Michael wasn't sure how to actually choose his class, there weren't any actual buttons, but apparently that wasn't a problem. As soon as he consciously made the decision the Ranger statue glowed brightly for a second before all the statues disappeared. Michael was stunned for a second before something new appeared. Rather than seven statues there were twelve podiums placed near the center of the room with various objects placed on them. Confused Michael went up to the nearest item, an actual spyglass, and picked it up, a description appearing as he did so.

Explorer

To go where no one has gone before, that is your creed. From the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, there is nowhere a true explorer wouldn't go.

+1 Perception, +1 Agility, +1 Vitality, +2 Unassigned Attribute Points per level

Requirements: Beginner Exploration lvl 5, Discover 1 point of interest, 10 Perception

Must be destiny, Michael thought. What else could explain him finding the Explorer Profession first? The Explorer profession would undoubtedly be massively useful going forward. Since he would be travelling across what used to be the states, exploring plenty on the way, and would likely be going beyond that afterwards. He had always planned on exploring beyond the boundaries of the US and learning that the universe was a lot more interesting then he had ever imagined had not dampened that desire in any way.

He moved on to the next item, a mortar and pestle.

Alchemist

The creator of potions and poisons from magical ingredients

+1 Magic, +1 Perception, +1 Dexterity, +2 Unassigned Attribute Points per level

Requirements: Alchemy lvl 5, 10 Magic, 10 Perception

Alchemist was a definite possibility, though a small part of Michael wanted to say no out of pure spite. The Attributes lined up with his Ranger class and the profession would never not be useful. He moved on to the next item, something that suspiciously looked like a treasure map.

Treasure Hunter

Gold is your friend and chests are yours to grab, become rich in the best way possible!

+2 Perception, +2 Luck, +2 Unassigned Attribute Points per level

Requirements: Gain 1000 pieces of loot, Gain a unique item, 15 Perception

Michael froze. Treasure Hunter spoke to him, and his inner loot hamster. The poor creature had been comatose ever since he had lost his bow, but now it was stirring. The lure of treasure was too great. Forcing himself to look away, Michael continued on to the next object, a multifaceted crystal that floated a few inches off the table.

Dungeon Explorer

Dungeons are dangerous at the best of times, but you have cleared so many it's practically your profession, so let's make it official

+2 Perception, +1 Vitality, +1 Agility, +2 Unassigned Attribute Points per level

Requirements: Clear a Dungeon with a Clear rate above 95%, Spend more than a month inside a Dungeon in total, 10 Vitality, 10 Perception

Michael's shoulders slumped, this was going to be tough. Dungeoneer likely synergised with his Path Perks extremely well. Granted, he wasn't going to be in dungeons 24/7, but they would likely be his greatest source of power. He wasn't addicted to power but, like money pre-system, it was a lot better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. He moved on to the next item,

Michael shrugged and moved on to the next item, a fishing rod. Michael blinked, and moved past it. Fishing was fun but it was more of a hobby, not a profession. He skipped the next item as well, a cooking pot. He was never much of a cook, grilled meat was about as fancy as his cuisine got.

Michael skipped past a Carpenter, a Trap Maker and a Fletcher Profession. He also passed a Doctor Profession, an even more healing based version of the Healer Class with zero battle capability. The Professions were nice but not that helpful for a guy traversing the wilderness.

The last Profession was an interesting one, the item being a neat looking multi-tool.

Survivalist

A master of surviving deep in the wilderness, civilisation is for other people.

+1 Perception, +1 Vitality, +1 Agility, +2 Unassigned Attribute Points per level

Requirements: Spend 3 months living outside from a town or city, Beginner Camping lvl 5, 10 Vitality

An entirely too lonely option, the Profession seemed to actually hate other people.

Michael looked through the options. Dungeon Explorer was out, the Profession too focused to work. Treasure Hunter had a similar issue as it basically had only one use; finding treasure. That being said, treasure was endlessly useful in the new world.

Explorer was tempting, and Michael would certainly enjoy the profession, but it was a selfish choice. The profession was all about going out and, well, exploring. It did little to help others. Michael knew that he wasn't going to stay with the team forever, or even for long, but he didn't want to be alone. He had spent a year on his own, and the loneliness came far closer to crushing his spirit than the monsters ever did. He needed people, and an explorer would rarely be around others.

Alchemist was the opposite of Explorer but approached the same problem from the other side. It was more community focused but in order to properly use it he would likely be confined to a town for large portions of his time. Field Alchemy had been a pain, he had to reuse potion bottles and use campfires to heat potions. It had not exactly been a pleasant experience.

In the end Michael decided to take the Treasure Hunter profession. He wasn't sure if it was the right choice, but it certainly was the fun choice. The Perception and Luck increases didn't hurt.

As soon as he made the choice the treasure map started glowing and the other items faded into nothingness. It stayed like that for a second before he was back in the dungeon.

There was no transition, no swirl of lights or grogginess as if he was waking from a dream, he was simply back, instantly. Looking around, he found the rest of the team watching him. Not wanting to keep them in suspense, he said "Ranger and Treasure Hunter. Haven't looked at the notifications yet."

Congratulations, you have obtained the Ranger Class!

By obtaining the Ranger Class you gain:

- 2 Perception, 2 Magic, 1 Agility, 1 Dexterity, 2 Unassigned Attribute points per level.

- 5% increase in Nature Affinity.

- Access to the Ranger Skill tree. 1 Skill point every 2 levels.

- Friend to Nature Trait.

Nature Affinity has reached 50%

Nature Blessed Trait gained.

Skill Evolution!

Novice Archery lvl 10 has evolved into Ranger Archery.

Congratulations, you have obtained the Treasure Hunter Profession!

By obtaining the Treasure Hunter Profession you gain:

- 2 Perception, 2 Luck, 2 Unassigned Attribute Points per level.

- 5% increased chance of activating a Jackpot.

- Access to the Treasure Hunter Skill tree. 1 Skill point every 2 levels.

- Nose for Treasure Trait.

Congratulations!

You have obtained both a Class and a Profession. You are now officially a Tier 2 being.

Status Updated!

Michael pulled up his Status to see what was different.

Status

Name

Michael Volker

Age

33

Class

Ranger lvl 1

Class Experience

0 / 100

Profession

Treasure Hunter lvl 1

Profession Experience

0 / 100

Path

Boundless Adventure

Race

Human

System Credits

10,437

Tier

1

Health

387 / 387

Mana

589 / 589

Health Regen

35 per min

Mana Regen

53.2 per min

Attributes

Unassigned Attribute points : 0

Strength 18 Agility 23 Vitality 25 Dexterity 23 Perception 22 Magic 38 Luck 8

Affinities

Nature

54%

Water

32%

Light

23%

Fire

21%

Life

8%

Traits

Powerful Blows - Melee attacks are 10% stronger.

Quick Feet - Movement speed increased by 10%.

Healthy Body - Gain Disease and Poison resistance starting at 15%.

Ambidextrous - able to use both hands equally well.

Sense Intent - Able to vaguely sense the intents of those around you.

Magic Absorption - Absorb 5% of incoming magic and convert it into Mana.

Extra Healthy : Maximum Health is increased by 50% and Health Regeneration is increased by 25%.

Magical Storage : Mana capacity is increased by 50% and recharges 25% faster.

Mana Vision : Able to see Mana at will.

Friend to Nature : Magical Plants and Beasts will not attack you unless attacked.

Nature Blessed : Nature Magic costs 50% less.

Nose for Treasure : Hidden treasure can now be smelled.

Nothing particularly surprising there, Olivia had warned him about the various changes to his Status before. Rather than an overall level, Michael now had two separate levels, Class and Profession. Whichever was higher would be the one displayed when analyzed. The high Luck Attribute was a surprise, though it did explain a lot.

The trait he got from getting to 25 in perception, Mana Vision, wasn't all that useful. Come to think of it, most of the Traits weren't all that useful. Mana Vision just provided an overlay, similar to thermal vision goggles, letting him see all the Mana around him in various colors. Sounded lovely, didn't mean all that much though.

The thing that made him beyond happy was the skill evolution, he'd been hoping it would happen when chose the class. Michael pulled up the skill information to see what was different.

Ranger Archery

Tier 2, Level 1, Weapon Skill

The signature weapon skill for Rangers, unleashing arrows with incredible accuracy and precision. Increases damage when using bows by 5% per level.

Michael was happy, though a tad unimpressed. Novice Archery had increased accuracy by 5% per level but Ranger Archery seemed to be a big step up. He had no idea what 'incredible accuracy and precision' meant but he assumed that it would be better than Novice Archery. The damage increase was a welcome addition.

Opening up his Ranger Skill tree, Michael was transported to a white void filled with fog. In front of him hovered three pale green orbs, each with two small tendrils of light disappearing into a fog. Michael reached to the one in the middle, knowledge filling his mind when he touched it.

Vine Trap

Nature Magic Skill, Active, 250 Mana, 1 Minute Duration, 30 Metre Range, 2 Metre Diameter, 1 Minute Cooldown

Using your Nature Magic, conjured vines burst from the Earth to wrap up your foes.

Michaels eyes widened, that was an amazing skill. The ability to trap an enemy in one place was invaluable. He reached to the next one.

Enhanced Bond

Companion Skill, Passive, -2.5 Mana Regeneration.

Enhances the bond between you and your animal companions.

Michael had absolutely no idea if it was worth it since he had no idea what that meant. He might take it when he finally hatched the egg, last he checked the egg was only at 12%.

Spell Arrow

Bow Magic Skill, Active, Variable Cost, No Cooldown.

Imbue your Arrow with a Spell for double the Cost of the Spell.

Michael gulped, this sounded like an awesome skill. Combining the skill with Magic Missile or Vine Trap would be quite interesting. He had absolutely no idea what would happen if he combined it with Novice Heal.

Michael pondered over the decision but he didn't really need to. Enhanced Bond was obviously out, for now, as was Spell Arrow. The skill was great but he needed more spells to make it worth it, which naturally led to Vine Trap. As soon as he made the decision the orb containing Vine Trap started glowing, as if lit by some internal light, and the rest turned dull grey.

Before he could get distracted by people he opened up the Treasure Hunter Skill tree. The space he appeared in was an almost exact duplicate of the Ranger Skill tree, with the distinction of the Skill orbs being a pale gold color.

Before looking through the skills, Michael perused the information for Vine Trap.

Vine Trap

Tier 2, Level 1, Nature Magic Skill

25 Mana, 1 Minute Duration, 30 Metre Range, 2 Metre Diameter, 1 Minute Cooldown

Using your Nature Magic, conjured vines burst from the Earth to wrap up your foes. Increases the strength and number of the vines with each level.

Moving on, Michael turned his attention to the three Treasure Hunter Skills. Two of the orb's had twin tendrils of light disappearing into the fog, similar to the Ranger Skills, but the third only had one tendril. Curious as to the difference, Michael looked at the skill.

Treasure Scan I

Treasure Detection Skill, Active, 100 Mana, 1 Kilometer Range, 24 hr Cooldown

Send a pulse of Mana into your surroundings, detecting the nearest Treasure within Range.

"Nice, not sure what the following skills could be, or why I'm talking to myself." Michael moved on to the next Skill.

Lock Picking

Treasure Acquisition Skill, Passive

Basic knowledge of how to pick locks, for non-nefarious use only.

The grin on Michael's face was slightly worrying. He'd always wanted to learn how to pick locks, but had never gotten around to doing it, now was his chance.

Analyse Treasure

Treasure Inspection Skill, Active, 100 Mana, Touch Range, 5 Minute Cooldown

Gain detailed information on a Treasure.

Useful, very useful. All the skills were useful, but Michael was going to take the Treasure Scan I Skill. Whilst he was confident in levelling up his Ranger Class, he was less sure about Treasure Hunter, since the profession would only level from hunting treasure, something he hadn't really done yet. The Treasure Detection Skill would help on that front. Once his choice was made, the Skill orb immediately started glowing. As with the Ranger skills, he didn't need to do anything, a conscious decision was enough. Michael looked over the skill information.

Treasure Scan

Tier 2, Level 1, Treasure Detection Skill

100 Mana, 1 Kilometer Range, 24 hr Cooldown

Send a pulse of Mana into your surroundings, detecting the nearest Treasure within Range. Number of Treasures detected increases per level.

Satisfied with his Skills, and eager to try them out, Michael left the Skill Tree space.

Status

Name

Michael Volker

Age

33

Class

Ranger lvl 1

Class Experience

0 / 100

Profession

Treasure Hunter lvl 1

Profession Experience

0 / 100

Path

Boundless Adventure

Race

Human

System Credits

10,437

Tier

2

Health 387 / 387 Mana 589 / 589 Health Regen 35 per min Mana Regen 53.2 per min

Attributes

Unassigned Attribute points : 0

Strength 18 Agility 23 Vitality 25 Dexterity 23 Perception 22 Magic 38 Luck

8

Skills

Basic Alchemy lvl 5

Novice Archery lvl 10

Beginner Camping lvl 7

Beginner Cleaning lvl 3

Beginner Climbing lvl 5

Basic Construction lvl 4

Basic Cooking lvl 6

Novice Dodge lvl 5

Dupli-Cast lvl 1 Beginner Exploration lvl 9 Basic Farming lvl 2 First Aid lvl 7 Basic Fishing lvl 5 Beginner Herbalism lvl 4 Novice Heal lvl 7 Identify lvl 3 Basic Leatherworking lvl 4 Magic Missile lvl 10 Beginner Mana Manipulation lvl 6 Limb Regeneration lvl 3 Basic Skinning lvl 7 Novice Stealth lvl 9 Beginner Taming lvl 1 Novice Throwing Weapons lvl 7 Beginner Tracking lvl 8 Beginner Trading lvl 3 Basic Trap Making lvl 5 Novice Unarmed Combat lvl 5

Basic Woodworking lvl 7

Class

Profession

Vine Trap lvl 1

Treasure Scan I lvl 1

Affinities

Nature

54%

Water

32%

Light

23%

Fire

21%

Earth

18%

Metal

7%

Life

6%