*ding!*

  You are now eligible for a Class upgrade:

  There are currently three Class upgrade options for you to choose from!

  Let’s see what you have for me, I thought as I focused on the blue box flashing before my eyes.

  [Blood Reaper]

  A rare specialized Class that focuses on the weaponization of blood manipulation to bring about death and destruction to their enemies. A [Blood Reaper] is a bringer of vengeance, not simply relying on their ranged spells, but also going up close and personal to exact their wrath.

  +15 [Magic]

  +10 [Strength]

  As I suspected, the first Class upgrade that was offered to me was related to my death magic once again. This time, it was specifically in regards to my blood manipulation.

  While blood magic was its own type of magic, it also fell as a sub-type of death magic, due to the nature of its spells. And unfortunately, because of that, this Class would not be useful to me, especially when I enrolled in the Holy Academy of the Church of Life.

  Even if it’s a [Reaper]-type Class… I thought as I considered the option given to me. Getting a Class like this was rare— even in my past life, it took until I was Platinum to get such a Class. However, I could not accept it, despite its benefits.

  So I moved onto the next Class option I had available, hoping that it would at least be related to life magic in some way. And while I thought I would be disappointed by the option I was given— since that was the norm at this point whenever I got a Class option— I was surprised to see that it was actually a Class I would consider.

  [Younger Paladin Of Light]

  A rare specialized Class that focuses on using light magic to protect those who are weaker than you and vanquish your enemies. With all the might of a [Warrior] and the wisdom of a [Mage], a [Younger Paladin Of Light] will not falter as long as there is someone that needs protecting.

  +15 [Strength]

  +7 [Magic]

  +3 [Vitality]

  I got an actual Class that’s not death magic-related, huh? That’s a shocker.

  I thought that I was definitely going to get another option that I had to dismiss, solely due to its nature. However, this time around, I was quite fortunate.

  Well, I guess I did achieve quite a lot with my [Healer] Class over the last month or so… I thought as I read over the blue box floating before me again. However, do I really want to become a [Paladin]?

  [Paladins] were rare, just as the description I read implied. They were capable of minor healing spells, but the main focus of their Class was protecting others. Certainly, I would be able to get into the Holy Academy of the Church of Life.

  However… not only would I be straying away from the path I had already been working towards, but I was sure it would be harder for me to stand out with my lack of [Strength].

  Besides, I intend to reform the Church of Life, I considered as I tapped a finger on my chin. Archbishop Walden is no [Paladin]. They often only work as mere Inquisitors— pawns for him to use and play with.

  While I knew not Archbishop Walden’s true Class, I knew that if I wanted to achieve my goals, I had to be more than a mere [Paladin]. And as a [Healer], that would be my best bet to climb the ranks of the Church.

  Fortunately, that was just what my next Class upgrade was.

  [Soulfire Healer]

  A rare specialized Class bestowed upon those who are pure of heart in the eyes of the Goddess of Life. A [Soulfire Healer] is a protector of the weak, and a provider for the needy. They will fight for those who need them, no matter the field of battle.

  +12 [Magic]

  +7 [Vitality]

  +3 [Dexterity]

  Interesting, I thought as I read through the final option. Seems like this time I’m not going to have to wait to have my Class upgrade.

  I had already made up my mind— at least, between these options that were given to me. But there was some merit to waiting even longer for a potential better option. After all, I had done that a few times in my previous life, despite being offered a handful of great options right off the bat. And back then, waiting for even more superior options had paid off.

  However, considering that I was going to be enrolling into the Holy Academy of the Church of Life soon… I thought that it would be best for me to accept this Class now. Especially since I highly doubted I’d be doing enough over the next week or two before I arrived at Lux to warrant a better upgrade.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  And so, that was what I did.

  *ding!*

  You are now a [Soulfire Healer]!

  You have gained the Class Skills: [Aura Armor Of Light], [Boon Of Strength], [Purifying Touch], [Lesser Poison Resistance]

  Class Skills Upgraded:

  [Sacred Flame] -> [Holy Fire]

  [Basic Light Magic Control] -> [Basic Light Magic Conjuration]

  +12 [Magic]

  +7 [Vitality]

  +3 [Dexterity]

  Name: Nox (Eli)

  Race: Human

  Rank: Silver - Level 1

  Class: [Soulfire Healer]

  Class Skills: [Lesser Domain Of Light], [Heal], [Holy Fire], [Basic Light Magic Conjuration], [Boon Of Vitality], [Aura Armor Of Light], [Boon Of Strength], [Purifying Touch], [Lesser Poison Resistance]

  Titles: [Returning Death God], [Velmond’s Blessing], [The Bloodied Blade]

  Title Skills: [Remembrance Of The Fallen], [Death Magic Supremacy], [Basic Blessing Of Life], [Aura Blade]

  General Skills: [Quick Dash]

  Attributes:

  [Strength: 71]

  [Speed: 72]

  [Magic: 599]

  [Vitality: 96]

  [Dexterity: 80]

  Free Points: 29

  I nodded to myself as I looked over my Status one last time. I certainly received an interesting array of Skills that I wanted to test out. For both my Class and my new Title. However, what stood out to me more than my Skills right now was the fact that my [Magic] Attribute was so incredibly high now.

  At this rate, my [Magic] Attribute was going to be significantly higher than what it was right before my death during my final battle with Aria the Lady of Light. Which simply meant that thanks to what I did to mess with the reincarnation process, I was now going to be stronger than I ever was before.

  A smile slipped onto my face as the thought crossed my mind, before I drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  “Thanks for saving us yesterday, really,” Bran said as he bowed his head at me.

  It was the break of dawn. Richard, the [Wagon Drivers], and the adventurers had been packing up to leave the campsite when Bran had approached me to give me his thanks. The leader of the adventurers straightened as he scratched the back of his head.

  “We didn’t say it enough yesterday because we were pretty much out of it trying to just survive— but seriously, we owe you our lives. Martyr’s guide us, without your help, we’d all be dead.”

  Bran stepped to the side and nodded towards the rest of his team. Jerome, Elise, and Mark spoke up in agreement as they rolled up their tent.

  Mark gave me an impressed look. “I’m surprised you were able to keep up your healing spells for so long. When they said you were a prodigy, they weren’t kidding, huh?”

  “That was seriously amazing,” Elise exclaimed. “And the way you were casting all those spells at once? I could not believe what I was seeing!”

  And even though Jerome gave more of a muted response, he still spoke approvingly. “I would ask you to join our team if you weren’t a kid. Good work out there.”

  I just waved a hand dismissively back at them in response. “It was nothing. You guys were the ones who actually took down the bandits, not me.”

  Looking back my way, Bran smiled, placing a hand on his chest.

  “I know you’re heading for Lux, and we’ll be making our stop at Albus,” he continued as he shook his head. “However, we’ll likely stick around the city for a few months since there’ll be plenty of jobs for us to take up there. So if you ever need anything from a ragtag group of adventurers, you can always seek us out— just say you’re looking for the Steel Shields, and we’ll be there.”

  I raised a brow back at him. “The Steel Shields?”

  “That’s the name of our team,” he explained, before hesitating. “Well, that’ll be the name of our team when we hit Gold— I know the Adventurer’s Guild does not officially recognize team names until then since most teams in the lower Ranks disband quite quickly.”

  I looked past Bran, eyeing his three teammates as they laughed and made jokes with each other, all the while finishing packing things up for the journey. And he continued.

  “But we’ve been together for years. I guarantee you we’ll still be together the next time you meet us. Hopefully, we’ll be Gold by then, so you can just ask the Adventurer’s Guild for the Steel Shields since that’ll be our official team name. But until then, I’m sure you can poke around one of the three Adventurer’s Guild branches in Albus, and you’ll find us there. We’ll help you out— free of charge.”

  “I’ll be sure to take you guys up on the offer,” I chuckled as I smiled back at him gratefully.

  From the side, Richard broke off from his [Wagon Drivers] and walked up to me as well. He pointed a thumb at himself as he grinned.

  “We owe you one, too. We’d have died from that poison if not for that healing barrier you created. So if there’s anything in our stock you ever want, I’ll give it to you— with a massive discount!”

  Bran rolled his eyes next to the [Trader]. “That’s not giving it to him. You’re still selling it to him. Just at a cheaper price.”

  “Hey, I’ll even let him pay in installments if he can’t afford it all at once— I don’t usually do that, you know?” Richard scoffed and crossed his arms. “But I’m a [Trader] first and foremost. Even if I do favors, I don’t do things for free.”

  “...maybe I should’ve charged you more for this job,” Bran said flatly.

  But Richard sneered in response, pulling a piece of paper from his side. “Too bad— you already signed the contract. So what you’ll get is what's written here.”

  Bran sighed as he drew away, trudging back to his team. “I know, I know. I wasn’t being serious.”

  “Well, money is always a serious matter to a [Trader],” Richard muttered under his breath as he turned to the [Wagon Drivers]. “Anyway, let’s get a move on— we don’t want to hang around here in case more of those bandits show up!”

  The [Trader] called out as I watched him go. I had neglected to mention to anyone except for Sister Frida that I had dealt with the Gold Skulls the night before. After all, I had no reason to break the news to them— all it would do is draw even more attention and questions my way.

  The only reason I had informed Frida of what I’d done was to stop her from going looking for the bandits. And while I was sure she would have questions for me, I was more than prepared to answer the interrogations of one person.

  Once too many people started asking questions, I would struggle to come up with answers— since it would be difficult to predict what they would ask.

  Of course, Frida could have told the others about what I did. But I knew she wouldn’t, because she was the quiet, aloof type. She wouldn’t even share any details about herself to me, and she barely spoke to Richard or Bran beyond what was necessary for our journey.

  So that was why I knew I would only have to deal with her questioning.

  Speaking of… I thought as I watched the [Nun] disappear her tent with a flash of light. She turned towards me and hesitated for a moment, before walking my way. Here she comes.

  I just waited with a smile plastered on my face as Sister Frida made her way to me.

  “How do you feel today? If you’re still under the weather, don’t worry— I’m sure you can just lie down and relax for the rest of our journey.”

  “I’m… fine,” Frida said as she came to a halt before me.

  She hesitated, glancing between me and the others who were off to the side, finishing up their preparations to leave the campsite. Taking a deep breath, the [Nun] met my gaze.

  “Eli,” she said as I raised a brow back at her. “There is something I need to tell you.”