Marisol had heard of ‘Symbiosteel’ before, of course—parasitic artifacts and equipment powered by the bioarcane—but as a desert bumpkin who’d lived far and away from any of the major battlefronts, she’d never actually seen any Symbiosteel before.

  Let alone one that could burrow into her spine, eat into her nape, and manifest itself as some sort of spirit bug in front of her eyes.

  the bug said, waving one of its legs at her.

  And there was only one appropriate response.

  “... Ew!”

  Her mama’s bug-smashing sandal skills were hereditary. She swatted the tiny bug off her shoulder so hard it made a little against the wall, but the metallic voice clicked its tongue in her head. She tried to glance at her own nape to no avail, and by the time she whirled back around—in full-fledged panic mode—the bug had reappeared on the floor in front of her.

  It waved its leg at her again, although its jerky motions made her feel like it was just a bit pissed off.

  it said, its voice bouncing around her ears.

  “Comport herself with utmost grace and dignity,” she breathed, eyes going wide. Then she scrambled onto her knees, peering down at the little bug with her brows furrowed. “You ain't real. You have no weight. You’re… you’re some kind of sand mirage. How are you—”

  it said, its head dodging to the right as she tried to poke it with her finger.

  she thought, pulling back reluctantly as she nodded slowly, shakily.

  the Archive said suddenly, making her freeze.

  The fact that the bug in her nape was to her still had her a little stunned, but she managed to nod, breaths quickening.

  “Got it,” she breathed. “Big monster under ship. Far from shore. It’s stormy and the waves are strong outside, so we ain’t gonna last five minutes as sitting ducks.”

  the Archive said.

  “Stop.” She raised a palm, placing her other hand over her mouth as she suddenly felt a bit seasick. The waves were rocking the ship . “I know the Hasharana… are, like, the heroes of humanity. Wandering bug-slayers who fought on the frontlines in the old war against the Swarm God, but I ain’t know nothing more than that. Don’t give me options to save myself when I don’t even know how the word ‘option’ is even spelled in your tongue.”

  The little bug dipped its head apologetically.

  “Yeah. There's this… bioarcanic essence thing in the flesh of all bugs in the world, and when we consume it, it mutates our bodies and gives us the ability to use their biomagic,” she said hesitantly. “If you have a ‘system’, you can control how your mutations and biomagic manifest, so the more bugs you eat, the stronger you are. That’s about it, right?”

  it explained.

  Then the Archive paused, raising its head to stare at her with beady black eyes.

  The Archive paused again, as though deep in thought, but she tilted her head and picked up the irregularity immediately.

  “You’re offering to let choose from four classes instead,” she realized. “Why?”

  it said, after a bit of thinking.

  She managed a small, cheery smile. “Thank you. But I’m only a humble Sand-Dancer from the middle of nowhere, and the most peculiar thing about me is my bloodline. My parents hail from the far west, so they’re attuned to the seas, but since they ran away from the west during the old war, I grew up in the sands—”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  The mental timer wasn’t helping soothe her nerves, but if the Archive’s intention was to have her make a decision quickly, then it was a working strategy. She sat up straight on her knees, folded her hands in her laps, and bit her lips as she nodded down at the little bug.

  “Tell me.”

  The Archive nodded back.

  “Got it. Anything else?”

  it continued.

  “Just hurry. What classes am I allowed to pick?”

  The little bug tilted its head to the side, and a series of black boxes lined with white edges flashed into existence, hovering next to her head.

  She winced and reeled back from the sudden light, almost toppling over as the ship rocked hard right again. The Archive vanished from the floorboards and reappeared wriggling on the floating box furthest on the left, tapping its leg at the words on top.

  [Advanced Class Option #1: Desert Locust]

  [Swarmblood Art: Sand Eater]

  [Brief Description: You can transmute your blood into desert locusts that can devour organic material for you. The locusts will dissolve once you run out of bioarcanic essence]

  [T1 Core Mutation: Migratory Wings]

  [Brief Description: You will mutate long, aerodynamic wings optimized for sustained flight. These wings will allow you to ride air currents and travel vast distances with minimal energy expenditure]

  the Archive added, crawling down the status screen to highlight every written line.

  She blinked. Being able to grow wings and fly immediately sounded like a great option already, to the point she wasn’t even sure if she should hear the other options. What more could she want from a beginner mutation?

  She came from a cheap household, and apart from Antonio, she didn’t know anyone who had a class. She felt she couldn’t ask for more—but then she looked at the second option, and her eyes widened in surprise.

  [Advanced Class Option #2: Click Beetle]

  [Swarmblood Art: Snapbound Surge]

  [Brief Description: You can concentrate bioarcanic essence in your wings and release it in an explosive snap, generating instant propulsion. This allows for rapid aerial redirections, mid-air recovery, or launching yourself forward with high-speed bursts. The force of the snap can also create concussive shockwaves that disrupt nearby enemies]

  [T1 Core Mutation: Armored Wings]

  [Brief Description: You will mutate a pair of massive wings with hardened forewings that will shield the delicate flight wings underneath. These armored wings will provide excellent defense against environmental hazards like sandstorms and enemy strikes]

  the Archive continued.

  There were small blueprint-like diagrams under each of the description boxes so she could see what each bug looked like, and she didn’t even think the click beetle looked sluggish. It might be big, sure, but the vibrant colors on its leg segments and the diamond patterns on its wings made her wonder if she’d look just as pretty if she unlocked the higher tier mutations. The kids back home would her dancing with a bunch of new colors.

  But now she knew. The other options just as good as the first, and the third option was no exception.

  [Advanced Class Option #3: Spider Wasp]

  [Swarmblood Art: Sunder Mist]

  [Brief Description: You can transmute your blood into a poisonous mist that can significantly weaken regeneration and paralyze your opponents. The larger the target, the stronger the paralyzing effects

  [T1 Core Mutation: Aposematic Wings]

  [Brief Description: You will mutate a pair of large, vividly colored wings that serve as both a warning display and a powerful flight mechanism]

  the Archive finished, jumping onto the diagram of the final hovering box.

  An equally ‘pretty-looking’ option compared to the click beetle. She really, liked the orange wings on the diagram of the spider wasp, almost as much as the patterns on the click beetle, and almost as much as the compactness of the desert locust’s wings—any one of the three options would be completely fine with her.

  There were just two things she wanted clarification on, though.

  “... What if I don’t want to go home, though?” she whispered, waving the hovering boxes away and making the Archive vanish. “You keep saying downwind speed, downwind speed… but I don’t to fly back to the harbor. I wanna reach the Whirlpool City. Are any of the three classes’ wings strong enough to carry me all the way there?”

  The Archive made a clicking noise inside her ears, as though trying to calculate an answer.

  She furrowed her brows, looking at the Archive strangely.

  “You said there are four classes for me to choose from,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “You only mentioned three. What’s the last one?”

  If an artificial lifeform could look ‘fidgety’, the Archive certainly looked the part, wriggling on the floor uncomfortably.

  it said quickly.

  “Is it a class that’ll let me go in this storm?”

  “Show me,” she said firmly. “What’s the fourth class?”

  And the moment she saw the final hovering box pop up with the diagram, she knew she’d made the right choice asking for her options.

  [Advanced Class Option #4: Water Strider]

  [Swarmblood Art: Unknown]

  [Brief Description: Unknown]

  [T1 Core Mutation: Striding Glaives]

  [Brief Description: Your lower legs will become water-repelling glaives. You will be able to stand and move atop water so long as you are able to maintain your balance]

  [Please do not pick this class]