L.E. Miranda
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SSR - Book 2 Chapter 9: The Dreamer
🕑 Added 2025-03-11 02:41:48 +0000 UTCThere will be a note at the bottom of the chapter just like this one. I would be thankful if you guys could read it! This is mainly to avoid spoilers.
***
“So?” Gerard hurriedly asked after a few seconds. “Out with it! You’re doing this on purpose!”
Rylan threw a Gerard a mischievous grin and turned back to the Class’ information. The more he looked at it, the more pleased he got.
An unexpected harvest for the first Class Evolution.
He narrowed his eyes. If anything, he’d expected a Magic Swordsman Class or the like, not this. The Class’ information became larger and clearer.
[Class
The Dreamer: as Roland Steelsong, your sword’s edge ruled the heavens and earth. As Rylan Flameheart, you overcame the person you were and started to pursue a different path to greatness by sheer force of will. The union of your two lives is what pushes you forward. Your determination to be better than you ever were before has not wavered. With the heavens as witness, you will go down an unprecedented road. You never stopped dreaming of a better future in either of your lives.
Stats: +8 all stats.
Per Level: +6 all stats, +7 Free Points.
* Increases the learning speed of new spells by 20%. Increases the effectiveness of all spells by 12%. Increases the learning speed of new sword styles by 20%. Increases the effectiveness of all Sword Arts by 12%.
* All your stats will increase by 10% when using both magic and swordsmanship.
* Grants the Passive Skill ‘Dreams of Transcendence.’]
Rylan let out a sigh of admiration.
That’s a lot.
Not only was it a Class that acknowledged his reincarnation, it also boosted both his spellcasting abilities and his swordsmanship. That alone made it the best Class he’d been offered by far – especially because of the path he wanted to take – but there was one more thing he needed to check. He focused his perception no the last line. After a second, another System message appeared.
[Passive Skill
Dreams of Transcendence: you have been reborn and neither your memories nor your experience disappeared, but your past life’s power vanished. All that remained was your dream to surpass even Transcendence. You are the harbinger of a new dawn, united by the threads of fate that bind two lives. The sizzling embers might one day ignite into an inferno. May you turn that dream into a reality.
Effects: increases all kinds of learning speed by 15%. Increases your ability to integrate swordsmanship and spellcasting. Increases the speed of your progress toward Transcendence. Increases the speed of your progress toward awakening Aura by 10%. Increases the effectiveness of all training by 12%.]
Rylan couldn’t help but smile widely. This was it. The System was acknowledging that he path he was pursuing wasn’t flawed. He clenched his fists. The System didn’t make mistakes. For the Class bonuses to be this good, it could only mean that he was on the right track. Naturally, he also hadn’t missed the last lines of his new best Skill’s description.
I can awaken Aura.
It was a confirmation of what he had suspected all along, an incredibly monumental line that made him understand that his efforts hadn't been wasted. Rylan smiled widely, trying to calm his racing heart down. All he needed to do was keep at it. As long as he didn't stop trying, he would get where he wanted to be.
“Rylan!” Gerard’s voice suddenly resounded, sounding more anxious than before and dragging Rylan out of his thoughts.
Rylan flashed his father an apologetic smile and explained the Class and unique Skill to him. Gerard’s expression changed as Rylan went on. By the time Rylan finished reading the Class’ specifications, Gerard donned a visage of pure disbelief. Rylan glanced up at him with a grin.
“…What the fuck?” Gerard asked after a few seconds, incredulous.
Rylan smiled at him.
“Do you need me to read it again?”
Gerard scoffed.
“Oh, shut up. I need to sit down. Fuck.”
The man dragged his feet toward the chair and sat on it as if he were collapsing, then stared at the ceiling.
“…Unbelievable. It’s only the first Class Evolution. Something like this…” Gerard said after a moment of silence.
Rylan observed his father’s reactions with interest. Even though it was obvious that The Dreamer was a good Class, he didn’t know much about possible Classes in this life. All he could compare it to were the other Classes he’d been offered by the System. It was completely possible that others had been offered equally great Classes during their first Class Evolution. However, judging by Gerard’s reaction, it didn’t seem to be common, at the very least.
“It’s a good thing. The stronger I am, the better. This Class is the best one out of all of them, especially because it boosts both magic and swordsmanship,” Rylan replied.
Gerard sighed deeply.
“…What was your first Class like in your past life?”
Rylan rubbed his chin in thought.
“Prodigal Swordsinger was the Class that led Roland to become the Sword Saint. It took into account both his Prodigy Trait and his connection with the sword itself. It represented the first step of his journey. In terms of swordsmanship alone, it was better than The Dreamer. However, The Dreamer also boosts spellcasting. I’d say they’re about even.”
Roland’s first Class Evolution had been the beginning of a chain reaction. Because of Prodigal Swordsinger’s power, he had been able to delve into greater Dungeons to Level up and fight against stronger opponents. This usually resulted in treasure and greater fame, which hastened his development. Naturally, this meant he acquired Aura faster than anyone else by continuously facing powerful foes. By taking full advantage of the Class, Roland had managed to strengthen himself faster than almost anyone else.
And I can do the same with this one.
The Dreamer was a Class that had been offered because of the unique circumstances surrounding his existence. It belonged solely to him as ‘Rylan,’ even though it had been influenced by his past life.
“Since they’re even, doesn’t that mean you can become as powerful as Roland?” Gerard said, turning to look at Rylan.
“No,” Rylan replied with a smile. “I’ll become more powerful than him. For the sake of our family.”
Gerard stared at him with a complicated gaze.
“…You know you don’t have to live your entire life for our sake, right? I understand why you’re like this, but it’s fine for you to have dreams of your own.”
Rylan immediately shook his head.
“I won’t make the same mistake again. You guys are what’s most precious to me, as you should be. I’d kill an Ancient Dragon if it meant keeping this family safe.”
No matter what, he couldn’t have the same regrets as Roland when he died. Rylan steeled his resolve. He understood his father’s words but didn’t think he should change. Roland’s only dream had been to become as strong as possible to keep himself from losing anything again. Rylan’s dream was to become powerful enough to be able to shield his family from any kind of danger.
…I guess in the end, I’m still seeking power.
He unclenched his fists and looked at his palms, furrowing his brow. Was this truly everything he should care about? How much of himself was focused on making up for Roland’s mistakes alone? He didn’t know the answer. Rylan didn’t even know what kinds of dreams he was supposed to have. Maybe he should try to become the strongest Mage?
“Rylan,” Gerard’s voice suddenly resounded, dragging him out of his thoughts. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to become stronger in a world like this. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to protect us because of what happened to Roland. But there’s also no problem in living for yourself. Once you find something you want to do, think about yourself too.”
The room went silent as Rylan pondered his father’s words.
…Something I want to do.
Did he want to surpass Roland and prove himself as the Sword Saint’s reincarnation? Or simply become as powerful as possibly could? Both would be enough for a goal, and it was only natural for him to want to become stronger, but that wasn’t everything. If he had to pick one thing apart from protecting his family and becoming even stronger than Roland, then…
“…I want to see the world,” Rylan said suddenly said. “I want to become stronger, protect all of you, and see everything there is to see.”
His past self had spent his entire life in Cantavega, concerned only with how much Dust he could snort before the sun went down. Roland, on the other hand, had been able to go anywhere at anytime, and had gathered countless memories of different places and appearances. The gap between the two lives was too large. At the same time, he currently lived in a completely different world from Roland, or so it seemed. That meant there could be unique places different from anything Roland had seen.
It wasn’t a goal nearly as grand as rising to Roland’s level or becoming the Sword Saint again. But it was something ‘he’ wanted to do. Besides, it wasn’t like he needed to choose a single objective.
I’ll become stronger than anyone else, too. For the sake of my family.
Rylan raised his gaze, looking at Gerard’s smiling visage.
“It’s a good goal. In fact, restricting yourself to Cantavega’s surroundings or even this kingdom is bound to hinder your development. The world is a big place.”
Rylan nodded. There were treasures to acquire and Skills to learn, alongside Dungeons to clear. Only by going everywhere he could to gather experience and memories would he be able to develop as quickly as he possibly could.
“Well, that’s for the future. We have problems that need solving right now. If there’s no better Class, pick The Dreamer,” Gerard continued.
Rylan looked at the System window that was still open.
“System, I choose The Dreamer Class. I’m sure.”
All System windows disappeared before a blue light wrapped itself around him.
Here it comes.
The blue glow became thicker by the second as it flowed into his body. His heartbeat became ever stronger, thundering in his chest. His blood flowed faster, pushing against the walls of his blood vessels. Rylan let out a breath and closed his eyes, using his perception to identify all changes to his body. His muscles rippled and developed, becoming both tougher and more flexible, and his bones creaked. His entire body was undergoing a revolution.
The seconds ticked by. Finally, as suddenly as the light had appeared, it vanished. A message appeared in front of Rylan.
[Human (F) has become Human (E).]
[You will now receive two Free Points per Level because of your Race.]
He smiled and opened his Status Window.
Status Window
Name: Rylan Flameheart
Level: 25
Race: Human (E)
Class: The Dreamer
Profession: none.
Trait: Determined
Stats
Strength: 68
Agility: 68
Endurance: 69
Body: 69
Intelligence: 97
Wisdom: 79
Free Points: 27
Active Skills
Magic Missile (F); Stormcaller Sword Style (S), Mountainpeak Swordsmanship (A), Second Imperial Swordsmanship (B), Falling Snow Steps (A), Earth Grab (F), Earth Spikes (E), Firebolt (F), Wind Blades (F), Water Bullets (F), Gust (F), Ray of Frost (F).
Passive Skills
Mana Core (Second Circle), Sword Handling (E), Stamina (E), Blade Affinity (D), Precision (E), Force (E), Overpower (D), Balance (E), Cutting Edge (D), Persistence (D), Mana Affinity (E), Faster Casting (D), Lionheart (C), Dreams of Transcendence.
Hybrid Skills
Sword Mastery (Master), Mana Cultivation (Beginner).
Titles
Young Mage; Reincarnator; Swordmaster; Intermediate Monster Slayer; Hard-working; Duelist; Swordseeker; Bladedancer; Battlemage; Moonlight’s Eternal Promise.
Rylan rubbed his chin. Apart from the introduction of the new Passive Skill and stat increases due to Class Evolution, nothing much had changed. Apprentice Mage had become Young Mage, but that was it. However, this represented something incredibly important – he could now Level up again.
“Father,” Rylan said as he stood up, “We should go now.”
Gerard looked at the study’s only window, facing the sunlight that shone upon him. Rylan glanced at it. The sun was still in the sky.
“Yes, we should,” Gerard replied with a serious expression.
Rylan smiled.
“To the Open Dungeon, then.”
He would defeat the enemies on his way there to Level up and enter the Dungeon with Gerard. He only had less than three weeks.
Let’s do this.
For the sake of the hometown he’d damaged so much and for his father, Rylan would clear the Dungeon and defeat everything in his path.
***
So, this Class was actually pretty hard to come up with. I had this vision of what I wanted the 'Dreams of Transcendence' Skill to be, but not so much about the Class that it would be part of. How good of a Class would it have to be in order to make sense, given that Rylan is a reincarnated Sword Saint - whose power was in a scale 'we' still don't know exactly - but also, one that fits the very first Class Evolution? Simultaenously, I needed to address the fact that Rylan is seeking to merge both swordsmanship and magic.
This is just a long-winded way of saying that I'd really appreciate you guys' feedback and input on this chapter. I'll read every comment like always and make the changes I feel are necessary. Thank you!
Comments
Traellium
I think some people have? In Roland's world mana was known about but severely under-developed. I assumed this was the case for Aura in this world.
Bettina
The class sounds great. See the world is a big change from no time to explore the capital - got to train. For the positive. I'll enjoy learning more about the surroundings. I regretted the lost opportunity for sightseeing and a great shopping spree in the capital. Also learning more about the animals will be interesting. I'm no fan of infodumps, but calling the wildlife lizard creatures and not learning the species name seems rather disinterested in the world.
Reader reading
TYFTC! Really liked the class. Something that I have been thinking about is regarding aura is that it doesn’t make sense really if he is the only one on the planet that has it. No one has ever worked so hard that they unlocked it before through history?it seems like all you have to do to unlock aura is train ridiculously hard. Sure it’s difficult but to have no one to have done it seems odd. I think it might make more sense for it to be extreamly rare and only higher level people are aware of it, but for him to be the only one in the story to know about it later on might make it feel a little weird. - just a thought. Keep going!
Dave_S
Thanks for the chapter! Nice class!
santiago uccella
Thanks for the chapters! Last time I commented I felt divided about continuing with th suscripción because the publishing timeschedule was becoming erratic. It's better now and I'm glad I kept going. I justo need MORE haha
Justin Mott
Is there a discord?
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter! I mean so far it all sounds great with that class... Lots of power interesting mechanics and nice descriptions that make sense with how Rylan developed. I think Amy real judgement will have to be kind of reserved once we go back to the academy wether he just completely dunks on every other student purely by his class power or still needs to use his manifold skills and so on to succeed. But looks great so far!
L.E. Miranda
Good point. I have an idea of where I want to go, but yes, I'll think about the specifics more. Thank you!
L.E. Miranda
Yeah, I don't want the first Class Evo to give Rylan a strong Active Skill. Dreams of Transcendence is strong enough. At the same time, the creation of Skills that merge both swordsmanship and magic is definitely coming! He just needs to train for a while
L.E. Miranda
Yeah, I definitely thought of doing that. Still a bit on the fence about it, despite this chapter. At the very least, I'll enhance his reaction to the confirmation of Aura's existence in this life. I feel like it's too bland as it is
L.E. Miranda
Moonlight will indeed return, but your way of doing it is interesting. I hadn't thought of something like that and it would definitely be a way of making Moonlight part of the story much earlier than I had planned. Thanks for the idea!
L.E. Miranda
Completely understand your perspective. The reason why I didn't go with something like that is the Scrying Crystals/similar tools. In times when Rylan has to reveal his class - for whatever story/plot point, including his new master - Trailblazer would raise more eyebrows than The Dreamer, in my opinion
L.E. Miranda
I saw your comment about the mind/spirit thing and it isn't a bad idea at all. Definitely common in cultivation stories AND focused on in one of the stories I used as inspiration for this one (Second Coming of Gluttony). I've just been thinking abt how to introduce it in this story. As for Moonlight, I won't spoil anything, but the sword's words in the Title are a hint that it's not just a weapon!
Bosparan
Heya, thanks for the chapter! Regarding the class: I think stat/skill-wise it is just fine. This is a power fantasy, so he gets the good stuff. The only issue I tend to have with huge rewards is when they don't feel earned, something that definitely does _NOT_ apply here. And it isn't so completely off-kilter as it might seem: This class grants a total of 43 points per level. The minimal power magic class upgrade offered 15. While this may seem crazy, split this between magic, physical (defensive) and physical (offensive) attributes: + Dreamer: 12 Magic, 12 Defense, 12 Offense, 7 Free + Wizard: 8 Magic, 2 Defense, 5 Free Even with the most boring spellcasting class, they can have more magic stats than Rylan, unless he also puts his free points in magic. And there must be far better magic classes than [Wizard]. Also, spells also offer defense via barrier spells, compensating somewhat for that part of the stats, especially once you master dual-casting. As we've seen in the tournament, those shield spells are not perfect, but still, a fairly viable substitute for Body. In other words, he still has a gap to overcome against his peers that focus solely on magic. He still has to put in effort. One of the big challenges I see in the longevity of Power Fantasies, is when explosive growth has them leave everything behind in the dust at an ever-increasing scale. This class appears to not do that too badly, especially when he keeps hiding half of his skillset ...
Moaz Khan
I made a comment in the last chapter about a 3rd mind/spirit path, and I thought it could be a nice element to introduce another power set. Instead of using Aura (generated from the body), or mana (generated from energy in the world), there could be a third element generated from dieties (like holy/demonic) which could also serve as another set of enemies (something I see in a lot of warlock series). I think it could be a nice tie in to re-introduce Moonlight as more than a weapon but an actual character/familiar type weapon
Stephen Pearson
Thanks for the chapter! I like the class (though it definitely leans OP, that can still be fun), but it feels to me like Dreamer as a concept is traditionally relatively passive. Since he's actively creating something new on this world, a more traditionally proactive name like Pathfinder or Trailblazer seems to fit better to me... though again, the actual benefits and skills are on point.
Alex Alexander
I like it he currently has mana and magic which seems like 2 parts of a path but seems to be missing aura for his swordsmanship maybe it would be appropriate to unlock aura and his main efforts are working them together idk however you do it I will prob enjoy it as I check for notifications everyday for this story
Senoj Ttehr
He needs to get his sword back..but as it might be too OP, perhaps have it temporarily weakened to his level due to the long interdimensional journey the sword had to undergo. It then regains its power as he levels up.
dani
I vote for class without active skills. It suits Rylan's goal better if he learns something himself than if he gets something from the system.
James Faulkner
Tftc!
Monadologist
He now has an explicit acknowledgement from the system that obtaining Aura is possible. I admit I expected you to keep that one closer to your chest until a big reveal later.
BH
Or if you don’t want to associate any active skills with the class maybe just have that be one of his next learning objectives. I’m imagining something like a flaming sword skill.
BH
Hmmm I like the class you outlined for this evolution. I feel like the learning speed increase will be a great touch to help speed him along his journey. The bit about aura is nice as well for confirmation and future class evolutions. If I were to suggest any changes it might just be to add an active skill to combine swordsman ship with spell casting.
Chriton
Its a good first class balancing and acknowledging his abilities without being too overpowered
Justin Mott
I like the class. Spellsword✓ Roland✓ Fat bonuses✓ Cool unique skill✓ The only feedback I would give is—if you haven't already—have a clear progression of the concepts behind the class. Because this is clearly a spellsword class, but it isn't called that because there is a fundamentally more important concept of chasing dreams. So, if you move away from that the class having an underlying concept it will be weird—like Dreamer -> Expert Spellsword. Furthermore, at some point you are no longer a dreamer when you've achieved your goal so it'll have to change at some point. So, assuming the following classes are related then there should probably be a clear evolution to the conceptual foundation of dreams. Otherwise there might be some weird bodging to get it all to work and this would be the best place to change it slightly if you can't figure one out
Nathan moi
I personnaly think the class is a good fit. I was expecting him to get a class after the dungeon (where i also expected him to awaken Aura while trying to save his father or with a similar developement). What the class does well is aknowledging that he is at the beginning of his path and that the fact it helps awaken aura is great. Maybe the class description could use some more words to point out how hard his path is going to be ? Idk, maybe something like Dreamer of the Pinacle, or a similar adjective. I think it's great overall, the only thing i was fearing was that he would be getting a lesser class as he still doesn't have aura. Tyftc
Dotakiin
I liked the class; it's a lot better than a generic magic swordsman that I was expecting.
Raymond Mouton
Thanks for the chapter. I think the class and its accoutrements are a good solution to the dilemma of powerful past vs less impressive current self. Btw 2 typos: He focused his perception no the last line => He focused his perception on the last line And: The System was acknowledging that he path he was pursuing => The System was acknowledging that the path he was pursuing
TooOldForThisShit
Well I guess in one sense, as he progresses and evolves his class further, those "dreams" can be made "reality"
