We moved onto a narrower path, where the quiet air was tinctured with the scent of incense and candles. The brightly lit passage with its floor of encaustic tiles and white-painted walls extended to the far end. There were a few vestries that we passed by, but their doors were closed.
Finally, Mary stopped at the second last room on the right. She opened the door and stood to the side for me to pass. From the looks of it, it seems that the vestry was only meant to occupy one person at a time. Which means, this was the place where the Class Selection was taking place.
"White-sama. Please enter."
I nodded lightly and stepped into the room.
"When you're ready, you can let me know anytime."
I turned around and saw Mary bowing slightly, her hand clutching the rosary on her neck.
I closed my eyes and took in quick, deep breaths.
"...I'm ready."
"Acknowledged. I will now connect this room to the space where you will meet Ennieus-sama. Please, brace yourself for some distortion."
The rosary on Mary's neck shone faintly.
The light gradually grew, and enveloped the surroundings. A myriad of colours blended into the walls of this room, and I could feel myself being stretched apart. It made my head hurt a little, and a faint wave of nausea grew over me. Fortunately, I was already prepared so I merely staggered a few steps before the uneasiness faded away.
As I gradually steadied my vision, the disorientation that accompanied a constant ringing in my head was slowly being shaken off.
When I came to, Mary was gone. And I was no longer in that small room.
—This place was pure white, as if it was detached from creation itself. There were no shadows, and no walls. It would be fitting to call this place infinite, a different dimension.
But it didn't stay like this for long. Without warning, the space distorted again. My legs shook briefly, and the surroundings regained its vibrancy.
I was now standing on top of some kind of platform surrounded by patches of clouds. Around me were pale tints of orange ocher and cream under a sunset sky. Four large pillars hovered in the air, inscribed with different sigils. One of them with the symbol of a wreath and an arrow pointed up was lit up.
I was in the presence of the Goddess of Growth, Ennieus, and this was her domain.
"—So you have come. Otherworlder."
A cool, transient voice echoed within my consciousness, and I flinched with a start. I quickly settled now, realizing that this was the "voice in your head" people had described.
"Goddess…?"
When I looked around in search of a presence, the voice recalled again.
"Do not bother. You cannot see me."
"..."
At those words, I immediately stopped trying and prostrated myself.
"I—"
"—Spare me the formalities, Otherworlder. I do not need your superficial worship."
My body shot back up against my will, and I was left standing again. My thoughts were read completely, I truly felt naked before the higher being. Is this the power of a Goddess?
"Yes. While this is only a temporal space, I have control over everything in here, including your thoughts. I see everything that is sentient."
I didn't feel much too surprised about her speaking inside of my head anymore, when I thought that it was already kind of surreal talking to an actual living Goddess.
"I have been watching you ever since you have strayed into our world."
(...You have?)
"Yes. Quite the surprise, I say. Although most transmigrations were intentional, yours however isn't."
"What… do you mean?"
That statement gave me a huge revelation.
"No matter, however. These are things you shouldn't need to know. Such is the beauty of fate that even I cannot foresee. Yes, I welcome a little unpredictability to liven up the world, as long as it does not change the outcome of its balance."
I wanted to say something about what I had learnt before, of the Demon King and its ability to amass power, but I realized that I couldn't speak. It was as if my lips were sealed for some reason. I eventually gave up, and thought that she would know either way if she read what I was thinking right now.
"You're here for a different reason yes? Let us see the new directions of your growth."
Suddenly I felt something 'opening' from my chest, as if something was looking through my entire being. Yet, it didn't feel very uncomfortable so I relinquished my resistance and allowed that strangeness to pass through me.
"Now, the class you've chosen… Mage… no, Fighter was it?" The voice interpreted.
Looks like the Goddess knew exactly what I wanted before. I smiled wryly and nodded.
"Confirm this."
A window then opened up before me, containing various descriptions of the class that I was about to receive.
⇜✠ CLASS SELECTION ✠⇝
✥ Fighter ✥
⑆ Tap anywhere on the window to begin demonstration ⑆
When my finger tapped on the window, the surroundings flickered and changed again in a dome.
"This is…"
There was a distant horde of minotaurs several times my size and atop a hill—
(Is that… me?)
I could also see myself, or rather a projected version of me as a Berserker.
He had an exposed top, revealing a lean, but well-toned body. His eyes were sharp as an eagle, and without even doing anything, this figure of mine was already very imposing just by standing there.
⑆ Demonstration, begin ⑆
When another notification screen appeared in front of me, that still figure suddenly reacted. An intangible red aura enveloped his body, and I felt a tingle in my chest.
When I had the feeling that he was preparing to dash straight towards my direction, I tried to move aside but to my surprise, I couldn't move an inch! My body just became extremely sluggish all of a sudden!
I realized then, it was one of the Berserker's active skills:「Bloodcurdle」!
That figure's ferocity rivalled an untamed beast, and intimidated his foes. It was the start of the fight, which both bolstered his attack and lowered the opponent's movement speed.
I didn't have time to be too critical, however. The berserker me shot forward like lightning with agile steps. I could feel the backwind as he blew past my body just inches away from where I stood.
At the far distance, two weapons stabbed onto the ground materialized. He picked them up as he dashed right past them, threw the axe in his left hand high up in the air and used the other large sword like a javelin, shooting it even further ahead like a missile.
All of those actions were performed in an instant, and the sword pierced past multiple minotaur bodies before it finally stopped, impaled in between the chest of one in its dying breaths.
"A-Amazing…"
Before I knew it, the berserker had already reached the horde. He used both legs to kick off that minotaur while drawing the sword out. A crescent of red splashed into the air.
「Cleaving Whirlwind」— The enraged monsters that were about to surround him were split into two, their torsos dissected cleanly in a single slash.
One of the larger minotaurs then deflected away his sword, but he wasn't done yet. The berserker leaped up and climbed to its back, grabbed its horns and slammed it to the ground—「Seismic Slam」! A powerful shockwave revealed cracks on the earth.
The rest of the monsters were removed with equal devastation. Simple grappling movements had become killing techniques in the hands of the Berserker, leaving the battlefield in the wake of destruction.
The Berserker could master any close-combat weapons, techniques and combinations, all with the strength, dexterity and stamina beyond human limitations.
I suddenly felt something arise within me. The Berserker was such a versatile class, I had never thought about it realistically before. But when I saw it firsthand, I realized how powerful and oppressive this class could be.
Was this the reason I was shown a demonstration? It gave me a thrilling sense of realism and power, one that I could hope to achieve. The Goddess of Growth had definitely shown an incentive for me to work towards.
When the vision ended, I became more certain of my choice. It might not have been the first choice, but it wasn't all that bad either. And more importantly, I could get the benefits of that small talent I had in becoming one.
A new window emerged.
⇜✠ CLASS SELECTION ✠⇝
Class progression from Base Class: ✥ Fighter ✥ ―➤ Elementary Class: ✥ Berserker ✥
⑆ Accept? (Accepting will lock your class path) ⑆
I tapped on [Yes] without hesitation, and mechanical jingles promptly confirmed the registration. A series of notifications appeared.
[You have made your first class advancement to ✥ Fighter ✥!]
[You have obtained ✥ Class Affinity: Berserker ✥!]
[10 SP have been awarded!]
[3 additional SP have been awarded for redeeming class affinity bonus!]
"It is done."
Ennieus' voice returned in my head.
"Henceforth, you shall tread the path of a Fighter. Work hard and see me again when you have reached Level 20. Then, you will formally obtain the class of Berserker."
I nodded enthusiastically.
"Before you go. There is a final thing I'll leave for you."
Ah, that! I had been too excited seeing the Berserker in action that I almost forgot…!
The surroundings changed again, and I was now in some kind of white room. The floors were geometric tactiles, similar to the one in a supermarket.
Three gachapon machines materialized before me, all in different colors of red, yellow, blue. I was convinced after the next instruction I was given.
"Now, it is time to obtain a Gift."