"Remember what we agreed on—don't choose a class immediately. Consult with us first," Mariah insisted for the nth time, gripping both of Peter's shoulders.
"He understands, Mariah. You can let him go now," Joseph said, setting down his empty glass of milk.
She sighed, finally releasing her son, and stepped back to take her seat.
"Here, have some more since you like it so much," she said affectionately, handing Peter another slice of watermelon.
She wasn't wrong—he loved them. How could he not? They tasted far better than the mass-produced ones laced with pesticides.
"Are you going again today?" Mariah asked her husband as he began strapping on his Armor.
"I have to. Things are getting troublesome—more beasts are entering the outskirts every day, shifting territories." Joseph picked up his trusty sword.
"Are you sure it's nothing serious?"
"It's hard to say without knowing the cause, but if I had to guess, some beast probably advanced in grade and is expanding its territory. That likely triggered a chain reaction, forcing weaker monsters to claim the lands of even weaker ones."
"Don't worry too much, though. I'll be fine. We'll all be fine," Joseph reassured them both.
"I know… it's just that I worry." Mariah clasped his hand, pressing a kiss to it. "This isn't a common occurrence, and I don't trust unexpected surprises."
"I promise to be extra careful," he said with a smile before leaning down to kiss her deeply.
Peter coughed when the hug lingered a little too long and hands started to roam.
At least they had the decency to look embarrassed.
Joseph left the house, and Peter returned to his room.
Sitting on the corner of his bed, he debated what to do. Sleeping right after dinner wasn't healthy, so to pass the time, he picked up a book.
It was one of the few they had in the house—books were expensive, and only a handful of families in the village owned them.
He had already read this one a couple of times, but with nothing better to do, he started again.
Peter planned to keep his promise to his parents and wouldn't select a class without them. But that didn't mean he wouldn't check out his options the moment they became available at midnight.
Ten minutes later, Peter was already bored. With a sigh, he set the book aside.
Usually, he would be working on a skill in his IDE at this time, but tonight, he decided against it.
Maybe he could train.
With that thought, he settled into meditation, focusing on mana manipulation until midnight.
He glanced at his Status Screen, noting the recent advancements in his Skills from adding hunting and herb gathering to his routine.
Status Screen…
[
Name: Peter
Race: Human
Class: None
Age: 9
Title: Trailblazer: Skills, Skill Creator
Stats:
Health: 100 (Cons * 10)
Mana: 2800 (Spirit * 10)
Constitution: 10 Spirit: 280
Strength: 10 Agility: 10
Intelligence: 18 Perception: 2
Luck: 18 Charisma: 35
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
]
Inspect and defensive skill received the most growth.
…
Peter was deeply in meditation when midnight passed, and his System became active with messages.
System…
[
You have turned ten years of age!
Class selection has been made available.
Note! You can choose not to select a class right now if you are not satisfied with the available options.
Note! In such a scenario, you will be provided with a placeholder class until you select a class.
Note! You must select a class before you turn 13 years of age!
Important Note! In case of failure, you will automatically be assigned a class by the System based on what it finds most compatible with you.
The System wishes you a happy selection. Happy Birthday!
]
Peter requested it to display the available options, and the System flashed briefly with a pale blue light. The earlier messages disappeared, replaced by new ones.
System…
[
Scanning data…
Error! Abnormalities detected.
Identifying abnormalities…
Notice! Unprecedented strong soul detected.
Identifying reasoning…
No class detected.
Scanning further…
Notice! User 'Peter' is found innocent.
— Abnormality determined to be due to natural memory retention of the soul for an unknown reason.
— No precedent exists.
Searching for solutions…
Deciding to continue the process normally since the user is found innocent…
Scanning further data…
Multiple unique high-grade skills detected…
— Precedent exists.
No bloodline detected…
Studying life experience…
Scanning complete…
Combination of abnormally high Spirit stat, multiple high-grade skills, and the presence of titles exceeding usual class requirements…
— Precedent exists.
Displaying class options…
]
A series of notifications appeared before Peter's eyes. He was momentarily stunned, but before he could pay any further attention to the messages, they disappeared with a new window.
[
Classes
Common:
Swordsman
Fighter
Wanderer
Scribe
Brawler
Initiate Summoner
Apprentice Mage
Scholar
Guardian
Farmer
Shepherd
Hunter
Uncommon:
Arcane Savant
Tactician
Spellblade
Fatebound Wanderer
Blade Dancer
Herbal Alchemist
Tracker
Woodsman
Battle Scholar
Weapons Scholar
Unusual:
Skill Forger
Mana Child
Knight
Spirit Magician
Eldritch Summoner
Sprit Summoner
Weapons Prodigy
Prodigy
Rare:
System Contributor
Spirit Magi
Joker
]
That's a lot of options... I thought the System didn't allow first advancements to choose above the Unusual grade!
Peter stared at the long list of choices. Even Sasha only had two Uncommon options and five in the Common grade.
For now, he decided to go through the descriptions of each class.