Chapter 2 - Stubborn Mule

“Alright, so.. what race do you want to be?”

“Human.”

“Ah, our current quota for humans has been exceeded. You know, elves have been all the rage lately. Their affinity for elemental magic is second to none, and their marksmanship..”

“Human.”

“Eh. Well, them elves can be kind of puny when you’re ready to throw down and get into a dogfight. Now, orcs, they’re tireless, merciless machines of destruct..”

“Human.”

“Eh, yeah, their breath stinks worse than their feet, after all. How about the new half-ogre race? They can easily slap an orc or two silly, like swatting flies..”

“Human.”

“…”

“…”

“... Human. I get it..” With an air of quiet resignation, fat devil-guy started to fiddle with his fingers, apparently operating some sort of invisible console floating in front of his eyes.

“Alright. Now, what class would you like to get? I see you have a background as a veteran of the Great Wa..”

“…” My scorching glare was enough to leave the last bits of that sentence trailing. I had enough vitriol to drown out the sun. It was more than enough to shut up this glorified pencil pusher.

“Umm. Yeah, so.. would you like to be a soldier? They get bonuses to their combat arts, discipline, and stamina. You do get a slight penalty to your intelligence and wisdom..”

“Scholar.”

“Eh?! Ah, that’s.. umm, that’s a very passive class focused on research and contemplation. They gain a high wisdom and intelligence bonus, but they’re.. well, they’re just helpless in a fight. How about a thief? Skulking through shadows, stabbing baddies in the back, sneaking peeks into public baths..”

“Scholar.”

“Riiiight. They do end up hanging from a tree branch or minus a hand or two. Not the best long-term career choice. Moving right along to the ranger! Now, there’s the dead-eyed archer who is the master of all that is wild and..”

“Scholar.”

“Yeah, rangers are a bunch of uncivilized cowards, they mostly live in huts and bay at the moon. Never stand for a good fight. Well, I see you keenly value knowledge and its pursuit. For such, none better than the mighty wizard! Master of the elements, wielder of arcane power, and hoarder of all knowled..”

“Scholar.”

“…”

“…”

“.. Scholar it is.” The barely audible words were mumbled through an expression of utter defeat. “I do have to warn you that according to our profiling algorithms, you are ill suited to any class that does not have ready access to instant and explosive feats of violence and mayhem.”

“Duly noted.”

“Ahem. Fine. Scholar. Affiliation? There are many such. You can choose to specialize in the arts, always popular with the ladies.”

“Ancient History.”

“Or perhaps.. What? Ancient History? That’s.. the least popular of the affiliations. Truly useless unless you plan to write books to bore readers to death. Perhaps you’re thinking it will help you find ancient treasures, but what good will the knowledge do you when a sneezing goblin will break you in two? You'll never even make it there. If History is what you want, how about Modern Civilization? It can lead to the satisfying life of a successful politician, commanding thousands with the wave of a hand..”

“Ancient History.”

“…”

“…”

“You’re not going to listen to any of my recommendations, are you?” Fat devil-guy squinted at me, fuming.

“…” I just stared back impassively.

“Fine. Scholar of Ancient History. Now. Where do you want to start? I can recommend..” Fat devil-guy stopped abruptly, then let out a heavy sigh. “You know where you want to go, don’t you?”

“The Arioch Wastelands,” was my immediate, steely reply.

“What?! That’s.. that’s the most desolate of the starting areas. An endless desert filled with nothing but sand and monsters. The only reason it is available as a starting area is because it is the home of the Ae Sur warrior clans. Savages, all of them, knowing only how to kill each other and multiply like rabbits. Only races and classes with high combat stats should even think of going there, and then only if they have a deathwish. C’mon, work with me. Push that noggin of yours. How about the Sage City of Vitalia? Or the Wizard Circle of Karuz Bel? The Great Library of the Linden Republic?”

“The. Arioch. Wastelands.” I ground out the words, letting him know that there was no compromise.

Yet another sigh, this one longer than the others. “Hey, it’s your funeral.”

Here you go, make sure everything’s the way you want it.

Starting StatsName:SethAlignment:NeutralLevel:1Class:ScholarRace:HumanAffiliation:Ancient HistoryStarting Area:Arioch WastelandsTalents:???

Please Confirm Your ChoiceConfirmCancel

Right as I was about to hit the button for confirm, I noticed the field reading Talent: ???.

“Hey, what is this?”

The devil guy grinned mischievously. “Ah, that’s your hidden gift or ability. Potentially, your most powerful talent. It will be revealed when you enter Aeterna for the first time.”

I eyed him suspiciously. I had done as much research as I could before entering Aeterna. I had a purpose, a clear conviction, and the will to reach it. I would become the god killer. I would visit my vengeance upon this whole world. However, I had never heard of the stat “Talent”.

Still frowning, I pressed the button.

You have confirmed your choice.

Loading Gates of Oblivion. Please Wait.

As the world slowly dissolved into a storm of prismatic lights, I caught one last glimpse of that horned devil, now openly laughing at me. Instinctively, I glanced at the Talent stat in my status window, which was still open.

Starting StatsName:SethAlignment:NeutralLevel:1Class:ScholarRace:HumanAffiliation:Ancient HistoryStarting Area:Arioch WastelandsTalents:Stubborn Mule

"!!!"

*Why that fat bastard! I'll show you..*

Then everything vanished in a flash of white.

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