[Ding. You have awakened the Spirit Summoner class]
[Your graveyard awaits you… Please kill something to slowly fill it up]
Zich rubbed his eyes as if it would change what was displayed before him.
However, even after doing that, the text remained unchanged.
"You must be kidding me," he blurted out, his voice laced with frustration and confusion.
Why was the system telling him to kill things and fill his graveyard? And what was with that profession? Why did it seem eerily similar to his family business?
Instantly, he felt depressed. Ever since he reincarnated, the only way he thought he could escape his monotonous life was through the Ascension Mountain.
But who would have thought fate would play such a cruel trick on him and make him awaken the same boring profession?
While he was lost in thought, wondering if there was a way to change his class, multiple people began to appear around him.
The place became noisy with dozens of youngsters around his age.
Just like him, every one of them had awakened their classes. Some looked excited, while others were completely devastated.
"Fuck, what do you mean I'm a butcher?"
"Lucky you… I woke the plumber class."
When he heard the second voice, his sadness suddenly eased and his mood improved slightly.
Even though his class did not look as impressive as those who awakened as mages or swordsmen, he would not even begin to imagine living as a butcher or a plumber.
At that moment, he finally looked away from the system screen and observed his surroundings. He appeared to be in a wide field at the center of a town with medieval looking architecture.
Although he and his family lived at the outskirts of the city, where information was limited because of how strict and secretive the Players Association was, he had learned that the world inside the Ascension Mountain followed a medieval setting, with carriages and steam powered transport systems.
In this world, the affairs of players were mostly kept away from ordinary citizens for reasons known only to the Association President.
Even gaining access to the Player Hub, where information about the Ascension Realm was shared, required strict verification before entry was granted.
"Well, who do we have here? Another set of newbies who will either become powerhouses or just one of the many discarded corpses of the Ascension Mountain."
A loud and condescending voice snapped him out of his thoughts. His eyes, along with many others, turned toward the source.
A man stood there wearing a white military uniform.
…
The slim man stepped forward slowly, his boots pressing against the dirt as the crowd quieted. He looked to be middle aged and stood at about five foot nine, yet somehow appeared taller than most of the youths gathered there.
The reason became clear at a closer look. His body was solid and muscular, with a sharp V shaped build that made his shoulders look broad and his waist narrow. Even through the military coat, his physique was obvious. His presence alone caused several of the younger boys to straighten their backs.
He stopped in front of the crowd and crossed his arms before speaking in a blunt tone.
"My name is Arnold Sanchez, the Lord of this settlement. One of the four Beginner settlements."
Immediately, whispers spread through the field.
Arnold's expression did not change. His sharp eyes swept across the hundreds of teenagers as if he were inspecting livestock.
The murmuring grew louder as some of the new players looked around nervously.
"Shut up and listen, will you!" he roared.
At his voice, the field fell silent almost instantly.
Satisfied, he continued. "You all received your classes when you arrived here. Many of you probably think it was random. It was not."
Confused expressions appeared across the crowd.
He continued without pause.
"The nameless entity that governs the Ascension Mountain does not assign classes randomly. Your class reflects the strongest passion inside you. The thing you are most inclined toward."
For a moment, the field remained silent. Then whispers slowly began to spread again.
Zich frowned slightly at those words.
'Is he trying to say my passion is burying people?'
Nearby voices began rising in frustration.
"You are joking, right?"
"My passion is not cutting people!"
"Why would I ever want to be a plumber?!"
The whispers quickly turned into complaints.
Zich could not accept it either. His gaze lowered slightly as he recalled the earlier message.
Spirit Summoner.
Graveyard.
Kill things.
Fill it up.
His expression darkened as memories of working in the graveyard surfaced. He was certain he had no passion for it. All he ever wanted was to finish the job and leave.
Had he somehow started enjoying it without realizing?
More angry whispers spread through the crowd. Those with butcher classes looked especially miserable, while those with strange professions like plumber looked completely defeated.
"Enough of that," Arnold's harsh voice rang out again. His eyes were cold as he scanned the crowd. "No matter how much you complain, it will not change anything. Your class is permanent. You are stuck with it for life."
Several people paled as their hopes shattered.
He continued without mercy
"If you cannot accept it, then kill yourselves now and save everyone the trouble. Or go back to the normal world and live as useless civilians."
The anger and complaints slowly died down. Even if their classes were not ideal, it was still better than living a dull life back on Earth.
"Good," Arnold said once the field became quiet again. "Now, the next problem."
He turned slightly and gestured toward the stone walls of the bastion behind him.
"This bastion is not free. If you want a place inside, you must pay for it. Payment can be in hidden treasures dropped by monsters, rare materials, or plain money if you somehow brought any. Those who cannot pay do not get protection. Simple."
He pointed toward the massive gates in the distance. "Outside those gates is the wild zone. Monsters roam there. You will hunt them and bring back what you earn. I advise you to form groups if you want to live longer."
As if on cue, the gates slowly opened.
Without hesitation, many of the new players began gathering together.
"Let's team up."
"I have a swordsman class."
"I am a healer!"
Groups quickly formed as people tried to secure stronger teammates.
Zich quietly stepped away from the crowd.He did not approach anyone.
His class was already strange enough. If others found out about the graveyard ability, rumors would spread quickly, followed by fear.
He had no interest in dealing with that.
So while others formed groups, he simply walked out through the gate alone.
The outside world was quiet. Grass fields stretched across the land, and patches of forest could be seen in the distance. Occasional monster sounds echoed faintly from afar.
He walked carefully for several minutes and only stopped when he noticed something.
A small blue creature bounced slowly across the grass not far ahead.
It was a slime.
Zich stared at it silently and exhaled.
"Let's see what this graveyard stuff is all about."