Classes are the main thing separating the enlightened races from monsters. However, though the existence of classes is an extension of the SYSTEM, it allows for users to surpass some of its limitations. The main one being the limit placed on the Tier of skills a lifeform is able to possess. Take for example <Slash>, one of the primary skills given to a Swordsman, one of the most basic classes. A monster with the same skill will never be able to match the improvement of a Swordsman on the same Tier, in the same time frame. This is because Classes remove the exponential upward resistance to improving skill Tiers. Classes also grant bonuses to stats with each level, so on top of the unassigned stats gained from leveling up lifeforms with classes recieve extra stats. Furthermore, there is a ranking system concerning classes: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythical, Divine & Origin, in order. Enlightened also have the option to renounce a certain class in exchange for another. However, most high ranking classes have a punishment associated with that decision, and the higher the rank, the more severe the punishsment.

- An extract from "Classing for Dummies"

 

 

{Clip’s POV}

 

England, I’ve never cared much for the caliginous place. For the streets always bustled with busy bodies and women that clung to men tighter than their wives. It was a place where the sun-kissed cold pavement, at least once, or if we’re lucky twice a month. Despite the streets filled with scurrying vermin that seek refuge under any maiden’s skirt, it was the place I called home.

It annoyed me to leave the comfort of my quarters to venture to such a place where the most Englishmen dread for some reason, the Americas. I heard many contradictory stories of the land but I was determined to explore new terrains and I longed for the sun’s kiss on my cheek. I thought it would be an adventurous way to spend my vacation. My reverie was broken when my driver halted in front of the airport. Indeed I was excited about the trip, but the journey seemed long and perilous. Nevertheless, I gathered what was left of my pride and proceeded to towards my next challenge.

As we finally boarded the small plane, I felt a rush of adrenaline and fear. I was most fearful because this was in fact my first time on a plane. And it definitely didn’t help that I watched close to death encounters whilst on a plane. I mentally facepalmed, could I have done something more stupid jeez. The nerves started setting in because I started having flashbacks of the videos.

I felt like the plane was getting smaller and smaller, I had to get the hell out of here. I refused to let today be my last. . “Hey, are you okay? You don’t look too good little man.” My eyes darted over to the person who spoke, it was Andrew, my older brother. With his slightly scrunched eyebrows, he looked worried, but his face later softened. “Calm down lil man this will all be over before you know it”, he said. If only we knew.

“Yeah, if you say so. And don’t call me that, you’re the short one here you know” I replied jokingly. He chuckled then said, “Whatever makes you sleep at night.” “Lil man” he continued to chirp, but in a whisper. I mentally rolled my eyes at his lameness. I realized I stopped sweating bullets and I was now calm and a little more at ease. Thank you, Andrew, a mental thanks given to the sometimes thoughtful gremlin. Maybe this trip wouldn’t be a total nightmare after all, and I couldn't wait to visit the Americas.

Apparently, this was going to be a ten-hour flight to an island none of us knew the name of, EXCEPT dear Andrew. Just great, as if I didn't have enough anxiety on my plate. According to my brother, ignorance is bliss, and it’ll ruin the experience if we knew where we were going. Like what. Nonetheless, I trust him and I wasn't much of a risk-taker before but why not start now.

To pass the time all three of us chatted nonstop for hours about random topics and experiences. We occasionally involved the pilot in the conversation from time to time and took naps in between eating for the majority of the trip. Pretty boring stuff, so far nothing life-threatening or anything ass clenching had occurred besides the occasional mild turbulence we felt. And there wasn't much time remaining before we arrived at our destination, twenty-two minutes to be exact according to the timer that was set on my phone.

What had honestly felt like a lifetime on the plane had almost come to an end as I watched the timer decrease. I was once again pumped with adrenaline and a rush of excitement to get off this metal bird. Moments before the alarm on the timer went off, we entered a 'realm' or a different area of space in the sky. It was like nighttime came very early, we barely could have seen anything outside of the plane; only darkness.

“Oh no is this the end of the oh mighty Clip” I muttered silently to myself. I looked over to where Chase sat then back at my brother, and both of them seemed more or less unbothered. I then looked ahead to see the pilot, and as if sensing my gaze he said,

“No need to worry it’s just a bit of fog buckaroo. We’ll be out of it before you know it.” Who even says buckaroo I thought, but nonetheless, his words brought slight comfort to me. They also reminded me of my brother’s words earlier today, since they said similar thi- I stopped my train of thought immediately. Why am I even thinking about past irrelevant details, I wondered. But on the rare occasion I’m in a situation like this I’ll think about almost anything to make myself feel better. The Clip mechanism….

If I do die right now, there’s at least one new thing I’ve learned about myself. I’m definitely a big wuss, like wow, even I was surprised by my behavior on this trip. But I was dragged out of my self-degrading thoughts by Chase’s voice, “See it cleared up”, he said. I turned and looked through one of the plane’s windows and low and behold the fog blanket did actually disappear.

There stood the most breathtaking island and beach I’ve ever seen, it looked like something out of a fairytale. Deep blue, crystal clear waters rich with aquatic lifeforms. A white sandy shore decorated with corals and an abundance of unique seashells. Just after the sandy shore ended, it was connected to a lush green forest. Filled with so many diverse plant species; flora and fauna.

It was almost too good to be true, my pessimistic thoughts pitched in. After taking in the amazing scenery, however, a thought exploded in my head. There was no sign of civilization; no hotel, no nothing...

"We’re supposed to camp here?" the notion I apparently said out loud or Andrew knows how to read minds. To test out the latter I thought, 'You have the face of a frog and you should take me home'. “Yes, Clip. Adventure awaits my good sir”, he said. Not quite the response I was hoping for.

“We barely know anything about camping or the wilderness though”, I quickly replied. “Take a chill pill lil man” Chase pitched in a mocking tone.

“We have our trusted pilot slash tour guide slash personal chef”, he continue before I could intervene.

“Bu-” my sentence was cut short when the plane jerked forward like we hit something. It started approaching the ground faster and faster. Panic set in again, I started hyperventilating and hanging on tight to the seat belt around the lower half of my body.

“Hang on guys!” the pilot yelled to us. The plane started to spin in the air, rapidly approaching the water beneath us. We didn’t have time to put on any life jackets. My grip on the seat belt tightened as I watched the individuals in the plane drown in anxiety. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion, I closed my eyes and braced for the impact I most likely wouldn’t survive. My eyes flew open as I heard the familiar Ring-Ding-RIng-Ding of the timer going off. Was this a sign that my time was up? That was my last thought before a loud bang ruptured my eardrums and darkness came over me.

“- Clip get up!” my mind was hazy, and I barely heard the voice scream. My ears were constantly ringing and I was going in and out of consciousness but was suddenly brought back to reality when I felt a sharp sting on the right side of my face. “Clip!?”. I finally got the strength to open my eyes, but I wish I didn’t.

One of the most gruesome sights lay before me, not even the horror movies I binge-watched could have prepared me for this. My dearest brother and someone who I considered as my best friend, was split down the middle in an unnervingly equal way. Red-pinkish and grey brain matter and his chunky intestines decorated the shore we lay on. My mind was going a hundred miles per hour, and I rapidly got up but immediately fell back down after a painful sensation shot up my leg and back.

There was a semi-deep gash traveling up my thigh about six or seven inches. I also realized that my left ankle was also sprained or broken; judging by the numb pain originating from it, but I wasn’t sure. The pain I was in was unbelievable, but I still wanted to get to my brother. So, I slowly got up this time, still in a world of pain. And dragging my left leg over, I tried to avoid putting any pressure on it.

As I approached my brother’s still and separated body, which was slowly being consumed by little beach crabs. I determined I was probably suffering from a concussion or something because I had no recollection of how we ended up here. Forcefully tearing my eyes away from the horrifying sight of the recently deceased Andrew, I hurled and heaved repeatedly but brought up nothing.

One might think -well any sane person would cry and break down over such a tragic loss of a loved one but somehow I couldn’t. I was- I was too shocked and in disbelief, I was numb. Somewhere in my mind, I thought this was a prank and any second now Andrew would get up and we’ll all laugh it off. 'Where’re the cameras guys...?' the belief allowed me to delude myself just a while longer. But I was taken out of my thoughts when I saw something moving in the corner of my eye.

Before fear could set in though, I realized that it was a slightly injured Chase. He was sitting no more than a few steps away from me rocking back and forth like he was traumatized, so I forced myself to walk toward him. And I noted that I was losing a good amount of blood from the leg injury as I dragged my leg over toward Chase.

“Hey, hey are you okay?” I said weakly, and he looked at me like I said something absolutely insane- 'Oh, that was a dumb question I concluded. 'Clearly, he wasn’t okay Clip'. I hesitantly moved my hand against his upper back trying my best to stop him from continuously rocking back and forth, and we stayed in silence for a brief moment before he spoke,

“After the plane suddenly crashed, some of us landed in the water and had to swim to the shore. But Andrew An - And”, he said shakenly.

“It’s okay, just breathe.” Chase started to inhale and exhale deeply for a while until he was somewhat calm, then he tried to continue where he had stopped.

"Andrew and the pilot were still a- alive”. Wait- so how did my brother end up split in half? Come to think about it, I never thought about what could have caused that. Was I a terrible person for trying to rid myself of any thoughts about my older brother? I suspect that this was my only way of coping with sudden loss, unfortunately.

I wanted to feel something, but I couldn’t. Getting lost in my thoughts, I wondered where was the pilot. Was he dead or still alive? I glanced around the beach but there weren’t any signs that he might be dead but neither was there any that indicated he could still be alive. I tried to soak in everything Chase was saying. He soon realized that I was suffering from a concussion, however, and that I was barely able to remember anything. I was silently listening to the events that led us up to this very moment, and I wondered what was the actual cause for my brother’s tragic death...

 

{Chase’s POV}

 

“Mayday Mayday!” the pilot continued to scream into the busted radio system. “Does anyone copy, over”, the pilot frantically rushed out. And the plane we were in gradually started to fill up with the seawater. My eyes darting all over the plane finally rested on my best friend and Clip. Whilst anxiously watching the pair, however, I noticed that Clip seemed to have fainted, shocker.

Andrew was rapidly trying to get him out of the seat belt that was strapped tightly against his body. After successfully removing Clip’s seat belt they started making their way out of the slowly submerging plane.

“Let’s get out of here, grab what you can!”, Andrew screamed out. The pilot and I immediately did what he had asked. And we hurriedly completed the task then made our way out through the door and onto the top of the plane.

“Do you guys smell that?”, the pilot asked while looking at us then the unconscious Clip. Andrew and I took a deep breath in, “Kerosene” we both said at the same time.

“Okay guys we’re at least 11 yards away from the shore, that’s approximately ten meters give or take. We need to hurry and get outta here before this thing blows”, Andrew stated “Right” Immediately after I responded something in my peripheral vision caught my attention. 'Oh brother, was that a-' I didn’t even finish my thought. I just quickly pointed out to the creature that was lurking around the sinking plane.

I shrieked as the pilot jumped in, did he not see what I was pointing at.

“What are you doing, there’s a bloody shark in the water!”, I shouted out to him, before he could respond his body was dragged underneath the water. We frantically searched for him while staying situated on top of the plane because we were all scared. Except for Clip, but what does he know, he’s still out cold.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he was actually afraid right now while still being unconscious. What a wuss. “Ahhh!” the scream brought me right back to the nightmarish reality. It was the pilot and in-one piece?

“You guys should have seen the look on your faces. Don’t look so frightened, it’s just a harmless dolphin.” He said joyously. “So no one even tried to jump in for me, wow I see how it is”, he continued dramatically. I unclenched my cheeks that I didn’t even know were tensed up.

“Hilarious, now get out of the water before something that actually eats humans get you”, Andrew stated.

“Did you guys forget the plane is probably going to explode? Get down here and let’s go” the pilot replied. He was right but I still dreaded getting eaten by a shark. Andrew threw down the bags for the pilot and me to carry while he carried Clip on his back.

“Get to the shore as fast as you can but keep your guard up,” Andrew said, nodding we all started swimming toward the shore. We were approximately about eight feet deep of water by now, with Andrew leading and the pilot and I side by side. I started to feel relieved because sharks don’t swim in such shallow waters, right?

Then I remembered what Clip said while we were on the plane. “Do you guys think sharks can swim in shallow water?” Clip asked. “Pft, of course not” Andrew replied. “Well fun fact for ya they actually can and the most common depths they attack at in is about six to ten feet.” Clip continued, and Andrew and I chuckled in response. “Thank you for the info, Einstein,” I said. The cold water ripped me out of my train of thought, and I was no longer relieved. I guess Clip was not so useless after all.

Realization set in, and I immediately went into panic mode when I realized there was definitely something swimming beneath us. and it sure as hell wasn't a dolphin this time. I didn’t think twice or think at all for that matter, I released the bags that were on my back and swam faster. Andrew looked at me confused, “Shark!” I screamed out as I left them behind.

“Chase it’s just a dolphin, I just looked!”. I instantly slowed my pace and looked back; watching the bags I ditched floating into the distance. Looking frightened, I swam back toward Andrew and the pilot whose name I still didn't know.

“Wow, hold Clip I’m going to get the bags.” Then he swam off further into the ocean before I could muster up the courage to apologize. Shortly after he left us we slowly started making our way toward the shore, occasionally peering back to see if he was doing okay.

How could someone remain knocked out for so long despite all that’s happening around them? The case in front of me truly boggled my mind. I don’t even think Clip was hit in the head or anything like that. Regardless of being in water his body did slow me down and deep down I wanted to ditch him, but I wouldn’t only because of Andrew.

At long last Clip and I made it to the shore, if I wasn’t incredibly tired I would be jumping for joy. Not too far behind us was my dearest friend but where was the pilot. Gosh-darn it. Andrew slowly jogged over to us looking absolutely exhausted and asked “Where’s the pilot?” I hesitantly answered,

“ I don’t know but he was right behind me.” He rushed back over to the edge of the water and started yelling to get the pilot’s attention. I started to get up from where I sat to go over to him to help. It was like everything went into slow motion. I heard a loud booming sound then saw one of the plane’s propellers soar through the sky and straight between Andrew’s body.

“NOOO!” I screamed out and fell back onto the ground. My body going into shock I still managed to bawl my eyes out and scream for help that I knew wasn’t going to come. It wasn’t too long after darkness consumed my vision.

I woke up to a pinching sensation on my arms and bend my hand to touch the spot and was quickly pinched again. My eyes shot open from the pain, my vision struggling to focus on the area and I realized the cause of that pain were the tiny crabs surrounding me. Almost as fast as I realized they were biting me, my body flew into action and I instantly crushed and beat them to a pulp.

'Where am I?' it was like something had snapped in my brain and brought back the tragic events and I relived them all over again. I looked towards the shore and there he was still split in half, it wasn't a dream... My heart started beating faster and faster as reality hit me. I started pounding my head into the sand and the crab's remains. If only I hadn’t panicked and didn’t release the bags then he wouldn’t have gone back for it.

We all would have been safely on the shore. I snapped my head to the side and observed the pathetic Clip. In a rage, I got up and headed toward a nearby coconut tree and picked up one of the fallen seeds, then came back and smashed it into Clip’s skull two times. Not in the same spot though or to make him bleed but just enough to keep him knocked out and vent my frustrations. After I was sure he was still unconscious but still breathing, I went to the edge of the water and collected one of the many plane fragments that were washed ashore.

Then slowly stabbed it into his leg, not too deep, however, I wasn't that psychotic. I pierced the metal of the fuselage into his flesh, then dragged it down his thigh, watching blood slowly come out. Now show time.

“Clip, Clip get up!” I smirked as an idea popped into my head, I raised my hand and planted the hardest slap I could muster up across his face. I watched as he slowly came to his senses. If he ever asked what had happened then I’ll fabricate a lie. I’ll definitely make it seem like he was the cause of his brother’s death. “I never liked you Clip, or whatever your real name was.”