The 1st Iteration
"Why won't you believe me? It's true! I got a new class! I'm not lying."
Reiss stood at the gates. Or rather, an open entryway. The walls around his hometown barely qualified as a palisade. It was mainly for show, along with a rickety guard tower that no one dared climb willingly. The Watch made bets on who would be the unlucky guard to be assigned each week. This time it was a wide-eyed teenager who couldn't yet grow facial hair. It must be his first day since the one usually up there was Leo.
"Yeah, right. A brand new class just happened to fall in your lap?"
Leo was one of the unluckiest guards in existence. It was on account of his impressionable nature and follower persona. He never realized that the other guards didn't play fair when drawing lots.
"But-"
"If you are a [Regressor], whatever that is, then I'm a [King]."
"Hah! True enough. Although, maybe he is telling the truth, Leo."
Leo rubbed his shoulder sorely, turning to the one who hit him, his partner, Richard.
"What? Do you think this guy is really a [Regressor]? What does a [Regressor] even do? It isn't like normal jobs."
Leo counted off on his fingers.
"We are [Watchmen], we watch. Simple enough, right? A [Baker], bakes. A [Smith], smiths. A [Warrior], wars. A [Cobbler], uh... cobbles?"
"A [Cobbler] makes shoes, Leo. And not all [Warrior]'s fight in a war. Most people have the class, you know? Anyone that can fight gets the option to change."
Reiss clutched his short brown hair in exasperation.
"I told you I changed into a [Regressor]. Why won't you believe me?"
"Because you only have one skill and have no idea how to use it.
Leo chuckled before his mind caught up with him again. He turned to his fellow.
"Wait. Richard, did you say you believed him?"
Richard's voice turned haughty as he waved a hand in gesture.
"Of course. A [Regressor], regresses. Like you said, Leo. Reiss is doing just that."
Leo scratched his head. Unable to understand where Richard was going with this.
"You don't get it? He is running about, shouting his new class, full of energy. He gets angry when we don't believe him. Shouts and yells at us. He is acting like a kid again."
"Oh. Oh! Hahaha. I get it now. You're right. It must be true, Richard."
Reiss's expression was twitching. He groaned loudly through his teeth. Barely suppressing incredible frustration.
"I have a skill; [Origin Point]. I think it has to do with time. I can go back in time!"
He threw his hands up, exclaiming. A few pedestrians near the outer gate turned his way with furrowed brows.
"Stop that yelling. It is hard enough to enjoy my day without your racket."
"As if a [Florist] can go back in time."
"Can you go back and prevent your own birth?"
That last comment was just hurtful and mean. It came from a man younger than Reiss, just out of his teens. It was unclear if his comment was meant as an insult or a genuine question. Reiss ignored the insults but lowered his voice nonetheless.
"I told you... My skill is [Origin Point]. I can go back in time to a specific place. I assume I get other stuff as I level in the class."
Richard nudged Leo's arm.
"Then why don't you demonstrate for us."
"Fine. I will!"
With a huff, Reiss turned his attention to skill, activating it.
[Origin Point]
[Origin Set: Plains of Jeralt]
[Connection Established.]
[Uses Left: 364]
[Confirmation Required]
[Yes] - [No]
"Yes!"
Reiss spoke aloud for emphasis and to inform the others of his prompt.
[Request Denied]
"Request Denied? Why?"
[Unmet Conditions]
"What conditions?"
Reiss asked warily. The small gathering of Jillt residents was eyeing him.
[First Use Conditions: Death]
"Death?"
Both Leo and Richard jumped upon Reiss' surprised shout. They aimed a pair of matching spears towards Reiss's chest.
"Hold! You will not be spouting death threats here. Not in public."
"Especially not to us."
"What? No, no, that isn't what I meant."
"No use lying; we all heard you. We have witnesses and proper cause to arrest you."
"Come quietly, or we will be forced to use... uh, force."
It took immense willpower for Reiss to maintain his composure.
Idiots! They were the ones who asked. They know I was interfacing with the system. I even asked my questions out loud for their benefit. They can't arrest me for that!
"You-"
"He's resisting! Attack!"
"What? No- Agh!"
=
Reiss was battered and bruised but mostly undamaged. Richard and Leo tackled him rather than skewer him.
Thank the Stars for that!
No, Reiss was just being dragged in handcuffs toward the town square where he would be put into the pillory and then, ceremoniously, pelted with rotten vegetables.
"I told you. The system says the requirement is death."
Reiss spoke through a swollen lip, making him slur the words. Leo watched Reiss' unattractive form being pulled by Richard, living up to his class.
"You're still spouting nonsense—enough lying. You are already in trouble for threatening members of the Watch. If you continue, your punishment will be worse. You will be excommun... excommunini... excommunikat...
"You will be exiled."
"Yes, that!"
"I-"
Richard interrupted Reiss's rebuttal.
"It's not like the town particularly needs a [Florist]. You aren't even a high level. You are a drain on our resources. How often do we have to protect you from the weakest of monsters and give you handouts? Jeralt would do fine without you."
There was silence for a moment, discounting the rattle of metal.
Reiss sucked on his tongue and spat a globule of saliva mixed with blood. He wasn't brave enough to spit on Richard's boot, but the proximity was enough.
A gauntleted fist crashed into Reiss's head. A white fog suffused his vision, and his ears rang.
When lucid thoughts returned, it was amplified with a wet slap, courtesy of a soggy tomato.
"Ow."
The moan was low and drawn out.
=
Richard stood ramrod straight as Leo reported to Captain Worth. Leo retold the events that led to them apprehending the individual who now spent his time being pelted by produce. A gaggle of children mixed in pebbles with the vegetables, thinking they could get away with it.
"Correct me if I am wrong—and I very much doubt I am—you decided it was a goodidea to assault and then apprehend a law-abiding citizen of Jeralt... for talking to you."
"He threatened us."
"You attacked him after you inquired about his new class–
"Which he doesn't have."
Captain Worth's eye twitched.
"–As he was explaining his supposed skill, talking aloud to the system for yourbenefit."
Worth punched a thick finger into Leo's chest for further emphasis.
"In which there is a condition-"
"A supposed condition-"
Worth roared in Leo's face.
"Interrupt me again, Watchman, and you will be the one in that pillory being pelted by rocks!"
Leo's mouth clamped shut. Richard's back was straighter than a flag pole as sweat dripped down his forehead. Worth looked between the two menacingly.
"As I was saying. The condition of his skill seems to be death."
Worth growled, then became increasingly more animated as he talked.
"And you two idiots wanted him to demonstrate. You then attacked Reiss when he "threatened" you. Which was, in reality, his exclamation of surprise and his answer to your previous question. Reiss then "resisted". Whereupon you beat him to a bloody pulp, put him in chains, knocked him unconscious, and placed him in the pillory instead of bringing him to me for judgment."
Worth's furious voice crescendoed. Then all too quickly, it turned pleasant.
"Am I getting that right, Watchmen?"
Richard didn't dare respond. Leo wasn't the smartest cherry.
"Yes."
*WHACK*
=
Leo blinked his eyes groggily.
Had he been drinking? He usually wasn't such an avid day drinker. They must have been celebrating because his noggin was pounding.
*Splat*
"Oof."
A slimy, wet puss of a tomato slid down Leo's face. Recognition came to him a little late.
"Oh..."
Leo slumped in the pillory.
"Not again."
=
Reiss had mixed feelings about seeing Leo in the pillory. It felt good that he didn't go unpunished. But... Leo wasn't a terrible person. He just wasn't the brightest.
Richard though...
Reiss glared at Richard. He had the dignity to wince. Richard deserved punishment more. Richard knew what he was doing and was the one to egg Leo on. Letting him take the fall.
"On behalf of the Watch, I apologize. You have been mistreated and deserve better. My condolences on your class."
"Oh, thank you, Captain Worth."
Reiss rubbed his hands and neck. Despite all that happened, Reiss was still dejected. Mainly because he now realized how useless his class was.
To level up in a class, you must practice it. A [Warrior] gains experience when fighting. As he survives battles, he will level up and gain new skills like [Quick Thrust] or [Shield Bash] to aid him in the future.
A [Baker] will learn new recipes and increasingly create more tasty dishes. They would gain skills like [Oven Control] or [Fast Kneading].
But as a new [Regressor], Reiss was unable to advance in his class since he was unable to travel back in time. With his one skill locked until his ultimate death, he would never level.
Thus, he now had a useless class. It was common knowledge that the more classes one had, the less strong they could become in each. Other than the rare cases where two classes merge, like a hypothetical [Warrior Baker]. Or the most common case, [Spell Sword], which was a combination of a type of [Warrior] and a [Mage] class.
There were dozens of combinations of classes that synergized. The problem was that most people kept their classes secret. The high-level ones especially. Those that chose to share how they merged two classes are rarer than a Phoenix egg.
Reiss was never going to be the world's best florist. But now, he wouldn't even be a halfway decent one. If he decided to accept another class, like [Lumberjack], he would be next to useless.
Back in the present, Worth and Reiss shook hands.
"Maybe, you'll find out what the class does one day. Hopefully not too soon, though. We still need our resident [Florist]."
Worth chuckled kindly. Reiss smiled back. Worth was one of the few people who actually cared.
"You're too nice. I know you could all do without me. I am just glad someone believes me."
"So, it is true that someone has gained a brand new class?
A crowd had formed in the square, comprised of bored townsfolk looking for some gossip. Out from the back walked a wizened and gentry man wearing garish garments.
"[Mayor]?"
Reiss posed the question. It wasn't odd to see the [Mayor] out in public. It was a relatively small place where most knew each other or knew everyone's faces.
Captain Worth turned and gave a salute.
"Ah. Captain Worth, just who I wanted to talk to. I heard that there was a young man with a brand new class. Something called a [Regressor]. Is this true?"
"Yes, Mayor Reed, our local [Florist] received the class early this morning. There was a mishap with a few of my Watchmen, but it is all sorted out now."
Mayor Reed's head swiveled to Leo, who was just hit by a soiled piece of cabbage. Leo seemed used to it and was even trying to catch some of the food in his mouth. Reiss blanched at the action. That food shouldn't be edible.
The [Mayor]'s reaction was slightly different.
"Leo. That is the third time this month. How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from the rum?"
Leo failed to catch a carrot that almost speared his eye.
"Ow. Mayor Reed. It, ow, wasn't the drink this time. I messed up."
The [Mayor] gave Leo a pitying look as the guard-turned-prisoner attempted to lick up a discolored liquid running down off the tip of his nose. It was all fun and games for Leo, no matter what.
"Captain Worth, what did he do this time?"
"He attacked and falsely apprehended a civilian, sir."
"Honestly? Leo? What would cause him to do such a thing?"
"Sir, I believe he fell in line with his fellow Watchman, Richard."
Everyone turned as Richard paled at the attention
"Is that so? Well, why isn't he the one in the pillory?"
"We only have one, sir, and Leo gave the report, so he still holds responsibility."
"Fair enough. However, Richard shouldn't go unpunished. We will find a suitable punishment later. For now, I wanted to hear about our new [Regressor]."
The crowd's gaze shifted again, aiming at the constantly shifting Reiss. His face remained bruised; clean, but discolored by vegetable juices. Mayor Reed wrinkled his nose for a moment, noticing him for the first time. Then, the pieces clicked together, and the [Mayor]'s expression turned to one of understanding and mild regret.
"Ah, you're the [Florist]. I am truly sorry that you received such rough treatment."
Reiss rubbed the back of his head.
"I am alright now, [Mayor]. You said you wanted to speak with me?"
"Yes, yes. Is it true you gained a brand new class?"
"It did. It is called [Regressor].
"Remarkable! And what does it do exactly?"
Reiss fidgeted a bit while trying not to glance towards Richard. The last time he told this story, he was beaten. The [Mayor] was a different story, though. The [Watch Captain] is here as well. Reiss took a deep breath.
"I get the sense that I can travel back in time. Sir."
The [Mayor] looked astonished. As did the crowd who began whispering, wondering if it was true.
"Simply extraordinary. Is it related in any way to your [Florist] class? How did you obtain it?"
"I, uh, I don't think it is related to my main class. I also don't really recall what happened right before I gained it.
Reiss rubbed his temple. It was difficult to recall. He remembered being incredibly cold. And... children laughing?
"I... I know I was out picking flowers for the wedding in Thorsten. Then I woke up under a tree. Except my bouquet was already finished."
"Then, does that mean you actually went forward in time?"
There was a susurration from the crowd. Even the [Watch Captain] looked interested.
"Maybe. It hurts to remember. I just know I woke up with the class. I gained a Skill, [Origin Point]. I think it lets me return to the past, in that field."
The [Mayor]'s mouth was an O. He seemed flummoxed, excited, worried, and filled with childish fascination.
"Then, could you demonstrate for us? If you go back, will we all remember? Will you be able to avoid being arrested? If you do go back, you must come and see me. Oh, but how would I believe you? I would just ask for another demonstration."
Reiss held up his hands before Mayor Reed jumped too far ahead.
"I'm sorry, sir, but that is the reason why I ended up in the pillory."
A confused look crossed the [Mayor]'s face. Reiss hastened to set things straight.
"I can't prove it because I can't use my skill. If I can't use my skill, I can't level up. I won't ever be able to level in the class and won't be able to go back in time. Not until I meet the condition first..."
A pause.
"...Go on."
A deep breath.
"I have to die."
The mayor smiled brightly.
"Oh, is that all?"