Prologue
Thinking back, I missed much of my childhood, huh.
Born to an average farr's family, the sleepy village we called ho was as ordinary and predictable as you'd expect. "Which villager had an argunt with his wife last week?" or "So and so's donkey ran off? Well, I never liked that fella in the first place." That was my understanding of excitent at the ti. Our village stood at the edge of a kingdom in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, so we weren't what you would call 'worldly' people.
Despite all this, we were happy there, satisfied.
Well, when I say 'we', I really an my parents. I -I never really felt satisfied. I don't know why, but even if I think as far back as my first mory, I can't rember feeling that it was ever... enough. Yes, that's the word. Enough. Maybe that's the reason why everything went wrong, maybe that behaviour fed the attribute that would throw off of my calculated path. Or maybe my affinity caused that behaviour.
Welp, Chicken or egg, and all that.
If there's anything good that ca out off this all, it's that I learned.
Thanks to nothing going as I predicted, as I planned, I learned to be free.
"..."
What do you an 'It was all luck'?!
Listen, everything I received, I received due to luck. But everything I beca, I beca because of myself. My skill, my effort, my accomplishnts.
Why don't I tell you the story. Let's start at the beginning. This might take a while, but that shouldn't be a problem, right?
We've got nothing but ti, after all.
It all began one auspicious autumn morning, in a sleepy village on the border of a small kingdom.
In a tiny cot, a woman was giving birth. As a little angelic baby was born and it gave its first cry, the heavens opened up.
And by that I an it started raining. A lot.
I don't rember much from my ti as a baby. I know, unbelievable. How could I neglect such precious mories? So much character developnt, all gone, forgotten!
What I do rember, was the first ti I t my uncle. He worked as a royal guard in the palace of the royal family. He visited our little hamlet during one of his few vacations.
I think I was five-ish when he walked through our small wooden door?
My stats were as pathetic as any five year-old's stats.
Na: Arthur Titles None Class: None Strength 4 Constitution 5 Dexterity 3 Intelligence 4 Wisdom 3 Affinity 15
10 was the average of a statistic for an adult, with the exception of Affinity, which depends on the circumstances, really. At birth, people are randomly assigned one or multiple affinities, sotis none. Affinities are finicky elental predispositions which fluctuate depending on certain emotions and behaviours which emulate that elent.
Anyway, back to my uncle.
Golden armour, a sword embedded with jewels of many colours, and a red tabard covering his upper body. To put the proverbial cherry on the cake, he had a big, blue [Title] above his head. '[Royal saviour]', it said. I didn't really know what that ant at the ti, but just the impression his strength left in was enough to wake up.
Or rather, sothing within awoke.
After a late night dinner my parents prepared for our guest, and after a slew of infantile questions I had to ask him as if my life depended on it, the trio asked to head to my room.
Trading a eting with -in my eyes- a legendary warrior for my small wooden alcove decorated with a small wooden fra covered in furs was not a deal I would usually have accepted, no matter the consequences.
Sothing, though... there was sothing in the air. Tension, I think. That alerted enough to leave them to their business.
For two or so hours, I could hear an argunt rage on in our agre living room. Shouting, slamming on the table and throwing objects we could ill afford to lose, convinced my parents were serious this ti. More serious than I had ever seen them before anyway.
After a while longer, it died down. I heard my mom crying, my dad comforting her, and my uncle awkwardly apologising.
I heard footsteps approaching my room. My door swung open and revealed my uncle. I didn't know what to think anymore at this point. Was this man soone to be admired? Envied? Avoided, hated?
He crouched down and put a hand on my shoulder. With his remaining hand he reached for his pouch, detached it, and held it out for to grab.
"Take this, nephew. I received this as a gift for saving the king's life. It's a very valuable object, called an [Affinity class jewel]. Keep it safe, and don't tell anybody you have this. If you manage to keep it, it will help you achieve a better class when you awaken as an 18 year old."
Awestruck, I held out my hand to receive the pouch. I opened the strap a little, and peeked inside to see what this treasure looked like. A dull grey stone peered back at , seemingly staring into , as if it was a reflective surface.
I closed the pouch and looked my uncle in the eyes, trembling slightly.
"Why did you argue with mom and d-dad?"
My uncle humd a little, a corner of his mouth lifting, before his gaze turned serious.
"This stone will help you beco strong, kid. But becoming strong isn't always a blessing, especially if you aren't strong enough to stand on your own. Listen to , nephew. If you rember one piece of advice I ever give you, then rember this. If you intend to use this stone, make sure you are prepared for the worst. Practice and raise your stats as high as they can go. If you don't, you will just beco a diocre fighter, an easy target for the truly powerful."
"Can I beco a royal guard like you?"
"Maybe. You would probably best focus on your physical stats, then."
"Alright! I can do that! I'll run every day! And I'll lift heavy things and climb mountains and..."
"Alright, alright. I see that you have motivation. Don't waste your gift, Arthur, but don't forget about being a kid either."
Convinced of my path, I beca determined. The planning phase had comnced.
Several years later.
Na: Arthur Titles None Class: None Strength 13 Constitution 16 Dexterity 13 Intelligence 11 Wisdom 8 Affinity 56
All of my stats had grown in the past few years. My age still limited , but compared to most adults with common classes, I was already exceptional. That is, if you don't count their classes of course. All classes award stat points, sotis free stat points, which you could allocate as you wished.
My affinity in particular had risen a lot. I didn't understand how, at that point.
"Art! Get inside! A storm is brewing!"
"Coming mom! I've just got a little ways more to go before I finish my run."
"Now, young man!"
"Just a second, mom, give just one-no, two minutes!"
"Arthur! If you don't get inside right this mont, I'll lock the door and leave you outside to finish your run in the downpour! Then you'll learn your lesson properly for once!"
"Alright, alright! I'm here, I'm here."
I ducked under the small wooden entrance that I had outgrown when I was around 12 and sat down at our small table. My mom went back and forth, filling bowls with stew for the family.
"I swear to Helios, ever since you got it into your head to beco a royal guard, you haven't done anything but train. You don't help out on the farm unless it involves heavy lifting, you don't talk to the other village boys and you completely ignore the neighbour's daughter! Can't you just be happy here, in the village? Can't you just stay ho? Sotis you have to forget about your dreams to beco happy, Arthur."
I looked down and played with my food to avoid answering her. In my heart, I knew I would never be happy in the village. The void that giving up my pursuit would cause left with a creeping fear. I wanted this.
"Your father and had dreams too, Arthur. We wanted to open a bakery in town, like your grandfather used to have, before the dungeon break. You never got to et your grandfather, but he would have loved you. And you him. Helios knows, your father sure did. Even now he still thinks of it sotis. But that's just not going to happen anymore. We have to be satisfied with this now. As long as we have each other, nothing else matters."
"... Are you happy like this mom? Satisfied, I an? I think that if you keep reaching for your dreams, you'll achieve them soday. That's what the system is for, isn't it? You always told that as a kid. Don't give up now."
Several more years later.
Na: Arthur Titles None Class: None Strength 22 Constitution 23 Dexterity 20 Intelligence 13 Wisdom 10 Affinity 100
After all this ti, I had finally achieved the first step of my grand plan to power. All physical stats at 20, practically unheard of for soone unawakened. The affinity stat at 100 before awakening. Sothing most people wouldn't even dare imagine.
"Arthur, will you deliver this tray of apple tart to the Lombards in the crafters district please? I'm still busy finishing this morning's batch and your dad has to stay in the bakery."
"Mom! Today is my awakening ceremony, I don't have ti!"
"Now, now. The ceremony keeps going the whole day, you have ti to help out your parents for once. We've let you keep up that silly training until now, help out just once. Starting tomorrow, you can actually start learning baking from us, so that you can take over eventually. We're not getting any younger."
I stayed quiet this ti, and grabbed the tray, running off to deliver it. I didn't want to confront the fact that tomorrow, I would probably not be here anymore, instead heading over to the academy in the capital, with a strong class, in hopes of getting accepted. I think we both understood that. Maybe she wanted to pretend, for one more day. Out of guilt, I played along.
Several hours later.
"Sir! Sir, I still need my awakening!"
"Well, you're just in ti boy. I was just about to close up shop."
My mother ended up keeping busy the entire day, only letting go as the sun was setting. I ran for my life, and caught the royal appraiser right as he was about to leave. He led inside a small, humble room inside of the local lord's bastion. In the middle of the cobbled room lay a glowing orb on a table.
"Just approach the awakening orb and touch it, young man. I will remain here for your safety. Feel free to ask any questions about your class when you receive it. Good luck."
Not wanting to wait any longer, Arthur practically threw himself at the orb.
He opened his pouch and touched his affinity jewel with one hand, while reaching out with his other hand to touch the awakening orb.
Ding! Awakening stone detected! Host 18 years of age: Affirmative.
Ding! [Affinity class jewel] detected. Effect of [Affinity] stat on class assignnt tripled. 100 x 3= 300.
Undergoing awakening.....standout factors detected....strength: HIGH....constitution: VERY HIGH....dexterity: HIGH....Affinity: IMNSE....Affinity elent: Darkness elent....
Assigning class....[SkeERROR, cannot assign undead class to living entity....Reassigning class....[KnigERROR, cannot ignore affinity stat due to [Affinity class jewel]....Searching for solution....Found available classes: 1. ERROR, cannot assign tier 4 class as starting class....Adjusting class for tier 1....
Assigning class....[Death Knight].
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