Alex Donner wasn’t the most enthusiastic student at CSU but he did take his school work seriously. With a small scholarship and his parents help, he didn’t need to hold down a job like several other students had to pay off their tuition. He also wasn’t much of a socialite. Wild college parties might have drawn in most other young and impressionable students but Alex would take a good anime binge over the mindless drunken rabble any day of the week. Besides, Colorado was getting colder by the day and his room was nice and toasty.

For all of his free time, he spent most of that studying in his room. Especially now that midterms were coming up. So, when Alex found himself no longer sitting at his cramped desk, surrounded by open books and half written notes, he was clearly confused.

Standing in what looked like a very upscale hotel lobby, Alex stared in bewilderment. The crystal chandeliers and elegant wall sconces gave off a warm glow against the dark wood walls. Rich and plush looking leather couches and chairs were spread out around the room tastefully. Even the carpet was decadent to the touch, feeling lush and warm against his bare feet.

Bare feet?

Alex looked down and realized he wasn’t wearing shoes, or pants for that matter. His, thankfully, clean boxer briefs and CSU t-shirt were all he was wearing.

Am I dreaming?

He really shouldn’t be sleeping when there was work to be done. He might not find mathematics or science very interesting but he still had to pass his classes.

Wake up! Wake up!

Well, that didn’t seem to be working. He scratched his head in frustration, his dirty blonde hair still wet from his shower earlier that morning. His light blue eyes widened as he wondered why his hair would be wet in a dream? A polite cough had him jumping out of his skin. He quickly turned around to find out that he wasn’t alone.

A young woman, near his age, 23, maybe 24, stood only a step away. She was looking up at him as if waiting for an explanation. Her pale, almost porcelain like face held two brilliant green eyes and her curling red hair framed her face in an almost picturesque way.

His treacherous eyes traveled down to see that she was wearing a school uniform of some type. The dark green jacket and pleated skirt looked rather amazing on her. When his eyes trailed back up to her face, the young woman’s eyebrows had risen in an amused fashion, a hint of a smile touching her lips.

Flushing just slightly at what might have been thought of as ‘checking her out’, he finally was able to put three words together.

“Who are you?”

The young woman opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it, as if she should have been the one to ask that question. Alex tried not to stare at her lips, which were full but not overly done, like some of the Hollywood celebrities now a days. In fact, she didn’t seem to be wearing much makeup at all. Instead, she was just one of those rare, natural beauties, like a unicorn.

What the hell am I thinking? Get a grip Alex.

“I would ask you the same question.” She finally spoke. “But I will settle for where we are and why are you not wearing pants?”

She had a faint accent that only added to confuse Alex more. Not many accents like that in Colorado. It was barely perceivable but Alex guessed that it was Irish. He wasn’t exactly a linguistic expert.

Alex reflexively covered himself up. He wasn’t exactly naked, but one did not walk around in public in their underwear.

“Oh, sorry, I’m Alex. Um, I have no idea where we are. For a moment there, I thought I was dreaming. As for the lack of clothing, the last thing I remember was sitting in my dorm, studying for midterms.”

The hint of a smile touching her lips grew a little more.

“And you study without pants on?” She asked.

“Yes?” Alex answered lamely.

However uncool he sounded, he still saw her snicker into her hand, obviously amused.

“Sorry, I’m Daniella, but you can just call my Danny, everyone does sooner or later. I was walking to my next class when I suddenly found myself here, a half-naked man standing in front of me.”

A few murmurs sounded from behind Danny and they looked up to find several more people staring at them both. A lot of people.

The crowd of people filled half of the lobby. They all looked around the same age though you could tell that it was still an elective group. Near the front, there was a young Asian man who was only wearing a towel and still had shaving cream on half of his face.

Trying his best to forget that he was still standing around in his underwear, Alex decided that the silence was just a little too awkward.

“Am I safe in assuming that we are all from the planet Earth and spontaneously ended up here?”

The crowd looked around at each other and a few concurred with a silent nod of their heads. They were all brought out of their silence when the ding of a bell sounded from behind Alex. He turned to see a man who hadn’t been there before, standing behind the concierge desk. He was an older man, maybe fifty or so. His finally combed black hair was peppered with grey and he was dressed like a butler, white gloves and all.

“If I may have your attention.” The older man said politely. “My name is Jeffrey and I welcome you all the Bellevue Hotel. I am sure you all have questions to which I will do my utmost to answer in a moment.

“First, I understand that all of you might be somewhat confused as to how or why you have been brought here. Let me assure you, you are not dreaming, nor are you dead. With that being said, death is a very real concern, so I would advise you all to pay very close attention.”

The crowd bristled at that casual statement.

“You are the first Souls from your planet Earth to be initiated into the System. Every world comprised of sentient beings at one time or another is brought here to see if they are capable of Ascendance.

“Believe me when I say that many others have stood where you stand now and have either claimed their right to Ascendancy or led their Race to their very ruin. It is up to you, whether you succeed or fail in this game.

“As you are the first one hundred players from your world, you are now considered Founders and will act as the spearhead for your people. As Founders, you will all receive a gift from the System in order to balance your ability to survive and adapt to the game you now find yourselves in. You must forge ahead, learning what you can so that when your fellow Humans start to arrive, they may be guided with learned hands. Your experience, Accomplishment and Deeds will help those who follow, giving you and your world, a better chance of Ascending.”

The man named Jeffrey finished his speech but the room remained uncomfortably quiet. Alex raised his hand to speak, which was apparently the correct move since Jeffrey smiled warmly and nodded his head towards him.

There were several questions he wanted to ask but most of them were driven by his emotions. He could scream and shout, demand he be taken back home, but how would that help him? Considering the number of fellow Humans present, who were prone to become intensely…passionate when faced with something they didn’t particularly like, he knew he needed to get as much information as he could before the shouts of protest started.

“Excuse me, Jeffrey.” Alex stated. “You said that we were players. Am I correct to assume that this is like a game that we would be familiar with? With the lives of our very world in the balance?”

“That is correct.” Jeffrey said sadly. “It brings me no joy to tell you that the fate of the Human race lies in your hands. You, and those that will soon follow, must finish the game in order for your race to ascend.”

“This is bullshit!” Someone from the crowd yelled in a distinctly South African accent. “Send us back home at once!”

Several others started voicing their agreement with the man. If Jeffrey was offended or concerned at all, he didn’t show it.

“I’m afraid that isn’t possible. I do not choose who comes here. I am merely your guide.”

A shorter Indian man with thin glasses and a deep accent spoke up excitedly.

“You mentioned this was a game. Do we have levels and such? Can we shoot fireballs or wield swords?”

Amusingly enough, that caught everyone’s attention. Leave it to the ‘Gamer Generation’ to forget their plight for a moment as they considered the possibilities of magic.

Jeffrey nodded at the young man. “Indeed, there are levels, just like your games from Earth.” Jeffrey snapped his fingers, how he did that with gloves on Alex would never know, and a black wristband appeared on everyone’s left wrist. “This is what you would call your ‘Interface.’ Focus on the band and think Status and it will appear.”

Alex did just that as he stared at the black wristband. A screen came to life before his eyes and he could hear several gasps from the others behind him.

Name: Alex Donner

Age: 24

Race: Human

Level: 0

EXP: 0/100

Class: ???

Soul: 100

HP: 90

MP: 65

Vitality: 6

Strength: 6

Agility: 9

Dexterity: 9

Wisdom: 3

Intelligence: 5

It looked just like a spreadsheet that he had seen in so many games he had played when he was a kid, though the Soul Stat was definitely new. Jeffrey’s voice pulled everyone out of their Interface.

“If you wish, just focus on any one attribute, or stat, as you would call them, and the System will give you an in-depth explanation. The average starting attribute is five for Humans. However, your Soul Points, which I am sure most of you have noticed by now, will always start at one hundred. Your life experiences have fixed each of your individual attributes to be either higher or lower.”

Alex focused on his wristband, immediately bringing up his Status and then focused on each attribute.

Vitality: Increase in this attribute will improve your blood production and organ systems, allowing you to resist or fight off poisons or disease. Your skin will become more durable, allowing increased resistance to cuts and bruises and your bones will become denser, allowing them to survive greater strain. Vitality directly affects your Hit Points (HP). Warning! If your HP reaches zero, you die! There are no second lives!

Strength: Increase in this attribute will improve your muscle density. Stronger muscles will allow you to increase the force and speed with which you strike. An added benefit is that the more you increase your muscle density, the better protected your organs will be. Strength indirectly affects your HP.

Agility: Increase in this attribute will improve your stamina, overall balance and speed. The higher your Agility, the longer you can fight and the faster you can run. Balance is fundamental in running and fighting at increased velocity.

Dexterity: Increase in this attribute will help with hand and eye coordination. Your hands will become flexible and strong. Whether twirling swords or daggers or shooting a bow or gun, this attribute will allow you to use your weapons with skill and accuracy.

Wisdom: Increase in this attribute will increase the regeneration rate of your mana and your ability to cast spells in stressful situations. A Mage’s greatest weakness is their dependency on mana. Wisdom indirectly affects your Mana Points (MP).

Intellect: Increase in this attribute will increase your MP and the damage of your spells. Access to large amounts of Mana allows you to cast more spells. It also affects the power of said spells. Intellect directly affects your MP.

Soul: You may not increase your Soul Points with attribute points. The Soul is what ties you to reality. In order to increase your Soul, you must collect it from your enemies. Your Soul can be condensed to strengthen it. WARNING! While your Soul will replenish over time, if it ever reaches zero, you will cease to exist!

Alex couldn’t help but grimace at the explanation of the Soul. Not only would you die if you ran out of HP, but you would cease to exist if your Soul ran dry, which seemed potentially worse.

“Figured out that there were two ways to die now?”

Alex looked over to see that Danny was still standing beside him. She looked a little paler than she had before. She flashed a weak smile up at him.

“Yeah.” He said quietly. “But it also mentioned condensing your Soul. I wonder if that’s like Qi in all those Wuxia fantasy novels?”

She snorted while giving him an incredulous look.

“What?” He asked.

“Alex, are you a closet dork?” She asked, her previous worry seemingly forgotten.

“Pfft. Closet my ass.” Alex said smiling. “I’m a loud and proud dork. I can start naming my favorite fantasy fiction Authors if you like. Maybe suggest a few anime shows? Tell you about my favorite science fiction movies?”

Danny’s smile grew and she shook her head, her red locks bouncing back and forth in an almost hypnotic way.

“Who would have thought I would be transported to a game of life and death by aliens and the first person I meet is a pant-less college boy who spent his life reading Tolkien.”

“Ha. As if. Tolkien was a word whore. Guy would describe the light bouncing off Jupiter and striking a raindrop in the middle of a forest if he could.”

He flashed a smile as Danny started laughing at him. He felt a little better knowing she wasn’t focusing on the terrible idea that their lives were likely very much in danger. Even if he was making fun of himself, he didn’t mind. He wasn’t embarrassed about his hobbies. Not wearing pants in a room filled with people, however, was definitely embarrassing.

His Agility and Dexterity were above and beyond his other stats. That would be thanks to his parents. His mother loved triathlons and obstacle courses and Alex had watched her compete for years. She took him with her to each and every competition and Alex loved seeing the people running, swimming and cycling. The obstacle courses, however, were his favorite. He and his mother had entered the family Mud Run every year. A timed obstacle course covered in mud that would have people slipping and sliding along as they raced through. It was a point of pride that they never finished below fifth place.

His father was a champion sharpshooter. Handguns, shotguns, rifles. You name it and he could probably shoot it. This led to several weekends filled with Alex being taught how to shoot. His Dad gave him his first rifle for his sixth birthday. At eight, he received his first handgun. And at fourteen he had won his first shooting competition. He probably would have followed in his father’s footsteps if he hadn’t watched his childhood friend…

Alex pushed back the memory. He hadn’t thought of that in a long time. He hadn’t even touched a gun in almost a decade. He was thankful his father never pushed him on it. Instead, his mother involved him more and more in her hobbies and his father even participated occasionally, which would lead to several hours of laughter as his dad was not the most graceful person, especially during the yearly Mud Run.

He had really lucked out in the ‘parents department.’ He couldn’t help but wonder what they would think when they found out that he had suddenly vanished. He was sure they would go crazy with worry. If only he could let them know that he was okay. He wouldn’t even mention the fact that aliens had kidnapped him.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Danny ask Jeffrey a question.

“Mr. Jeffrey, who or what is the ‘System’ exactly?”

“Please Miss Daniella, it’s just Jeffrey. As to your question, the System is a program put in place by the first Ascendants. Who or what they were, I personally do not know. What I can say is that the System chooses a planet of sentient beings who have achieved a certain level of intelligence. When the System has made its choice, members of that Race are brought here to fight for their people’s survival. For Humans, the System will choose players between the ages twenty-three to thirty-eight.”

A tall, athletic looking woman with short cut black hair and olive toned skin stepped forward.

“Wait! You don’t even know who you work for or why?! And why do you keep saying ‘Human’ like it’s odd? Are you an alien or something, hiding your true face?”

“Miss Silvia.” Jeffrey said placatingly. “I am but a simple program put into an artificial likeness. I am not Human nor am I alien. I am part of the System, but I am not given the full knowledge of the System.”

Alex could feel the room start growing restless. The idea of magic and levels had distracted them for a moment but it seemed reality was finally setting in.

“Jeffrey.” Alex said, trying his best to speak over the growing complaints of the crowd. “First, how do we level up and second, what did you mean by receiving a gift?”

That caught the crowd’s attention and they slowly calmed down.

“Wonderful question, Alex.” Jeffrey said. “As to your first question, you level up by killing monsters. Outside the front door is a city much akin to your New York or Los Angeles. In the city, there are several low-level beings that wish only to destroy you. Your objective is to hunt down these monsters and kill them. Killing them will earn you experience points. When you receive enough experience points to level, you will receive three attribute points. Those can be used to raise your attributes.

“You will also receive a piece of their Soul. As you noticed on your Interface, each of you has 100 Soul Points. That number will rise as you receive Souls and lower when you use them. However, you may not use your attribute points on this specific stat. The only way to strengthen your Soul is by gaining enough Souls to condense it.

“As to your second question, each of you are now Founders. Since you are the first from your planet Earth to be initiated as players, you will receive a one-time only gift from the System Shop. But we must first cover your starting gear as I am sure you don’t wish to travel around with no pants.”

A few people chuckled at this and Alex tried not to show how uncomfortable he was.

“First, each one of you has specific attributes that reflect your life. Whether it’s higher intelligence, increased strength or maybe being deceptively quick.” Jeffrey gave Alex a knowing look. “The System, in turn, offers each new player starting gear and a Class that will best suit your individual talents.”

Alex felt the pit of his stomach drop.

Glowing orbs popped out in front of everyone, causing a few startled yelps.

“These golden orbs are what you will see when you kill hostile beings.” Jeffrey continued. “I believe you call it, Loot. Just touch your orb and you will receive your starting gear and Class.”

Several people hurried to touch the glowing orb. Bright flashes of light went off and the people who were once dressed in their regular clothes, or in the case of the young Asian man wearing only a towel, no clothes, were suddenly wearing gear that looked like a science fiction convention and a renaissance fair had a child.

The Asian man found himself in dark leathers with a leather cuirass covering his torso and thin steel black square plates covering his chest. He had a beautiful recurve bow made of black steel, a quiver of arrows on his back and a single edged short sword, barely long enough to not count as a dagger, strapped on his belt at the small of his back.

Danny’s former school uniform disappeared and, in its place, she wore a robe made of dark green and red silk, that looked more like a dress than a robe. Unlike what gamers would consider conventional caster gear, she wore a breast plate a polished steel, complete with vambraces. A staff of wood that somehow still looked like a living branch was held tightly in her hands.

“A Druid?!” She complained. “Really?!”

Jeffrey coughed politely. “Wasn’t your major Botany, Miss Daniella?”

She gave Jeffrey a cold stare, her green eyes flashing before she realized that Alex hadn’t touched his orb.

“What’s wrong, Alex?”

Alex was terrified. With everything he had done in his life, there was only one weapon the System would possibly give him. At that moment, all he could see was Michaels dead body lying before him. Lifeless as a marionet puppet with its strings cut.

“Alex!”

Alex snapped out of it, looking at Danny, her brilliant green eyes filled with worry.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“I’m uh, I’m afraid of what I will find.” He said quietly.

“Well, it can’t be worse than this.” She said, pointing out her outfit. “Look at me. Am I going dancing? Am I going to war? Why not both!”

Alex cracked a smile and she gave him a wink.

“Whatever it is you are afraid of, remember that you are still you.” She said assuredly. “We might have been kidnapped by aliens and forced to fight for the lives of our very race, but you will always be a dork to me.”

Alex could only laugh. It helped ease his worries significantly.

“You really know how to stroke a man’s ego, there.”

She nodded. “That’s true. Now stop being a pussy and touch the glowy thing of death.”

With a shake of his head, he did just that. A flash of golden light later and he found himself covered in dark grey leathers. His leather cuirass sported thin banded plates of dark red steel armor covering his chest and back. The leather vambraces covering his forearms looked thick but not uncomfortable. Strapped to each of his thighs, holsters held two identical handguns.

“What the hell Class are you? Ninja Cowboy?” She asked.

Alex looked at his Status.

Name: Alex Donner

Age: 24

Race: Human

Level: 0

EXP: 0/100

Class: Soul Survivor

Soul: 100

HP: 90

MP: 65

Vitality: 6

Strength: 6

Agility: 9

Dexterity: 9

Wisdom: 3

Intelligence: 5

“I don’t know what it means?” Alex said, staring at his stats in confusion. “It says, Soul Survivor.”

“I think I may be able to shed some light on the subject.” Jeffrey said. “Any Class with Soul in the title is in direct relation to your Soul Stat. The System is basically telling you that if you wish to improve your Class, that you must make your Soul Stat your number one priority.

“As for the Survivor Class, you must endure that which you fear most. The System realizes that your skill with these weapons is the only way you will ever survive this trial but to do that, you must overcome your worst fears.

“I do apologize, Sir. The System can seem cruel, but it wants people to survive and Ascend. That’s why each person is given what they are most suited for. I have met only a handful of Survivor Classes and each one went through what you are going through right now. I promise you though, if you can overcome your fears, you will go very far.”

“Dude! No way! You got handguns while I got a bow? OP, Bro.”

Alex and Danny looked up to see the previously naked Asian man, was now dressed like a steampunk ninja.

“You have no accent.” Alex said, completely surprised. With the number of eclectic ethnicities in the room, he had figured everyone was from a different part of the world.

“Dude! I’m from Fresno. Not Cool.”

Alex winced and Danny slapped the back of his head, albeit lightly, but the man laughed it off.

“I’m just kidding, Man. I mean, I am from Fresno but I’m not offended. Name’s Ty.”

“Alex. And this hippie is Danny.”

Danny smacked the back of Alex’s head again but at least she was smiling now.

“Nice to meet you Ty.” Danny said. “So, what are you, a Ninja?”

“Actually, I’m a Ronin. Even the System is racist.”

“Ronin? Isn’t that like a Masterless Samurai?” Alex asked.

Ty shrugged. “I don’t know, Man. But I figure any movie with my boy Keanu is good enough for me.”

Danny rolled her eyes. “Dorks. I’m surrounded by dorks.”

Ty gave a happy fist bump to Alex.

“Now that you have all have received your Class,” Jeffrey said. “we can now move to your gifts. If you focus on your wristband and think System Shop, you will see a list of items appear before you. These Items can be bought with experience points. You will notice that you only need one hundred experience points before reaching level one. Once you reach level one, your experience points will revert to zero again and the requirements to level again will become higher. Unfortunately, you will level automatically as soon as you hit your experience cap, so if you wish to use those points in the System Shop, you will need to do so before you hit that cap.

“The gift you will all receive is a onetime use of ten thousand experience points. You cannot save them and you are not able to use these specific points to level, so you must use them now if you wish to do so at all. Please take your time to browse the System Shop for anything you might want. There are everyday items such as food and water as well as a few storage items that you would call ‘Bags of Holding.’ There are also a number of Modifiers that can permanently give you an edge in your abilities. I suggest you take your Class into consideration when choosing any Modifiers. There is no reason a ‘Mage type’ Class would need a boost in Strength for example.

Alex couldn’t see his wristband since his vambrace was covering it but with a little focus the System Shop came up before his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that there were tabs listed for Food, Drinks, Armor, Weapons, Modifiers, Supplements, Class and Miscellaneous. Out of curiosity, he focused on the Supplements tab.

Minor Health Pill

100xp

Health Pill

1,000xp

Major Health Pill

10,000xp

Minor Mana Pill

100xp

Mana Pill

1,000xp

Major Mana Pill

10,000xp

Alex focused on the Minor Health Pill.

Minor Health Pill: A small red sphere containing life essence. This pill will instantly heal 50 HP. WARNING! Ingesting too many pills at once can cause painful side effects!

“Hey, make sure you check out the Supplements tab.” Alex said aloud. “There are Health and Mana Pills. A few could be useful.”

He heard a number of people start muttering to themselves and a few shouted out their thanks. He got back to searching the System Shop, perusing the Modifiers next. Since Jeffrey explicitly mentioned it, it was probably important.

Bio-enhanced Dragon Aura

1,000,000,000xp

Elemental Soul Bonding

750,000,000xp

Omniscience

750,000,000xp

Basilisk Sight

675,000,000xp

Hand of God

650,000,000xp

The Devil’s Luck

650,000,000xp

Alex’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. The most expensive Modifier was Bio-enhanced Dragon Aura at a billion xp. How was anyone ever supposed to afford that? That was when he realized the awful truth. If getting to level one was only one hundred xp, at what level did you have more than a billion xp to spare? They could end up spending years in this place.

Shaking the thought from his head, he focused on Omnipresence.

Omnipresence: Complete and utter knowledge of your surroundings up to one mile. You desire the eyes of Gods, all seeing, but you are still mortal and thus, unable to fully attain that which was never meant for you. But you can still obtain a small piece of their power.

Alex could only wonder what that would mean. To know everything that was happening within a mile of where you stood. It was impossible for him to fathom.

There were pages and pages of Modifiers. Knowing he didn’t have the points to purchase most of them, he focused on any modifiers that cost ten thousand xp or less.

Tiger’s Spirit (Evolution)

9,500xp

Mantis’ Cunning (Evolution)

7,700xp

Elephant’s Wisdom (Evolution)

6,800xp

Lycanthropic Curse (Evolution)

5,200xp

Crane’s Grace (Evolution)

5,000xp

Soul Disciple

4,400xp

Tiger’s Spirit (Evolution): Permanently gain 1.5x to Vitality and Strength. Evolution increases the multiplier. Evolution only possible if the Tiger’s Spirit is embraced. (Hunt, kill and feed. The predator does not fear the prey.)

Mantis’ Cunning (Evolution): Permanently gain 1.5x to Strength and Agility. Evolution increases the multiplier. Evolution only possible if the Mantis’ Cunning is embraced. (Strike without warning. Consume those that are beneath you.)

Elephant’s Wisdom (Evolution): Permanently gain 1.5x to Wisdom and Intellect. Evolution increases the multiplier. Evolution only possible if the Elephant’s Wisdom is embraced. (Thought is not without consequence. Remember your successes and your failures.)

Lycanthropic Curse (Evolution): Become one with your inner beast. Your two main attributes will permanently gain 2x. Evolution increases multiplier. Evolution only possible if you embrace your inner beast. This power comes at a cost. Unless you truly know yourself, you will not know the beast you will become and you may never evolve.

Crane’s Grace (Evolution): Permanently gain 1.5x to Agility and Dexterity. Evolution increases the multiplier. Evolution only possible if the Crane’s Grace is embraced. (Swift and accurate. I kill to grow and take no pleasure in it.)

Soul Disciple: Become in tune with your Soul. Find the path towards condensing your Soul. WARNING! This is not an Evolution based Modifier and you must have Soul Disciple and condensed your Soul to the First Tier before purchasing Soul Adept.

Alex blinked several times, trying to understand what he had read. The benefits of these Modifiers were significant but they were also annoyingly vague. With that thought, he closed the System Shop and looked to Jeffrey who was still waiting patiently behind the concierge desk.

“Excuse me, Jeffrey. Is there a limit to how many Evolution based Modifiers you may have?”

A few people looked up as well and Jeffrey was happy to answer.

“Indeed, there is, Mr. Alex. While you may have several Modifiers, you may only have a single Evolution based Modifier. Please be aware that once you have one, you cannot change it out. There are several other Evolution based Modifiers that cost much more than ten thousand xp.”

There were a few curses at that and Alex winced at the lack of forethought that those people had shown when choosing their Modifiers. His top two attributes went perfectly with Crane’s Grace and while he wasn’t exactly sure how to evolve it, it seemed far more appealing to him than the other ones listed.

Soul Disciple also seemed perfect if Jeffrey was correct in saying his Soul Survivor Class was dependent on his Soul Stat. Both the Crane’s Grace and Soul Disciple would run him 9,400xp which would leave him just 600xp for anything else he might need. Before purchasing anything, he searched for the storage bags that Jeffrey had mentioned.

Storage Pack

3,000xp

Storage Bag

2,000xp

Storage Belt

1,000xp

Storage Ring

200xp

That made it an easy choice considering he would only be able to afford the Storage Ring but he took a quick look to make sure it would still be useful.

Storage Ring: This ring can easily store several small items such as Healing and Mana Pills. The Storage Ring offers one square foot of cubic space and renders all weight to zero. Time will not pass in this Storage Ring so food and drink will remain fresh. WARNING! You may only wear one Storage Ring per hand! Failure to do so could lead to explosive results!

The good news was that the Storage Ring would be perfect for his needs but the warning was definitely ominous. Still, considering his options, he couldn’t think of a better way to spend his experience points.

With a deep breath, Alex purchased The Crain’s Grace and Soul Disciple Modifiers along with the Storage Ring, two Minor Health Pills, a Canteen and a few small Army MRE’s. A golden light enveloped him and as it faded, he sensed the notifications that were awaiting him in his wristband. Focusing on the notifications, they appeared before him.

Congratulations! You are now a Soul Disciple! Feel the connection to your Soul and find the secrets that lay within! Increase in Soul Points earned when defeating an enemy! You will now be able to condense your Soul! Don’t bother trying to share your experiences! It’s different for everyone!

Congratulations! You are now Modified with Crane’s Grace! You receive a 1.5x modifier to your Agility and Dexterity! Embrace Crane’s Grace to evolve this Modifier further! Don’t try faking it, it won’t work!

Alex felt the sudden change in his body. He felt lighter and well balanced. He knew he could jump and flip without landing on his head. Well, he knew he could, but he wasn’t about to try it and then fail miserably in front of one hundred strangers.

Looking over at Danny, he could see clearly that she was feeling the changes as well.

“What did you get?” Alex asked. He couldn’t help but smile as the rush lingered in his body.

“What did you get?” Danny asked. She might try but she couldn’t hide the smile that was tugging at the corners of her lips.

“I picked up Crane’s Grace and Soul Disciple!” Alex whispered excitedly. “I also grabbed a Storage Ring, a few Minor Healing Pills, a Canteen and some MRE’s.”

“Did you notice the warning about evolving those Classes?” She asked, the concern evident in her brilliant green eyes.

“Yes. I read over it and I honestly didn’t see the problem with anything it said.”

“Good!” She said, breathing a sigh of relief. “For a second I thought you might just have a YOLO moment. As for me, I picked up Elephant’s Wisdom. I was a little concerned about the way to evolve it but I have always had a good head for remembering things and I believe in learning from your mistakes. I also picked up the Storage Ring along with Minor Mana and Minor Health Pills but I also found a few spells to buy.”

“You had to buy spells?!” Alex asked. “Didn’t you get any with your Class?”

“I did start with spells but I also want to survive. I received three spells when I got my Class. One is a simple heal over time spell, one is a root spell to hold enemies back and one is a magical attack spell that does damage.”

“That sounds pretty much like the typical Druid starter kit.” Alex commented.

“Exactly!” Danny said. “So, I found a Modifier called Mental Modification. It lets me change any spell! Now I can boost my spells power or change it slightly to be more versatile.”

Alex’s eyebrows rose. “I’m impressed, that is a great Modifier.”

“But that’s not all!” Danny said, her eyes glittering with mischief.

“What else did you get?” Alex asked.

“I got a companion!” She whispered excitedly.

Alex took a look around but couldn’t see anything.

“Is it here?” He asked, somewhat confused.

She slapped his arm. “It’s sitting on my shoulder, you idiot!”

Alex finally saw it. It was tiny, no more than a few inches in height. It was humanoid in shape with varying shades of green all over its body.

“What is it?”

“She is an Eldaman.” Danny stated. “She is basically a spirit of nature. There were a whole bunch of ridiculously expensive companions but they didn’t make sense to me. Why would I need a bear or a panther if I’m a Druid? Willow will boost my Nature Magic and will grow stronger as I do, so it’s best to get her early.”

Alex looked at Danny skeptically. “You named your little nature spirit Willow?”

Danny gave him a glare. “You got a problem with that?”

“Nope!” Alex said casually. “But if I’m a dork then you are definitely a nerd.”

A sudden flash of golden light flashed next to them and Ty came out whooping with excitement.

“I’m guessing you like what you got?” Alex said, a bemused grin on his face.

Ty turned around to face him, all smiles. “Hell, yeah dude! How could I not be excited?”

Suddenly, Ty groaned in pain and fell to the ground. Alex and Danny looked at him in panic but Jeffrey was soon standing beside them, looking calmly down at Ty.

“Ah, yes.” Jeffrey said. “That would be the Lycanthropic Curse. Don’t worry, the change only hurts for a moment.”

“He chose that?!” Alex and Danny said together.

Another flash of light surrounded Ty and suddenly, he was…different.

“Wow, that sucked!” Ty said, standing up. He stopped as he noticed Alex and Danny staring at him. “What? Do I got something on my face? And hey! Did you both get taller?”

“Ty?” Alex said slowly. “You do realize the Lycanthropic Curse changes you, right?”

Ty snorted. “Yeah, but that’s, like, only on full moons or something, right?”

“Apparently not.” Danny said, wincing.

“Actually, that is a common misnomer.” Jeffrey explained. “Lycanthropic curses effect the recipient of said curse at all times.”

Ty’s eyes went wide and he slowly looked down at his hands which were now furry, as was the rest of his body. Then he looked back and noticed the red fury tail.

“Wha…What am I?!” Ty asked.

“A Red Panda.” Jeffrey said happily, seemingly not understanding the delicate nature of the situation. Either that or he was actually happy that Ty didn’t bother thinking things through and was now paying for it.

“Dude!” Ty screamed. “That’s so racist!”