Ethan watched as the titan roamed over the field, it seemed like this beast of nature was moving without direction but he soon realized that it was following the wind. While it could go wherever it wanted, like when it attacked something, it seemed much more natural to just go in the direction of the wind like a normal cloud would.

  He sat there, just watching the world in front of him while he was deep in thought. Coming out here was to gather allies and power, now he stood in front of one of the biggest decisions in his new life. A class or in this case two classes can lift you up or pull you down depending on your choices. Making the right decision was very important and for the first time he felt like he should make sure to consider his options carefully.

  Thinking back on his other classes, giving up on the plague class felt right but also wrong at the same time, it was what brought him through the early days of the system, plagues won fights for him and while gruesome they were very efficient, frighteningly so. His new soldiers on the other hand had massive combat and utility value which his plague couldn’t do as their only purpose was to kill.

  Then there was his main class, one of his connections to winter and his way to fight, which mostly focused on controlling the battlefield, being a maestro who commands it to his own liking. His chains, his aura, this abyss skill he knew basically nothing about. He wouldn’t want to miss them but what if the five paths he would be offered didn’t include something that fit him? Ethan didn’t even want to think about that.

  He took a few more moments before finally accepting the prompt in his status and everything turned black around him. For a few moments he thought he was blind but a familiar location started to appear around him until he sat on the old wooden table inside the library and in front of him sat the old man that did the integration with him. Ethan looked him up and down but he was literally the same as before. “I never asked your name, right? What should I call you? In my mind I always just think of the old man.”

  A smile appeared on the man’s lips as he slowly stroked his beard. “No hello? No how have you been? I must say Ethan you turn into a very straightforward man, the totally opposite of me.” He laughed and kept smiling at Ethan afterwards. “You can call me Ar’kzul or by my title the god of trickery, whatever you prefer. The more important thing is, do you know why you’re here today?” The man, the god, Ar’kzul raised his bushy eyebrows and looked at Ethan.

  The elf took a deep breath and nodded. Ethan rested both hands on the table, his eyes fixed on the back of his hands as he followed the pale blue veins that were running up his arms. After a moment he looked at the god again.“It’s about my new classes, right? But why am I here for that? What’s so important about the level fifty class if you don’t mind me asking? I mean, I know how important classes are but this one must be special then, right?”

  The old man intertwined his fingers and rested his hand opposite of Ethan’s, nodding to himself before he started to explain. “Let us start in the beginning, when we first met I offered you three choices? I believe you remember them right?”

  Ethan nodded. “Yeah, kind of, my head was a bit of a mess back then but it boiled down to warrior, archer and mage right? A strength class, a dexterity class and an intelligence class? It was rather basic.”

  Ar’kzul smiled. “Yes because it’s your baseline, we could throw specialized classes at everybody, the system has that power but it’s not something we do and can you tell me why?”

  “I feel like I’m back in school if you talk like that…” Ethan sighed. “You start with a basic class so you can specialize yourself through your actions and choices you make with the help of the system. I experienced all that already, that's why I’m here…”

  “Patience my young friend. So specialization through classes. Your first class during the integration and your second class at level 25, though now you’re here at level 50 and that’s because it’s the most important one.”

  “Yeah but why?! God dammit you’re leading me on around here, get to the point.” The god just smiled but indulged Ethan’s tantrum. “Because it’s the class that locks you in place. Level 50 is the cornerstone, before that? You’re literally garbage in the eyes of the system, do you think everybody gets so much attention from the system like you do? That’s all based on Aeloria’s heavenly favor that she had saved up and spent on bringing forth a progenitor.”

  He leaned back and stroked his beard while staring into Ethan’s eyes. “Now you will finally become part of the system for real. I’m talking about skill adjustments, quests, path options all that will now be available to you and the longer you live the more you can acquire. Of course you can simply look in the wrong places and miss out on things, like you said the system doesn’t care about you. See it like this, the system is a workbench filled with tools but nobody will teach you how to use the tools. Now you just have even more complex tools without instructions. You know what that means? It can kill you even easier so don’t underestimate it, understand?”

  Ethan simply nodded, he had to admit he thought everybody had so many interactions with the system but it seems he was mistaken. If he thought about it, the others he met so far never really talked about the system at all. Like it was just there but not really interacting with them at all. Suddenly he felt kind of bad, he knew it wasn’t his fault but he had felt above others on a subconscious level. But before he could wallow in his own self pity Ar’kzul continued.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “Your next class will increase your strength manifold. From this point forward stats are worth a lot more and you will of course receive more from a level up. You think the crafter that made the armor you wear, or rather the gems that give you such an increase in strength are from talent? Talent is involved but not really, it’s because of his high level that he can put out such equipment. So be careful what you spent your points on, that’s all I’m saying. Are you ready to begin?”

  “Wait…I have a question. So I gave up my class in the tutorial, my subclass. I was wondering if there are ways to bring some of that back…like a bit?” The god looked at him for a while. “You can make requests, the system will try to accommodate your wishes in regards to classes from now on. But it’s not something you can influence too heavily. Your main class will be focused on control while your subclass will be focused on your soldiers. Though you know control can take many forms and your soldiers are so versatile it’s almost ridiculous but that’s for a few hundred levels later. Well, should we take a look at your main class to begin with? But remember you can influence it a lot more as long as control stays the main focus.”

  *Update* Wizard of Glacial Chains - Level 40 -> Level 50

  -> Major Class Change available!

  *Update* Frostforger - Level 35 -> Level 50

  -> Major Class Change available!

  Ethan took a deep breath and focused on his main class. He was nervous and hoped the system was able to form a class or rather class choices he liked. Because what if there was something he didn’t even want to pick?

  *Update* Calculating class choices…

  Class choice one….ready!

  Class choice two……ready!

  Class choice three……..ready!

  Class choice four………..ready!

  Class choice five……………..error!

  Retry….

  Class choice one….ready!

  Class choice two….ready!

  Class choice ready....ready!

  Class choice four....ready!

  Class choice five…………ready!

  He could barely breathe when the system just failed, he thought it was omnipotent but it seems Ethan’s conflicting wishes made it change the fifth choice of this class selection. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his hands trembling while he waited for his choices to appear. When the text appeared he wanted to close his eyes but he forced himself to read it.

  [High Wizard of the Frozen Core]

  [Frostfall’s Core was a thing of beauty when it was created, a masterpiece of elven craftsmanship, destined to survive even the gods but now it stopped turning. With the death of their goddess the world of Frostfall died. Now it’s just the sign of betrayal and death. Corrupted by men and defiled by the beast calling it their home.

  High Wizard of the Frozen Core is a combat focused class with strong elements in battlefield control. You wield mighty storms, lances of ice, chains of frost to kill your enemies and fill the fields with their blood. Enact vengeance for Frostfall and its people. +5 Strength +10 Wisdom +10 Intelligence +10 Vitality +5 Free points]

  [High Wizard of Frozen Stillness]

  [Life is movement, stillness is death. When Winter covers the land all things leave, try to survive or die. Winter is the absence of life and its stillness brings a serene quiet over the world until its icy grip slips away for some time. Though it’s never forgotten and the world knows it will return.

  High Wizard of Frozen Stillness is a class focused on affecting large areas with control and damage over time abilities. While optimized for prolonged battles it’s a slow working class that requires time to take effect though once a certain threshold is passed its ability to lock down an area and inflict damage is devastating. +15 Intelligence +15 Wisdom +10 Free points]

  [High Wizard of Frostfall’s Chains]

  [Frostfall is the core of the winter realm, it connects all the universes belonging to the faction of Winter, binding them together into one big system. With chains that strong not even the attacks of gods can shake those connections. Designed like the core, to last longer than the gods themselves, the chains of Frostfall stand strong until this day.

  High Wizard of Frostfall’s Chains is an upgrade to your existing class and focused on the same core aspects of battlefield control and balanced defense/ attacks. +10 Wisdom +10 Intelligence +10 Vitality +5 Perception +5 Free points]

  [Wizard Commander of the Lost]

  [You began walking down the path of leadership, showing off your skills in commanding and inspiring the people while also bringing back a race of people that were lost to history itself. You gathered groups of loyal followers during their time of need and fought alongside them for the greater good.

  Wizard Commander of the Lost is a leadership focused class with a balance of combat and control abilities with a main focus in utility and support. Stand tall while you lead from the front commander. +5 Strength +5 Dexterity +5 Vitality +5 Wisdom +5 Intelligence +5 Perception +5 Willpower +5 Free points]

  [The Sage of Winter’s Pestilence]

  [Walking the path of a sage is one filled with challenge and struggle. Life will be hard but if you manage to reach the end it can lead to enlightenment as you see the wonders of the multiverse. A wonder like the taint of Frostfall itself, a substance born of malice, death and decay, Frozen Heart’s Rot and make it your own.

  The Sage of Winter’s Pestilence is class focused on area of effect, damage over time and crowd control. It’s a class that is hard to utilize properly and can cripple your path if not fully grasped. + 40 Free points]

  Ethan just stared at the classes but the look he had on his face made Ar’kzul laugh. “Well, you look a bit disappointed. Should we start crafting something more personal then?”

  “Craft what?” Ethan looked up.

  “Well, your class! That’s why I’m here after all!”

  The elf just stared for a moment. “Huh?”