Chương 5: Chapter 4 – Sorcerer

Kai's joy at finally getting his class was short-lived. So, instead of immediately crushing this small triumph through notifying his father, he elected to dig through his new menus for a moment. Three additions caught his eye, aside from the 'Classes' field now displaying [Sorcerer]: Tabs called 'Perks', 'Proficiencies' and 'Spells'. Naturally, he considered the third one most inviting and mentally commanded it to open. What he found was, once again, disappointment.

~ SPELLS ~~ Two Signature Spells Pending ~~ [Overcharged Spell] ~~ [Safe Spell] Signature spells? Pending? So I have to wait again?! So, with growing annoyance, he demanded more information on 'Overcharged Spell'. ~ Slightly intensifies the effects of a Sorcerous spell, increasing its cost by 1 MP. ~ Chaos factor is increased. A spell to increase the effect of another spell… Metamagic? That seemed fitting for sorcerer archetypes. Unfortunately, it was utterly worthless without access to actual spells.

The other one was no better. It did not even increase effects; it only 'significantly reduced' that 'chaos factor', whatever that was supposed to mean. Where was his mana beam? … Also, where was his starter set? No amount of poking and prodding around the system seemed to produce anything. Kai couldn't help but feel this was just some cosmic joke at his expense. To find out that magic was real, only to be immediately saddled with some kind of defective and dangerous class, while everyone else got something useful.

He hoped some alien god was having great fun laughing at him right now. Across the yard, Lena cast another mana beam, a wide grin on her face. Her father was watching over her, offering advice, smiling. A strange sensation ignited inside his chest, pushing aside the bitterness and replacing it with burning rage and indignation. And then it wanted more space. It wanted out. Kai was happy to let it. Guided by nothing but instinct, he raised his hand.

The sensation burst through his skin, and he could see it, a fiery sheen racing down his arm until it coated his fingers. Then, he swung his hand in a diagonal arc towards the tree stump. The glowing sheen left a trail in the air that ignited with a crackle the moment the gesture was complete, forming a crescent of bright orange flame flying towards the stump. The impact burnt away the bark and left a jagged scorch mark, like a savage cut from a fiery sword. Lena stared with wide eyes.

His mother still sat in her garden, eyes closed and motionless, while his father– Daniel Brandt was no longer smiling. All color had drained from his face.

"Gods-fucking-damnit," he cursed under his breath, disappearing and reappearing in front of Kai in an instant. He grabbed his son's shoulders and stared into his eyes.

"Don't do that again. It will end badly." Kai tried to shake off his father's grip, but instead of the waning strength of an aging man, what pinned him in place felt more like a mountain resting softly on his shoulders. There was a lot he wanted to express. His worry, ruined triumph, outrage at being treated like a liability. All he managed was a shaky, "Why?" Daniel noticed the pathetic struggle Kai put up and lifted his hands, expression returning to neutral.

"You've read your spell list?" Kai nodded weakly.

"Good. Sorcery is nothing like wizardry. There is no structure and no safeguard. You tap directly into magic in its rawest form, shaped by nothing but emotions and intent. That is bad, because there is no control.

'Chaos' is simply something going very wrong. Maybe you blow yourself up, maybe you teleport yourself into a wall, maybe it even helps you in a fight, there is no possible way to know."

"…You mean–""Do not use it again." There it was again, the sensation. A spark. It shot from his chest to his arms, the sheen returned–"[Counterspell]!" Then the spark was gone. Like a balloon popped by a needle. Kai stared at his hands, disturbed in ways he did not quite understand.

"Breathe," his father ordered.

"Focus." Easier said than done, Kai complained to himself. Thankfully, the bitter spite calmed him down more than 'focusing' ever could. Lena had finally shaken off her stupor and ran – well, stumbled – across the yard.

"What was that?!" she squeaked, completely ignoring the tense atmosphere.

"That was so…" She visibly struggled to find words, giving Kai the chance to reply.

"Sorcery."

"Oooh," she marvelled, but her excitement soon faded to a rare expression of worry.

"That's bad, right?"

"It is unfortunate," her father replied, causing Kai to grit his teeth again.

"Getting Sorcerer as the initial class is suboptimal, but we can salvage this."

'Salvage'? Well fuck you too, Dad. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"…How?"

"Check your available classes. If you have something else with access to magic–""What was that spell called?" Lena interrupted, clearly not listening to her father's words.

"I don't know, Lena," Kai said as deliberately as he could.

"What? Why? It should be in your list of–""Sorcery is all about freecasting," Daniel chimed in, seamlessly entering lecture mode. And what is that supposed to be? Kai frowned as his father launched into specifics that meant absolutely nothing to him, completely ditching the previous topic. He knew Daniel would return to it at some point, but he was not inclined to wait. ~ AVAILABLE CLASSES ~~ Fighter (20 SP) ~~ Wizard (20 SP)"It says I can get Fighter," Kai interrupted in turn. Daniel's head whipped around.

"Reasonable, given your hobby," he nodded.

"Unfortunately though, it's not what you need. But don't worry, we can probably unlock Wizard for you within a few days of study, since you should already know the basics." …There is no getting out of this, is there?

"Hold on, I think I missed something," Kai lied.

"Ah, there it is! I can actually get it right now!" His faked enthusiasm wouldn't have fooled an average grade schooler, but it was enough for those two. And his mother was still communing with the local plant life or whatever.

"Very good. You should have more than enough skill points, right?" With a thought, a small notification appeared. ~ Skill Points: 36"Thirty-six."

"Good. That means you'll have some left for spells and values. Have you checked your proficiencies?" Kai pulled up the requested window. ~ PROFICIENCIES ~~ Sorcerer: Beginner ~~~ Concept 2 ~~~ Fire 1 ~ Civilian ~~ Athletics 2 ~~ Mysticism 1 ~~ Spellcraft 2 He relayed the values to his father, only Fire and Athletics making a semblance of sense to him.

"What are Concept, Mysticism, and Spellcraft?" he inquired, slightly baffled.

"Civilian proficiencies are… strange. Think of them as support abilities. Mysticism helps with understanding supernatural occurrences related to your classes, Spellcraft helps with freecasting and rituals." There was that word again, 'freecasting'. He'd have to ask about it later.

"And what's 'Concept' about? It seems related to Sorcerer."

"... Don't worry about that," Daniel said after a brief moment.

"And don't touch it." Yeah, right.

"What happens if I do?" For a moment, Kai could see his father fighting a mental battle against himself as the older man's eyebrows twitched wildly. A battle that he lost, judging from the way his jaw clenched.

"As Sorcerer, you draw your magic from a concept, a theme, an idea, something deeply connected to you in some way. And as you use that concept, your connection to it grows." Kai shivered. He did not really understand what his father was trying to convey, but the intensity of his monologue was frightening. Lena had finally shut up as well, staring at Daniel with deep fascination.

"The connection goes both ways. Your sorcery becomes stronger, but at the same time, you are changed on a fundamental level. Your relation to that concept grows stronger, until it consumes your personality." Now, that was quite disturbing.

"How?!" Daniel shrugged.

"Some kind of soul magic. And it does not matter what that concept actually is, all of them lead to ruin. Some last longer than others, some even look stable for years. But it always ends the same way." His hand briefly twitched towards his chin, then lowered again.

"I've seen Sorcerers with destructive concepts become rabid forces of nature, only to be… subdued by a small army of adventurers. But even harmless-sounding concepts will turn you into a caricature of yourself. A terrifyingly powerful caricature." Why the fuck would the system give out such a class?!

"... How do I know what my concept is? It just says 'Concept' in the menu."

"You do not. And it's best you never have to figure it out."

"I already have two points in it. Isn't that… really bad then?"

"It could be a lot worse. Wizardry will help you understand and avoid the pitfalls of sorcery." With a sigh, Kai navigated the screens and bought Wizard. ~ Class acquired: Wizard ~ Proficiencies gained: ~~ Hermetics: Beginner ~~ Additional Wizard School pending ~ Spells gained: ~~ Mana Beam I ~~ School-specific Bolt pending ~ Rituals gained: ~~ Create Matrix Crystal ~ Civilian Proficiencies gained: ~~ Spellcraft 3 ~~ Arithmetics 1 ~~ History 1 ~ Starter set available: Wizard Pending again?

But hey, there's a starter set at least. Staff and robe, was it? Meh.

"I got… Hermetics?"

"Wizards have access to multiple schools of magic," Daniel explained.

"Hermetics, Meteorics, Kinetics, and Thermics. Each of them governs two elements. For Hermetics, those are Arcane and Light. It's the basic school that every Wizard gets with the class." Indeed, the system quickly volunteered the option to raise Arcane and Light from 0 to 1. Kai elected to wait instead of potentially wasting his SP.

"And what's with the 'pending' school? …Never mind." A selection window had popped up, offering a choice between the other three schools. Daniel gestured towards the barn.

"I… accidentally taught you two the foundations of all four schools when you were kids, so you should have the option to pick either of them, like Lena."

"I picked Meteorics!" Lena beamed.

"It's all about Air and Lightning spells!" Alright, that one's out then.

"Thermics sounds like it has Fire in it, right?"

"Yes, but since your sorcery is based on Fire, you shouldn't–" Daniel began, but Kai had made his choice. ~ Proficiency gained: ~~ Thermics: Beginner ~ Elemental proficiency value detected. Checking compatibility… ~ Compatibility confirmed. Synchronizing. ~ Done. ~ Spell gained: ~~ Thermal Bolt I Actual spells. Finally. Kai once more raised his hand towards the tree stump.

"So, how do I cast Thermal Bolt?"

"... You picked Thermics, Kai," his father said with mild disapproval.

"Well, we'll be able to deal with that. First, did you get a starter set with the Wizard class? Sorcerer doesn't get one, but that means you should get it for the first other class you pick."

"Yeah. How do I– Ah, mental interface." As usual, a screen appeared as soon as Kai's thoughts veered in its general direction. ~ STARTER SET AVAILABLE ~~ Wizard Robe (Basic) ~~ Focus [Staff (Recommended) | Bow | Sword] Sword?! He deftly ignored the recommendation and selected the sword. A second later, a neatly folded robe materialized before him and dropped on the ground.

He noted with minor interest that it had red accents instead of the blue ones Lena got, but his attention was promptly captured by the sword that followed. It was long, at least a meter. Slightly shorter than what he trained with, but more sturdy than the wiggly HEMA swords. The blade and hilt were simple, no ornaments whatsoever – except for a large, round gem set in the pommel.

"I figured you'd pick the sword," Daniel stated. For once, no judgement there. I'm surprised. Kai gave his new weapon a few practice swings. It was heavy, but well-balanced. Sharp, too, he noticed as he, against all good sense, tested it with his thumb and immediately got a shallow cut. When he was done with his inspection, he turned towards his father.

"So, what now?"