novelraw Chapter 21: When the System Breaks
Chapter 21: When the System Breaks
I could feel my lips creeping up into a smile. The hidden criteria were actually fulfilling one of the class advancement requirements alone, without the help of any other person, while maintaining the Novice class. But this would be too difficult for someone like Michelle, and Boris already had a class when he was thrown into Divine Will.
Of course, hidden classes were obtainable through other methods. Just going through class advancement normally and doing extraordinary deeds would make hidden classes appear when going to the Hall of Classes for class advancement. But this kind of method would take longer, and hidden classes weren’t my true aim.
What I truly sought was something beyond that—a unique legendary class. A path that no one had ever walked before. Unlike hidden classes, which were strong but still followed the conventional system, these classes were in a league of their own. They broke the standard framework of progression, allowing for abilities and mechanics not normally accessible to divine warriors.
This was a secret that even a god might not know. Only the creator of Divine Will—me—would be aware of something like this. That was why I couldn’t settle for a regular hidden class. I needed to obtain the best, to reclaim the throne I once held.
And to do that…
I rose to my feet and turned toward the main altar of the camp. The obsidian statue of an eldritch entity loomed above, its hollow, unseeing eyes felt as if they were boring straight into my soul. But I wasn’t intimidated in the least. A mere eldritch being? This thing wasn’t even a bona fide eldritch god.
I approached the altar, placing a hand on the cold, dark stone. Normally, unaware divine warriors would try to destroy the statue to gain a System reward or even attempt to become followers of the eldritch entity in exchange for its favor. But what they didn’t know was that there was another way to use it.
Even without a divine connection and no divinity to speak of, I could sense something within.
Faith.
The accumulated power of countless rituals and prayers, gathered through the servitude and worship of these thralls. And now, it was mine to take.
The moment I willed it, a familiar, powerful force rushed into me. Yes… This is it!
Naturally, there was no way that the statue would yield without a fight. It trembled violently, trying to resist, struggling to protect its hoarded faith. At the same time, reality itself shuddered, an unnatural tremor rippling through the cavern.
“Who dares take away what’s mine?!” a voice echoed from beyond. A crushing malice descended upon me.
“Scram! This faith is mine!” I shouted at it.
“You dare! Then be corrupted!” Immediately, the faith I was absorbing suddenly turned against me. It sought to worm its way into my mind, to taint my very being. After all, this was faith devoted to an eldritch being. Evil. Corrupt. Tainted.
But this was nothing to me!
As a former God-King, I knew exactly how to handle corrupted faith, especially this measly amount contained in the statue. With practiced ease, I purified the filth out of it, leaving behind only the pure faith. In mere moments, all of the accumulated faith was completely absorbed, and the obsidian statue shattered into pieces.
You have absorbed the power of faith contained in the statue.
You’re starting to comprehend divine power.
You have fulfilled the “impossible” criteria.
You have unlocked a selection of legendary classes.
An eldritch being has taken notice of you with malice.
Without hesitation, I accessed this selection of legendary classes, and the blue holographic screen flared up before me.
Selectable Classes:
[God’s Seedling]A being destined for divinity, capable of nurturing divine power and ascending beyond mortal limits. Grants unparalleled growth potential in achieving godhood.
[Apex Conqueror] A supreme ruler who dominates battlefields with absolute authority. Greatly enhances leadership, tactical prowess, and personal combat strength.
[Returner]One who defies fate itself, wielding the wisdom and power of a past life to reshape destiny. Gains abilities tied to past experiences and reincarnation.
[Eldritch Summoner] A master of the abyss, capable of summoning eldritch entities and commanding forces beyond mortal comprehension.
[Paradox Incarnate]A being that defies all reason, existing where it should not. Defying causality itself, it can manipulate plausibility to bend reality, rewriting events and twisting fate at will.
[Architect of Ruin]A harbinger of destruction, wielding powers to shatter civilizations and reduce all to dust. Destruction fuels their strength.
[Shadow Sovereign]A ruler of the unseen, commanding an army of shadow beings while remaining untouchable in the dark.
[Timebreaker]One who stands outside the flow of time, manipulating past, present, and future with absolute precision.
[Philosopher of the Primordial Flask] A legendary alchemist who transcends material limits, capable of refining the impossible, crafting potions that alter reality, and forging elixirs that grant eternal power.
Seeing the world-defying classes before me, an intense laugh escaped my lips. “Hahaha! This is great! As expected of me! Hahaha!” I held my face in glee, unable to contain my excitement. Any of these classes could make me the strongest—not just in Fantasia, but in the entire Divine Will!
“But simply choosing any class won’t do,” I mused, shaking my head.
Some of these were outright useless. Returner, for instance, was worthless to me. Even if it granted memories or abilities from a past life, it would be a gamble—and I had no need for knowledge I already possessed. And a production class like Philosopher of the Primordial was useless in direct combat, and right now, combat power was all that mattered.
If anything, I had originally aimed for God’s Seedling. It was the fastest path to reclaiming my former throne—the class that would allow me to return to my peak as quickly as possible. There were, of course, other paths to reach godhood, like going through class advancements and becoming a divine hero then a demigod, and some of the other classes weren’t bad either. Architect of Ruin and Timebreaker were insanely broken in their own ways, both capable of rewriting reality through destruction or absolute control of time.
But as I scanned the list, my gaze caught onto something—
“Hmm? This…” My eyes locked onto Paradox Incarnate. Something about this class was off.
As the creator of Divine Will, I was intimately familiar with all the legendary classes available. I remembered designing them all. But I had never created this class, at least I didn’t remember doing so. So, how did it exist at all?
[Paradox Incarnate]
A being that defies all reason, existing where it should not. Defying causality itself, it can manipulate plausibility to bend reality, rewriting events and twisting fate at will.
“Defying causality? Existing where it should not… and even manipulating plausibility itself to bend reality? What kind of class is this?!” I couldn’t help but yell.
This class… It was something that could place me outside of the System itself. Sure, other legendary classes could achieve immense feats. Timebreaker could manipulate time to a degree, Architect of Ruin could annihilate entire civilizations, and God’s Seedling could eventually ascend to godhood. But none of them were as insane as this!
This wasn’t a class meant to exist. I would never have put something like this in Divine Will, because its very existence was a threat to gods, and even to a God-King.
Unbound by cause and effect… Could this class have appeared on its own? Not through someone's manipulation, but as a natural response of the world itself? Questions piled up in my mind, and I had no way to answer them here.
Still, after seeing the description of this class, there was only one answer. Without a moment of hesitation, I selected Paradox Incarnate.
You have changed class to Paradox Incarnate.
All your stats have increased by 10.
The difference in attribute points per level has been retroactively granted.
Proficiency in all skills has increased dramatically.
You have learned the exclusive Paradox Incarnate signature skill: [Fabled Vessel].
You have learned the exclusive Paradox Incarnate signature skill: [Grant Plausibility].
You have unlocked a new attribute stat: Plausibility.
The accumulated faith within your body has been converted into Plausibility.
You have gained 148 Plausibility.
I could feel my body get even stronger, and I quickly checked my status screen.
Maximillian Anderson Lv. 20/20 (EXP 579)
Rank: Aleph [1]
Patron God: Istellia (Goddess of Imagination)
Class: Paradox Incarnate
Title: Foul Play (1)
Status: Slightly Injured
Strength: 29 | Dexterity: 31 + 10 | Stamina: 25 + 2
Mind: 18 | Magic Power: 15 | Luck: 24
Plausibility: 148
Free Attributes: 57
Signature Skill(s): [@!$# Creation], [Fabled Vessel], [Grant Plausibility]
Skill(s): [Basic Alchemy Lv.3], [Basic Spearmanship Lv.5], [Basic Swordsmanship Lv.6], [Desperate Willpower Lv.4], [Fast Reading Lv.1], [Inventory], [Mental Tolerance Lv.3], [Negotiation Lv.3], [Pain Tolerance Lv.3]
My rank was still Aleph, meaning I still had to complete this scenario before being able to advance. But the biggest boon out of all of this was my improved stats. Now, I was no longer inferior to Boris or Michelle. In fact, if I invested my free attribute points, I would be far stronger than they were.
Paradox Incarnate was in no way a normal class, and each level in Aleph rank granted me five attribute points to distribute as I pleased. In comparison, normal classes of this rank would only receive three attribute points. To put the final nail in the coffin, it boosted all of my existing skills by at least two levels, which was a boon in and of itself.
“Oh? It seems my first signature skill is finally showing more of itself.” The skill contained the word “Creation,” which was likely because I was once the God of Creation.
[@!$#
Creation]Rank: &!%@#?$
Type: ?!@$%&#
&@#!?$%&#@!$%#?!&@%$#!?&%@#!&$?*#@!
No luck, huh? It’s still a jumbled mess… I thought in disappointment. Nevertheless, I had saved the best for last.
[Fabled Vessel]
Rank: Legendary
Type: Active
Allows the user to inherit the power of deceased or sealed divine heroes and demigods. By paying plausibility, the user can temporarily assume their abilities, skills, and even unique traits. The strength of the vessel depends on the plausibility cost and the fame, power, or mythic significance of the being.
Requires the user to be familiar with the figures they wish to inherit.Greater figures require higher plausibility.Longer possession durations scale with cost.Can only inherit one vessel at a time.Deities beyond a certain threshold cannot be inherited… yet.[Grant Plausibility]
Rank: Legendary
Type: Active
Allows the user to infuse plausibility into objects, concepts, or living beings, making the impossible possible. There are no inherent restrictions beyond the amount of plausibility the user possesses and the potential of their target.
Weapons can be enhanced and granted abilities they should not have.Skills can be enhanced beyond natural limits.Concepts and ideas can be manifested into reality.Living beings can be altered or empowered, rewriting their nature.The greater the change, the higher the cost.It appeared that both Fabled Vessel and Grant Plausibility had no level restrictions on their functionalities. The only thing limiting them was the amount of plausibility I possessed and their rank, which was already very high from the get-go. Perhaps this was the reason why they were both counted as signature skills.
Just as I was about to delve deeper into my new skills, the sound of footsteps echoed from the other side of the cavern. The thralls that had been dispatched to release the flying octopuses had returned—about two dozen of them, led by an acolyte.
Seeing them coming, I cracked a smile.
“What a perfect time to test my new abilities.”