Chapter 60: Dawned On Me

Truthfully, I didn’t entirely believe what Harvey was telling me. Oh, the broad strokes of the history was likely rooted in fact, and even the motivations were believable, but the entire explanation felt like a very high level overview, the kind of thing printed on training pamphlets handed to interns and new joiners on their first day at the company. The point that led to the most doubt on my part, by a considerable margin, was the emphasis on unity between the factions. Self-interest was an inherent part of the human condition, irrespective of the greater needs of society. This held true on Earth across all nations, irrespective of the specifics of governance at the local level, to such a degree that I simply could not believe that it could be set aside in any meaningful way.

Sure, humanity could sometimes unite in the face of a truly existential threat, and I had no doubt the soldiers who manned the Wall gave it their all against the monsters trying to climb over them, but that was only the mindless specimens. If intelligent monsters truly existed, and were truly possessed of sentience and sapience alike, capable of self-actualisation and reasoning in the manner of humans, then how could they possibly be fully united in purpose? It was too much for me to believe or buy into, not without some primary research in the matter. Still, that wasn’t likely to happen any time soon, and I needed to level up in the meantime so that when I finally encountered an intelligent monster, I could actually engage them in a meaningful way. For that, information on Class Upgrades was precious.

“Every being is born under the System’s observation. On the first full day of their existence, those of sufficient will to earn the System’s recognition are marked as a Level 0 Child. Those who do not receive this designation are either a species too trivial for be marked for further development, such as the lesser insects or molluscs, or simply those too sickly to survive the night. For everyone else, with every full year lived, their Level increases by one, until they reach adulthood by the standard of their species. At this point, advancement is purely in terms of physical growth, as earning experience is not possible. This lasts until adulthood, which varies by species but always culminates in Class Day, where proper Class is assigned, taking into account all aspects of individual development, experience, talent and potential.”

All of this I knew already, it being somewhat common knowledge in this world, but I made no move to interrupt Harvey, as I recognised it as a simple preamble, a bit of verbal warm-up to ease him into his tale.

“Once a Class is assigned, advancement is no longer automatic. To grow any further, worldly experience is needed. The System is fair, and does not impose challenges upon those who do not want them. If your primary concern is to live a safe, stable life, you can find it in villages across the human continent, where people can live their entire lives without ever wielding a blade in anger. In Frontier, a census is undertaken every twenty years, in an attempt to document the demographics of each generation. In the previous census conducted sixteen years ago, it was estimated that over four fifths of the population live their entire adult lives with a non-combatant Class, most commonly either as a Farmer or Civilian, and will die before reaching Level 5. The System is fair, without challenge, there is little room for growth.

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Don’t think I’m disparaging such folk, however, because they fulfil a vital role in society, performing all of the menial yet necessary work that keeps humanity alive. Of all the classes in existence, only a vanishing few can create substance from nothing, and never in any noticeable bulk. The unnamed masses are the gears in the great machine, what keeps us fed, watered and warm. Without them, every hero of humanity would be lucky not to starve, never mind performing any great deeds of valour.”

Frankly, even one fifth of individuals following a martial pursuit seemed staggeringly high to me; back on Earth, that number would be much closer to one percent.

“For those who crave adversity, rapid growth is possible, as they meet the requirements of their Class. With a steady diet of hard work and a little bit of luck, an average man with a traditional Class can expect to maintain their childhood rate of advancement, and gain one Level per year. Of course, by merely meeting the expectations of the Class, they will never earn a Class Upgrade. To earn such an honour, you must exceed all expectations, and earn renown in the eyes of the System. There is no fixed criteria for this, at least none that I know of, though it remains a heated subject of debate the world over. The only certainty is that your deeds must impress the System, they must be unusual, or brilliant, or insane, just somehow different from the masses, enough to make you stand out as an individual. If you can achieve this, then maybe, just maybe, you’ll one day be presented with an upgrade.”

[Harvey Miller wants to Connect. Yes/No?]

“My Class, Thief of Souls, is a bit sensitive by nature, as the tale of how I earned it cannot be separated from the secrets of the Dead Hand. If you want to know, we’ll have to stay in Contact, as whilst not airtight, this ensures a minimum amount of security. You don’t have to accept, feel free to reject my System request, and we’ll not speak of this again.”

[Harvey Miller - Level 9 Thief of Souls added to Contacts.]

I had to stifle a laugh at that as I immediately accepted, because quite frankly, I was already too deeply involved to do otherwise. I’d committed to travel with Harvey for three months while engaging in illegal enterprise; adding him as a Contact didn’t risk much, compared to my existing commitment and the benefits on offer. As expected, his name appeared on my Contacts list immediately, though what happened next was a surprise to me.

[Mutual Contact detected.

Updating information.

Amelia Dawn - Level 30 Necromancer now available in Contacts.]