I listen harder, but the sound of my heart pounding starts to drown out all the other sounds, I instinctually dodge to the right. I was too slow.

-156

The massive snail, the size of a minivan, shoulder checks me. I go flying, tumbling in the air. I spin so many times I wanted to hurl through my helmet, but I barely manage to keep it down.

My left arm is searing in pain, the entire thing from the shoulder down must be broken. I’m lucky that It's still attached to me. I wonder how high my blunt resistance will be after getting out of here. I’m still on the ground, as I get up I can feel him barreling right at me. I have to gamble, and good thing my luck doubled from my last harrowing fight.

I clench my broken hand hard enough to break all my fingers

-5

I fling out my ruined arm at the angry father as I try to get away once more. From the sounds, it sounds like most of them hit the shell. I couldn't get off the ground in time and the snail runs over one of my legs, breaking the femur in the process.

-78

I scream in pain, from both the pain of moving my shattered arm in that way and from my leg snapping like a twig. The snail's momentum carries it into a hill of eggs, smashing many of them in the process, scattering the rest.

In its rage, it doesn’t realize that it’s hurting its children as well. I start to channel healing into my body. I have to do it slowly in case something heals incorrectly, causing future issues for my body.

The patriarch moves from the hole it created in the hill of eggs, I can hear the shlicking sounds of its mucus circling me. It knows I’m there, but it seems to be toying with me now. A vulture circling a dying beast in the middle of the desert. If it charges at me again, I’m dead. I have to use the rest of my fingers to kill it before it can kill me.

I focus as hard as I can, and my heartbeat fades away from my eardrums as I listen intensely to the subtle sounds and vibrations of the room. The shlicking sound of its giant foot, the sounds of eggs being pushed away from their father, the vibrations in the air that massive shell creates. All of them are clues.

I decisively attack. Crack, crack, crack, crack crack. I break my fingers one at a time and fling the hand at the patriarch. The squelching sounds of the patriarch's silent death cry almost bring me to shout in joy.

[Perception Stat Unlocked]

[Level Up]

I don’t see these notifications until I manage to pry the helmet off my head. I call out [Status]

Name: Ellis Vincere. Race: Human

Nickname: The Last Winner.

Level: 25 (Locked)

Class: Tamer (Rank D) (Class Change Available.)

Titles: Proud Owner of a Rock, Butcher A, On the Edge B, Prey on the Weak B, etc.

Health Points 172/340 (51%)

Mana Points 20/150

Armor Points: 25

~

Might: 51 + 10

Agility:51

Vigor: 24 + 10

Mind: 30

Spirit: 58

Perception: 10 (Defines the Awareness and instincts of the User)

Luck: 2

Unused: 30

~

So unlocking a hidden stat gives the unused stat points that it would have given me at earlier levels.

That's strange… I’ve heard of classes evolving or going under an enhancement, but I haven't heard of a Class Change this early in the level. I should probably not skip classes from the Institute from now on.

[Class Change Available:

The classes below are chosen based on the User’s actions.

Golemancer D

Bonemancer D

Crazed Barbarian D

Butcher C

Master C]

I haven't seen some of these classes before, but I thought that a Golemancer was a higher rank.

[Golemancer D

A Golemancer is a mage-type class that utilizes the alchemical magic known as Golemancy. These mages use their alchemical knowledge to breathe false life into inanimate objects to create Golems. Golems are powerful man-made creatures that fight with the will of their creator.

(Rank has decreased due to the lack of Alchemical Knowledge)]

[Bonemancer D

A Bonemancer is a mage-type class that utilizes a branch of necromancy to create new creatures from the bones of others. These mages are typically less diverse than other necromancers. They focus their attention on the beauty of bones and neglect other necromantic practices.

(Rank has decreased due to the lack of Necromantic Knowledge)

[Crazed Barbarian D

A Crazed Barbarian is a warrior-type class that harnesses raw Might and their insanity to take down their foes. These fighters are usually on the front lines, taking massive amounts of damage and dealing massive amounts back. The life expectancy of the Barbarian is short, and they are easily influenced by mental magic.

[Butcher C

A Butcher is a warrior-type class that harnesses technique and cruelty to carve up their foes. Having the same name as a production class, they have the tendencies to go on long murderous rampages. Their bloodlust can get the better of them, but they are the bane of any creature that carries flesh.

[Master C

A Master is a utility-type class that utilizes tamed creatures to fight on their behalf. They are an uncommon upgrade from traditional Tamer classes. Masters have a bad reputation for keeping slaves and treating their tamed creatures with cruelty, but exceptions always exist. A Master makes their tamed creatures stronger on their behalf.

(You need to be considered royalty to take this class.)

… well I’m not taking Crazed Barbarian, I’m not crazy, so purposely giving myself a mental illness is not a good call. Both the mancers are gatekeep’d by knowledge, It wouldn’t be too difficult to learn either study, but I worry about what will happen to either Flash Gordon or Rob if I pick one or the other.

Butcher seems to be available thanks to my title that bears the same name, but the class seems too evil for my tastes, it’s not like I go around killing innocent civilians in the streets of Bluefield. That only leaves the problematic Master class.

On paper, it seems like a straight upgrade from a Tamer, since tamers have the hidden limitation of not being able to tame higher lifeforms (humans, dwarves, elves, etc.) But the bad reputation that is stated with this class has worried me. At least it’s not an evil class like Slave Owner, who says its intentions right out the gate. Can I even pick Master? I need to be royalty for that, does my grandfather count?

I focus on Master and the system takes that as my selection without any confirmation.

[Chosen Master for the Class Change]

[Requirements Met, Activating Master]

A shit, At least I'm getting stronger now.

Name: Ellis Vincere. Race: Human

Nickname: The Last Winner.

Level: 25 0/15,000

Class: Master (Rank C)

Titles: Proud Owner of a Rock, Butcher A, On the Edge B, Prey on the Weak B, etc.

Health Points 172/340 (51%)

Mana Points 20/150

Armor Points: 10

~

Might: 51

Agility:51

Vigor: 24 + 10

Mind: 30

Spirit: 48

Perception: 10

Luck: 2

Unused: 30

-

Resistance:

Fire: 4

Slashing: 5

Blunt: 4 > 10 (new)

~

Traits:

Adaptable S, Insane D

~

Skills:

Lexicon ?, Scientific Insight+ A, Powerful Spirit C, Donkey Punch B lv2, Run E lv3, Throw E lv3

Empower D lv1 > Empower C lv1

You can empower a single tamed beast for 1 minute. Cooldown: 10 minutes.

Mana cost: 50

Buff: 10% to all stats

Companion E (2/3) lv2 > Servitude C lv1 (2/5)

Any creature can be designated as a servant with their consent, or if they cannot resist. A servant is necessary for other Master skills to work. All servants know the location of their Master.

Servants cannot have a higher Spirit stat than the Designator

Registered Servants: Flash Gordon. Rob.

Master’s Whistle C lv1

The Master may whistle to summon their servant. The servant must not be incapacitated. The servant is summoned within five feet of the Master and may bring everything they carry.

Mana Cost: 25

Cooldown: 1 hour

Master’s Whip B lv1

The Master is a great motivator for all of their servants. The Master gains loyalty from their servants faster and can punish them at will. Loyal servants are rewarded with a boost in their training speed and yield.

I’m glad that I got useful skills and my old ones got an increase in power, but that makes me think of the requirements that the system says I met. I know one of them was being royalty and questions on lineage aside, I wonder what the other requirements were. When I picked an evolution for Rob, He had to do a laundry list of things to evolve. I can ask the same question for Flash Gordon since he evolved right after I gave him my blessing.

Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth and let's instead get out of this goddamned hole and out of this goddamned fracture, I need a shower and some rest badly. Until I clean my helmet, wearing it is a no-go. I think I’m strong enough to free climb the wall, but I’m worried about my stamina.

I dump 10 points into my Vigor and feel Immediately refreshed. I don’t know if this is a placebo or a temporary experience for gaining large amounts of Vigor at once. I start my climb.

Health Points: 340 > 440

Vigor: 24+10 > 34+10

The soil is soft and easy to dig my fingers into. I had to use most of my remaining mana just to have healed my body enough to make this climb. I angrily rip my way up the side.

That fucking patriarch had no loot, no crystallized mana, no magic items, no rare egg that I can take as my own, nothing!

I know loot on that level is supposed to be rare, but the stories of people finding magic artifacts of high caliber or slaying monsters who bleed money filled my mind with false confidence that I could get something that can help me in the future.

I couldn’t even heal my limbs properly, I’m forced to climb with only one arm. It’s no Issue for my mighty strength.

When I crest the lip of the hole, a welcomed voice spills across the area.

“Rob found him, he’s right there!”

I see Jerry next to my Rob, pointing at me and shouting in another direction. The relief of me finally being out of there and Rob being alright, brings me to relax for the first time in a long time. I decide to use my great power of sleeping anywhere to fall asleep right there on the floor.