Luis was halfway through a sad, half-cold microwave burrito when the air around him tore open with a deafening FWOOOM.
One blink, and his dingy apartment vanished.
The next—
He was standing in a blinding white void, cold and endless. And before him rose a figure so massive he had to crane his neck just to glimpse the top.
"HOST LUIS MENDOZA," the voice thundered, deep and vast, like a collapsing star swallowing space itself.
Luis squinted upward. The being—Forwin, if the voice could be trusted—stood like a monolith, six wings made not of feathers but of floating geometric shards, constantly shifting. Its face pulsed like a living mosaic of light, too vast and strange to comprehend.
"WELCOME TO THE ASCENDANT REALM," it continued. "HERE, YOU WILL CHOOSE."
The void spun—warped—and a massive ring of statues revealed itself, each one locked in mid-motion. Some stood proud in high-tech armor, others crouched with savage blades or arcane staves. A few looked barely human at all.
Underneath each was a glowing nameplate.
[DRAGON SLAYER][VOID ASSASSIN][STORM LORD][WILD RIDER][SHADOWBREAKER]
Luis took a cautious step forward. "What is this…?"
Zyx popped into existence beside him, unusually serious. "The Class Selection. Every Host gets one shot."
Forwin's voice echoed once more:
"YOUR CHOICE SHAPES YOUR PATH. YOUR PATH SHAPES YOUR POWER. CHOOSE WISELY."
Luis shifted uneasily. "I have to pick now?"
"YOUR TIME IS LIMITED."
Zyx immediately started pointing like a kid in a candy store. "Okay, okay—Sunreaver's great for dealing with frost Hosts. Or Soulbane Executioner! That one's brutal—debuffs, soul damage, pairs perfectly with my misfortune aura. Or—wait—look at that Void tank over there—"
But Luis tuned him out. He drifted past berserkers and spellweavers, warlocks and elemental titans, until one statue made him stop.
It was the simplest one of all.
No flames. No thunder. Just a kneeling figure in a grease-streaked jacket, tools on its belt, arms deep in the exposed engine of something that might've once been a machine.
[ENGINEER]
Zyx actually groaned. "Oh, come on."
Luis tilted his head. "Why not Engineer?"
"Because it's a support class, genius. You don't win battle royales by fixing things. This isn't a repair show—it's a murder dome."
Forwin's voice cut in like judgment itself:
"DO YOU CHOOSE THE PATH OF THE ENGINEER?"
Luis hesitated.
Then he squared his shoulders.
"…Yeah. I choose it."
The statue's hand moved with impossible speed, grabbing Luis's wrist. Blue fire raced up his arm—and with it, knowledge. The layout of complex circuits. The structure of monster sinew. The molecular weight of things not yet invented. Ideas bloomed behind his eyes.
"CLASS SELECTED."
The world shattered.
Luis slammed back into his apartment, burrito half-squashed under his foot, a metallic taste on his tongue and his fingers buzzing with power.
Zyx stood in the corner, holding his head. "Unbelievable. Out of every possible choice, I get the guy who picks crafting simulator in a divine bloodbath."
But Luis felt it—the low thrum in his bones, the blueprints in his head, the raw potential in his hands. And for the first time since this started… he grinned.
"I can make things now."
"You can die now," Zyx retorted. "But sure. Let's see what useless skills you got."
A glowing notification opened in Luis's vision:
[CLASS: ENGINEER – LEVEL 1]
Active Skill 1: Soul Forge
"The Engineer sees what others cannot—the lingering essence of the fallen."Allows extraction of Monster Souls from defeated foes (Iron-class or higher).Souls can be used to craft or upgrade equipment.
Active Skill 2: Divine Blueprint
"From raw essence, creation blooms."Consume Monster Souls to forge weapons, armor, and accessories.Gear quality scales with soul tier.
Gear Rarity Tiers:
Scrap Gear (Lv. 1): Basic with minor utility
Forged Gear (Lv. 2): Modest stat boosts
Enchanted Gear (Lv. 3): Gains 1 random attribute (e.g. fire resist)
Celestial Gear (Lv. 4): Significant power boosts, unique effects
Divine Artifact (Lv. 5): Game-breaking relics with legendary power
Passive Skill: Hammer Modem
"The right tool makes all the difference."+25% damage when wielding blunt weapons (e.g. hammers, wrenches)10% chance to stagger enemies on hit
Zyx squinted at the skills. "So let me get this straight: instead of picking a walking death machine, you picked a repairman?"
Luis cracked his knuckles, sparks of design dancing behind his eyes. "It just… feels right."
Zyx groaned. "Great. My Host is following his feelings in a battle royale. We're doomed."
Luis spotted a heavy wrench near his desk. He grabbed it. Not fancy. Not enchanted. But with that new passive…
He gave it a practice swing.
+25%, baby.
Outside, another distant roar split the night air.
A new objective blinked in front of him:
[NEW OBJECTIVE: GATHER MONSTER SOULS][RECOMMENDED TARGET: IRON-CLASS – LOW-RISK, HIGH-YIELD]
Luis turned toward the door.
Zyx hovered beside him, grumbling. "If we die because you wanted to play tinkerer, I swear, I'm haunting you forever."
Luis flashed a grin.
"Let's go build our way to victory."