The nothingness begins to stir and shift, pressing in on me. A distant hum of awareness teases the edges of my mind, reluctant and sluggish as it is, until at last, consciousness slowly returns.

  When it does, I feel… not good. Terrible, actually, but also better than before. Mercifully, the agony has gone from a mind-numbing screech to just a slightly overwhelming thrum.

  It’s still there, and I can tell my body is still very broken, but I can actually process it now. I take a moment to do just that, my mind struggling to understand my physical and mental condition, when I’m distracted by small bits of something in my mouth.

  On instinct, I turn my head and immediately regret the motion, as it sends a stab of sharp agony down my spine. Still, after a few moments of painful twitching, I manage to turn enough to safely spit out whatever it is.

  When I finally gather my senses enough to actually open my eyes and look, I freeze.

  Are those my teeth?!

  My mind sputters as I try to understand what I’m looking at.

  Why… how… what? Didn’t I just die? I’m pretty sure I was dying.

  The thought lands flat, like it’s skidding across ice rather than properly sinking in. I feel like I should really be panicking, but I’m not. It feels wrong. Is this my brains idea of coping? Wildly unhealthy, I’m sure, but effective, I’ll give it that.

  With a mental shrug, I decide to focus on something—anything—else. The act of being able to shrug away what should be extremely concerning makes me feel I should be even more concerned, but I can’t seem to muster the energy. Instead, I focus on the strange lights hovering at the edges of my vision.

  The moment I do, they snap into full focus.

  WARNING!

  The System has detected an attempt to tamper with its programming.

  As you are not at fault for this attempt, you have been pardoned.

  WARNING!

  The System has detected multiple errors due to your tampering.

  The System has initiated an update to resolve all discovered errors.

  Update Completed Successfully.

  Notice

  Integration with the System is now possible.

  Awareness detected.

  Integrating.

  …

  Success!

  Welcome to the System!

  For initiating the update, you will be rewarded.

  Congratulations!

  You have been transformed by Mana.

  Race changed from Foxkin to Faefox

  Base stats updated from previous values to match your new race.

  Strength: 11 -> 14

  Constitution: 6 -> 11

  Dexterity: 12 -> 16

  Intelligence: 11 -> 14

  Wisdom: 0 -> 16

  Charisma: 6 -> 13

  New Race bonuses:

  +2 Dexterity per level

  +2 Wisdom per level

  +2 Charisma per level

  +1 free stats per level.

  All skills, titles, and classes grant any retroactive stat points from levels gained prior to obtaining them.

  Racial Skills:

  Manaborn

  Fae Ferocity

  Magic Resistant

  Congratulations!

  You have been awarded the following Titles:

  System Waker

  Dungeon Pioneer

  Congratulations!

  Through experience, you naturally gain the following Skills:

  Pain Resistance

  Mental Suppression

  Huh?

  I continue to lay right where I am in a daze, simply trying to restart my brain. Eventually, with no shortage of trepidation, I reread everything—and get slammed right back into my aforementioned daze. Confusion, concern, and excitement war in my mind for dominance, mixing into a strange sort of delirium.

  As a test, I try to pull up my status, half expecting the familiar error message. Instead, a blue box pops into the forefront of my attention, all crisp edges and cleanly legible.

  Status:

  Name - Emilia

  Age - 19

  Race - Faefox

  Level - 1

  Health - 6/115

  Health Regen - 13.7 per minute

  Mana - 756/756

  Mana Regen - 156.9 per minute

  Stats:

  Strength - 14

  Constitution - 11

  Dexterity - 18

  Intelligence - 14

  Wisdom - 37

  Charisma - 15

  Available Stat Points - 1

  Titles:

  System Waker

  Dungeon Pioneer

  Combat Class Slot:

  Locked during acclimation.

  Profession Class Slot:

  Locked during acclimation.

  Unique Class Slot:

  Selection Available.

  General Skills:

  Manaborn

  Fae Ferocity

  Magic Resistant

  Mental Suppression

  Pain Resistance (3/10)

  Holy shit, it worked! Wait, what the hell? A third class?

  From everything I’ve learned over the years, there are only two class slots. Combat and profession. So it’s not just rare—it’s unheard of. What would something like that even be worth?

  As exciting as this all is for me, I still can’t even bring myself to really care as much as I know I should. My mind is still numb from everything I just went through, or at least that’s my best guess at why I’m not jumping for joy—other than being unable to feel my legs, that is.

  Also, what even is a Faefox?

  Notice

  Faefox

  A powerful fox-like race crafted from pure Mana, their limitless potential is matched only by their wits and beauty.

  The Faefox race is blessed with an enhanced body and enhanced senses, and they are naturally gifted with the ability to sense and manipulate mana.

  Wait… System? Are you talking to me?

  To my utter surprise, another small box pops into view.

  Notice

  To help all mis-designated users acclimate to the System, you have been granted a more personalized experience until your introduction to the System is complete.

  Some questions may be answered, and some advice may be given when deemed necessary or appropriate.

  Advice - Inspect your status thoroughly before selecting classes.

  Advice - Select a class.

  Right, healing. This is as good a distraction from the pain as I’ll ever get, so I follow the suggestions, starting with inspecting each aspect of the system.

  Health

  The amount of life force pooled within your body.

  Displays how much bodily harm you can withstand.

  Mana

  The amount of mana pooled within your body.

  Displays how much mana you have available for use with skills and spells.

  Strength

  A measurement of physical strength and power.

  Improves physique.

  +1% Physical damage per 10 points in Strength.

  Constitution

  A measurement of your physical health and fortitude.

  Slows aging, helps resist sickness and disease, improves natural regeneration, and increases Health.

  +10 to maximum health per point.

  +0.5% health regeneration per 10 points.

  Dexterity

  A measurement of your physical agility and finesse.

  Improves speed, agility, and physical control.

  +1% to base movement speed, reaction speed, and agility per 10 points.

  Intelligence

  A measurement of your mental acuity and magical potency.

  Improves thinking speed, memory retention, and magic power.

  +1% to base magical damage per 10 points in Intelligence

  Wisdom

  A measurement of your mastery over mana.

  Increases mana and mana regeneration.

  +10 to maximum mana per point.

  +0.5% mana regeneration per 10 points.

  Charisma

  A measurement of your charm and physical attractiveness to yourself and others.

  Enhances your natural appearance to yourself and others, reduces signs of aging, subtly improves your ability to express yourself.

  All pretty standard stuff given what I’ve learned through others who already had access. A thrum of excitement snakes its way down my spine before being muted by the strangeness effecting me before I can truly enjoy it.

  Alright, this is getting annoying. What even is that?

  For a moment, I feel genuine concern. Then it’s gone. I start to panic at the loss of any significant emotional control, and my heart races, sending pulses of agony throughout my body in time with my heartbeat and reminding me that I am probably still dying.

  Then the panic is gone.

  I don’t have time for this.

  I continue my inspection, pushing through a little faster. If I find the culprit behind the strangling of my emotions, I’ll deal with it then. I need to pick a class, and I can’t do that blindly. So I look through what might actually effect my choices, starting with the titles.

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  System Waker

  You updated the System, allowing it to awaken to it’s full potential.

  Bonuses:

  Your identity will be concealed in all System notices that would otherwise reveal it, unless you wish otherwise.

  Grants an additional unique class slot.

  Dungeon Pioneer

  You are the first to enter the newly created Dungeons after the System update.

  Bonuses:

  +5% to all stats.

  I knew a third class slot wasn’t really a thing. I guess it is now, at least for me.

  What even is a Dungeon, though?

  For a moment I wait to see if the System will answer me, but when it doesn’t I move on.

  It’s probably something to do with the update, but… if I’m the first to enter one, it means I’m inside one.

  I’m not sure how to feel about that without more information. Both titles are so strange. The implications behind each are concerning, but there’s not much I can do about it right now, so I move on.

  I quickly peek at my racial skills to get the gist of what I’m working with next.

  Manaborn

  Racial, General, Passive, Body, Soul

  You are a being made of mana. It is as much a part of you as it is a part of the world.

  You can naturally perceive Mana.

  Double your total Wisdom stat and its effects.

  Double your base mana regeneration.

  This skill can be effected by class skills.

  Fae Ferocity

  Racial, General, Passive, Body, Mind

  You are one with your Fae heritage, and it guides you, aiding you when you act in line with your nature.

  Play.

  Trick.

  Punish.

  Live freely and impose your will unto the world.

  +100% to all stats while acting in line with your nature.

  Magic Resistant

  Racial, General, Passive, Body

  You are inherently resistant to harmful magics.

  Damage taken from magical sources is reduced by 50%.

  Those are powerful General Skills. All Racial Skills are in a different league when compaired to naturally earned General Skills, but even compared to other racial skills I’ve read about, these seem powerful.

  Given the affects of Manaborn, it’s no wonder my Mana and Mana Regeneration are so high compared to everything else. Also, its ability to be effected by class skills is another unknown to me. I’d always heard that Class skills and General skills are separated, unable to enhance one another directly.

  Regardless, that Manaborn can be effected by class skills seems… strange. It has a lot of potential though, if I get a class with an Enhancement for Body or Soul skills.

  Then there’s Fae Ferocity. It’s a bit ominous, but I wouldn’t complain.

  I assume playing, tricking, and punishing are what it deems in line with my nature, which I don’t exactly disagree with. Foxkins are famously known for being playful tricksters, even if there are so few of us left in the world.

  I just never lived a life that allowed for much of that.

  The punish part is the ominous bit, though. I’d heard of skills that can make people act differently of course—like Berserker’s Rage, Frenzy, or Battle Trance. I’m really hoping this skill isn’t like one of those. I’d much rather remain myself if at all possible.

  Other than Faen Ferocity, nothing seems too complex, and everything is generally beneficial. At least so far as I can tell. Especially the Pain Resistance and Mental Suppression skills.

  Maybe not the punish thing, but beggars can’t be choosers and all that. And I was definitely a beggar.

  Magic Resistant is pretty potent, too. It’s nothing fancy, but I am definitely happy with not taking more damage.

  Mental Suppression

  General, Passive, Mind

  Your mind is strong.

  Be it enduring trauma that could break a regular person, or hiding your emotions from those around you, you find yourself capable.

  Helps with suppressing your emotions and compartmentalizing trauma.

  Pain Resistance

  General, Passive, Body

  Helps with managing pain and functioning through it.

  +10% pain resistance per level

  Oh. That’s… oh.

  There it is. Mental Suppression, the culprit behind my emotional suppression. I mentally prod at the skill after reading what it does and learn a few things right away.

  First, it turns out that I can figuratively pack up my emotional baggage and shove it into a deep, dark corner in my mind at will. It’s still there, I can still easily access it all, and it will never be forgotten… but it’s out of the way. Sorta.

  Secondly, and most importantly, it can suppress my emotions. Unfortunately, it feels like it’s an all or nothing thing, so I can’t tune it down or up at all—only turn it off or on.

  I don’t know if either aspect is healthy for me, but at least my entire existence isn’t consumed by grief, panic and rage right now.

  Yay me.

  It also makes sense as to why I’m so calm right now, even after what just happened.

  Pain Resistance on the other hand is rather benign. I can’t tune it up or down either, but I know that at its maximum level I’ll be able to. It’s a well known skill in the Delver profession, and I’m quite happy to have gained it already.

  I’m significantly less happy with the how, but again—beggars can’t be choosers. I doubt I’d be half as functional right now without it.

  Using Mental Suppression, I quickly mentally tuck away all of my past traumas, including the most recent abuse. I can actually feel the stress being bled away from my mind as I do it.

  Gods, I could get used to this. Now, if I can just get rid of the nightmares… wait, will this get rid of the nightmares? Agh, whatever. No more stalling.

  Before I can reconsider, I disable the emotional suppression.

  My body locks up as the emotional floodgates release all of the fear, panic, and confusion all at once. Pain joins the mix when my muscles tense up and I start to hyperventilate, but it’s all secondary compared to the mental overload.

  Even with it all tucked away neatly in a corner, semi-distant from the surface, it washes over me in an overpowering wave of terror and panic. The urge to just get away is almost overwhelming. From what, I don’t know, but I know that I just need to go.

  After what feels like hours, but is probably minutes at most, I do manage to calm myself down. Bypassing the trauma seriously helped me keep myself together through it all, and I silently thank the Gods that I have the skill.

  Still, I make a vow to myself to never use the emotional suppression aspect of the skill unless I absolutely need to in order to survive. I had only had it active for ten minutes at most, and it felt like something was terribly wrong with me.

  It was like I was there with Mom all over again, digging and digging. I didn’t feel anything, even though I was aware that logically I should. There was just… nothing.

  No thanks.

  Now feeling much more secure about my future mental health, I move on to the next suggestion to remedy my physical health.

  I mentally focus on my third class slot and a new window pops into existence with three options.

  First Mana Bank

  Epic

  4 stats per level

  Save up mana for use in large scale, ritualistic, or permanent magics.

  With enough mana, even mortals can change the world.

  +1 Intelligence per level

  +2 Wisdom per level

  +1 free stats per level

  Requirements: Be the first to select a unique class after the System update. 750+ total mana before level 10. Have one or more titles. Have a mana storage device.

  A mana storage device? I have one of those?

  Notice

  The Faefox race can store excess mana in their tails.

  Huh. That would be awesome—if I still had a tail.

  The thought elicits a familiar pang of deep sadness and loss bubbles up inside me, but I bat it aside without much effort. I’ve spent my whole life dealing with those feelings, there’s no way I’m going to let them bother me now that things are finally looking up.

  The class is definitely impressive, though. The stats it gives per level alone are kind of insane. From what I learned, the stats for a class are doubled for each higher rarity, with Common giving one, Rare giving two, and so on.

  I don’t know much about the class ranks other than that they existed, thanks to how secretive people are of such things. There are rumors of the King and Queen each having a Legendary class, but nobody knew for sure.

  And there were always even more rumors about a fabled class rarity beyond Legendary, but nobody ever could, or would, prove it.

  Still, given the number of stats Epic classes would gain per level, this was almost tempting enough to make me pick it immediately. Given my lack of a tail and severe lack of magical knowledge in general, though, I can’t help but think this is a bust for me.

  Only if it’s better than the rest. Still got two more options.

  First Whisper

  Epic

  4 stats per level

  Espionage, assassination, and deception. These are your trade.

  You are as elusive and mysterious as it gets, merging with the shadows and eliminating your foes before even a whisper escapes their mouths.

  +1 Strength per level

  +1 Dexterity per level

  +1 Charisma per level

  +1 free stats per level

  Requirements: Be the first to select a unique class after the System update. 25+ dexterity before level 10. Experience with thieving and/or sneaking. No living relatives. Willingness to kill, or have already killed sentient beings.

  So I qualify because the world’s been cruel enough to teach me how to kill. That’s… not terrible, but not great either. Would it be poetic if I took this and murdered Darius with it?

  Regardless, it's another Epic class. A physical focused one, it seems, specifically around being sneaky, fast, and roguish. A great fit for me, even if the whole ‘no living relatives, willingness to kill’ thing is a bit off-putting.

  Sure, I’ve killed people in the tunnels before—in self defense. But this? It sounds kinda murdery. Not that I wouldn’t kill someone, but… well, still. I’d at least need a good reason.

  Regardless, it’s a great class with very clear benefits. I even have a little training with daggers. Only the fact that I have one more option stops me from picking it outright.

  First Arcanist

  Legendary

  8 stats per level

  Physical and magical prowess are one and the same.

  Empower and heal yourself with mana to wade through the trials of the world.

  You are raw power and endurance made manifest.

  +1 Strength per level

  +1 Constitution per level

  +1 Dexterity per level

  +2 Intelligence per level

  +2 Wisdom per level

  +1 free stat per level

  Requirements: Be the first to select a unique class after the System update. Have three times as much Mana than Health. Have the general skills Mental Suppression, Magic Resistance, Negative Status Resistance, and Pain Resistance. Have survived multiple near death experiences. Have one or more titles. Have training in pugilist combat.

  I stare at the option in disbelief.

  Legendary.

  Eight stat points per level. Physical and magical synergy. A self-healing, mana-empowered juggernaut. It’s not even a choice.

  But I hesitate.

  I’ve spent my life barely holding myself together—literally limping from one struggle to the next—and now the System wants to turn me into a walking weapon? I was supposed to be invisible. Quiet. Useful, if nothing else.

  Still… it fits. Gods, does it fit.

  ‘Raw power and endurance made manifest.’

  That’s what I need to survive. That’s what I need to never be too weak again.

  One choice, and my world changes.

  For the first time in my life, my stupid little dreams actually have a chance.

  I select First Arcanist.