Dual Realm Exchange System

Roland did not immediately lead Damian out of the office.

Instead, the Guildmaster opened one of the lower drawers of his desk and removed a thick document bound in dark green leather, a silver emblem of several interlocking halos stamped across its cover.

"Before we begin, there is one more thing you should understand. For most people, awakening a Character Sheet is unnecessary." Roland stated as he placed the document on the desk.

Damian glanced at him. "Because they already have access to it?"

"Exactly. Every being born beneath Valoria’s laws possesses a Class from the beginning. Once they reach their species’ Age of Understanding, they can naturally view their Character Sheet without outside assistance."

Roland opened the document and flipped through several pages filled with dense writing and elaborate seals.

"The formal awakening process exists for exceptions. Otherworlders like yourself are one, whereas a non-sentient object that somehow gains true awareness would be another. In both cases, a thinking existence has appeared without being properly recorded by the laws of Valoria."

Damian looked toward the black teaching slate resting on the desk.

"So that slate records that existence?"

"It does more than record it. It connects you to the world." Roland replied.

That statement immediately gained Damian’s attention.

Roland closed the book again and pushed himself to his feet.

"Otherworlders are special cases, even among those exceptions. Several hundred years ago, the Holy Pantheon issued a formal decree concerning people who arrive from other realms."

"The Holy Pantheon?" Damian repeated with raised eyebrows.

"The collective body of every consecrated and officially recognized deity in Valoria. Different nations may worship different gods, but the Pantheon’s decrees are respected almost everywhere." Eunice explained from behind him.

Roland nodded. "The decree ordered kingdoms, churches, guilds and lawful organizations to offer protection and support to Otherworlders. Shelter, identification, basic education, work placement and other benefits all fall beneath that order."

Damian’s eyebrows rose slightly, as that sounded less like simple kindness and more like a complete immigration policy backed by actual gods.

"Why?" he asked.

Roland gave a small shrug. "The decree did not explain everything. The official reason is that Otherworlders often arrive helpless, ignorant and vulnerable through no fault of their own. The gods considered it cruel to punish them for being displaced."

There was clearly more to the matter, but Roland did not seem to know it either.

Damian could only accept that for now.

"Human Otherworlders from worlds of high technology receive the highest tier of benefits. My judgment tells me that such is where you came from." Roland continued as he sized Damian up.

Damian looked down at the remains of his clothing beneath Eunice’s cloak. "How can you tell?"

Roland chuckled. "The strange fabrics, the stitching, those shoes and the little metal fastenings on your trousers are the obvious signs, and your manner of speaking is another. Otherworlders from less developed realms usually compare Valoria to their own kingdoms, tribes or empires, but you started right away talking about registration, regulations and procedures."

Damian frowned, feeling that such was not enough. He could conjure up more than a few reasons for such a thing, and Roland saw this.

The Lionman Guildmaster tsked and gave up the true reason: "Actually, it’s because ever since you have appeared before me, nothing I’ve shown you has startled you much. When you saw the tablet and its magitech display, your eyes gleamed with recognition, meaning you’ve seen something like this before, and have operated it frequently."

Damian paused, feeling that this was a much better reason.

"Historical records describe people from technological worlds behaving much the same way. They arrive confused, then immediately begin asking how everything works, who governs it and what documents they need." Roland added.

Janet snorted behind Damian. "Tsk... weirdos."

Roland walked around the desk and gestured toward the door.

"Come, young man. The process itself is simple."

The group left the office, with Agnes walking beside Roland while the four ladies followed Damian down the corridor.

They did not return to the main hall. Instead, Roland led them deeper into the second floor and down a narrow stone staircase hidden behind a reinforced iron door.

The air changed as they descended, and Damian felt it before he understood what was different.

The atmosphere had become heavier, carrying a faint pressure that settled against his skin. Thin silver runes lined the walls, glowing whenever someone passed beside them.

At the bottom of the stairs stood another door, this one carved from pale stone rather than wood or metal, and Roland placed his palm against its center.

The runes across the surface lit up, and the door silently slid into the wall.

Beyond it waited a circular hall illuminated by floating spheres of white light.

The room was far larger than Damian expected. Its domed ceiling rose several stories above them, covered in constellations that shifted slowly across the dark stone.

Six pillars surrounded the chamber, each carved with the emblem of one of the Great Classes, and at the center stood the World Stone Tablet.

It was a tall black stele nearly four meters high, smooth on the front and covered with countless lines of silver writing along its sides. Damian could not understand any of the inscriptions, but merely looking at them made something within him stir.

He then noticed a woman standing beside the Tablet.

She was tall enough to look most human men directly in the eye, with a mature, full figure displayed beneath a fitted black-and-purple mage’s gown. The garment was elegant rather than revealing, but its careful tailoring did little to hide her generous curves.

Long violet hair flowed down her back, while two curled strands framed a beautiful face that carried both warmth and danger. Her eyes were a deep crimson, half-lidded with amusement as she watched the group enter.

A dark staff rested against one shoulder, its head shaped like a silver crescent surrounding a red crystal.

"So this is the little Otherworlder causing all the excitement?" She asked with amusement.

Her voice was smooth, affectionate and slightly teasing, though the visible power in the form of circling airflow gathered around her made Damian instinctively cautious.

Roland grinned. "Damian, this is Master Mage Selene Vael, custodian of Rosewood’s World Stone Tablet."

Selene walked toward them with unhurried steps.

"Such a serious face, darling. You look as though we are about to sacrifice you." She observed with a teasing smile, stopping in front of Damian.

"I was told the process was simple," Damian replied guardedly, his brows furrowed.

"It is, but simple does not always mean comfortable." Selene assured him with a chuckle.

That was... not reassuring.

Selene smiled wider when she saw his expression.

"He’ll be fine... most likely~" she added, glancing toward Eunice.

Eunice sighed. "Please do not frighten him before the awakening, Lady Selene."

Selene seemed to disagree. "Where is the joy in being responsible if one cannot tease the people under one’s protection?"

Agnes cleared her throat sharply.

Selene gave the older receptionist an innocent look before turning back toward the Tablet.

"Stand before the stele, Damian. Place your right hand against the center and do not pull away until the process finishes."

Damian approached the World Stone Tablet and the closer he came, the stronger the pressure became. It was not hostile, but it made him aware that he did not belong.

That feeling had been present since he first awakened in Valoria, though so faintly that he had mistaken it for weakness after his injuries.

The air felt too dense, the ground seemed reluctant beneath his feet, and even breathing required slightly more effort than it should.

Damian stopped in front of the stele and raised his hand.

"Ready?" Selene asked.

"As I’ll ever be." Damian responded after taking a deep breath.

He pressed his palm against the cold black stone, and nothing happened for a short moment before the entire hall erupted with light.

A brilliant silver light surged through the lines carved into the stele, racing upward before spreading across the domed ceiling.

The six pillars answered in sequence, filling the chamber with red, green, gold, blue, violet and white light.

Damian’s body stiffened as something vast had noticed him.

He could not see it, but he felt an awareness sweep across his flesh, blood, mind and soul. It did not search him like a person examining an object, but scanned him like an AI taking in one’s fingerprint into the system database.

The sensation should have terrified him, but it carried no judgment.

The lights surrounding Damian condensed into thousands of tiny symbols and flowed into his body.

Immediately, warmth spread through him as the pressure weighing upon his body vanished as though a hidden door had finally opened. The ground no longer seemed to resist him, and the air entered his lungs freely.

For the first time since arriving, Valoria did not feel like a foreign world rejecting his presence.

The World Stone pulsed once as a wave of energy burst outward, making Damian’s cloak and brown hair flutter violently while the floating lights swirled around his body.

The spectacle lasted only several seconds before fading.

Damian lowered his hand, his palm still tingling, but there was no pain.

Selene studied him closely, her playful expression briefly replaced by the focus of a powerful Mage.

"Procedure successful. His existence has been recognized and anchored without conflict." She announced softly.

Roland released a satisfied rumble. "Good."

Before Damian could ask what came next, something stirred within his mind, and he instinctively focused upon it.

A pale blue Character Sheet appeared before his eyes.

[Name: Damian Baines.]

[Race: Human (Otherworlder)]

[Overall Level: Nil]

[Main Class: Wanderer]

[Subclass: None]

[Class Stage: Preparatory]

[Attributes: STR: 3, DEX: 4, AGI: 2, INT: 7, WIS: 8, SPI: 10]

[Feats: None.]

[Skills: None.]

[Specializations: Valorian Overworld Language (Master).]

[Titles: None]

Damian read through the information twice, and indeed, the physical Attributes were as poor as Julia had claimed.

His Strength was below the human average of five, his Dexterity was only slightly better, and his Agility was a miserable two.

Thinking that years of overwork would make him strong was a joke. All that had accomplished was teaching his body how to endure abuse for company profits.

His mental and spiritual Attributes were another matter though.

Seven Intelligence placed him clearly above average, while eight Wisdom likely reflected the practical judgment and understanding he had built through hardship.

His Spirit stood at ten, which was twice the adult human average.

Damian did not know whether that came from crossing worlds, surviving death or something that had always existed within him.

Whatever the cause, it was easily the most impressive part of his Character Sheet.

His Specialization was equally interesting.

<Valorian Overworld Language> had appeared at Master level, which explained why every spoken word and written sign had been understandable since his arrival.

The translation was not part of the Dual-Realm Exchange System, Valoria itself had granted it to him.

That was likely another benefit provided to Otherworlders.

Damian was still examining the sheet when a large hand struck his back, and the impact nearly launched him into the World Stone Tablet.

"Hahaha! Excellent! The first part is complete!" Roland declared with boisterous laughter.

Damian stumbled forward, caught himself and slowly turned toward the lionman.

For one terrible second, he wondered whether the Guildmaster’s congratulatory pat was intended to send him into reincarnation for a second time.

"What do you mean by the first part?" Damian asked after recovering his breath.

Roland’s grin widened until his sharp teeth became visible.

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

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