Chapter 24: Professions and Peril

“I think that’s a good idea. Without further ado, taking advantage of the night when venturing outside is impossible, let’s quickly train our life skills!

Once we’ve gathered all our equipment and consumables, then we’ll head out to hunt monsters!”

Hank nodded.

Despite being an uncle, his physique was quite robust, so he walked up to the job-change NPC and declared, “Give me the ‘Blacksmith’ profession.

I’m quite skilled at this one!”

“Well, then I’ll go mining!

Let us men handle the heavy labor!”

Not to be outdone, Kabasiji, seeing Hank had transformed into a bare-chested Blacksmith wielding a massive iron hammer, approached the job-change NPC.

“I want to become a ‘Miner,’ thank you.”

****

Hank purchased some inexpensive crafting materials from the shop and began practicing.

This currency, acquired from monster drops, automatically transferred into the players’ gold balance.

While some simple equipment could be crafted directly from purchased materials, these were mere common (white-tier) items, certainly unsuitable for their upcoming monster-grinding tasks.

Kabasiji, donning a miner’s hat and clutching an iron pickaxe, set off towards the mining map.

Unlike other games where life-skill materials are gathered within combat zones, this game provides separate, dedicated maps for such activities.

The ‘Miner’ profession required venturing to the mining map to excavate ore, while a ‘Fisherman’ would need to go to the ‘Fishing Village’ map to catch fish.

“Then I’ll head to the ‘Fishing Village’ to fish, then.

Oh, and life skills also have companion pets you can purchase, which will make things twice as efficient!”

Xue Hu reminded everyone by writing on her wooden board, then prepared to set off for the ‘Fishing Village’ map.

“Huh? Huh, what about me?

I’ll go fishing with you!”

Seeing that everyone else had successfully assigned themselves a life skill, Xingxing anxiously grabbed Xue Hu, exclaiming, “Let’s fish together; it’ll be faster, right?”

“Huh? No need, I can fish by myself, you know.

Why don’t you become a ‘Merchant’ and scout the forest?”

Xue Hu, held fast by Xingxing, looked at her with a hint of confusion, then wrote on the wooden board.

“We don’t know what kind of monsters are truly inside the forest or what the terrain is like.

You just need to scout it out, and when you come back, we can formulate our next leveling plan.”

“Huh? Huh, huh?

Me? Me, going in there alone?

How is that possible?

Wouldn’t I just be going to my death?!”

Xingxing shouted in utter shock, then gripped Xue Hu’s hand tightly, refusing to let go.

She declared, “No, I want to go fishing with you!

I don’t want to go into the forest alone!”

“Ugh, ugh, ugh, then let go first, please, let go.

If that’s the case, I’ll go scout the forest myself!”

Xue Hu, exasperated by Xingxing’s persistent clinging, helplessly held up her board to ‘speak’.

“I’ll be the ‘Merchant,’ and you be the ‘Fisherman.’

That should work, right?

There shouldn’t be anything scary about fishing alone, should there?”

“Is that so?

Can you manage by yourself?

Do you need my help?

Or should we switch?”

Before Xingxing could even respond, Hank, who had been observing nearby, spoke with a hint of concern.

“After all, the forest is so dangerous.

I’m not comfortable with a girl going in alone, and you might even get lost.”

“Ah, it’s fine, really, it’s fine.

Life skills cannot be attacked by monsters.

Since the system itself stated this, there can be no falsehood.”

Xue Hu shook her head and smiled, then wrote on the wooden board.

“‘Merchant’ is also a life skill, so the same principle applies.

Even if it’s ‘Forest Night’ now, there’s no need to worry.

Furthermore, the ‘Merchant’ profession has a pet called a ‘Donkey,’ which can help merchants transport goods.

Most importantly, it can also serve as transportation, allowing a ‘Merchant’ to move quickly through the forest.

I also frequently record things, so there won’t be any problems if I go to scout.

There are even ‘Merchant’ profession supply points in the forest, so as long as I follow them, I definitely won’t get lost!”

“Is that so?

Alright then, be careful on your way.

If anything unusual happens, just send a message… Oh, right, we haven’t added each other as friends yet, have we?

Once we’re friends, we can use the system to communicate.”

Hank nodded, then sent a “Friend Request” to Xue Hu.

“Let’s add each other as friends for easier contact.

I’ve already added Kabasiji as a friend too, so if you need to relay anything, you can tell me.”

“Okay, then it’s settled.

Xingxing, you should go become a ‘Fisherman.’

Remember to purchase the ‘Cormorant’ pet; it’ll help you catch fish more quickly.”

Xue Hu nodded, then changed her profession to “Merchant” at the job-change NPC.

Finally, she waved her wooden board in farewell to everyone, and once again ventured into the magical forest, filled with mystery and danger.