Chronicles of the True Wizard

Class Evolution Selection Screen.

He was now presented with just 2 options.

[D - Mythic] Custom

This class is designed to allow the user to tailor it to themselves, this variant is at the Mythic level. This class is typically only offered when the user is unsatisfied with all other presented options. It is then offered at the highest rarity the user qualified for with all other benefits converted to stats. This class is compatible with all skills, but will not offer anything more than the basic skills. All other skills will need to be learned.

+60 FREE per level

Definitely not what I was expecting at all. This is kind of perfect though. It doesn't get in my way or include things I don't need. The only issue is it also doesn't include things I might want but can't otherwise do. It doesn't really add anything.

[D - Epic] Soul Harvester

[Hidden]

The Soul Harvester is a class that focuses on collecting the souls of defeated enemies then processing and harvesting them for resources. This will result in some stats gained based on the souls harvested and use of the resources. This class is considered a trial run class and will be upgraded automatically if it both suits you and the class originator deems you worthy, granting you their permission.

Note: This class has special requirements: Open soul space. Contain a soul in soul space. Qualify for a Legendary or above rarity class. Have collected the souls of defeated enemies at least 3 times. Soul strength requirement.

Note: This class is hidden. You will be identified as Caster for all identifications where the user is unaware of your actual class.

Warning: Consuming souls that are stronger than your own could have adverse side effects.

+0 per level

Permission from originator? Uh, Grim?

Seems kind of self explanatory, doesn't it? Someone created a class at some point. They did something so original, a class was created for them. Then they get free reign over the class, they get to decide who to offer it to and who qualifies. They didn't want to deal with filtering through a billion people so they created an intermediary class that will do some of the filtering for them. This class is a test, the only question is ‘is the reward worth it?'. Taking this is like gambling, hoping the upgrade is good enough to justify this class right now. At least, that's my guess, not sure how else to interpret "originator" and their needing to give permission. I can post if you want, but I doubt we'll get anything, this seems like a rare circumstance.

You think it will scale worse than most classes?

Yeah, for most people. I think anyone who really excels with it, manages to push it to it's limits, passes. Everyone else is stuck with a really bad class and will likely just fall behind or die.

So take it?

If you're up for the challenge, willing to gamble on your class.

What are your thoughts, do you think I should take it?

Yeah. Remember when we talked about my universe and how people get stronger there? This is one of the most common ways, incorporate pieces of defeated enemy souls into your own. Typically the return isn't great, only a small piece can be harvested. As your soul get's stronger though, you can essentially dominate or convince more and more of the harvested soul to join yours, so it scales exponentially. Worst case, if this class sucks or even if you choose the custom class, you could soul harvest manually, it's just a pain. Best case, this class makes it easier and automates the annoying steps you would have had to learn and perform manually.

What if it automates them to be subpar? Shouldn't I just do it manually to optimize and tailor the process to me?

Remember how your cores work? You made them, tailored them, then the skill just manages the minutiae so you don't have to? I suspect it will never be worse than what you can do on your own.

Really is a gamble then. You think all skills will work like that?

I suspect so. It seems silly for it to offer to do something for you if it's worse than what you can already do yourself. Same thing happened with energy cycling, remember that?

Oh yeah. It was marginally better but otherwise exactly the same.

The system is probably just optimizing and smoothing out the process you already created. So at worst, it's the exact same as you can do.

Why don't I have some cool skill for casting then?

It probably doesn't have a skill for it, maybe you have to create the skill yourself? Or you can do things the system can't, so it can't offer you an equal level skill.

That doesn't seem very likely.

Think about the whole attunement, solid mana, energy levels thing. I'd be surprised if anything else could do that, even the system. Casting, the spell you do now how you do it is impressive as hell for your age but not impossible. I suspect it won't remain that way forever though.

Really? I thought their were plants and animals that had cores and leaked liquid mana?

There are, they take forever to do so and use nodes, like Mana Bolt. You just will it to happen and it does, that's weird. For the system to replicate that, assuming it couldn't just will it, it would have to create a mana farm that generated liquid mana and high energy mana then teleported it to you when it was needed. Or if it can just will it, it can't create skills, just offer ones that have already been created. That's another theory I just thought of after reading that class. It may be the case that the system is a distribution system, designed to distribute classes and items to people. It is not however, a creation system and relies on the people to create classes, skills, items, then it distributes those. Or both are true, the system can't do what you can and no one has created that skill before, who really knows.

Figuring out The System and the multiverse aside. I kind of like the sound of the class. Can you teach me manual harvesting anyways? Then I can incorporate what I learn into the class and tailor it?

Yeah, I can teach the basics. It's possible I can teach more after your evolution, we'll see.

This one of those things that's locked away inside you? Why would D grade unlock them?

Strengthens our bond. The stronger the soul bond, the more we can access and the more I can share.

Why?

The stronger our bond, the more the imposed convictions degrade.

Fingers crossed then. Soul Harvester.

D Grade Class Evolution.

Your class selection has been finalized. This option is locked in and cannot be changed. All evolution aspects are now locked in. Please place yourself in a safe location as the evolution may take some time. When you are ready, simply pull this screen back up and initiate the process.

Note: Your familiar will evolve alongside you.

Would you like to evolve now?

Yes.

No.

This is as good a place as any. Yes.

Felix woke up at some point an unknown amount of time later and opened his eyes, but they wouldn't open. He tried to reach up and feel them, but his arms wouldn't move. He tried to just feel his body, but got nothing in return. He started to panic and strain as much as he could but nothing happened. After a minute or so of straining, he forced himself to calm down, something that wouldn't have been possible had he not experienced sleep paralysis in the past. He mentally took deep breaths. Even though his body didn't react and he didn't feel the breaths at all, the mental image of breathing in and out helped.

He ran through everything, trying to feel anything, but he could not touch, taste, smell, hear or see. It took him a minute to think about as it wasn't something he had had his entire life, but he finally reached out with his mana senses and felt the ambient mana. Around him, the mana was in the calmest state he had ever experienced. Normally, he expected the ambient mana to bunch up and flow in a turbulent way with a kaleidoscope of attunements and energy levels. Here it was perfectly uniform and still, unmoving and without any hint of an attunement or energy level whatsoever.

He moved some of it around and felt it react to his will, and found that unlike his body, he could move and manipulate it however he pleased. He created a slight flow in the ambient mana, pulling into reality and pushing it towards his body, to try and map out what was happening. The mana however, simply passed through him. No matter what he did, even solidifying the mana, it simply passed directly through him. He felt panic setting in in the form of tightness all over and did his best to fight it by thinking about breathing. He couldn't really think of anything else so he reached out for something that he hoped was still there.

Grim… Are you there?

Felix?

He felt the tightness receding slightly as soon as he heard Grim's voice in his head.

What's happening?

You're awake?

I… Yes?

You're evolving. Enter your soul garden… thing, it'll be a little less confusing.

Felix did as Grim asked and began meditating, shifting his consciousness into his soul garden. He immediately felt himself calm down as he felt his body within his soul garden, or at least a projection of it. The familiarity was nonetheless comforting. He looked up from his body and saw a tall figure in black and grey robes standing before him. It had skeletal hands and feet poking out of it's robe and was holding a book. Looking up towards where the face would be, Felix saw a large familiar book cover under the hood.

"Grim?"

"What do you think?" Grim's voice came out of the figure as it gestured to itself.

"A little… Halloweeny?"

"I figured since I'm Grim, I would take the form of the Grim Reaper."

"Is this part of your evolution?"

"No, I'm not evolving or changing at all really. I can just choose whatever form I want in here since it's a mental construct and flying around as a book is boring."

"Well in that case, it's a little on the nose. I like it though. So uh… What the hell is happening?"

"The real question is how are you awake?"

"What do you mean? What happened?" Felix felt the tightness returning. Thoughts raced through his mind that he might have died or been fatally injured or something. The last thing he remembered was initiating the evolution but he could have lost his most recent memories, maybe it was something so traumatic he forgot. The water of the pond began to ripple and the wind in the garden, that hadn't existed just a second ago, picked up causing the trees to sway, leaves to rustle and sand to blow.

"You're currently evolving. It seems what the system does to keep everything smooth, or tries to do… Well, it teleported your soul out of your body into a pocket dimension. Once it's done, it will return your soul I suspect." Felix processed the explanation and felt himself almost completely calm down, or get as close to it as he had been since he woke up. The wind passed and the water calmed while the sand settled back down and his garden was once more serene.

"How long has it been?"

"Like a minute… Maybe?"

"That's it?"

"It's a little weird with your time dilation plus the pocket universe and all that."

"How are we here by the way? Isn't this a mental construct? I'm not exactly attached to my mind."

"Your library is a mental construct, this is an experience construct, or at least that's the best name I can come up with."

"So it's my soul not my mind that's ‘imagining' this?"

"Exactly."

"Are you still sitting in my soul space? Your physical form?"

"Yup, nothing should be able to touch that, not even the system."

"So it's upgrading my body right now?"

"Yeah. At least I think so. Not sure why else it would teleport your soul to a pocket dimension without severing your connection to your body."

"How long is it gonna take?"

"I have no idea."

"Right, sorry."

"The really interesting question is, once again, how the hell are you awake?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it teleported your soul. Most sentient being's soul will kind of fall unconscious when they are this far from their body, especially in a pocket universe. On top of that, it also did this, really interesting actually, soul attack to be sure it knocked you out. It was essentially an attack that could never cause harm but is ridiculous overkill to knock out probably even a god if needed."

"What… really?"

"Yeah, it effectively overwhelmed your soul, or tried to, for a moment with the entirety of it's strength and soul. All souls subject to that would simply pass out because they couldn't deal with it. It wasn't as crude as it sounds though, it was more like it all teamed up to stimulate your soul as much as possible as quickly as possible to overwhelm it, entirely safe."

"It didn't work though?"

"Seems like it didn't." Grim said gesturing to Felix.

"Why not?"

"That is the interesting question. I would assume it's done this on a ridiculous number of sentient creatures, likely even gods. It's had time to tune it perfectly and I suspect it's probably never failed. If it had, the system would have fixed the issue because it's rather traumatic to wake up without being able to feel your body. Imagine you couldn't talk to me or enter your soul garden, most people would panic and potentially commit soul death or suicide. It would also feel like forever without a body, time get's weird without a physical form, especially in a pocket dimension. Time could be passing really fast or really slow for all we know." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .