《I Just Want to be a Merchant!!》
The Selection - I
Finally! It was only hours away now, and Typhus could barely hold himself back from running circles, he was so excited.
Everyone gained access to a basic version of the System when they turned 10. They could see their Attributes and they could gain a few General Skills, but they couldn¡¯t allot attribute points or even earn them, and they were limited on how many Skills they could have. Not to mention, they had no access to Class selection or Class Skills until their System fully unlocked. That happened when someone turned 20.
A full ten years of sitting there with the System just teasing you with promises of ¡°one day¡± and what you could become. The only upside to this was that you had plenty of time to sway out General Skills and level the ones you liked. How many you got depended on a lot of things, but Typhus thought it was mostly a combination of hard work, and luck.
Most people seemed to finish their ¡°probationary¡± time with three or four General Skills. The ones who spent all their time working on a set of Skills they had picked out from the start, with the resources to pursue the knowledge and ability to level their Skills, might end up with as many as six, but those were the wealthy and talented few.
It was rumored that if you sat around doing nothing for the whole ten years, you could unlock a class with only one General Skill available, but he had never heard of anyone so lazy and uninterested in the idea of gaining something from the System that they truly did nothing worthy of a Skill.
Typhus had finally reached the end of his timer. It had been counting down since the day he was first able to access even this watered down version of the System, starting all the way at 10 years. Now, it only had 4 hours, 27 minutes remaining.
There was a celebration being set up by his family. They would gather around and share finger foods brought by all the invited guests. He was not to arrive at the party until he had selected his class ¨C a tradition designed to allow the youth to transition into adulthood with a calm mind and protect their desires from potentially being swayed by others.
Long ago, it was apparently common for those about to unlock their class to be pressured on their Day of Choosing to follow a certain path. Originally the tradition had one be separated from society at large for the majority of their waiting time, but as it became more and more taboo to influence youths in such a way, that became less necessary.
In an attempt to calm himself down and prepare to make his choice, Typhus decided to look over his System Status, again.
Name
Typhus Haltingwood
Health
120 / 120
Stamina
80/80
Class
Unclassed lv 0
Time to Class Selection
000:04:27
Attributes
Strength 7
Intelligence 10
Willpower 7
Charisma 9
General Skills
Big Bag lv 23
Identify lv 21
Lucky Choice lv 15
Appraise lv 14
Negotiate lv 11
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Like Skills, once you chose your class and fully unlocked access to the System, you would see more attributes on your Status screen. Typhus considered himself extremely lucky to have earned 5 Skills before selection, and got them all above level 10. He even had two over level 20!
He was hoping for a nice, easy Merchant class or a variation of one. His family never had a ton of money ¨C they weren¡¯t poor mind you, just not very well off either ¨C and so he decided he wanted a class that would let him earn a decent amount to keep his head afloat and help them out if it was ever needed.
Sure, adventurers made more money, but he didn¡¯t want to be constantly finding himself in a fight for his life. And while a production class was also another option, he didn¡¯t have the resources to earn or level many Skills in a production area, and they also tended to have a sort of fanaticism about them that Typhus seemed to lack. So he settled on a Merchant class as they were relatively safe jobs that only required a solid mind and a good Charisma Attribute ¨C something he¡¯d worked on since he made his decision.
His General Skills were also selected to help with mercantile pursuits. Big Bag allowed him to select a bag, temporarily binding it to himself, and store more within it than should fit. It wasn¡¯t a huge increase in space, but as it had leveled, the amount of extra space grew.
Storage skills would be essential as a burgeoning merchant, and starting with one would be a great boon. It was also one of the first General Skills he¡¯d ever picked up, and the one he¡¯d had the longest, from trying to stuff too many toys into his backpack. As a result, he was able to get it to quite a high level.
Identify and Appraise sort of went hand-in-hand. One was used to see what the System thought about an item, and could tell him a bit about how it was made or what it was used for. The latter would give him a rough idea of the value of an item or service.
It wouldn¡¯t tell him exactly what it would cost in iron and copper bits, but it would tell him if the price the seller was asking for was too high or low. Together, these worked to give him the edge he needed to get another of his General Skills, and his most recent addition: Negotiate.
Negotiate was a simple skill; it gave him a bit of an edge when haggling. The skill allowed him to leverage his Charisma and Willpower when negotiating with someone. His hope was that the three Skills would merge when he unlocked his class, something similar Skills were known to do and which always leads to a vastly more useful and powerful combination. The merging of Skills also naturally freed up more Skill Slots to be used on other Skills to round out a class.
His last Skill, Lucky Choice, was a bit of an odd one. Once he decided on a Merchant Class, Typhus knew luck would be a part of getting valuable items and being able to get good prices for things, buying or selling. So he had spent some time in the gambling alleys, playing simple table games betting small amounts just to play once or twice a day. He would also flip a coin, guessing which side would end up, or play other games of luck with friends.
Eventually, he gained the Skill, which gives him a slight push in the right direction. When he would play ¡°follow-the-lady,¡± it would help him remember the paths the cups took and nudge him towards the one with the prize. It was a weird thing, gaining intuition from a Skill, but he was grateful for it none the less.
Checking the timer counting down to his selection, he was glad to see a full review of his Status had taken a little less than an hour, leaving 3 hours and 39 minutes to go.
He was getting anxious and impatient, his leg shaking up and down to tap his heel against the floor as he sat there in anticipation. He decided that he needed another distraction, and what better distraction than food? There was a small feast set up just for him after all.
Along the side of the room ran a table, with samples from each dish brought by guests laid out across it. They didn¡¯t want him to miss out on the food made in his honor just because tradition said he was to be sequestered away for the day.
Grabbing his plate, he made his way back and forth past the offerings, taking his time to select the ones that called out to his cravings the most. He ended up with a plate of Deviled Chabbock Eggs, some thinly sliced strips of Daikwon Jerky, and some candied fruit he couldn¡¯t identify under the caramel coating.
His mouth drooling the entire time, Typhus managed to distract himself through another good chunk of his waiting time, leaving his countdown at only 1 hour, 46 minutes. He decided to run through his plans for the coming future.
He already got himself a job lined up with one of the local branches of the Traders¡¯ Guild. He would be starting out running routes in the city, going from the sorting house out to the shops to distribute products around the city. An easy job, but it was something to get started with, and it would put his name in the minds of some of the local merchants and store owners.
If he did well and worked hard, he could get promoted through the Guild, or hired on by a private merchant. Whichever he ended up with would have a heavy influence on his class advancements going forward. Ideally, he would only have to run routes for a couple months at most.
Whatever happened, he knew he wanted to eventually run his own storefront, that way he could sit back and let the money make itself. All he would have to do then is manage personnel, and monitor income and expense reports.
He wasn¡¯t sure yet if he would rather have his own brand, or just manage a location for a bigger Company. If he had his own brand, he could decide prices, salaries, and what they sell, and all of the profit would be his. It also meant he¡¯d have to compete directly with the big Companies, and would take all the damage upon himself if something were to happen.
If he worked for a Company, he would have to follow their rules, and would only ever get paid what they offered him, but he wouldn¡¯t have to make any of the big decisions either. As an employee at a Company, he would also be able to change positions or work at a different Company down the line if his path needed to be adjusted.
Unfortunately, decisions like these couldn¡¯t be made until his talents were turned into Skills, and his Class had gained some levels. For now, he knew he would be working with the Trader¡¯s Guild, and that he would hopefully be making good impressions and solid connections for when he eventually classed up.
Typhus was getting impatient. There was only 22 minutes left now. He could feel that weird mix of anxious and excited coming on, nervous about what was about to happen but unwilling and unable to stop it. Would he get an option that would suit his wants and desires?
He was always told everyone got offered something that was in the realm of what they wanted. And as long as it was close enough, you can make your Class into anything over time. He had Skills geared towards picking out items, learning about them, assessing their value, and leveraging that knowledge for a better deal. He also had a high leveled Skill for carrying more objects in a smaller container.
If that didn¡¯t assure him a Class that would lead him straight down the mercantile path, he didn¡¯t know what it would take.
The clock was ticking down now, so Typhus decided he would just close his eyes, and try to stay calm until it happened. He focused on his breathing, in and out, in a cycle he¡¯d practiced for years before going to bed. He¡¯d always had trouble getting to sleep as his mind would wander and he would excite himself, until he started this breathing exercise.
He found the almost circular pattern of breathing was enough to keep his mind focused, and that the rhythmic breathing put his body to rest while his mind was distracted. It was something of a meditation, though he¡¯d never been offered a Skill for it.
Lost and drifting off in his trance, he hardly noticed when the Class Selection actually started.
The Selection - II
Losing connection with his body, Typhus found himself in a void of sorts. This was not the same void that those with related skills could influence, but one reserved for the process of class selection. He had heard before about this place, but not of anything that would be going on once here.
He was only told that he would find himself in a place where there was no space, no light, no sound, no movement. It was an odd feeling, and a bit disconcerting, but having been warned he was able to keep the panic from rising.
Floating in this void as a disconnected soul, separate from time and space, he wasn¡¯t sure how long it took before things started happening. Eventually however, the process began. From the nothingness, 7 orbs of light began to expand in front of him. Once they had reached some immeasurable size, they stopped and pulsed softly.
Considering the first orb, one of a bright red tint, he felt knowledge come over him: this light represented the path of a warrior, and he could choose to follow if he so desired. He examined the knowledge that seemed to come from nowhere for a moment, and got the feeling that this red light represented combat, blood, the hunt, armors and weapons, strength and speed. It wasn¡¯t any one thing, but everything this red orb of light seemed to represent revolved around testing oneself against another being.
Knowing this path was not for him, Typhus moved on and considered the next light. This one was a shade of blue not unlike the sky on a clear day. As he changed his focus, all the impressions of the red orb began to fade, and new feelings took their place.
This time, the path was one focused on the arcane, on twisting the elements and the fabric of reality to his whims. He could feel the water in a lake, the fire raging as it burned through fuel, the air moving through the trees and mountains, the earth shifting beneath feet. This was the path of a caster.
The novelty of feeling magic like he never had was surreal. He knew he did not want to be a caster, yet he could also understand the pull it had on so many. It was a power you could wield so long as the element of your choice was present, and there was almost always some form of every element all around you.
He soaked in the feeling for a bit, wondering if maybe he would want to change his mind. It would be so fun, he thought, learning to move the world around him. It didn¡¯t have to be dangerous. He could be a scholar and a researcher, or a performer of some sort. He would still make enough money to live off of without risking much.
However much he considered the path of a caster, though, he knew he would regret it. He had already worked so hard to set himself on another path, and he couldn¡¯t see how any of his current Skills would help him to progress a Class of this type.
Maybe down the line, he would gain access to some magics he could have fun with, but that would not be his focus. Moving on to the next orb, Typhus was confident in leaving the path of a caster behind.
The next light was a shade of purple, deep and dense, barely putting off any light compared to the previous two. When he examined this one, he got the feeling of fine silks, of crowns, and of commanding those within his domain. This was the path of a diplomat or politician. The path of nobility and rule.
This was a path Typhus had no interest in. He had never wanted to be a lord, watching over great swaths of land and people. Without even the desire to feel the ways his life might move, he passed on from the purple light, looking now to the next.
The fourth orb of light was the brightest so far, and was a verdant green. It filled him with feelings of wonder, connection, and knowledge. He had found what he was looking for: the path of a trader or merchant. The path where one¡¯s knowledge of their products and customers, and being able to leverage that knowledge for mutual gain were the focus here. Making deals, discovering new products, meeting new people and providing what they need.
This was the one he would choose.
It also gave off feelings of production as well. He would follow this path if he wished to be a smith of some sort, or a miner or something of the sort. Striking metal, weaving thread, and smashing rock that was then sold to merchants was a similar enough path they got grouped together by the system, it seemed.
Before cementing his decision, there were more orbs floating around as well. Not wanting to rush ahead and miss out on something in the future or regret his decision if he found out there was somehow a better fit for him, he decided to examine all of them.
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There was one white one, one gold, and one that was a sort of gray color that he could barely see in the void at all.
The gold one was quickly cast aside, as was the religious option. It provided a life of faith and devotion, of piety and preaching. Typhus knew the gods were real, and even had a favorite god ¨C Quelm, the god of trade and good fortune, of course ¨C but he was not going to commit himself to the church¡¯s service.
The white one showed him what a life as a healer would be like. It was similar to the religious path, as there was a lot of feelings of helping others, but it wasn¡¯t the same. This felt like standing side by side with your fellow man and keeping them fighting. It felt like helping someone to recover and seeing the relief from pain wash over the people around you. It felt like contributing to the world in one of the best ways.
It was a worthwhile path. It was one Typhus had even considered early on. It was another option for making enough money to get by with, and to stay out of dangerous situations. He could work in town, and even when traveling, many inns provided discounts to healer types to thank them for saving lives.
Everyone liked the town doctors, and if he wanted adventure at any time, he would have no trouble finding an adventuring party to accept him, even temporarily.
The downsides however were much larger than as a merchant. He would have to watch people die. Sometimes, a healer was too late to be able to save someone. Sometimes, it was something you couldn¡¯t be saved from in the first place.
Typhus wasn¡¯t sure he could fail in one way or another to save lives and be okay at the end of it. Eventually, he knew those deaths would way on him.
This only left the gray orb. When he went to check this one, he got the vague impression he would not be allowed to choose it, even if he wanted to. He couldn¡¯t get much other than this feeling, but what he could get was not enough to even determine what it was. He only felt as if things weren¡¯t really there, or like they were wrong.
Obviously, being unable to choose this option meant it wasn¡¯t going to win over his original choice.
Having examined all the orbs floating in the empty void, and feeling reaffirmed in his decision, Typhus refocused on the green option. This time, as his incorporeal eyes landed on the orb, he felt as though he flew towards it, and upon contacting the surface, it exploded in a blinding flash of light.
When it faded back again, the orbs were gone, but the void was now filled with little specs of colored light. They looked like stars of the same colors the orbs were.
Finding himself waiting again, Typhus had to admit to the beauty of the void space now, and the peace he felt just floating here for a time. Eventually though, a decision had to be made again. This time, a handful of the green stars floating around him grew and provided new orbs.
These were all different shades of green, some so close it was hard to tell the difference. Seeing as he was going to examine all of his options again, he picked one at random to start with.
These seemed to be the actual class options he had, now that he¡¯d chosen his path. The first one was a production focused class. It would help with and reward him for shaping metals. He¡¯d worked one summer at a forge, and his primary job was forming rough blanks for the actual smiths to finish out with their Skills.
Anyone could make a bowl shape with a hammer and fire, but the pros were the ones that had the skills to make it smooth and beautiful. He only worked at the forge because he had wanted to learn more about the process that went into making the tools and weapons that he hoped to one day sell.
Moving on to the next one, he found one quite a bit closer to what he wanted. This one seemed to be right up his alley, in fact. It was all about taking a product from one place to another. It felt like long runs and carriage rides, and like he was protecting something along the way. It felt like being trusted by both the sender and the receiver.
This was definitely a good choice for what he would be starting out doing.
Not wanting to jump the crossbow, he still looked over his other options. The next one would also be a good fit. It was a class for more knowledge. It would help him understand where things came from and why. It would reward him for new discoveries, and would lead him to continue learning about anything he could find. It seemed mostly about the items themselves, rather than buying and selling or anything of that sort. He liked the option, but thought he¡¯d prefer the previous option.
The next choice was the last, and he was glad he looked at them all. This one was almost a mix of the last two options.
It was focused around trade, and the idea of give and receive. It wanted him to know about what was being offered by both parties so that he could find a balance. So that neither the buyer or the seller got ripped off. It was about fairness and honesty.
Now he found himself torn. Both the second and the last options would be good choices. The second option was perfect for what he would be starting out doing. He was running packages out to customers around town, and this class was for exactly that.
Choosing the second one would allow him to gain levels in both his Skills and his Class faster. It would also let him perform better in his job, which might help to get him promoted even earlier than expected.
The last option, though, was closer to what he wanted by the end of it all. It might not help him with what he¡¯d be doing starting out, but over time, he would fit into a roll more suited to the class. It could slow him down a bit at first, he might not progress as quickly, but once he found the right angle, he would take off in the direction he wanted to go.
Figuring it best to try for what he really wanted, he focused on the last option, and like the last, was blinded when it filled his vision in blinding light.