Sam sat in the attic of his parents’ house and shuddered. He knew, logically, that the attic was the safest place for him. Hiding in the fields was out of the question; his father would sense any disturbance he made and know exactly where he was. The library nearby was almost good; the [Research Librarian] who worked there was always nice and had helped him learn magic, but she was conflict-averse and wouldn’t help him hide if his father came asking. No, he concluded, the attic was the only safe place. The house had belonged to his mother’s parents, and the entrance had been hidden behind boxes of old, obsolete farming equipment and dust. His father shouldn’t know it even exists.

He gathered mana into his hands, feeling the familiar ache behind his eyes as he drew on the power of his very thoughts. For a moment he paused, appreciating the raw potential between his fingers, ready to be shaped. Then, he willed the mana to change, feeling it gain weight and inertia. When the process was finished, he had what felt like melting sludge in his hands, filled with the characteristic heaviness and sluggishness of Dark-attributed mana. With a simple gesture, he threw it around himself like a cloak, feeling it press down on his shoulders like an old friend. He had begun calling the spell ‘Muffler,’ since the spell muted everything around him. Whispers became inaudible, creaking floors vanished entirely, and if it was dark out, Sam could even fade into near invisibility.

With his figurative armor up, he finally began to relax, ready to lose himself in his newest book. Taking a brief departure from his histories, Sam had found a collection of adventurer stories that looked interesting. The main character was a [Lightning Wizard], a mage that had passed level 100, becoming a Ranker. The stories were about his struggle to help his party members finish off their fifth classes and become Rankers as well, switching between lessons about the basics of adventuring, the antics of the party, and the awe-inspiring power of mage with over 100 levels and five classes under his belt. Sam looked for the page he had left off on-

“Woman!” he heard from somewhere below him, shaking him from his reverie, “Where’s that damn boy?” He pulled his knees to himself, burying his face.

“Just three more days,” he muttered, “I’ll turn ten and get to pick my class. I’ll pick something intellectual, like [Mage] or [Scholar] if I can qualify for it, and he’ll never be able to force me to do anything ever again.” He listened to the man stomping and yelling, and bit back tears. “Three more days. No more ‘building character.’ No more working in the field overnight. No more-”

Votus was tired. An elderly Nyanga man, he rubbed the base of his bull-like horns, muttering to himself. “Bah,” he said, limping over to the empty pews at the front of his church and sitting down with a hefty thump, “Rain hurts these old bones.” It had taken him over eighty years of his life to reach his level, a distinctly average and unremarkable speed. He had begun as an [Acolyte], working in the Church of the nearby city, Parlton. After hitting level 20 as a young man, he stayed within the Church, changing into a [Cleric]. Devoted entirely to spreading the words and lessons of the Five Gods, he rose within the hierarchy of the Church, becoming a [Priest] after another twenty levels.

By that point, it had become clear that he was unlikely to ever pass level 100, much less be able to join the Gods themselves at level 200, and he got involved with local politics, seeking to secure more and more resources for the Church from the noble families ruling the areas. Hoping to nurture the young talents under his ward, he overreached and ran afoul of a powerful man, then found it best to flee the city into the surrounding territory.

In the years since, he had finished the last few levels of his [Priest] class and changed to a [Preacher], the class he expected to be the last of his life. As a Nyanga, he stood several feet taller than all but the largest Humans, not counting the horns erupting from his forehead. His greyish skin flushed light blue, an involuntary physical reaction to his melancholy mood. He enjoyed his work, for sure, but Gulwich, booming as it was, was no Parlton.

When he had come to the farming town, he had been expecting a dead or dying place, with people barely onto their third class. Instead, he had found a town in the midst of rapid expansion, with new families moving in, all in need of guidance on their classes and choices. As a representative of the Five Gods, he was happy to help them, and pepper in sermons where he could, but he did miss the hustle and bustle of the city.

Lost in recollections of better days, he only stirred when the door to the Church slammed open, revealing a small figure, drenched from the rain and backlit by flashes of lightning across the sky. Votus narrowed his eyes, trying to see.

“Sam,” he asked, “Is that you?” He recalled a jumpy, quiet Human boy, with sandy blonde hair and a voraciously inquisitive look in his green eyes. “I thought your appointment wasn’t for another three days? And where are your parents?”

The boy marched up to him, determination steeling his small shoulders. “I want an introduction to The System,” he blurted out, “I can’t wait.”

The elderly Nyanga [Preacher] stroked his silver beard, thinking. “I suppose it's only three days early. Still, the tenth birthday is traditional. Why the hurry?”

Votus remembered the boy with more clarity, his INT of 43 allowing him to recall in great detail despite his advanced age. Sam had shown up to all thirty monthly services over the past two years, never speaking a word out loud. He had gotten his mother to ask in his place, showing a shyness that was completely absent now. Though, now that he thought of it, he had never seen the boy’s father…

“Say no more,” the Nyanga man said, holding up his hand, large enough to cover the boy’s head. “If you’ll listen to what I have to say, I’ll begin preparing right now.” He got up, hobbling over to his pulpit.

“Of the Five Gods,” he said, gathering the tools to help him focus his mana, “The kindest of all is Koraclast, the Nyanga Goddess of Passion and the Heart. She would encourage me to help everyone. To try to heal your family with honesty and kindness.” He ignored the boy’s panicked expression. “The cruelest of the five is either Tylbalt, the Human God of Conflict and the Arm, or Losara, the Drow Goddess of Duty and… things you’re too young for. Tybalt would want me to urge you to violence; to confront your father and change things for yourself. Losara would tell me to mind my business. Vysera and Icharsus… well, I don’t know that Progress or Order have a role in this situation. None of them would urge me to break tradition. None would urge me to help you go behind your father’s back.”

He knelt down next to the boy and placed his hand on the top of his head, channeling his mana from his horns down to his fingers, using the power he was granted as a member of the Church to call upon the Gods. “I am not any of the five, Sam. I make my own choices.”

You have leveled up! Your Preacher class is now Level 12! Attribute Point awarded!

“No one can compel you to do anything. Choose your path, for that choice is what will bring you strength. Strive to surpass the limits of mortality. Good luck, and welcome to The System.”

Welcome, Sam, to the System! Your race is Human, and your affiliation is None! Your attribute scores are as follows!

STR 8 SPD 11 END 9 INT 13 WIL 11

Your skills have been calculated and are shown below!

You have no Static Skills. Basic Skills Medium Skills Advanced Skills Unique Skills Fighting Lv. 1 Reading Lv. 3 Dodging Lv. 3 Research Lv. 2 Composition Lv. 8 Elemental Magic Lv. 2 Higher Elemental Magic Lv. 5 Non-attributed Magic Lv. 2 Command Magic Lv. 2 Farming Lv. 3 Gardening Lv. 4 Physical Ability Lv. 2 Acting Lv. 5

Class Change Available!

You must select a class to begin gaining experience.

Due to your Race, new classes have been unlocked!

Due to your Attribute scores, new classes have been unlocked!

Due to your Dynamic Skill Progression, new classes have been unlocked!

Classes Available:

Worker Take your first step on the path to being a valuable member of society. Requirements: Have the Race Human Warrior There are as many weapons as there are stars in the sky; which will you choose? Requirements: Have at least one physical attribute above 10 Rogue To be a Rogue is no easy road, but at least you'll travel it quickly. Requirements: Have a SPD above 10 Mage At your fingertips lie the secrets of ultimate power... if you can grab them. Requirements: Have an INT above 10 Acolyte Devotion to the Five Gods is a noble cause. Requirements: Have a WIL above 10 Dilettante It's never too late to choose. Requirements: Have an attribute total of more than 50 ��‡å�� Tr¶th. Str�¶�gth. Freed�m. ‡¶å��. Embrace Power. Requirements: Have the potential to be guided from your ▄§Ł‰.

Monk Begin to explore the secrets of the mind. Requirements: Have both mental attributes above 10. Scholar The pursuit of truth is both a means and the end. Requirements: Have an INT above 12 and have promoted either the Basic Reading or Basic Research skills to Medium proficiency or higher.

“Did you have something planned? What are you going to be?”

For the first time that night, the young boy smiled. “I’m going to be a-”