He explained. Everyone had a class. That was just—reality. You got a class based on what you did. If you liked to plant stuff and grow plants you became a [Gardener]. Or a [Grower]. Or a [Farmer], if you owned a farm. It depended.

For instance—you couldn’t become a [Farmer] without…a farm. A [Gardener] had to have a garden. But you could get a [Grower] class if you had a habit of growing plants in pots and stuff.

And if you leveled up or bought a farm, your class would consolidate into [Farmer]. Or—perhaps you might level up even more and become an [Overgrowth Farmer] who specialized in massive plants.

Skills gave you power. Ser Dalius didn’t understand the idea of physical limits. He pointed to Cara.

“A man can jump a building. With artifacts, magic, or simply the right Skills.”

“Bullshit. No one’s a superman.”

He shook his head.

“Miss Cara, I can fly. I did not possess this power in life, but as a mortal man I was still able to lift an entire tree at need. My skin could resist unenchanted arrows. And I knew men and women who could see for a mile and pick out an insect hopping in the grass, or outrun any bird. That is the power of Skills.

Surely your world has the equivalent?”

“No one’s jumping over buildings in my world. So I’ll get more Skills if I ‘level up’?”

He looked blank.

“Naturally. And if you are an…[Actor], as you say, you should already be in your mid-twenties. Still, the first ten levels are usually achieved before your majority—that is to say, sixteen years of age. At the bare minimum, actually. And the higher level you get? The stronger your Skills.”

That sounded exactly like game rules. Not that Cara was a big games fan. She lived for the stage, not…videogames. But everyone played a few games, and she’d picked up a few things.

“And the highest level…? What was yours?”

The man smoothed at his chin with three fingers.

“I was, in fact, a Level 46 [Knight]. A [Knight of the Crusade], actually, owing to my valor in battle.

Respectable. I never achieved [Bloom Knight] status, or [Knight of the Shadows], which are specialty classes of my Order—but I was fairly high-leveled. Few individuals ever pass Level 40, Miss Cara. Fewer still higher levels. Why—the highest-leveled individuals in our world are Level 60 to Level 70. I believe most [Archmages] are at least Level 60, with rare exception.”

They were just numbers to her. But Cara would have assumed Level 100 was the max. Apparently it was more of a curve.

“Huh. So you get better Skills?”

“Naturally. My last great Skill was [Lightning’s Hammer]—when I struck with my sword, a bolt of lightning would hit the ground!”