous beds included blankets on a floor and uniforms on a stone floor so this was an unimaginable upgrade. While laying on my new comfy bed I decided to ask Poko about her ears.

“Poko how come you have fluffy ears and a tail?”

“I’m a beast-kin from the cat tribe, or at least my parents were. I’ve been in Safe Haven my entire life, I was told a doppelganger monster killed them when I was little.” Her usual excited attitude was replaced by sadness. I apologized for asking about it.

I spent the afternoon talking with Poko. After what seemed like a few hours dinner was announced and all the children sat around the big table. It wasn’t until the food was right in front of me that I realized how hungry I was. I assumed it was most likely due to hunger suppression.

[Uncommon] Hunger Suppression – It is easier to ignore hunger and you can go slightly longer without food.

Passive

Source: Granted by God’s Guidance based on life lived until that point.

Skill level: 9/10

The last time I had eaten was 110 years ago and even then, it was just trash from Sharron. The food they gave everyone was soup with potatoes and meat in it alongside a piece of bread. It was delicious or at least the best thing I had ever eaten. ‘It's so yummy!’ Tears rolled down my face as I quickly ate the meal.

After dinner I went to the bookshelf and started reading the different books. Most were fiction but there were a few non-fiction books as well. The most interesting was a book called “The Five Continents.” It described how God took one continent from each world and placed them in a flower shape. The bottom of each continent connected to the Sky Tower in the middle, it stated the human continent was at the top and ended at what used to be the Mexico Guatemala border. It also listed the dominant race of each continent which were Humans, Elves, Demons, Beast-kin, and Dwarves.

-Congratulations! You have earned the Skill Reading!-

[Common] Reading - Slightly increases reading speed.

Passive

Source: Earned by reading.

Skill level: 1/10

‘Arty I gained the reading skill!’

‘Congratulations! If you level that skill up all the way, you will be able to read books fast. I think Hysa said she has the highest evolution of it and only has to touch a book to know everything inside.’

As I was about to dive into another book bedtime was called out. Lesley came and helped me put all the books away since I read many more than I initially realized.

“Ellie, how was your first day? A few of the children told me you cried during dinner.”

“It’s been a long time since I had food that tasted good, I was just very happy.” I was silent for a couple seconds. “Ms. Lesly is it okay for me to have all these nice things?”

My life changed drastically in such a short time. I went from a life of pain to so many wonderful things and people. I was scared that I would wake up and find myself back in that white room.

She patted me on the head. “Of course its okay, every child deserves a good home. Let’s head up to bed.”

After arriving upstairs, I crawled into the bottom bunk. Despite how comfy the bed was I found I was having a hard time falling asleep.

‘Arty its an emergency I need you to come out here!’

‘I can see around you so I know nothing is happening. What could possibly be the emergency?’

‘I can’t sleep, I need my plushie.’

‘I’m a real demon, not some child’s toy.’

‘Please? I like it when you’re with me.’ I begged as sadly as I could inside my head.

He reluctantly appeared while blushing and not making eye contact. ‘I’m only doing this because I want you to fall asleep faster.’

I hugged him against my chest and not long after I drifted off to sleep.

~~~

The next morning I was woken up by an excited Poko. She was explaining how we needed to get our chores done before the expert arrived or we wouldn’t be able to watch. I was never given a specific task so I helped different children with various things. Every time I would begin helping everyone would stare at me in amazement supposedly the speed and ability of my cleaning was above that of a paid maid thanks to the Housekeeping skill. Towards the end even Lesley was watching.

“Ellie you look like a professional!”

“Thanks Ms. Lesley! It was only because of the housekeeping skill though.”

Lesley and the surrounding children gave astonished looks.

“Ellie do you truly have that skill? I heard only maids who have been on the job for around five years get the first level.”

I nodded my head. ‘Was it that rare? It said it's from the very common category.’

‘Arty are skills hard to get?’ I asked inside my head.

‘No one at the table has leveled up or gained any skills, they just have what they started with from God’s Guidance. We know a lot about God’s Guidance itself but not the time requirements.’

“Ellie, do you have any other skills?”

I nodded again.

“In that case how about we talk with the expert after the lesson. I’m sure a guild will be interested in recruiting you!”

Shortly after chores were completed the man from the front desk announced the expert’s arrival. A buff and balding old man wearing chainmail walked in with a giant sword on his back. Poko became star struck and ran towards the door barraging him with questions.

“Now hold on little miss lets get the lesson done first and then you can ask away.” He spoke with a hearty voice.

The man had grey hair and dark blue eyes and despite his age he was extremely fit. In the bookshelf area the children all took a seat on the floor surrounding the man.

“Hello! I’m Carl Stalic, a C Rank adventurer from Adventurer’s Headquarters. Who here is familiar with the guild’s ranking system for members?”

Poko’s hand shot up instantly. “I know! From highest to lowest its S, A, B, C, D, E, and N.”

“Good! This is the ranking system you will find in most guilds. Today we are going over your status screens after that I will have a smaller lesson with those of you 10 and up.”

Lesley rolled a small chalkboard over which Carl used to write out an example status screen.

“We will begin with Health Points and Stamina. Each point of Constitution increases your HP and STM by 5 points and each point of Endurance increases your HP regeneration by 0.05 an hour and STM regeneration by 0.05 a minute. Next is Mana Points, each point of Intelligence increases MP by 5 and each point of Wisdom increases mana regeneration by 0.05 a minute.”

He was about to move on but hadn’t mentioned divine points. “Sir what about divine points?”

He paused for a second surprised by what I asked. “It seems we have someone that’s read about God’s Message! There is indeed a fourth resource called divine points which God’s Message stated it was exclusive to divine classes. Unfortunately, nothing else was said about it.”

‘That’s a shame. I guess I’ll have to ask Arty.’

“Active level refers to the total level of your active classes. We will go over active classes once we get to that part of the status. Active levels can vary greatly. Most normal people will see level 5 at most but experts like myself who have obtained two uncommon classes will have an active level of around 30 – 40.” When he finished the last line all the children clapped in amazement.

‘I’m already active level 3. I think Carl is making it sound a lot harder then it is.’

“Every intelligent race has a title for their race. The race titles are just for show but some people use them to show pride for their heritage and such. There are other titles which grant rewards, for example, every class gives you a class title for completing the Class Shop and that title grants a unique class skill and some extra bonuses for your class.”

I was getting the idea that they didn’t know anything about divine rank stuff so I was going to leave those questions for Arty.

“Name is your name. You can only change it to pre-set options when specific conditions such as marriage are met. Race is your race. There are no half races so when two different intelligent races have a child it will be one race or the other. Age is of course your age and gender is your gender.”

‘I guess I’m not half human half fallen; I’m just both.’

“Mana Affinity is very rare. Your affinity percent is a damage and effectiveness increase for that mana type. For example, if you had a light affinity of 15% your light spells would do 15% more damage and your light healing spells would heal 15% more. If someone has an affinity from birth it will generally be around 5% - 15%. Those of us who are not blessed at birth can increase affinities by using that specific mana type. The process is very, very slow and gets harder with each percent.”

“Sir how often is someone born with a mana affinity? What about really high affinities like 90%?” I asked wondering about my affinities.

“There are no set numbers. We only know its extremely rare to be born with an affinity and those will usually be the people that go on to get rare or even legendary classes. As for an affinity of 90% that’s only possible for Dragons and Elementals.”

‘Death and Dark affinities were granted from my Divine and Mythical classes so that’s probably why he would say it's not possible. It still doesn’t explain my unaspected affinity… I will wait until the end to ask since it’s a question specific to me.’

“Next we have origin classes. I usually skip this one but I’m sure our little reader would call me out for it! Origin classes are an extra active class slot. Unlike active classes, origin classes can never be switched or removed. They were granted to all humans 10 and above when the old world ended.”

“Beast-kin didn’t get Origin classes?” Poko asked.

“Nope, just humans. Humans had the largest disadvantage because we didn’t have any magic in our old world. On top of that all the old ruins and machines ran on energy types that no longer work due to magic interfering. To help Humans get back on their feet they were all granted a single origin class and two origin skill bonuses. Sadly, that bonus was strictly for the humans alive at the time, anyone born after does not have them. There are very few people still alive today with an origin class.”

“There’s no other way to get them?” Poko asked disappointedly.

“It’s believed they were created for that one purpose unfortunately.”

‘I’m technically from when the world ended so I guess that makes sense.’

“Next we have active classes or regular classes as some call it. You can have two active classes at a time however the second slot costs 5 skill points so it’s a large investment! Any classes that are not in your active slots become subclasses. Subclasses only grant a fraction of their bonuses but you can continue to use any skills from it like normal.”

‘Slave will definitely be my first subclass!’

“Attribute points and skill points refer to how many available points you have to use. For example, humans get 4 free attributes they can use once they become ten years old. You can never change this so do not use them without permission from a teacher.”

‘I want my life to be luckier, I don’t regret my choice.’

“Companions refer to creatures that are bound to you. Normally classes like Beast Tamer will be the only ones to use this slot.”

‘Arty did you hear that? He said you’re my cute marshmallow ghost husband creature.’

‘He only said creature, not the rest!’

The last thing we will be covering today is the Attributes. There Is a lot of speculation regarding the specifics of each one so I can only give you the description that was provided in God’s Message. Your guild or teacher will be the one that tells you which are most important since its different for every class. I will write out the list on the other side of the board.

Strength - The physical power of your body. Melee combat, carry weight, heavy weaponry, etc.

Dexterity - The speed, flexibility, and accuracy of your body. Ranged physical weapons, sneak, movement speed, attack speed, etc.

Constitution - The health of your body. Health and Stamina pools, resistance to status effects, natural armor, etc.

Endurance - Your body’s ability to persevere. Health and Stamina regeneration, withstanding harsh conditions, willpower, etc.

Perception - The ability of your body’s senses. Eyesight, hearing, sensing those around you, etc.

Intelligence - Your mind’s ability to comprehend both knowledge and magic. The strength of the mana within your body. Magic attack power, mana pool, understanding, etc.

Wisdom - Your mind's ability to retain and use knowledge. Your body’s ability to use mana. Mana regeneration, mana control, memory, problem-solving, etc.

Charisma - Your ability to influence others. Intimidation, barter, leadership, etc.

Luck - The world’s kindness to you. Better odds for anything regarding chance, random events in your favor, breakthroughs, etc.

Craftsmanship - The ability to create using your hands, skills, and mana. Crafting, enhancement, enchanting, etc.

Control - Your ability to focus and control the crafting process. Quality, success rate, rarity, etc.

Carl was now answering some of the younger children’s questions so I took the chance to ask Arty some things.

‘Arty I have lots of questions!’

‘Ask away.’

‘What are divine points?’

‘Sorry Ellie not even Hysa knows.’

‘What about the divinity title?’

‘Hysa, Aurora, and Zurik have it. I think it’s from having a divine class and five divine skills.’

‘What about Mana affinities, the one not from my classes or being tortured?’

‘You were probably just lucky. You can ask about it, from what we heard so long as you don’t talk about origin classes or divine stuff there shouldn’t be any trouble.’

‘Thanks, Arty!’

“That’s everything for the little ones today. Those of you 10 and up please remain seated.” Lesley led the younger children away.

There were only a few people left sitting. I guess this was the age you started working or joined a guild.

“For those unaware you cannot get a class or use your free attributes until you are ten years old. Generally, if you work very hard in a specific area people begin to get their first class around 15. Who here is planning on entering the Adventurers Guild?”

Poko immediately put her hand up and a few of us followed soon after.

“Four candidates? Good! We will be discussing classes, affinities, and how to join the guild. Now let’s get the simple question out of the way who here has an affinity or a class?” He said the last part sarcastically.

I put my hand up and was met with surprised looks from everyone including Carl and Lesley.

“You know the guilds can check if your lying, right?” Carl’s voice was much more serious now.

“I didn’t know that but I’m not lying.” I was going to leave information out but I wasn’t lying about anything.

“Then may I ask which you have?”

“Both.”

Everyone’s eyes grew wider and some children began whispering. Lesley came over and asked carl for one second.

“Ellie there is serious trouble for lying about these things, are you positive you have both?”

I nodded, it was the truth after all.

Carl cut in before Lesley could continue. “In that case may I ask what the class is? You can remain silent but it will need to be confirmed by the council. There hasn’t been a 10-year-old human class holder since God’s Guidance first came.”

“Its okay, I don’t mind sharing. My class is Slave.”

Lesley started hugging me tightly and most of the children turned away while others changed from looks of amazement to pity. I didn’t understand the reaction since she knew I was a slave already.

“I’m so sorry Ellie, to have that class by ten years old… How can people be so cruel?” Some tears fell from her eyes as she held me.

“Ms. Lesley, I don’t understand? You knew I was a slave already.”

“It takes years of hard work to obtain a class. To have that class already means you were worked harder than most could imagine long before you became 10. I promise that you will never suffer like that here.” She gave me another tight hug before letting go.

Carl’s voice changed again, this time to a kinder tone. “I’m sorry to hear that Ellie. If you have an affinity everything will get much better, may I ask what it is?”

“Its 2% for fire and electricity and 23% for unaspected mana.”

The pity in the room vanished and the surprised looks returned. Carl started laughing and Lesley who was just crying congratulated me happily.

“Ellie are you 100% positive this is correct? If so, the crafting guilds may start a war over you! Heck, the Dwarves may even send a diplomat to see you directly!” Carl continued laughing.

“Mr. Stalic, I don’t want to be in a crafting guild! I want to be an adventurer!”

“Hmmm… In that case there are a few ways you could do both. The Culinary Guild and the Adventurer’s Guild have a close relationship, when adventurers go on long and important missions it's nice to have good food, so they hire an adventuring chef to join them. If you manage to get the Mana Cooking skill or the uncommon Chef class you’ll be invited to join high ranking adventurer parties even if you can’t fight. Having food that increases attributes for short periods of time can be the difference between life and death.”

I was very happy with the suggestion. ‘I can make yummy food and go on adventures, why would I not want that?!’

“We’ll discuss this more after the lesson. Does anyone else have a class or affinity?...” He waited a couple seconds taking the question a little more seriously. “In that case, we will go over rarity tiers which are Very Common, Common, Uncommon, Rare, Legendary, Mythical, and Divine. These tiers are used for classes, skills, dungeons, monsters, and items. It should be everyone’s goal to work towards having at least one uncommon class. It is a lot of hard work unless you're lucky but the result is living a very good life in whatever field you get one in. If you work extra hard you may even end up with two like myself! For rare and above it’s best not to get your hopes up and Legendary Classes would put you at the top of society. One of the 25 heroes had a legendary class and it allowed him to make this country. It is not possible for regular races such as humans to get a mythical or divine class.”

The lesson continued with information Arty already told me about and then guild stuff I didn’t need to know. Once it was over the four of us who wanted to join were called to speak with Carl in the Orphanage’s office area.

“I’m going to give you all one warning. The life of an adventurer is one of danger and many people die on this path. If that does not bug you then I can take you back and get you signed up tomorrow. You must have at least one common class to get past N rank! Would you still like to go?”

We all agreed and Carl said he would come back tomorrow. Lesley had a small farewell celebration after dinner for us and then we all went off to bed.

‘Don’t you think it’s a little weird that the Hero of Darkness is going to take cooking classes?’ Arty teased.

‘It's also weird that I’m married to a marshmallow ghost but that turned out to be pretty nice.’ I replied while hugging him.

We continued talking until I fell asleep.