Chapter Three: You are now level 1.

Drake smiled nostalgically reading over the name. It had been a name he coined after playing one of the more popular Third Person FPS Games. There had been a player who dominated the North American Region with the name and during that time Drake had been young, so he may or may not have looked up to the player's skill. Going so far as to steal his IGN, and used it for himself ever since.

Man I really hope that guy never finds out I stole his IGN don't want him getting pissed at me, haha.. He nervously thought.

"Done?" the woman asked from across the table. Bringing Drake out of his internal dialogue.

"Yeah, all set," he answered, pressing the enter button on the screen. A bell sounding inside his head like the one before, followed by a familiar mechanical female voice.

[Congratulations, you are now level 1. Please select a starter class.]

Drake wasn't as startled by the voice and bell this time, another smile creeping up on his face at hearing the fantasy-like statement.

Well guess I'm all in now. We're officially crazy boys. He thought.

A new load of text appeared on the screen now. This time a type of drop down selection with explanations filled it.

He read the first option, musing in his head that it really was like a game, the flavor text almost making him lick his lips and push up his non-existent glasses.

Let's see what we're working with. He thought bringing up the first class.

[Warrior] [Starter]

A starter class of newly initiated system Vessels.

Strongly characterized by their large health pools, strength and use of melee weapons.

Initial + 10 to Vitality, Strength, and Endurance.

A great foothold class for those who like to bathe in the blood of their enemies. Losing themselves in the constant melee. And wish to fight close enough to see their foes' life drain from their eyes.

Wow, that's some unusually specific flavor text now that I read it… And there are actual stats huh, so it's a classic RPG character builder.

"What kind of stats are there? And how do they affect me, are they like classic game stats or are there any unique differences?" Drake asked, trying to glean some more information before he continued.

"Ugh, another question already? You're going to run out of time before you even pick a class at this rate," the woman said, drooping her head slightly in faux exhaustion, but answered regardless.

"They're what you would think of as typical statistics for games, Vitality affects your base health, and health regeneration. Strength makes you physically stronger. Dexterity gives you more quickness, faster reflexes, finesse and the like. Intelligence is higher base mana and makes your spells hit harder. And Wisdom is mana regeneration. Endurance has to deal with your stamina, and stamina regeneration. Now based on certain skills and classes it might create and affect a substat or be a multiplier of another stat, there are more skills in the multiverse than there are specs of dirt in space," the woman explained.

Drake touched his chin thoughtfully. It was pretty basic, but better safe than sorry. He knew of some game systems that liked to have substats affected right off the bat for main stats.

"So there isn't any hidden stats that come from these main 6? Like defensive penetration with more Dexterity for example?" he asked.

"Wow, a creep and a nerd, you're the whole package arentcha? You must have had a wonderful childhood... Pretty cringe if you ask me. And no, there are technically no sub stats directly correlated with any of the main stats, right now, but like I said there are skills and classes that use them as multipliers for the skills damage or passive sub stat, but you have to get the passive skill to have the sub stat, as well as grow the stat. So you won't have; say magic penetration without a passive skill that uses it," she sneered.

"Whose cringe..?! Your cringe.. Stupid bitch…" Drake muttered, hastily going back to the screen with the class explanations.

[Ranger] [Starter]

A starter class of newly initiated Vessels.

Characterized by their high dexterity and nimbleness. Often seen with range weapons.

Initial +10 to Dexterity, Strength and Endurance.

A class used by those who wish to strike from the shadows or afar. Often using hit and run tactics to debilitate their foes and whittle them down to watch them suffer. There's nothing like watching a hated enemy bleed out and rot from poison.

Whoa, these explanations are getting a bit out there. Drake thought selecting the next class.

[Priest] [Starter]

A starter class of newly initiated Vessels.

Characterized by their ability to heal and support others. Often seen with a cudgel and cross.

Initial +10 to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Endurance.

A boon to any party, a class that wishes to help the wounded and the weak. Those who wish to seek power through prayer but don't mind crushing a skull with a large mace every once in a while.

"I think there's something wrong with these class descriptions," Drake finally said, after reading the second last description.

"No, it says what it says," shook the woman's head.

"Seems pretty biased towards bloodlust doesn't it? It isn't just sending us into wholesale slaughter is it..?" he asked.

The woman was eerily silent, letting the question linger in the air like a flat joke, deciding not answering that question, and kept a customer service like smile instead.

OK! That isn't ominous in the slightest.... Drake thought, his eyes buggering out, turning back to the last option on the screen.

[Mage] [Starter]

  A starter class of newly initiated Vessels.

Characterized by their devastating magic attack and high Intellect. Often seen standing with a staff and wizard hat.

Initial +10 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Dexterity.

A class fantasized for having world leveling power and left a wanting power for those who wish to destroy swaths of enemies in a single explosive spell. There's nothing like a fiery explosion that lights up the world!

Drake's eyes widened at reading the last class. He had assumed that there was magic as the woman had mentioned but, he didn't want to get ahead of himself. Now that he was reading though. A bonafide Mage class, every game and anime he had ever watched with magic contained in it flashed across his mind in a tornado of weeby excitement.

He couldn't imagine selecting any other class. Any caution he had in thinking about the merits and demerits of the classes were thrown to the wind. This was going to be his class. Memories of speed leveling through game after game with his old MMO with friends, cheesing and sprinting through quests and levels to get to new areas and content first before any others flashed like a high school photo reel in his head.

Nostalgia taking him through his teen years, remembering his friends that he played with during those days. Endless hours of grinding for gear, levels, money and items. Doing their best to organize people so they could challenge content first.

He began to remember his guild leader and friend coming up with a custom class during a time when the game was having contests for players that reached a designated level first in a certain time period, and the basis of that class had been a mage. An incredibly versatile cross class that only scaled into the late game, eventually being complained about as being broken.

A smile again crossed Drake's face. Hoping there might be the possibility here as well.

"I'm going with Mage," he declared as he selected the class and pressed continue.

[Congratulations. You have selected Mage as your starting class]

[You are now a level 1 Mage]

[You have unlocked the basic class skill]

[Basic Starter Mana Bolt Unlocked]

[Bonus Stats have been applied. +10 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Dexterity]

[You have completed the introduction. Accept rewards?]

A sudden torrent of notifications flooded Drake's head as he completed the class selection, berating his inner ears with bells. He instinctively covered his ears to try to block out the noise to no avail.

"Ah I should have told you about the flood of notifications you would be getting. Haha, my bad." said the woman. Tilting her head back condescending sneering again at his pain.

"Why… is it so loud?" Drake asked, gripping his ears still as the remnant of the ringing still haunted his head.

"You get used to it, I'm sure. You can also mentally suppress the notifications so that you won't hear the ring and you can look at the notifications later. Would suck if that happened during a fight so, might want to do that," she snickered.

"And how do I do that?" questioned Drake, raising his head and shaking it slightly in an attempt to clear the high pitched ringing.

"You know those mute buttons on videos? Just think of it like that. It will probably work," she answered.

Drake did as the woman suggested and imagined clicking the button. "How do I know if it worked?" he asked quickly.

"The rewards for the class change should still be there since they haven't come out on the table. So go ahead and accept them mentally," the woman answered, not missing a beat.

He mentally brought up the notifications and saw the one asking about the rewards. Mentally ascending to the notification, a small wooden staff appeared on the table in front of him. Next to it, a black 20 sided die.

Drake picked up the die between his fingers and rolled it around, "I've seen these, isn't this for table tops?" he wondered out loud.

"Among other things, it's for your class upgrade at level 10, and then second advancement at level 40. You should have gotten the class quest for it. And before you ask, I can't give you the class advancements and no it's not just because I don't like you," she said, smirking.

"Jeez lady, aren't you just all rainbows and sunshine? And this is all they start you out with? No pointy hat, no robes? And what ques-" Drake asked, slightly glaring at the woman before being cut off.

[New Available Class Quest. Reach Mage level 10 for advancement.]

[Reward: Base Class Upgrade, Main Class-tree Skill Stone, Class Specific Skill Stone]

Oh.. there it is. He thought, laughing wearily.

"For now, yes," she said flatly, not continuing the conversation. As if waiting for another question she knew would come.

Drake put the die back on the table and picked up the wooden staff. It was made of a smooth dark wood and about the length of his arm. So it could be used as a club he supposed but not a walking stick like Mages would in old RPG's.

"So what's with this staff, can I fire magic out of it?" Drake questioned, turning it back and forth in his hand. Enjoying himself with the feeling of the smooth lacquered surface on his hands.

"Ew, stop rubbing your wood in front of me, pervert," the woman admonished, "And I can't say, just use the basic system identification. Just look at the item like you want to know what it is really, really, hard."

Drake again did as she suggested, surprised with the new window that popped up in his vision as well as how game-like this new system was.

[Novice Wooden Staff] [Common]

1 to 12 Physical Damage

40 to 44 Magical Damage

Attack Speed: Normal

Cast Speed: Normal

A starter wooden staff made of what it looks like, wood.

Drake chuckled a bit reading the flavor text. Starting to enjoy how quippy the system was turning out to be.

He looked back up from the staff in his hand to the woman, noticing now that the screen he had been using was now counting down from 10.

"Looks like I'm out of here soon, so long as this isn't all just a coma or a fever dream I guess. You were slightly helpful Miss, although very degrading. Which I might say isn't my kink, but no shaming here; you like what you like, safe spaces and all that," he said, standing up with the staff in hand. Beginning to lean over an outstretched hand.

"Huh? Are you trying to kink shame me for a kink I don't even have? I'm a construct made just for this introduction. Made in an appearance to put you at ease for the transition to the tutorial. And you have the audacity to try and-" the woman stood up in a huff, a very familiar snapping sound at her side, but midway saw that Drake had a shit eating grin on his face as he stretched out his hand for a hand shake.

"Ugh, whatever," she groaned, reaching out to meet his hand.

"Well thanks for the banter, and I hope the tutorial isn't like those ones in manga and movies." Drake said, still shaking the woman's hand.

The woman smiled as she continued to shake Drake's hand. The counter counted down to the final seconds, 5….4….3… She placed her other hand on top of his, now her smile bigger than ever before, her eyes turning points, her expression turning sadistic and primal as she looked into his.

"Oh, it will be much worse." She said in a broken voice.