--------Atlas-------
He followed the boy for a few hours and in that time he learned two things. Shuichi was his given name, and he was a caster of some sort at the clear stage of his class. He probably just recently got his classes like Atlas but the confidence which he used to put one foot in front of the other spoke of a boy who could take on the world. He didn't look like a noble, not that he looked bad or poor per se, just that he definitely looked like anything on him couldn't cost more than a few silver at most. Not that Atlas had much room to talk, a poor street rat who spent his money on power and prep rather than hygiene and charisma. There were several stats: Power, the power your body and muscles are capable of outputting; Agility, the body's ability to stop or start your muscles and movement quickly; Dexterity: A person's ability to precisely control their limbs and extremities; Constitution: The strength of the body and it's immune system; Mind, one's ability to remember and apply information or spirit; Vitality, The strength of one's life, it's easily represented by blood, less blood you have, weaker you feel, the lower your vitality; Perception, One's ability to take in understand the world around them; Mana, the combination of one's intelligence and vitality, by merging the spirit of mind and life force withing vitality, a form of energy is created, the energy that is the basis of all magic; And Charisma, the stat that measured how appealing you were, how convincing your ideas and words seemed. If he had to guess, his charisma had to be under five which was half the normal charisma for average people. the Average for any stat would be around ten with it doubling for adventurers, Atlas doubted he had any stat above ten other than his Mind. Since he had a defective class that only seemed to eat everything it came into contact with, he didn't get any stronger. Classes were supposed to automatically make you a little bit stronger but it seems to have four inactive classes and an anti-class didn't provide any boosts or stat gains. I'm going to need one of those adventurers' Registar Crystal. Atlas didn't know much about adventuring altogether, but having been around many adventurers, their town was a good place to stop and rest before going back out into the forest. A Registar as he knew it, was a device that could keep track of your stats and Rank progression. Since one's essence, mana and body could grow at different levels and since you had to distribute essence to classes while having reached a certain mana threshold. It would become more and more wildly inaccurate the stronger one became as the stats connection to one another became less or more linear, but Atlas being clear ranked would have no problem with that, and right now it'd help him sort through the mess of his classes. Atlas made sure to start a mental list of things he'd need when he arrived in a town.
Shuichi cleared his throat after the fourth hour of complete silence passed, "I intended to give you the silent treatment but you're way too comfortable with uncomfortable silences."
Atlas let the silence stretch as he searched for a way to respond, after a few minutes he settled on a response, "I've never really had any reason to talk out loud. I guess living a life where my words didn't mean much to the people around me allowed me superior silence skills." Atlas smiled, he was proud of such a skill even if even he knew that it wasn't something to brag about.
Shuichi turned back to Atlas with furrowed brows and a confused look, "Never tell someone you just met something like that. That was depressing to hear."
Atlas frowned, "You're the one that wanted me to talk." He's one to talk.
"Yeah! But I expected you to feel awkward or talk about adventuring stuff."
Atlas narrowed his eyes, "Is all you think about just power and magic?"
"Yes, the weak value power, and I find that to be correct more often than not. If you were given the chance to get power from a king would you not want it?"
Atlas didn't have to hesitate, "Yes, but i wouldn't stop there, I'd want everything i could get and even everything I couldn't, I want to see and do everything."
Shuichi gave him a bewildered look, only for a moment before continuing on the path, "Yeah well power can give you all of that."
"But I don't want power for power's sake."
"Look, I just want options with my life like everyone else, and I can't get those options without power so for now I'll focus on power until the day I'm strong, ill figure out what to do with my life then."
Atlas shrugged, Shuichi wasn't wrong but something about the way he saw things were flawed to Atlas, but he was no morals and ethics professor so he'd let it go for now.
Shuichi pointed ahead, "Up Ahead you can see a town kinda. It's at the base of that mountain. They should have, climbing supplies and cold weather clothes."
"Wait we have to climb that? And what town?" Was his perception just that low, or was Shuichi's just that high.
Shuichi didn't reply. Atlas hounded him for answers but gave up before they reached the town. Upon reaching the town Atlas was underwhelmed, he didn't know towns could be shabbier than his own. The dozen or so buildings that made up the town were made from wood, the street of dirt, and there was trash all over and shit in the streets, but it looked old as if they just chose not to clean year-old trash. At the base of the icy mountain, they saw a small guildhall, like everything else in town it was shabby, made from wood alone, and only the size of a small mansion. Shuichi made his way to the guild and Atlas hurried to keep up with him. Once inside, they were greeted by a large burly man in padded leather armor. "Welcome to the Forests Knights Guild. I am Grod Stafline, how may I help you two youngsters, come to find out what it takes to be an adventurer?" Atlas couldn't focus on the man, The place was filled with Attuned of different types, magic being used casually in the open. The wooden walls were adorned with rune stones of various types, it was common knowledge that some materials, weren't good at handling mana, rune stones and crystals would be used to substitute that. Most of the buildings used cheap rune stones in his hometown as the buildings themselves would be too weak to handle the enchantments for things like light and fireproofing.
Luckily for them, Shuichi was on a mission and wouldn't be distracted so easily, "Greetings Adventurer Stafline. We would like passes to climb the mountain."
Atlas snapped his attention back to the conversation, We need passes? Atlas was confused but he had never been past his own city gates so he knew there would be things that he'd never interacted with, but so soon after leaving, so close to home, it was strange to comprehend how little he didn't know he didn't know. Grod narrowed his eyes as he looked them over, his eyes flaring blue. "You're a couple of Clear Quartz Attuned, you look like commoners so you probably only have one class or a pair of ununique classes. You likely just recently got your classes so you likely haven't been properly trained in them. Allowing you up there is a death sentence and I could lose my job for that."
The man's words gripped Atlas's heart, they had been struck down so completely and quickly before even getting the chance to try, but why did he care so much... this was Shuichi's failed plan, but Shuichi didn't seem detoured. "I'm not asking you to register us, if we die up there we will probably be eaten or lost, just give us passes and we'll struggle on our own. I can pay you."
The guard sighed, "How much?" Atlas sneered, Of course, all it took was money.
Shuichi didn't bat an eye, "Ten silver each." the boy reached into his pocket and pulled out 50 silver coins he dropped them in the man's palm. "We'd like some climbing gear and clean warm clothes for the trip."
"Would you boys like a room at the in?" Grod asked.
\Shuichi quickly replied, "No, but I'd like some camping materials as well."
A pit formed in atlas's stomach, he wants us to sleep up there?
Grod's eyes widened, "You know the mountain is rated for silver rankers and Bronze Ranker teams. You both haven't even reached The iron rank. You can't even be considered adventurers till you're iron. sleeping up there is a death sentence."
Atlas looked to Shuichi who didn't respond but looked at the man expectantly, "Okay, I'll fetch your gear but don't tell anyone I sent you to your deaths okay?"
Atlas chimed in remembering, "Uhhh could you uhh check our stats?"
Grod paused, "We don't have any diviner types here, if you want a register you'd have to register with the guild which costs ya 1 gold." Shuichi and Atlas simultaneously winced. Grod, to his credit, kept a professional persona as he nodded in understanding.
This time Shuichi replied, "Okay." an hour later they were geared up for a grueling climb. Atlas was wearing a blue and white fake fur coat with white pants and a white shirt. They went to one of the main entrances for the mountain and handed the guard their passes. Guard looked them over, unsure of the validity but atlas blissfully unaware and Shuichi staring daggers at the man, He concluded they were either absurdly strong or absurdly foolish. He let them pass, and Atlas cleared his throat as they got to the base of the mountain. "It's not all that steep here." Shuichi didn't respond. They continued along one of the paths and Atlas tried again, "Why'd you take us this way instead of around?"
Shuichi answered him finally, "Faster."
An hour or so later Atlas tried to make conversation one last time, "What's your class, I know it's gotta be a caster of some sort, you're not as poor as me so you could afford a weapon if it was the main purpose of your class."
"I guess you aren't dumb."
Atlas's vision blurred as it went red and his mind blank, that was it, he was too frustrated, "Why'd you even bring me!?!" Atlas shouted.
Shuichi sighed, "I ask myself that question often too." he continued walking but Atlas gripped his shoulder.
Atlas could feel strength and rage leaking from the vampiric mark on his neck, "I'm serious, all you've done is keep me in the dark and disrespect me at every turn. Why'd you bring me, so you could have someone below you to bash on?"
He sighed again, it was getting annoying, he put his hand to Atlas's hand while atlas held his shoulder, suddenly Atlas's body spasmed and jolted as a wave of electricity rushed through him, "I'm a summoner with a Lightning beast summon." The power and emotions suddenly vanished as his head was cleared. Shuichi continued forward, slow enough that Atlas could both recover and catch up.
"I've never heard of a summoner."
"They are rare, and they are powerful, you wouldn't see them around these parts because there is nothing strong enough to interest them here."
Atlas was elated, although he was just zapped a few moments ago, Shuichi was finally talking to him, "Where does the lightning mana fit into that?"
"It doesn't. Summoners make contracts with monsters, the contracts usually include portioning off resources to them or just permanently weakening themselves until the contract is broken. While under this contract we share resources, meaning I can pull on my lightning beast's mana."
Atlas's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, "No wonder you thought you could take on this mountain at only the Clear rank."
Shuichi stopped, "No I believe we're more likely to die, but as commoners, we're so far behind that if we can survive this neither of us can catch up."
Atlas froze, so I really did sign on for a death trap. At that moment, they heard the rumbling of the mountain, and worse, they heard steps. They saw a beast It was a pair of Yeti of some sort. They were tall humanoids, about three meters, covered from head to toe in white and clear fur, dressed in the clothes of cave people and the uncivilized Atlas. They wielded a club and machete respectively and were eying the young boys with bloodlust and hunger evident on their faces. The hunger seemed to resonate with Atlas, so did their weapons, but he didn't know what to do with this sensation. Shuichi did not hesitate to Summon a baby dragon. everyone froze as they saw it, dragons were the children of gods, Having contracted on as your first contracted familiar should be impossible, what deity would want to pair up with some powerless kid. nonetheless, it was still only a baby, facing two Yetis would be impossible for Shuichi. Both Shuichi and his Dragon let free bolts of electricity charing their fur and stunning them momentarily. Shuichi and the Dragon continued the assault quickly draining their mana supply but the Yeti's glowed blue with power in response, "The enhance ability?" Shuichi's eyes widened, this sent shivers through Atlas, if Shuichi was scared, then may the goddess save them. The Yetis powered through the effects of the lightning and fired icicles at both of them forcing Shuichi onto the defense. Up until this point Atlas had never considered the fact he may have to fight as well, Shuichi and his dragon weren't fast enough to destroy all the projectiles. Atlas raised his arms as his gut reflex to the icicles reaching his face and upper body. He triggered his class on reflex and absorbed the icicles. Now it was his turn to be the center of attention. "Your class can absorb things?"
But while Shuichi was consumed by his curiosity, the Yeti's weren't. They decided to leave the caster be and converge on Atlas. With their backs to him, Shuichi was able to land a few bolts but they reached Atlas. In a Panic Atlas fired the absorbed icicles, it punctured the lung of one and stabbed into the should of another but he had only absorbed a few, nothing that would be instantly fatal, at least not for a Yeti. In anger, the more injured of the two Yeti' rose its club and then bashed Atlas from the side, or at least that's what he assumed it meant to do, what ended up happening was Atlas was nearly whacked off the mountain. On impact, several ribs were shattered and his spine was immediately dislocated. His arms were rendered unusable and his legs were turned into jelly, quite literally folding Atlas like an omelet. Everything was dark but he could still feel his body, he could still feel cold. Atlas could feel his mark spreading across him, fixing and strengthening him. He called to the mark, Hungry for power and his survival. One of his classification marks lit up as the knowledge of The Vampiric Necromancer Class flowed into him. He could now understand the basic effects of his mark that he couldn't before, namely the life and Blood mana which he used to rapidly heal his body and death mana. He watched from the ground as Shunichi and his dragon fired a cone of lighting, "Lightning Dragon's Breath!" The Yeti's ducked for cover as their bodies glowed blue. It didn't matter, the area up to 25 meters in front of him was completely destroyed, The Yetis were stunned but that would wear off and they were out of mana, but Atlas still had mana and with Death magic, he had something he could use it on. He swelled as much death mana as he could into his arm while on the ground. as soon as their stun began to wear off he got up and charged them from behind before they could see him he ran up behind them slapping them both with his death mana hand, the mana passed easily into them and began to erode the health of his cells rapidly aging and weakening them. Atlas pulled a Knife from his camping bag and began to stab away. Filled with adrenaline and fear he didn't realize when they had died.
Atlas pulled himself free from the corpses and helped up Shuichi, "That was close, we almost died."
Shuichi's face was deadpan and neutral as if he hadn't almost died, "Almost only counts with horseshoes and mana bombs. What matters is you learned how to use one of those classes and we made it out alive."