《Chapter 1 of Kieran and the Regularity System LitRPG》 Chapter 1 Some believe that God created the earth in seven days. Others believe that the Big Bang happened and now everybody and everything is space dust collected and some of us have a conscience. A few believe that we¡¯re an alien experiment or living in a simulation. Do you want to know what I believe? It doesn¡¯t fucking matter. Well, that might be a little harsh; let me rephrase. It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. This is my diary you¡¯ve discovered, though I thought I hid it pretty well, so congrats on finding it. Sophie if you¡¯re reading this, I¡¯m going to kill you. If you¡¯re not Sophie, don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s my sister. Sibling love and all that. Anyways, expect hardships, love, loss, decisions that I didn¡¯t want to make but had no other choice, forks in the road. I am about to tell you, reader, in very great detail about my life these past six hundred years. November 5, 2025 was the day Earth changed. It was the day that, for many, God died. It was the day when aliens ceased to be the most mysterious thing in the universe. Though the simulation guys were on the right track, even they were a bit off. I was at work one boring meeting after another. Wasting the day chatting with coworkers, having an extra long lunch, and pretending to type on the computer to appease my corporate overlords. Now I want to be very clear about this so you understand the type of person I was. An extremely average thirty-two year old dude who had a chess board on my coffee table and enjoyed a bit of Formula 1 on the weekends. I¡¯ve never had a hero complex, I was never the burn-it-all-down kind of person either. I just wanted to survive. Like most every other American at the time, I struggled to pay my rent and was in debt for the next few lifetimes. But you don¡¯t care about my struggles, well not those ones anyways. You¡¯re here because you picked up a random leather-bound book that was empty until words started being etched on the pages. I was in the breakroom with some coworkers looking busy and grabbing some coffee while waiting for that final buzzer so I could walk out the door and head home. Don¡¯t lie, you do the same thing. As we were chatting, these bright shimmering blue marble-sized balls appeared out of nowhere. They hovered in front of each of us about eye level and just sat there. A few of us moved our heads to see around them, confused looks on our faces. But they followed us. ¡°What the hell are these things?¡± someone asked behind me. I turned around and saw it was Braden, one of my work friends. You know, those people you hang out with at work to pass the time, but never hang out with outside of work because the only thing you have in common is how much you hate working. That was Braden. He tried to push the marble away from him but it wouldn¡¯t budge. I laughed. Braden wasn¡¯t the strongest man in the world by any means, but he worked out five days a week and loved to brag about his muscles - the stereotypical gym bro. He saw me laugh, ¡°Why are you laughing man? What, you think you can move it? It¡¯s solid. It¡¯s not going anywhere.¡± To be fair to him, others were also trying to move the marble and were failing. One guy even broke a sweat trying to move it. It just stayed right in front of his face. ¡°Nah,¡± I said, a smile still on my face. ¡°I just figured with those massive arms, and how much you tell me you bench, you could move a tiny marble away from your face. I¡¯m starting to think maybe it¡¯s the juice that¡¯s got you looking like that.¡± I made a syringe-like motion with my hand. ¡°Fuck you,¡± Braden said, throwing a middle finger in my direction. I chucked and focused on my own blue marble. It was smooth. I remember it shimmered, but looking at the inside, it was cloudy with dark purples and greens swirling around. I gingerly put my finger on it, it felt warm to the touch. Not hot, but reminded me of those hand warmers you put in your gloves when you¡¯re outside in the wintertime. A lady walked into the breakroom, she was from the main office in New York. Ann maybe? Caroline? Look, six hundred years is a long time to try and remember names. ¡°Do you guys know what¡¯s going on?¡± Her voice was high-pitched, but not annoying. It honestly suited her. She was nice and professional. She was in the office for a managerial audit. And unless we were managers, we had nothing to worry about. Those were her first words to us in the meeting that morning. It¡¯s funny what the brain remembers. Those details come in clear, her name; couldn¡¯t tell you if my life depended on it. And my life has depended on a lot of wacky things since then. ¡°Nope,¡± someone else answered. Linda, our boss, walk in, ¡°Alright guys, whoever¡¯s doing this, great joke, but we need it to stop now. This is a professional working environment, and you¡¯re making us look extremely unprofessional right now.¡± Linda was a great boss. She started out like one of us, down in the trenches, pretending to work and all that. As she moved up, she never forgot where she came from. She changed a little bit of course, but nothing too extreme. You know those people who go from the lowly lazy worker to being a boss and then change completely and you have to remind them sometimes, they used to sneak into places at work to take a nap? That wasn¡¯t Linda. We actually respected her. As long as we got our work done, she didn¡¯t care what happened. We couldn¡¯t afford to lose her. ¡°It wasn¡¯t us Linda,¡± I said, taking my focus away from the marble. ¡°They just appeared out of nowhere.¡± ¡°Hey, the news is saying they¡¯re all over the place!¡± someone to my right said showing us her phone. A man appeared on the screen, ¡°We¡¯re getting reports from cities and governments all over the world right now that these balls have appeared in front of people. So far, there have been no reports of injury from the marbles themselves, though they have caused accidents from drivers. The FAA is also reporting that pilots are seeing these balls and are being diverted to airports. All other flights have been grounded and other modes of transportation here in the U.S. have been halted. The President has asked that all citizens remain where they are and not to worry as they will figure out what is happening. Stay tuned as we bring you more breaking news about these balls as information comes in¡±. ¡°Okay,¡± Linda said, ¡°How about everyone go back to their desks, relax and we will see what happens in the next few minutes here.¡± Some people began moving out of the break room until Braden spoke up, ¡°Wait, wait,¡± He pointed to the clock, ¡°Do we have to stay here past work hours?¡± We had about fifteen minutes left until the end of the day. ¡°I¡¯m not going to say you have to stay here, alright.¡± Linda looked at us. ¡°But it would be safer than getting in your car and driving with a marble in between your eyes. Suffer at work a few minutes past your work time, or possibly die in a car accident. Your choice.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Well, when you put it that way,¡± I said with a little smirk. I started walking out o the break room but as I did all the marbles began to move away from us. They stopped about five feet away and hovered. We looked at each other, even more confused than before. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re going away,¡± I said. ¡°They had their fun, or whatever, and now they¡¯re leaving.¡± Just as I finished, the marbles shot at us like bullets. Mine hit me right in the forehead and disappeared inside. My head screamed in pain. I could vaguely hear yells and shouts from the others in the room. I squeezed my head so tight with my hands hoping that it would pop and the pain would be over. And then the pain stopped. I slowly opened my eyes and moved my hands from my head. For a moment I thought I had actually exploded my head as i started to look around. I was kneeling in a white, not room. The white extended in all directions, seemingly going on forever.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Heaven?¡± I asked to no one in particular. I was alone in this nowhere space. ¡°Braden? Linda¡± Anyone?¡± I raised my voice a bit. No answer. I stood up, not remembering when I had gone to my knees. I walked in one direction for a few minutes hoping to find something or someone other than just white. Finding nothing, I stopped and sighed, ¡°Well, I died. That has to be it. I popped my head and now I¡¯m dead. Couldn¡¯t even make it thirty-five.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± a voice came from out of nowhere. It sounded like a smartphone AI voice. Androgynous, but sounding slightly more masculine. Definitely not human. ¡°Hello,¡± I responded turning around in circles. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± ¡°Hello,¡± the voice came again. ¡°My name is Homer. I am your crafted assistant for the foreseeable future¡±. ¡°Homer?¡± I questioned. ¡°Correct. And you are Kieran Taggard, thirty-two years of age from Tacoma, Washington. Currently living in San Diego, California working as an archaeological technician and geographical information systems technician. My name was chosen after an intense study of your likes, dislikes, passions, and history. Homer seemed the appropriate choice. However, I can change it now if you would like. Might I suggest Ovid, Cleopatra, or Gilgamesh?¡± The voice went silent for a long moment. ¡°Uhhh, no?¡± I said, more of a question than an answer. ¡°Wonderful,¡± Homer replied. ¡°Now allow me to welcome you to The Regularity. You will gain a longer introduction after you return to your previous location on Earth. Right now, you will be given three classes to choose from, your race has already been chosen as human. Your choices in class, were again derived from your interests and dislikes as well as an in-depth study of your personality, passions, and history. Should you require assistance in choosing the appropriate class, please do not hesitate to ask.¡± The voice, Homer, stopped talking and in front of me appeared three symbols. ¡°What are you talking about? What is going on? Homer, I need more of an explanation for all of this,¡± I said, with a bit more panic in my voice than I¡¯d care to admit. ¡°Of course Kieran. This is The Regularity, a system created eons ago to unlock a person¡¯s true potential. This is all the information I have at the present time. Please choose a class. I sighed and shook my head. Now I wasn¡¯t a stranger to LitRPGs and systems with magic and warriors and heroes. I¡¯ve played my fair share of MMOs and the like. But those are all fiction. And more importantly, they don¡¯t happen on Earth! In those stories, people get transported to another world and are reawakened with powers and abilities. Systems don¡¯t come to Earth. Most of the time anyways. I turned my attention to the three symbols hovering in front of me. The first one, a circle with four dots, one in each of the cardinal directions. I focused on it, and the symbol glowed red an image of me in light brown leather armor with a gun in my hand appeared. Homer¡¯s voice came, ¡°The Ranger. A ranged magic class. Your weapons do not shoot bullets; however, they are etched with various runes that allow the user to fire magical spells. As a Ranger, you will rely on your dexterity to keep you agile and moving when fighting enemies. Your wisdom will define how much mana you and your weapons can use. Because you are a ranged weapon user, your strength and constitution will be severely lacking until you equip gear or level up and gain status points to improve these stats. Strength: 6, Dexterity: 18, Constitution: 6, Intelligence: 11, Wisdom: 18, Charisma: 5. Would you like to choose this class or keep researching?¡± I was silent for a long time. This was exactly like playing a video game and choosing an avatar to play as. Creating a character. Only this time it was real life. I was choosing who I was going to be. It was overwhelming. I had to physically stop myself from hyperventilating and having a panic attack. I put my hands on my head and willed myself to breath deeply and slowly. I shook my head and said, ¡°I¡¯d like to look at the other classes.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± was all Homer said. I focused on the second symbol, and upside down triangle with and and a single vertical line in the center. My image once again appeared, this time in a robe with runes sewn into it. A dark brown wooden staff sat in my hand, gnarled and notched that branched out slightly at the top, as if something could sit in the opening. Once again, Home spoke, ¡°The Mage, a versatile class that comes with a variety in professions. From healing to battle magic, the Mage will gain specialization as you level up during your journey. Your Wisdom and Intelligence stats will be sharply higher at the expense of your strength and dexterity. Your constitution and charisma will be average. Strength: 7, Dexterity: 3, Constitution: 5, Intelligence: 17, Wisdom: 19, Charisma: 9. Would you like to choose this class or keep researching?¡± Realizing more and more that this was going to become my actual life, I started to take this seriously. I sat for a moment and thought. I still needed to see the last class, but if I had to choose now, it would be the Mage. I had an idea of what the last class would be but, again shook my head and told Homer I needed to keep looking. The image of the Mage disappeared and I focused on the last symbol, It was two stars, one inside of the other, with an x in center of the smaller one. The image once again showed up. This time I was standing in a hooded cloak dark green on the outside and midnight black on the inside. A dagger in one hand and a sword in the other. The sword had etchings down the blade while the the hilt of the dagger had a large glowing rune. ¡°The Rogue,¡± Homer¡¯s voice came. ¡°The Rogue focuses on stealth and tactics to complete missions and defeat enemies. Rogues are typically loners, choosing to go at it by themselves and only join with others when absolutely necessary. What the Rogue gives up in strength, constitution and wisdom, you will make up for in dexterity and intelligence. Charisma is average. Strength: 3, Dexterity: 18, Constitution: 7, Intelligence: 18, Wisdom: 6, Charisma: 10. Would you like to choose this as your class or keep researching?¡± I put my hands over my face and blew out audibly. I rubbed my eyes with the heel of my hands and started tapping my foot fast. ¡°Okay, okay,¡± I said to no one in particular. ¡°This is real. I have to choose. Homer, are you sure I¡¯m not dead?¡± ¡°Yes, Kieran, I am sure you are not dead,¡± Homer replied. ¡°This void space is here to allow you the time you need to choose. It was determined that for the people of Earth, this space would be representative of a calming environment with no distractions.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s making these decisions?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯re not making them right? So who decided that you needed to come to earth? Or, who set the parameters for the classes?¡± ¡°You are correct, I am not making the decisions,¡± Homer said. ¡°However, I cannot provide the answers you seek at the present time. All I can say is that there was detailed research done on each individual of Earth prior to choosing three classes that were appropriate for them.¡± ¡°How many classes are there?¡± I questioned. ¡°There are over thirty classes of which to choose from,¡± Homer replied. I snorted a quick laugh. ¡°Is something funny Kieran?¡± Homer asked. I shook my head and said, ¡°No, not really. It¡¯s just funny, there are over thirty classes and I get the most average classes. The ones that show up in every video game.Nothing special.¡± I chuckled quietly again. Average life, average choices. Homer spoke up, ¡°I see. Well, it is important to remember that though these classes may have been chosen for you, it is entirely up to you as to who you become and what you do with the class you ultimately choose. There are positives and drawbacks to each of these classes. What you may see as average right now, could end up being extremely powerful. As you level up and decide what your status points will go towards, you will notice actual changes to you and your personality. Should you choose to level up your charisma, you will find it much easier to talk to people and persuade them to your side. Should you choose to level up your strength, you will notice physical changes with your muscles and stamina. Should you choose to level up your constitution, you may find yourself living for hundreds or possibly even thousands of years. The decisions will be entirely yours.¡± END OF TEST CHAPTER 1 Chapter 2 I thought about what Homer had said; it-he was right. These were normal classes that did show up in every video game or board game. But it was the skills and stat points that you focused on that made them powerful and well-rounded. It was also hitting me that this was real. My decisions mattered. This was going to be my life. If I didn¡¯t take it seriously I could be screwed. Or worse, dead. I took a deep breath and started pacing the neverending whitespace. ¡°If this was a video game I would pass over the Ranger. The magic guns are cool, but guns aren¡¯t really my thing,¡± I said out loud to myself. So there was one down. No Ranger. ¡°Okay, I like the idea of having actual magic and the Mage might be good. I could be a ranged healer. Though that would mean most anytime I wanted to level up by fighting I¡¯d have a harder time. Or I¡¯d have to be with a group of people¡±. ¡°Hey, Homer,¡± I said to the void. ¡°Yes Kieran?¡± Homer responded. ¡°How are we going to level up?¡± I asked. ¡°Tens of thousands of Dungeons of various levels are currently being formed. Earth is fundamentally changing while you and the other are in here. The animals, the magic abundance, the flora. It is all changing. When you leave here after choosing your class and first profession, you will see a brand new world. Much will look the same. But there will also be very noticeable differences. You will level up by fighting beasts or fighting one another. You will earn treasures and loot as you conquer dungeons. You may also level up as you explore your new world. Skills may level up as you use them. Bartering and trading will help your Charisma. Reading certain books will help your Intelligence. Exercising will help your Strength and Constitution. And so forth¡±. ¡°So,¡± I tried to figure out my words, ¡°If I become a healer mage and focus on healing people, I could level up by using my healing skills?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Homer replied. ¡°Though be aware that it may take longer for you to level up if only focusing on one skill. As your stat in Wisdom increases so too will your overall level. However, when your Wisdom stat maxes out, which until you reach level ten is a stat level of twenty, your overall leveling will increase at a much slower rate.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I said. ¡°So the best way to level up overall is to fight and gain experience points. Or find a party as a healer that I can trust and raid dungeons with them and share experience points by healing them while they take down the big baddies.¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Homer said. ¡°Well, I guess that rules out the healer Mage. I don¡¯t want to have to rely on others for my leveling. I could go down the battle Mage route though. Homer, if I chose Mage how much mana would I have starting out?¡± ¡°You would begin with 90 mana,¡± Homer replied. ¡°As you use it, your mana will replenish slowly. Slower if you are currently in battle. By eating and drinking certain foods, plants, or potions, your mana will recover faster.¡± ¡°And what spells does a Mage start out with?¡± I asked. ¡°All Mages begin with two spells, one a minor healing spell that costs 50 mana per use. They also have a weak firebolt spell. This costs 15 mana to cost each. Damage is variable from 10-25 points depending on several factors including range and magical resistance of enemy. At level three the Mage is allowed to choose one of five different spells. These spells are procedurally chosen and I cannot offer anymore insight into those at this time. At level ten the Mage is given five more spells with the option to choose two spells. However, when choosing a profession it is possible that you may be given the option to add a spell to your skill set.¡± I scratched my head at that. 90 mana wasn¡¯t a lot to start out with if I was going to be alone. That would mean I¡¯d still need a party to find. It wouldn¡¯t be impossible. I¡¯m sure I could hang with Braden and some others from work who were most likely also taking this seriously. But it would still mean I was dependent on others for leveling, at least in the early levels. The same couldn¡¯t be said for the Rogue. The Rogue might not hit hard, but it still had a sword and dagger and could probably get a spell or two. And the early dungeons might not be too difficult. Which made me think about something. ¡°Hey Homer, what happens if I die?¡± I wsan¡¯t really sure I wanted the answer, but I needed to know. ¡°Then you die,¡± Homer responded. No emotion in his voice, no empathy. Just matter-of-fact. ¡°Oh,¡± I said. That really made me rethink the going at it alone thing. If I was alone I might not be able to heal. If I couldn¡¯t heal, the chances of me dying significantly increased. If I was in a group, there¡¯d no doubt be a healer. Or, and my mind immediately went back to being a healer Mage. Then I wouldn¡¯t have to reply on others for my healing. This decision was impossible. ¡°However,¡± Homer cut off my thinking. ¡°As you level up and increase your stat points, there may be certain skills that can be chosen that allow for revivals. You may also become strong enough to revive yourself should that become necessary. At the early levels, if you die, you will most certaintly be dead.¡± Now that was interesting. Certain skills that allowed for revivals or just getting strong enough to revive myself. I wondered how rare those skills would be. I had an idea of which class I wanted to be. As much as I like the Mage, the Rogue was more versatile. Plus I could be alone and feel comfortable diving into dungeons. But I could also play a melee role in a group. ¡°Alright Homer, I think I¡¯ve chosen my class,¡± I said, a little hesitation in my voice. ¡°Very good,¡± Homer replied. ¡°And which class have you chosen?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going with the Rogue,¡± I said forcing confidence into my words this time. ¡°Of course. And you¡¯re certain with your decision?¡± Homer asked. I paused for a moment and thought it through one more time. And then I nodded, ¡°Yes I¡¯m sure¡±. A golden light washed over me and the next thing I knew I was standing in the same dark forest green cloak I had seen in the image. I had a dagger on my left side and the short sword with etchings on my right. As I am left handed I was impressed that the system knew that and adjusted. ¡°Here are your current stats,¡± Homer said. A window popped up in my vision and made me blink and focus my eyes. There were a number of stats on the screen and Homer¡¯s voice came through:This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Active traits: Strength: 3, Dexterity: 18, Constitution: 7, Intelligence: 18, Wisdom: 6, Charisma: 10. Passive traits: Stealth: 10, Dagger Proficiency: 12, Short Sword Proficiency: 12, Perception: 13, Deception: 10, Acrobatics: 15. Gain levels to increase active and passive status points. Gain levels to add passive stats. Those stats weren¡¯t terrible. Pretty basic for any starting character. I would have been surprised if other classes had anything significantly higher. I liked the stealth and perception. Acrobatics was good too. I assumed those levels would increase as I leveled up overall and put skill points into my active stats. The idea of adding passive stats was interesting too. I wondered what other passive stats there could be. Then Homer cut off my train of thought. ¡°Now you will choose your first profession,¡± Homer said. ¡°Your profession can add passive traits as well as adding status points to your active traits. It will also influence any tools and gear you may be given before leaving this space. You will choose one profession out of five options given. At level ten you may choose a specilization within your chosen profession of choose a new profession. You may have only one profession at any time.¡± I nodded and five symbols appeared in front of me, much like the class symbols. The first symbol was a beaker with skull and crossbones in the center. ¡°The Poisoner,¡± Homer¡¯s voice came. ¡°Much like other professions of the Rogue, the Poisoner relies on subtly while crafting poisons and antidotes to accomplish their mission. The Poisoner will be given the active trait of Crafting and the passive trait of Potions. As the Poisoner levels up both of fthese traits, the poisons and antidotes that are created become more powerful. They will also gain proficiency in general potion making. The Poisoner will also gain a keen understanding of flora and fauna that could aid them in crafting these potions. Choosing this profession, you will be given the Rogue¡¯s Backpack filled with two vials of basic poisons, two healing potions, and two general antidotes¡±. The poisoner could be fun I thought. Making potions and poisons and antidotes. Could turn that into a lucrative business in the future. I focused on the next symbol, a hand gripping a dagger. I had a feeling I knew what profession this was. ¡°The Assassin,¡± Homer said. ¡°The Assassin is all about making precision kills on their targets. They master stealth attacks, hiding in the shadows waiting for the opportune moment to strike. The Assassin will increase the active traits of Dexterity and Intelligence by two points. These traits will be maxed out until you level up to level five where your traits can reach a max level of thirty-five until you reach level ten. Your passive traits of Dagger Proficiency and Short Sword Proficieny will gain three levels. Your passive trait of Perception will increase two levels. And your passive trait of Stealth will gain five levels. Upon choosing this profession, you will be given the Rogue¡¯s Backpack with six shivs, rope, and the assassin¡¯s slippers which increase stealth by three points¡±. The Assassin could be a very interesting build. I didn¡¯t have to be evil, I could be morally grey. Killing those that threatened to disrupt society. I could level up and maybe build an assassin¡¯s guild. People could come to us and pay a fee to have someone killed. Plus it might make getting through dungeons a bit easier if I was alone. I could use that exceptionally high stealth stat to sneak my way through and kill the beasts before they noticed me. Either way, the Assassin excited me more than the Poisoner. I focused on the third symbol; a set of tools. Once again Homer spoke, ¡°The Thief. The Thief is skilled at breaking and entering, stealing what they need for profit or information. The Thief will increase the active traits of Dexterity by two, Intelligence by one, and Charisma by three. The Thief will increase the passive traits of Stealth by three, Perception by three, Deception by five, and Acrobatics by five. The passive trait of Luck will be added. Upon choosing this profession, you will be given the Rogue¡¯s Backpack with three shivs, Thieve¡¯s tools, and the Midnight Cloak. The Midnight Cloak decreases the chance of others noticing you while wearing it.¡± I focused on the fourth profession, a black hood from a cloak cut off at the neck. ¡°The Spy,¡± Homer said. ¡°The Spy focuses on stealth and charisma to complete their missions and achieve their goals. The Spy will increase the active traits of Intelligence by two, Charisma by six, and Constitution by three. The Spy profession will increase the passive traits of Stealth by three, Perception by five, and Deception by ten. Upon choosing the Spy profession, you will be given the Rogue¡¯s Backpack with an extra dagger and the Malmuna Amulet. The Malmuna Amulet is a necklace that allows the wearer to increase their Charisma trait past its maximum level by three points. It also adds three skill points to Charisma, which affects the passive traits of Perception and Deception, for every five levels you gain.¡± That Charisma boost would be amazing. I wouldn¡¯t have to spend skill points on Charisma. The Spy was a true contender for a profession. It would allow me to persuade people to join a group, or possibly talk people out of kicking my ass. Plus, let¡¯s face it, spies weren¡¯t going anywhere anytime soon. The world was going to change the moment I got out of the void. Some things might be the same but who knew if cars or phones or any technology were going to work anymore. My head started spinning again and I took another deep breath. I focused on the last symbol, a bomb with a pair of scissors cutting the fuse. ¡°The Saboteur,¡± Homer¡¯s voice eased me back to the task at hand. ¡°From disarming to producing, the Saboteur specializes in the art of traps and explosives. The Saboteur profession will increase the active traits of Dexterity by two, Constitution by five, and Intelligence by one. The Saboteur will increase the passive traits of Perception by three, Deception by three, and will add the passive trait of Luck to their status. Upon choosing the Saboteur profession you will gain the Rogue¡¯s Backpack with three light traps, the explosive disarming toolkit, and Bombmaker¡¯s Goggles. The disarming toolkit allows for the user to increase their luck while disarming explosives. The Bombmaker¡¯s Goggles add extra status points to Constitution and Luck while equipped. This Profession will also add the active trait of Crafting to your status.¡± Wow. The Saboteur sounded amazing. And the added Constitution boost would help make me not so squishy. ¡°Homer,¡± I began. ¡°How many hit points do Rogues have with their base Constitution?¡± ¡°At level one the Rogue has 250 hit points without any modifiers. This number can be increased by wearing gear that increases Constitution or by leveling up and placing status points into your Constitution status,¡± Homer replied. I nodded at that. I figured as much. Rogue¡¯s in video games usually can¡¯t take too much damage and 250 hit points didn¡¯t sound like much. ¡°What class has the highest base hit points?¡± I asked Homer. ¡°That would be the Berserker with a base of 650 hit points,¡± Homer said. So, Constitution will be a priority for me, I thought to myself. Which means leveling up will need to happen quickly. If that¡¯s the case, I couldn¡¯t be the Saboteur. As much I that it would be a cool profession to choose, I couldn¡¯t rely on making explosives and traps to kill beasts in the dungeons or out in the wild. Which left the Poisoner, Assassin, Thief, and Spy. With the Poisoner and Thief, I¡¯d be in the same position as the Saboteur. I¡¯d have to focus on crafting things to get the job done. If I chose the Spy or Assassin, I could possibly choose one of the other professions at level ten, while still getting boosts to my stats that could help me in the short term. I¡¯d be losing out on the Constitution boost, but I felt that those two professions were more combat focused for the Rogue. ¡°Alright,¡± I said. ¡°Homer I¡¯ve chosen the profession I want.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Homer said. ¡°And which profession have you chosen?¡± I hadn¡¯t really, it was truly a fifty-fifty right now. I could have gone with either. And looking back now, I wonder what would have happened had I flipped the coin tails side up rather than heads. ¡°I¡¯m choosing the Assassin,¡± I replied. ¡°Understood Kieran,¡± Homer said. ¡°And this is your final choice?¡± I had one more chance to change what would become the trajectory of my life. So what did I do, I nodded my head and mentally hit the accept command that had popped up in my vision.