Lukey stared at Triton like he had just seen a fish talk, like he had just seen the impossible but couldn’t comprehend it. Moments ago, he asked the old man for an opportunity that would give him a chance at getting a better class than that of a botanist. Triton certainly complied, just not in the way he had been hoping.

  Lukey had never heard of a fisherman class. Not once since he started going to the school Thousand Acre had set up on the island had he heard of anyone in the world with such a class. The only person with a class other than botanist on the island he knew of was the island’s ruler, Emperor Caldoon, but Lukey was sure he had a lancer class.

  People certainly fished; that much was true. However, their fishing didn’t have anything to do with a class. Their fishing had been a result of a learned art; no one had any class arts that were related to fishing. Without the associated class, a person simply isn’t as effective or efficient as a person who does have that class. Nobody could grow plants like a botanist, just like nobody could use a spear like a lancer.

  Gaining a fisherman class would set him on a path towards… Lukey tried to think of something, but he had no idea what it entailed since he had never heard of any legendary fisherman. It could be seen as a good thing, though; after all, he would have a class with unknown potential. Instead of being constrained to an ideal version of how other people paved their path, he could follow his own heart and take it in a direction yet unseen.

  Every class was created by a person who claimed sovereignty over their path; all of whom are aptly called sovereigns. Every person who obtains a class is initially put on a path that aligns with that sovereign. A person could follow the road laid out for them or risk it all and carve their own path that has yet to be trod.

  The sovereign classes are flexible, allowing you to take a secondary class to align your abilities in a way that suits you. However, it is more difficult to take a secondary class since you must level it alongside your main class. After that there was the issue of having to fuse the two classes into a cohesive path, which is the third threshold on the path to leveling.

  While Lukey was considering the possibilities of this new class. Triton broke the silence.

  “Well, I can tell you’re interested, but you don’t have to give me an answer right now,” Triton said. “I’m going to go and prepare some things. You just run back to the village and spend a day thinking over things. When you come to a decision, you can meet me near the center of the island, at the southern side of the rock walls.”

  “Understood, thank you for the generous offer,” Lukey said.

  He gave Triton a bow to display his gratitude. He had taken a risk, and if this works out, he may get something that can turn his life around. Triton waved his hands at the display.

  “No need for all the formality. Honestly, we could use more people with the fisherman class on the island. I’m having to do most of the work myself, so I would appreciate the help.”

  Lukey raised an eyebrow at that. He thought Triton had a lancer class, with a path dedicated to using the spear. Clearly, he had the wrong impression, as the man indicated he had a fisherman class as well. He had heard of spearfishing, but that was something tribal people did, not the people of the modern age. Regardless, if this is what was possible with the class, then there were more possibilities than Lukey had initially thought.

  Excited at his new prospects, Lukey turned to leave before Triton stopped him.

  “Wait, boy, one more thing,” Triton said. “The last thing I need is the entire village going into a panic and the island’s emperor harassing me because he thinks I’m not doing my job. So, let’s just keep this incident with the tyrant between us, alright?

  Lukey nodded at Triton and gave him a wave before he set off in the direction of the village in a hurry. Today was an off day for his lessons; however, he didn’t need his mother hounding him with questions about where he had been. Lukey loved her but preferred to keep her at arm’s length, as the woman had always been overbearing in his life, especially lately.

  Lukey hastily walked towards the village, located in the southeastern part of Leviathan's Rest.

  That was the name of the island that Lukey had lived his entire life on. The island was named after a creation story, where a great whale died and its body gradually became a paradise in the middle of the sea. The island was shaped like an oversized whale, likely the source of the story, with the head of the whale facing south and the body bent west.

  The name, Leviathan’s Rest, is also a testament to the fact that the island functions as a rest stop between two major continents, Vetus and Novus. Leviathan’s Rest sat in the middle of the ocean, and anyone looking to make a trip between the two continents would have been a fool not to rest here.

  Abyssal monsters made their nests deep in the Abyssal Depths and occasionally rose up to feed. Entire fleets of ships have been known to disappear, usually because a leviathan got hungry and had the impression that they were a school of fish. Dragon’s Lance does their best, but they can only survive on the water for so long until hunger and thirst set in.

  Leviathan's Rest was a haven in the middle of the Abyssal Ocean. For unknown reasons, the island deters Abyssal monsters from swimming around it. The area around the island is completely devoid of large beasts. All the sailors have seen this phenomenon, and while they don’t understand it either, they were still willing to capitalize on the opportunity.

  It didn’t take long for sailors to bring word of this sanctuary back to their respective guilds. Thousand Acre was the first to capitalize on the opportunity, sending over a small delegation to negotiate with the islanders.

  The previous emperor of the island wasn’t one to be pushed around, however, and used the fact that he controlled the entire island to negotiate a deal with the foreigners in favor of the islanders. The result was a compromise: the emperor and the islanders controlled the land, and Thousand Acre would be allowed to set up a guild building here for a yearly fee.

  Many of the islanders were unsure of what the changes to their island would be, but they warmed up when they heard that a sovereign icon would be placed on the island. Based on what his teacher told him, nobody on the island had a class up until the sovereign icon arrived. Once it was placed on the island, people started becoming botanists, and Thousand Acre provided the resources to best utilize the class.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Apparently, there are plans to bring someone with a woodworker class to the island to create more sovereign icons on the Leviathan’s Rest, but that is a long way off. The island needs to become on par with the larger capitals before it can warrant such an investment.

  The emperor and people like Lukey’s mother are all working hard to make Leviathan's Rest the jewel of the ocean. If Lukey and his people want to survive in this world, they need to seize any opportunity that is presented to them. After all, power freely given is power freely taken, and relying on the generosity of others would be a good way to get enslaved by them.

  Since he was young, Lukey’s mother taught him not to rely on others, to seize his fortune, and to claim sovereignty over his path like the legends of old. Lukey took that to heart, and hopefully tomorrow's events will allow him to seize his fate for himself as a fisherman.

  Lukey arrived sometime around the evening. He arrived on the hill overlooking his village and looked down at his home. His mother used to tell him that the village looked a lot different than it did today. Pieces of dried wood and straw were woven together around a frame of wooden logs to construct walls, roofs, and doors. With the influx of sailors coming into the island, the way we lived changed as well.

  The buildings are constructed from clay bricks that were packed together and then heated in the sun. The frame of the houses is still a construction of wooden logs, but combined with clay, it sealed in the house against wind and rain.

  The roofs are made from the leaves of guma trees; the unique qualities of the tree made the leaves large, thick, and durable with a waxy texture, making them perfect for roofs. Even better, the leaves remain green long after they fall, so long as they get sunlight and moisture through rain. The houses can even be made with multiple rooms, so people aren’t as cramped in tiny spaces.

  Lukey made his way down to the village, enjoying the scenery as he went. The village is only a short walk from the beach, so you could see the ocean if you just looked south. Dozens of little bugs were flying around as the temperature reached the perfect humidity for them.

  Lukey saw everyone going back to their homes, ushering kids inside for their dinner and bed. They all had the signature golden hue that was common among islanders. He saw his neighbor, Bozai, return as his two young daughters came up and greeted him. The girls looked like they had just returned from a foraging trip, since they each had a basket of fruits in their arms.

  Bozai was wearing the same as Lukey, a linen vest and shorts. His daughters were wearing faded green chest bands, with skirts made of dried grass. Lukey wanted to return unnoticed, but it looks like that isn’t happening today.

  “Good evening, Lukey. I hope you had a good day.” Bozai said.

  “Good evening to you too, Bozai,” Lukey said. “Yes, today was filled with good opportunity. Maybe it’s a sign my luck is changing.”

  Bozai raised an eyebrow at that.

  “Sounds like you are in a good mood. May I ask what brought this up?”

  “Is it so strange to see me enjoying life?” Lukey asked.

  Bozai looked startled, then quickly waved his palm.

  “No, no, I’m sorry. I meant no offense,” Bozai said. “It is just… You often have the look of someone who is never satisfied and looks for something they can’t find.”

  Lukey stopped at that; there was certainly truth to Bozai’s words. Lukey was often displeased with his life, even when he felt like he had everything. He could never pinpoint what had driven him. What he could say is that the feeling never went away, except when hunting for fish. Victory always satisfied him, especially when it was harder to come by.

  “I apologize as well, Bozai,” Lukey said. “You may be right. I never take the time to relax like I should. The deadline for getting my class is coming soon, and it has been weighing heavily on my mind.”

  “I understand. I know that becoming a botanist isn’t exactly what you want, but you should try to make the most of what life gives you,” Bozai said. “Sometimes the younger generations take for granted what the previous never had. I know my father is often disappointed with how easygoing my daughters are.”

  Lukey agreed and nodded.

  “I’ll take your advice to heart, Bozai. Do you know if my mother is home yet?”

  Bozai shook his head.

  “No, I heard that she is still working on the new town with the others.”

  The new town. Lukey had forgotten about it. He didn’t go there much, but apparently it was a project started by the emperor of the island to welcome the sailors and visitors. The Thousand Acre’s guild building was there, along with various bars and inns still being constructed. His mother was working with the other botanists to make sure that the town looked beautiful, with flowers popping out of every corner.

  “I see. Well then, I’ll be off.” Then Lukey turned and headed towards his house.

  A few more friendly greetings later, he arrived at his home. It didn’t look any different than the other houses in the village, but one feature made it stand out. The elongated building with no roof that sat in his backyard. This was his mother’s nursery, where she experimented to create new hybrids of plants.

  His mother always had a passion for flowers, and when she became a botanist, she finally had an outlet to create things she could only dream of. Recently, for the town project, she has come up with several ways to alter flora; size, hue, saturation, and even smell could be changed depending on the preferences.

  Lukey stepped inside the house and started preparing a meal. He took some locally harvested vegetables, brought to the island courtesy of the guild, and began cutting them into a bowl. He tossed it with some salt and dumped it all into a crude iron pan. He lit a fire in the clay stove and began preparing his meal. As he was finishing up, he heard the door open behind him and saw his mother’s face peek into the building.

  “Is someone cooking in here?” He heard her mumble before saying, “Oh, it’s you, Lukey! I’m so sorry I’m late. I was caught up in trying to organize the workers. I swear it’s like they don’t understand a thing about color theory.”

  Lukey’s mother is named Leah. She was a botanist and especially involved in the Thousand Acre. She was well known for her experiments in crossbreeding the local flora to create new and colorful variants. She was also very adamant in wanting Lukey to join her in the guild, trying at every moment to push her enthusiasm onto him.

  Nobody understood flowers like she did; it’s like she had some connection to them that only she understood. Perhaps that’s why the guild considered her a prodigy. Apparently, she had been gaining achievements and levels quite quickly. Lukey wished he could see her name, but he lacked the focus to use insight, so he had to rely on what others told him.

  “The emperor’s idea is very ambitious,” Lukey said. "Creating a town to entice people from Novus and Vetus to stay on the island.”

  “Yes, it’s certainly ambitious,” Leah said. “Some people even think it’s foolishly ambitious. Still, if this works out, we can see in increase in wealth brought in from everyone and we won’t be so dependent on Thousand Acre.”

  Leah was in her thirties, not young, but neither was she middle-aged. She had a long braid of raven hair and orange eyes like the sunset, instead of Lukey’s sea-green ones. She had Lukey when she was seventeen and took care of him with her parents, but she eventually decided to move out of their house and get her own place where she could raise plants.

  She never talked about his father, but apparently, he was a passenger from one of the ships that stopped on the island. From what he heard, he was faithful and met with Leah every time he stopped on the island. That didn’t stop him from disappearing, though, and it hurt her every time Lukey brought it up.

  Lukey knew it would hurt his mother, but he had to have this conversation. He hardened himself and began to talk.

  “Mom, my sixteenth birthday is coming up; it’s only a month or two from now,” Lukey said.

  “Mmhm, that’s right. Do you have any specific plans that day?” Leah asked.

  “Nothing for that day,” Lukey replied, “but I am preparing to do something soon; you shouldn’t have to worry about me anymore.”

  Leah stopped herself. “Worry? Lukey I’ve never worried about you. You’re incredibly smart and insightful, which is more than I can say for most boys your age.”

  Leah took a chair and sat down, then took a more somber tone.

  “It’s just that you never seem to focus on what is in front of you. I only hope you become more focused when the time comes for what really matters.”

  Lukey ended the conversation there. He just finished his meal and was very tired. Bringing this up now would just descend into an argument. He decided he would focus fully on this conversation in the morning.