The class chosen of the Windswept stood on the deck tending to their wounds and the damage done to the ship. They all had a few deep cuts from swords, but with some of Synexus’ healing fruits and potions they were healing quickly. Battling the pirates had only lasted a few minutes, however a lot had happened in that short time.

  They looted the corpses of the pirates that died on the deck of the ship including the pirate captain and then weighed their bodies down to sink them. Synexus had wanted to take them to land and give them a proper burial, but Vorin had explained how dangerous it would be if they were caught by the armada with the corpses of their brethren on board. Besides, they were pirates, and the ocean was their home.

  Without Kumo’s rain slowing the enemies slightly, it would have been a much tougher fight. They were outnumbered and out leveled. What saved them was their teamwork. They had watched each other’s backs and accounted for their weaknesses. An armada would be different.

  “Kumo, can you conjure up a fog to hide the ship? It’ll need to be dense enough to fool the perception skills of pirates. Zuls, please send one of your bird companions up above the fog cover to warn us of any incoming ships.” Vorin started giving our orders. There was a looming danger, and he didn’t want to get caught off guard.

  Everyone got to their tasks. It would be tough for Kumo to hold a fog that dense for a long time due to the mana drain, but they knew she’d do her best. Zuls asked one of her hawks to fly high and warn them of any danger. Gene offered to fly up as well. Vorin said the owl would catch too much attention though, so instead Gene went to inform the class expected of what was happening. Prith was setting up some sort of detection item at certain points of the ship and Synexus was going to help. Before he could get far, Vorin stopped him and told him to worry about his class evolution. This surprised him because he thought it was wise to wait until they had gotten to safety, but Vorin made the argument that his new skills could be useful. With that he sat down and focused on his evolution.

  Four Class Options Available:

  Progress Druid (rare): This is a direct continuation of your class. Continue to focus on the progress of nature through more nature focused skills. Be one with nature and help it progress. This class will give 50 generic stat points per level.

  Genome Architect (rare): You have learned the foundation of genomes through researching plants and animals. Now you will specialize more on creating your own genomes. Use your knowledge along with specialized skills to create genomes gene by gene. You no longer edit, you create. This class will give you 15 intelligence stat points and 40 generic stat points.

  Progress Architect (rare): You have learned the foundation of genomes, but that isn’t all that reality is. Embrace the balance of technology and nature further as you understand the foundation of matter itself. Research the elemental makeup of matter further with skills focused on that balance. This class gives you 20 intelligence stat points, 10 perception stat points, and 30 generic stat points per level.

  Destabilizer of Genomes (legendary): You have learned the foundation of genomes, and the foundation of combat. This combat-oriented class will take your knowledge and turn it into a destructive force. Skills focused on cutting away essential parts of the enemy genome will be at your disposal. This class gives you 20 strength stat points, 20 intelligence stat points, 20 agility stat points, and 15 generic stat points per level.

  Synexus wasn’t expecting four options. Gene told him it could be different from Kumo’s, but he also knew three was the usual for the first class evolution. The options this time were all more focused except for the first one which was a continuation on his class now.

  He liked his class right now and what abilities he had available, so the first option was interesting to him. It would allow him to keep in the direction he was heading now. His skills would be more focused on nature than they have been. It allowed him to keep focusing on his genomes and improving plants. The only downfall is that it wouldn’t give him many more options for his future. He wanted to stay open to the other options.

  The second option was interesting because he did like the creation aspect of it. Instead of editing genomes, he would be able to create his own from scratch. It sounded awesome and way more difficult. The challenge sounded exciting to him, and he wouldn’t need to potentially cause pain to another animal like he did to Snowfall if he went this route. The only thing he didn’t like was that it didn’t really allow him to learn anything new. He would learn to create genomes, and he was sure the genomes would all be different, but his learning would stop there.

  The third option left the focus on living things and opened options for various materials. It sounded like his original class except he would learn how to manipulate elemental makeup instead of genomes. His prior skills would remain, and he really would be the balance between technology and nature. He would get to research both sides of things and learn more about all kinds of matter. The learning and research aspects called to him. His sensors made his collection skill even better and this would probably give him something similar. On top of that his new Body Transmutation upgrade said he could take traits from entries in any of his collection skills. At the time he thought he would open another library later, and now it made sense. With this class option he would probably get some sort of element library. With the Genome Architect he probably would have gotten a library specifically for new genomes he created. His skills were really working together for him.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  The last option scared him a little. Obviously, the dangers of messing with genomes always occurred to him, but he had never had any inclination to use them in such a heinous way. He liked that the class option was legendary, and that it could help with their current threat. It would make him a formidable threat, but at what cost? He wasn’t sure if he could pay it. This option just wasn’t him.

  After nearly ten minutes of consideration, he chose the third option. He was now a Progress Architect.

  You are now a Progress Architect!

  30 stat points available

  Three new skills unlocked

  Material Database: Using any tools available, research various materials to understand their elemental makeup. The more you research a material the more you’ll understand. Store trace amounts of the elements in your body.

  Material Manipulation: Using your understanding of a material, attempt to change some of its properties by manipulating the elemental makeup. Use the trace elements in your body to add or replace parts of a materials makeup. Success of manipulating a material scale with your understanding and the complexity of the material.

  Accelerated Repair: Push mana into a material to repair small imperfections. Mana consumption is based on your understanding of the material, and how large the repair is. This does not use the trace elements in your body. Your mana will replicate the elements of the material.

  Achievement Unlocked!

  Evolved: All resources have risen by 100.

  This was what he was hoping for! He got a new collection skill which his Body Transmutation can interact with. The ability to manipulate materials was interesting and he was curious about what his limits were. Then his Accelerated Repair skill would immediately be beneficial since the ship took some minor damage. On top of that he got the same achievement that Kumo got. Synexus couldn’t be happier with his evolution.

  The stat points were easy to place this time. 20 automatically went to intelligence which he felt instantly. 10 automatically went to perception. Then the thirty free points he placed 7 in each other stat with the two extra going to strength and endurance since they ended at 39 after the 7. The random stat points the last five days had gone into intelligence, perception, and agility. His status screen was looking good to him. He stared at it for a few minutes before getting to work on his new skills.

  Name: Synexus

  Race: Zaxillian

  Class: Progress Architect

  Level: 10

  Health Points: 400/525

  Mana: 315/695

  Stamina: 313/525

  Stats

  Intelligence: 55 (+6)

  Strength: 40 (+4)

  Endurance: 40 (+4)

  Vitality: 40 (+4)

  Agility: 41 (+4)

  Perception: 45 (+5)

  Skills

  Race: Sensing Touch, Enhanced Cognition, Perfect Memory, Silver Blood, Absorb Sunlight

  Class: Genome Library LV 12, Genome Refining LV 11, Extreme Growth LV 11, Body Transmutation LV 10, Material Database LV 1, Material Manipulation LV 1, Accelerated Repair LV 1

  Achievements

  Slayer of Monsters: You will now be able to see the remnant magical material of slain monsters.

  Ullashtt Ender : You bested one of these massive, fabled beasts taking some of their vast power for yourself. +10% to all stats.

  Evolved: All resources have risen by 100.

  The first thing he would do was go around and use his sensors on every material they had on the ship. Then he would repair the small holes and cracked railing all around the ship. He was excited to start his collection and research of materials. Even though it was an awful day with the battle and the horror of a whole armada after them, he was determined to get some levels and prepare for the future. His progress would not wait, even for pirates.