The Beast and the Sage

Paige had been the second person to enter the safezone. She was glad she hadn't been the first because it probably would have freaked her out.

Upon entry, she was greeted with a system notification. It made her jump because she hadn't expected it. She'd have to get used to that.

_______

PRIORITY MESSAGE

You have arrived at your safe zone. Once everyone has assembled, there will be an important announcement made to everyone in your safezone.

We ask that you remain inside the safezone until all arrivals are present. This is for your benefit and for the benefit of your safezone community as a whole.

While we do not prevent anyone from exiting the safezone, should they choose, we do encourage you to remain inside the safezone for the benefit of all.

Should you seek to explore, we recommend you explore the safezone. There are many facilities and amenities provided to enrich your future in the new existence. We encourage you to explore and take advantage of as many of them as possible.

Current safezone arrivals 2/150

______

The safezone itself seemed to be placed in the middle of the forest. She could see the treeline around the perimeter. It looked like she'd arrived at the center, at least as far as she could tell.

She hadn't really known what she expected the safezone to be like, but it was still not anything like she expected. It looked like a summer camp. Not just any summer camp,

but like a 90s movie summer camp. She couldn't really see everything, but what she could see looked like crafts stations, small cabins, a cafeteria, an outside dining area with picnic tables, an unlit firepit with log stools, complete with an old lady...

'Wait... is that an old lady smoking a joint by the firepit?'

"Oh... hi." Paige waived and smiled. As much as she found old men cute, she didn't usually get along well with old women.

The lady jumped. "Holy hell, child. Wear a bell or something. I don't wear diapers yet, but you almost made me regret it."

Paige just stared at her, frozen. She didn't apologize. She didn't feel like she really had any reason to.

The old lady relaxed and sighed. "Have a seat. Looks like we may have a long wait. Who would have thought I'd ever be the fastest at my age." She laughed, and it turned into a cough that tapered off over a few seconds. "I'm Grace, by the way. Don't call me any grandma bullshit, either. Not Nana, not GG, not any of that. Call me Grace." Grace stuck out her hand.

Paige took it. "I'm Paige. Nice to meet you." She didn't smile, though.

Grace took a long look at her, gave Paige's hand one firm shake, nodded, then said, "Me and you are gonna get along just fine." She stuck her other hand out. It took Paige a second to realize she was passing the joint.

"You know, given everything going on, I should definitely probably stay sober..." Paige said as she reached for the joint. "So, THANK YOU."

Grace gave a small chuckle, then said, "Crazy shit, huh."

After waiting a moment to exhale, Paige answered, " I guess... I mean, my grandma has been promising the rapture was coming 'any day now' my whole life, been told people were handing out drugs in candy wrappers on Halloween, Covid came and went, and it sucked pretty bad but it wasn't the apocalypse... and nothing ever changed. Nothing. And no one ever seemed to want it to, either." Paige took another hit and then passed the joint back.

Grace took it without a word, letting Paige finish her entire thought.

After Paige exhaled, she coughed for a bit. When she was done, she finished what she'd been saying to Grace.

"I guess I can see how other people might see the world as turning upside down... but to me, this is the first damned time the world has ever lived up to the hype."

"Well, when you put it that way, I wish I had 50 more years to live," Grace said.

"So what class did you get?" Paige asked to keep the conversation going.

"I'm going to be a drug dealer, dear. I might sell some booze, too... we'll see."

Paige stared open-mouthed. She wondered if Grace was a bit senile. "So... your class is Drug Dealer?"

Grace answered quickly and quite coherently. "No, I'm an Alchemist. But I was assured by Bobby that it was close enough. So that's what I went with."

Paige laughed, then stopped herself because she felt it was rude.

"I'm sorry," Paige said. "I'm not trying to be an asshole here, but why would you want to be a drug dealer in the first place... especially at your age?"

To her surprise, Grace drew herself up proudly and smiled. "There are three luxuries in high demand no matter how shitty or how great the world is: a good piece of ass, good food, and something to take the edge off."

Grace paused to let the words sink in before continuing,

"Well, I'm too damn ugly and old to be worth screwing, and I'm a shit cook, and plus cooking reminds me of my ex-husband.

So I figured I'd do the Christian thing and make myself useful."

Paige didn't bother holding back her laughter this time. "You're awesome. I wish my grandma was as cool as you are. I mean, my abuela is cool, but I don't get to see her much. But my grandma is just a lot to deal with."

"Ah, don't think about it like that. I promise I'd be acting a lot different with you, too, if you were my own granddaughter. Thank God I don't have any." At some point, Grace had put the joint out and was now lighting a cigarette.

"Yeah well, she tried to hook up with my dad right after him and my mom got married, but has spent the last three years telling me I need to wait until I get married with every boy I have dated."

"I stand corrected." Grace took a long drag of her cigarette. "Not judging either way, but..."

Paige got what she was hinting at. "I may not be a ho, but I ain't no saint, either. How'd you get weed and cigarettes here, anyway? All I have are the clothes that I'm wearing."

"I just asked if I could bring them. But I'm kind of shit out of luck when I run out. I better get on that alchemist thing and learn to make something to calm the nerves.

Speaking of classes, what class did you..."

Grace was cut off by someone calling out.

"Heyo!"

Looking towards the sound, Paige was surprised when she saw two people rather than one walking toward them.

One was a tall guy, probably a few years older than Paige was, wearing one of those name brand shirts with the overly masculine names. He had shaggy hair sticking out from under a hat that repped the nearby college football team. He looked like a stereotypical fratboy.

Paige wasn't going to assume anything based on that, but she really didn't see herself enjoying his company.

The other person was a girl with bottle-blonde hair. It looked like she must have had an amazing beautician because if Paige had bleached her hair that harshly, her hair would just look like fiberglass insulation with curls. Paige already hated her.

"Hey. I'm David, and this is Maddy," the guy said as they got close.

"Grace," was the only answer the old lady gave.

"Paige, and it is nice to meet you, but I was just about to go look around and see what my skill and my ability do. Plus, I haven't really gone over the stats." Paige turned and started walking to what looked like an archery range about fifty meters away.

"Well that's rude. Don't just leave. We just walked up," David called out. Under his breath he muttered 'bitch.' Paige barely heard it, but she did hear it.

Something inside Paige took over, and she whirled around in a snap and was in David's face in a second. "Yeah, I am walking away. Because I already don't like you and was being nice. But let me tell you something, you don't tell me what I do and don't do."

David looked alarmed, if not afraid. Something inside of her wanted him to pick a fight.

He didn't. "I-I'm sorry I didn't mean anything by it," was his only reply.

She turned and walked away again. She got about ten steps before she realized she'd been an asshole. She didn't actually know either of them and had made judgments already. She had been a little rude, and then had been kind of a bully. She'd even wanted him to push back. She felt bad about it.

Was she about to apologize? Fuck no, she still didn't like either of them and trusted her gut on that. Plus, she had been nice with the wording, even if it had been a little rude.

But, 'What was that?' she thought.

________

Ding. Revoked.

Ding. Revoked.

Ding. Revoked.

Ding. Revoked.

Ding. Revoked.

As the final revocations rolled in, Levi was pondering just how utterly screwed he was, but to his surprise, he received one last notification.

Ding. Unique Class 'The Insatiable Sage' Assigned.

'Hell yes! A unique class is huge.' Levi cheered like he'd just won the lottery, right until he read the class description.

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The Insatiable Sage

This is a Unique Class and can only be held by one individual at a time.

You have made it clear that you will not walk any path except yours alone. You are The Insatiable Sage. You are unable to evolve or change your Class. You are locked out of the Profession mechanic.

This Class does not offer any Spells, Skills, or Abilities to select upon level-up. This class does not provide Spell, Skill, or Ability points. Spell, Skill, and Ability Point Mechanic removed.

Spell, Skill, and Ability Tomes no longer function as intended, but the Tomes may still be studied to obtain desired Spells, Skills, and Abilities. Studying Tomes will not consume them. Tome mechanic removed.

Due to your Insatiable nature, you are not restricted from learning any Spell, Skill, or Ability, regardless of standard Level, Class, and Profession restrictions. You may obtain or upgrade any Spell, Skill, or Ability through experimentation, training, study, and usage.

_____

So far, it wasn't that great, but it wasn't that bad, either. Levi was concerned about being unable to automatically learn things that would help him in combat. He felt like that was going to set him back a lot in the beginning.

On the other hand, not having restrictions could be a huge advantage in the long run. Restrictions existed for a reason, and without them, there was no balance. A person could make an entirely OP build. Levi didn't think an OP build would be possible in his situation, due to his need to actually learn everything the hard way.

But, if he focused on upgrading the right combination, and learned a well-balanced collection of utility based options, Levi felt like he could easily make this class something strong.

He continued reading.

_____

Due to your Insatiable nature, you are compelled to learn new things, have enriching experiences, and explore the world.

Perpetual debuff applied 'Parched Soul of the Sage.' This is a Unique variation of the Parched Soul Debuff. This debuff cannot be removed.

Parched Soul - You lose a stacking 2.5% to Stamina and Mana regeneration every hour. When Stamina and Mana regeneration reach 0%, Stamina may only be restored by consumables or other people, and Mana may not be regenerated at all.

Learning or upgrading a Spell, Skill, or Ability resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 12 hours.

Leveling your Class resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 24 hours.

An Enriching Experience resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 36 hours.

Witnessing a Wonder resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 72 hours.

Discovering Hidden stats, mechanics, or information resets Parched Soul and pauses the debuff for 120 hours.

_______

Setting aside the implications of Hidden stats, mechanics, and information for the moment...

He'd spend every waking moment either suffering from or trying to reset the debuff. That was no way to spend your life.

"This is bullshit, Rick. This debuff is pure insanity. I mean, it shouldn't be too hard in the beginning, because I'll be low level, but what about later?"

Rick chuckled, "Well, you have access to everything. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Levi sighed. "You're right. I mean, realistically, I can just save all the basic skills like sewing and fishing and stuff to use when I'm in a pinch. It would probably only take five minutes of focus and I could reset the debuff. I'll just save all the easy skills I can and learn them sparingly as needed." He then continued to read.

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Permanent status Proficiency of the Sage applied. Proficiency of the Sage is a staple of all Sage classes. All basic Skills are unlocked and may be purchased with Skill points.

Due to the Spell, Skills, and Ability Point Mechanic being disabled, we have adjusted the effect of Proficiency of the Sage for your class.

All basic Skills obtained.

__________

Levi almost threw his chair at Rick, who was laughing hysterically at this point.

"Are you doing this shit on purpose, you fucking asshole?"

Rick forced himself to calm, but he was still smiling. "I'm not actually doing anything. I can affect certain things, sure. Give a push or a nudge to the system to help someone achieve a result I feel would be better suited. I mean, there's a bit more to it than that, but... the system is a creation.

It will persist after I'm gone. I'm more like the accountant that files your taxes rather than the IRS in this situation.

And apparently, the system doesn't like being shoehorned, because I have absolutely zero control. Any influence I had is gone. You got your ass audited, buddy."

"Fuck me." Levi leaned back and closed his eyes. He held back tears, which wasn't the manliest thing in the world, but... he was so fucked.

Of course Levi hadn't got some super awesome class. The unique thing was admittedly cool, but in this case, it felt like he'd tempted fate too much and gotten himself cursed for life. It was almost impossible. If he couldn't turn the class into something incredible by figuring out a way to exploit it, he may as well just live out the rest of his life in a safezone playing 'NPC.'

Levi kind of laughed to himself. The truth was there's no way he was awesome enough to get a unique class. That was an impossibly high bar. Levi could only think of one person who came close.

There was a guy Levi had served with in the Marines who was that awesome. His parents had dragged him around the world on missionary trips his entire life. He'd been an outstanding Marine and an all-around good guy. Then he'd gotten forced out due to a serious injury that hadn't been his fault and wasn't even service related.

The guy had started drinking and lost himself for a while, but then turned his life around. He became a devoted Christian, the kind that really lived it, which helped him move forward. Levi hoped this whole experience hadn't shaken that faith for him.

After that, the guy spent almost all his time in war-torn nations, areas hit by natural disasters, and anywhere he could place himself to do relief work and help people. Hell, he'd been on the national news multiple times for it.

Yep, if anyone deserved a super badass unique class, it was good old Lee. Levi missed Lee. He hoped he was doing alright with all of this.

But Levi? He'd done nothing worth really bragging about since he'd gotten out. It wasn't like he was a screw-up... but he'd just drifted. He never even tried to leave a mark on the world. He dreamed about doing stuff. Then he never did. Levi was never afraid of seeing the world, but he'd kind of always been afraid of the world seeing him.

'Fuck this, you've wallowed long enough, now get your shit together, Levi,' he thought to himself and sat up. He looked back at Rick, who'd been staring, far more solemn.

Levi suddenly grinned. "Well, Hidetaka Miyazaki isn't my favorite game designer for no reason. I would bet my maidenless ass I can figure this out."

Levi continued looking through his character sheets. His class description hadn't really had much more information other than a rather lengthy list of specific ways his class gained experience points.

Most of it were very small modifiers, with only a few things of note.

One thing was that he was unable to gain experience in safezones. Another was that he gained experience when he learned new spells, skills, and abilities. Individually, neither were a big deal, but considering them both, it meant he needed to learn everything outside a safezone to get the most out of it.

His class also provided +150% experience for exploration. That was a lot, but with his time taken up learning stuff to reset Parched Soul, there was a good chance the experience increase wouldn't be as beneficial as it seemed. Not unless he was able to learn something on the move.

And he would gain experience from 'Enriching Experiences' and 'Witnessing a Wonder,' but there weren't any values provided with this, and he wasn't clear at all about how the system made those determinations.

After that, Levi tried to work out a plan in his mind about what would be the best start. He didn't have much, but there were two things he knew he would need immediately, and the rest of his plan hinged on that.

Unfortunately, neither 'Identify' nor 'Mana Sense' were considered basic skills. He'd scoured the list for anything similar, but that was a bust, too.

Rick had told Levi he could stay until the last interview was concluded, but that he would be kicked without warning at that time. It didn't come to that, though.

Standing, Levi stuck out his hand. "You've been really solid, Rick. I do appreciate it, and it really has been nice meeting you."

Rick stood and took his hand, "You've been entertaining and enlightening, even if a little insufferable at times." Rick suddenly smiled in a way Levi hadn't seen before. It was kind of sad, but something else too. "You've given me a lot of hope about the future. Thank you for that."

Rick released Levi's hand, and looked Levi over one more time. "And remember to give that coin to Paige... and uh, tell her Mr. Stowe says you're the decent sort. She may have trouble finding people she trusts easily at first."

Levi had no idea what that meant, but before he could ask, his mind faded to black.

___________

Levi really shouldn't have worried a single moment for Lee.

He had finished the interview far faster than Levi. And had crushed it.

In the final moments of his interview, Forrest W. Lee had stood in front a Navy Chaplain in Marine Corps camouflage. Lee beamed down at his notification.

He had never worried. His faith had never wavered. The system never stood a chance.

Unique Class 'The Christian Paladin' assigned.

______

In a quiet place, in dimensions higher than the human mind usually ever reaches, in the frontier of the soul, the Entity spoke softly.

I DID WELL. THEY WILL BE IN GOOD HANDS.

And with that final proud declaration, the Entity shattered into billions of pieces and was no more. And the piece that had been Rick went to Levi. And the piece that had been Mr. Stowe went to Paige.

And they all went to their places, some already glowing brighter than others.