…
"Come on, Peter. Get up!"
Peter groaned and rolled deeper into bed.
"Five more minutes," he muttered sleepily.
"No more five minutes for you, young man. Get up and come to the hall immediately."
Two gentle hands grasped his shoulders, tightening when he tried to resist, and pulled him upright. Realizing it was futile to fight, he sighed and activated Undying Vitality. A fresh surge of mana responded to his call, washing away the sluggishness in his body. Spirit of Fortitude followed suit, dulling any lingering fatigue.
He stretched, feeling refreshed. It was the first time this year that he had slept normally without using Mana Sense.
"Good morning, Mother," he said with a smile as he got up.
"Yes, yes, good morning. Now hurry and get ready. Your father will be leaving soon."
She scooped up his bedsheet and blanket before leaving the room.
He was out all night in the forest and was still going back?
The guards must have been working overtime if he was this busy. Not wanting to waste any more time, Peter quickly headed to the bathroom.
…
"Good morning, Dad," Peter said as he entered the hall and greeted him. His father looked like a mess — dried blood covered his hair, and claw marks scarred his leather armour.
"Good morning, Pete," his father replied with a reassuring smile. Upon further inspection, the damage seemed to be limited only to the armour.
"Come, have a seat. Let us decide on your class," his father said.
Peter sat down facing him, while Mariah took a seat beside her husband.
"How many options did you receive?" Joseph asked, massaging his shoulders.
Peter had already decided how much he was going to reveal to them, so he quickly replied, "Six common grade, five uncommon grades."
He had expected them to be disappointed, considering they were hoping he would unlock an unusual grade class too — but his worries were unfounded.
Both of them smiled, not a shred of disappointment on their faces.
"For now, let's not look at the common ones. A higher grade is almost always better," Joseph remarked, patting Peter's head.
So, Peter told them the descriptions of Spellblade, Blade Dancer, Herbal Alchemist, Woodsman, and Tracker.
"Are you sure that you must have a combat class? Herbal Alchemist is not a bad class by any means," Joseph said.
Peter nodded back. "It has to be a combat class."
Mariah sighed in resignation at his stubbornness. She had tried plenty of times to gently change his mind — and Peter would have had no problem choosing a non-combat class if he didn't have secrets to hide.
Peter knew that one day he would need to protect himself because of his secrets — and he had no intention of depending on anyone else for his safety.
"Well, if that is your decision, we would not force you to take any other path," Mariah said with a small sigh, finally admitting defeat.
Joseph nodded in agreement. "In that case, let us look at the best options that you have: Spellblade and Blade Dancer. Spellblade is a hybrid class, while Blade Dancer is a purely sword-focused class."
"I'll tell you the pros and cons of both classes, and you can decide what you want to choose in the end," he added.
Peter nodded. He had already decided to choose Joker for his class — but there was no disadvantage in hearing his father out.
"You are already familiar with Blade Dancer," Joseph began. "It is my class. It will help you quickly advance your proficiency with the sword. Since I also have it, I could help you raise your levels faster under my guidance."
"The problem with this class," he continued, "is that it is entirely focused on swords. It provides no support for learning spellcasting, and your chances of unlocking a class that provides spellcasting capabilities would decrease significantly — if you ever manage to reach level 100."
"In that case, Spellblade sounds like the obvious choice," Peter said thoughtfully. After all, it was a hybrid class with both weapon and spellcasting capabilities.
"That might appear to be the case at first glance," Joseph sighed. "But it's much more complicated than that."
He leaned back in his chair, his expression turning serious. "You don't have any spellcasters in the village to guide you. And since it's a hybrid class, you would need to acquire skills from both branches that are highly compatible with each other. It's a more versatile class, yes — but it would only prove its full worth at higher levels."
That made sense to Peter. To fully utilize Spellblade, he would need to invest heavily in his Spirit stat to gain a greater number of skill slots.
"I would not recommend you to choose this class, Pete," Joseph added firmly. "It's not made for us. Only noble heirs can make use of it effectively, thanks to their access to skill knowledge passed down in their houses for generations."
"It's fine. Let me choose Blade Dancer then," Peter replied with a calm smile.
He wasn't lacking in skill knowledge compared to any noble house. And with time, he would surpass them — not just in knowledge, but also in power.
Joseph nodded, satisfied, and waited alongside Mariah for him to make his choice.
Peter called upon his status in his mind, focusing on his desire to choose his class.
A transparent window appeared before him, displaying the list once again.
Having already made up his mind, Peter selected Joker.
System…
[ Are you sure that you want Joker {Rare} to be your first class?}
[Yes] [No]
Peter mentally clicked on yes and the window disappeared, his status screen appearing in its place with a change.
Status…
[
Name: Peter
Race: Human
Class: Joker {Rare} lv. 1, Villager lv. 1
Level: 2
Experience: 0/ 300
Age: 10
Title: Trailblazer: Skills, Skill Creator
Stats:
Health: 120 (Cons * 10)
Mana: 2810 (Spirit * 10)
Constitution: 12 Spirit: 281
Strength: 10 Agility: 10
Intelligence: 18 Perception: 2
Luck: 18 Charisma: 35
Free slots points: 4
Skills:
IDE, Status Camouflage,
Mana sense Lv. 33,
Mana Manipulation Lv. 15,
Weapons Mastery Lv.15,
Undying Vitality lv.24,
Split Focus,
Eternal Ward lv. 14,
Spirit of Fortitude lv. 32,
Inspect lv.25,
Summoning
]
As a rare grade class, Joker provided Peter with 3 free stat points and 1 point in constitution and spirit with each new level.