I woke up to the sun glaring directly in my face. It was positioned overhead, smaller and dimmer than the sun back home, but still bright enough to hurt my eyes when I looked directly at it. Shielding my eyes with my hand, I sat up and turned so that my feet dangled off the side of the bench.

  I hadn’t intended to fall asleep, but I was more tired than I realized. How long had I been sleeping? It was impossible to tell without knowing how time passed on this planet. When I had arrived, the sun had been low on the horizon, casting shadows across the labyrinth. I hadn’t been sure if it was morning or afternoon. So, either I had slept through the morning into midday, or through the night until the next day. Without knowing how quickly this planet rotated, I could have lost only a little time or a lot of it.

  I hopped off the bench and stretched. My muscles were sore and tense from sleeping on a hard surface, and working out the kinks took some time. As I did so, I reflected on the dream I had before waking up. In it, I was back on Earth, revisiting the horror of the demon assault, but this time I was not afraid. I was kitted out in luminous plate armor, a shining shield almost as tall as myself, and a massive warhammer that I had no problem lifting. I felt strong and powerful as I stood in front of a group of huddled survivors and faced the onrushing demons. As the demons came within range, I swung my hammer in a wide arc. My weapon unleashed a powerful blast of white energy that annihilated them.

  It … felt … so … good.

  Then I woke up.

  After finishing my stretches, I picked up the bag from the ground and placed it on the bench. I reached inside and quickly took out two biscuits, eating them hastily while washing them down with a long drink from my waterskin. I was so hungry that I could have devoured all the biscuits right then and there, but I decided it was wiser to ration them since I didn’t know when I would find more food. I stoppered the waterskin and put it back into the bag.

  I laid the class scrolls out in front of me. I had intended to choose one by now, but sleep had interrupted my contemplation. I cast Manifest Grimoire, opened the book to the relevant page, and reviewed my stats again.

  Eric’s Attributes:

  Strength: 4/10 (+0)

  Constitution: 9/10 (+0)

  Dexterity: 7/10 (+0)

  Perception: 9/10 (+0)

  Intelligence: 9/10 (+0)

  Spirit: 10/10 (+0)

  My best class appeared to be spellcaster since intelligence and spirit were my highest attributes. Similarly, choosing Hunter was not a bad option for me either. With my low strength, warrior was probably the worst choice. To be perfectly honest, I had been leaning toward spellcaster all along. Casting fireballs at my enemies had been a dream of mine since childhood.

  But then I remembered the strange way the system represented one’s attributes. It didn’t reflect how one's attributes compared to others; rather, it indicated how they stood in relation to oneself and one's potential for natural improvement. For instance, my intelligence might be rated at 9, but I could still be less intelligent than a Nobel laureate with an intelligence rating of 8. The system evaluated my intelligence based on my current abilities, which made sense because most humans do not become significantly smarter as they age. The same reasoning applied to constitution; since people cannot naturally develop denser bones or tougher skin, most individuals are likely already at or near their peak potential.

  Strength was a different matter. Humans possess a significant ability to enhance their strength through exercise, and this was evident in my strength value. As an office worker, I did not need to build up my muscles.

  However, according to the system, there was another factor to consider. With each rank I achieved, I could magically enhance my attributes. But how did that work, exactly? If I allocated a point to strength, would I actually gain muscle mass? Would investing in intelligence lead to an increase in brain size? The system did not provide much information on this subject, and I wondered if this was intentional. Perhaps discovering the information I needed to survive was part of the Trials.

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  None of my thoughts so far had helped me make a decision. I was still strongly drawn to the spellcaster class, so why not choose it? I needed to select a class, and spellcaster seemed as good a choice as any. My hand hovered over the spellcaster scroll.

  At that moment, a shadow fell over me. I looked up and saw a winged humanoid shape pass in front of the sun. Was it an angel, or perhaps one of the Labyrinth's monsters I needed to watch out for? It passed out of view before I could cast Inspect on it.

  I remembered my dream, or was it a vision? It was more vivid than a typical dream. Perhaps the system was trying to tell me something. Did I trust it? Did I dare to ignore it? In the dream or vision, I was a warrior, physically strong, not the weak former office worker I am now. I craved that strength more than I longed for the ability to cast fireballs. I realized that I wanted to stand toe-to-toe with the demons, to confront them directly and look them in the eye as I destroyed them. I didn't want to shoot at them from a distance like a spellcaster or a hunter.

  Without hesitation, I picked up the warrior class scroll and broke its seal. Knowledge of the warrior class and my first class skill flowed into my soul as I read its contents.

  You have chosen the warrior class. This is a basic class that specializes in melee combat, but there are also pathways to incorporate ranged weapons and direct damage spells into your fighting style. Starting at Rank 10, more specialized branches based on the warrior class will become available.

  You have been awarded 1 point for each of your primary attributes.

  I felt a tingling sensation spread throughout my body. I quickly checked my Attribute page in the grimoire.

  Eric’s Attributes:

  Strength: 4/10 (+1)

  Constitution: 9/10 (+1)

  Dexterity: 7/10 (+0)

  Perception: 9/10 (+0)

  Intelligence: 9/10 (+0)

  Spirit: 10/10 (+0)

  Sure enough, my extra points were there. I looked at my arms and the rest of my body. I didn’t notice any visible muscle growth, but I felt a bit stronger. My legs seemed to support my weight more easily. I pinched my skin; it didn’t look or feel any different, so I was unsure how my extra point in constitution made me harder to injure or kill. I guess I would find out as time went on.

  Next, I read the description of the spell I had just learned.

  Empowered Strike I

  Enhance your next melee strike with magical energy, increasing damage by 25%. This spell works with most melee weapons. The magical energy will fade after 10 seconds if not used. There are higher-level versions of this spell that deal more damage at a greater mana cost.

  Requirements: Rank 0 or higher in any warrior class.

  Cost: 2 mana.

  I felt somewhat disappointed. A 25% increase in damage didn't seem significant, but I supposed it was just meant to be a starting point. As I progressed and gained ranks, I would acquire more powerful versions of the spell. However, I wasn't certain how I would gain those ranks; it seemed like something I was meant to figure out on my own.

  I checked the grimoire to confirm that Empowered Strike I had been added to the class spells page. To my surprise, it also listed the upgrade path for this spell. At Warrior Rank 5, I could obtain Empowered Strike II, which would increase the damage by 50%. The next upgrade, Empowered Strike III, would be available at Rank 10 and provide a 100% damage increase. After that, the upgrade path would change depending on my class evolution. This was helpful information to have.

  Of course, it would have been more helpful if it also showed options for my next class.

  I continued to explore the grimoire, searching for anything I had overlooked. I discovered a page labeled “Bestiary” that contained the following message:

  Inspect creatures or monsters to add them to your list.

  Most of the other pages were blank. I cast Unmanifest Grimoire and stood there wondering what I should do next.

  Except, I already knew what I had to do next. Sighing, I shouldered the burlap bag, took up the club, and turned to face the exit from my safe space. I was afraid to enter the Labyrinth, but I had no choice. Not only did I fear for my own life, but I also felt a responsibility to help ensure the survival of the human species. What was done to us was wrong and needed to be rectified in some way. I wanted to demonstrate to the Celestial Order that we were not the weaklings they believed us to be.

  I also needed companionship. Despite being an introvert, I didn’t want to face this terror alone, so I took one step after another until the Labyrinth enveloped me.