Everything happened without warning. One mont I was standing, and the next this terrible pain threatened to wrench my soul apart. I turned over on the ground and clawed my fingers against the stone as the pain tore at from the inside out, like sothing was being stitched into the fabric of what I was and my body wanted no part of it.
"Hey! Kid, are you okay? What’s wrong?!"
I heard Archer’s voice, but it kept drifting further and further until I couldn’t hear it anymore.
I saw white as another wave of pain crested... then the next thing I knew, I saw nothing at all and wasn’t aware of myself anymore.
***
My eyes slowly fluttered open. The first thing that greeted was the grey sky above us. It had been night the last ti I rembered seeing it, and now it was bright, though the sun, like many other days, had decided to take a rain check on this one.
I exhaled slowly, still feeling the aftermath of whatever had torn my soul apart and pieced it back together. The spiritual agony had faded, but it had left a physical echo that washed over every inch of my body.
It felt like being burned from head to toe while soone poured hot wax directly into my muscles. Every small movent sent a fresh ripple of soreness through .
The torrent of notifications poured into both my vision and my ears as my awareness returned.
[The Class: Tyrant’s Gaze has been successfully integrated into your soul]
[You have gained an Awakened Class Skill]
’Ah, I guess the reason there were so many ssages the last ti was because I evolved to a new rank.’
In the academy, what we were taught was that in order to ascend stages, we needed to gather Definition Essence.
But it seed that since I’d awakened as a Transcendent Mundane, I had maxed out my stage and instead could use this sa thod to evolve my Class through its ranks, not stages.
However... I could also evolve other classes that I take from people through stages...
’I wonder if I can also evolve them through ranks...’
I’d have to evolve one of them to the Transcendent Stage first to find out.
’Status.’
AXIOM STATUS
[Na: Axel Rubravis]
[Main Class: Hollow]
[Sub-Class: Weapon Novice], [Tyrant’s Gaze]
[Rank: Novice]
[Stage: Transcendent]
[Attributes]: [Strength: 65], [Agility: 55], [Vitality: 55], [Spirit: 55], [Perception: 50].
[Definition Essence: 26,793/50,000]
[Class Trait]: [Absence], [Stability]
[Sub-Class Skills]
[Weapon Novice: Appraisal (Awakened)]
[Tyrant’s Gaze: Commanding Glare (Awakened)]
[You cannot receive any new Class until you evolve your Class rank]
[There will be consequences for not evolving after a long period of ti]
[There will be consequences for gaining a Definition from lower rank Defined]
I stared at the Essence number.
Twenty-six thousand...
’Unbelievable indeed...’
I inhaled slowly, forcing myself not to get overwheld, and quickly checked what this new Class was about.
CLASS PROFILE
[Class Na: Tyrant’s Gaze
Rank: Adept
Stage: Awakened
Category: Combat
Primary Attribute: Perception.
Core Authority: Sovereign Eye
Class Description: Born to those whose will is so absolute it bleeds through their eyes. The Axiom shaped their soul into a weapon that doesn’t need hands — only line of sight and the arrogance to look soone in the eye and say "kneel."]
[Class Skills Description]
[Awakened Skill — Commanding Glare: Sustained eye contact allows you to issue a single short command that the target’s body obeys involuntarily — a flinch, a stumble, a montary freeze. The effect lasts only 1–2 seconds. Requires unbroken direct eye contact and conscious focus. Costs moderate spiritual stamina per use. Targets with higher Perception or Spirit can resist.]
[Essence required to reach Established: 10,000]
’Oh? Sub classes have a whole profile of their own!’
I had been too busy fighting for my life to check the one for Weapon Novice. Before I stood up and had to deal with everything waiting for , I checked it too.
CLASS PROFILE
[Class Na: Weapon Novice
Rank: Novice
Stage: Awakened
Category: Combat
Primary Attribute: Perception (Sense) — with secondary lean toward Strength/Agility
Core Authority: Weapon Comprehension
Class Description: Born from the Axiom’s answer to those who lack a singular gift but possess an insatiable hunger to master the tools of war. Where other Classes define what you fight with, this one defines how fast you learn to kill with anything you touch.]
[Class Skills Description]
[Awakened Skill — Appraisal: Upon gripping any weapon, the user’s body reads it through contact — weight, balance, optimal grip, design intent, structural flaws, fighting style it was forged for.]
[Essence required to reach Established: 5,000]
I stayed for a mont, studying the lineup staring in the face. There was new information on the sub class profiles that my own Class didn’t even have. Core Authority, Essence thresholds with all other detailed descriptions.
That baffled , but there was nothing I could imdiately do about it. I also couldn’t exactly go around asking questions, not without drawing the kind of attention I needed to avoid.
I sighed and turned my focus back to what mattered, still lying on the ground.
Twenty-six thousand points. According to what we’d been taught, that was more than enough for an Awakened Novice to beco an Ascended Novice, and it would still leave roughly five thousand to spare.
I looked at the bottom of each Class profile again, then back to my Essence total, then to my attributes.
’I need to think about my imdiate situation... the mont I get up, Archer is going to be insistent on taking to the governnt.’
From everything I’d seen, he was the model Enforcer. Duty first, rules second, personal feelings a distant third. I didn’t want to have to kill him. He’d been a genuine help to and I wasn’t the type to forget that. But if it ca down to a choice between his sense of obligation and my survival, I couldn’t afford to hesitate.
I needed to find Ysor. That was the priority. Everything else was secondary.
My left eye throbbed, a deep and persistent ache that made wince even lying still. I didn’t dare try to open it.
’That bastard...’
Galahad was a foe I never imagined I could have defeated. If it wasn’t for Archer, I’m sure I would have died at his hand. Or maybe the reason I survived at all was simpler than that. Galahad just refused to kill because he wanted to make more money.
That possibility sat worse in my stomach than the alternative, because it ant the gap between us was even wider than I thought.
I pulled my attention back to the decision in front of . How to spend these Essence points before I stood up. Once I was on my feet, I wouldn’t have the luxury of laying here calculating.
’I want to take Weapon Novice to the Ascended stage and see what it can offer, but that’ll leave Tyrant’s Gaze lacking... at the sa ti, Tyrant’s Gaze the way it is right now is already plenty useful, and I have my own Class Traits to fall back on... I need to focus on my attributes and direct combat ability, and Weapon Novice is the class that helps in that regard. I’ll use Tyrant’s Gaze as support for now.’
The decision made tactical sense, but I was still dissatisfied. Tyrant’s Gaze was obviously a higher rank Class, an Adept compared to Weapon Novice’s Novice rank. Investing in the weaker class first felt counterintuitive. But I had to think about my combat style and the Essence costs, not just the prestige of ranks.
More importantly... I looked at my Axiom status again. In the Sub-Class slot, only Weapon Novice was listed. Tyrant’s Gaze sat outside it.
’Can I only use one Sub-Class at a ti?’
If that was the case, I’d have to swap Weapon Novice out to use Tyrant’s Gaze.
I focused on Commanding Glare, reaching for it the way you’d reach for a muscle you’d always had but never flexed. A strong sense of power gathered at my right eye, and imdiately I saw Tyrant’s Gaze drift into the Sub-Class slot while Weapon Novice drifted out.
’Turns out I’m right...’
That settled it. One Sub-Class active at a ti. I could work with that. Versatility through rotation, not stacking.
I made my decision.
[Are you sure you want to spend 5,000 Definition Essence to advance Weapon Novice (Awakened Novice) to Weapon Novice (Established Novice)?]
I thought about it for one more mont. The math was sound and the priority was clear.
’Yes.’
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