During my VR days, I had followed the same path as everyone else, always hunting for the most imposing and powerful-looking classes the game had to offer. A solid, all-rounder class like the [Paladin] was exceptionally great, as were most other classes once you reached their evolved tiers, but as someone who had actually stood on the highest floors, I realized those choices were a fundamental mistake. Once you surpassed the 90th floor, those rigid roles became a liability rather than an asset, which was exactly why I had spent my life savings and cycled through over a hundred different lives to find a better way.
With that hard-earned knowledge guiding my steps, I walked straight to the center of the square and stood before the massive statue of the goddess to request the [Class Selection] event.
"[Welcome to the Class Advancement and Selection Point!]"
"[Notice: You may choose only one of the following Classes based on your Skill sets and Stats.]"
"[Notice: Please place your hand on the orb below and infuse your Essence.]"
I reached out and placed my palm against the smooth, cold surface of the orb, letting a steady stream of my mana flow into it. The response was instantaneous and more violent than I expected as the orb pulsed with a blinding light.
"[Congratulations! You have a 'Mana' unlike anything the 'Tower' has seen before!]"
"[Notice: High-Tier Classes have been unlocked for you!]"
The system was trying to be helpful by presenting me with Evolved Tiers right off the bat, which were essentially the advanced versions of basic roles. Normally, if someone was destined to be a [Mage], the system would skip the basics and offer them [GrandMagus] immediately.
"You don't need to do that," I commanded the system in a quiet, firm voice. "Go back to the basic Classes. What I need is there, and I want you to arrange the list starting from the least popular options."
The system flickered as it processed my unusual request, eventually shifting the display to show me the basic tiers, sorted by how rarely they were picked by the millions of rankers across the towers.
"What on earth are you trying to do, Arthur?" Melchior asked, his voice echoing from the ring with a thick layer of confusion. "Shouldn't you be aiming for the higher tiers? Why are you digging through the bottom of the barrel?"
"Most people would choose the flashy stuff, Mel, but that's exactly why they hit a wall at the end," I replied with a small laugh. Melchior didn't offer a rebuttal, choosing instead to watch in silence as I scrolled through the list.
The screen was filled with classes that most combat-oriented rankers wouldn't look at twice, like [Cook], [Teacher], or [Guide]. I kept scrolling until I finally saw the specific name I had been searching for, and without a second of hesitation, I tapped it. The system even paused, sending a prompt to ask if I was absolutely sure about my choice, and I confirmed it immediately.
"[Congratulations! You have selected the D-Rank Class: 'Barrier'!]"
"[Congratulations! As your Skill-sets and Stats are significantly higher, your base class 'Barrier' has been advanced to the higher tiers!]"
"[Notice: Your Class has been set to S-Rank: 'Rune Interpreter'!]"
"A [Rune Interpreter]?" Melchior sounded genuinely baffled now. "What possible use is a trashy class from a [Barrier]? Surely you could have easily picked [Grandmagus] or [Swordmaster] and just used shield magic or defensive techniques on the side. I know your exclusive skills let you use whatever you want anyway, but picking a support class as your main identity seems nonsensical."
He was spot on from a conventional perspective, but what he didn't know was that [Barrier Magic] was one of the few absolute necessities for anyone hoping to see the true end of the Tower. Beyond its utility, there were hidden rewards for choosing such an unpopular path, rewards that the system only granted to those who saw potential in what others called trash.
"[Congratulations! As a result of picking one of the Tower's least-picked Classes, 'Barrier', and advancing the tier to an S-Rank 'Rune Interpreter', a Class-related skill has been generated!]"
"[Congratulations! You have obtained an SS-Rank Skill: 'Moon Imprint' Lvl 1!]"
"[Info: Decreases casting time for all Barrier skills by 50%. Reduces Mana cost by 70%. Increases damage and barrier durability by 50%. These percentages increase exponentially as the user's level, mastery, and Class Rank rise.]"
"Oh? Well, that was actually pretty amusing," Melchior commented, his tone shifting as he read the description of the new skill.
He was right to be impressed because the [Moon Imprint] wasn't just a minor buff. It was a massive force multiplier that would fundamentally change how I engaged in combat, making my magical skills far more efficient than any standard mage could ever hope for.