Dual Realm Exchange System

(Author’s Note: For those of you who are super DnD savvy, please try to simplify some of these terms in the paragraph comments for other readers who aren’t familiar with it.)

Roland reached beneath his desk and brought out a thin black slate bordered with silver metal.

It looked like an ordinary writing board until the lionman pressed one claw against its surface, a pale blue light spreading from the point of contact, forming a blank Character Sheet large enough for everyone in the office to see.

[Name: —]

[Race: —]

[Overall Level: —]

[Main Class: —]

[Subclass: —]

[Class Stage: —]

[Attributes: —]

[Feats: —]

[Skills: —]

[Specializations: —]

[Titles: —]

"This is only a teaching slate, so nothing shown on it belongs to a real person. Before anything else, you must understand one absolute rule of Valoria. Every living being capable of thought possesses a <Class>." Roland explained, turning the tablet toward Damian.

The word ’Class’ carried the same strange weight Damian had felt when Eunice spoke of a Character Sheet. He heard the sound normally, yet its full meaning appeared in his mind without requiring translation.

Roland continued before he could dwell on it. "Humans, elves, dwarves and beastfolk have Classes, but the rule does not end with civilized races. Wild beasts, monsters, and undead have them, even when their bodies are long dead. Intelligent weapons, living constructs, and automatons can possess them as well."

"What about plants?" Damian asked with a look of interest.

"A dryad would have one, but an ordinary tree would not. A thinking golem has a Class, while a stone on the road does not. Sand, water, steel and other lifeless materials possess no Character Sheets unless something gives them true awareness." Roland answered with a chuckle.

That alone separated Valoria from every game Damian had ever seen, because the Character Sheet was not an artificial system placed over selected heroes.

It was actually a part of the natural order, as universal to thinking beings as blood, hunger or death.

"Classes awaken at birth, but most beings cannot consciously view their Character Sheets until they reach their species’ Age of Understanding." Roland went on.

Seeing Damian’s confusion, the Guildmaster explained. "In simple terms, once a child is old enough to recognize itself and understand the world around it, the sheet becomes accessible."

At this point, the slate changed as contents began to appear upon it.

[Name: Aren]

[Race: Human]

[Overall Level: 0]

[Main Class: Child]

Roland tapped the word ’Child’ with one claw. "For example, Child is a Preparatory Class. So are Commoner, Noble, Wanderer, Fledgling and dozens of similar Classes. They describe what a person currently is before that person steps onto a true path."

Damian glanced at his own system panel, which stated that his Valorian Class was Level 0 Wanderer.

It seemed the laws of Valoria had already placed him into the closest category available for an adult with no recognized identity, profession or foundation.

"Preparatory Classes can possess Skills and Specializations, but they do not grant Origin Feats, free Attribute Points or proper combat growth," Roland stated.

"A farmer’s child may gain Planting or Animal Care whereas a noble child may awaken Etiquette, Courtly Knowledge or Basic Horsemanship. Useful things, perhaps, but hardly powers with which one would face a troll." Roland concluded with a slight chuckle.

The slate changed again, replacing Child with several new lines.

[Class Stage: Standard]

[Available Great Classes:]

[Fighter]

[Rogue]

[Ranger]

[Cleric]

[Mage]

[Warden]

"The next stage is formed by the Standard Classes. These are the first true Classes through which a person can deliberately pursue power, and the Six Great Classes form the roots of nearly every major combat path in Valoria."

The names were simple, but Roland’s following explanation gave each of them far greater weight.

A Fighter developed direct martial ability, physical conditioning and mastery over weapons or armor.

A Rogue specialized in precision, movement, concealment and exploiting weakness.

A Ranger combined martial skill with survival, tracking and dominance over distance or hostile terrain.

A Cleric drew upon faith and spiritual authority.

A Mage shaped mana through arcane knowledge, bloodline endowments or pacts with magical beings.

A Warden was a protector who specialized in endurance, control and defending people, territory or sworn duties.

Beyond the Great Classes were countless Variant Classes. Some were combat paths born from unusual cultures or bloodlines, but most were lifestyle professions such as Potionmaster, Runesmith, Metalsmith, Armorsmith, Jeweler and Enchanter.

"A Variant Class is not automatically weaker than one of the Great Classes," Roland clarified.

"A Grandmaster Runesmith could destroy a Novice Fighter without standing from his chair. So here, the distinction lies in purpose, not worth. The Great Classes are broad foundations whereas Variant Classes are narrower, but often far deeper within their chosen field."

Damian understood the logic. So the six were like a broad profession, like Doctor or Lawyer, whereas Variants were like a Surgeon, Orthopedic, Barrister, or Solicitor.

Roland altered the slate once more.

[Main Class: Mage — Level 15]

[Subclass: Fighter — Level 4]

[Overall Level: 19]

"A person begins with one Main Class, but after reaching Level 10, they may add a Subclass. The levels are counted separately and then combined to determine Overall Level. This imaginary person is a Level 15 Mage and a Level 4 Fighter, making him Level 19 overall." Roland explained succinctly.

"What stops someone from collecting several Classes?" Damian questioned.

Roland chuckled at that. "The world itself. One Main Class and one Subclass are the normal limit before the Legend levels."

"After all, power must have structure. If you pour six kinds of metal into a blade without understanding how they fit together, you do not create a legendary weapon, but rather expensive scrap." Roland added with a pointed look.

Well... that comparison was simple enough.

Damian thought about it and felt that he had seen the same principle in his former logistics work.

Having more workers, vehicles and warehouse space did not automatically produce an efficient operation.

Without a coherent system, greater resources only produced greater confusion and wasteful consumption.

Roland tapped the bottom of the slate, causing another line to appear.

[Advanced Class Candidate: Spellblade]

"Standard Classes continue until Level 20. Once a person crosses into the Legend levels, their growth, Attribute allocation, Main Class and Subclass are judged together to produce an Advanced Class." Roland continued with a deep look.

The Lionman continued, and Damian understood it as this.

A Fighter and Mage might become a Spellblade, but that was only one possibility.

Different Attributes, Feats, Skills and personal choices could instead produce an Arcanist, Battle Mage or some rarer path.

The same principle applied elsewhere.

Rogues could become Assassins, Bounty Hunters, or even Ninjas.

Clerics might become Paladins, Bishops, or Saints.

Rangers could advance into Marksmen, Snipers, or Beastmasters.

Fighters might become Generals, Weaponmasters (like Swordmasters, Spearmasters, etc.) or Monks.

"The number of Advanced Classes is impossible to count because two people may possess the same Main Class and Subclass but receive different Advanced Classes because they built themselves differently." Roland explained.

Roland cleared the slate before displaying the recognized level ranges.

[Level 1–5: Novice]

[Level 6–10: Journeyman]

[Level 11–15: Adept]

[Level 16–20: Master]

[Level 21–30: Neo Legend / Grandmaster]

[Level 31–40: True Legend / Supreme]

[Level 41–50: Over Legend / Demigod]

[Level 51+: Divine]

"The important boundary is Level 21. That is where the Legend levels begin and where a Standard Class may evolve into an Advanced Class." Roland started a new segment, which Damian quickly summarized in his mind.

Levels were gained through Experience Points, but Experience did not simply appear from killing enemies.

A Fighter earned it through combat, training and martial accomplishments, a Potionmaster gained it by producing medicines, improving formulas and advancing the profession whereas a Cleric might gain it by healing, preaching or fulfilling the duties of their faith.

Essentially, Class-related action produced Class-related growth.

Roland did not dwell on how quickly that growth occurred, only warning Damian that Experience was valuable and that levels should never be treated casually.

He then changed the slate to its most detailed display yet.

[Strength: 5]

[Dexterity: 5]

[Agility: 5]

[Constitution: 5]

[Intelligence: 5]

[Wisdom: 5]

[Spirit: 5]

[Hidden Attributes: Concealed]

"These are the seven visible <Attributes>. Five represents the average adult human, not the average of every race in Valoria," Roland stated with a serious look.

He chuckled and added: "A Level 1 human Fighter might begin near five Strength. A Level 1 dragon could possess thirty before gaining a single level."

Factors like species, upbringing, health, age and natural talent determined the starting spread of attributes.

Two people of the same race and Class could awaken with completely different Attributes because they had lived completely different lives.

Afterward, every level granted only one free Attribute Point, and Roland stressed that this rule gave each allocation lasting importance.

As for what the attributes represented, Strength governed power and physical force, whereas Dexterity measured control of the hands, affecting delicate movements, precise weapon use and craftsmanship.

Agility governed the feet, movement, balance and speed, which contrasted Constitution, which affected health, stamina, physical defense, lifespan and resistance to disease.

There was Intelligence, which represented raw mental power, memory, calculation speed and the rate at which knowledge could be acquired. It also strengthened magical offense and determined the size of a person’s mana reserves.

There was also Wisdom, which represented refined spiritual thought, insight, empathy, comprehension and the ability to properly apply knowledge. It also strengthened magical defense and affected mana recovery.

Spirit, though, was more difficult to summarize.

"It is the foundation beneath the others, as Spirit governs the quality and strength of the soul. Faith-based Classes rely upon it heavily, but everyone benefits from it. It affects spiritual power, resistance, the quality of one’s life and even the condition in which one continues after death." Roland explained, his easy expression becoming more serious.

Damian paid particular attention to that final sentence, because he had already died once.

Now, he possessed a system that displayed a separate Cultivation Base for another realm and had apparently transferred his existence across universes.

For all Damian knew, Spirit might become far more important to him personally than Roland could know.

The hidden Attributes appeared next, although the slate displayed no numbers.

[Charisma: Hidden]

[Perception: Hidden]

[Luck: Hidden]

"These cannot normally be increased through free Attribute Points. They rise through Feats, equipment, spells, blessings or rarer methods." Roland revealed.

He explained that Charisma affected beauty, presence, persuasion, attractiveness, affinity with living and non-living things and, according to Roland’s completely unbothered explanation, sexual prowess.

He stated that Perception governed the five senses, observation, intuition and the mysterious sixth sense that sometimes warned a warrior before danger appeared.

Finally, he elaborated on the elusive Luck, which was the most direct and least understood. Apparently, it influenced the probability of good or bad outcomes in almost everything, though no sane scholar claimed to understand precisely how.

Roland allowed the Attribute display to remain for a few moments before replacing it with a single word.

[FEATS]

The atmosphere of the room seemed to change at that, with the four ladies leaning forward with hitched breaths. Even Agnes shuffled, her eyes becoming fervent.

"Attributes determine what you possess and Skills determine what you can do, but Feats determine which rules you are allowed to break," Roland declared with a slap on the table.

Damian’s eyes narrowed at that, for more reasons than one.

Roland gave several examples for the young man to comprehend.

A normal warrior required both hands to properly control a massive weapon like a greatsword, but a suitable Feat could allow another warrior to wield it one-handed without losing power.

A Mage ordinarily risked losing control of a spell when struck by an attack, but a Feat could grant the focus needed to maintain the spell through the pain.

Another Feat might increase an Attribute, remove a weakness, grant resistance to an element, alter how a Skill functioned or create a completely new ability unavailable through ordinary training.

Feats were not simple techniques, but were permanent advantages recognized by the laws of Valoria.

The slate displayed the normal progression.

[Level 1: Origin Feat]

[Level 4: General Feat]

[Level 7: Class Feat]

[Level 9: General Feat]

[Level 12: Special Feat]

[Level 15: Class Feat]

[Level 18: General Feat]

"The Origin Feat appears when a person gains a Standard Class at Level 1. It reflects the foundation of that Class and often influences the rest of their path," Roland began, then shifted to the next one.

"General Feats are broadly available to all beings that reach the required level. Class Feats deepen the nature of one’s Class and enhance its special characteristics. Special Feats are rarer and may depend upon race, bloodline, achievements or unusual conditions."

A normal person reaching Level 20 would possess seven Feats, assuming nothing extraordinary happened, which were seven permanent alterations to the rules governing their existence.

At this point, Damian barely heard the rest of Roland’s sentence as the tutorial reward flashed through his mind.

[Reward: Special Power: One Feat Per Level!]

One Feat at every level...

Even under the most conservative interpretation, Damian could possess twenty Feats by Level 20 instead of seven.

If the reward existed in addition to Valoria’s normal Feat progression, that number could rise to twenty-seven before he even entered the Legend levels.

Twenty-seven permanent advantages... twenty-seven chances to increase Attributes, remove weaknesses, strengthen his Class, reshape Skills or gain abilities other people could never combine within one lifetime.

And that was only Valoria.

He still had an entire cultivation realm waiting for him on the other side of the system.

Damian kept his expression calm, but his heart began to hammer.

For the first time since awakening, he fully understood that the Dual-Realm Exchange System had not merely given him a second chance at life, but had also given him the means to become a monster.

Roland remained unaware of his thoughts and moved to the final section. "There exist Skills, and they are actively used techniques that a person could acquire either through level advancement or personal training, for example, the Mage’s Fireball or a Fighter’s Parry."

Roland paused for a moment before continuing. "A bestowed Skill from level advancement enters the mind complete and usable from the get-go, but its quality is usually fixed. It cannot easily be upgraded or perfected beyond what had been granted. A learned Skill is harder to acquire, but its potential depends entirely on the user. The same sword technique might remain poor in one person’s hands and reach godly heights in another’s."

"Now, Specializations follow the same rules, except they are passively used rather than actively. Things like Arcane Knowledge, Trapmaking and Tracking are not actions a person activates, but are fields of understanding and instinct that constantly affect what the person notices, understands or produces."

Roland finally dismissed the teaching slate and the blue light vanished, leaving only black glass between his claws.

"That is enough for today. You now understand Classes, levels, Attributes, Feats, Skills and Specializations well enough to avoid making a foolish choice the moment your Character Sheet awakens," Roland concluded, leaning back in his chair.

Damian nodded slowly.

It was a great deal of information, but the structure was clear.

Class determined his path, Levels measured his progress, Attributes built his foundation, Skills and Specializations shaped what he could perform, and Feats allowed him to break the limits surrounding all of them.

Roland placed the slate aside and rose, his huge frame casting a shadow across the desk.

"Now then, Damian Baines, let us begin!" The Guildmaster began with an eager grin.

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