The world didn't run on emotion, it ran on strength. Whether he awakened a class or not, Cloud had no plan to be weak in this world, and he leaned on the side of the elders when it came to the matter of an heir.
If his mother didn't want it, Cloud would stand on her side, but he knew much better than most the difficulty of getting strong without a class.
For seven years he had been brutally training, enduring pain that blurred with torture, yet all he had to show for it was strength that let him scurry around his opponents, men who did not have the slightest idea of true pain.
He had been a pest on the village's meagre reserves for the past years, his mother leaving no stone unturned for him.
Had he still failed to awaken, Cloud's plan was to pack his things and leave. If he couldn't find strength in the village, he would find it elsewhere.
With his master present, the village had enough time to steer and correct her course.
Luckily, things had worked out, and as Cloud closed the system panel, he briefly wondered why the orbs in the village had failed to awaken him.
"Or maybe it wasn't time yet."
There were several theories on why one would fail to awaken a class, and as far as Cloud was aware, his case was rare but not unheard of.
One fact about people like him, though, was that in the end, they turned out useless.
In a training room with racks of weapons behind him and several target dummies around, Cloud sat cross-legged and went back to the scroll in his hand.
The fire throw spell was one of the most basic fire spells, and Cloud hungrily read through the scroll as he sought to claim it.
Without a class, mana just flowed through the body, present but silent. You could sometimes feel it, but that was all. It behaved just like blood and remained so until one obtained a class.
A class gave one control over their mana. They could sense it as it moved through their body, each class providing unique pathways.
These pathways broke down and provided the means through which mana could be wielded, especially once it left the body.
A warrior's mana pathways provided them the means to more precisely strengthen their body with mana, especially their arms and waist, and also how to empower their blood.
The structure of their mana pathways differed from that of a berserker.
Studying the scroll, Cloud's first hurdle was moving his mana in the right sequence through his body, a sequence that would lead to the production of flames.
Minutes passed, an hour encroaching, and just when he felt like his body was a block, progress finally showed.
"Nice."
For as long as he could remember, Cloud's training had always revolved around pain, strain, and exhaustion.
It was strange, but at the same time soothing, for Cloud to seek strength in such a calm state.
Hours passed, progress constantly being made. He had food delivered to him in the hall, energising himself and immediately returning to training.
Focused only on the spell, Cloud forgot the world around him.
Frequently, his master dropped by, asking about his progress, then letting him be.
Other than the servants bringing food, no one else came to bother him. They all knew his ways, his addiction.
[You have learned the skill flame throw]
Cloud had been learning nonstop with tireless focus, but immediately the notification flashed, overwhelming fatigue hit him.
He fell back and immediately went to sleep, much of the burden on his shoulders abated.
......
When Cloud came to, there were several whispers, and he opened his eyes to see three women in the room looking at him.
"They sensed me waking up."
Sighing at the smiles plastered on their faces, everyone except his master, Cloud sat up, watching as his mother immediately took a seat beside him, touching his forehead.
"How do you feel, honey?"
"Good," he simply answered, noticing the worry on her face.
"The servants found you passed out in the training hall."
"It's nothing. I finished learning the spell and was just too tired.
What's happening with you three?"
Dina, his mother, and his master were in the room, and judging by the whispers he had heard, they had been having an important conversation.
"Nothing important," Elva waved. "I was complaining about Mael leaving you to train without rest."
Elva wore a sheepish smile as she spoke. Dina's face was calm, but her eyes avoided Cloud's when he turned to her. Then there was his master.
The woman's face was always stoic, but Cloud could tell when she was dissatisfied. There was that slight tightness to her chin that always appeared.
"Show us the spell."
Cloud frowned but did as she said, lifting his hands and within seconds, making a flame light and burn above his palm.
It wasn't his first time casting the spell, but as Cloud looked at the fire, he felt warmth spread within him.
"Please give us the room."
Elva's hand had been on Cloud's palm, but the second Mael spoke, Cloud felt her freeze.
He looked at his mother, but her gaze immediately dropped, unable to meet his.
"Something is most definitely wrong."
A slight tremble went through Elva, and reluctantly she stood and left the room. Behind her, Dina gave him a slight smile, one he noticed did not reach her eyes, and then departed as well.
"What's the bad news?" Cloud swung his legs off the bed and stood.
He had thought that with the awakening of his class, his problems for the moment would be abated, but life clearly had other plans, and the truth was Cloud was ready.
Moving to the open window and letting the cool wind hit him, he turned to his master, folding his arms. The woman's lips immediately moved, dropping the bomb brutally.
"Your comprehension ability is trash."
A knife went through Cloud's chest, but he showed no reaction, simply raising a brow.
"It took you a week to learn the fire throw spell. The average person learns it in two hours."