Chapter 3 - Create Your Class!

I'm cut off as an intense, searing pain erupts on the top of my left hand, bringing me to my knees. Cries of pain instinctively fly from my mouth, but the only thing I can do is clutch my arm in a pale death grip as it seems to continue for an eternity. But soon, it does reside, and as I pant and sweat on the digital floor, I look at the timer to see how much time had passed.

8:01, 8:00, 7:59…

I was shocked into silence. The whole ordeal had felt like half an hour, and subconsciously I knew it wasn't that long, kept telling myself it wasn't that long. Probably a little more than five minutes. But just one minute? There was no way. I flip the back of my hand around to find an incredibly unnerving mark now permanently ingrained into my skin. It looked like a gaunt demon, with horns that ran to the back of its head. Its eyes were filled with pure black, as was the gaping hole of its mouth. The mark itself was all black, too, like a tattoo, but had way too much detail to be something as simple as one.

[ Would you like to read your newly unlocked Skill? ]

[ OK/SKIP ]

"Oh, fuck you," I gripe angrily — as I select "OK," trying to forget about the new 'Skill' on my body.

[ Gluttony's Mark (Lv 1) {Grade AA+}: Allows the user to absorb, steal, or leech for themselves. May only absorb or steal twice per System or monster. Unlocks the Greed Stat. ]

[ Lv 1 — "Absorb" unlocked : Allows the user to take a random number of Stat Points from the target's highest Stat. The target loses this number permanently. Limit: 4 points ]

"… The hell? That's confusing. Couldn't they have just called this the Thief Class? Or, I dunno, Master Thief? Gluttony is so ominous."

[ Please select your Stat Bonuses or Bonuses/Minuses. ]

Another screen popped up, as if the system was purposefully ignoring my question. I flip off the screen in disgust, but unable to do anything else, I read through it quickly.

"Oh, I get it! If I don't subtract anything, it's just Bonuses, not Bonuses/Minuses. Damn, couldn't have been more straightforward about it, huh?" I say teasingly, scooting closer to the screen.

[ Total Bonus Stat Points: 8 (May take Minuses to increase number) {Max: +/- 4} ]

[ STR: +0 VIT: +0 END: +0 SPE: +0 INT: +0 CHA: +0 LCK: +0 ]

'What would help me survive?' I think, looking over the Stats, as well as my Profile behind it. My strengths were Speed and Intelligence, while my main weaknesses were in Vitality and Endurance. If I could steal the highest Stat from a panther monster, it would probably be its Speed or Strength. So, to be safe, I should probably…

I input my selections, hitting confirm when I'm done. 'Please let this be the right thing to do.'

[ Stat Bonuses selected. ]

[ User will now gain +2 STR, +1 VIT +1 END, +2 SPE, +2 INT ]

A glowing dark golden and maroon energy envelops me for a second, before I can feel my body bolster itself in ways I didn't know was possible.

"Woah," I mumble, gripping and ungripping my hands. Everything had reverted back to normal, but I could still feel slight traces of energy flowing through me.

[ Select your Starter Kit. ]

The system never seemed to miss a beat, always moving on as quickly as possible. And it was for good reason.

6:25, 6:24, 6:23…

I quickly scan the Kits, slight disappointment growing. The Kits were basically all the same, with only minor differences.

For example, the Heavy Fighter Kit was just the same as the Melee Kit, but had heavy armor and a bigger weapon instead of the basic sword. The Magic Kit had only a staff and two MP pills, and the Ranged Kit gave you a bow and arrows, light armor, and HP pills, just like the close-quarters Kits.

There was one more option, though, and it causes me to sigh in exasperation. "I've already had my toe dipped — well, rather, dragged in. Might as well jump all the way," I say to try and fully convince myself as I select the Gluttony Starter Kit.

This Kit was similar to the Basic Melee Kit, with a few key differences. Instead of two HP pills, there was one HP and one MP. Also, the sword and armor were vastly different than the basics. The sword was fairly short, a faint purple color to it rather than silver. The armor seemed to be a simple gray tunic, with black baggy pants and a pair of dark brown boots that had small, curved black horns sprouting out the sides. However, the full-set defense boost was higher than even the Heavy Armor, so it was worth it.

[ Start Kit selected. ]

[ Armor will automatically equip when the user returns. ]

[ Final Stage! ]

[ Please name your Class. ]

I cringe at the preselected name, Glutton, and as soon as a transparent red keyboard appears underneath the screen, I quickly delete it out. "Having the name of a cardinal sin probably isn't great to boast about, but what's something that's still fitting?"

I ponder for a while, before I finally type one word out slowly.

[ Would you like to name your Class "Adaptability" ? ]

[ OK/BACK ]

'… It works.' I shrug, moving on, and another message appears.

[ Last Step! ]

[ Create your username. ]

'Can't I just name it the same as my Class?' I wonder, but an error pops up telling me that I can't the second I enter it. Quelling my twitching eyebrow and irritation with a deep breath, I start to delete it, before pausing. I hit the delete button a few more times, then input "er."

[ Would you like your username to be "Adapter" ? ]

[ OK/BACK ]

I can't help laughing at the stupidity of it all. "If I survive, I might actually regret naming myself after the little box at the end of my phone charger," I say to myself, watching the timer box fade away. I was still marveling at how… video gamey it all was, but it was going to end shortly, and I would be shoved back to the potentially harsh reality of becoming future kitty litter.

[ Time will now restart. Good luck! Use your abilities to your max potential, and the System will grow along with you. ]

'… Wait, say that again?'

But the messages were gone, as my surroundings blur back into the real world, complete with giant jaws reaching for me. Except… Everything was gray. I couldn't move my body, which was suddenly standing again, rearing away from the large cat.

[ Time reactivating in 3… 2… ]

I inhale sharply as it ticks down to one, and as soon as the sharp contrast of color hits my eyes, as soon as the still-lingering fear shoots through my body once more, as soon as my muscles twitch in reflex, the instant that sounds hits my ears once more.

I duck.

The panther goes flying over my hunched body, and it swings angrily at my exposed back. I feel claws split into my skin as it gashes into me, causing me to wince as the beast crashes into one of the gas pumps loudly. In the same second, my work clothes fade away, replaced with the odd clothing I had selected. As I rise to my full height, I lift my left hand, palm facing the panther as the mark faces towards me.

"Absorb."

[ Outside of range. ]

"Oh, come on."