It was the day of Awakening, the time everyone looked forward to—when you would be placed into the class you belonged to most. I didn't share their excitement; I had no idea what class I would receive. I dragged my feet as I walked along the brick road toward the city. Very few animals that weren't pets were ever seen within its walls.
The sky was bright and beautiful, birds soaring above the city. Life itself was beautiful, yet trampled on more than anything else. I watched people ignore starving cats and dogs. It hurt to see, so I fed them whenever I could—but never near those people. They would scold me, saying it was dangerous, since any creature could mutate at any time, and making them comfortable around humans could lead to disaster.
I caught the looks of commoners and noble children as I walked toward the Awakening platform in my ragged clothes—dirty, rotten, patched with loose threads barely holding together. I was an orphan, always alone, barely surviving off mushrooms and moss in filthy alleys. Going beyond the walls without a class was a death sentence. Still, I smiled through the hunger pains, knowing I would finally be free from this disgusting place and see the outside world—the natural forests where life flourished without being stifled by humans.
The Priest of Awakening stepped onto the small platform."Quiet, children."The murmurs faded quickly."I know you're excited for this chance to change your lives, but Awakening takes time. We will begin from the poorest to the richest. First is Xrio Coml."
He pointed at me, beckoning. His smile was wide and welcoming as he placed his hand on my dirty shoulder. His expression didn't change at all—if anything, his smile grew wider as he whispered, "Great, not an Otherworlder. There have been too many of them recently."
What does that mean? What's an Otherworlder?The thought stuck with me even more than the Awakening itself. It sounded ominous—serious enough for a priest to mention.
The Awakening Stone began to shine, and my class information appeared. Unfortunately, all abilities and stats were hidden except for the names, so we would have to discover our abilities and how to grow them on our own. At least the class had a description.
[Status]
Name: Xrio Coml
Race: True Blood (100% of a certain race—status does not reveal which)
Class: Animus (Myth / Tier 4)
Type: Beast Taming / Multiclass
Description:Only those who can live among beasts can awaken a life-based taming class. This class allows you to gain multiple classes related to beast taming. It has excellent growth potential but starts weaker than even ordinary classes. Each class grants a number of abilities and passives based on its grade.(Warning: Classes cannot be removed, and new classes cannot be obtained through abilities or passives—only through special items.)
Tier 1 Quality
Poor: 1 ability (HS – hidden stat bonus +1)
Trash: 1 passive (+3)
Tier 2
Ordinary: 1 ability, 1 passive (+8)
Fair: 1 ability, 2 passives (+18)
Tier 3
Excellent: Same as above (+20 and QI – quality improvement)
Tier 4
Legend: Same abilities (+42), huge qualitative improvement
Myth: Same abilities (+50), QI
Tier 5
Divine: Unknown—no human has ever obtained this level
Each tier is a massive jump in power. Being just one tier higher means you could defeat an army of the tier below. I had received the highest tier possible—but that was a problem. I only wanted to escape humanity, so why did I have to end up with a class that would make everyone watch me?
My blank expression twisted in frustration as my tier appeared. There was some delay before all details showed, so I left quickly, hoping to escape before anyone noticed.
I also realized my body hadn't gotten any stronger. I needed to reach the market fast to buy a (Trash) Reroll Stone—an item that forces your class to reroll into the lowest possible grade. It was rarely sold due to its terrible effects and because starting classes were supposed to be the most compatible with your personality and mentality.
I walked to the merchant who was selling Reroll Stones, but he had none of trash quality, so I asked, "Do you have any of the trash-quality ones?"
"I may have one, but you know these things are rare to hold onto. Very few people want them because of how they affect their classes, so a fair price would be ten Trash Cores," replied the merchant, a money-hungry grin spreading across his face. He clearly assumed I didn't know that the price of an ordinary Reroll Stone was only two Trash Cores.
I replied sharply, "My final offer is one Trash Core. Take it or leave it, you greedy filth."He took the core immediately, handing me the stone as he kept smiling.
"Come back soon, young one. I'll find as many Trash Stones as you need—for this fair price."
And just like that, all my money was gone. After saving for my entire fifteen years of life, I had only managed to get a single Trash Core that was slightly depleted. After all, he never said it needed to be full. A grin spread across my face as I ran toward the alleys.