“So what do you want to be?” 

“I don’t know, what do you want to be?” 

“Arg! We’ve been at this for hours!”

“Rock Paper Scissors? Loser has to be the caster.”

The two men had been arguing for what seemed like an eternity, much to the dismay of the bartender. They were both dressed in attire unfitting for the area they sat at. While everyone around them was equipped with various levels and types of armor, these two men wore casual clothing that offered no protection. It wasn’t only their choice of attire that was odd. The mens’ general demeanor was unbecoming of adventurers. 

To start, the taller man let his guard down constantly. No, he never had it up to begin with. He drank every glass given to him without checking it and never bothered to look over his shoulder. Long hair and full beard made him seem unkempt, yet his clothes were fine like a noble’s. Two dazzling gems clung to his ears and glistened in the candlelight. One could easily mistake him for a member of high society were he to clean up. Of course, that only made him a bigger target for would-be thugs or assassins, which made his lack of defense even more surprising. 

The man’s noticeably shorter partner was a stark contrast from him. This one was dressed much more casually. Although, his clothing was still fashioned similar to a wealthy commoner’s. He was free from jewelry, and both his beard and head were cleanly shaven. Pale skin showed that he spent little time outside, though it was hard to notice in the faint light. Lastly, the man was well-built and had a menacing look to him. Even his neutral facial expression caused people to think twice before approaching. A smile would only look evil on such a person. 

“Hell yeah! Long live Rex, the knight!” The taller man shouted after winning two matches back to back. The other customers paused to stare at the idiotic man but quickly returned to their conversation, not that Rex minded disturbing the others. He knew the advantages of holding the position he just won. As the vanguard, he’d control the tide of battle. He would be on the frontlines to vanquish any enemy that came his way. Of course, the most important part went unsaid but occupied his thoughts. Rex looked forward to the people that would tell his tale. Everyone always remembered the knight in shining armor. He could almost hear the cries for his autograph. 

“Great. Nicholas, the mage. Meh, I’ve heard worse.” The bald man said in a much quieter voice. True, he preferred to be the knight much like Rex but acting as the team’s magic caster wouldn’t be a dreadful experience. Aside from Merlin, the Greatest Wizard, mages often went unknown. Thankfully, Nicholas preferred it that way. He was happy to fill any role and more than willing to let Rex have the spotlight. Magic wasn’t a strong preference, but it was one of the two suggested classes they agreed upon. Nicholas silently wished the team had another member for more potential choices. 

“Sounds good to me. Let’s tell Genesis and invest our skill points.” Rex cheerfully said before making an odd gesture with his hand. A flat, semi-transparent, panel appeared in front of him. The object hovered in the air and was only visible to him and his team member. Various sets of data were presented, but Rex focused on the top five items: level, class, health, stamina, and mana. As a level one and classless individual, Rex was eager to get his new life started.

Nicholas performed the same motion and received the same statistics. Much like his companion, he was still at the starting level and had not yet picked a class. Curious eyes darted to the six numbers that could be changed: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Of course, he would alter these points after picking his desired class. A shaking hand reached for the empty slot near the top of the panel. With a single press, a voice sounded in his head.

“PLEASE SELECT A CLASS.”

“Wizard,” Nicholas mumbled under his breath. He didn’t like the idea of announcing his class to everyone present. Of course, he also didn’t want to look like a crazy person who was seemingly speaking to his glass of water.

“Knight,” Rex said with a slightly louder voice. He would have preferred to shout his choice like he did earlier but didn’t want to upset his partner. Keeping certain information confidential had the potential to save his life. He knew he needed to refrain from boasting, especially when more skills were acquired.

“REQUEST DENIED. CLASSES [WIZARD] AND [KNIGHT] REQUIRE A MINIMUM LEVEL OF FIFTY. ALTERNATIVELY, CLASSES [SMART PEASANT] AND [BRAVE PEASANT] ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE RESPECTIVELY PROPOSED CLASSES. WOULD THESE SUFFICE?”

“Huh?” Both Rex and Nicholas said in unison. They were dumbfounded. What kind of classes were those? They almost seemed like insults from Genesis, but both men knew the system had no sense of humor. A sigh escaped them as they realized there was no better course of action.

“Well, everyone starts somewhere. I guess?” Nicholas tried to comfort his friend. He’d never seen such a blatantly low-level class, but that didn’t matter. So long as he was with someone he trusted, Nicholas would make it work. He knew everything would change once they reached the proper level. 

“Uh-huh. I guess Rex, the knight, will sit on the back burner until we get out of the peasant phase.” Rex said while leaning back in his chair. Starting a game in such a way was an incredibly new experience. Yet, it was refreshing. After spending many years turning characters into overpowered gods, beginning as a peasant seemed like a fun opportunity. Rex’s new life would start much like his previous one.

“CONFIRMED. CLASSES [SMART PEASANT] AND [BRAVE PEASANT] HAVE BEEN BESTOWED UPON THEIR RESPECTIVE PLAYERS. THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE GENESIS PROGRAM.”