Class Advancement: Swordsman

  -Walk the path of the sword.

  -Learned Skills: Moderate Blade Proficiency, Power Slash, Cutting Edge

  -Bonus Stats: Strength, Dexterity

  -Note: All Class Advancements will gain an equal amount of Bonus Stats.

  He soon discovered that by concentrating on the names of the Learned Skills, he could intuit which function each one performed.

  Blade Proficiency would instantaneously download swordsmanship expertise into his brain, making him a moderately-skilled swordsman without any training or effort required. Power Slash was an offensive strike on a cooldown, similar to Power Smash, while Cutting Edge passively increased how sharp his sword strikes were.

  This one seemed like a straightforward Class – not that straightforward was a bad thing. Simon's ineptitude with the blade had nearly gotten him killed by Lucette. If he didn't have his heart set on a different Advancement, Swordsman would be a solid, dependable choice to invest in.

  Class Advancement: Brawler

  -You're carrying two lethal weapons with you at all times.

  -Learned Skills: Unarmed Proficiency, Improved Power Smash, Improved Grappling

  -Bonus Stats: Strength, Dexterity

  Another straightforward Class. Since Simon already knew Power Smash and Grappling, selecting Brawler would further improve those Skills. Additionally, Unarmed Proficiency would make him substantially better at fighting with his fists.

  He wasn't interested. Fights generally weren't won by sticking vulnerable limbs closer to your enemies. Except with Fell Harvest, but that was a special case – and its need for close proximity had still caused issues on multiple occasions.

  Class Advancement: Survivor

  -As long as you're still breathing, you're still moving.

  -Learned Skills: Sustenance Reduction, Damage Reduction, Increased Stamina

  -Bonus Stats: Vitality

  Now this was neat. A purely defensive Class.

  Damage Reduction would reduce how much HP he lost to mid-battle injuries by 10%. That could potentially save him in life-or-death situations. Increased Stamina would boost his overall fortitude, preventing him from running out of breath as quickly, although that hadn't been a huge problem in fights yet.

  However, Sustenance Reduction was what truly caught his eye. From what he could tell, it severely lessened the intake of food and water that his body needed to survive. It was tempting...

  In the sense that he was still partially traumatized by his first week in Valtia. More practically, Simon intended to keep a healthy stockpile of rations within Inventory for the rest of his life. The Skill was sadly superfluous.

  It also strongly pointed towards one burgeoning theory: that his Class Advancements were tailored to his personal life experiences. Until now, he had wielded a sword, fought with his hands, and endured low rations and low HP – so the system was proposing Swordsman, Brawler, and Survivor.

  And as he hadn't used a bow, something like 'Archer' wasn't a possible Class, despite being pretty standard fantasy fare. Maybe he could've added it to the list after-the-fact by heading outside and practicing with Katarina's crossbow, but Simon didn't want to be an Archer regardless. He would earn respect much faster by battling on the front lines.

  The next Class option essentially confirmed his theory.

  Class Advancement: Con Artist

  -It's their fault for getting tricked.

  -Learned Skills: Deception, Improved Intimidation, Sense Lie

  -Bonus Stats: Dexterity, Intelligence

  Hey.

  Rude.

  So what if Simon had lied – consistently – to literally every person he'd met in Valtia? The 'Sworn to Secrecy' Trait basically made that a requirement! He couldn't tell anyone here about the existence of other worlds or the transmigration process. It was unfair for the gods to restrict his ability to speak the truth, then label him a Con Artist for it.

  The whole pretend Demon thing was totally on him, though.

  If Simon was still a denizen of Earth, then this was the Class he would have picked. Deception and Sense Lie would've been invaluable for moving up in the world. Politicians were more or less Con Artists in expensive suits, anyway.

  Alas, he was in Valtia now. Social-related Skills could still be useful here...but his capacity for violence was going to be of much greater importance.

  Class Advancement: Thief

  -Take everything that isn't nailed down.

  -Learned Skills: Dagger Proficiency, Stealth, Fleet of Foot

  -Bonus Stats: Dexterity

  Did it really count as stealing if he was robbing dead slavers? The system's standards were too lax sometimes.

  Simon automatically passed on Thief. He wasn't planning to be someone who skulked around in the dark. That was antithetical to his final goal for this world.

  And last, but certainly not least...there was the Class that had made the others irrelevant.

  Class Advancement: Nascent Demon

  -Continue tapping into the Demonic power growing within.

  -Learned Skills: Contract, Sin Scry, Grant Boon

  -Bonus Stats: Balanced

  -Note: Taking this Class Advancement will NOT worsen your susceptibility to sacred mana.

  Perhaps he was being a little hypocritical. He had spurned Con Artist for lacking combat Skills, but Nascent Demon was much the same. Unlike a Class like Swordsman, none of Contract, Sin Scry, or Grant Boon would make him a better fighter.

  Yet he knew in his heart that this was what he needed. It offered him too many things that he sorely craved.

  Contract was a necessity if he wanted to keep up his ongoing ruse. Eventually, someone would question why the self-professed Demon wasn't actually acting like one. Katarina was already halfway there. And in spite of the headaches that revealing his arm had caused, it'd still forced people to listen to him. Being a Demon was a quick shortcut to respect.

  Respect couched in fear, but respect nonetheless.

  Besides – Contract was a strong Skill in its own right. Simon could think of a wide variety of situations where he might wish to bind someone to his will. If nothing else, it would ensure that people honored any deals he made with them.

  Next was Sin Scry. When used on a human, it would reveal their most heinous, despicable crimes to him. In detail. Known or unknown, punished or unpunished – he would discover what they were like at their absolute worst.

  It...well. When combined with Identify, Sin Scry was extremely useful. By Scrying first, then directing Identify to focus on other information, he could ferret out loads of deep, dark secrets from people.

  But in truth, that wasn't why he wanted it. The pragmatic applications were a secondary concern to his emotional desires.

  Because Sin Scry could guarantee that there wouldn't be a repeat of his incident with the slavers.

  He would never be taken unawares by monsters in human guise again.

  Lastly, there was Grant Boon. It could broadly be described as an ability that bestowed power onto people of Simon's choosing. There were a multitude of caveats and restrictions associated with it, but none that adversely affected the Boon-Granter.

  Simon nodded to himself as he considered the possibilities. Out of Nascent Demon's Skills, this was potentially the most useful of the three.

  Depending on how the rest of the day went.

  And these abilities are just from my first Class Advancement, he thought. What other Skills will I gain if I pursue more Demon-based Classes? I doubt that they're Skills I can learn on my own – not when I've attempted to form Contracts and failed miserably. If I don't pick Nascent Demon, then my current demonic Skills might be what I'm stuck with moving forward.

  That was the final clincher. If Simon wanted to be a Swordsman, he could train. If he wanted to be a Survivor, he could invest more into Vitality. If he wanted to be a Con Artist, he could brush up on his bamboozling and get creative with Identify.

  Yet the Skills of a Demon were unlike anything else in Valtia. It was the X-factor that would make him stand out – make him that much more extraordinary.

  His ambitions were too grand to settle for less.

  With confidence, he selected Nascent Demon. A grin stretched across his face as a sudden burst of energy flowed into his body.

  Your Class has upgraded from Fledgling to Nascent Demon!

  Stolen story; please report.

  Attribute 'Fell-Touched' has morphed to 'Fell-Shrouded!'

  Skill Gained: Contract!

  Skill Gained: Sin Scry!

  Skill Gained: Grant Boon!

  Strength: 20 → 22

  Dexterity: 24 → 26

  Vitality: 17 →19

  Intelligence: 14 →16

  Fantastic.

  He glanced at his increased stats. That reminds me–

  Simon summoned his 10 Unspent Points, putting 4 into Vitality and 6 into Intelligence. It brought them up to parity with Strength and Dexterity.

  A common strategy in RPG systems was to prioritize one or two stats at the detriment of others. Even so, he didn't think becoming a one-trick pony was the right call. Each of his stats had been vital to his survival thus far. Perhaps higher Dexterity would've especially helped against the Ravenous Wanderer, but he shouldn't assume it would be as important in his next battle.

  Balanced stats would make it easier to adjust and improvise. That suited him just fine.

  Strength: 22

  Dexterity: 26

  Vitality: 23

  Intelligence: 22

  Unspent Points: 0

  Simon took in a deep breath, then exhaled. He let his mind indulge in a refreshing hit of dopamine as surging power coursed through him.

  As I am now...a rematch versus Lucette wouldn't even be close. I think I could take Springwater's militia leader, too. No poison or subterfuge necessary.

  There was still a long, long way to go before he entered the big leagues. But for the first time since being thrown into Valtia, Simon felt like a real, legitimate threat.

  He was ready to take on the world.

  Hello?

  The real, legitimate threat nearly toppled out of his chair as a voice boomed within his head. He sputtered, glad that no one else was around to see the big scary Demon in complete shock.

  Are you there? I hope this is working.

  Simon paused, belated recognition creeping up on him. "Voice-In-The-Sky? Is that you?"

  Yes! The Voice was as loud as it was exuberant. Well met, Simon of Earth. It heartens me to hear from you again.

  "Same to you." He settled back into his chair. "This is a pleasant surprise. How's my favorite god doing? I was under the impression that you weren't allowed to contact me after my transmigration was finished."

  The Voice hesitated. Let's set that aside, shall we? There are exceptions for every law.

  Translation: You're bending the rules, and you'll probably be in trouble if the other gods find out.

  Truly a deity after Simon's own heart.

  "So what's the occasion?" He peered up at the ceiling of his ramshackle building, as if he could see the Voice's non-euclidean body floating in the sky. "Checking to see if I've made any progress?"

  To a degree. Mostly, I simply wished to know if you yet lived. You've been in my thoughts ever since that fateful day, when the gods of Evil sabotaged your transmigration and consigned you to a journey of strife and peril.

  Simon's mouth slightly dropped open. "You were...concerned about me?"

  Very much so.

  Warmth spread inside his chest. "Thanks. That actually means a lot."

  You are the one who traded your life for the sake of two worlds. Compared to that, I deserve little acknowledgment.

  "Still. Thank you." He smiled. "And you don't need to worry so much. It hasn't been easy here, but I think I'm doing quite well for myself."

  The Voice overflowed with relief. You exceed my expectations yet again.

  A comfortable moment passed.

  "By the way," Simon continued, "I've got some questions for you. We didn't get to discuss everything before–"

  NO!

  He winced as the scream almost blew out his eardrums. "A bit quieter, Voice."

  My apologies, but – Simon, you can't ask me to divulge information related to Valtia. Strike the notion from your mind entirely.

  "Even details that I would've been told during a normal transmigration?"

  Yes. Even those. Voice-In-The-Sky sighed. This is one of the strictest rules we enforce. To defy it would invite disaster.

  Simon raised an eyebrow. "Why? Can you inform me of that much, at least?"

  Because if we directly interfere in our champions' worlds, then so can they.

  Ah. It's part of their non-aggression treaty with Evil. The two godlike factions had chosen to battle by waging proxy wars on various worlds. Once a champion was transmigrated, neither side could get involved with mortal affairs.

  Which kinda sounded like the gods of Evil could screw up a world as much as they pleased...and all Good could do in response was eventually send over one dude, then hope for the best.

  Simon tapped his finger on his thigh. "Doesn't seem like a fair deal to you and yours."

  Voice-In-The-Sky remained silent for five long seconds.

  If anything, it is grossly in our favor.

  Simon's blood ran cold. He understood the underlying meaning of that statement. If the gods of Good were happy to accept an arrangement that limited both sides, even if it made things difficult for them...

  It meant that Evil was winning. By a significant margin.

  I see. The transmigrator closed his eyes, forcing his tightening shoulders to relax. Just means I need to step up my game.

  Hmm.

  At the Voice's short utterance, Simon opened his eyes again. "What is it?"

  You cannot ask me to divulge information. However...there is nothing preventing you from regaling me of your future intentions.

  The Voice's tone became strangely chipper. While my time is limited, I would still like to hear your thoughts. What are you planning, Simon? What designs do you have for the world of Valtia?

  There's a point to this, he noted. Voice-In-The-Sky wouldn't be acting this way without reason.

  Speaking quickly, as the Voice's time was apparently running out, Simon told it what he had planned for the future. He described the key pieces of information that he'd learned about Valtia – and the conclusion extrapolated from that knowledge.

  Including the decision he'd come to just recently.

  A few hours really could change everything.

  Fascinating. Intriguing! The Voice's tone had gone from chipper to egregiously upbeat. I cannot confirm or deny any of those suppositions, yet thank you for sharing, regardless.

  Simon blinked. It can't tell me if I'm right or wrong. Not outright. He suppressed a grin. But its tone of voice...

  That's an answer in and of itself.

  This was probably skirting the edge of disaster, coming close to breaking the gods' covenant, yet Simon was too giddy to care. The Voice had confirmed that he was on the right track. Which was a massive relief, as he hadn't been 100% confident in his conclusions.

  Now? He could walk forward free of doubt.

  Enough of the future, the Voice said, abruptly shifting the topic before they made a fatal error. What has transpired during the days you've spent in Valtia? By your joyful demeanor, I assume that matters are proceeding better than anticipated.

  "Hah, yeah, I've been busy. To summarize: I killed some slavers, saved a family, got a Demon arm, and rescued a town from certain destruction."

  All that in such a brief period! How marvelo– wait, Demon arm?

  It started going quiet at the end, like the volume on a radio being gradually turned down. Voice-In-The-Sky's loophole was reaching its limit.

  "Seems like our time is up." He cheerfully waved at the ceiling. "Don't be a stranger. I'm available to chat whenever you can manage it again."

  Simon, what was that about–

  The Voice faded.

  Simon stood up, stretching his aching joints. Well, that was a fun and productive diversion, but I've rested for long enough.

  The day was hardly over – he had items left on his itinerary that needed crossing off. Meeting with Katarina was near the top of the list. Before that, though, he had new plans to refine...

  And his first-ever Contract to form.