They attacked in twos and threes for hours, never giving her enough time to fully relax but usually just long enough to start wondering if it was finally over. By the time the gnomes stopped coming, Miri was shaking.
Not from fear anymore—at least not only that—but from exhaustion so deep it felt like her bones were vibrating. Her arms burned. Her calves screamed every time she shifted her weight. Her hands were cramped around the hilt of her sword, fingers numb and stiff like they’d forgotten how to unclench.
She leaned forward, bracing her hands on her knees, and gagged.
Nothing came up. There was nothing left to come up.
She’d lost track of time somewhere around gnome thirty. Or forty. After that, it had all blurred together into grass, teeth, red splatter, and the constant, grinding awareness that if she stopped moving, stopped watching, stopped listening, she could die.
She had never fought this long.
Never stayed on edge this completely.
Never had to be on for hours without relief, without backup, without someone else watching her blind spots.
Her stomach rolled again, and this time she sank down onto the grass, sitting hard, sword still in hand because she didn’t quite trust the world not to lie to her.
Only then—only when the tall grass around her lay trampled and stained, only when the silence stretched long and uninterrupted—did the familiar chime sound behind her eyes.
Miri almost cried from relief.
[ Class Selection Requirements Complete! ]
She laughed weakly, dragging a hand down her face. “Oh, now you show up.”
The text waited, patient and infuriating.
She squinted at it through blurry eyes.
You may now choose a class: Warrior, Ranger, Rogue, Mage, Sorcerer, Warlock, Cleric, Druid, Alchemist
Make your selection.
Miri’s heart leapt into her throat and beat hard like a drum before she swallowed it down and told herself to relax.
During her time with Fluffkins, she’d learned a lot about the various classes and the paths she could take from each of them.
She could be a Warlock Demonologist that could heal people with fire if she wanted. She wasn’t sure if she could deal with demons yet.
Miri and Fluffkins had many conversations about what her choice would be and why.
When she was…recreated a few weeks ago, she was reformed with reinforced mana channels. Before she died, her mana channels were no bigger than a strand of hair.
Now her mana channels were thick and sturdy, wide open to channel incredible amounts of mana.
Fluffkins had suggested she pick the Rogue class and act as a sneaky assassin. In and out, no fighting. Flooding mana to make herself invisible to every form of sense and surveillance.
They even discussed picking Druid so she could summon animals to do her fighting for her. The idea of riding her very own Falkor into battle was not something she could entirely let go of.
But Miri knew exactly what she wanted from the moment she realized it was possible. She read all the books Fluffkins could offer her, replacing books she had read with more books magicked over from his home library.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Eventually he ran out of educational books; he wasn’t a big collector or anything. He finally resorted to offering her a few books that belonged to his mistress. Miri had a feeling they’d be juicy when Fluffkins wouldn’t look her in the eye for the rest of the evening.
When she read the story of a Battlemage Princess that saved her galaxy from an invasion of what sounded like zombies and was awarded for her heroism with a harem of eager men, Miri understood why Fluffkins felt awkward giving her the steamy read.
She also knew what class she wanted to pick.
[ Confirm Mage class selection? ]
Miri confirmed with a thought and the text disappeared. More followed.
[ Class selection complete! ]
[ Level 3 Class Spell Unlocked! ]
You may now select a spell: Arc Bolt, Mana Barrier, Phase Step, Mana Tether, Mana Grasp
Arc Bolt: fire a condensed projectile of pure mana at a target
Mana Barrier: create a simple, transparent shield that absorbs incoming damage
Phase Step: instantly shift the caster a short distance, avoiding danger
Mana Tether: attach a thin arcane thread between the caster and a target
Mana Grasp: use mana to push, pull, or hold a target for a short time
These were all fairly typical offerings for a newbie Mage, so Miri already knew what she wanted but Phase Step sounded like teleportation and that was pretty tempting.
She sighed. Fluffkins swore that short-range teleportation was easily acquired as a skill after level 10, so she stuck with her plan.
Offense first. Her Mind and Spirit stats were high enough that she could avoid most hits, take a decent magical hit, and survive a physical one. She needed to increase her offensive options.
[ Confirm Arc Bolt selection? ]
Miri affirmed her choice to the System.
[ Spell selection complete! ]
[ You have defeated Field Gnome x 128! ]
[ You have looted: Bean x 12; Mirror Shard x 1 ]
Miri blinked.
“…That’s it?”
She stared at the words, then looked down at herself. At the blood drying on her boots. At the way her muscles trembled even while sitting still.
“That was hours,” she said hoarsely. “I killed— ” She stopped, did the math, and winced. “A lot of gnomes.”
The System did not respond.
She snorted. “Wow. Incredible. Truly living up to the hype.”
She leaned back onto her hands, head tipping toward the sky.
“I mean,” she continued, because apparently she was arguing with glowing text now, “I’m not asking for a parade. But maybe a gold star? A cookie? A ‘good job not dying’?”
The grass rustled in the breeze.
The System chimed again.
[ Congratulations! You have reached Level 4! ]
Your stats have increased according to your class.
Your free points have been assigned by the System.
Miri froze.
“Oh,” she said. “…Okay.”
More text poured in, rapid and unapologetic.
[ Achievement Unlocked: First Blood ]
You have slain your first monster.
[ Reward Granted ]
[ Achievement Unlocked: Pest Control ]
You have slain over 100 Field Gnomes.
[ Reward Granted ]
Miri’s mouth fell open.
“One hundred,” she whispered. “You’re kidding.”
Her math had been way off.
The System, once again, did not care.
Another chime.
[ Mage Class Bonus Applied ]
[ New Spell Slot Unlocked ]
[ Mana Capacity Increased ]
[ Spirit Growth Rate Enhanced ]
The notifications stacked, overlapping slightly, like the System had been waiting patiently with its finger hovering over the send button.
Miri slumped forward, forehead resting against her knees, a shaky laugh tearing its way out of her chest.
“Okay,” she said breathlessly. “Okay, fine. I take it back.”
She lifted her head just enough to glare at the glowing text.
“But you could’ve told me sooner that I was absolutely killing it.”
She winced at her own awful pun.
The System chimed one last time like it agreed her joke was awful.
Miri didn’t read the message right away.
She closed her eyes instead, breathing slow and careful, letting the pride finally settle alongside the nausea and fear. She was still alive. Still moving. Still here.
She had earned this.
Whatever this turned out to be.
