Chapter Five: Flaws and Strengths

From the very beginning until now, everything had unfolded much like when Zhao Xu first created his account eight months after the server opened. As he pondered, Zhao Xu made his way toward the Celestial Staircase. The solemn tranquility that filled the entire hall at this moment vividly showcased the immersive realism of the game, Arthur. Many players even took the time to explore the statues scattered around, hoping to trigger some hidden event. But Zhao Xu, already aware that this hall held no such secrets, wasted no time lingering. Or perhaps, it was because he couldn't be sure—perhaps the gods themselves were, at this very moment, gazing upon all the mortals within the game.

As Zhao Xu set foot on the first step, a gentle white light enveloped him, descending from the endless sky above like a baptismal glow, making him feel reborn.

"Would you like to take the Class Recommendation Test, or choose your class directly? Please select."

A soft, almost whispered prompt sounded in his ear as he ascended the staircase. Before his eyes appeared eleven statues, each about the height of his forearm, forming a circle and floating in the air around him.

These statues represented the eleven basic classes available at launch: Warrior, Barbarian, Monk, Rogue, Bard, Ranger, Paladin, Druid, Cleric, Mage, and Warlock. Especially the last four classes, each capable of ultimately wielding ninth-level spells, were revered as the true masters of magic.

According to the average player level in Arthur, many mages and warlocks struggled to survive into the later stages. Their low hit points and limited spell slots in the early game often made them frequent visitors to the Hall of Creation.

Now, standing on this Celestial Staircase, players could either choose directly or answer a series of questions for the system to recommend a suitable class.

With each step Zhao Xu took, the system would present a new question. By answering, the system would analyze his preferences: for instance, a penchant for melee combat would brighten the statues of martial classes, while the icons for ranged and spellcasting roles would dim. The remaining brightly lit statues would then be the system's recommendations.

Zhao Xu knew well that answering the questions was, in fact, the best way. Not only did classes like Druid, Cleric, and Paladin require certain codes of conduct and beliefs, but even seemingly straightforward martial classes such as Barbarian carried alignment restrictions.

If a player violated the behavioral or alignment requirements of their class, the consequences ranged from being unable to advance further in that class—forcing them to multi-class—to, in severe cases such as the Paladin, losing nearly all their class abilities. These hard-learned lessons were carved in the memories of countless players.

Should you choose against your nature, you had better be prepared to play that role for a lifetime.

Without hesitation, Zhao Xu chose the path of the Celestial Staircase. He remembered an urban legend from his previous life—

On the first day the servers opened, if one answered the questions until only a single, glowing class statue remained, then chose that class for advancement, they would be granted a unique opportunity to exchange a flaw for a feat.

Feats functioned as an alternative talent tree, obtainable only at first level and at every subsequent multiple of three.

After Arthur officially launched, the game declared that everything would be managed by AI. In the early days, few understood the value of feats.

Some players, even after being recommended a single class, stubbornly chose a dimmed statue, missing out on the flaw system. Others, intimidated by the harsh penalties listed under flaws, declined to accept any and forfeited the chance to exchange for a feat. There were also those who, out of caution, only traded for one flaw, passing up the opportunity to take two flaws and gain two feats.

If Zhao Xu could choose without restriction, he wouldn’t care if dozens of flaws came his way, so long as he could exchange them for dozens of feats.

But Zhao Xu’s current dilemma was: how would his dual elite classes be recognized? Should he leave one or two statues lit? If both statues remained illuminated, would the flaw system still activate?

His foot, which had already been raised to take another step, hovered midair, hesitating.

Rumor had it the flaw system was only available during the first twenty-four hours after launch—more precisely, only on a character's very first account. Some, upon hearing about it that night, abandoned their original accounts and created new ones to test the rumor, only to find nothing, and in frustration, vented their anger on the forums, calling it a hoax.

If he missed this chance, the door to those two priceless feats would forever be closed to him.

Zhao Xu’s expression grew steadily more grave.