8 First Path

The first sensation Luca had when he awoke was intense soreness all over his body. He groaned, attempting to move, only to wince and remain prone on his back atop the futon he found himself on. He asked the System what had happened.

"Your physique was unsuitable for the Spirit Eater's uniqueness, but you aren't alone. After more than 2000 years, the ancient physique most suited for it was eventually whittled down until it went extinct along with the class. According to the previous Spirit Eater inheritor, the class itself is also the only one that can forcibly change the user's physique, and numerous users were worthless before beginning their road on the Spirit Eater path. The severe and torturous pain was caused by the class inheritance method destroying and rebuilding your entire body, bones and all. You are now a true Spirit Eater, if only a newborn one."

Luca was about to respond when a new prompt appeared.

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You can choose your first specialization. Select one of the following options or press Postpone to decide later.

[Magic: Priest] [Magic: Mage] [Close Combat: Warrior] [Close Combat: Rogue] [Postpone]

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"This... I can pick whatever one I want..? System, explain what this means for me. I don't want to make a bad decision."

The System flatly did so, "You already understand the 4 contemporary classes, so that saves time explaining. By choosing one of the four, you will gain access to their spells, powers, buffs and class-based bonuses."

"So, If I pick Mage, I can gain the bonuses and abilities that are Mage-only?"

"Correct. The same also applies to physical combat classes. While it says 'close combat', it also comprises the non-combat and support abilities, such as the Rogue's stealth skill."

The young lad was deep in thought, debating over his options. He could get a second specialization upon reaching Pure Stage 3, which would require another 200 souls after Stage 2. Until he devoured 300 pure souls, at minimum, he'd be restricted to only one class. After getting the advice of the System, he chose the path of Mage.

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You have chosen Specialization: Mage. Choose two elements to specialize in:

[Fire] [Water] [Earth] [Wind] [Lightning] [Light] [Darkness] [Secret] [Spirit] [Space] [Time] [Void] [Life] [Death] [Poison] [Non-Elemental]

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Luca grumbled to himself, "I just got done with thinking over my class choice, now I have to do this…. Well, might as well look it over. Spirit and Void didn't exist in the game, nor did Life and Death, so they must be unique to this real world. In terms of versatility of usage, the Five Natural Elements and the Natural Balance elements would be excluded. The Twin Alignments instead have the most versatility, followed by the Three Overlords. I can't use the Holy/Divine magic since it's Priest only, which is why I don't see it. Ugh, this is so difficult…"

It had been an entire hour by the time he made his choices, which became Space and Light. Just when he hoped it was over, yet another prompt appeared.

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Choose your first Light-type Spell

[Flash] [Guidelight] [Halo of Defense] [Light Bolt]

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"Damn it all, too much thinking! Hmm… when exploring, Guidelight is irreplaceably vital. I don't expect any Undead around here so the Halo isn't too serious. Flash is helpful in combat when in dark areas, but it's not as important as Guidelight, which can be used for distraction. Light Bolt doesn't do much damage to non-Undead, but it's just as good as Guidelight for diversion…" After more contemplation, he picked the Guidelight spell. Upon selecting it, Luca felt a crushing feeling of vertigo, before learning that he immediately understood how to cast Guidelight. To test it, the boy did just that, and a golfball-sized orb of light formed in his palm, brightening it until it was extinguished.

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Choose your first Space-type Spell

[Distort] [Rip] [Wormhole - Minor]

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Of the three spells, the third was the most complex to use, as it required precision of both magic control, the first was debatably the best spell for handling Light-type spells, or even light in general, and the second was both offensive and defensive. This decision was much more arduous for Luca to make, but he did eventually settle on Minor Wormhole. This was based on his plans to research spells, and Space-type spells were very hard to use, let alone research. Since he had the opportunity, he picked the most versatile spell of the three, at least in his opinion.

According to his stats, Luca currently had a maximum MP (Mana Point) of 230. A real Level 1 Mage has at least 300, so he was still shy of his next step. Guidelight cost only 10mp, making it one of the easiest spells to cast. Minor Wormhole, in comparison, cost 150mp. Other than being greatly troublesome to even grasp, space magic also costs much more mana to cast as opposed to others of the same level. The only anomaly to this that Luca was aware of would be Time-type spells, which cost up to three times more. A Space Mage might not emerge with a one-in-several-million chance, making them a very rare and very powerful breed. The fact that Luca got the opportunity to become one almost made him giddy; the high-level Space Mages that would become prominent in the future could not only be counted on one hand, but they were also all memorized by him. One of them was considered the best Space Mage since the first creator of Space-type spells, which was one of the ancient and legendary Sages, and this new figure would achieve the exalted status of the first Space Archmage since the Sage Era.

Just thinking that he had the same magic type as the future Space Archmage made Luca practically squeal like a fangirl. Of course, that was chiefly because he was still undervaluing himself. With his gifts, surpassing the Archmages would be more than just a fantasy.