This object had no name, and its origins were unknown. The die was merely its outward form; in essence, it was a supernatural manifestation of some kind of rule.

Its basic function was the character sheet. Its other abilities could only be activated by lighting up the symbols on the die.

'How do I activate them?' Anser demanded.

The die gave no response. It did not appear to possess any intelligence.

'View character sheet.'

The die trembled slightly, projecting a screen filled with data into his mind.

[Name: Anser Holrevin]

<Race>: Human—Silverbrow (Medium)

<Background>: None

<Class>: None

<Level>: 0

<Hit Points>: 2/4

<Armor Class>: 11

<Alignment>: Neutral

<Faith>: None

—Core Attributes—

[Strength: 11]

[Dexterity: 12]

[Constitution: 11]

[Intelligence: 12]

[Wisdom: 13]

[Charisma: 14]

<Skills>: Arcana +1, History +1

<Languages>: Common, Netherese, Illuskan

<Feats>: None

<Equipment>: Crystal Arcane Focus

—Spells—

<Cantrips>: Light, Ray of Frost

One quick look told Anser what he was seeing: a status panel built on D&D rules.

'Silverbrow?'

It took Anser a while to remember that Silverbrows were a draconic lineage descended from the metallic dragon most fond of mingling in human society—the silver dragon.

One of their more common physical traits was a silver streak or sheen in their hair, hence the name Silverbrow.

The original Anser had known nothing about this, and his body possessed no spell-like abilities. The bloodline was probably ancient and extremely diluted.

That was nothing unusual. Toril was home to countless races that lived side by side, and some could reproduce across the boundaries of species. Over the long ages, no one knew how many strange hybrids had been born.

Setting aside his race, the original Anser's attributes were... frankly abysmal.

Under D&D rules, a commoner had 4 hit points and scores of around 10 in all six attributes.

A wizard with Intelligence below 10 would lose the ability to cast spells. Below 8... he would practically be intellectually disabled. In most circumstances, a character's attributes would not fall below 8.

The original Anser's attributes were only slightly better than a commoner's. Becoming a wizard with 12 Intelligence would be extraordinarily difficult.

Wizards were a highly intelligent group, and qualifying for the class was extremely difficult. An ordinary person could rarely manage it through diligent study alone.

His 14 Charisma was probably related to his lineage.

Fortunately, the original Anser was not completely without merit. Through diligent study, he had learned two additional languages and gained some grounding in Arcana and History.

The character sheet began to flicker. When Anser touched it lightly, a character-editing screen appeared. From top to bottom, it listed Origin (Background and Race), Class, and Attributes.

Origin and Attributes, however, were both grayed out.

'Looks like I inherited the original owner's background, race, and attributes. I can't change them.' Anser was somewhat disappointed.

He "clicked" the Background field, and a notification appeared on the character sheet:

"Noble and Sage backgrounds detected. You may choose one as your character's origin. This will grant increases to your attribute scores, feats, and skill proficiencies."

'Huh... Choosing between two isn't bad.'

He examined them one at a time and found the basis for both backgrounds rather tenuous.

Noble probably came from his family name. Anser himself possessed no title whatsoever; he was a commoner through and through.

Sage was somewhat more plausible. After all, he had spent countless days and nights studying books and scrolls and reading accounts of the multiverse. That made him half a scholar at best: a soul hungry for knowledge, saddled with the aptitude of a poor student.

Noble increased Strength, Intelligence, and Charisma and granted the <Skilled> feat. Sage increased Constitution, Intelligence, and Wisdom and granted the <Magic Initiate> feat.

Anser did not make his choice yet. Instead, he continued on to Race.

<Race>: Human

<Creature Type>: Humanoid

<Size>: Medium

<Traits>:

Attribute Score Increase: Increase two different attributes of your choice by 1 each.

Skill: Gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.

Versatile: Gain one Origin feat of your choice.

'Two attribute points, one feat, and three skills.' Anser raised an eyebrow, excitement stirring within him.

Once he took a class, his background and race would grant him five attribute points and two feats. That was an excellent start.

Finally, he opened the Class option, and thirteen icons appeared.

Barbarian (Strength), Fighter (Strength or Dexterity), Paladin (Strength or Charisma)

Cleric (Wisdom), Druid (Wisdom), Monk (Dexterity or Wisdom)

Ranger (Dexterity or Wisdom), Rogue (Dexterity)

Sorcerer (Charisma), Warlock (Charisma), Bard (Charisma)

Wizard (Intelligence), Artificer (Intelligence)

These were all primary classes, each offering numerous subclasses after one acquired it.

Each class relied on different primary attributes, and most offered some form of spellcasting. Only wizards, sorcerers, clerics, druids, and bards counted as full casters, however, and could master 9th-level spells at level 17.

'Why are these classes covered in varying shades of black and red?' Anser frowned slightly as a sense of foreboding rose within him.

He reached out with his mind and lightly touched the Wizard class, which was so red it was nearly black. Two warnings immediately appeared:

"The Weave is unstable, and uncontrolled raw magic is surging. Cast spells with caution!"

"The character's innate Intelligence is too low. Choose with caution!"

He had already expected the first warning. "Unstable" was probably the more accurate description. The Weave likely had not collapsed completely, because magical lights were still flashing across the distant battlefield.

The second warning was rather more hurtful.

Low Intelligence was a fundamental problem. If he could freely allocate attributes as he could in a game, he could raise his primary attribute to 16 or higher at level 1. Unfortunately, he had no spare attribute points.

In D&D, every four levels allowed a character to choose either one feat or two attribute points. If his starting attributes were too low, he would have to sacrifice valuable feats, drastically lowering the upper limit of his strength.

'Looks like the Weave affects wizards most of all,' Anser thought.

An unstable Weave might not trouble brilliant archmages, but ordinary wizards were in for a miserable time, scraping by on cantrips.

If Wizard was not an option, he would choose another class.

Right now, he needed a class that could get him out of this enormous crater at level 1. The distant future could wait. D&D placed no limit on multiclassing as long as he met the attribute requirements; at worst, he could take a different class at level 2.

'I have to climb up!' He looked at the cliff and waterfalls dozens of meters above him, urgency tightening his chest. 'Before this place collapses.'

If he fell into the Underdark, even surviving the drop would only leave him buried beneath the hordes of subterranean creatures.

Classed individuals possessed impressive athletic ability, but relying on his body alone would be extremely dangerous. A spell such as Mage Hand, Feather Fall, or Jump would be best for keeping him alive.

"A spellcaster takes priority. Ideally, I should heal my leg as well," Anser mused as he looked at his numb right leg.

He first touched the gray Cleric class.

"A casual worshiper cannot acquire the Cleric class!"

Anser felt helpless. It was certainly too late to find faith now. A cleric's spells came from the deity they worshiped, and the consequences of being exposed as a fraud would be severe.

He checked the rest. Every spellcasting class was shrouded in ominous red light. Bard and Druid glowed deep red; Warlock and Sorcerer were lighter.

Warlocks borrowed power from patrons—Celestials, Archfey, Fiends, and the like—through pacts. The very idea made him uneasy, so he set that class aside for now.

When he selected Sorcerer, information immediately appeared:

"A dragon's gift, a dryad attending an infant's birth, or a lightning strike from a clear blue sky might awaken the gift of sorcery.

"A god's blessing, exposure to the strange magic of another plane, or a glimpse into the principles of reality can likewise transform an ordinary person into a sorcerer..."

"Sorcerers do not study magic. The churning raw magic is an innate part of their being..."

To Anser's surprise, a sorcerer could choose a [Sorcerous Origin] (subclass) at level 1:

Aberrant Mind, Clockwork Sorcery, Draconic Sorcery, Wild Magic, Divine Soul, Shadow Magic, Storm Sorcery.

Yet five of the seven subclasses were grayed out!

Additional Notes:

1. D&D character sheets are quite complicated. Listing everything might confuse readers unfamiliar with the rules, so this character sheet has been appropriately simplified to show only the core data.

2. Attribute descriptions:

Strength: Muscular power, athletic training, and the physical potential one can exert.

Dexterity: Agility, reflexes, and balance.

Constitution: Health, stamina, and vitality.

Intelligence: Reasoning ability, memory, and logic.

Wisdom: Intuition, observation, insight, and mental resilience.

Charisma: The manifestation of the soul's light. It possesses tangible magical power and affects magic, spellcasting, social interaction, and more. Outwardly, it appears as presence, bearing, affinity, attractiveness, and similar qualities.

High Charisma does not necessarily mean someone is handsome. It is a magically compelling inner quality.

3. Neutral: The starting state of most ordinary people. Survival is their highest priority, and they avoid alignment conflicts.

Alignment is not immutable.

4. Clockwork Sorcery: "Channel the force of cosmic order." Requires a lawful alignment.

Divine Soul: "A spark of divine power shines within the soul." Anser had absolutely no connection to any divine being.

5. The race uses the Variant Human from 5E.

(End of Chapter)