“In games you always get starter equipment and weapons…”

  Another tutorial message popped up.

  There was a list of classes in the letter, but it seemed like they were all drop-down menus.

  “Ugh… can I narrow down the things that don’t require a lot of strength? The magic classes and stuff?” I was not a fighter. I'd try if it said it could change my body, give me muscles and train my mind so I'd already have learned it, but just looking at how you could only unlock two skills to begin with...

  A bunch of the classes slowly faded away and the list was much smaller as it reassembled itself.

  Machinist is greyed out, why?

  Another Codex entry.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  I don’t have Alchemy skills, but that’s not greyed out… wait. It’s like cooking, isn’t it? I have cooking skills, which transfer over? Maybe… but then why would it show it at all? Something to look forward to? Everything is hinting at you being able to change your class. But maybe it just means there's one or two small skills and that you had all the rest? Meaning you're just an inch away from it?

  And that symbol... was that a wand trailing gold smoke? And... a pen and a hammer crossed... Crafting! Right. Crafting class, magic class...

  ...I had no idea what that other symbol next to Diviner was. When I focused, the icon got bigger. It was three eyes... facing outward... with weird green billowing energy going between them? It looked like a cloud of smoke going in three directions? It couldn't mean Vigilance, it was like a Priest class...

  The rest were… ah…

  It seemed that not only entire classes could be greyed out. It also applied if a subclass had a skill you didn't have that was absolutely essential. Like combat or...wilderness survival? I had skills for that, though...not many, I will admit. The symbols, too, they obviously had meanings that were easy to figure out. But only for gamers, probably? A masked hood for stealth class. Crossed swords for combat... but why didn't it have crossed swords next to every class that counted?

  That must mean they only put a symbol to indicate the 'dominant' trait. And there were those eyes again...

  And then there was something… else. Different than I’d seen in games before. Kind of like an Enchanter? Someone who makes enchantments… but… the name was new.

  It was the most attractive option to me. As it appeared to not only be a crafting class, but also a spellcasting class, judging by the fact that it had that wand symbol next to it-

  “What!?” I shrieked and then corrected, so as not to alarm Sophia. “What the fuck do you mean ‘class chosen’?” I hissed.

  The class of Sigilrant was all that was left and it said ‘Choose a subclass’.

  “I didn’t WANT to choose Sigilrant!” I said. “I was just analyzing it!”

  Truthfully, it’d be more useful to take up a class like Alchemist, Diviner, Warlock or Ranger for the subclasses Tinker, Oracle, Summoner or Beastmaster.

  Tinker can make explosives, Oracles can predict the future based on what I think is the thin slicing principle? Which is WAYYY more reliable than visions. Then you’ve got the Summoner which can call spirits into phsyical forms to defend you. And Beastmaster where you can get animals to help you.

  The sound of something cracking broke my concentration and I looked away from my Familiar to stare at the door, listening hard.

  AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

  That was inside the building.

  “There’s no way to change class, is there?” I asked as I returned to my familiar.

  No codex entry. That most likely means no.

  “Fine, give me Sigilmaster then and show me how to make spellcards.”