Chapter 1: Choosing A Class

*Micheal POV*

Darkness

As my vision began to clear after that random flash of light all I saw was darkness. For some reason I was now standing in a pitch black room that seemed to go on forever but strangely enough even though I knew I was in a videogame it still felt so real. I could feel myself breath and the metallic floor beneath my feet and as I looked down I saw that I still somehow was wearing the same outfit that I wore when I put the helmet on.

However their were two main differences between when I'm not wearing a helmet and when I am.

"Holy crap this game is pretty advanced. Even without my glasses I can see perfectly in this game which honestly feels pretty weird. I mean its been a while since my vision was this good usually I'm as blind as a bat without my glasses." I thought to myself as I rubbed my eyes like I was worried my vision was going to disappear again.

Wait a minute I just realized something....If my eyes work in this game then does that mean.

I stared down at my right leg and yep without realizing it I'd been standing perfectly fine on both legs without the help of my cane. Something that would've been impossible for me to do in the real world.

"HOLY CRAP THIS IS AWESOME!. My leg feels exactly like it used to before it got all messed up. Man I don't know but they made it so I can even feel a bit of strain and the blood pump through my leg when I run like this!." I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming wave of excitement and happiness as I begun running around the empty room like I had just been injected with chicken blood. Man who knew I would already get this excited over this game when I haven't even started playing this game yet.

Suddenly a strange looking flurry of notifications begun appearing in front of my face almost like a homescreen you would find in any videogame as I could hear a robotic voice speak.

[Welcome player to continue with Valhalla you must finish your character information]

[Please put in the following information so you could begin filling out your character information]

[Username: ]

[Height: ]

[Age: ]

[Gender: ]

"Huh I guess this stuff is what Sarah meant by making your own character. Oh well most of this stuff is pretty self explanatory but what should I put in for my username?."

I rubbed my chin deep in thought as I stared at the empty username bar. If I decide to actually start playing this game seriously I don't want a dumb username but I don't think putting in my real name is a good idea. But I also cant think of any decent usernames hell I don't even remember my old username back when I played doom if I even had one.

"You know what I have an idea." I thought to myself as I began filling out the information.

[Username: M.]

[Age: 25]

[Height: 6'2"]

[Gender: Male]

"M. is a pretty good username if I do say so myself. Only people who know me in real life will know this is the first letter of my name." I thought as I entered in the information.

As soon as I did even more notifications begun appearing in front of me.

[Welcome to the world of Valhalla please choose a class and race before you continue]

[Races:]

[Human: Humans are famous for their versatility and will to survive. While humans may not be masters in one particular field you could be a Swiss army knife of skills as humans could learn almost any skill]

[Dwarf: The Dwarves are known all throughout the world for their loyalty stubbornness and love of alcohol but on the battlefield they are feared for their legendary weapons and durability. As a result players who choose dwarfs have a 30% increase in defense and stamina at the cost of 50% of their speed. Players who choose dwarves also have the possibility to forge legendary weapons]

[Gnomes: The gnomes are a small race rivaled only by the dwarves in size but while the dwarves are known for their stubbornness and tough nature gnomes are known for their swiftness and sneaky nature. And while the dwarves are known for their legendary weapons the gnomes for their advanced technology which they use to make up for their weak bodies making the gnomes excellent artificers. Players who also choose gnomes will be excellent scouts thieves and assassins with their small size and swiftness]

[Beastkin: The beastkin are a confusing yet powerful race made up of various species of animals who possess the characteristics of both man and animal giving different beastkin different abilities. Hybrids which possess the characteristics of sea creatures possess the ability to breath underwater while bird hybrids can fly while predator hybrids possess incredible strength and ferocity. WARNING if you choose the beastkin you will not be able to decide what type of hybrid you become so do you want to try your luck?.]

[Elves: The elves famous for their beauty elegance and immortality are a powerful race of creatures who possess an unrivaled skill with the bow and possess an affinity with magic most humans cant contend with. They also possess a strong bond with nature and the creatures who live in nature making them excellent summoners and hunters. WARNING if you choose to be an elf you will not be able to decide what type of elf you become so do you want to try your luck?.]

[Undead: The undead are a species of evil and vile monsters who come from the depths of hell. From the mightiest demon to the lowliest zombie the undead are all abominations against nature itself and many possess the ability to make entire kingdoms shake in fear. WARNING if you choose to be an undead you will not be able to decide what type of undead you become do you want to try your luck?.]

[Attack classes]

[Fighter: Fighters possess an unrivaled versatility which allow them to fight with almost any weapon they could get their hands on making them not a master of one technique but a master of all techniques]

[Swordsman: Unlike fighters Swordsman specialize in only one weapon and that is their sword. In 1v1 combat any decent swordsman is able too win a duel with only a few well placed strikes and are capable of finding weaknesses in anyone no matter how strong their defense is]

[Spearman: Spearman are known for their ability to pierce through any armor and opponent with their spears and possess the ability to strike their opponent countless times before they could react making up for the Spearman's lack of defense.]

[Martial artist: Martial artists rely on nothing but their bare hands to tear their opponents apart. Martial artists constantly train their bodies pushing themselves beyond human limits making them deadly in close quarters combat and are quite versatile as they practice various different types of fighting styles. However they severely lack ranged attacks]

[Monks: Similar to Martial artists Monks train their bodies to superhuman limits but not for the sake of strength but for the sake of their religion. Through faith and training monks are holy warriors possessing unnatural strength granted to them by their patron god and wherever the fighting is thickest you will definitely find monks caught in the bloodiest battles as they try and prove themselves to their gods making them valuable assets in large scale battles. But unlike a paladin who earn these abilities through great heroic deeds monks earn there powers after years of pain and meditation as they leave there humanity behind and ascend spiritually]

[Tank Classes]

[Berserker: If fighters are disciplined warriors who possess legendary skill then berserkers are savage brutes who show their true colors during bloody battles. Berserkers are known for their legendary strength and durability allowing them to fight even the strongest beasts with their bare hands and when angered enough berserkers will enter blind rages granting them demonic strength as a result berserkers have gained a reputation for being bloodthirsty monsters. Whenever their is a fight you will definitely find berserkers caught in the middle of it]

[Shield knight: Unlike berserkers shield knights are disciplined warriors who make up for their lack of offensive ability with their legendary defense. Clad in heavy armor and wielding a shield of giant proportions shield knights are capable of distracting and absorbing the blows of even the stronger warriors. Also enemies must watch out for the shield knights shield which they will use to bash in the skulls of any unlucky enemy]

[Knight: Knights are like the older brother of the fighter as they not only possess the ability to be versatile in any form of combat and warfare but have the defensive abilities to fight for hours on end without stopping. Often found during siege battles knights are valuable allies as they not only possess great military strategies but will be able to hold their position to the death]

[Cavalier: If their is ever a battle between cavalry bet your money on the cavalier. Often found leading hordes of soldiers on horseback Cavaliers possess the armor and strength to break through any defensive line and keep on fighting for hours on end. Masters of hit and run tactics challenging a cavalier on an open field is like challenging a great white shark in the water]

[Magic classes]

[Mage: Mages possess the ability to wield the mystical art of magic. Their are countless forms of magic each one more destructive then the last and most mages possess the ability to control the elements with nothing but a flick of their hand. WARNING if you choose mage you will not get to decide what type of magic you start off with]

[Druid: If mages control the mana flowing in their body then Druids control the magic that constantly flows through nature. Druids possess a strong connection to nature and possess the ability to change the environment itself and anyone would be lucky to have a druid as a ally while anyone who fights a druid as an enemy should pray to god for mercy]

[Magic Warrior: Most mages and druids tend to fight at long distances however magic swordsman are an exception. They possess the unique ability to infuse their weaponry with magical enhancements making magic warriors excellent in both melee combat and ranged combat]

[Summoner: Summoners possess the ability to summon creatures from another dimension and can tame creatures who already exist allowing them to fight with both the strength of their own body and the strength of their summons making them a one man army]

[Religious Classes]

[Clerics: Clerics are holy warriors blessed with divine energy from their patron god who swear too fight all evil. Wherever there are undead and demonic creatures around it is a clerics job to fight off the creatures of the night all while bringing glory to the gods they worship]

[Priest: Priests are the servants of the gods chosen to protect the weak and bring life to where their is none. Priests are often found healing and granting blessings to their allies but if you think that priests are unable to protect themselves and the only thing they could do is heal then you are sorely mistaken. Priests are more then capable of drowning their enemies in waves of holy light]

[Dark priest: Dark priests are the servants of demonkind and it is their holy duty to bring chaos and destruction wherever they go. They are famous for their powerful dark magic and are often found in the middle of bloody battles cursing their foes with debuffs while granting their allies powerful blessings from their dark gods.]

[Dark Apostle: Dark Apostles are the chosen warriors of the dark gods and are given the mission to go on a dark crusades. Violent in nature these warriors of chaos use their dark powers in their large arsenal of curses to create as much chaos and bloodshed as possible]

[Support Classes]

[Rangers: Deadly with their bow and arrow rangers are capable of picking off enemies from a distance and with a few well placed shots Rangers are capable of completely dismantling entire armies just by killing a few key figures. They also possess an unnatural skill when it comes to tracking enemies]

[Assassins: Assassins possess unnatural stealth which allow them to hide in the shadows while they wait for their target to lower their guard which they will use to their advantage as they strike with a deadly blow. In this way assassins are able to support their allies by killing opponents swiftly and efficiently before they even realize what happened]

[Thieves: Similar to the assassin the thief class possesses unnatural stealth and agility but unlike the assassin they do not use these skills for killing. Instead they use their abilities to steal supplies and money from enemies and in war thieves are quite useful as they are able to steal the supplies of enemy armies. And in some cases are capable of stealing entire pieces of armor and weapons off of their opponents body during a fight leaving them defenseless]

[Marksman: Lets say their is an enemy general you need to kill but their to far away for you to reach even with your bow and arrow. If that ever happens just have a marksman put a bullet between the generals head with their high tech rifle which they used a kilometer away. Snipers aren't your thing? That's Ok just mow down the enemy army in a hail of gunfire with your automatic rifles. As a marksman you get to let your inner second amendment out because as long as something uses gunpowder to function and has a barrel to aim at people with you can use it to kill people with as a marksman]

[Artificer: Let me ask you something have you ever wanted to make a mini nuke capable of atomizing a castle?. Or have you ever wanted to make a mech capable of crushing your opponents into a meaty paste?. If you said yes to any of those questions then the Artificer is the class for you as Artificers have the ability to make nearly any mechanical item they want as long as they have the resources. As a artificer the only limit is your imagination]

[Alchemist: To any WW1 fans who decided they wanted to commit a few war crimes and fill the enemies castle with enough acidic chemicals they made themselves to melt every knight in that castle into metallic mush then the Alchemist is the class for you. As an alchemist you can make potions capable of healing your allies potions that can help you gain countless riches or poisons capable of making Fritz Haber blush. Just like the artificer your only limit as an alchemist is your imagination]

[Blacksmith: As a blacksmith one has the ability to make weapons out of almost any material they get their hands on and can enchant improve and repair almost any weapon as long as their skilled enough. So what the blacksmith class lacks in fighting ability it makes up for it in the ability to make money]

"Well this is a lot of information too take in are all videogames this confusing?. Luckily only a handful of classes caught my attention because a good chunk of these classes seem pretty confusing but I don't really know what species I should choose. Eh I'll go back to the species later but let me just pick a class first."

So far only five classes have really peaked my interest. Fighter knight berserker magic warrior and marksman. I want to pick a simple class since I'm pretty new to videogames so the fighter knight berserker and magic warrior classes seem pretty simple and pretty cool. But as an ex marine I have my fair share of experience with guns and since this is a VR game I wonder if my experience could affect my gameplay skill as a marksman.

"You know I also don't have any experience with things like swords and stuff like that so maybe I should just go with the marksman class I mean what's the worst that can happen?." I thought to myself as I moved away from the classes and begun looking at the races.

Ok so dwarves beastkin and elves are off the table. The dwarves are pretty tempting at first but I don't wanna be super short and I have no idea what they do. And with the beastkin and elves they are pretty tempting but I don't even get to choose what type of elf or hybrid I become. The gnomes also seemed pretty cool but their not my cup of tea so all that leaves is the undead and humans.

Humans seem to be the safest option and pretty straightforward at the same time it could be considered the most underwhelming. It doesn't have as much benefits or potential as the other races. Meanwhile the undead I genuinely have no idea what these undead things do.

"Hm by undead I wonder if it means things like vampires and ghouls. Or like those zombies I saw in that one movie a couple years ago. I know it might be stupid for taking a risk with the undead even though I didn't take a risk when it came to the elves or beastskin but screw it I'm gonna give the undead a shot. I mean what's the worst that could happen?." I thought too myself as I confidently choose the undead option. If this undead thing doesn't work I could just stop playing or try and change my race later so its not really a big deal.

[You have selected the marksman class would you like to confirm?]

[Yes] [No]

[Yes]

[You have chosen the undead race beginning selection process]

[Before we begin here is a list of the potential undead options you may be given]

[Demon king candidate]

[Demon prince]

[Lich king]

[Lich]

[Wraith]

[Spirit]

[Incubus]

[Noble Vampire]

[Vampire]

[Einherjar]

[Zombie]

[Skeleton]

[Before we continue can you confirm whether or not you wish to choose the undead race. Once your species of undead is chosen their is no going back]

[Yes] [No]

When this notification I hesitated for a moment. So once I go through with this I can't change my mind? Should I just go back and choose humans just to be safe?.

"FUCK IT DUDE!." I shouted out loudly as I slammed my finger into the yes option before I could stop myself. I already told myself I was going with the undead and I am a man of my word even when I'm making a promise to myself!. If I mess up because of this it is what it is.

[Yes]

[You have chosen the undead: Your new species...]

I heard some sort of machine noise almost like something was scanning me as the notification in front of me loaded until I heard a small *BING*.

[Einherjar]

[Description: "FOR THE ALLFATHER" Einherjar are the lost souls of fallen legendary warriors who have escaped from the gates of Valhalla to continue fighting even after death. As a legendary warrior you possess the human characteristics you had when you were still alive so like all humans you can learn skills 5% faster and like all undead you no longer have human limits holding you back granting you a %5 increase in endurance and a %50 increase in stamina. And as an Einherjar you will never back down from a battle granting you the race specific skill "BLOODLUST". And the race specific subclass "SURVIVOR"]

[New skill unlocked: Bloodlust]

[Skill name: Bloodlust]

[Level: 1]

[Requirements: ???]

[Description: This skill can only be used by Einherjar and berserkers and allows the user too keep on fighting and regenerating from almost any wound as long as they have energy. However each time this skill is used -1 stamina is taken and when the user runs out of stamina this skill will no longer be active]

[New subclass unlocked: Survivor]

[Class type: Attack type]

[Description: "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger". As a Einherjar you are a natural survivor and you have learned how to adapt and fight in almost any environment or situation in fact each time you come out of a battle you are able to evolve and gain the skills necessary to be prepared for next time. As long as you can survive of course]

[Effects: When equipped you become compatible with all class specific skills as long as you reach the requirements]

[Would you like to continue?]

[If you choose yes you will be immediately teleported to the starter town for Einjerjar only located in Belleau woods

[Yes] [No]

"H-HELL YEAH THIS IS AWESOME. I'm basically just a better human with some cool skills I think. I'm not really sure what most of this stuff means but its probably good! Man this undead race is probably super popular who knows maybe I'll be able to team with a bunch of either Einherjar. Also Belleau woods huh? Pretty cool marine reference this must've been fate." Micheal shouted excitedly as he quickly tapped the yes option without a hesitation. As soon as he did his body began too turn into white pixels before disappearing completely.

Micheal however had no idea what he had gotten himself into.

You see the game Valhalla is run by an AI known as Odin that constantly evolves itself and the game. As a result whenever it finds something that needs to be improved or something that needs to get erased it will solve the problem in the most efficient and best way possible.

And in the seven years the game Valhalla has been around the undead race has a fair amount of players but in the entire history of the game the Einherjar species has only ever had five players. And four out of the five have quit Valhalla permanently all while complaining about the same thing.

"Being an Einherjar is simply to painful"

Their are currently three billion players playing Valhalla and many of them have their own opinion about certain classes yet all three billion of them can agree on one thing.

"DO NOT PLAY AS A EINHERJAR"

As a result of this Odin made it so the chances of anyone choosing the undead race has a higher chance of becoming a demon king candidate the strongest undead option in the game then becoming an Einherjar.

And if on the very rare occasion a new player somehow ends up getting Einherjar they know enough about the game to simply uninstall and reinstall Valhalla so they could try again.

As a result their has not been a single new Einherjar player in the last seven years as it is considered the most difficult class to play.

That is until Micheal who had no idea about any of this innocently believed he was one of the lucky ones when he got the Einherjar.