Masters of swarms and the smallest creatures. Gains the ability to command, control, and communicate with creatures or monsters that has a taxonomical class of [Insect].
Gains aura [Swarm Bond] within 1km.
Gains passive skill [My life for the colony].
Gains passive skill [Swarm Merge].
Gains passive skill [Hive Mind].
Gains active skill [Swarm Strike].
Gains active skill [Swarm Assault].
Gains active skill [Exoskeletal Shield].
Gains active skill [Hive Cataclysm].
INT+100, WILL+100 ARC+100
I read through it once.
Then again.
Then, because the girls in front of me hated me for some reason.
A third time—slower.
[Mythic] Swarm Bond
Nearby insect allies gain increased Speed and Endurance based on a percentage of the bearer’s respective stat.
[Mythic] My life for the colony
Designate an [Insect] as [Guardian]. [Guardian] gains a percentage increase to Strength, Agility, and Endurance. If [Guardian] dies, will explode. Number of [Guardian] and percentage increases per mastery level.
[Mythic] Swarm Merge
You can fuse all swarms under your command into one massive horde. Number of swarms fused increases per mastery level.
[Mythic] Hive Mind
Mentally coordinate multiple insects at once, allowing complex tactics without speaking. Efficiency increases per mastery level.
[Epic] Exoskeletal Shield
Summons a temporary shield of chitin. It’s defense increases depending on the number of allies with within 10m. Percentage increases per mastery level.
[Mythic] Swarm Strike
Releases a cloud of biting insects. Applies debuffs depending on swarm. Damage, and Radius, increases per mastery level.
[Mythic] Swarm Assault
Commands a group of larger insects to attack with coordinated precision. Damage, and Radius, increases per mastery level.
[Mythic] Hive Cataclysm
Causes all nearby insects to explode, creating a devastating area-of-effect attack. Damage, and Radius, increases per mastery level.
“I, weirdly enough, I feel like I should apologize to the concept of balance,” I said quietly.
<
[Tamer-Mythic]
Tamer-Mythic draws power from beasts and creatures of myth, in the process becoming a raw force of nature.
Gains the [Awe inspiring aura] within 50m.
Gains the passive skill [Sacred Bond].
Gains the passive skill [Affinity of Ages].
Gains the passive skill [Soul Corridor].
Gains the passive skill [Pantheon’s Call].
Gains the ability to use the bonded creature’s skills.
All stats +100
[Epic] Awe inspiring aura
Nearby insect allies gain increased Speed and Will based on a percentage of the bearer’s respective stat.
[Mythic] Sacred Bond
Forms a deep connection with the mythic creature, allowing shared feelings, thoughts and coordinated attacks.
[Mythic] Affinity of Ages
Forms a deep connection with the mythic creature, sharing their combined attributes.
[Mythic] Soul Corridor
Forms a deep connection with the mythic creature that when either perishes, their power is given to the other.
[Mythic] Pantheon’s Call
Gains the ability to command lesser creatures.
The room was silent. It felt like that was happening more often than it should.
<
Really? You think? Do I look like that type of person?
The audacity of this baby god brain.
Trayn finally broke, hands lifting helplessly. “Those two are just—” He stopped, tried again. “I don’t even know what word fits here.”
“They feel like opposites,” Taka said slowly, adjusting his glasses. “But not in power. In application?”
“Stupid powerful also works,” Trayn added, leaning back in his chair like he needed distance from the idea alone.
“Yeah,” Arthur agreed. “One’s like a tidal wave. The other’s like a… solo king.” He paused. “Well. Not solo. More like partners. Very powerful partners.”
“Both are Tamers,” Shun said tilting his head. “I think the mythic one’s stronger.”
“I don’t know,” Yuuto countered. “That depends. We’re talking about mythic creatures. How many of those even exist? Enough for someone to tame one? Let alone two?”
“If the Tamer-Mythic can get maybe two,” Arthur said considering. “Then he gets the W.”
I closed my eyes for a second. “…And this,” I murmured as I opened them again, “is exactly why I’m not allowed to pick anything when I’m hungry.”
<
I am not picking that!
“Okay,” I continued, raising both hands in surrender—or perhaps warning. “New rule. No one picks any bug-themed subclasses. I swear to the gods, if any of you pick something even mildly related to that I’ll—”
“You’ll do what?” Shizuku cut in, eyes sharp, chin tilted up in challenge.
Before I could answer, Suzu leaned forward with a bright, sing-song voice that absolutely did not match her intent. “Right, Vi-kun, Suzu remembers your mother telling us you don’t like bugs.”
“You want to see me cry?” I pointed straight at the ninja daughter. “You want to see me cry that badly? Because I will. I will cry. And will scream like a little girl. I am not joking. You’ll feel bad about yourself.”
“Son of mine, at least show some dignity,” my mother called calmly as my father was rubbing his head.
<
“I still can’t get over the fact that you’re afraid of cockroaches,” Shun said with a crooked smile, clearly enjoying this far too much.
“Don’t say their names!” I snapped, half-rising from my chair. “Saying their name invokes them. You’ll summon them here! That’s how it works! That’s how it always works!”
A few people chuckled—softly at first, then more openly. Even the tension in the room loosened, the weight of mythic subclasses and world-altering implications giving way, briefly. Unfortunately, at the expense of my, whatever.
<
Quiet you.
I exhaled, rubbing my temples. Somewhere between god-tier swarm lords and my completely reasonable fear of many-legged nightmares, the universe had clearly decided I was a joke—and not even a subtle one.
Still… the laughter was easier than silence. And for once, maybe, just maybe, I didn’t mind being the punchline.
I continued, my voice settling into a steady rhythm as the words rolled off my tongue, one after another, like I was reading out a foreign alphabet that only half of us truly understood.
“Spirit, Pariah, Shadow, Sky, Elemental, Silence, Royal, Poison, Rift, Death, General, Warlord, Saint, Deceiver, Diamond, Curse, Plague, Rot, Mind, Fear, Puppet, Blight, Expert, Taint, Prayer, Sunder, Tempt, King.”
That last one made the room shift.
King.
We paused there, naturally. As we checked it, it became clear it was a stronger, more absolute version of [Duke]. Where Duke bound its authority to a castle, King extended its designation to an entire city. Not keeps. A city. And considering that each city has a castle, yeah. Freaking campers.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
The stats were obscene.
Stronger. Broader.
Interestingly enough, the king himself did not possess either class. Whether that was luck, irony, or some cosmic sense of humor, I couldn’t tell. I was tempted, briefly, to check. The thought crossed my mind, lingered for half a second…
…but I’d been raised better than that. I would rather not pry. I had morals.
<
Quiet.
I moved on before the thought could betray me further.
“Gold, Transmuter, Monolith, Sigil, Winter, Illusion, Detonate, Shatter, Radiant, Collapse, Phase, Hunger, Imaginary, Meteor, Variable, Direction, Ruin, Despair.”
By now, the air itself felt heavier. Not with power—with implication. Each word wasn’t just a class, it was a direction a life could bend toward. A philosophy. A disaster waiting for the right personality.
And then I stopped.
“…There are two more that stand out.”
I swallowed once.
“Sun. And Moon.”
Even saying them felt different.
“The Moon subclass,” I began slowly, “draws power from shadows, tides, and cycles of night. It blends illusion and water magic, but that’s just the surface.” I gestured vaguely. “Each phase of the moon grants different buffs. Growth. Decline. Reflection. And considering this world has two moons…”
A few people inhaled sharply.
“…Yeah,” I finished. “It’s stupidly strong. Flexible. Subtle. The kind of power that kills you before you realize you were in danger. Moon beams. Moon eye. Yeah, all here.”
Then I lifted my hand slightly, as if weighing something invisible.
“The Sun, on the other hand…”
I exhaled.
“…is not subtle.”
Where Moon was control, Sun was annihilation. Pure fire, pure force, raw destruction. Its skills didn’t whisper. They declared.
“It has a skill called Nova,” I said flatly. “And it does exactly what you think it does. You throw a sun at something. Preferably your troubles and they assuredly will go away.”
A pause then silence.
I don’t know what they were worried about. It was a rather classic move. Nana baa-san likes them as well.
Still. I droned on, not waiting for anyone to speak. Nana baa-san, predictably, nodded along approvingly, as if this was exactly the sort of thing she liked to witness in my absurdly chaotic existence.
Near the bottom of the list, I found another title that made me pause. One that deserved a slow, read.
[Fungus]
The Fungus class commands spores, mold, and mycelial webs, using them to spread influence, corrupt environments, or restore life through controlled decay.
Gains the passive skill [Fungal Cultivation]
Gains the passive skill [Mycelial Renewal]
Gains the passive skill [Mycelial Network]
Gains the passive skill [Resilient Growth]
Gains the active skill [Spore Cloud]
Gains the active skill [Spore Bomb]
Gains the active skill [Regenerative Spores]
Gains the active skill [Mycelial Dominion]
Gains the active skill [Necrofungus]
END+100, WILL+100, ARC+100
[Mythic] Fungal Cultivation
Gains the ability to create and cultivate different classes of fungus. Efficiency increases per mastery level.
[Mythic] Mycelial Renewal
Restores a small percentage of total health per minute. Regeneration is continuous and automatic, and is affected by amount of spores per unit area. Efficiency, Radius and amount healed, increases per mastery level.
[Mythic] Mycelial Network
Can sense living beings through fungal spores in the environment. Radius, increases per mastery level.
[Mythic] Resilient Growth
Highly resistant to toxins, poisons, and diseases. Resistance increases per mastery level.
[Mythic] Spore Cloud
Releases clouds of spores that can cause nausea, confusion, hallucination in enemies. Greatly decreases resistance to fires. Spores created through this skill counts towards [Mycelial Network], [Regenerative Spores] and [Mycelial Renewal]. Chance and Radius, increases per mastery level.
[Mythic] Spore Bomb
Hurls a concentrated sphere of fungal spores that detonates on impact, releasing a cloud of choking, hallucinogenic, or corrosive spores. Greatly decreases resistance to fires. Spores created through this skill counts towards [Mycelial Network], [Regenerative Spores] and [Mycelial Renewal]. Force, Efficacy, Radius, increases per mastery level.
[Mythic] Regenerative Spores
Uses spores to heal allies or revive fallen minions. Efficiency increases per mastery level.
[Mythic] Mycelial Dominion
Expands fungal influence across a wide area, gradually chipping away at endurance and health of all living opposition. Radius, increases per mastery level.
[Mythic] Necrofungus
Dominate or Reanimates bodies and turns them into fungal based creatures. Creatures are vectors of spore propagation. Creatures become independent on the event of master’s death. Efficacy, increases per mastery level.
Arthur spoke, slowly, his fingers resting on his chin like he was weighing the world’s destruction. “That last one…”
My brother nodded, as if confirming the same thought silently. “Yeah… I think… Yeah… Definitely it…”
Trayn, finally finding his voice, leaned forward. “Okay. New rule. No one touches this class. Alright? No one takes it. Any form of it.”
Celestia, ever the enthusiast, blinked. “Lord Trayn, I do not understand. It sounds powerful, is there anything to worry about?”
Arthur shook his head. “A lot, the world will either end up like Halo… or The Last of Us.”
They went on to explain. Zombies, apocalypses, viral pandemics—the sort of horror only gamers truly appreciated. At some point their phones were out and videos and pictures were shown. Now, even the adults looked uneasy.
“Forget your zombie apocalypse,” I snapped, cutting through the tension. “Think bigger! We could profit! Psilocybin, Muscimol—hell, we could make LS—”
A chair scraped. My father, stood upright.
“Arthur, how dare you pollute my mind with such thoughts!” I exclaimed in outage. “We could make antibiotics, lifesaving things like Penicillin, anti-inflammatory or analgesic that can even reduce pain swelling and other symptoms! We can help people! Make their lives better! Free medicine for all!”
My father slowly sat back
I inconspicuously blew out a defeated breath as about half the boys snickered.
Taka leaned toward my brother. “Wills, I think that goes under the [Researching substances they shouldn’t be] title.”
My brother exhaled, eyes narrowing. “Yeah, and considering his track record, I’m terrified to know what ‘contraband’ he’s got.”
<
How dare you. I am fighting for my life here. It’s bad enough that I get a debuff when dealing with him.
<
…You just made that one up, didn’t you?
We finished the last of the tiers, and the queen finally stood.
“Everyone, all of us have done enough for today,” she declared, her voice calm yet commanding, “We shall now take a break, just enough time to rest before dinner.”
A murmur of relief swept through the room.
“The last tier, we shall explore for another time,” she continued. “Tomorrow, we’ll be out in the courtyard to practice your skills. Then, the next day—since the final two captains will arrive—we might as well allow everyone to venture into town.”
The announcement caused a stir. Excited whispers, stretching, shifting in chairs. The day of sitting and listening had been long, and the tension from hours of lectures and subclass lists seemed to dissipate slightly. I, of course, cracked my back and sighed.
“Under guard, of course,” the king added with a stern nod. “We cannot risk anyone getting lost. This city is the largest in our kingdom. I do not like to disparage my own city, but we cannot be certain. Please do not worry, we shall assign only the minimal number of guards necessary so that everyone can still fully enjoy their time.”
“However,” the queen said, tilting her head thoughtfully, “I would assume everyone would want to explore different parts of the city. So, the guards will also serve as your guides. Celes and each of the six captains will lead a group. The rest is up to you—choose your companions wisely.”
“Lastly,” the queen said turning to the crazy nerd mage who doesn’t even seem to lose her energy. “Celes, the two classes mentioned earlier. Make a note of them and place them under the red warnings category. No one should take them. Have someone make a copy and have them distributed to the neighboring countries.”
“Understood,” Celestia said, saluting fist to breast. “How shall I deal with their reactions?”
“I will deal with their reactions,” the queen replied. Then she turned to face all of us. “In the meantime, everyone is dismissed for today.”
Another wave of murmuring, some rising, stretching limbs stiff from hours of sitting. I glanced at the three women in front of me.
“Of course, I’ll be in the group with Ae,” Reika said, eyes sparkling, like she could read my thoughts.
“I as well,” Celestia added with a soft nod. Shizuku didn’t say a word, but knowing Reika, I was sure she’d be dragged along without hesitation.
Goddammit.
<
I sighed so hard my chest ached. “Perfect. This is exactly what I wanted… not.”
“Lord Vi,” Celestia said cheerfully, completely oblivious to my inner turmoil. “I do have a suggestion.”
I blinked, forcing a nod. “Yes? What is it?” I said, bracing myself.
She launched into her explanation, full of excitement and hands waving. Her idea—at least, what I could decipher through the barrage of words—was that if I picked a subclass, it might let me unlock a master class. Multiple subclasses could stack, possibly granting a pathway to level up. The possibilities were… according to her theoretically appealing.
If I actually wanted the headache.
<
I pinched the bridge of my nose, already exhausted. “Look, I’m fine. Totally fine,” I replied, voice flat. “Completely fine. There’s no reason for me to chase some master class, or gain experience.”
“Really,” I continued, letting the exasperation seep into my words, “Hells, you all have heroes. Send them out to deal with the stupid murderous chaos shit stuff that happens. You don’t expect the guy with the title [Just a Guy] to be on the front lines, do you?”
Reika tilted her head, smiling knowingly. “Ae, you always talk big, but we all know you’ll cave eventually.”
Celestia, as usual, beamed. “Perhaps, Lord Vi, you just need a proper nudge to see the potential.”
Shizuku remained silent, but her expression said everything. One step out of line, and she wouldn’t hesitate to drag me wherever the other two wanted, without so much as a warning
Again, I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Potential, right. Because being a walking repository of 55,555 subclasses, some of which can summon apocalypses, is exactly what I aspire to.”
Shaking my head, I glanced at the group, the would-be heroes practicing, me trying not to die of boredom or mischief. I mentally tallied the inevitable chaos of tomorrow. If I wanted to survive this world—I’d need chocolate. And maybe a nap. Maybe both. Preferably at the same time.
Maybe I’ll just skip tomorrow entirely. Or the whole week. A year sounds nice. Ten seems wonderful.
<
You forgot to recommend chocolate.
<< Retort: ERROR: Chocolate Subroutine Oversight Detected. Deploying emergency apology subroutine protocol.>>
Huh.
It apologized. I was teasing it but it took that as criticism.
Good girl.
<< Retort: Warning: Endearing input detected. Excessive forgiveness may trigger snark subroutines. Proceed with caution.>>
I can’t help but smile inwardly. I have a baby god brain that’s a freaking tsundere.
I exhaled, letting my shoulders sag. Chocolate. Of course. Because nothing in this world—or the next—made sense without a steady supply of chocolate to keep me from accidentally unleashing apocalypse-level disasters.