Chapter 5: First Kill Moon and the others were led deeper into the training facility, arriving at an area where beasts ranging from level one to level three were contained. The space was vast, divided into clearly marked sections with reinforced barriers separating each zone. Large signs indicated the difficulty of each area, ensuring no one accidentally wandered into something beyond their capabilities. Moon positioned himself beside Selene as they walked, deliberately keeping close. He needed to see her in action first, needed to witness her class abilities before he could mirror them and fill his empty slot. He still didn’t know how, but he had a hunch that every awakener had about their class. He had a natural inclination that he needed to witness a class to be able to mirror it. The group made their way to the section marked for level one beasts. Inside the enclosed area, sheep-like creatures grazed peacefully, though these were far from ordinary livestock. Their horns were massive, curved and sharp, easily the length of Moon’s forearm. Their bodies were lean, muscular, with patchy wool that left sections of thick hide exposed. John moved first, activating some kind of defensive skill that caused his skin to take on a faint metallic sheen. He approached one of the creatures with his fists raised. Elara hung back, summoning a basic bow that materialised from light. She then nocked an arrow and took aim at the beasts. Moon stayed near the barrier, watching. He could feel a new sensation. An awareness he hadn’t possessed before. Like invisible threads extending from him toward each member of his group. He instinctively understood that he could pull on any of those threads, could activate his Class Slot ability on John’s Tank class or Elara’s Archer class right now if he chose to. But he didn’t. He simply waited, his attention fixed on Selene. Selene, however, hadn’t moved to attack yet. She turned to look at him, her head tilting slightly. "Why aren’t you hunting like the others? Is everything alright?" Moon nodded. "Yeah, just zoned out a little. Thinking about something." Selene’s response was a warm smile. "We don’t have much time. Let’s get to work." "Right," Moon said, but still didn’t move forward. Fortunately, Selene seemed to take his hesitation as simple caution. She turned her attention to the nearest beast, extending her hand. Moon watched intently as mana gathered in her palm, coalescing into a sphere of water that hovered for just a moment before launching forward and striking one of the sheep creatures directly in the side. The moment he saw the skill activate, Moon felt the invisible thread connecting him to Selene pulse with possibility. He didn’t hesitate. He pulled. [Class Slot {1/1}] [Class: Elemental Mage] [Level: 1] [Skills: Elemental Attack, Four Element Affinity] [Duration: 24 hours] New information flooded his mind like waves crashing against the seabed. He could feel it now, the pathways through which mana could flow, the shapes it could take. More details appeared as he focused on the skills themselves. — [Four Element Affinity] [Rank: Rare] [Proficiency: 0%] [Details: You have low affinity to the four elements. Water, Earth, Wind, Fire.] — [Elemental Attack] [Rank: Common] [Proficiency: 0%] [Details: You are able to conjure an elemental attack using mana and your affinity towards the element.] Moon stared at the information, momentarily stunned. Selene wasn’t a water mage at all. She was an Elemental Mage, someone with an affinity for all four primary elements. That wasn’t just rare. Classes with multiple elemental affinities were considered exceptional, the kind that major guilds would compete to recruit. Her class was far from ordinary. It was powerful enough to make Moon question who she really was. He’d suspected she wasn’t simple from the way she’d gathered their group so effortlessly, the confidence beneath her friendly demeanour. But this? This was beyond what he’d expected. Meeting her might have been the best stroke of luck he’d had in a long time. Moon composed himself quickly, pushing down his surprise. He needed to maintain his cover. As far as everyone else knew, he was just another water mage. Nothing special. He raised his hand, mimicking the gesture he’d seen Selene make. Mana began flowing through the pathways his newly acquired class provided. Water gathered in his palm, forming into a crude sphere. It wobbled slightly, less stable than Selene’s had been, but still a sphere nonetheless. [Sheepbog] 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶 [Level: 1] [Details: One of the weakest creatures with low potential, usually stays with the herd.] He released it toward one of the sheep creatures. The water ball flew forward and splashed against the beast’s flank. The creature bleated in surprise and turned toward him, its massive horns lowering. "Not bad!" Selene called out, already forming another attack. "Your control looks a bit shaky, though. Try to compress the water more before you release it." Moon nodded, already forming another sphere, this time focusing on keeping it denser, more stable. He had twenty-four hours with this class. Twenty-four hours to learn everything he could, to understand these skills deeply enough that maybe, just maybe, he could make them permanent. The sheep charged towards Moon with eyes glinting with malicious intent. Moon gathered himself and locked eyes with the sheep. He had studied enough to understand that level 1 beasts are dangerous enough to kill new awakeners, so he didn’t take the sheep charging lightly. Rather, he took it seriously. Moon conjured another water ball and sent it hurling towards the charging sheep. Splash! The water crashed against the sheep, momentarily dazing it and stopping its charge completely. Moon took advantage of that momentary stun and conjured another ball of water. The water ball crashed once again, this time hitting the sheep cleanly in the head. The attacks were powerful and not to be scoffed at. Each attack weakened the sheep further. After two more water balls, the sheep succumbed to its injuries and fell to the ground with a wet thud. "Wooo! Congrats! That’s your first kill, how do you feel?" Selene joyfully celebrated nearby, having gained her first kill, moments before Moon did. Moon flashed a victorious smile. "Feels good, what about you?" Moon asked, pointing at the dead sheep before her. "Really Good!" She grinned, revealing her snow white teeth. A notification flashed before his eyes. [You have gained...]