Archer – A basic starting class. Focused on ranged combat, using primarily a bow and arrow, with light options for close combat, such as short swords and daggers. The class is fast and flexible, prioritizing agility over strength. Stat bonuses per level: +2 Per, +1 Agi, +1 End, +1 Str, +1 Free Point.
Well, here we are. No big surprises, this seemed like the most appealing choice. Disregarding the light options for close combat, if I had to fight in any way, which I strongly suspected I would, I would definitely prefer to fight with a bow.
"Hey, can you tell me more about these classes? Any advice or tips?" I asked, hopeful.
"Your path is for you to discover. Now choose a class before we proceed," the thing responded, leaving little room for further discussion.
Realizing it was better to choose the class I had already planned on, I opted for the Archer class.
You have chosen the Archer class. Confirm?
Seems like even the most powerful system has its own safety warnings, I thought as I confirmed my choice.
"You have obtained the Archer class."
As soon as these words appeared before my eyes, I felt a strange tingling in my head, something neither unpleasant nor comfortable. At the same time, a few items appeared on the table in front of me. Before I could take a closer look, a new series of system messages appeared:
"Skill acquired": [Basic Archery (Inferior)] – A bow in the hand and an arrow in the heart of the enemy is an archer's best friend. Unlocks basic proficiency with bows, crossbows, and adds a small bonus to agility and strength effects when using a ranged weapon.
"Skill acquired": [Basic One-Handed Weapon (Inferior)] – The Archer may not be a master of close combat, but is far from defenseless. Unlocks basic proficiency with most one-handed weapons and adds a small bonus to agility and strength effects when using a suitable melee weapon.
"Skill acquired": [Archer's Eye (Common)] – The Archer's eyes are trained to track and detect the weakness of their enemies. Allows the archer to locate their prey more easily. Passively gives a small increase to the effect of Perception in the visual organs.
Reading the three messages, my suspicions that this new system was extremely similar to video games, or perhaps tabletop RPGs, were once again confirmed. All three seemed pretty basic, especially the two with "basic" in their names. Both were "inferior" in what I assumed was their ranking. The last one seemed a little more interesting, being less common and even considered a common rarity skill.
Also, I instinctively knew how Archer's Eye worked. I tried to focus, and suddenly, I felt my vision become much clearer than before. It was like my vision went from low quality to Full HD in about 5 seconds as I concentrated. I looked around, amazed at how distinct everything seemed. When I deactivated the skill, my vision returned to normal, and when I checked my resources, I noticed my stamina had dropped from 70 to 68, while mana and health remained at full.
I closed the window and looked at the items on the table. Then, I looked at the thing sitting there, motionless, and asked, "I assume these things are for me?"
"Yes," it replied. "They are basic starting equipment, based on your initial class. Now, for the final step of the introduction. Some necessities are given to all new initiates of the system."
And as soon as it finished speaking, a screen appeared before me again.
"Skill acquired": [Identify (Inferior)] – A basic identification skill, known to everyone except the youngest children of the myriad races. The skill allows you to attempt to identify any object or creature you are focusing on.
A skill that could finally give me some information, perhaps? Something I felt I really needed. But as the messages kept popping up during this introduction, more questions arose, and few, if any, answers appeared.
"The time allocated for the introduction is coming to an end in 10 minutes, and you will be transported to the tutorial. It is recommended to acquire the given equipment before the introduction ends, or the items will be lost," said the thing, making me panic slightly as I stood up to grab the items on the table.
The items included a bow and a quiver, a brown cloak, a knife, and a small pouch attached to a belt. They all looked quite medieval. The bow was made of wood, in contrast to the modern compound bows I was used to, usually made of aluminum and other composite materials. The string seemed to be made of silk, perhaps, and I was a bit uncertain about that.
The cloak was made of a very rough material, reminding me of burlap, but it seemed durable. The quiver was made of wood, with leather wrapped around it and a leather strap to wear it on the back.
The knife was as simple as it seemed: a steel blade attached to a wooden handle. The quality of all the items seemed very good, in my opinion. Last but not least, I looked at the small pouch, and when I opened it, I found a few small bottles.
As I wondered what they were, I almost slapped myself on the head, remembering my identification skill. I focused on one of the bottles containing a red-tinted liquid, and after 3-4 seconds, a new screen appeared:
[Health Potion (Inferior)] – Restores health when consumed.
What I expected? As simple as it seemed. I used Identify on the other items in the pouch, one by one, and found a total of 3 health potions and 3 resistance potions, which did exactly the same thing as the health potions but for resistance. I closed the pouch and moved on to the other items. The bow, the knife, and the cloak didn't give much information, only telling me that the wooden bow was a wooden bow and that the brown cloak was a brown cloak. With little hope, I inspected the quiver and was pleasantly surprised:
[Enchanted Quiver (Common)] – A quiver enchanted with the ability to conjure common-rarity arrows when infused with mana.
This definitely seems useful, I thought. As I finished the inspection, I was gently reminded that time was running out.
"Two minutes remaining until the tutorial begins."
I hurried, putting the cloak over my head and starting to fasten the belt with the pouch, throwing the quiver over my shoulder. Fortunately, it already had dozens of arrows. The belt also had a small sheath, in which I placed the knife and fastened the small leather buckle to keep it in place. Finally, I took the bow in my hands but didn't find an obvious place to attach it to myself. After thinking for a moment, I placed it over my shoulder and prepared for whatever was coming.
"Ten seconds remaining until the tutorial begins," the humanoid thing reminded me.
"It was nice meeting you, I guess, whatever you are," I said, waving in farewell. I was a little scared, but more than that, a small sense of excitement was building up in my stomach.
"Introduction sequence completed. Transporting to the tutorial…"
...
1220 Words