Chapter 35: Class Selection
## Chapter 35: Class Selection
As they moved through the debris-strewn corridors, the atmosphere was thick with conversation. Jakob was the undisputed center of attention. His display of power had left everyone stunned.
„That was unreal, Jakob!“ one of the fighters exclaimed, still visibly shaken. „What was that? It was crazy!“
Jakob laughed, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. “It was a skill, but not just a regular one. It’s a Class Skill—it unlocked together with my class when I hit level 5. It’s completely tied to my class.“ He paused, looking around at the group. “And the best part is that I can use my Skill Points to evolve it—taking them from Level 1 to Level 2 and beyond. I’m curious how much potential it truly has.“
Jakob hesitated for a second before adding, „And that’s not all. I’ve unlocked a shop interface. I can use my Skill Points to unlock specific skills, but there’s also a general section where I can buy various items.“
Michael, who had been trailing the group in silence, halted at the mention of the shop. A flicker of surprise crossed his face. He had reached Level 5 earlier than Jakob had, but in the chaos of the portal chamber, the notification had slipped through his awareness. He focused his intent, and the store interface materialized instantly in his vision. He pushed the thought aside for later—his three class options were far more pressing.
He let his gaze settle on the three choices, the text shimmering with a heavy, golden aura:
[SELECT YOUR CLASS]
1. Lonely Warrior: A powerful solo combatant. He unfolds his full potential when fighting apart from others or society. Beyond his combat prowess, his regeneration of mana, stamina, and life energy increases massively.
2. Iron Ruler: A born leader. High persuasiveness. With his words, he can move masses. When fighting alongside his people, all his abilities and status values are significantly bolstered.
3. Champion: A being so powerful that he influences the destiny of humanity.
Michael came to a complete stop, letting the others drift ahead as he mentally weighed the options.
*Lonely Warrior* was undeniably powerful—likely the most formidable in a straight fight. But the restriction was a shackle; he had no intention of abandoning mankind and fighting only alone.
*Iron Ruler* seemed to have no downsides. He would grow stronger while fighting with others, and he could command them to fight for his cause. Yet, humans remained the ultimate variable. Their emotions, agendas, and shifting loyalties made interpersonal dynamics a minefield. Even with the class’s inherent bonuses, he would spend every waking moment having to manage and convince those around him.
Finally, he looked at *Champion*. The description was cryptic, lacking any real information. But the phrase „influence the destiny of humanity“ struck a chord that resonated deeper than mere strength. It suggested a burden, but also a purpose that transcended the local conflicts of the Audimax.
Objectively, the *Iron Ruler* would have been the logical choice. He would be the Iron Ruler with an Iron Will. But those words—*destiny of humanity*—gnawed at him, hinting at a reality far larger than the one he could currently see. There was something more behind that title.
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Michael took a steadying breath, his mind clearing of all hesitation. He selected *Champion*.
He braced himself, expecting a surge of raw power or a new combat technique akin to Jakob’s explosion, but the system responded with a gravity that felt physical. The air around him seemed to thicken as a blinding, golden notification forced itself across his entire field of vision.
[WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT]
[The first Champion of Humanity has awakened.]
The chime was not the usual crisp tone of a level-up; it was deep, resonant, and seemed to vibrate within his very bones. The others exclaimed in surprise. First an announcement about the first one to reach level 5 and now an information about a Champion. *World Announcements shouldn’t be all day stuff. That must be something huge, something world changing!* some of them thought.
Before Michael could process the global scale of the announcement, the system continued, the text scrolling with a weight that felt like a formal decree.
[CLASS GRANTED: CHAMPION OF HUMANITY]
[You have been bestowed with immense power, but such power comes with equal duty. From this moment forth, you are co-responsible for the fate of all humanity.]
Michael’s breath hitched. He had sought a tool for survival, and instead, he had been given a mandate of existence. The sheer weight of those words slammed into him, crushing the air from his lungs. He was struck by a paralyzing sense of pressure, a cold dread that felt heavier than any beast he had faced. His mind involuntarily flashed back to the hallways he had cleared, the sight of students—peers, strangers, friends—lying cold and broken on the floor, their lives snuffed out in an instant. He had struggled to keep a few hundred alive; now, the System was demanding he answer for the survival of eight billion, or what was left of it.
The interface didn’t give him time to recover; three new, divergent paths manifested in his view, each pulsating with a different, eerie light.
[SELECT YOUR PATH]
1. Space Path: You command the element of space.
2. Light Path: You are the light.
3. Darkness Path: You walk the path of pure darkness.
His eyes drifted past the *Space Path*, which offered a mastery of distance, and the *Light Path*, which promised a beacon of hope that felt almost too vulnerable for the carnage he had witnessed. His focus locked onto the third option: *Darkness Path*.
The words „You walk the path of pure darkness“ seemed to seep into his mind, cold and absolute. It wasn’t about malice, Michael realized, but about the brutal, unyielding reality of the void—the shadow that existed beneath all light. To protect humanity, to be the shield against an encroaching abyss that had already swallowed so many, he couldn’t afford to be a simple lantern. He needed to be the thing that the monsters feared. He needed the power to navigate the darkness, to strike from the unseen, and to endure where others would be consumed.
In his heart, he felt a strange, magnetic pull. He had always been drawn to the dark—the quiet, the hidden, the absolute certainty of the shadow. The allure of mastering powers fueled by such primal essence was intoxicating; he could imagine the sheer versatility and devastating strength those skills would provide.
Yet, his rational mind intervened, cutting through the temptation like a blade. This was no mere game or fantasy realm where he could indulge his preferences. This was the brutal reality of survival. If he wanted to safeguard humanity, he needed more than raw destruction; he needed something entirely different. *Space* offered freedom—the ability to reposition, to escape impossible traps, and to traverse the battlefield with a fluidity no shadow could replicate. He could be everywhere and nowhere at once. He had no idea what else he could with this kind of power, *Maybe I can even do something about this portals..*, he pondered.
With a sharp, grounding exhale, he pushed the darkness aside and chose the path of the void.
[PATH SELECTED: SPACE PATH]
[You have accepted the path of Space. Your evolution begins now.]
The air around him hummed with an unstable, oscillating frequency. His perception of the world warped, edges blurring as he felt the fabric of reality stretching at his fingertips. The overwhelming weight of his duty remained, but he now possessed the tools to transcend it. He was the architect of a new survival, and the world was no longer a cage, but a map he could redraw at will.