This cycle of walking during the day, drinking from the lake, sleeping in the trees, and meditating at night went on for a few days, maybe even a week. He always seemed just a few miles away from the mountain base but it didn’t really seem like he was making much progress either. Perhaps those mountains were actually a lot bigger than he thought they were or space was being very weird. It didn’t really change much if it was weird considering all that had happened over the past few days and until presented with something better or more concrete to do, Sam would just keep on going.
At the dawn of what was probably around Sam’s third week of keeping up with the cycle of meditation, walking, and sleeping something finally happened.
[Great Achievement Earned!] [A corresponding Title has been bestowed]
[Though you have yet to awaken a true class or receive an inheritance, you have touched upon that which goes beyond the mundane. Whether it be the result of prodigious talent, unending zeal, or unyielding faith, regardless you have taken a step beyond your station. Keep moving forward.]
[You have earned the title: Sagacious Being]
Right as he received the rush of notifications, before he could even read through them, Sam suddenly felt like something had clicked into place. Sam wasn’t sure exactly what was different or what clicked into place but it was like he felt more real, if that made any sense. Anyway the system didn’t really give any more explanation after letting him know the name of the Title he got but he figured it had to be a good thing and more than that it was looking more and more likely that someone out there somewhere, even if it wasn’t himself, could definitely cast fireball so that was pretty exciting. Sam assumed that the achievement he just made must be related to both the meditation that he had been up to and the oddity surrounding why he could see the goblins at night even though there wasn’t any light, since from his perspective he hadn’t really done anything else of note lately.
Motivated by the achievement, Sam decided to keep on going with his routine. He did however decide to finally make a change. Since going for the mountains seemed like it was going to take longer than he initially thought anyway, he thought that he might as well start trying to bring his level up so he can finally see his quest rewards and maybe pick a class. The next time night fell Sam made the choice to start paying more attention to the goblins that he could sometimes hear foraging, to see how safe it would be to try and fight the lone ones he’d run across here and there at night.
After a few nights of paying attention to the errant goblin, Sam came to the conclusion that the goblins couldn’t actually see at night. It seemed more like they were relying on their senses of smell and hearing to forage. Confident enough in the advantage that vision gave him, Sam decided it was finally time to get some more levels in himself.
The mountains seemed only a few miles away as they always did but tonight would be the night that Sam was going to start getting some more experience. Of course he hadn’t stopped his routine of praying and meditating, even though he still wasn’t fully certain of how it was helping him but it did seem like his night “vision” was getting better because of it so he kept doing it anyway. Plus, cultivation was always a long process in the novels he read growing up so he didn’t lose heart. That day when night finally came and he was up in a tree of his choice, he did not go to sleep like he normally would have. Instead, he meditated while waiting for a goblin to show up and get close enough for him to ambush. While waiting he kept the spear from his starter kit in hand. After what felt like an hour because of the anticipation, but was probably more like fifteen minutes, his patience was rewarded. A goblin had gotten quite close to the tree he was poised on. He took a moment to let the goblin be in a better position and when it was just under the branch he was on, he thrust his spear down with as much force as he could muster. It died instantly and even better, because it died in one hit there wasn’t much noise so none of the other goblins in the area were alerted.
Now Sam was in somewhat of a dilemma; he wanted to keep hunting goblins so that he can unlock the tutorial rewards but he didn’t know if he could stay quiet enough not to alert all the nearby goblins if he started going after them on foot instead of waiting for them to be right underneath his branch. Ultimately he figured, nothing ventured, nothing gained so he climbed down his tree and began the hunt.
For the next few days Sam focused more on hunting goblins than trying to get to the mountains as fast as possible. On the fifth day, his efforts were finally rewarded when he got a notification from the system.
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[Ding!] [Congratulations! You have now reached level 10. You are now able to view and receive your tutorial rewards.] [Great Achievement Earned!] [A corresponding Title has been bestowed] [You have earned the title: First Class Expedient]
This was so exciting! Sam wasn’t sure how his new reality would end up influencing his beliefs, but he was excited to find out. Since he was raised catholic, then maybe creation was just way wider than anyone actually knew. If so, then he couldn’t wait to see all that was there to see.
Now to look at those rewards.
Available rewards:
- First tutorial Quest rewards (Improved due to performance)
- Achievement rewards
- First Blood
- *Great Achievement* Sagacious Being
- First title holder (tutorial instance)
- Karmic balance
- *Great Achievement* First to class (Initiation Phase 1)
- Level Rewards (for reaching class threshold 1)
Sam wondered if he accepted them all at once whether he would know which rewards came from where or if that mattered at all. Honestly now that he was taking the time to do this he also worried about what level of urgency he should have regarding everything since he didn’t exactly know how long this tutorial was supposed to last or what exactly was required to complete it. Well there was no use worrying about it now, especially not since he had a way to actually remedy the lack of information so far. Having made his decision, Sam claimed all his rewards from the system.
[Rewards claimed]
Health Potion (F) x15, Mana potion (F) x15, Stamina Potion (F) x 5, Class selection upgrade x2, Trait selection Ticket, Personal Inventory, Skill upgrade Ticket, Utility Equipment Ticket x2
Okay, so it seems like a lot of these sound self-explanatory but also he’d definitely have to take a closer look at everything but for now it was time for the more exciting part of his notifications: class selection!
Initial Class selection initiated (for reaching level 10)
[Choosing an initial class is an important first step for denizens of creation, it represents both who you have been thus far and a general direction regarding your future growth. Your path is yours to make as you will, and this will be reflected in future class evolutions achieved at certain thresholds. Do not worry too much over your choice as it does not set your future in stone and merely represents a general direction. However, neither should this decision be taken lightly especially considering the circumstances of someone from an uninitiated universe as it will heavily influence your ability to survive the tutorial and initiation as a whole. Receiving a class is predominantly not done within a tutorial since most denizens are from places long since initiated by the System.]
Class options (some additions and changes to this list have been made due to performance and achievement in the tutorial):
[Mage]
[Warrior]
[Healer]
[Crafter]
[Acolyte]
[Scholar]
[Martial Devout]
[Verdant Scholar]
[Luminous Ranger]
Sam was willing to bet that those last three options were because of the class upgrade rewards he’d received. So without even really thinking about it too much, he wrote off the first six. This left him with three options to choose from. Honestly he really should read the descriptions first but he already knew which one he was choosing so he would just read the description of his class once he chose it. Logically Sam felt like he shouldn’t have to worry about the options suddenly disappearing considering there wasn’t a timer or anything but just because he knew something didn’t mean his feelings always matched the knowledge so he chose his class without hesitation.
[Congratulations on gaining your initial class!] [You are now a Martial Devout+] [Because of a remaining reward, your initial class has received additional benefits]
Class: Martial Devout+ (F, Epic)
You have shown a propensity both for martial combat and your faith. A Martial Devout is one who does not shy away from violence but chooses not to relish in it. Instead they are guided by their principles (in your case your faith) to uphold what they believe and use combat when necessary to achieve that. As a result of this tendency, this class makes use of physical and magical abilities. You have shown greater understanding of your path than most at the time of receiving their initial class and have been appropriately rewarded.
You gain the following class skills:
[Martial Weapons Proficiency (Basic)][Armor Proficiency (Basic)]
[Holy & Light Affinity (Uncommon)][Additional Class skill Awarded: Dark Affinity (Uncommon)]
[Prayer/Meditation (Common)]
[Passive Regeneration (Uncommon)]
[Improvement (Common)]
[Heal (Basic)]
You gain the following stat distribution per level:
Strength +5
Dexterity +5
Constitution +7
Intelligence +2
Willpower +3
Senses +4
Spirit +4
Free Stat points +5
[Because of your performance and mentality in the tutorial prior to receiving your class these stats have been retroactively awarded to your prior levels. This is an exceedingly rare occurrence; do not expect it to happen again]
Just as he finished reading the notification for receiving his class, Samson was suddenly disoriented as all sorts of sensations tore through his body and mind. On the physical side of things was an odd mix of excruciating pain and relaxing warmth. Mentally, it felt like how his brain felt like clay when he had done ketamine infusion therapy except dialed to eleven and as though there were a dozen pairs of hands playing with the “clay.” After what felt like both hours and seconds, the sensations went away. He was left reeling at what he just experienced. Once he adjusted though, he couldn’t even describe how amazing everything was. It’s as though all things around him and he himself were more real than they had been just a moment ago, sort of like he had been underwater without goggles his whole life and he just walked ashore for the first time while taking a breath of fresh air.