Tap! Tap! Tap!
In hurried steps a woman with fluffy wings made up of pure white feathers walked through a long and wide hallway. Her platinum blonde hair seemingly possessed its own radiance, as it reflected the light of the halo shining above her head. It was her personal light source illuminating her surroundings, creating an otherwordly glow on the ethereal cloth that hung between the pristine marble pillars decorating the hallway.
She ignored the picturesque scene around her, that would have left anyone else speechless. As much as she loved to admire her masters creations, she currently had more pressing matters to attend to.
"How am I going to explain this?"
She bit her nails nervously, while a downtrodden expression sullied her otherwise impervious beauty. She dreaded the moment she reaches the end of the hallway.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Her heels clanked against the stainless floor, as the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach increased, the closer she got to her destination.
The hallway opened up into a large hall at the end. Once she arrived there, she knelled down facing towards the comfortable couch her master was seated on.
"My lady, I-I wish to report an emergency" She spoke, stuttering halfway through.
"Raise thy head" A pleasant voice answered her.
The woman slowly lifted her head to look upon the one she had sworn fielty to.
Silvery hair decorated her head like a lustrous curtain, blinding those who are unworthy to look at her. Her well defined curvy body rested on the cushy couch beneath her.
Bearing a bored expression she addressed the knelling woman.
"What plight has befallen thee, for it to require our attention?"
"Yes, an error has appeared within the system. If left unattended it may spread and undermine the systems structure" The blonde woman explained.
"What is this error you speak of?" Her master inquired.
"A monster appears to have gained access to the humanoids class system. If more monsters such as this one emerge, it would destroy the delicate balance and interfere with my lady's plans"
"Hmm" She listened to her subordinates explanation, while she tapped the air and a translucent screen manifested in front of her "This is …"
The blonde woman shivered upon seeing a surprised expression on her masters face.
(This isn't my mistake, this isn't my mistake, this isn't my mistake)
She was one of the angeloids in charge of overseeing the system.
The part of the system that experienced this error occurred in wasn't even under her jurisdiction. She was merely substituting for her colleague, who was given a more important duty for the day.
As such she absolutely didn't want to be made responsible for this situation.
"… interesting, was his human origin the reason?"
Her masters mumbling brought her back to reality. She was about to ask what her master had figured out, but she knew better than to rudely interrupt. Thus she waited for her masters judgment, recognizing the small crimson bird that was visible on the translucent screen, as the culprit for this whole situation.
"No need to mind this error"
"… my lady, is it wise to ignore this?"
She remained determined to fix the situation, before she is made responsible for it.
"Are thee questioning our decision?" The masters face switched from amusement to irritation.
The blonde woman shivered, hearing her masters displeased voice and immediately responded.
"I wouldn't dare, my lady is always right" She lowered her head further than before.
She saw her master smile at this reaction and knew that she had chosen the right answer.
"Good, do not trouble thyself with this monster. It has been given a noble purpose by us, so if this minor error allows it to survive a little longer, all the better"
"If that is my ladys wish, then let it be so" She placed her right hand on her heart, as she spoke.
"Let us move on to more important matters. Has Jemina reported back? Have our guest arrived?"
"No, there has been no word yet"
"It is of the highest priority. Report any changes to us immediately"
"Yes, lady §%&€~"
Huff, Huff, Huff
Paul panted heavily, leaned against a wall and sat down. He had spent the last few minutes running in a full sprint from the battlefield he had created.
(That … was … too close … but … I did it … I DID IT)
He had managed to grab the fragment, but if the Queen had not been effected by the paralytic poison, that would have been the end of the line for him. Even after all that, he only manged to escape, since his pursuers were in the middle of a live or death battle.
The risks had been immense, but so were the rewards.
(Now, let's see. Status window)
Status window
Race: Fledgling Phoenix
Grade: Iron
Name: Unnamed
Class: None (Class selection pending)
Level: 1
HP: 30/ 30
Fey: 42 / (+++)
SP: 28 / 28
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 9
Defense: 9
Intelligence: 14
Resistance: 10
Speed: 12
Skills: [Budding immortality] [Polymorph lvl.3] [Fire attack lvl.2]
(Holy shit! My stats tripled and I evolved as well. I'm no longer a newborn)
Eating the fragment had accelerated his growth to a level he didn't expect. Normally he would have taken weeks to reach this point and he couldn't afford to stay vulnerable for that long within a mountain full of monsters trying to kill him.
(Hahaha, finally I'm on the proper path to become a mythical creature)
Now that he wasn't a baby anymore, he felt more confident. All the other monsters in mount Ignaz had their fun pushing him around, but that would change from now on.
(But before I pay them back, I gotta check. What was that message about a class? The [Beginners guide] I received from Celeste said that monsters go up in grade through evolution, it didn't mention anything about classes)
Paul looked at his status window, in particular at the part with the flashing words (Class selection pending)
(I guess this means I get a free choice. I wonder if there's a list of classes for me to choose from)
He tried to focus his mind on the class part of his status window but nothing happened.
(Is there no list after all? Oh wait, maybe this is like the status window, lets see)
(Class selection list)
[Basic classes]
Warrior: (Iron)
[Starting class for those who choose to rely on strength to overcome adversity]
Fighter: (Iron)
[A close range class that focuses on skillful use of weapons and techniques to overcome challenges]
Mage: (Iron)
[Starting class for those who wish to learn the near infinite potential of magic]
Scout: (Iron)
[Starting class for those who use speed to their advantage]
(Oh, this are my options, huh?)
Paul spent some time carefully reading every class description.
(The warrior and fighter sound useless to me. As a bird I'll probably never use a weapon, so then the decision is between mage and scout?)
Suddenly his face lit up in anticipation.
(Wait a second, screw the scout. Will the mage class allow me to finally realize my dream?)
His eyes nearly sparkled at the thought, as his finger hovered over the option, when he noticed something in the corner of the screen.
(Huh? What's this?)
[Special Class]
Summoner: (Iron)
[A class that is capable of summoning objects, monster or people]
Must fulfill at least one condition to select this special class.
Conditions:
1.Posses the inborn talent for summoning
2.Learn the [Lesser summon] skill and call forth something of your own
3.Travel between two worlds
(Oho, a new contender has appeared. But this one is a special class and has conditions attached to it? Since it has certain requirements, does that mean I can unlock more classes by fulfilling more conditions? But looking at this conditions, how the hell are you supposed to figure it out unless you stumble into it by luck?)
Paul was very interested in the idea of unlocking more special classes he could choose from, but he knew he didn't have the leeway. Considering the specific requirements, would he even have the capabilities to experiment with different possibilities?
He absolutely did not. Becoming stronger didn't mean he wasn't in danger anymore. He was still a Phoenix and other monsters would try to eat him when given the opportunity to do so. Now he simply had the ability to defend himself to a certain extend.
However that was only true for normal monsters. The queens were a different matter altogether, especially the Salamander queen, after having stolen the simmering fire fragment from her.
(Haaa, fine, I think either mage or summoner would fit me the best)
Paul settled on to options to choose from, but this still left him with difficult decision to make.
As a Phoenix mage he would be able to learn a bunch of different spells and once he grows older he could rain doom from the skies.
But as a summoner he could summon a frontline tank, something he desperately needed. The tank would serve as a shield while he uses his innate fire abilities to burn his enemies to ash.
Or at least that should have been his thoughts, but with Paul being Paul, his mind was preoccupied with something else.
(If I choose the mage class I'll be able to make my dream come true)
He imagined himself facing the Salamander queen, yelling 'Mwahahahaha, get obliterated by waves of darkness'
Suddenly his face scrunched in frustration.
(But if I choose summoner, I'll be able to do the thing)
Then he imagined himself holding his arm saying 'Argh, the seal in my right arm is coming undone and the demon will be released'
(Kyaaa, I can't choose)
Several minutes later, after doing a whole song about the issue, he finally calmed down a little. His eyes and finger hovered above one class, before shifting to hover the other class, moving back and forth until he finally made a decision
(Ini mini meini mu, I choose … YOU)
[You have obtained the class 'Summoner']
[You have obtained the skill 'Lesser summon']
(Oh nooo, my finger slipped … NOW LET ME SUMMON A DEMON)