Congratulations on reaching Level 5!

As you are now level 5, you are able to choose any class from the options you are given.

*Options may vary depending on the user.

+5 attribute points

...huh.

One of the most straightforward system messages by far. Is it a system message? It said I was assimilated into the system earlier today right? Yeah. It's a system message.

Wanting to skip the formalities and get straight into the action, I will the blue box to tell me what classes I can choose from.

Available Classes:

{Warrior}

{Archer}

{Mage}

{Assassin}

...

I've already accepted that this is basically an RPG game system, so these class options don't surprise me. Anyway, I get access to Warrior and Archer yet I am physically weak and I haven't touched a bow in my life. Guess those are just the default options that everyone gets. I know I didn't unlock Warrior with my 13 strength so that just further proves my guess.

I also notice a small "..." symbol and I know exactly what it means.

I have too many options to fit on the original screen, huh?

I mentally click the "..." symbol and get bombarded with a few dozen classes, most I've heard of, some I haven't.

"Garden Knight?" How did I get- Oh right the gardening trowels.

I look through the list of classes, skimming over weak-looking ones and saving the ones that jumped out at me. I also made sure to get rid of any class that didn't look like it would suit me. This was because I didn't want to lower my chances of survival just because I picked something like {Berserker} when my strength is barely above average. That's not to say I actually got {Berserker} as an option, but my point still stands.

Once I was done sifting through the classes, I cut it down to 3 options.

Available Classes (Custom):

{Dark Magus}

{Executioner}

{Necromancer}

Damn these classes are edgy.

Anyway, I'm trying to find which one of these looks like the best fit for me, considering my stats revolve around intelligence.

I don't know if {Executioner} uses intelligence or not, so let's just put it in the "maybe" category.

I think it's safe to say that {Dark Magus} and {Necromancer} use intelligence or at least mana in their kit, so I have to decide between those two for now.

{Dark Magus} sounds like some higher-tier version of {Dark Mage}, which is another class I got the choice for. I don't know much about it, but I'll keep it in mind.

{Necromancer}, on the other hand, is far easier to understand, simply on name alone. Basically, I raise the dead to do my bidding. I could kill something, have it raised from the dead, and have it kill something, raise from the dead, repeat. Very good for rushing larger creatures with hordes of the undead, winning purely by outnumbering the opponent. A downside with picking {Necromancer}, however, is that I would have to rely on my undead to protect me, and I would probably be weak to opponents that specialize in crowd control.

I decided that while I didn't have much information on it, {Dark Magus} would probably be the better option, as hordes of the undead aren't my idea of undercover. I would need to be low-key if I wanted to survive.

I mentally choose {Dark Magus} and a new window pops up.

{Dark Magus}

{Dark Magus}, also known as "The Cursed Mage" is a class that specializes in high damage magical attacks, and has the ability to form summoning contracts with demons. This class requires large amounts of mana in order to be used to its full extent.

Unlock Requirements:

Main Attributes: Intelligence or Wisdom

Alignment: Neutral or Evil

Hidden Requirement Met!

Confirm?

Y/N

...

What's with the alignment stuff? Like those meaningless personality quizzes you do online?

Also, I could have gotten a description for each one the entire time? Well, there's no use complaining about it now. It gives me the chance to look over the other classes, after all.

I noticed I met the hidden requirement as well, which is nice, I guess.

{Necromancer}

{Necromancer} is a class that utilizes the dark arts in order to control the dead to do their bidding.

Intelligence and Wisdom scale summon damage and health respectively.

Unlock Requirements:

Main Attributes: Intelligence or Wisdom

Alignment: Evil

Confirm?

Y/N

Welp, this one confirmed it. I'm evil-aligned. I didn't think it meant much, but apparently, it's a part of the requirements for certain classes which would explain why I didn't have any happy-sounding ones to choose from.

I was expecting things like {Paladin} or something, but instead, I got things like {Professional Killer} and {Blood God's Apostle}. A second after I finished the thought, a voice whispered in my head.

"Become a child of chaos..."

Deciding to pick up the pace, I quickly look at the contents of the other class, {Executioner}.

{Executioner}

{Executioner} is a class that is sought by few, but feared by many. Executioners are known for their lonesome personalities and their giant axes used for beheading enemies in a single swing. Very rarely does one escape an Executioner.

Unlock Requirement:

Enact your idea of justice onto another, ending their life in one strike.

Confirm?

Y/N

As cool as that sounds, and as mysterious as it may be, I'm definitely not taking that class. It said it uses giant axes to behead people in one blow, which is absolutely terrifying, yes, but also impossible for me to pull off. Unless I put every single point I have into Strength, I don't believe it's a valid option. Especially not after cultivating my Intelligence so much.

With that in mind, I choose {Dark Magus}, as it looks like a fairly powerful class, and it revolves around my mental stats as well, which is helpful since I haven't been able to use them yet.

{Dark Magus}

{Dark Magus}, also known as "The Cursed Mage" is a class that specializes in high damage magical attacks, and has the ability to form summoning contracts with demons. This class requires large amounts of mana in order to be used to its full extent.

Unlock Requirements:

Main Attributes: Intelligence or Wisdom

Alignment: Neutral or Evil

Hidden Requirement Met!

Confirm?

Y/N

I confirm the choice.

You have chosen {Dark Magus} for your class. Gained Title: {Cursed Mage} Gained Skill: {Mire}

I feel power course through me, like when I first put points into Intelligence, but more powerful. I feel the energy that's coursing through my body grow stronger. It's less like the amount of mana in me is increasing, but more like the power of the mana is multiplying in power. It's a wonderful feeling, but unlike that pure bliss from the Intelligence, it starts to turn...dark.

The energy that previously felt blissful and warm now feels hateful and cold. It feels as if wriggling worms have crawled their way into my body, infesting every crevice.

This lasts for minutes on end, until I hear a raspy voice whisper in my ear.

"This one resists the curse..."

Okay. No. Nope. Stop. Cease.

And it does just that. No more of that uncomfortable feeling and the power seemed to stop increasing. That isn't to say the power wasn't there anymore, but it just seemed to stabilize.

"That was-"

Before I could finish speaking, I notice a goblin come into my view.

Welp, first things first, I gotta take care of this goblin.

I quickly make my way to the goblin, making a slicing motion with my newly acquired dagger, half-expecting the goblin to instantly react and cut off my hand, but only being presented with an injured goblin.

Goblin has taken 42 damage!

The goblin got back up, but it was obviously not as strong as the classed goblin from before, as its face was contorted into a pained grimace.

I pinned the goblin down with ease, planning to do some live tests on the unfortunate creature.

I utter a single word.

"Mire."

A swampy green flame ignites the goblin, causing it to unleash a blood-curdling scream. It attempts to break free from my grasp, and I let it go in fear of being burnt.

The goblin attempts to run but only ends up taking a few steps before dropping to the ground.

You have slain Goblin Lv. 4

+310 EXP

Wow. That is powerful. I had already hit it once, yes, but I don't feel like that did more than a quarter of its health. I'm just guessing, but if the goblin had, let's say 100 health left, and it died only around 5 seconds later...

...

I did the math and I like it.

Let's not get too into it and just check my status screen. It's been a while since I've checked, so now seems to be a good time.

Name: Jacob Bates

Level: 5

Exp: 555/1500

Class: {Dark Magus} Race: Human Health: 165/165 Mana: 201/235 Strength: 13 Endurance: 10 Dexterity: 10 Agility: 12 Intelligence: 23 Wisdom:

12

Attribute Points:

10

Skills:

[Blood Trance] {Mire}

Titles:

[Cool Headed] [Murderer] [Monster] [Predator] [Sadist] [Traitor] {Cursed Mage}

That spell took more than 30 mana. That sounds like a lot for such a small amount of time, only around 5 seconds, but it killed the goblin so quickly, it's already worth it.

Maybe 30 mana was used just to use it in the first place, and 1 mana is used per second it takes to kill it?

I can do more experiments later, but for now, I have to look at the description of both my new skill and my new title.

{Mire} is a class skill obtained through choosing the {Dark Magus} class.

Mana Cost:

30 + 1/sec

Effects:

Burns away at the target's health, as well as inflicting the target with (Cursed).

{Cursed Mage} is a class title obtained through choosing the {Dark Magus} class.

Effects:

Enhances the user's effective magical capability, at the cost of one's sanity.

Uh...does that mean I'm insane? That would explain the voice I heard when I chose the class. I guess they don't call it the {Cursed Mage} for nothing. That leads me to my next question though.

What is the (Cursed) status effect?

"The (Cursed) status effect decreases the magic damage resistance of those inflicted," a raspy voice responds. "...Thanks."