16 A class for a stone
My tour within the desert continued day and night without rest. In my opinion, I had already covered practically the entire area. I found a few more cactus, and although most did not die in the end, I still managed to reach level 13.
My fear disappeared after not finding other monsters apart from those damned spiked weeds. At the same time, they were the only I found on this floor. Well, sand too. But finally I found a different terrain, one with large rocks thrown all over the place.
‘The stairs are probably built on solid ground, not directly carved into the sand. Yes, there is no doubt, they must be in this area.’
If my intuition was right, soon the sand would disappear and a rocky ground would begin. I didn’t want to go down before reaching level 15 at least, but I gave up after only finding nothing but those cactus. What’s more...
Status:
Name: Peter Gravel
Kind: Magic stone | Race: -
Level: 13 | Experience: 9839/38893
_________________________
‘I need 38893 experience to reach level 14… It’s too much! If I wasn’t killing enemies practically 20 levels and two grades higher than me I wouldn’t be able to reach it in my entire life! Isn’t there some way to get stronger apart from leveling up?!’
[Acquiring a class.]
I stopped short. I completely silenced my thoughts and stood for a while just listening to the sound of silence around me.
‘Helpy, my darling, little sweetness… why didn’t you tell me this before?!’
[You didn’t ask.]
“Well, it’s true… but… but… Ahhhh, show my available classes!’
A screen with different options popped up in front of me. All that damn time I was able to select a class! And it was even so easy! Why it never went through my mind!
[Available classes:
- Magic initiate.
- Apprentice mage.
- Adept.
- Parasite.
- Gunner.
___________________]
‘Only these? Although at least there is no kind of joke class as “paperweight” or something like that…’
[Clases are unlocked when the necessary conditions are met: Statistics, skills, titles or special conditions.]
‘Okay, this is difficult to understand. The first two are quite simple to figure out. The last two I can also get why they are there. But… what the hell is that adept class?! One second… Adept as of a sect? Don’t tell me, it's because of the racist title? I’m not a racist! Don’t get me into something like the ku klux klan or anything like that! I have to find a way to get rid of this title… Come on, give me a little more information on each class.’
[Magic initiate: Someone who has just started researching into the magic world and has not yet decided the path to travel in it or does not have the necessary qualities to advance.
Apprentice mage: The first step before being considered a full-fledged mage. A learning class to decide whether to follow the general path of the mage or specialize in a specific branch.
Adept: Insufficient information.
Parasite: Insufficient information.
Gunner: Insufficient information.]
‘What the fuck? Why is there no information on those three classes? Ah, I see, they are more advanced classes or not common in this world, so Helpy can’t get information yet. Well, whatever.’
From their name I could deduce that they were classes of religious origin, similar to a dark cleric, another dedicated to stealing from others and finally one specialized in firearms and explosives. Considering that they don’t have words as initiate or apprentices like the others, they were probably of higher rank. Perhaps the three of them would be quite powerful...
‘I’m curious, but I like to play safe. I’d rather stick with something I know quite well, the apprentice mage. After all, being a mage was always one of my dreams.’
[Do you want to include Apprentice mage as an active class?]
‘Of course.’
[Apprentice mage has been added to the class list. Magic initiate has been removed from the list of available classes.
Bonus per level:
+1 Intellect.
+2 Magical power.
Recalculating stats.]
I immediately opened my status.
Status:
Name: Peter Gravel
Kind: Magic stone | Race: -
Level: 13 | Experience: 9839/38893
HP: 70/70 | MP: 106/140 | Mana well: 312/400
Classes:
- Apprentice mage: 1 | Experience: 0/100
Stats:
Vitality: 0 | Strength: 0 | Agility: 0
Intellect: 11 | Magic power: 22
_________________________
I was finally able to see an increase in my stats. If I could cry I would turn that desert into a magnificent meadow of green grass. It wasn’t much, but it was something. That 22 magic power meant that my attacks would do some more damage.
‘I see, that’s how the classes work. It really reminds me a bit of some tabletop role-playing games.’
Getting a class seemed easy because of my situation, but actually it wasn’t. The requirements were not as easy to meet as it seemed, it even resulted that choosing one could leave you without the possibility of choosing another. It was not something that could be done without thinking.
There also seemed to be a multiclass option, but I dropped it on the spot. Why, you ask? That’s obvious! Apart from the possibility of closing a path that maybe I would like to choose in the future, if you focus on many things at once, you always end up slowing your growth. That option is only worth it if you aspire to some advanced class that requires two or more classes to acquire it, as it would probably be the magic knight… But how wielding a sword was out of question… Well, that's how it is, all to the mage!
‘I should have known this sooner…’
[You didn’t ask.]
‘You already said that! And even if I didn’t ask, didn’t you think of… Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!’
Sure that nothing lived in this desert apart from that shitty cactus, and being completely distracted looking at the status screen, I didn’t notice a shadow of something hovering above me. A damn bird caught me and carried me up to the sky with it.
‘The hell, another crappy bird… uglier than the previous one… And there are also several.’
[Blade-headed vulture: A monstrous bird that attacks in a group the clueless travelers of the desert. It can produce poison and store it in its neck pouch to shoot later.]
Status:
Name: -
Kind: Vulture | Race: Blade-headed vulture
Level: 37
HP: 795/795 | MP: 457/457
————————————————
Status:
Name: -
Kind: Vulture | Race: Blade-headed vulture
Level: 42
HP: 842/842 | MP: 481/481
————————————————
Status:
Name: -
Kind: Vulture | Race: Blade-headed vulture
Level: 39
HP: 824/824 | MP: 492/492
————————————————
The blade-headed part undoubtedly came from a strange horn that grew on their foreheads. Instead of being conical, it was triangular and flat. It seemed to be quite sharp, although I was more worried about the bag hanging around its necks. You could say it was like that of a turkey… but it reminded me more of something that hangs just on the end of the lower part of a man’s body.
‘These monsters are getting more and more deformed each time.’
Its levels were quite high, in addition to being a difficult three against one. However, unlike with the cactus, they could be killed directly. I calmed my mind as best I could and prepared for battle.
‘Damn eggneck, let me go!’
I unleashed the parasitize. The vulture reacted as if he suffered a terrible electric shock. Such a jolt made it lose strength in its grip, releasing me.
‘Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!’
Of course, I fall from the sky...
Paff!
… against the sand. I was buried a little more than half, but I suffered no damage. Meanwhile, the three of them began to fly around me as normal vultures usually do while waiting for their prey to die. Well, they did not stand only flying in circles, they alternately began to spit at me.
‘O fuck, anything but that!’
I picked up the sand to cover myself from the poison rain. I was convinced that simple poison would do absolutely nothing to me, but I was not going to let myself be touched by a liquid of unknown origin, stored inside a bag with a doubtful shape that hung from the throat of a vulture… No and simply no! It was disgusting!
When they saw that their spitting came to nothing, decided to attack with their horns.
‘Yeah, come to me. The fight against the floor boss was a disaster, but this time it’s different. You're in my territory, everything around me is my weapon. I am Peter of the desert!’
I began to lift large amounts of sand around me. Unlike earth or rocks, which were compact and could not be changed instantly, sand almost took on the appearance I wanted in a moment. It was really easy and quick to control, even though it couldn’t hold its shape after releasing the magic.
‘You come at the right time. You have no idea how I wanted to meet an enemy as soon as possible. Become my experience!’
Mold earth did not have the precision needed to create things with high definition such as statues, but everything else was not a problem. The sand I raised began to separate. I created more than ten tentacles of sand rising directly toward the swooping vultures. The group passed them head-on, which I took advantage of to wrap the sand around their misshapen necks.
‘Let me show you something that certain relatives of yours called ostriches do.’
Using the inertia of their descent to my advantage, I pulled them towards the ground. Their heads struck hard in the sand and, aided by their horns, they stuck their heads deep in the sand, to the point that they could not pull it out. I also made sure they couldn’t escape by squeezing hard with all my remaining power.
‘If a cactus can die when buried, a vulture will too!’
[You have gained 10404 experience points.]
[You have gained 13689 experience points.]
[You have gained 11664 experience points.]
[Your level has risen to 14. Because of your kind, the stats can’t go up.]
I was a lot satisfied to see the usual messages, although it did not come out any message related to the class.
‘Doesn’t the experience adds to the class level?’
[The experience of a class increases when performing certain actions related to it, such as studying magic or training the body. It is also possible to get extra points using class-specific skills or spells.]
‘Don’t screw me… Status!’
When I opened the status I found that thirty points were added to the apprentice mage experience. I felt relieved that I could level up without studying. Ya know, studying not my forte.
‘Only 100 experience needed to level up the class, uh?’
Compared to increasing my level, the class necessary points were a pittance.
‘I guess it’s not so bad, at least it will level up on its own. Besides, the terrain is perfect, just by moving I get experience.’
I started rolling forward again in a good mood, leaving behind three nice newly planted feathery bushes. As expected, it didn’t take long to find the stairs.
‘That’s good, there doesn’t seem to be any floor boss.’
I dropped by the stairs whistling for not having to fight something that could have been much more dangerous than that bird from the precious floor. I went down step by step… until I reached one where I just slipped uncontrollably.
‘Waaaaaaaaaaaa!’
Paf!
Again I was buried halfway… in another type of “sand”. A completely white environment stretched out in front of me.
‘Buaaaaaaaaaa! What’s a fucking glacier doing here?! A fucking glacier after a desert! The weather in this place doesn’t make sense!’
Previously I wished I could cry, but at this moment perhaps it was a blessing not to be able to…
