Ryan POV
The red text disappears before I can focus on it.
I’m left staring at four class options that seem normal. The unknown class vanishes like it was never there. I’m not sure if I imagined it or if the system just locked me out of it.
I focus on the first option: Warrior.
Information expands in front of me. Balanced stats. Sword proficiency. Shield mastery. The description says Warriors are versatile — good at offense and defense, but not exceptional at either. They’re meant to adapt.
I read through it quickly. Nothing remarkable. Nothing that stands out.
Swordsman is next. Similar to Warrior, but specialized. Better sword damage. Faster attack speed. Lower defense. The trade-off is immediate. More damage means less protection.
I moved to Archer. Ranged combat. High speed. Precision-based. The description mentions that accuracy matters more than raw power. A skilled Archer can outmaneuver a stronger opponent.
I’m starting to understand. Each class isn’t just a starting point. Each one shapes how you play the game.
Mage appears next. Intelligence-based. Magic proficiency. The description warns that Mages are powerful but fragile. One mistake in combat can be fatal. High risk, high reward.
I think about that. A Mage would be interesting. Spellcasting. Magic systems. Something completely different from sword combat.
But I don’t know how to play games well enough for high risk.
I scroll down to see if there are more options.
There’s a fifth class below the main four. It’s not highlighted in red anymore. Just normal text.
Healer.
The description is brief. Support-focused. Healing magic. Buffs. The class is meant for group play. A solo Healer would struggle.
I’m not planning to group with anyone. At least not immediately.
I keep scrolling.
There are more classes. Assassin. Summoner. Knight. Each one has trade-offs. Each one changes how the game plays fundamentally.
But something feels wrong about all of them.
They’re all standard. All expected. They’re the safe choices.
I think back to that red text. Unknown Class. System Access Restricted.
Why would it show that option if I couldn’t select it?
I look back at the visible options. The four normal classes are still there. But I notice the scroll bar now. It’s not at the bottom. There’s more below.
I scroll down further.
New classes appear. Rarer ones. "Beastmaster." "Artificer." "Chrono Mage." Classes that require specific playstyles. Classes that are powerful but complicated.
I keep scrolling.
The classes become more exotic. "Void Knight." "Essence Thief." "Phantom Warrior." Each one sounds dangerous. Each one sounds like it requires specific knowledge to play correctly.
I reach the bottom of the list.
There’s nothing else. No red text. No unknown class. Just these visible options and then nothing.
I scroll back up.
The standard classes are waiting. Warrior. Swordsman. Archer. Mage. Healer.
I need to choose one. I can’t stay in character creation forever. There has to be a time limit. There has to be a point where the system forces a decision.
I think about what Daniel said. He called the game complicated. He said the immersion was intense. He said people were obsessed with it. But he also said to just pick a class and go with it.
That doesn’t feel right. Not for this world. Not when there are so many options. Not when each choice fundamentally changes the experience.
I focus on Warrior again.
The description expands. Balanced stats across all categories. No specialization. No weakness. No strength. Jack of all trades, master of none.
That’s safe. That’s reasonable.
But it’s boring.
I switched to Mage.
High intelligence. High wisdom. Low defense. Low agility. The description warns that Mages struggle in early combat. They have to be careful. They have to be smart. They have to play differently than other classes.
That’s interesting.
But I don’t know if I’m smart enough for that.
I switched to Archer.
Precision-based. Speed-focused. Medium defense. The description mentions that accuracy is more important than power. The better you aim, the more damage you do. It rewards skill.
That’s challenging. That’s something to improve at.
I’m torn between Archer and Warrior.
The warrior is safe. I can learn the game without dying constantly. I can understand the systems. I can figure out what’s happening around me.
Archer is engaging. It gives me something to practice. It gives me a skill to develop. But it also makes me vulnerable while I’m learning.
I think about the moment I swung my sword at the wolf. I panicked. My hands shook. If I was an Archer and had to aim while panicking, I would have missed. The wolf would have killed me.
But maybe that’s the point. Maybe I need to learn how to not panic.
I’m about to select Archer when something catches my attention.
The scroll bar moves on its own.
It slides down. Slowly. Like the system is scrolling through the options automatically.
I watch it go past Warrior. Past Swordsman. Past Archer. Past Mage. Past Healer. Past all the exotic classes I scrolled through.
It keeps going.
New options appear that weren’t visible before. Classes that don’t have proper descriptions. Classes that have corrupted text. One class just shows as a series of error symbols.
The scroll bar keeps moving.
It reaches the very bottom. Below everything else.
A new class appears. It’s not highlighted in red anymore. But it’s also not a normal option. It exists in a space that seems separate from all the others.
The name field is blank. The description is blank. But there’s something there. Like the system knows something about this class but won’t tell me what it is.
And beneath that blank space, a single line of text appears.
"System Analysis Inconclusive. Classification: Undefined."
I try to scroll back up. The scroll bar doesn’t move. It’s locked at the bottom.
I can see the four normal classes in the distance above. They’re visible but not selectable. The scroll bar is preventing me from going back.
Only the undefined class is in focus now.
I stare at it. The blank space where the class name should be. The blank description. The impossible text that shouldn’t exist.
Something in my gut says not to touch it.
I focus my attention upward. I try to force the scroll bar to move. To take me back to the normal options.
Nothing happens.
Then text appears above all the classes.
System message. Black letters.
"Selection Required. The player must choose a starting class to proceed."
My heart is faster.
I can see Warrior in the distance. I can see Archer. They’re right there. If I could just get to them.
But the scroll bar won’t budge.
The system message appears again.
"Selection Required. Time limit activated. 60 seconds remaining."
Countdown begins. 59. 58. 57.
I’m forced to focus on the undefined class. The blank space. The impossible option.
56. 55. 54.
I think about what happens if I run out of time. Do I get booted out? Do I lose my character? Do I have to start over?
53. 52. 51.
I could close my eyes. I could disconnect. I could just pull the headset off right now and this would all stop.
But I don’t want to.
That’s the strange part. Despite the fear. Despite the impossible situation. I want to know what this is.
50. 49. 48.
I move my hand toward the undefined class.
47. 46. 45.
The moment my cursor touches it, the system responds.
The blank space fills with text.
Not a class name. Not a description. Just a question.
"ARE YOU SURE?"
44. 43. 42.
I don’t click yes. I don’t click no. I just keep my cursor on it. Waiting. Wondering what happens if I actually select it.
41. 40. 39.
The text changes again.
"WARNING: This class is not recommended for new players. Proceed at your own risk."
38. 37. 36.
I pull my cursor away.
The scroll bar suddenly moves. It rockets upward. All the classes come back into view. The normal ones. The safe ones.
The countdown stops.
The timer resets.
60 seconds remaining.
The undefined class is still visible at the bottom. But it’s no longer forced into focus. I can choose the normal classes again.
I don’t hesitate this time.
I focus on Warrior.
The option highlights. Green text appears asking me to confirm.
I select yes.
The entire white space flashes. For a moment, everything goes dark. Then it comes back. But something’s different.
A status window appears in front of me. It’s showing my new character sheet.
Name: Ryan
Class: Warrior
Level: 1
Health: 100
Mana: 50
Strength: 12
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 8
Defense: 11
Vitality: 10
The stats look normal. Balanced. Appropriate for a Warrior.
But then something happens.
The window glitches.
The text corrupts for half a second. Letters scramble. Numbers change. The entire window flickers like it’s being overwritten.
For just a moment, I see different text overlaid on top of the normal text.
I can’t read it completely. But I see fragments.
"Class: Error"
"Status: Anomaly"
"Level: [REDACTED]"
Then it stops.
The glitch ends.
The normal status window is back. Everything looks correct again. Warrior. Level 1. Normal stats.
But something just happened. Something the system didn’t want me to see.
Before I can process it, the white space shifts.
Color returns. Ground appears beneath my feet. The smell of earth and wood reaches my senses.
I’m standing at the edge of a forest.
Behind me is a city. Silverwood City. I can see the walls. The gates. The buildings inside.
In front of me is wilderness.
And in the distance, I hear something.
A sound like a creature moving through the brush. Getting closer.