7 Chapter 7: A New Vision / Class Advancement
Three Days.
That's how long Max had laid on his sleeping mat.
The goblins around him moved on with their lives and though some tried to console him, none of them really felt the same way he did.
They had all lived the bulk of their short lives in the Labyrinth. And the labyrinth didn't forgive.
Sure it was sad to see their kin fall in battle... but there wasn't anything anyone could do about it.
So instead of crying the goblins worked their asses off to make a better future for their family.
Max lay on his side while gazing at the bonfire in the center of the tribe, his eyes were devoid of emotion.
Two goblin children he met nearly a month ago on his first night here were playing with sticks in front of him.
The two goblins had bright smiles as they 'dueled' each other with their weapons of choice.
"Faster! You can go faster, Rufe!" The smaller goblin laughed as he lightly tapped the other on the leg with his stick.
They were having fun.
'Fun... after 2 of their kind died,'
'Why laugh when you could die any day?' Max thought as he watched their makeshift swords clash.
'Why play when you-'
"They aren't playing, Max," The gruff voice of Ivan sounded out from behind him.
Max cocked his head toward the grizzled and injured goblin's direction.
"Then what are they doing?" Max snapped back.
Ivan stared at him with a stern gaze that had no give to it before replying.
"They are training,"
"It may look like playing... but when you're a child it's all you can do," Ivan said in a softer tone.
Max remained silent as he turned his eyes back onto the children who were clashing blades with smiles. But now that Max looked closer... they were striking with real force. They were pushing their bodies to fight each other. To grow stronger.
"It happens to every generation," Ivan sighed as he sat down next to Max.
"Someone dies and they don't understand how to feel,"
"But when they see their parents working their fingers down to the bone with bright smiles on their faces they try and do the same,"
"I imagine that my people don't mourn their dead the same as yours do," Ivan said while looking at Max who just shook his head numbly in response.
"We work our asses off when one of our kind dies,"
"If we were to shut down and fall into darkness then would just be the next to die,"
"The Labyrinth doesn't wait for us to grieve,"
"So we move forward and try to work hard to one day make a place that's safe for our people,"
"Where our young won't have to train or see their brothers or sisters die,"
"It's the dream, isn't it?" Ivan chuckled.
Max stared at the duo training and felt his mind wander.
'A future where kids don't have to worry,'
'A future where they can just be... kids,' Max thought as he remembered Earth.
Back on Earth, there was something similar to this. Wars would be fought and children would become separated from their families. They would end up alone and afraid.
Some survived and some died. But those who survived were never the ones to give up. They kept moving forward because they had to.
Even in the warless places of the world, some children had to grow up faster than others.
Teenagers who have to work their fingers to the bone to provide for their families... they lost their youth so that their families could survive to see better days.
'Working for the future...'
'Protecting our families so that they can move on, even if that means sacrificing ourselves in the process,'
'That is these people's virtue,'
"They shouldn't have to do this," He muttered as he turned his eyes toward Ivan, his gaze filled with determination.
"Aye, that's why we have to work to make a future where that can happen," Ivan said as he softened his gaze and patted Max on the shoulder gently.
"When you're ready to get back up... come and see me,"
"I'll pick back up where Drynn left off,"
"He would have wanted that," Ivan said as he stood up, dusting his hands off as he did so.
The image of Drynn smiling as he taught Max how to hunt and how to live in the forest flashed in Max's mind.
"Yeah... I think he would have wanted that too," Max said with a solemn nod.
After that Ivan left. The children continued to duel and Max watched them with respect.
A glowing green notification had been filling the bottom of his vision ever since he woke up but he had been ignoring it until now.
"It's time to move on," He said with a nod as he urged the panel to expand into the screen he was used to.
---
{You have slain the Death Hound Variant: Tar Hound. You have gained 4000 XP}
{You have leveled up 7 times!}
{You have reached level 10 in the Observer class and must choose a Class Advancement to continue on your journey through the Labyrinth}
{Once you choose your Class Advancement path your donor will have the ability to send you a gift and a short message}
{You have 14 stat points left remaining}
---
The messages blinked to life in the same green script they always were and Max read them one by one.
'Seven Levels for one Hound...'
'At least that means I'm getting stronger,' Max thought with a nod.
'It's probably better to Advance my class before I spend my stat points. It would be good to see what synergies my new class could have with my stats,'
'And there's that 'Donor' again,' Max pondered as he vaguely recalled the name that was near the top of his panel.
'Big Iron... Hmm,'
'Continue forward with my class advancement,' Max commanded the panel as he shook off the strange feeling that had appeared in his gut.
---
{The following two paths can be chosen for Class Advancement}:
{Archivist}:
Archivists are the keepers of knowledge among the Observers. They can remember much more than the average person and can use this information to their advantage by using their unique skills that rely on it. They also have a unique synergy with 'Ruin' Biomes and Dungeons and may uncover unique secrets there.
{Seekers}:
Seekers are those that search for the secrets of the world. They can find what has been hidden and can see things others can't. They have unique skills that allow them to take advantage of their intuition which allows them to look at things from a different perspective than other Observers. They have a unique affinity with 'Treasure' rooms and can find hidden things within them.
---
Max read through the two classes with interest and some excitement.
'Okay, let's think for a second,' Max thought as just the idea of getting stronger began to motivate him.
'Archivist is kind of like a librarian. Their minds are massive shelves that are just waiting to be filled with books/knowledge,'
'They could probably have abilities revolving around memorization and... deduction?' He wondered.
'While the seeker is the person who can go to different bookstores and pick out the good from the bad,'
'They would probably be able to perceive things better but wouldn't be able to use the information that they learned to its fullest extent,'
'So what to choose?' Max pondered as he stared at the classes.
They both had a good amount of potential. But he could only choose one.
'I choose... Archivist,' he decided.
'If I want to be able to make more skills and spells with {Universal Crafter} then I have to be able to use the information I have instead of just finding out new information,'
'And it's an advancement so I doubt it would reduce my perception of the world any. It would probably even increase it, just not to the extent of the Seeker option,'
---
{The Archivist class has been chosen}
{The following Observer class skills have changed(They still retain their respective levels)}:
{Keen Eye} ---> {Keen Mind}
{Observation} ---> {Examination}
{The following Archivist Skills have been added to your skill panel: Mental Library, Find Weakness, and Ruined Past}
{You may view your new skills by inspecting your skill panel at anytime}
---
"Neat," Max murmured as he read the list.
'Open my new skills in my skill panel,' Max said decisively.
---
-
{Keen Mind}: LV: 1
Your mind is faster and more efficient than the standard person's. You passively accomplish tasks that require your mind at a faster pace based on this skills level. You may activate this skill to improve this speed by 2 times its standard value, this costs a moderate amount of mana per second of usage.
-
{Examination}: LV: 2
Examination is the core of the Archivist class. You gain a passive bonus to your perception and intelligence equal to this skills level. You can observe written texts at a much faster pace than normal. You are more likely to understand the purpose of an object based on your knowledge of said object. The effects of this skill increase based on your Perception and Intelligence stats.
-
{Mental Library}: LV: 1
Your mind is a temple to which knowledge flocks to. You have a passive increase to all aspects of your memory equal to 10% multiplied by this skills level. You can also recall information you have read with perfect accuracy(You must have had this skill when you read it).
-
{Find Weakness}: LV: 1
You can accurately deduce where a creature's weaknesses by watching them for long enough. The time it takes to deduce this is based on this skills level and your perception and intelligence stats.
-
{Ruined Past}: LV: MAX
Archivists are tied back to history time and time again, you are no different. The Labyrinth has a history hidden away within it that seems almost impossible to find... but for you, it just might reveal itself.
-
---
'Hot Damn,' Max let out a whistle as he read the improvements of his skills.
"That's just insane," He said with a bright smile.
"If I had these skills..." He trailed off for a moment before shaking his head and returning to the current situation.
'No 'if's',' He reminded himself.
---
{Your Donor has responded to your Class Advancement!}
{Donor Message is as follows}:
{Sender: Big Iron}:
Hey, there champ! It's your bud, Big Iron! Congrats on that Death Hound kill, I thought you were in some serious trouble for a moment there. I can't help you out with too much information wise but I can tell you a few things that might be useful. First off, you gotta reach tier 4 for me to be able to spill some juicy gossip, so get there as soon as possible. Secondly, you need to go back to where you killed the Death Hound and collect the tar that remains on the ground and try and find any bone shards that are laying around. The Tar is super flammable and makes for a great fuel source/combustible and the Bones are strong magical conduits.
Lastly, you gotta 100% this dungeon if you want them gobos to have a chance at expanding or surviving at all as a matter of fact. So get on exploring the secrets of the dungeon kiddo!
Wait... I was supposed to give you something... shouldn't I have already figured this out by now? I'm the fucking god of-.
{The Unique Skill {Fire Affinity} Has been gifted to you as well as 5 skill points!}
---
"What the fuck?" Max asked as he stared at the confusing text that was in front of him.
"Is this guy crazy?!"
