Vatel sat over a pile of dead wolves, looking at his overview. He managed to find an old greatsword just lying on the ground with a blood trail nearby. As he looked at his screen, he saw the following:
[Vatel Kagehara (Unknown Clan)]
[Level 9]
[Health: 235]
[Mana: 180]
[Magic: Shadow Magic]
[Passives: Adaptive Nuisance (Clan Exclusive, Unawakened), the user's defense stat increases by 1 for every minute the fight goes on. The more damage the user sustains increases the stat by one or decreases the time by 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, if the user sustains rapid continuous damage; defense is increased by 3 and if damage continues then the time is decreased to every 10 seconds. Curses, disease, and poison bypass this. These stats are temporary, capping at 35 defense and lasting 20 seconds.]
[Abnormal Strength: Due to the user's strength, weapons that aren't grade S or higher break upon swinging. However, they do 4x their original damage. Grade S weapons or higher last one more swing depending on the grade. For example, Grade S weapons last 2 swings, Grade SS last 3, etc.]
[Loved by The Pure Ones (Clan Exclusive): The user is loved by Pure Gods and Spirits alike. Requirements for Pure or Good classes are halved, however, the user cannot go any Chaotic or Evil classes.]
[Beginner Hunter: Due to this user being able to hunt wild animals with relative ease, they can move through forests, woods, or any dense area with foliage with relative ease.]
[Knowledge of Land (Developer Exclusive): Due to this user having worked on the map, all map locations aren't hidden. I.e towns, cities, villages, etc.]
"My strength stat is only 16... Even other creatures that I've watched fight with like 28 strength don't have their weapons break instantly. It's not a clan exclusive either. Now that I think about it, why is my last name in the game?" Vatel swiped away the screen and opened up the map.
"Alright let's see here..."
He saw 4 classes nearby: Assassin, Berserker, Wizard, and Serpent Caller.
"Think I might go both Assassin and Berserker, that seems like a funny duo," Vatel said, heading to the Berserker class first.
As he walked, he entered a clearing. There were bones scattered around the area. Dead leaves littered the ground and there were shards of shattered weapons everywhere.
Vatel began to hear animalistic growling. A pack of wolves began to surround him, "Shit... I've only got one swing on this thing." Vatel said, referencing his greatsword.
"Down, mutts." A deep, commanding voice called out. The wolves immediately whimpered and crouched down as a man landed from a tree. He stood at 6'7, having a steel greatsword on his back. He had black hair that reached his shoulders, part of it covering his face. Like he was homeless or living off the land stranded on an island. His body looked like it was chiseled by only the angels above. He had a few scars, one on his chest, one on his cheek, and one going from the left side of his waist to his upper torso on the same side. He wore an animal pelt around his waist, black messy pants, and no shoes. He had fair skin.
"Name yourself, warrior." The man gave Vatel a once over, nodding in approval. "Amazing, absolutely beautiful."
"My name is Vatel, and you?" The two dapped each other up, the sound reverberating through the forest.
"Gars, Lord of Beasts." The two held the handshake, their muscles and veins pulsating with the beauty of a dedicated lifter.
"Teach me the way of the Berserker," Vatel said, staring into Gars' yellow eyes.
"You wish to put your strength to good use huh? Strength without rage is simply just a show of muscles, but with rage, you can lose yourself." Gars spoke with a sense of wisdom despite his appearance.
"Who knew a man like you could speak with such clarity." Vatel chuckled as Gars slapped his chest. "Alright. I know you're strong, but how do you handle a sword? Got any finesse?"
Vatel sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, any weapon I use breaks in one swing."
"Ahh. Is that so?" Gars rubbed his chin as he contemplated the matter.
"Okay, then I can't help you with any sword stuff, all I can tell you is this. I'm going to have you form a pact with The Beast Mother. That will officially mark you as a Berserker. You will follow instincts rather than logic. There will be no fancy moves you will pull or can pull, not yet at least. Most importantly, in any dire situation, life or death, your rage will take priority, and you must not run until your opponent is dead. This is the way of the Berserker. Do you accept it?" Gars said, crossing his arms as he gave Shadow another chance to turn back.
[Do you accept? Doing so will transport you to the Den.]
Vatel accepted, everything going black for him. When he awoke, he stood in a large open cave. The stalactites dripped with a black liquid that formed tiny puddles on the ground.
"Good luck." Gars spoke from behind him, only being a ghostly figure. "I can only link myself here mentally, you're here physically. Whether the Beast Mother decides to make you one of her pack is up to her." Gars said as he faded away.
Vatel began to walk forward, every step he took only added weight to him. It felt oppressive, almost crushing. His steps became less and less distant, the darkness around him seeming to encompass him. He couldn't see. He continued to just blindly walk, hoping to feel something.
[WARNING: HOSTILE CREATURES IN THE AREA.]
As the alert appeared on his face, he saw purple glowing eyes surrounding him, growls coming from them.
Vatel drew his greatsword but immediately heard a voice that paralyzed his body.
"Halt."
A pair of multiple, glowing purple eyes stared down at him as purple flames began to illuminate the area. It revealed they were indeed in a cave, with wolves coming out of small tunnels and standing on high-up ledges or platforms.
In front of him laid a wolf, its size was indiscernible, but as it glared at Vatel, he was no more than the size of its narrowed pupils.
"Why have you come here? Do you seek to become a child of The Hunt?" The voice asked, feminine and soothing, almost too soothing. Vatel felt the instinct to relax around it, sensing no hostility from it.
"That's right, child. Trust your instincts, and you shall follow the path of my kind. Do you wish to become one of us?" The Beast Mother asked, waiting for an answer.
Vatel nodded, "I do." He said, looking into those multitude of eyes.
"Hmm... I sense potential in you young one. You have the potential to hold a fragment of my vessel. Do you wish for me to bestow upon you a fragment of my form? This allows me to interact with your world in a way." The Beast Mother's offer seemed quite tempting.
"Is there a catch?" Vatel asked, the Beast Mother shaking her head in response. "No, child. I never engage in such trickery with my own children."
Vatel chuckled and nodded. "Sure then!"
The Beast Mother rose from the ground, opening her mouth wide open and consuming Vatel.
Vatel then woke up in the same forest; a deep purple spiraling mark on his left shoulder. It was quite small though.
Gars looked at Vatel with slight shock, "Well I'll be damned. Not only did you become a Berserker, but a Vessel as well? Interesting. You got a bright future ahead of ya kid." Gars said, walking off with his pack of wolves.
Vatel then felt a surge of knowledge flood his brain, but not at a rate that would overload it.
[Passives Gained, Vessel of The Dark Mother: You are able to summon the Beast Mother at will for a limited amount of time. If needed, you may also allow her to take control of your body.]
[Essence of Darkness: Due to being the vessel of the Beast Mother, your Shadow abilities have been enhanced.]
[Path of the Berserker: You have now chosen to be a Berserker. You now have access to the Rage skill and Undying Fury skill. You have also gained additional Shadow-related abilities. See the Skills tab for a more descriptive view.]
[Lust for pain: The more damage you take, the higher damage you deal. So long as you remain aggressive, this can stack up to a certain limit.]
[Instinctive Tendencies: You follow your instincts much better than a normal person. Inexperienced martial artists are at a disadvantage against you. You also have a higher chance of evading ranged attacks.]
[Brutality of The One: You are particularly brutal in your attacks. Your attacks are more than likely near-fatal, and deal extra damage.]
"Huh... That's nice to know." Vatel said, sighing. "Well, off to get that Assassin class." He said, walking away from the area.
"Ahh, so you wish to be both silent and violent? I'm curious to see how you will make that work, my child." The Beast Mother said, taking the form of a tiny black wolf on his shoulder.
"Well, I believe I can make it work. Wouldn't be the first time I tried something outside the box." Vatel said, humming quietly to himself.
"You seek to walk opposite paths. You're quite an interesting child. By the way, you may refer to me as Retina." Retina said, resting on his shoulder.
As Vatel walked for a while, he eventually left the forest and stood outside a small cabin in a plains field. He could see the distant city of New York not too far from him.
He knocked on the door, and a short woman with icy blue hair, brown skin, and blue eyes answered. She was in typical clothing of an... Assassin.
"You need services or something?" She asked, raising a brow.
"No... I want to walk the path of an assassin." Vatel said, causing her to grin.
"Ahh! Wanna walk the path of a good ol' human hunter eh?" Her eyes lit up, nudging him with her elbow. "Very well, I'll teach you. It'll cost ya some coin though, I don't do my services for free."
"Greedy to the bone, huh? Reminds me of someone." Vatel mumbled, reaching into his pockets.
"I ain't greedy! This is a living!" She yelled, sounding almost like a little girl.
"How much?" He asked.
"40 silver." She extended her hand, Vatel looking shocked.
Reluctantly, he tearfully handed over all of his money, which was exactly 40.
"Now, let's begin, hm?"