Project Seraphina [LitRPG, Magitech, GL]

I awaken to the early morning light and the fact quickly settles in that Chloe and I have just slept through an entire day cycle. Immediately, my stomach starts rumbling, necessitating a quick trip into my [Inventory] for some peanut butter crackers. Gotta love how I can keep them stored in the interdimensional space for an indefinite time and not have them go stale in the slightest.

I take a bite of the cheap snack. Any more stale, in any case. Still mighty convenient, and beats having them get reduced to crumbs in a backpack or purse. Though, now that I'm a bit more awake, I realize I have a far tastier food to munch down upon, and then more work to do.

From within the depths of my [Inventory], I draw out the [Level Apple] and my [Artificer's Glasses], mostly to confirm that Lindsey's earlier information was accurate. And sure enough, the glasses corroborate her words to the tee, including about the part that the System is calling these 'extremely delicious'.

My stomach grumbles and my mouth waters as the delicious fruit touches my lips. One succulent, sweet-but-not-too-sweet bite later, and it feels like a torrent of power and flavor are flowing down my esophagus, directly into my stomach and from there, throughout my entire body.

It's absolutely amazing! I can't help myself. Against my better judgement, I keep eating and eating, wolfing the thing down as though my life depends on it. Thank the goddess Alicia isn't around to see me eating so savagely; she'd castigate me to the turn of the decade!

The unrelenting cravings quickly subside as the last bite washes down my throat, only to be replaced by an uncomfortably familiar sensation as though I'd just flown a thousand miles, cast a dozen spells, and ran ten marathons, all before breakfast. The momentary fatigue passes quickly, alongside a couple more notifications.

[Level: 63; Experience: 5,220,294 (Stored: 1); To Next: 1]

[You have met the conditions necessary for a Class Change. Would you like to change classes now?]

It's about time. I've been waiting for this moment for over two months now. But… not just yet.

I slink back under the covers and wrap both arms around Chloe, who's still resting, a quiet smile on her face. Our lips briefly touch, causing her to rouse from her half-sleeping state, the absolute cutest mewling escaping her as her arms caress me.

"Morning, love," I say. "I'm about to do the class change thing. Would you mind keeping watch for the next few hours while I take care of things?"

"Careful, Sera? You stay in your mindscape for too long, and I might decide to try something funny with you." She chuckles mischievously.

I laugh nervously. "I love you, Chloe."

She kisses me. "I love you too, Sera. See you when you get back."

As our lips part, I acknowledge and affirm the System prompt, allowing the world to drift away. Although, as it did last time, the space that emerges is pretty much exactly the same within the mindscape as it is in the outside world. The bed is still here, as are the dressers and nightstands. No Chloe, which is a huge step down. And of course, there's that endless void of black outside of the room which is no less unnerving than it was the first time I was here.

I get up from the bed and look around, mostly to center myself and my mind before I begin with this. Honestly, it would be nice if there were someone else here to help me, if only to talk through the various options and, I dunno what exactly. Actually, I'm a little surprised there isn't some priest or System construct or… I don't know what else might help, but… Maybe another me? Can I do that here? It is my mind, right? I should be able to do so.

It takes a few minutes, but I'm eventually able to partition off a shadowy, ethereal clone of myself. Though, surprisingly enough, looking at some being that wears my face— even if it is just an effigy that I, myself created— is a bit disconcerting.

"Can you talk?"

"As well as you can," my shadow says. "This is our mind. We should be able to do whatever we want here."

"Hmm… I guess. By the way, what should I call you? I don't suppose it would make sense to refer to me as me and to you as… also me."

"Well, together, we're Seraphina. And if Chloe and Alicia call you Sera, then I guess I'm Phina."

"It does sound a little close to Filia, but, sure, I've got nothing better. Anyway, shall we go ahead and see what options we have to work with?"

"Sure thing. So, first thing I've noticed, is that we've got a lot of different classes to choose from, they're broadly focused in two categories. There's the martial and angel focused classes, and there are the magic, [Glyphcasting] classes. I'm guessing we're taking one of each?"

"Yep. I think I'd like to start with our upgrades from [Mechanical Angel]. See what options we have, and then go from there."

"Alright, then…" Phina waves her hand, revealing a class that looks very similar to the one I already have. The only real differences are in my skin. Rather than having pale-to-lightly-tan skin like I currently do, this version of me has skin more silver, more metallic. I think this class is likely the one that's going to push the idea of 'reject the fallibility of the flesh; embrace the comfort of cold steel' the furthest.

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[Class: [Argent Sentinel]]

[The [Argent Sentinel] is a paragon of martial combat, bringing hope to her allies and sounding the trumpet of annihilation to those unfortunate enough to oppose her. She wields all weapons with great proficiency, and with her powerful wings and cybernetically enhanced body, she dominates against foes both large and small. Outside of combat, she dedicates herself to self-improvement in the most literal way possible, enhancing her body and mind alike to better face the challenges that lie before her. You've already demonstrated an enormous capacity for growth by making it this far; push yourself forward to the maximum by choosing this class.]

[[Strength] +6, [Speed] +0, [Vitality] +6, [Mind] -4, Maximum [Health] +750, Maximum [Ether] -250 when choosing this class. [Strength] +1, [Vitality] +2, 3 Free Stat Points per level.]

"So, uh, I'm guessing the stat gains are pretty mediocre compared to my current ones because I'm going to have two classes now?"

"Sounds about right. Then again, I'm you, so I only know what you know. Damn System doesn't give us any sort of instruction manual on how any of this is supposed to work."

"Damn the System indeed."

Phina chuckles. "So, uh… About the class?"

"I like the idea, at least in theory and… Ooh, looks like this is the class that's really going to build off that new [Biomechanization] Skill I got from Lysette. If I really wanted to delve into the cellular synthesis, nanite technology, fusing organometallic and organosilicate structures into my design like I used to be, this would be the class. And yeah, it's nice and it speaks to me… But–"

"We think it'll make us less appealing to Chloe, and that's important enough to be an overriding consideration for… well… most things."

I stare indignantly at Phina, who just shrugs with a smug grin plastered all over her face.

"I am you, remember? Anything you know or think, I know as well. And the same is true in the other direction."

"Okay, fine. We'll consider that a definite maybe. What do we have next?"

"Well, it seems the System isn't done giving us the opportunity to live as a Valkyrie, as we've been given such a class yet again."

Sure enough, there's another class of me as a warrior. More human this time, radiating an aura that makes me feel… strong. Passionate. Just looking at the me in the hologram makes me feel I can be more than who I currently am.

[Class: Valkyrion]

[Throughout your journey, you have shown remarkable dedication to the causes of protecting and nurturing others. Even when you could have and perhaps should have retreated, you have stood your ground and fought for the causes you held dear. Even when your own body was battered and broken, maimed and dismembered, you refused to give up the fight, rebuilding your body. Tens of thousands of people, if not more, owe their lives to your efforts, and you have every intention of making that number much, much higher. Build a community of like-minded individuals and lead them into battle. Become the shining beacon in humanity's darkest hour.]

[[Strength] +3, [Speed] +1, [Vitality] +3, [Mind] +2, Maximum [Health] +400, Maximum [Ether] +100 when choosing this class. [Strength] +1, [Vitality] +1, 4 Free Stat Points per level.]

And this class's core feature seems to be assisting others. This class will grow my buffing spells— [Angel's Grace] and [Hearken] in particular— and give me some more passive effects that improve my combat parameters when fighting in the defense of another. For a fairly generous definition of 'defense of another' too, based on how the wording is. In short, as long as I have a sincere belief that I'm fighting to protect other people, my [Strength] and [Speed] will skyrocket.

The problem is that I like dungeon diving. I like going into these Towers. I feel it is necessary to proactively continue to seek out and develop my abilities before we truly need them. So, yes, the class is helpful to something I want to be doing. And I do very much appreciate getting the aspects of a [Strategist]-type class. Like it or not— definitely 'not', in my case— I'm being dragged into political games. And that means I'll need allies. Far more than I currently have.

"Another maybe?" Phina asks.

"Yep. Throw it in the maybe pile with the others. Let's see what we have that's more crafting focused?"

Just as I finish the words, another class offering presents itself, the same set of holograms as before. This time, however, I'm wearing glasses, carrying books, reading through various reports and missives, all while charting different ideas down into an array of sketchbooks. Little drones surround me, also contributing to the effort of processing the enormous volume of information both entering and leaving my mind.

[Class: [Ethertechnologist]]

[The wise and powerful alike know that ninety percent of battles are won or lost before the first confrontation with the enemy. From logistics to supplies, training to weapons to the amount of available industrial production and manpower, to levels and Skills, it is the preparation of the soldiers, the armies, and the doctrines that determines who wins or loses.

So why leave the outcome of your battles to chance? The [Ethertechnologist] is a master of her craft, seamlessly blending together magic, technology, and artifice into a coherent whole. Whether fighting on the front lines, wielding an array of exotic weapons of her own creation, or working behind the vanguard, leading the industrial production work that is essential for modern militaries to function, an [Ethertechnologist] is a godsend for whomever is lucky enough to have her own their side. And a nightmare for those foolish or unlucky enough to go up against her.]

[[Strength] +0, [Speed] +1, [Vitality] -2, [Mind] +10, Maximum [Health] -150, Maximum [Ether] +700 when choosing this class. [Mind] +2, 4 Free Stats per level.]

"Well, this is more along the lines of some of the classes I could have chosen back at level 32, but didn't," I say.

"Yep. If we'd gone down the path of a more general crafter, this would be the upgrade path. As it is, we still do enough crafting to have it as an option, but the crafting is more self-improvement than mass production. Though we would actually get the [Mass Production] Skill back if we went down this path, along with a more focused [Glyph Decryption] Skill that will really help in the spellcrafting field."

"Ooh, yeah, you're right, Phina. Still, I think the [Argent Sentinel] has a stronger, more focused upgrade path," I say. "It's closer to who we are and what we've done to this point, whereas this is going to require some sidegrades before moving us further in power."

"Seems that way, yeah. Anyway, shall we look at the other options?"

I nod, eager to see what else awaits us.