Chapter 33 – [Mystic]

Dream asked Luna about the results from her evolution and class change.

"Well, the [Familiar] class allows me to better act as a supporter. An ability called [Bestow] lets me use my restore ability on people even at a distance, though it would be a bit weaker. I think it also might be able to give people boosts. But I'm not sure how much."

"Boosts? Like more strength?" (Dream)

"Strength, Agility, and Restore can heal. I'm not sure about transferring mana to other people, but basically I can boost the attributes. It likely isn't much though." (Luna)

"Well, something is better than nothing. And that's only for now. Who knows how far this ability can go in another 100 levels. Anyway, was there anything else? I'm sure you got better attributes, but were there any other abilities?" (Dream)

Dream was happy about the fact that Luna could boost at all. Her being able to use restore could also bring huge application to their battles. Their survivability would be much higher as well as their fighting stamina. Needless to say, she was now an essential part of their team. 

But other than boosts, it would be nice for her to be able to fight for herself. He didn't want her to have to rely on others. 

"I didn't get any other direct skills, but I might be able to develop one. My ability to communicate with others over thoughts has been increased. Since I will be a supporter in the future, then It would also be good for me to be able to guide everyone during battles. I'll be able to get a big picture and communicate it to you guys and increase coordination. Though I would need lots of practice, I have time since we're still low level." (Luna)

Luna smiled as she seemed proud to be able to do more, even if she wasn't given another skill. Dream also believed that it was something good to have.

Many teams have issues with coordinating their fights, especially when they don't know each other. It's tough for people who haven't learned each other's styles and habits to fight with each other. But if someone could give everyone a situational perspective, then there would be fewer mistakes and less people getting blindsided. This would be Luna's role. Since she would be in the best position to do so. 

Dream wouldn't really need it for himself because he has good awareness. His stealth also gives him a different fighting style and he's usually in an archer's position where he can see mostly everything. But if they ever brought new people into their group, then Luna would be a crucial intermediary for cooperation. 

"That really would be amazing. Something like that will be crucial in the future. So I agree that you work on it. Especially while communicating with multiple people." (Dream)

Dream gave his praise while standing up. Luna and Iris also got up and transformed back into humans.

*Psh*

"...Huh?"

Dream looked at the girls after they transformed in a cloud of smoke. They weren't the same. They had something on their heads.

"Are those...Masks?" (Dream)

"They are." (Riddick)

Riddick answered Dream's question as if he were expecting it. It seemed like he knew what that was.

"They never had masks like that before." (Dream)

"It a part of their evolution and most foxes that can transform get one after first or second class. You see, foxes tend to have a 'trickster' sort of nature. They are mischievous little things. Cunning, deceptive, a bit secretive, but kind and caring to those who matter. These aspects are what created the mask. Though the mask is mainly cosmetic, its significance is that it's derived and created from their soul. Humanoid foxes cherish this mask as a symbol of themselves. Each one is unique and many will often wear it while in their humanoid forms as they don't prefer to put their true self on display." (Riddick)

Riddick explained the backstory of the mask that the girls now had.

Iris and Luna took theirs off and inspected it closely as their dad spoke. They were intrigued, and happy. They didn't completely know why they liked the mask so much, but it made sense after Riddick explained it. It was made from their soul, of course they would feel attached. Each of the girls now also had their own symbol. A fingerprint if you will.

Dream also felt it was nice. It would be something special they could always keep with them. Though he was also worried and spoke up.

"Although I understand its significance, but it's because of how special it is that they might now want to wear it. It could get damaged and it doesn't look so easily repairable." (Dream)

"There's no need to worry about that. They can summon and unsummon the mask at will as it is still made from their soul. It also isn't exactly a physical object. More spiritual than anything. So it won't get damaged in any normal situation." (Riddick)

"Oh. Then nevermind." (Dream)

Dream nodded and put away his worries. He also took a look at the mask. He didn't want to ask for it from the girls since it wasn't his place to, but he was still curious.

Although Riddick said that the masks were all unique, the girls' masks didn't look all that different. The only real difference was the colors.

The masks were basically the upper half of a fox head. A long nose at the front, and ears on top.  The eyes sockets also looked like it allowed them to see perfectly fine, so they could probably wear it in combat.

The design consisted of the whiskers on the sides similar to the drawings on the girls' fox furs, as well as symbols on their foreheads. Luna's symbol was a blue swirl with flowing blue waves going past it to the ears. Iris had a fiery design on hers with a flickering flame going up to her ears.

The colors of the masks were also respective to their own. Lunas was totally white like snow with blue drawings, and Iris' was Black as ink with red drawings. 

Dream admired the masks and how exquisite they looked. He also wondered what they felt like, but he soon remembered that he still needed to do something. He got ready to take his leave.

"Alright, you guys can fiddle with your new abilities some more. I still have to get my class and I already have some prey, so I'll get going." (Dream)

"Oh! We can go too. We were just taking a look and got sidetracked." (Luna)

"No that's alright. I'll just go myself. It won't take me long either." (Dream)

After he said that, Dream activated his stealth and dashed off into the distance. Luan stood there, about to insist but not given the chance. Iris spoke after a moment.

"I guess he must be eager to get his class after seeing ours." (Iris)

"He also gave us most of the experience. I'm sure he's only a tiny bit away from getting there. Maybe a couple kills is all he needs." (Luna)

The girls shrugged it off and got back to inspecting their skills and masks. They knew he could handle himself and weren't worried.

............

Meanwhile, Dream was coming up on his prey.

He didn't really need to plan much before attacking, but he had something to test first.

He was wondering my his aura had been leaking out during their battles. Dream thought that everything was sealed with his [Erase Presence] and that there would be no way to detect him. But as the girls noticed at their first battle, his enemies would be scared by the atmosphere when he was around. 

He went to Sophia first.

'Do you have any idea what that is Sophia? I thought this issue was solved when I maxed out the level.'

[I'm not totally sure. I have a feeling though that because you've been getting stronger, your soul is growing in power and influence. Your desire to kill could be being transmitted by your soul instead of mana or emotions. Monsters with weak souls like the bears wouldn't be able to resist.]

'Hmm. It's possible. We should test a bit.'

And so he did. When Dream came near the prey, he didn't take out any weapons. He just observed. Watching the bears from about 40 meters away.

It was then that he saw the bears react. Though they weren't as frantic as before. They just glanced around them, trying to find the source of unease. 

He stayed like that for nearly 15 minutes. He just watched as the bears got more and more uncomfortable. They eventually started moving away from their spot to get away from whatever was watching them.

Dream followed them as they kept moving. And the bears kept looking around them. 

'I can imagine it's like when you feel like someone's stalking you. That uneasiness from knowing there's possible trouble but not finding it. But since I'm not trying to kill them, they aren't freaked out.'

[I still can't identify any leakage. All I know is that they aren't capable of tracing it back to you. [Erase Presence] likely still works fine. But what's going on is beyond what [Erase Presence] covers. The skill will need to be evolved.]

'Even more reason to get a class. We'll have our chance soon.'

Ending there, he put away his other thoughts and took out a weapon. It was finally time to get his class.

..............

30 minutes later...

*Dsh*

*Thud*

<You have killed a level 58 [Air Bear]>

<Congragulations! You have reached your Class Advancement!>

After shooting and killing the last bear in a group, he finally got the notifications he was looking for.

"Sweet! Alright, let's get this going."

Dream had a burst of excitement before finding a rock nearby and settling down. This would be an important choice. When he situated himself, more notifications popped up.

<Your selection of classes will be based on your Profile and Experience thus far.>

<The choice you make cannot be taken back. Excess experience will be accumulated and gained after the class selection has been made.>

<Select a class.

.....

21. Masseuse>

Dream looked through the options that the system gave him one by one.

Most of the classes were classic RPG choices. It made it easy for him to understand luckily. Though he was surprised when he found classes like Masseuse. 

"Do they expect people to actually choose that? And I see [Cook] here too..."

[Nobody probably does. Though there might be rare cases, it's probably only the people who know that they won't be able to go farther. Choosing those classes would basically bar your path to strength.]

"Maybe. Though, we should see if we can find someone who actually did choose something like that. I have yet to taste the great delicacies of this world. Anyway, most of these classes are basic ones. But I do see a unique one."

Dream scrolled down and focused on #14 in the list. 

"[Mystic] huh. Sounds...Exotic."

[It probably has something to do with your stealth.]

"Most likely. My other best options are [Gunfighter] or [Analyst]. But since you, Sophia, have analysis type abilities, I don't think I'll need more. And I'm not really sure what [Gunfighter] will give me, but I already have [Shooting] and it would be a waste to only get like, increased gun damage or something. Neither one seems like it would give me stealth abilities either, which I would prefer."

[There's also [Assassin]. What about that one?]

"....Not sure. Assassins usually deal with high burst damage. But they're also commonly associated with short blades like daggers. They carry out attacks with planning, cunning, speed, and precision. And they are also masters of stealth, similar to ninjas. And though this all sounds good, one fatal flaw is that they have a hard time with upfront battles."

[They wouldn't be limited to sneak attacks though. You also have your teammates to distract the enemy. Your stealth is probably your best ability and it's allowed you to get this far pretty easily. Having a class to enhance that would be good.]

Sophia gave sensible advice. Her logic was that [Assassin] would compound on top of Dream's current abilities. And she wasn't wrong, but she was forgetting one important thing.

"What you say is true. Except for the fact that it's not my best ability. You, Sophia, are my best ability. I will not become strong through stealth, shooting, or anything else. I will become strong with your help. With knowledge and your transcendent processing capabilities, we can create magic like no other. My stealth is supplementary and can allow me to carry certain things out more easily. But I will not be able to hide from everything, and I will not let it become my crutch and get caught off guard when it doesn't work."

Dream's voice lowered as he spoke. He was reminded of his injury and it always let him know how weak he currently was with upfront battles. But he knew he would have to fight them, and stealth wouldn't always work or be usable. So he needed to use his other strengths, which consisted almost solely of Sophia. She was his greatest ability and Dream knew she would be his key to strength, especially in the future. Knowledge is power, even in the jungle, and  

Sophia finally understood what he was going for. She also felt the trust he had for her and the hopes for the future in his voice. And although the expectations weren't light, it wasn't like he was asking her to slap a god, which she had wanted to do herself not that long ago.

[I understand. I won't let you down. I exist for Master's sake anyway.]

"...You haven't called me that in a while...Anyway, it's not like my stealth won't be improved. I'm just thinking that [Mystic] will be better than [Assassin]. Especially since it's a Unique class. At least as far as I know."

[Should we consult Riddick about this?]

"No need. I understand what I want to do, and there's no need to overthink. And since that's the case, I think it's time to choose."

Dream took a deep breath and stared at the list of choices. Although he said he didn't want to overthink, he couldn't help but feel nervous. This was his first step into a bigger world, and he didn't want to make the wrong choice. 

He looked at everything and reaffirmed himself of his choice before finally taking the leap. He spoke out loud.

"I choose [Mystic]."

<Class -[Mystic]- has been chosen!>

<Experience will be compiled and reformed.>

<The Active Skill: [Erase Presence] has evolved to the Active Skill: [Mystify]!>

<[Sophia] will be enhanced!>

<You are level 50!>

Dream gave his choice and watched as the notifications popped up with a fast heartbeat. The anxiousness over making an important choice that will change his life was at its peak.

After it announced his level however, nothing else happened. He waited for over a minute, just staring at his notifications, before finally speaking up.

"Is that it? I mean, I know I'm not part animal like the girls and can't evolve, but it still feels underwhelming."

[Don't forget it's also the first class. And your stealth skill still evolved. I was also enhanced, though it felt weird to be violated like that...]

"Violated?"

[I was upgraded without my consent. Like...my code was forcefully changed. I had no control over anything. Though it was only for a bit, it still felt uncomfortable.]

"...Oh."

Dream couldn't exactly say he knew what it felt like, but he understood what she was saying. Sophia was a skill with intelligence, and the Record enhanced her (the skill). She couldn't do anything about it, and even Dream could feel her discomfort.

"Well, at least it was for something good, not that there was a choice anyway. What I need to do now though is figure out what my new skill does."

Dream took a deep breath to dissipate his stress and accepted the anticlimactic class acceptance. He opened up his status to see the changes.