Immediately, I opened up the update notes:

-alignments are now fully hidden.

-all class skills are now visible and shown in ‘active skills’ with the format of [|skill here|], and still do not count toward the skill limit.

-trained skills are now renamed to ‘active skills’.

-skills gained through training are no longer occasionally acquired through leveling up.

-one skill will always be gained at each level, no more, no less.

-the number of possibly active skills is now shown.

-currently added stats will now be shown through (+x) formatting, but base stats will always reveal unmodified stats(not including constant inherent skills).

-all tiered skills are now posted before untiered skills in menus.

-the magic section now categorizes spells based on power level.

And so on.

But before I could read any further, another set of notifications appeared.

Weekly bug check initiating. . .

Bug found: duplicate skill: [monster hunter tier 1] removed.

Bug found: [trailblazer] stat growths Null: creating appropriate stat growths. . . You gained +10% Str, +5% Dex, +20% Con, and +10% Wiz.

Bug found: skill visual incorrect: [swordsmanship tier 1] changed to [swordsmanship tier 2].

Bug found: skill visual incorrect: [monster hunter tier 1] changed to [monster hunter tier 2].

Bug found: magic visual incorrect: [flame manipulation tier 1] changed to [flame manipulation tier 2].

Bug found: skill visual incorrect: [print communication tier 2] changed to [print communication tier 4].

Bug found: [magic tier 1] under ‘active skills’: moved to ‘inherent skills’.

Bug found: incorrect inherent skill: [draconic lineage] removed.

Bug found: ‘Cobaltio’s stat growths not increased from [boss nurturer]: ‘Cobaltio’s stat growths increased by 5%.

Bug found: ‘Cobaltio’s awarded skills not awarded: generating new skills...

Bug found: ‘Cobaltio’ does not show [draconic bond tier 2]: added [draconic bond tier 2]

Cobaltio gained: [anti-grapple], and [aerial consitution]!!

Rerolling for three levels. . .

You gained +1 Wiz and +1 Con!

My new menu looked like this:

Saya: Age: 13

Patron: Maophas

Class: [apprentice] [trailblazer]

Race: [human]

Level: 13

Exp: 23

Base Stats: Str: 16 Dex: 14 Con: 13 Wis: 20 Int: 17 Cha: 17

Stat Growths: Str: 65% Dex: 35% Con: 45% Wis: 50% Int: 35% Cha: 30%

Inherent skills: [mute] [fast learner] [trainer] [magic tier 1] [don’t despair] [oathbreaker]

Active skills(11): [storytelling tier 3] [scribing tier 2] [print communication tier 4] [monster hunter tier 2] [swordsmanship tier 2] [perception tier 1] [ruthless striker] [reasonable writer] [boss nurturer] [aerial fighter] [back to back] [|student of magic|] [|planeswalker|] [|determination|]

Inactive Skills: [poison resistance tier 1] [stealth tier 1] [goliath hunter] [dead as nightfall]

Special Equipment: [soul cushion]

Magics: Power 1: [flame manipulation tier 3] [water creation tier 1]

A bit of the UI had grown more cluttered, but it gave it all some extra clarity.

As I got a grasp on the changes, I heard Dota say, “Oh? My [swift load tier 2] lost it’s tiering,” he said.

Thraisly nodded as she looked at her own invisible menu. “Same went for my [steady riding].”

I looked my abilities down, and sure enough, my [ruthless striker tier 1] ability had lost it’s tiering.

[ruthless striker]: When striking with no remorse, you deal 15% additional damage.

Which was just a buff for me....though it could’ve been 25% if I’d gotten it to tier 5...so maybe it was a tad bit of a nerf.

As a group, we began reading the update notes. Most of the changes were for the UI, but others affected the numbers on varying skills and abilities. I remained silent as they read the changes, a few of which affected me, like a buff to [back to back].

It seemed like quite a few problems had been found in our menus as well, maybe because of the update slowing the system down. Though, problems(or ‘bugs’, whatever that meant) in the system, as far as I knew, were purely in the UI, and the conferred abilities never had problems.

Then, we got to the ‘new classes and features’ section. It took us shuffling through a few new intermediate and master classes, but at the very bottom of the section, it showed:

New Class: [trailblazer]

“And below that is the ‘patch notes’...” Thraisly said. “But does any of us actually care about that?”

Dota shrugged and continued peering at his menu with his three eyes. “They are rather entertaining to read.”

“...Speaking of classes,” Thraisly said. “You got your new one, right, Saya?” she said. “You were, like, turning invisible, and...heck, did you teleport during that fight? Things were hectic, sorry...”

I shook my head, then wrote, {That class.}

“What cla..”

I continued as she spoke. {[trailblazer]}

“Huh?! Wait, Saya, you’re really saying you got the [trailblazer] class?!”

I nodded my head. {Apparently I’m the first one to get it.}

Dota’s eyes dilated, his beak gaping as he stared at me with all three. “You are serious?! Amazing! If...erm, not to cast doubt on you, but if you were the first to gain that class, one among the gods must have been inspired by you, perhaps even during our fight. Could we see your menu to...” he trailed off. Everyone, including the quiet Keen and reserved Symantha, was looking at him with surprise. I sure hadn’t ever grasped how rare new classes were.

{Is it that rare?} I wrote with curiosity.

“Yes, yes it is! you saw: only five classes were created in the few years before this update, which would naturally mean that you were among the five chosen people to acquire them before any others.”

“Hmm,” I grunted, staring at my [trailblazer] label.

“Does it state anywhere on your menu that you were the first?”

I shook my head. {No.}

Dota made a bit of a squawking noise. “Kack?! Then how do you know?”

I looked to the side, then reluctantly wrote, {Someone spoke to me when I tried to class-up, and they said they’d made the class for me.} It was a white lie. I didn’t want them knowing who gave it to me.

Everyone’s eyes fell on me, now.

I hastily wiped the board. {Maybe I should keep this on the down-low?}

Symantha shrugged, and Keen just seemed a bit curious, but as I presented it to the camp, Julius finally spoke up, surprisingly nonchalant. “She has a point, you all. Knowing a class’s abilities is half the battle in a fight. If a noble learned she had a super rare, new class...ch,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I bet they wouldn’t ask nicely for information on it.”

I nodded emphatically.

“So how about we don’t pry too much until we need to? And maybe we keep this from Ritta.”

“I don’t trust nobles much either, Julius,” Thraisly said, “But...I think Ritta is trustworthy. He would keep his word.”

Julius glanced to the side. “I never said I didn’t trust the nobles...” he muttered not-too convincingly. “But...I get what you’re saying.” He then looked to Keen and Symantha. “Down-low, got it, you two?”

Keen glanced to Symantha, and she nodded. “I won’t tell anyone unless I must. Same goes for you, Keen.”

The kid not that much younger than me nodded.

Sounded good to me.

Time passed, silence in the air between us, but after a few minutes, Julius spoke again. “You know what? Something is really off about you,” he said, glaring at me with open hostility, stunning me out of my thoughts.

{What do-} I began, fumbling with my board.

He stood up, a scowl on his face. “You’re an [oathbreaker] who used to be a Silent Angel, you have some magic ribbon-cushion-thing that makes no sense, you’ve got some drake thing that can talk, and now, you’re claiming some god gave you a new class. That’s not even to mention how you just showed up from nowhere! And what about that cloaked man?! You knew him, right? Just who are you?”

I froze mid-sentence, not used to other people being so hostile toward me. W-what was I supposed to do? Without even thinking, I immediately cowed down, lowering my head like a turtle, the only reaction I’d ever had to that sort of response.

After a stunned pause, Dota stood up. “Julius!” he said angrily, throwing his wings out of his cloak and leaning forward intimidatingly. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that this makes no sense. There is absolutely no way that you can convince me that that girl is normal! Why are we giving her this sort of treatment? We need to ask questions!”

“Maladrain would know the answers, Julius. It isn’t your job to know everything about Saya!”

“If I’m meant to travel with her as part of the Junior Squad, I ought to know these things.”

“As if we know anything about you,” Thraisly said, standing up for me as I looked between them uncertainly. “Saya’s not the only person here with secrets, Julius!”

“Oh, because it isn’t important for us to know which god gifted her, an [oathbreaker], that class? Does nobody think she’s even the littlest bit suspicious?!”

Everyone’s expressions grew even more hostile as his subtle, yet entirely correct accusation hit them. Cobaltio quickly rose and began to growl angrily at him, sensing the further shift in mood.

“It is not my concern whether she is suspicious or not, Julius,” Dota said sternly once he’d processed what the boy had said, putting a wing in front of Thraisly. “You are out of line, casting doubt on your colleague like this. As the assistant chaperone of this squad, I won’t tolerate any more of this nonsense.” Julius seemed speechless as Dota grew far more serious. After a pause, he continued. “If you must, you will bring it up privately with Herbert or the guildmaster, but this is not an appropriate time or situation to do so. There will be no more discussion on this matter or else.”

“Y-you...” Julius struggled to retort, and after a moment, he simply stormed off.

Dota looked to me. “I’m sorry, Saya.” He then slowly sat back down.

I slowly nodded. {Thanks...}

“Hmm,” he only grunted in acknowledgment, seemingly troubled.

As I leaned nervously on my chalkboard, Thraisly quickly walked to, then sat beside me, placing an arm over my shoulder.

When Reco finally arrived with Ritta, a half dozen men followed behind them and began to appraise the destruction. They were definitely nervous, out of their jobs, but they weren’t in abject sadness, seemingly reluctantly happy about it. If the blackstone really was toxic, they had good reason to be.

Reco seemed unconcerned with them as she approached, though. “Uhh...what’s up, you all?” she said awkwardly as she approached, regarding us confusedly. “And where is Julius?”

Dota stood back onto his talons, then walked toward Reco, grabbed her arm with his clay grip, and guided her backward, with her confusedly asking what she’d missed.

Once Ritta fell off Asher, who practically shoved him off his back once they’d gotten to the camp, he shrugged, obviously seeing the situation as below his notice, and found his own seat. “New update?” he said curiously.

thraisly had fallen asleep on my shoulder, squishing me between her and Cobaltio, so she said nothing as I raised my slate. {Yep. A few new things.}

“Hmm...seems unimportant.”

I nodded.

Skill notes:

Name: Cobaltio

Age: 1 Real age: 2 months

Patron: Drakonis, Maophas

Class: [dragonborn]

Race: [cobalt drake] [zethokin]

Level: 8

Exp: 12

Base Stats: Str: 14(+2) Dex: 14 Con: 13(+1) Wis: 9 Int: 30 Cha: 17

Stat Growths: Str: 60% Dex: 20% Con: 40% Wis: 35% Int: 125% Cha: 55%

Inherent skills: [blessed of Maophas] [minevore] [drake lineage] [Draconis’s fate] [deaf] [infernal resistance] [draconic bond tier 2]

Trained skills(10): [stat enhancement tier 1] [shared expirence] [noble taste] [area denial] [anti-grapple], [aerial consitution] [|noble presence|] [|language|]

Special Equipment: [natural armor tier 2] [death wing]

Magics: [|fire breath tier 2|] [|draconic imbuement tier 1|]

Strangely, his Str had a +2, which later turned to +1, though I wasn’t sure why. Maybe he had used his [stat enhancement] on his own? Also, I had seen the (+x) change earlier, when I entered the cave.

[aerial constitution]: you gain an additional 3 Con and can carry 20% more weight while airborne.

*Sigh* this ability probably came from him giving me a boost with his [death wing] all the time. And here I was trying to avoid making him a glorified mount. I mean, Cobaltio is basically sentient, so he probably would have his own ideas.

If I wanted to ride him, though, it would be very helpful. Considering how big he was, Cobaltio may have been capable of carrying me with his [draconic imbuement tier 1] as was.

[anti-grapple]: you can slip out of others’ grapples easier, gaining +3 to your Con and Dex while grappled.

Cobaltio hadn’t been grappled many times, but...he was taken hostage by Zatchel that one time, and...maybe when he had been eaten by the...what was it’s name...[armahippo]! There was also that one [demonkin]. I’d prefer if he wasn’t snatched by someone like that.

But then again, I didn’t know much about [demonkin]. Maybe I’d misunderstood the situation...or maybe...

Ehh, I’d figure it out later.