Chapter 21: The Secret of the Four Great Professions

For the next while, Lin Yi stayed upstairs in the guesthouse, afraid to go down again.

As a member of the militia, he was well aware of the ferocity of the monster.

If that terrifying boar charged into the village, no one would escape its jaws—not even him.

Even though he now had several hundred points of health and 14 points in strength, he was powerless against a monster at least level five.

Perhaps due to the severity described by the person who reported it, about twenty minutes later Lin Yi heard the wail of police sirens outside.

Wailing... wailing...

Looking down from upstairs, Lin Yi saw that the local armed police unit had mobilized.

The captain of the armed police stepped forward. “Who called this in? What exactly happened?”

The elderly man who had reported earlier came out to explain the incident.

A two-meter-tall wild boar, with red eyes?

Eating people on the road?

The armed police frowned, doubtful about the existence of a two-meter mutant wild boar.

That was just too incredible!

They proceeded to the scene and found two large pools of blood on the ground.

“Captain, it looks like someone died. The body was dragged into the forest.”

“Captain, we found wild boar tracks. Something’s definitely off, and it seems this boar appeared out of nowhere...”

Red eyes?

The captain seemed to realize something and quickly stopped the team from entering the forest to search. He went back to question the elderly man again.

“Are you sure the boar’s eyes were red?”

“Yes, all of us saw it. Its eyes were blood red—terrifying.”

After questioning several people, the captain’s expression changed. He immediately called the Linhe City Armed Police Headquarters.

Around midnight, at the Linhe City Police Station, Zhang Baichuan received reports of a suspected monster sighting in the city.

Based on eyewitness descriptions, the monster was very likely a terrifying boar.

He promptly notified relevant departments, armed with live ammunition, and rushed to the small village where Lin Yi was.

At dawn the next day, after a sleepless night, Lin Yi went downstairs to wash up. He learned that several waves of armed police had come from the city and had dispersed into the mountains to search for the boar.

A crowd gathered at the village entrance, buzzing with gossip.

“Hey, I heard Old Jiang’s body was found in the mountain ravine. It’s awful—his entrails were completely eaten by the boar...”

“Yeah, and young Liu—he was probably the first to hear the noises and go investigate, but the boar bit him to death. Last night I heard someone crying for help. That had to be him. Poor kid, not even married yet...”

At that moment, Lin Yi received a message from Zhu, the slaughterhouse owner, saying that due to the boar’s attack, nearby factories had temporarily shut down.

Of course, if Lin Yi wanted to go, he could enter through the back door. Today, the factory had just received dozens of live cattle, which Lin Yi could slaughter.

Zhu had thought this through quite well.

But Lin Yi considered that the beast was not only drawn to human flesh but also highly sensitive to the vitality of normal animals.

The slaughterhouse was thick with that vitality—it was likely to attract the terrifying boar’s attention.

No need to take risks today.

He only hoped the troops that went up the mountain last night would be effective and quickly deal with the boar.

Around noon, from the guesthouse, Lin Yi heard a series of gunshots echoing from the nearby mountains.

At the same time, on a densely vegetated hillside, the massive terrifying boar lay sprawled in a pool of blood.

The ground beneath its feet was riddled with bullet holes smelling of gunpowder.

It was clear the level-five boar had only fallen after a fierce round of shooting.

Holding a walkie-talkie, Zhang Baichuan ordered the squads to cautiously approach in an orderly fashion.

“Confirm again that the mutated boar is completely dead?”

“Captain Zhang, confirmed dead!”

“Good...”

Only then did Zhang Baichuan finally exhale after a long night of tension.

During his training in the capital, he had encountered cases of monster invasions from the Apocalypse World into reality, which had caused significant casualties.

Fortunately, this terrifying boar appeared outside the city in the mountains, resulting in few deaths and few witnesses.

Had it happened inside Linhe City, countless lives could have been lost.

Also, without heavy firearms, he alone wouldn’t have been able to kill this boar.

“Come to think of it, this is the first case of Apocalypse World monster invasion in Linhe City. Now I have reason to report to headquarters and request more official militia members. Plus, this boar’s corpse is valuable...”

Zhang Baichuan then waved his hand for them to carry the body away.

By evening, the villagers including Lin Yi received a government announcement declaring the mutant boar was killed, so travel was safe again.

Only then did Lin Yi dare to visit the slaughterhouse and resume his cattle slaughtering.

That night, Lin Yi logged into the Apocalypse World to check his character panel.

Player: Evergreen Mountain

Status: Normal

ID: 007

Gender: Male

Level: 3

HP: 578

EXP: 0/400

Satiety: 67/100

Strength: 14 (Normal male maximum 10; affects physical damage and maximum weapon weight usable...)

Constitution: 8 (Normal male maximum 10; affects max HP, HP regeneration, base resilience...)

Agility: 10 (Normal male maximum 10; affects movement and reaction speed...)

Endurance: 11 (Normal male maximum 10; affects stamina max, stamina recovery, carrying capacity)

Vitality: 16 (6 points from blood consumption)

External Skill: [Heavenly Star Archery · Green] - LV1 (14/500): Each point of vitality attached to an arrow increases arrow damage by 2%. The seventh consecutive arrow triggers an extra 12% damage.

...

Initial Talent: Universal Talent (Red) - LV1 — Blood Siphon

In recent days, Lin Yi had slaughtered over two hundred cattle, finally pushing his HP above 500 points.

Compared to the level one HP of 97, this fivefold increase gave Lin Yi great peace of mind.

However, since he had used all his contribution points, he couldn’t exchange for more vitality points, which remained at 16.

Insufficient vitality slowed his progress in practicing [Heavenly Star Archery].

Even though he had been practicing archery in the militia’s second team courtyard whenever he had time, his mastery of [Heavenly Star Archery] still grew slowly.

Though the terrifying boar was now dealt with, Lin Yi felt a sense of urgency.

He feared the day when monsters from the Apocalypse World would all appear in reality.

The only way was to rapidly increase his strength to face unknown dangers.

In the Apocalypse World, under a dim sky, the temple’s red glow illuminated half the heavens.

In the militia’s second team courtyard, Lin Yi was shooting wooden targets, one arrow after another, when Du Gu Feng hurried in.

“Brother Evergreen, I knew you’d be here. Here’s good news—we’re forming a fifth militia team in Gutang Village, and all its members will be descendants like us.”

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. “Brother Du Gu, where did you hear this?”

“Heh, a buddy from my team heard it from the captain Gu Liehai.”

Lin Yi nodded. The good buddy mentioned, Chang Kongkuo, was a level nine top player and among the earliest players to enter Gutang Village.

His information was trustworthy.

Lin Yi thought for a moment. “Brother, you’re level four and I’m three. Even if the fifth militia is formed, we might not qualify to join, right?”

Strictly speaking, Lin Yi and Du Gu Feng were not yet formal militia members—just reserves.

“That’s true, but the proposal to form this militia team was decided by the village chief and the three elders. Also, this team of descendants will be specially cultivated by the village!”

Specially cultivated?

Lin Yi smiled inwardly. Cultivation was possible, but so was being cannon fodder.

As militia casualties grew and no outstanding youth stepped up, the village’s safety depended on the rapidly growing descendants.

Everything had pros and cons. As long as the benefits were enough, taking some risks was worthwhile.

“Brother Du Gu, how do we join the fifth militia, and how will the cultivation work?”

Du Gu Feng replied, “Apparently, descendants with high potential, good character, and excellent quality can join. All descendants in the four militia teams, including us, qualify for direct selection. As for cultivation, the village elders will personally lead us to kill monsters and level up.”

“Impressive! Elders leading us to level up—that’s quite a move!”

Lin Yi was surprised. The three village elders were reputed to be far beyond level ten, formidable experts who were almost professional-level. If they personally led players to level, the players could quickly reach level ten.

Du Gu Feng laughed. “You interested now? Honestly, I was surprised too. But high rewards mean high risks. If we get cultivated, we have to contribute to the village—no one in Gutang Village is a freeloader.”

“True. Looks like you’re planning to join the fifth militia?”

Du Gu Feng nodded. “Yeah, although we have ways to level up in the second team, it’s slow. The higher the level, the more experience needed. I’ve been here about a month but only level four. Reaching level ten could take forever. Now there’s a chance to level up quickly—I won’t miss it.”

“Alright, count me in too...”

...

The next day, Lin Yi asked Gu Chenghu about the upcoming fifth militia team.

Gu Chenghu was surprised at Lin Yi’s knowledge and generously explained, “Evergreen, you can join the fifth team, but it’s not as you said—you won’t be led directly by elders to level ten.”

“First, descendants joining the fifth team will be managed by the elders, who will teach them how to deal with monsters, spirits, and survival skills in the wild.”

“When cultivation is mature, the elders will select talented descendants from the fifth team to learn how to draw talismans or brew witch medicines...”

Lin Yi asked, “Captain, are these talismans and witch medicines related to the professional classes after level ten?”

Gu Chenghu glanced at Lin Yi. “You’re sharp. Normally, I shouldn’t reveal secrets to descendants casually, but you’ve performed well in our second team these days, so I’ll tell you.”

“After level ten, you will face a bottleneck. Your physical quality will have reached human limits. Then you must break through a certain limit to become professional class.”

“As far as I know, there are four major professions on the Apocalypse Continent: Martial Artist, Sorcerer, Divine Priest, and Sequencer.”

Four professions?

Lin Yi recalled the four advanced attributes on the character panel: Spirit, Inner Force, Faith, and Spiritual Power. These must correspond to the four professions.

“Captain, so Ancient Source Village’s elder who makes talismans must be a Divine Priest along the Faith path. And elder Gu Yun, who makes potions, must be a Sorcerer?”

Gu Chenghu nodded. “Correct. Each profession is unique. Those who harness Faith create talismans; those who wield witchcraft brew potions.”

“What about Martial Artists and Sequencers?”

Gu Chenghu shook his head and smiled wryly. “I don’t know. Our village has no traditions for those two. Actually, we don’t even have Sorcerer lineage, only Divine Priests.”

“And elder Gu Yun...”

“He became a Sorcerer ten years ago by chance while traveling, unrelated to Gutang Village.”

Lin Yi continued, “Captain, are there rankings among the four? Is one better?”

“I’m not sure, but I heard from Brother Yongqiang that the four have mysterious origins, passed down for thousands of years. The Sequencer is the most mysterious and hardest to transition into. Martial Artist is the easiest—just need a Martial Dao Stele to transition. Then your vitality converts to inner force, boosting external skill power.”

Seeing Gu Chenghu’s longing expression, Lin Yi said, “Captain, sounds like you favor Martial Artist?”

Gu Chenghu sighed, “Yes. I’ve trained martial arts all my life, always aimed to become a Martial Artist. Not just me—the other militia captains like Gu Man and Gu Liehai probably want that too.”

Lin Yi scratched his head, puzzled. “Captain, our village lacks Sorcerer lineage but has Divine Priest lineage. Since you’re already level ten, why not become Divine Priests?”

Gu Chenghu shook his head. “You don’t understand. The four professions aren’t things you can just choose. Everyone born in Gutang Village is raised in the temple for a time. If you have Divine Priest potential, the temple reacts; if not, you never become one.”

“Divine Priests have strict requirements; Sorcerers probably do too. But Martial Artists have no such limit—if you have enough vitality and can comprehend the Martial Dao Stele, you become a Martial Artist.”

“Unfortunately, the Martial Dao Stele is only in Tianshui City, and the road there is blocked. We have no way to advance as Martial Artists.”

Hearing this, Lin Yi realized that transitioning to a professional class was no easy feat.