Classless Ascension

"Alright, follow me. What comes next will determine your future!"

The man looked similar to a shepherd, guiding his herd, a very tense herd at that. After all, this concerned their very survival. The man had told them about the guild right before so it was clear where they were heading.

Before long they entered a white spacious room. On the edges, individuals were seated. In front of each chair was a small hologram with a logo on it. Josh didn't know them well enough to figure out who they were exactly.

To be honest he wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to join a guild in the first place. It would depend on the conditions they offered. Whether they would allow him his freedom or not. Back then he didn't care one bit since he had nothing to accomplish outside. In this new world, it was different.

In the middle of the place lazily floated a white crystal, except that it didn't seem to reflect light one bit. No, it was in fact absorbing it making its immediate surrounding slightly darker.

"Alright, all of you come forward and line up. One after the other you will come forward and touch the <Potential Quantifier>. It does exactly what its name implies. The better the result here and the more likely you are to be offered a guild membership. Bear in mind if you get many offers you will have the right to decide which one you join. That is all. Now come forward and line up!"

This felt like a surprise quiz. Except that it was one that couldn't be prepared for. Josh did not care that much about this, to be honest. He felt that it was probably the same as it had been during his school days. The dedicated would succeed. So what if there were geniuses that had it easier than him? It wouldn't change anything for him.

Thus started the event:

"Come forward! Touch it!" Said the man sounding like a dubious uncle.

As soon as the candidate touched it the crystal lighted up brightly, shining on the smile of the various guild representatives. Then some lettering appeared in there: <Combat Monk>. As soon as they saw this they rose up.

"Oh result of 7? Pretty nice. Alright, who wants to get a monk?"

The candidate then received many offers mostly from B-Rank and below guilds. In the end, he chose based on the one that seemed the coolest. Was that a dumb choice? Not really, when information is lacking sometimes trusting one's instinct is best. He soon was standing awkwardly next to his recruiter.

As the test kept progressing Josh figured out a pattern. B-Rank guilds would try and recruit the 7, C the 6, and D the 5. Anyone lower than that was completely ignored. Apparently, it could go up to 10 but that result was only possible in theory and had never been observed. Other than that they looked at the classes too, but it was more in order to determine where the candidates would best belong.

Josh could see a few classes, the most common ones seemed to be:

-Warrior

-Swordsman

-Monk

-Archer

-Ranger

-Mage

-Cleric

-Assassin

Josh felt it made sense. The class options were based on experiences. Most people wouldn't have a profession related to killing. Even gangsters might get weird-sounding stuff like <Forceful Debt Collector>, yes there was in fact one in the room.

When confronted with a bloodthirsty Cerberus, most would pick the basic sounding combat class rather than the fancy <Amazing Gardener>, yes there was one too. Most seemed puzzled on how he had even survived.

A cool one so far had been <Executioner>. Still, Josh quickly lost track of it all. More so he couldn't be bothered to remember everyone's Class.

Everyone that didn't get chosen left dejected. They were but a few. Most were from a group that had apparently survived the tutorial entirely thanks to their leader making them coordinate with one another.

Was not getting chosen a death sentence? Not really, they were told to try soloing or try something called an Unranked Guild. To put things into perspective a Ranked Guild to an Unranked Guild was the equivalent of a Porsche to a tricycle. Both might get you to your destination but good luck getting laid with a …actually that was beside the point.

The group that Josh came with ended up all with good results. The 2 youngest with 7 and the two oldest with 8. The recruiters were especially excited when they heard about their classes.

Then it was Josh's turn. All eyes were on him as people wondered if he too would have an amazing result. Especially that there was a guy from their batch that had stayed behind to hunt the Boss.

Josh came close to the device before touching it. The crystal didn't light up at all, but on it started flashing some text: <ERROR!> That's when the man in charge of it bolted away as fast as possible! All the while he kept screaming that it wasn't his fault that the artifact was broken!

Amidst the concerned gazes, Josh simply waited. To be honest, he was pretty sure the <Potential Quantifier> simply couldn't calculate it because of his lack of Class. The man soon came back followed by a dark-haired beauty with a noble disposition. She pointed at Josh.

"You, there! Are you the one that couldn't get a result?"

*Nod*

"Place your hand there again."

*Touch*

"Dammit, nothing! Is it broken?! The next candidate come and try this!"

This time a resplendent light came out. Only for Josh was it malfunctioning. The problem clearly didn't lay with the tool.

"Young man, what's your Class then? As for potential, this is definitely weird…"

"Classless" Josh naturally replied.

"WHAT?!"

*Gasp! *

Somehow it felt as if a bomb had just been dropped in the room. Everyone but the newcomers had their mouths opened in disbelief, some even fell off their chairs or feet. Then a shadow appeared in her eyes as she sighed while patting Josh's shoulder, looking at him as one would a dying man.

"Young man, good luck. Stay strong."

Josh couldn't believe how easily she had given up on him. Meanwhile, the man nearby was showing clear disdain. There were people that were worth befriending and Josh wasn't one for sure. He still called out since it was his job: "Anyone wants a Classless?" but a hint of sarcasm could be heard.

Needless to say, no guild were interested. They all looked down on him, that much Josh could feel. Since it was pointless to remain here any longer Josh simply walked away. Behind him, he could hear some jeers and some praising him for at least having self-awareness.

Josh exited the room and so did the old lady from the Tutorial.

"Josh, how about I help you join a guild? I have many guild offers, how about I pick one that will accept you too?"

"Why?"

"We are fellow Earthlings, but most importantly you remind me of an old friend. No need to overthink this. For me, it barely requires an effort."

"Hehe, don't worry. I'll be fine. There are things I want to figure out too."

"Alright, still I can't believe the system didn't offer you a class when it gave me a few options."

"Oh? I never claimed that. I simply have no interest in having the memories of some already dead guy."

"HAHAHAHAHA Well said! If you ever change your mind, you can find me!"

Thus she left, leaving Josh on his own. Maybe he would take her up on her offer but only if it proved necessary. He was too used to being on his own.

Josh couldn't help but tinker with his UW. It felt very much like surfing the net. He quickly found a Tower guide aimed at newcomers.

After quickly browsing through it, he determined his new goals.

-Clear Floor 1 unlocking Floor 2 in the process.

-Find a way to level up

-Get loot for that sweet $$$.

Without further ado, he simply left the MTA building. Heading back to the giant tower he could see in the background. So what if he was classless? He used to be weak too in the past. Then he trained and defeated the Dragon Triad. He'd simply train again. No big deal.

He quickly reached the tower. There were lots of people of all ages touching a barrier and disappearing right afterward. The process seemed extremely quick so it wasn't too crowded. Josh touched it too. Some message appeared in front of him.

<Do you want to pay 5 credits to enter the tower?>

No Yes

Josh quickly selected yes then he was allowed in. As soon as he stepped inside came the system message.

[Please select a floor: 1 ]

Josh quickly pressed 1 before a red glow brought him away. Behind, a journalist could be seen. He had been following the supposedly classless guy to interview him. Who knew that the madman would head directly in the tower?