I wanted to live my life to the fullest and make it a good one. To do that I needed to survive the ascension, and my class had to help me accomplish that.

“Goodbye common classes.” I altered my system log.

The five common classes immediately disappeared. None of them could compare to a single rarer class, let alone the legendary ones.

William had given me a simple plan to follow when it came to choosing my class.

First, discard the classes I absolutely wouldn’t take under any circumstances. Analysis paralysis from having too many choices needed to be avoided at all costs.

My eyes glanced over the list of rare classes.

“I wish I had someone to talk to about this.” I spoke to myself.

It sounded so easy when William and Gerial were coaching me.

I took a breath and slapped my cheeks lightly.

Silver Magician and Scriber were my weakest rare class options.

Silver spear and silver location offered nothing that would help me survive long-term.

Scriber was outclassed by the other inscription-based classes.

I eliminated both.

My finger hesitated as it reached out to discard Celestial Emissaryand Metal Magician from my list.

The first was related to my Mark.

Metal Magician offered me metal creation.

It was a major boost in power, wealth and prestige all wrapped up in a single skill, but it wouldn’t help me survive. Not unless I was missing a vital piece of information.

Maybe I could use the materials for regents.

Then I dismissed that thought.

It was the skills allowing me to create regents that would benefit me more in this area, not the materials. I discarded both classes from my list.

My chest rose and fell as I relaxed.

Did I need to breathe here? Probably not, but I didn’t know how to stop.

My mind went over each option multiple times. They all had their benefits that tempted me.

Spirit’s Friend, Divine Conqueror, Mana’s Friend+, Ethereal Elementalist, Regent Creator, Vessels of the Cosmos, Transcriber of Reality, and Second Chance.

The skills of Ethereal Elementalist were lacking. Elemental shield would allow me to create a shield out of an attuned element, and element destruction would allow me to destroy an attuned element.

Neither were particularly tempting, and I discarded the class from my list.

I used the same logic to cross out Divine Conqueror. It mostly offered me pure combat skills.

The exception was celestial wisdom, but Vessel of the Cosmos provided that skill and more.

“How am I supposed to choose from six amazing options?” I shouted into the blank space. “Anybody there?”

My mind didn’t respond, but my heart was content.

My lips tugged upwards into a grin as I went over my remaining options. Each one was amazing.

Mana’s Friend+ and Regent Creator were both great. Their offered skills would benefit me for life, but Second Chance and Transciber of Realityoffered more and better options in the same categories.

The last rare class on my list was Spirit’s Friend.

I had only kept this class on the list for so long because it confused me.

This class also told me that Gold was a ‘spirit companion’ and the skills it offered also interested me.

Symbol bestowal and spirit companion transformation.

Neither skill had a description.

Mr Black was the source of all of my class option skill knowledge. Any skill he hadn’t listed was unknown to me. However, I could try and figure it out from their names.

Spirit companion transformation could either be a spell that transformed Gold, or a spell that transformed us both, similar to Amanda and Agni.

Symbol bestowal was obvious.

Bloodline inheritance.

The skill hovered in front of me temptingly. The idea of possessing another bloodline aside from my Mark was appealing.

Spirit animal communication also piqued my interest.

Could I talk with Gold? Technically, I could already do that.

I shook my head. As tempting as that was, the overall boost that this class gave me wasn’t strong. Its mana boost and stat boost were negligible compared to the legendary classes.

I crossed it out of my options.

There were only three classes left on my list: Vessel of the Cosmos, Transcriber of Reality, and Second Chance.

Vessels of the Cosmos (Unknown):

Stat bonus: +8 free stats per level.

Stat percentage bonus: static +12% to stat of choice. Static +10% to mana.

Mana Bonus: +2000 Mana.

Skills: Mark of the Crijik (Rank Up +5), Divine Decree, Celestial Connection.

Enhancer Skill: Enhance one skill of your choice.

Mixed Skills: Mana Vein Enhancement, Celestial Body.

Original Skill: Celestial Wisdom.

*

*

Transcriber of Reality (Legendary):

Stat bonus: +10 free stats per level.

Stat percentage bonus: static +8% to stat of choice. Static +5% to Mana

Mana Bonus: +500 Mana.

Skill: Summon Inscriber Box, Scriber’s Library.

Enhancer Skill: Mid Rank Symbol Inscription.

Mixed Skills: Regent Enhancement, Elemental Array Blueprint Creation.

Original Skills: Regent Cloning.

*

*

Second Chance (Unknown):

Stat bonus: +10 free stats per level.

Stat percentage bonus: static +10% to stat of choice. Static +15% to mana.

Mana Bonus: +2000 Mana.

Skill: Manapool Enhancement.

Enhancer Skills: Mana Communication, Spirit Communication.

Mixed Skills: Mana Sanctuary, Mana Vitality.

Original Skills: Mana Affinity.

“This is tough.”

I sighed.

“This is really, really tough.”

Every legendary class showed me a clear path to survival.

Transcriber of Reality would lead me down the path of inscription, which I had seen could interfere with the watcher.

Vessels of the Cosmos was designed to change my mana and body to survive ascension.

Second Chance would enhance my connection with mana. It was my constant companion and friend and a being more powerful than I could imagine.

I thought over my options.

Transcriber of Reality came first.

It provided regent enhancement, elemental array blueprint creation and regent cloning.

Each one benefitted the other.

Arrays were the basis of regents, and with the elemental array skill I could create blueprints for new regents entirely. Then regent enhancement would come into play, making the regents even stronger in various ways.

Magic boosts, durability creation, effect increases. My mouth watered at the possibilities.

Finally, regent cloning.

Essentially, I could recreate whichever regent I got my hands on.

Was it that easy? No.

It would take time to train the skill, and years to copy a single regent if it was complicated. I would also need to supply the materials myself. However, with time it would be more than worth the effort.

I didn’t want to reject this class. Not without proper consideration.

My mind wandered onto the next class.

Vessels of the Cosmos.

Its very existence repulsed me.

The pillar that represented it in my mind tried to overpower me as I glanced at it.

It was a different class from what Mr Black had told me about. That wasn’t his fault, I could see the reason clearly within the class name and skills.

This class was impacted by the existence of two Marked ones.

Gerial and me.

There was a new skill on the list, celestial connection, and I wasn’t sure what it did. It could be in enhancement of celestial convergence, or an entirely new skill that further connected me to Gerial.

There was no way of knowing until I took the class.

The stat bonus for this class was the highest of all of them, at 12%. At higher levels and with my ever-growing intelligence, that boost could prove the difference between life and death.

Mana vein enhancement, celestial body, and celestial wisdom.

Mana vein enhancement. When I was regenerating mana, my mana veins would speed up the process by an incredible amount. According to Mr Black it was at least 10% at the base level.

It would also purify the mana to further strengthen it.

Celestial Body would provide me with strength beyond my peers, unlocking and multiplying the strength stat, but also purifying my body.

Celestial wisdom was the big temptation. Not even Mr Black knew what it did.

However, I could guess based on the name.

I had seen firsthand how important the [Wisdom] skill was. William could make the optimal decisions in every situation, so long as he had the right information.

I could only imagine that celestial wisdom provided a similar benefit.

William’s words crossed my mind.

Most Marked ones would have taken Marked classes, and one had even taken one nearly identical to this class.

They hadn’t survived.

This class was directly related to the Crijik and its Mark. Its skills were amazing and directly suited my situation.

Did I want to put my survival in the hands of the very being that had doomed me?

I wasn’t sure.

I turned my attention towards the final class.

Second Chance.

I had reincarnated.

It was a fact that impacted every aspect of my daily life. My interactions with friends, my personality, my past and my future.

Now I'd received this class.

The stay boost was similar to Vessels of the Cosmos, and the mana boost was the biggest of all my classes.

It was the skills that stuck out to me.

Manapool enhancement would increase my mana pool by a static 1/3rd. This would apply before the mana bonus and mana percentage boost.

Mana communication was an enhanced version of mana sense. My thoughts and intentions would become clearer to the mana around me, and they would be able to see further into my true self.

Mana was a being just like any other. It trusted me and was trusted back by me.

I would bare a side of me that was deeply personal, and in return it would do the same.

Then there was the other enhancer skill.

Spirit communication, not spirit companion communication.

I didn’t know what a spirit was in this context, but it was safe to say I could communicate with all of them. Not just Gold.

Mana sanctuary was both an active and a passive. Passively it would call mana towards me, increasing my mana regeneration.

When active, it would do what my mana had done against Oubliez’ mana, defend me. It would protect my body, and likely my mind, from intrusion.

Mana Vitality would provide a similar function. It was a second life that took the place of my wounds. When I was damaged it would lessen the damage, even at lower levels.

I would finally have a way to properly utilize my large manapool.

Both of these were great when I took into consideration how much mana I would have, but mana sanctuary’s active would reveal my divine mana if used. Its passive ability was still tempting.

Mana affinity was the main skill.

The ability was as simple as its name.

It would increase my affinity with mana as a whole. However, it didn’t force mana to like me. The skill was an acknowledgement that I’d earned the right to be taken seriously.

Given time, I could even establish new affinities with elements or attune to higher elements much easier.

Vessels of the Cosmos was mostly a solo class. I would rely on myself and maybe Gerial.

Transcriber of Reality allowed me to rely on regents to survive. A one-sided relationship that I could forge into a mighty shield.

Second Chance would bring collaboration. I would walk alongside a being beyond my comprehension and trust it more than anyone else in my life.

I discarded Vessels of the Cosmos.

There were many reasons for me to do so. Instinct, and distrust, were factors. The final thing that swayed my mind was that the class required me to rely only on myself.

Throughout my life here I’d only ever succeeded when I’d worked with others.

My dad and his regent had helped me overcome the watcher, and the mana had helped comfort me in my darkest hour. Each legendary class would bring me personal strength, but Transcriber of Reality and Second Chance would also give me the strength of another.

Two classes were left.

My mind swam with thoughts and one floated to the surface of my mind.

Inscribing takes time and I only had twenty-two years to prepare. Regent creation as a whole would take years to perfect, but I would do it.

I’d always intended to focus time on inscribing even if I didn’t take this class. I believed inscribing could help me no matter what.

This class would speed up my progress by leaps and bounds. It would shave off years of time from training.

It was a tough decision.

If I chose Second Chance, I would have to put my life into the hands of a being I couldn’t comprehend.

It was terrifying.

I took a breath and I thought about what I would be connecting with.

Mana.

My constant friend and companion. A being that had protected me for years and shown me wonders beyond my imagination.

When I had been terrified and unable to move in a baby’s body, it had been with me. When I was a toddler struggling against the watcher alone, it healed my mind and provided protection against my fears.

If I didn’t trust mana with my life, then I would never have survived this long.

Okay.

I had thought through everything.

I was ready.

My hand rose towards a single pillar. It didn’t tremble, or hesitate, and my heart fluttered with relief as I brushed the pillar with the tips of my fingers.

“I accept this class.”

[You have unlocked the class: Second Chance]

[You will receive: +10 free stats per level.]

[You have received: +10% to stat of choice (unassigned).]

[You have received: +15% mana.]

[You have received: +2000 Mana.]

[You have unlocked the skill: Manapool Enhancement.]

[You have unlocked the skill: Mana Communication.]

[You have unlocked the skill: Spirit Communication.]

[You have unlocked the skill: Mana Sanctuary.]

[You have unlocked the skill: Mana Vitality.]

[You have unlocked the skill: Mana Affinity.]

I blinked as my leg fell forward and my foot pressed against stone. My surroundings were bright, light and structure replacing the dark void of my mind.

I was in the church.

The marble doors open for me, Ophelio looking at me with a kind expression.

“Master Silver?” He gestured for me to enter the room. “Are you having second thoughts about the class selection?”

What?

I looked behind me and saw William, Gerial and Gold watching me.

“Don’t tell me you’re chickening out after all that work?” William called out. “Because that’s perfectly fine. More planning is always good.”

Gold looked at me and tilted his head.

“I just did the class selection.” I spoke.

Didn’t I?

All of them stared at me. I looked back at them and straightened my posture. There was an easy way to check.

I opened my status scree-

There was a shift in the mana around me, stronger than I’d ever felt before. There was a flash of power as my guards surrounded me and more appeared around Gerial.

They weren’t necessary.

Golden light bloomed across the surroundings as waves of divine mana cascaded through the air towards me.

[Total Mana: 16600.]

First came a small wave, entering my body without resistance. I felt my manapool growing, but unlike activating my Mark the sensation was cool and pleasant.

It felt like I was connecting with a long-lost part of myself.

[Total Mana: 18600]

[Manapool Enhancement has activated.]

The next wave came with a notification and was by far the largest.

[Total Mana: 24800]

My mana pool had increased by a third, but that wasn’t the last of it.

A final wave of mana embraced me, an overwhelming pressure enveloping my guards and friends.

[Total Mana: 28520]

It was the 15% mana boost increase from accepting my class. It was interesting to note that it applied after my manapool enhancement, and that the manapool enhancement didn’t increase again in response.

Maybe the skill had a cool down or other hidden conditions.

[Total Mana: 28520]

The clamour died down as quickly as it had begun. All of the golden mana had disappeared into my body, revitalising me and adding a spring in my step.

I felt so alive.

My growing happiness was only made stronger by the dumbfounded expressions on the people around me.

The guards were stoic, but William’s jaw hung open, and Ophelio’s eyes were about to escape from his head.

Only Gerial looked calm.

“Did it hurt?” His tone was curious.

I shook my head. It didn’t feel anything like activating my Mark. It was natural, and smooth.

My Mark activating that much would leave me on the floor screaming.

Or dead. I’d probably be dead.

I raised my hand and wriggled my fingers. Something had changed, but I wasn’t sure what. I would need to test and experiment with my new skills, seeing their limits and exploring the possibilities they opened up for me.

My lips parted into a grin.

“So,”

I spoke.

“Who wants to help me test my new abilities?”