Dual Realm Exchange System

Damian did not answer immediately.

The six Great Classes remained displayed upon the teaching slate, each representing a different foundation through which he could begin accumulating power in Valoria.

From a purely numerical perspective, choosing one of the physical Classes would provide him with the greatest immediate benefit.

His Strength, Agility and Constitution were all painfully low.

Becoming a Fighter would grant him ten free Attribute Points at once, raising his body from that of an overworked and unhealthy laborer to the minimum standard of a trained combatant.

Rogue and Ranger offered similarly dramatic improvements, while Warden would greatly strengthen his frail Constitution.

Boy, was it tempting...

Damian had already experienced what it felt like to possess a weak body in a cruel world. He understood the value of physical strength, health and endurance better than most people ever would.

However, Attributes were the least of his concerns.

In truth, Damian’s situation was not nearly as comfortable as it appeared.

He had been rescued by kind people, healed with a potion, accepted by the laws of Valoria and presented with benefits that most natives could only dream of receiving.

To an outsider, it would seem that his fortunes had completely reversed overnight.

Yet... Damian alone knew that he was in a race against time.

Eunice’s Purification had cleared away the panic that once overwhelmed his thoughts, but it had not erased his memories or changed his priorities.

From the moment Damian woke in the forest, his mind had remained fixed upon one person.

His mother.

Every question he asked, every risk he considered and every polite response he offered had been made with the same goal in mind.

He needed to protect her.

He needed to care for her.

He needed to reach her before the hospital decided that keeping Angela Baines alive was no longer financially worthwhile.

At first, Damian had only thought about returning to Earth.

He had treated Valoria as an obstacle standing between himself and his mother, an unfamiliar world he needed to understand only so that he could escape it.

But now...

Damian looked at the people surrounding him.

Janet had stopped pointing at him like an accused criminal and was now watching with open curiosity, her large eyes waiting to see which path he would take.

Julia stood against one of the pillars, still looking mildly traumatized by his unearned benefits, though her distrust had clearly faded from what it had been when he first awakened.

Paulina remained close to Roland, her grey ears twitching as if she might still make another attempt on Damian’s life if he chose a Class that gave him too many free Attributes.

Eunice had risen from her prayers and once again carried the gentle composure that had reassured Damian when he was at his lowest.

There was also Agnes, the protective older woman who had distrusted him on sight, Guildmaster Roland with his booming laughter, and Selene, whose crimson eyes watched him with a mixture of amusement and interest.

Damian felt something strange stir within his chest.

On Earth, Damian had been a mere laborer whose education had ended early because someone had to care for his comatose mother.

His father had also been disabled by a rare disease that slowly destroyed his body, though that same condition had made his blood, tissue and remains valuable for medical research.

Damian had spent most of his youth trapped between hospital wards, bills and exhausting shifts. His world had gradually narrowed until it contained little beyond work and responsibility.

Even if he attained great power in Valoria and later found a way back to Earth, what exactly would he be returning to?

The best possible outcome was that he returned with all his power and the Dual-Realm Exchange System intact.

He could rescue his mother, heal her and punish those who had wronged them.

Then what?

The moment Earth’s governments discovered someone capable of using magic, crossing universes and transporting a thousand liters or an entire tonne of material between worlds, Damian’s life would be over.

He would receive the Bruce Banner treatment.

Every intelligence agency, government, corporation, military and criminal organization with sufficient resources would want to capture, recruit, threaten or dissect him.

Even if none of them could defeat him, he would spend the rest of his life hiding his power, protecting his mother and watching everyone around them for signs of betrayal.

The worst possible outcome was even simpler.

He might have to abandon the system and all the power he gained in order to return.

In that case, Damian would once again become a poorly educated, unhealthy young man with no time, money or useful qualifications beyond warehouse work.

His mother’s bills would remain impossible and that damned company would still fight his compensation claim.

The only paths toward quick wealth would be luck, exploitation or crime.

Damian’s fists clenched.

Clearly, merely returning to Earth alone was not enough for him anymore.

But there was another possibility.

Valoria possessed healing potions that could erase years of accumulated damage in seconds.

Clerics could remove harmful mental effects with a touch, and the existence of undead, souls and Spirit as an Attribute suggested that death itself was far less absolute here than it had been on Earth.

If Damian grew powerful enough, he might be able to cure his mother.

He... he might even find resurrection magic capable of bringing back his father!

More importantly, he did not necessarily need to return to Earth permanently to save them.

He could just... bring them here.

If Angela and his father were summoned into Valoria, they would also be Otherworlders.

They would receive identification, protection, healing and the same opportunities for growth that Damian had been granted.

His mother would no longer be a helpless body sustained by machinery and monthly payments, and his father might not need to remain dead.

They could live, and properly too, without disease or weakness.

Much of Damian’s own knowledge that allowed him to understand Valoria’s systems was his father’s weekly night sessions of Dungeons & Dragons with his uncles.

Being able to live in a world similar to that would probably make him weep with joy.

Damian had initially doubted whether he would ever be capable of locating Earth across an entire multiverse, breaking through the barrier between universes and somehow returning to the exact place he had left.

Now, the information around him had changed that calculation.

Otherworlders had appeared in Valoria many times, some arriving naturally like him, while others had been deliberately summoned.

That meant the route already existed, so Damian did not need to invent interdimensional travel from nothing. He only needed to obtain enough power, knowledge and resources to reproduce something Valorian Mages had already accomplished.

His connection to Earth might even make locating it easier.

Immediately, a clear path formed within the young man’s mind.

He would establish himself in Valoria.

He would gather power, wealth and influence.

He would unlock the Dual-Realm Exchange System’s full capabilities and build a foundation strong enough to protect his family once he brought them over.

And... all of that began with the Class he selected today!

Damian raised his head.

"Which class has the highest growth rate and can summon Otherworlders to a large degree of success?" Damian asked Roland directly.

The question caught the Guildmaster off guard, as Roland had likely expected him to ask which Class provided the greatest immediate Attribute gain, which one was easiest to level or which could make him the strongest in combat.

Instead, this promising young man had ignored his own immediate advantage and asked about summoning Otherworlders?

Roland stroked the thick fur along his chin, his golden eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

Selene hummed with interest.

"That would be us, the Mages. Or at least, one of four known Legend Classes of Summoner, Arcanist, Sage or Archon. They have reliably summoned Otherworlders before, though not necessarily of higher worlds like yours," Selene answered.

Her teasing expression had softened slightly.

For the first time since meeting him, she seemed to be looking beyond Damian’s appearance and considering the reason behind his question.

Damian glanced toward Roland, and the lionman nodded.

"Selene is correct. Other Classes may gain abilities capable of crossing great distances or calling beings from elsewhere, but Mage is the most reliable foundation for deliberate dimensional summoning," Roland confirmed.

He understood enough to guess Damian’s intention.

The young Otherworlder had woken in a new realm with no possessions and no foundation, yet his first concern was apparently finding a way to summon someone else from his former world.

Roland saw no reason to discourage him.

If Damian eventually succeeded, Rosewood Town could become known as the place where multiple high-technology Otherworlders had first settled.

Roland could already imagine the faces of the other Guildmasters during the annual Grayfen Region summit.

Those old bastards spent every year boasting about newly discovered dungeons, talented adventurers and profitable monster territories.

Whereas he, Roland Hammond, would arrive with an entire family of Otherworlders!

The mere thought of it caused the corners of Roland’s mouth to rise.

"There are differences between those four Advanced Classes," Selene continued, walking closer to the teaching slate.

"A Summoner specializes in calling, binding and maintaining beings from elsewhere. An Arcanist pursues the deepest structure of magic and can achieve dimensional travel through knowledge. A Sage usually reaches similar results through great comprehension and control, while an Archon commands magic with such authority that the world itself begins yielding to their will."

"Which is the most suitable for bringing a specific person from another world?" Damian questioned.

"A Summoner would be the most direct, but reaching the person you want depends upon possessing a connection, location or suitable medium. An Arcanist might construct the ritual more precisely, while a Sage could understand the bond between you and use it as a path. An Archon might simply force the passage open, though reaching that level is hardly something one plans around casually." Selene replied thoughtfully.

None of the answers guaranteed success.

They did, however, prove that success was possible, and that was enough.

Damian spent the next half hour examining the other Great Classes before committing himself.

He asked Roland and Selene about their common growth paths, Origin Feats, starting boons and the types of Advanced Classes they could eventually become.

Fighter offered the strongest immediate improvement to his body and a direct path toward martial power. Its Origin Feat was <Double Strike>, which allowed one to deal damage twice with a single hit if their luck rolled well, while its later paths included Weaponmasters, Generals and Monks.

Rogue offered speed, precision and concealment, making it suitable for someone who wanted to survive through intelligence rather than direct force. Its Origin Feat was <Skilled>, which allowed one to gain Novice-level mastery in three tools of their choice, where it could grow into Assassin, Night Terror or Spy.

Ranger combined physical combat with exploration and tracking. It would suit Damian’s need to travel, gather resources and operate beyond civilized territory. Its Origin Feat was <Keen Eye>, which enhanced eyesight, gave low-level dark vision and increased projectile accuracy. Beastmaster and Marksman were both attractive future paths of this Class.

Cleric matched his high Wisdom and Spirit almost perfectly. It offered healing, divine protection and perhaps the most direct route toward restoring his mother’s health. Its Origin Feat was <Divine Attunement>, allowing Clerics to ’switch’ from the typical system to the religious system of their church without any penalties.

Warden provided durability, defense and the ability to protect others, which appealed strongly to Damian’s instincts. Its Origin Feat was <Bulwark>, granting an extra 2 points in Constitution and granting increased health regeneration beyond normal limits. It evolved into Classes like Vanguard, Bastion or Shieldmaster.

Mage, however, remained the only Class that directly supported his long-term objective and also matched his natural Attributes.

Damian did not rush the choice merely because Selene had given him an attractive answer. He questioned her on the weaknesses of Mages, the cost of spellcasting, their dependence upon mana and the dangers of possessing a physically weak body.

He learned that Mages could grow into some of the most versatile and destructive beings in Valoria, but their early levels were dangerous.

They needed knowledge, money, spells and time.

A poorly prepared Mage could exhaust their mana as well as their spell slots and become almost helpless within seconds.

The Class demanded planning, but that suited Damian more than it discouraged him.

While the discussion continued, Janet gradually lost interest and began yawning openly. She eventually sat on the floor beside one of the pillars, resting her chin against her knees.

Paulina lasted slightly longer before her head began dipping forward. Each time her eyes closed, her ears snapped upright and she forced herself awake, only to repeat the process a few minutes later.

Julia listened whenever Ranger or Rogue was discussed, while Eunice quietly offered additional information about Clerics.

Agnes returned upstairs once it became clear that the decision would take time.

Selene remained patient throughout, answering Damian’s questions without trying to push him toward her own Class.

Roland did the same, though his smile made it obvious that he approved of the young man’s caution.

Damian finally stepped back from the teaching slate, realizing his decision could not be perfect.

No single Class could solve all his problems at once.

Choosing Mage meant surrendering the massive physical Attribute increases offered by Fighter, Rogue, Ranger or Warden.

It would leave him physically weak and dependent upon magic during his earliest stages.

Being a Cleric might heal his mother sooner, while being a Warden might protect her better once she arrived, but Mage offered the broadest path toward making any of that possible in the first place.

It could heal through magic, create wealth through enchantment, defend through barriers, attack through spells and eventually cross the walls between worlds.

Most importantly, Mage was the foundation from which Damian could reach Summoner, Arcanist, Sage or Archon, four roads that might lead him back to his family.

Thirty minutes after Roland first presented the choice, Damian finally looked toward the World Stone Tablet.

Janet stopped yawning and Paulina’s eyes opened drowsily.

Selene’s smile returned, while Roland folded his massive arms and waited.

Damian released a slow breath.

"Fine then. I have decided to take on... the Mage class!"

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