Zane's first encounter with the blue-maned wolf was like opening the door to more bloodshed. As if his prayer had been answered. More and more of these canines stumbled upon him as he trod across the plains. In a one-on-one situation, Zane boasted triumph against these mutts as they were helpless against the shocking volt of his taser. One-touch was all he needed, and the wolf would go down like being shot by a tranquilizer.

By the time he killed the fourth one, he bagged another level under his belt, raising himself to level four. And the fight didn’t end there. More of them came, drawn by the smell of the blood of their kin. Zane soon noticed it and came up with a plan. He hid in between the long grasses, smearing some of those dead wolf’s blood on his leather armor, hiding in plain sight from those sensitive noses of the wolves.

A lone blue-maned wolf emerged, loitering around the carcass, sniffing the ground before growing closer to its dead kin. Seeing the wolf put its guard down, Zane leaped from the bushes and bolted towards the canine. The blue-maned wolf jumped on its feet, turning as quickly as it could. It was about to flee. Yet notice the human that was coming after it. As if it was instinct, rather than fleeing, the canine took a stand and fought.

But against a taser, the blue-maned wolf could do nothing. It dropped dead the moment Zane slit its throat in its paralyzed state, and it got Zane thinking. Come to think of it, the taser is kinda like a stun-effect, Zane thought.

[Brawler-class leveled up to 4. Stat points distributed; +1 Strength, +1 Agility.]

In any sort of game, a move that could disable the action of an enemy would always be priceless. He smiled at the taser as his plan continued on. He waited and ambushed. Killing these wolves with a one-two combo of his own. The taser first, then came to the dagger to the throat. His motion became cleaner with each successive hunt and by the time his kill count reached the twentieth, his level went up to five.

“Like a typical RPG, it’s taking more time to level up,” Zane said. Scanning through his stats.

[Status]
[Zane][Lv.5]
[Class: Brawler(Lv.4)]
[HP: 26/26]
[MP: 8/10]
[Strength: 12(+4)]
[Vitality: 13]
[Agility: 13(+4)]
[Arcane Power: 5]
[Perception: 10]
[Available Points: 5]

[Trait]
[Enhanced Drop Rate]
[Multi-Class]

[Unique Skill]
[Warp][Lv.1]

[General Skill]
[Hi-Analysis][Lv.1]

[Brawler Skill]
[Close Combat Mastery][Lv.1]
[Corkscrew Blow][Lv.1]

Yet before he could even allocate his new points, a new window emerged.

[You have reached level 5. Please choose your desired class.]

[Warrior.]

[Swordsman.]

[Rogue.]

[Archer.]

[Mage]

[Cleric]

“Oh,” he raised his eyebrows. “I see . . . So level five is when I should get a proper class.” He came to the conclusion since his brawler class was obtained through a certain circumstance.

“Well, it’s not like I’m gonna reject the offer,” Zane smiled. Knowing that another class would boost his stats considerably, and in the long run, it would benefit him more in the later stage.

“I choose mage,” he confirmed. As he had no hesitation in choosing another class. And who in their right mind wouldn’t choose a mage class? A class fantasized from decades ago and still persisted up until now with different iterations in multiple platforms, be it books, animation, game, boards game, and real-live action. A mage was like the icing on the cake of a fantasy world and Zane would not let this opportunity slide.

But something emerged.

[Overwrite Brawler-class?]

He frowned. He thought the trait multi-class would come to effect here, but it seemed he was wrong. Is there something wrong with the trait? He asked himself. Trying to open a description box of the Multi-class trait.

[Trait. Multi-Class; Allow accessibility to more classes.]

That was it. Just a vague description of the trait he had pinned his hope on. And it couldn’t be faulty. Since the trait wouldn’t be there unless it worked. Zane thought things through in a logical manner, and perhaps there was a requirement in using it like how he obtained the brawler class. The question right now was, what was the requirement?

Scratching his head, he had to make the choice now. Since there was no guarantee that the class option would be available after he hit a new level. Right there and then. He made his choice.

[Brawler class has been overwritten.]

[Congratulation. You are now a Mage.]

[You have learned Mana Manipulation.]

[You have learned Force Beat.]

[Stat points distributed; +2 Arcane Power.]

Rather than elated, his body felt the energy being sapped away. He opened his stats, and the numbers confirmed it.

[Status]
[Zane][Lv.5]
[Class: Mage(Lv.1)]
[HP: 26/26]
[MP: 8/10]
[Strength: 8]
[Vitality: 13]
[Agility: 9]
[Arcane Power: 7(+2)]
[Perception: 10]
[Available Points: 5]

[Trait]
[Enhanced Drop Rate]
[Multi-Class]

[Unique Skill]
[Warp][Lv.1]

[General Skill]
[Hi-Analysis][Lv.1]

[Mage Spell]
[Mana Manipulation][Lv.1]
[Force Beat][Lv.1]

It saddened him a bit. But those new points were quick to be used as a replacement; three points went to strength, and two points went to agility. Seeing the dead wolf in front of him, he had an idea come to mind. He stashed the loots first and put some distance between him and the dead wolf he just killed. His opened palm aimed straight at the dead wolf as his lips began to mumble. It took him three seconds, and at the end, he uttered these words, “Force Beat.”

Instantly, he felt it. His hand recoiled upwards to the back in an arc as a powerful force shot forward. He fell on his butt as he saw what happened to the carcass. The dead blue-maned wolf was flung away at the distance before stopping short no less than ten meters from where it once was. He got up and ran. Seeing what he just did to the target.

But Zane had a bitter smile. The carcass was still intact albeit there was a deep dent on its underbelly. And he wasn’t impressed. First impression alone, Force Beat was just a glorified term for a powerful invisible push. Yet it would be a lie if he said he wasn’t disappointed, but hey, there would be more spells down the road if he kept on going, and he wasn’t going to be that guy who stopped too early.

A pile of dead canines sat in the middle of the plains. The stank of dead flesh was starting to grow more intense with each passing minute. And for those who loved meat, the smell was tantalizing, luring them out in the open. In between the tall grasses, Zane hid, belly down. His eyes fell upon another lone wolf, curious over the stack of its dead kin. It sniffed, wary of the situation. Searching for hidden threats.

Too bad for the blue-maned wolf, a hidden man went beyond his limit to the point of wearing a necklace of blue-maned wolf’s entrails. The smell was killing him, but he endured for the sake of perfecting his ambush. Not to mention, he was also a fan of the first Predator movie, which no doubt inspired him a lot. Retching silently, he kept his eyes peeled. Aiming his open palm at the wolf at a distance as he cast his spell. Then a shot was fired.

A yelp rang, and Zane made his move. He rushed out from the cover of the grasses as his taser buzzed in tingling excitement.

The blue-maned wolf struggled to get up. Its legs were shivering. Trying to overcome the powerful force that swept it off from its feet. Yet before it could regain its balance, a shadow loomed over it. The blue-maned wolf lunged for a desperate attack, baring its fangs. But it was too slow. The shock rattled its body and mind as once more it flopped on the ground helpless. Before it could even blink, a blade sliced its neck, and blood flowed like a broken dam.

[Mage-class leveled up to 2. Stat points distributed; +2 Arcane Power.]

[Mage-class leveled up to 3. Stat points distributed; +2 Arcane Power.]

Zane smiled. As leveling up had never been sweeter.