It has been two years since I began recovering memories of my previous life. Faces, names, and emotions are blurry, lost in the cold void of death. The only thing I brought back with me was the knowledge I gained before. It’s not an uncommon event in this new world, but I think I retained more than usual.

  “Though it’s not like those memories are very useful in this new life,” I think as I watch a young noble girl playing with her small flying pig.

  I was born the sixth child of a powerful noble family in the north of the continent. While in my previous life I studied engineering and barely left my room except to work, in this world I’ve been forced to practice with the sword daily and receive the education expected of a noble.

  “Are you nervous?” my older sister asks when she notices I’ve gone quiet.

  “A little.”

  “It’s a shame you didn’t overlap with Mina, especially since she turns ten in less than a month.”

  We stand in front of the cathedral of the holy city. Inside lies the celestial mineral, responsible for granting classes to non-magical beings. Around us are all the young nobles who have turned ten this year. Over the next week, commoner children from the region will come to receive their baptism.

  “I could’ve done the baptism at Kuna’s church. We didn’t need to come all the way here.”

  “Don’t say that. You know fragments give worse classes and talents. Besides, it would be embarrassing if a marquis’s son didn’t come to the holy city.”

  “You know there’s no proof of that.”

  “And it’s not like we can afford to waste money on pointless trips,” I mutter quietly so my sister won’t hear.

  “Attention!” A voice echoes with impossible force. “The cathedral doors are open. You may enter. No fighting or arguments will be tolerated. Everyone will have their turn.”

  “Go on, come back with a class that makes us proud,” my sister says as she sees me off.

  I can hear the tension beneath her smile. My family is going through a difficult time. The dungeons under our management are declining and falling into disuse, yet we’re still obligated to clear monsters to prevent overflows that could threaten villages and cities.

  If I don’t obtain a class useful for slaying monsters—and considering I’m the fifth son—there will be nothing I can contribute. My father isn’t cruel, but he is strict, and I know he will prioritize the family’s status over my personal well-being.

  I smile with confidence. There’s no way I won’t get a great class. My swordsmanship is good, and I’m smarter than most nobles my age.

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  I wait in line without speaking to anyone. There are so many people I don’t recognize anyone, and in any case, my closest friends aren’t at this baptism.

  “Do you think we’ll get any talents?” a short girl asks her companion.

  “Of course. I’ll get five,” replies the beast-boy walking beside her.

  His feline ears and tail catch my attention—rare in the north because of the cold. It’s curious that they need to awaken their class with the mineral just like humans.

  “In your dreams,” I mutter to myself.

  “Only the great King Julien has five talents on the entire continent. And a weakling like you won’t get even one.”

  A huge boy shoves past them, knocking the girl to the ground. Three others follow him, laughing.

  “Useless people like them wouldn’t get a talent even if their lives depended on it.”

  “Are you okay?” I ask the girl while helping her up. Her pink hair is typical of the eastern islands.

  She’s pretty, I can’t help but think when she smiles at me.

  “Thank you. My name is Remi.”

  “Nice to meet you. Termin,” I reply, feeling myself blush slightly.

  Her companion looks ready to chase after the brute, but Remi grabs his sleeve.

  “Let it go, Pau. It’s not worth it.”

  “When I get my class, I’ll teach that idiot a lesson.” He extends a hand to me with a wide grin. “Paulo—but everyone calls me Pau. And one day I’ll be the greatest swordsman on the continent.”

  “Haa…” Remi sighs, and I let out a small chuckle.

  “What are you laughing at? You’ll see when I get an amazing class,” he says, still in good humor.

  “I’m the duke’s son! You can’t do this to me! When my father hears about this, you’ll regret it!”

  Several priests escort the brute and his friends to the back of the line while he kicks and screams. Remi sticks out her tongue at him, and Pau laughs, making the boy even angrier.

  Slowly the line advances. The gigantic crystal gets closer. Every few moments it emits a bluish light, signaling another baptism. Those who finish either celebrate or lament as they leave, but they’re too far away to hear.

  I learn that Remi is the daughter of a wealthy merchant family from a coastal city, and Pau is the local baron’s son. Their families are friends, and they’re like siblings.

  I hope I get Shadow Swordsman, I think as the crystal looms near. Years ago, one came to the dungeons near my home, and he was incredibly strong.

  Only two people remain ahead of us, and conversation dies down as we approach. We can’t help but feel nervous knowing what happens next will define our lives.

  “Next.”

  I let Pau go first, then Remi. I hope they get good classes. Anticipation and fear swirl inside me.

  Finally, it’s my turn. My palms are sweaty, and I almost trip as I approach. I place my hand on the massive blue stone—the celestial mineral. It lights up like it has all day, and I feel something enter my body and flow through it.

  For a few seconds, time seems to stop.

  My heart pounds wildly in my chest.

  Swordsman, swordsman, swordsman, I chant inwardly with my eyes tightly shut while waiting for the mineral to decide my fate.

  “Blacksmith. Three talents,” the bishop beside me declares.

  My world tilts as a priestess guides me to the exit. Having three talents is excellent—only half of those baptized get one, and very few get two. On the entire continent, only ten people have more than three talents.

  But three talents mean nothing if my class is Blacksmith.

  I can probably make a living, but my father would never keep an artisan in the family.

  To make matters worse, talents are hidden. I could pay someone with the right class to reveal them, but it’s expensive, and I know my father wouldn’t pay for it.

  My dream feels farther away than ever as I step outside. Around me, boys celebrate.

  Meanwhile, I don’t want to face my sister.

  Like this, I won’t be able to explore dungeons.

  I won’t be able to stay in the family.