Dual Realm Exchange System

”Well, what do you think when you look at that shabby Character Sheet? Of course it’s time to choose your class!”

Everyone gasped, Agnes in particular staring at Roland as though the Guildmaster had suddenly announced that he intended to hand Damian ownership of the entire building.

Even Eunice’s composure cracked, her golden eyes widening as she looked between Damian and the World Stone Tablet.

Only Roland and Selene appeared unsurprised, the lionman’s grin widening at the commotion while Selene covered her lips with one hand, her crimson eyes shining with amusement.

Damian immediately understood that something was wrong.

”Is choosing a Class... unusual?” He asked carefully, scanning everyone around like a cornered rabbit.

”Is it unusual? This fellow asks if it’s unusual!” Janet repeated incredulously.

Roland raised a large hand before the halfling could launch into a rant.

”Your Character Sheet awakens naturally, but advancement between Classes is not automatic. At least, not when moving from a Preparatory Class into a Standard Class.” the Guildmaster explained.

He retrieved the teaching slate and placed it against the base of the World Stone Tablet. Pale blue light spread across its surface, displaying Damian’s current Class.

[Main Class: Wanderer]

[Class Stage: Preparatory]

”As I said before, everyone begins with some form of Preparatory Class. These Classes describe your current state, but they do not open the path toward true growth.” Roland continued.

”To obtain a Standard Class, you must qualify for it. The requirements are not gentle.” Julia added with a grimace, having recovered from her initial shock.

Damian glanced at her. ”Class requirements? So in terms of attributes, knowledge and skills, right?”

Roland nodded approvingly. ”Among other things.”

The teaching slate changed.

[Standard Class Attribute Requirements]

[Fighter: 7 STR, 5 DEX, 4 AGI, 6 CON.]

[Rogue: 5 STR, 7 DEX, 6 AGI, 5 CON.]

[Ranger: 6 STR, 6 DEX, 7 AGI, 5 CON.]

[Cleric: 5 INT, 5 WIS, 6 SPI.]

[Mage: 7 INT, 6 WIS, 5 SPI.]

[Warden: 6 STR, 7 CON, 5 SPI.]

Damian compared those numbers to his Character Sheet.

His Intelligence, Wisdom and Spirit already satisfied the requirements for Mage and Cleric.

Every physically oriented Class, however, remained beyond his reach.

He lacked four Strength and three Constitution for Fighter.

Rogue required improvements across nearly his entire body, while Ranger might as well have demanded that he grow wings and fly.

Warden was no better.

”How does someone raise an Attribute before gaining a Standard Class?” Damian asked the million-dollar question.

”Oh dear, a Class is not so easy to advance into~” Selene responded with a soft giggle.

She shifted her staff from one shoulder to the other, the movement causing her long violet hair to sway across her back.

The fitted fabric of her mage’s gown followed her mature figure closely, and the gentle motion sent a noticeable tremor through certain mountainous regions that the garment had never possessed much hope of concealing.

Damian’s eyes remained firmly on her face... mostly.

Cough! Cough!

”Training can raise attributes, though it is long, exhausting, and painful. There are rare medicines, blessings and rituals that can help, but ordinary people must push their bodies and minds until they improve naturally.” Selene continued, apparently either unaware of the attention she naturally attracted or entirely accustomed to it.

”One Attribute Point can take years, sometimes longer if your body has already reached its natural limits.” Paulina stated, folding her powerful arms beneath her chest.

The wolfgirl’s physique made it obvious that she was speaking from experience.

Beneath her sleeveless armor, her arms and shoulders carried the firm definition of someone who had trained since childhood, while the exposed portion of her abdomen was taut enough to put Damian’s former warehouse co-workers to shame.

”And Feats can raise Attributes! Except Preparatory Classes don’t get Feats, so that doesn’t help at all!” Janet added, tutting dramatically.

Therein lay the problem.

It seemed to Damian as if Valoria was built around Attribute growth through leveling. Once a person acquired a Standard Class, each level granted a free Attribute Point, allowing them to gradually shape their body, mind and soul.

From what he was hearing, training could still improve Attributes, but that was clearly not its main purpose. It likely existed primarily to acquire Skills, develop Specializations and meet the entry requirements necessary to begin proper growth.

But here, the starting line itself was a barrier.

A person born with weak physical Attributes might spend years earning the right to become a Level 1 Fighter, only to then receive more reliable growth through leveling. It was a path open to all, but required significant investment if you were lacking.

”And Attributes are only the first requirement,” Roland warned.

The teaching slate changed once more.

[Standard Class Skill and Specialization Requirements]

[Fighter: Any Weapon Mastery (Novice), including Unarmed. Medium Armor Mastery (Novice).]

[Rogue: Stealth (Novice), Light Armor Mastery (Novice).]

[Ranger: Archery (Novice), Light Armor Mastery (Novice).]

[Cleric: Faith Devotion Ceremony at any recognized church.]

[Mage: Three Cantrips.]

[Warden: Shield Mastery (Novice), Heavy Armor Mastery (Novice).]

Damian studied the list, noting that the requirements appeared straightforward until he remembered that Valoria was a real world rather than a game.

From what he had learned from the ladies as well as the environment on the way to the guild, there were no convenient Skill Books that disappeared into light after being slapped against one’s forehead. A sword manual could describe the proper movements, but the reader still had to practice until those movements became usable.

Spell Manuals likely worked the same way.

He knew they existed because he saw them, but Eunice stated that creating them required expertise and expensive materials, while learning from them still demanded study, experimentation and repeated casting.

So the knowledge could guide a student, but it could not replace the process.

”The armor requirements are often what delay Fighters and Wardens. A decent instructor can teach someone to swing a weapon, but armor is expensive. Training safely in it requires equipment, supervision and time.” Agnes explained, finally recovering enough to join the conversation.

”Archery isn’t cheap either. Bows break, strings snap and arrows vanish.” Julia murmured, her green-gold eyes briefly becoming dazed.

As an elf, she possessed natural advantages in archery and had even benefited from a racial Feat related to it. Yet the months spent correcting her posture, strengthening her fingers and repeatedly drawing a bow had apparently left a deep impression.

Roland tapped the mastery requirement beside the listed abilities. ”Skills and Specializations are measured through mastery grades. Novice, Journeyman, Adept, Master, Grandmaster and Perfection.”

”Those grades aren’t tied to your level. A low-level adventurer can possess a high level of mastery if they have the talent and put in the work.” Eunice added with a gentle smile.

”If a Level 2 Fighter somehow develops a sword technique to Grandmaster mastery, then good for him. He will butcher most people near his level before they understand what happened.” Roland agreed with a laugh.

Skills and Specializations also possessed ranks that determined their inherent complexity and power, but Roland waved that matter aside as Damian could learn the finer details later.

For now, knowing about Mastery was enough.

”Variant Classes can be even more troublesome. Some demand unusual Attributes, rare Skills, bloodlines, contracts or achievements. Others require particular Class and level combinations before they even become visible.” Selene added, circling the base of the World Stone Tablet with a graceful sway of her hips.

”So a person might spend years preparing for a Class without knowing whether they will qualify?” Damian asked with a frown.

”They normally know the common requirements, but rare Variant Classes are another matter. Some people discover them by accident while others dedicate their lives to recreating the path of someone who awakened one before.” Roland clarified.

Damian finally understood why everyone had reacted so strongly.

Clearly, choosing a Standard Class was not a routine decision made after reaching adulthood, but was the reward at the end of years of preparation, money and disciplined effort.

Yet Roland had spoken as though Damian could simply pick one.

”Otherworlders have always been exempted from slaving for Classes. Even before the Holy Pantheon issued its decree, the laws of Valoria treated arrivals from other realms differently.” The Guildmaster revealed, confirming Damian’s thoughts.

”Why?” Damian asked suspiciously.

”No one knows for certain. Perhaps the world understands that you had no chance to prepare according to its rules. It would be rather unreasonable to demand that a forty-year-old Otherworlder return to childhood and spend ten years rebuilding his foundation.” Selene answered with a charming shrug.

Through their subsequent elaborations, Damian understood more.

Previously, Otherworlders could awaken any Standard Class they wanted after completing several basic objectives related to that path. The Holy Pantheon’s decree had simplified the process further, allowing registered Otherworlders to make their selection through a World Stone Tablet.

Damian could still leave and earn a Class alone if he wished.

However, doing so would mean surrendering the additional benefits attached to official registration.

That naturally raised another question.

”What happens when I select a Class?” Damian asked.

Selene’s smile became particularly sweet. ”First, Valoria will forcibly raise your Attributes to the minimum requirements of your chosen Class. For free, naturally.”

Silence filled the hall as Damian immediately glanced toward the others.

Janet’s mouth had fallen open, Julia looked as if someone had shot an arrow through her chest, Paulina’s ears stood completely upright, while Eunice’s hands slowly came together in front of her.

Selene continued without mercy. ”You will also receive the basic Skills and Specializations required for that Class, its Origin Feat and its starting boon, which takes the form of a bestowed Skill.”

The hall exploded with clamor and outrage.

”Ref! Ref! Do something! The Otherworlder is cheating! Ref!!!” Janet screamed, hopping in place while waving both arms toward the ceiling as though an invisible official might descend and overturn the decision.

Julia said nothing, her face having gone completely blank as she remembered the months she had spent practicing archery despite possessing an elven racial Feat that aided her talent.

Damian could almost see those countless arrows passing before her eyes one by one.

Paulina howled like an injured wolf, lunging forward to ’tackle’ Damian, but Roland casually caught her by the back of her armor with one hand.

”Put me down! Let me hit him once! Just once! Shameless human! Do you know how long I trained to raise my Strength?” Paulina demanded, her claws scraping uselessly through the air.

”Hahaha! Calm down, little wolf!” Roland roared with laughter, holding her away from Damian as easily as one might restrain an angry puppy.

Paulina twisted violently enough that the Guildmaster eventually needed one and a half hands to control her.

Eunice closed her eyes and drew in a slow breath, held it, then released it through visibly clenched teeth.

”It is the decree of the gods. Their wisdom is without fault. It is perfectly normal,” she whispered to herself.

The words sounded less convincing each time she repeated them.

Agnes remained frozen near the entrance, staring at Damian with a depth of emotion he could not begin to decipher.

Damian himself maintained a rather neutral expression, but his thoughts churned.

If he selected Fighter, his Strength would rise from three to seven, his Dexterity from four to five, his Agility from two to four and his Constitution from three to six.

That represented ten free Attribute Points.

Years... no, decades... of physical development granted instantly!

Mage or Cleric would offer fewer or no Attribute increases because he already satisfied their requirements, but their Skills, Origin Feat and starting boon might fit his natural talents better.

The choice could determine the foundation of his entire future in Valoria.

There was still one matter left.

”And? What are the new benefits?” Damian asked Roland with folded arms across his chest.

The lionman’s laughter slowed as if he dreaded something, while the four Valkyries also became quiet, clearly interested in knowing.

If things were already outrageous like this, then... what had been added on top?!

Selene’s smile widened as though she already knew another disaster was approaching.

Roland finally released Paulina, though he kept one large hand prepared above her head.

”As a registered high-technology human Otherworlder, you may choose one additional Skill to be bestowed upon you. The Guild will also provide a complete set of armor and weapons suitable for your selected Class.” He stated quickly, his hands clamping down immediately.

Paulina’s left eye twitched but she didn’t move just yet.

”And... well...” Roland tried to continue, but clearly feared backlash.

Selene had no such weaknesses though, as she laughingly spoke the cruel words. ”And dear, you may choose two additional Specializations unrelated to your Class~”

Janet stopped moving, her eyes slowly becoming bloodshot.

”A Demon Lord! That’s what he is! We found a Demon Lord reincarnated in the forest!” She whispered while pointing a trembling finger at Damian.

Julia staggered backward until her shoulders touched one of the six pillars. She remained standing, but the look in her eyes suggested that something important inside her had quietly died.

Paulina lunged again, but Roland caught her with both hands this time.

Eunice gave up attempting to regulate her breathing and immediately knelt down to begin praying to her deity for strength, her voice growing louder whenever Damian’s name entered her thoughts.

Meanwhile, Agnes continued staring at the young man in silence.

Even Damian was left speechless.

The natives of Valoria had to train, spend money, endure failure and sacrifice years of their lives merely to qualify for a Standard Class.

Meanwhile, people like him arrived with nothing and received Attribute increases, Skills, Specializations, equipment and Feats from the moment they registered.

How could anyone possibly remain calm?

Damian looked at the six glowing emblems carved into the pillars surrounding the World Stone Tablet.

Fighter.

Rogue.

Ranger.

Cleric.

Mage.

Warden.

Six paths waited before him, and whichever one he selected would immediately transform his body, grant him power and establish the foundation upon which every future level would be built.

Roland finally brought Paulina under control and looked toward Damian with an eager grin.

”Well then, young man. Which Class will you choose?” the Guildmaster asked with raised eyebrows.