Dave awoke still leaning on the tree he had collapse against. The constant smell of rot in the air was the only thing to tell him that the day before was not just a bad dream. Despite small ates and pains, he felt refreshed from the sleep. The arm that had been stabbed through in the fight was still quite sore, however, the hole had closed up and was now only a small thimble sized hole.

6 hours of sleep has been gained.

All injuries are partially healed.

All ailments are partially healed.

Mana and stamina fully restored.

For once he was glad to be in a game-like world. With any luck he wouldn’t have to worry about infections from his injuries so long as he got plenty of sleep. He traced a hand over the wound on his arm, and the realization of how close he had come to death hit him. As he was now, if he faced another one of those creatures again he would die.

But he did not need to stay this way.

He opened up his status screen, but unsure how to begin the process, he spoke aloud. “Respec!” As if this system understood his intentions a message appeared.

Would you like to reselect your class and redistribute your skill points?

Notice: This action can only be done once.

Perhaps if he had gone with sorcerer as a class with it’s innate spells he would have faired better, but as he was now the wizard class had no access to new spells and in this strange land he wasn’t sure if he ever would.

Once more the list of classes appeared before him. The classes were grouped by their archetype marshal, magical, and divine. He disregarded the magical classes, not wanting to run into the same problem as he was in now. The Divine classes were also out. From what he knew from other games, priest-like classes normally served as support type roles, but their power were heavily infused by their devotion to their gods. Dave knew nothing about the God of this world and wasn’t willing to take a chance on it.

Their were many classes among the marshal group, a few ranged classes but most where melee focused from what he could understand. Some classes seemed to take a more general approach to combat, like the Fighter. It gained proficiencies with all armor and melee weapons, yet he got the feeling that was all they got.

However, the class Shielded Warrior gained proficiencies with heavy armor, all shields, and just a few types of one-handed weapons. But this class also gained shield related skills each timed they leveled up.

Dave already understood the impotence of having proficiencies, so he could understand the appeal of a general focused combat class. However, he was far more interested in the skills that come with a specialized class. The trick was merely to find a class that wasn’t so specialized that he would be helpless without his weapon.

He scrolled through the options, weighing the pros and cons of each class, when the status screen cut out. It didn’t disappear but like static was flowing through it. It blinked on and off rapidly for several moments, leaving Dave just wandering what in the world was going on. Yet as if nothing had happened, it stopped, still showing the class list he was browsing through.

Chucking the strangeness to a broken system, he went back to looking for a class when he noticed something odd. Between two classes he had already gone over there was now a new class sitting there. His curiosity burning, Dave reached out and touched this new class.

Abyssal Knight

One who has been cast into darkness. He who walks the abyss in hopes of finding a way home. The Abyssal Knight takes in the very abyss it self into his body to defeat his foes. His path is endless. His path is relentless. Those who block this path will fall before him or fall in line behind him.

Armor Proficiency: Heavy armor, medium armor

Weapon Proficiency: All marshal weapons

Starting skills: Dark Slice, Abyssal Foundry

This class is incompatible with other classes. Therefor multiclassing is not possible.

Abyssal Knight. He had never hear of something like that before, but by the flavor text it was oddly fitting. The one thing he wanted above all else was to get back home. He didn’t even give a damn about the kingdom that summoned him anymore, as far as he was concerned his obligation to them ended the moment he was teleported to god knows where.

Yet as if this place was just screwing with him, the system began to act up once more.

Unknown class detected. System will restart in 5…

What?! Unknown class? Did that mean that once the system restarted he would lose his chance to pick the Abyssal Knight class.

4…3…

Was there something wrong with this class. Some reason he shouldn’t take it, or was the one behind the system trying to keep it from him.

2…

He smashed the confirm key with a single digit just as the screen disappeared. For moments he waited with pins and needles dancing across his skin. Was he too late?

The status reappeared back onto the main screen but unlike before his class now read Abyssal Knight with all of his skill points reset. He smiled. It was the first bit of good news he had gotten since he came to this place. And the new class skills had already been added. He brought up there information.

Dark Slice Lv1

By collecting darkness on your weapon, you can release it in a wave of energy.

Cost: 10 Stamina

Cooldown: 60s

Abyssal Foundry

By condensing your abyssal energy on a singular spot, you are able to create a forge that can make and repair weapons and armor.

Cost: ? Mana. ? Stamina. The cost depends on how extensive the creation is. The more abyssal energy use the more it cost.

Cooldown: Forge last for 24h. Can not create another forge while another is active.

It was nice to finally have an offensive skill but with the foundry skill he would be able to make proper weapons and armor. However, it sounded like it would be cheaper to just repair equipment then to make it from scratch. He did leave that broken weapon near the cart, but before he got too ahead of himself he needed to allocate his points.

Name: Dave Richardson

Title: NA

Class: Abyssal Knight

Level: 1[120/300]

Stamina: 180

Mana: 100

Unused skill points: 0

Strength: 22

Dexterity: 15

Wisdom: 10

Endurance: 18

Charisma: 5

Intelligence: 5

Passive Skills:

Adaptation

Language: Theliben

Active Skills:

Second Wind

Dark Slice

Abyssal Foundry

Strength and endurance where going to be his main stats. He had considered leaving dexterity at a base of ten, but after that fight with the Witiko he understood the importance of speed. If he could not even hit his opponent than all of his strength would amount to nothing.

He wasn’t sure if it was worth investing points into wisdom yet. However, as he already had one skill that required mana it was a safe bet that he would have more in the future, so keeping it at a ten was a good middle ground.

Intelligence was more of a unlock requirement type skill for more magical classes so he wasn’t sure how important it would be for marshal classes. However, judging how most people in the kingdom had around five intelligence he wagered it wouldn’t be too much of a hindrance, but if it was he would deal with it later.

And that brought him to Charisma, despite how many times he pressed the button, he couldn’t get charisma to drop below 5. It was the only one of his skills that had no combat application and he didn’t see himself leading an army anytime soon. Nevertheless, it seemed 5 was the lowest any skill could go within the respec system.

As Dave stood up a new found sense of strength flowed through him. He felt good, even with the injuries he still had. It didn’t take him long to retrace his path back to the over turned cart. The remains of the monster were still there, less monster now and more a pile of minced meat. Yet as he looked at it a calmness overtook him, as if looking at the dead thing laying at his feet was simply right.

He found the halberd not far away but the axehead was long gone. The crescent hook and spear point were in relative good condition, but the handle had cracks running up and down it. A few more swings would likely turn it into scrap wood. He wasn’t sure how to began the forging process, only the brief description of his skill guided him. Nevertheless, like casting any spell, he knew he merely needed to speak it’s name.

“Abyssal Foundry.”

Winds blew and his own shadow rose up in front of him to form an alter. A small vortex of darkness swirled on top, consuming it’s own darkness as it produced yet more in a continuous cannibalistic cycle. As he looked at the alter before him, he found that he simply knew how to use it, like some kind of innate knowledge from the spell. He pushed the remains of the halberd inside the vortex that swallowed it with ease. Placing his hands on both sides of the alter, he closed his eyes.

In his mind he could see the halberd. Like a blue print on paper, he could see the shape and change it to his will. He kept the length at five feet but added a circle spear point to the butt. The spade spear and hook only needed a bit of repair, but the axehead he had other ideas for.

Before the axehead was small compared to the rest of the weapon, but now Dave altered the blade, forming it into a large crescent head over a foot in length. Before the halberd was a spear with the option to be an axe, but now it was clearly an axe with the option to be a spear.

Forging complete.

Mana Cost: 50

Stamina Cost: 70

A short lived bout of dizziness hit him as the spell drained his stats to pay the cost. The cost was higher then he had anticipated, and it meant he would need to wait another day to repair the armor, less he be completely drained. He reached his hand into the vortex and pulled forth his reforged halberd. The eerie light of the forest shined down on the weapon, hiding none of it’s dull color. It was top heavy but that was to be expected, yet Dave could still hold it with one arm without feeling much of a strain.

He spun the halberd end over end, getting a feel for the weapon. He thrust into the air with the spear and gouged chunks from trees with the axehead. He let it rest on his shoulder with a satisfied smile. “Yes, this will do nicely.” Looking deeper into the forest he pondered. “Now, where would I find witikos?”