The village square had never looked so formal.
Elias stood with the other soon-to-be-Awakened—all three of them—trying not to fidget with the collar of his nice tunic. To his left was Petra Millson, the baker's daughter, who looked calm and composed as always. To his right was young Willem Cart, who at barely fifteen looked about ready to throw up from excitement.
"Stop bouncing," Petra murmured to Willem without moving her lips. "You're making the elder nervous."
Willem immediately froze mid-bounce, though his eyes continued darting around the square like he was trying to memorize everything at once.
Elias sympathized. The whole village had turned out for the ceremony, which happened twice a year when kids came of age. It was a big deal—the moment someone officially became an adult in the eyes of the System. Garlands hung between the buildings, someone had swept the square until the cobblestones gleamed, and his mother had definitely been crying earlier even though she'd tried to hide it.
Elder Hammond stood before them, his formal robes somehow making him look both dignified and slightly uncomfortable. The old man had been performing Awakening ceremonies for forty years, but he still seemed mildly surprised every time the System actually responded to his requests.
"Citizens of Millbrook," Hammond began, his voice carrying across the square. "We gather today to witness three of our young people take their first steps into adulthood. The System recognizes no child before their fifteenth year, but once that threshold is crossed, all sapient beings may access the classes and skills that have guided our civilization for millennia."
Elias had heard this speech before—twice, actually, when his older cousins had their Awakenings—but it hit different when you were the one standing in the center of the square.
"The System is fair," Hammond continued. "It grants no special favors, offers no shortcuts. What you build, you build through effort. What you earn, you keep. Let no one tell you that their path is the only path, for the System offers countless roads to strength."
The elder turned to face them directly, his wrinkled face softening into something almost fatherly. "Petra Millson. Willem Cart. Elias Thorne. Are you prepared to accept the System's recognition?"
"Yes, Elder," they chorused.
"Then speak the words, and let the System awaken within you."
Elias felt his heart hammering. This was it. The moment he'd been waiting for. He took a breath, and along with Petra and Willem, spoke the ritual phrase that every person spoke on their Awakening day:
"I accept the System's gift."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
Everything happened.
The world didn't change, exactly. The square was still there, his family still stood in the crowd, the sun still shone overhead. But suddenly Elias could see something that had been invisible before, like a layer of reality had been unveiled.
In the corner of his vision, almost like an afterthought, floated a small icon. When he focused on it—more instinct than conscious thought—it expanded.
SYSTEM AWAKENING COMPLETE
Welcome, Elias Thorne.
You have been recognized.
Calculating base attributes...
Analyzing potential...
Initializing class selection interface...
Complete.
The text hung in the air before his eyes, visible only to him, glowing with a soft blue light that somehow didn't hurt to look at. It was the most beautiful thing Elias had ever seen.
"I can see it," Willem breathed beside him. "I can actually see it!"
"Focus on your status," Elder Hammond said, his voice warm with understanding. "Think the word 'status' and the System will show you what you are."
Elias thought it, and the screen shifted:
═══════════════════════════════════
NAME: Elias Thorne
SPECIES: Human
AGE: 17 years
OVERALL LEVEL: 0
═══════════════════════════════════
CLASSES:
[No Classes Selected]
═══════════════════════════════════
ATTRIBUTES:
Strength: 12
Agility: 10
Endurance: 14
Vitality: 11
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 9
Charisma: 12
Luck: 10
═══════════════════════════════════
SKILLS:
[General - Farming] Lv. 15
[General - Running] Lv. 8
[General - Basic Cooking] Lv. 12
[General - Herb Gathering] Lv. 6
[General - Carpentry Basics] Lv. 7
═══════════════════════════════════
TITLES:
None
═══════════════════════════════════
Elias stared at the numbers, trying to process what they meant. His skills made sense—he'd been farming and helping his parents for years, so of course those showed up. But the attributes...
"Is twelve Strength good?" he whispered to Petra.
"Average human is ten," she whispered back, not looking away from her own status screen. "You're a bit above average. All that farm work."
That made sense. Elias's Endurance of fourteen must have come from the same source—long days working the fields. But his Wisdom was only nine? That seemed... harsh.
You're seventeen and you stayed up half the night overthinking your class choice, a voice in his head pointed out. Maybe the System has a point.
"Don't dwell on the numbers too much," Elder Hammond said, apparently reading the expressions on their faces. "Attributes can grow. What matters now is your class selection. Focus on 'Available Classes' and the System will show you your options."
Elias did, and the screen changed again:
═══════════════════════════════════
AVAILABLE CLASSES
═══════════════════════════════════
Based on your attributes, skills, and potential,
the following classes are available:
COMBAT CLASSES:
→ Scout
→ Warrior
→ Archer
→ Fighter
UTILITY CLASSES:
→ Farmer
→ Craftsman
→ Cook
→ Herbalist
→ Carpenter
MAGICAL CLASSES:
→ [Mage] - REQUIREMENTS NOT MET (INT 15 required)
→ [Cleric] - REQUIREMENTS NOT MET (WIS 15 required)
═══════════════════════════════════
Note: This is not an exhaustive list. Many classes
require specific achievements, trainers, or
discoveries to unlock. Additional classes may
become available as you grow.
You may select ONE class at this time.
Choose carefully.
═══════════════════════════════════
Elias read through the list slowly. Scout was there, just as he'd hoped. But so were other options—Farmer like his dad, or Cook like his mom. He could even pick Warrior right now if he wanted, though he had no combat training whatsoever.
The System didn't care about that, apparently. It just offered what was possible, not necessarily what was smart.
Beside him, Willem let out a whoop of joy. "I can pick Mage! My Intelligence is sixteen!"
"Congratulations, Willem," Elder Hammond said warmly. "And you, Petra?"
"I'm going to choose Baker," Petra said, her voice steady. "Like my mother, and her mother before her. The class is available, and... it feels right."
Elias glanced at her. Petra could probably choose several classes—she was smart, capable, and had been helping at the bakery since she could walk. But she'd chosen to follow her family's trade, and she looked completely at peace with the decision.
"And you, Elias?" the elder asked.
Everyone was watching him now. His parents, his sister, the whole village. He could feel the weight of their attention, their expectations, their hopes.
He could choose Farmer. Stay in Millbrook, take over his father's work eventually, live a good and peaceful life.
He could choose Scout and leave, chase adventure, risk everything for a chance at something more.
The System patiently waited for his decision, the blue screen hovering in his vision like a promise and a question combined.
Elias took a breath and thought: Select Scout.
═══════════════════════════════════
CLASS SELECTION CONFIRMED
You have chosen: SCOUT
Finalizing selection...
Integrating class structure...
Unlocking initial skills...
Complete.
Congratulations, Elias Thorne.
You are now a Level 1 Scout.
Welcome to your path.
═══════════════════════════════════
The moment the confirmation appeared, Elias felt something change. It wasn't dramatic—no burst of light, no surge of power—but suddenly he was aware of things he hadn't been before. The way the wind moved through the square. The subtle sounds of people shifting their weight. The fastest route to the edge of the square if he needed to move quickly.
"He chose Scout," someone in the crowd murmured.
"Adventurer's class," another voice said, neither approving nor disapproving, just stating a fact.
Elder Hammond smiled. "Well chosen, all of you. Petra, your baking will bring joy to many. Willem, your magic will serve you well. And Elias..." The old man's eyes twinkled. "Your path will take you far from home, I think. But paths have a way of circling back when they need to."
He raised his voice to address the crowd. "Three more of Millbrook's children have been recognized by the System! Let us celebrate!"
The formality of the ceremony broke like a wave, and suddenly Elias was being swarmed by well-wishers. His mother reached him first, pulling him into a hug that nearly squeezed the air from his lungs.
"My brave boy," she murmured. "Scout. I should have known."
"Can I see your status screen?" Lily demanded, bouncing beside them. "Can you show me? Please?"
"Later," Marcus said, but he was grinning as he clapped Elias on the shoulder. "Let your brother breathe first."
The rest of the day passed in a blur. There was food—of course there was food, this was Millbrook and any excuse for a feast was taken—and music, and people congratulating all three of them. Willem was nearly glowing with excitement about being a Mage, already talking about spell-casting and magical theory with anyone who would listen. Petra accepted congratulations with quiet grace, already making plans with her mother about new recipes to try now that she had the Baker class actively boosting her skills.
And Elias... Elias kept opening his status screen, just to make sure it was real.
NAME: Elias Thorne
OVERALL LEVEL: 1
CLASSES:
[Scout] Lv. 1
SKILLS (Scout):
[Pathfinding] Lv. 1
[Keen Eye] Lv. 1
[Light Step] Lv. 1
Three skills, right from the start. He'd have to figure out what they all did, but just having them felt incredible. He was a Scout now. Actually, officially, a Scout.
As the sun began to set and the celebration wound down, Elias found himself standing at the edge of the square with his father, watching the last of the light paint the sky in oranges and purples.
"When do you want to leave?" Marcus asked quietly.
Elias had been thinking about that all day. "A week? Maybe two? I want to help with the harvest, and... and say proper goodbyes."
"Take your time," his father said. "The world will still be there. But Elias?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't take too much time. Once you've made your choice, commit to it. That's what the Scout class is about—finding the path and following it. Don't second-guess yourself into staying somewhere you don't want to be."
Elias looked at his father, really looked at him. Marcus Thorne had chosen Farmer and never regretted it, had built a good life here in Millbrook. But he was still encouraging his son to leave, to seek something different.
"Thanks, Dad."
"Thank me by visiting once in a while. Your mother will worry herself sick otherwise."
They stood together in comfortable silence as the stars began to emerge overhead, the same stars that shone over Silvercrest and all the places Elias would soon see.
He was Level 1.
He had a class.
The long way up had just begun.
That night, alone in his room, Elias experimented with his new skills.
[Pathfinding] seemed to give him an instinctive sense of the best route to take. When he thought about getting to the kitchen, he immediately knew the fastest path—which, admittedly, was just "walk down the stairs and turn left," but the knowledge came unbidden and certain.
[Keen Eye] made his vision sharper when he focused on something. He could pick out details he would have missed before—the grain of the wood on his bedpost, a spider in the corner of the ceiling, the individual stars visible through his window.
[Light Step] was harder to test indoors, but when he tried walking as quietly as possible, his footsteps were almost silent. The old floorboard that always creaked didn't make a sound.
They were small abilities, Level 1 skills for a Level 1 Scout. But they were his, earned by choosing a class and taking the first step on his path.
Elias opened his status screen one more time before sleep, just to see it again:
NAME: Elias Thorne
OVERALL LEVEL: 1
CLASSES: [Scout] Lv. 1
Level 1.
Everyone started somewhere.
And from here, the only direction was up.