A profession?
Su Chen stood dazed as fragments of memory surged to the surface.
Professionals were undeniably the most exalted class in Nanfeng City, wielding all manner of unimaginable powers.
Every refugee dreamed of becoming a professional — it meant stability, an end to living in constant fear.
But becoming one was far from simple. Each profession demanded an incredibly stringent ritual to awaken.
Setting aside the difficulty of the rituals themselves, even their names were guarded secrets, to say nothing of the specific details.
And from the scraps the original owner had managed to piece together, the slightest deviation during a ritual could result in a failed awakening — transforming the aspirant into a horrifying monster.
Yet this panel of his seemed capable of gathering information from the outside world and then presenting the advancement requirements?
Su Chen swallowed hard. He immediately grasped what this meant. The information advantage alone could make him a fortune.
"I... I am... an instructor at Nanfeng Academy, and a member of the Jiang family. If you dare..."
Jiang He's pain-strained voice reached his ears, cooling some of the fervor in Su Chen's heart.
He steadied himself. Regardless of the future, the immediate problem remained unsolved.
"Haha..." The short man had already crouched before Jiang He, his sinister voice filling the room. "Madam, of course I know who you are. The bewitching Violet — tsk, tsk, the reputation is well-deserved..."
Though Su Chen could only see the man's back, he could easily imagine those eyes roaming shamelessly over Jiang He's body.
Anxiety gnawed at Su Chen. His gaze lingered on [Basic Combat] — seemingly his only card to play.
But... his eyes flicked sideways to the hulking figure beside him. The slabs of muscle on that chest were practically larger than his own head.
'Attempt the Mystic Apprentice advancement?'
He'd heard that lower-tier professions didn't require fulfilling every advancement condition before attempting the ritual.
There was some risk involved, but it wasn't an impossible gamble. The problem was — where would he find a completely dark environment right now?
[Detecting the host's current perilous situation. Mystic Apprentice is deliberating...]
Su Chen's eyes sharpened. The panel could change on its own?
[The sagacious Mystic Apprentice has decided to take a step back. Mystic Apprentice now requires ALL advancement conditions to be met before assumption. As compensation, an additional reward will be granted upon completion.]
The characters faded away. What... what the hell?
'The profession can think for itself?'
'All conditions must be met now?'
'It won't even let me take the gamble?'
'Who knows what the second advancement condition even is?'
Questions flooded his mind, leaving Su Chen utterly bewildered.
Then a piercing gaze snapped him back to reality. The hulking brute beside him was staring intently, as if he'd noticed something off just moments ago.
Su Chen's heart lurched, but the man made no further move.
Relief mingled with mounting frustration. If these two weren't professionals...
"A shame, really. Not enough time today to properly entertain the madam..."
The short man's tone dripped with regret. He stood and extended one arm. A length of green hemp rope slithered from his black sleeve.
Guided by an invisible force, it moved like an agile serpent, coiling around Jiang He's body, slowly hoisting her up and depositing her onto the sofa.
"A Binding Adept..." Jiang He hissed through clenched teeth, then shifted her gaze to the imposing brute. Despair was plain in her eyes. "A Strongman. Two professionals. Who wants me dead?"
"Apologies, madam. We're professionals." The Binding Adept shrugged.
"Professionals..." A ghastly smile twisted Jiang He's ashen face. "A lowlife whose entire craft revolves around servicing prostitutes — you can't even compare to the Strongman over there. At least he passed the Body Tempering Trial and can advance to a higher class someday. But you? No future whatsoever, and you dare talk about professionalism?"
That tongue of hers was truly venomous. Su Chen was well acquainted with Jiang He's sharp mouth.
He could clearly see the stiffness spreading across the short man's face. Insulting both of them together might not have stung much, but praising one while trampling the other — that was a different game entirely.
At the very least, the big man beside him had lifted his chin just a fraction higher.
'Wait...' Something clicked. Su Chen hurriedly opened the panel.
[Discovered Tier-1 Mid-level Profession — Strongman]
[Discovered Strongman advancement requirement — Body Tempering Trial: Break through your physical limits ten times during rigorous training.]
[Advancement requirement (2): ???]
A new profession, as expected. Though only the Strongman registered — no Binding Adept. Evidently, knowing the name alone wasn't enough.
Su Chen's agitation deepened. This was no good either — the Body Tempering Trial similarly lacked any realistic means of completion right now.
[Detecting host crisis. Strongman profession is deliberating...]
Su Chen's expression shifted. 'Not again...'
[The valiant Strongman profession has decided to charge forward without hesitation. It voluntarily reveals its remaining advancement conditions. Complete any one of them for a Perfect Advancement. However, all remaining conditions must be fulfilled within one month of assumption, or the profession will be revoked.]
'Hm? Yes!'
Su Chen's heart leapt. Sure enough, the second advancement condition beneath the Strongman profession was no longer a string of question marks.
[Strongman advancement requirement (2): Possess at least one mastered physical-type skill.]
Su Chen frowned instinctively. 'A mastered physical skill? Where would I—'
No — his eyes blazed with sudden realization. There was still the gift from his previous life. [Basic Combat] — that should qualify as a physical-type skill, shouldn't it?
"Your turn..."
Without warning, Su Chen's expression shifted. Somehow, the short man had appeared right beside him.
He'd been so absorbed in the panel that the man's words had barely registered — something about "the madam's spirits holding up nicely" and "let's hope she can keep talking like that later"...
"Not a bad face..." The short man seemed to have only just bothered to appraise him. Malice glinted in those predatory eyes. "No wonder he could trade his body for a guest-student pass..."
'Guest-student pass? Not an admission letter?'
Su Chen raised the question internally, but then noticed the floating green rope had already slipped up through his sleeves, coiling around his limbs. His body began moving against his will.
"...A low-class refugee, threatened by an academy instructor, accidentally kills her during their... exertions in bed. In a final struggle, he takes her down with him. Both dead. Plausible enough, I'd say..."
The Binding Adept stroked his chin, laying out the scenario with grotesque enthusiasm. "When the guards arrive, you'll both be lying naked on the sofa. A scandal like that — your family and the academy would both want it buried quickly. Case closed in no time..."
He turned to Su Chen, a twisted smile spreading across his lips. "Lucky you, kid. You get to enjoy this beautiful body one last time before you die. But don't worry — I won't let you finish. You'll die frustrated."
Jiang He's face had gone deathly pale. Whether from fear or something else, she'd fallen silent.
Meanwhile, Su Chen — bound by the ropes — was being puppeted toward the sofa, his hands already stripping off his clothes against his will.
'Damn it.' Su Chen's mind raced. He was tempted to immediately equip [Basic Combat] and attempt the profession assumption, but something told him the timing wasn't right.
Both men were behind him. He had no idea what changes the assumption process might bring. If they got the drop on him, even a successful advancement might not give him any real advantage.
Whoosh—
Just as his upper body was bared and his pants were about to come off, a chill swept through Su Chen. The room's lights dimmed.
The short man's face contorted. He whipped around to see Jiang He, her expression fierce and ruthless, her lips parting.
"Zhi!"
She spat out a single incomprehensible syllable. It wasn't loud, yet it seemed to echo from an impossible distance — shrill and piercing, hammering directly into the brains of all three men in the room.
Su Chen felt the ropes go slack as what felt like a steel spike was driven into his skull. Behind him came two dull thuds and agonized groans.
"Go — go clamp her mouth shut!" the Binding Adept howled, clutching his head, body doubled over in pain.
The Strongman did seem to be built different. Though clearly suffering, he could still force himself to move, lurching toward Jiang He.
Su Chen, meanwhile, had already collapsed to the floor. For some reason, the pain wasn't nearly as severe for him — his thoughts were actually clearer than before.
An enormous shadow stepped over him. The Strongman.
Su Chen's mind whirred. He knew this was the perfect moment. No hesitation.
[Basic Combat] — Equip!
A strange sensation instantly flooded his entire body, as if countless ants were crawling through the gaps between his bones. Muscle fibers quietly thickened. His frail body underwent a silent transformation.
But in the current chaos, no one spared him a second glance.
Su Chen clenched his jaw, veins of red threading through his pupils, eyes locked on the panel only he could see.
[Advancement conditions fulfilled.]
Beneath the Strongman profession, two crisp characters materialized — Assume!
The instant his gaze fixed on those words, as if sensing his resolve, the Strongman profession shattered apart. Su Chen felt his heart slam like a war drum striking.
[Strongman profession assumed.]
[Ability acquired — Strong.]
Immediately after, changes far more violent than before surged through him. Muscle tissue felt as if it were being torn apart and forcibly stitched back together.
The strength coursing through his body skyrocketed, yet the transformation didn't push him toward the brute's hulking build. Instead, his physique became more proportioned, more balanced.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heartbeat thundered in his ears. The simultaneous effects of equipping [Basic Combat] and assuming the [Strongman] profession brought staggering changes that, combined with Jiang He's eerie psychic attack, nearly drowned his consciousness.
Mercifully, the transformation ended quickly. The physical pain receded, and the headache faded to almost nothing.
No time to explore his body's changes. He snapped his head toward the Binding Adept, who was still hunched over, clutching his skull, groaning.
At the same time, the Strongman had just reached Jiang He, his palm shooting toward her head. His eyes bulged, blood seeping from his nostrils.
The eerie syllable cut off abruptly. The Binding Adept exhaled in relief, as if a crushing weight had been lifted.
"Damn it, don't worry — I'll make sure you two die nice and—" he snarled through gritted teeth, then froze. A shadow had engulfed him entirely.
His throat bobbed. The hemp rope on the ground twitched, but before it could respond, a hand from nowhere had clamped onto his skull like an iron vice.
The searing pressure told him everything — one squeeze, and his skull would suffer irreversible damage.
"Don't move." The cold voice came, and the Binding Adept's body shuddered. Disbelief crept across his downturned face.
'How... how is this... possible...'
"Hah..." Su Chen slowly exhaled, rotating his grip as he settled into position beside the Binding Adept.
"Old Gui..." At that very moment, the Strongman turned around. Six eyes met. Mutual shock.
No — the Strongman hadn't been foolish enough to kill Jiang He outright. He'd merely sealed her mouth shut.
"You..." The Strongman seemed unable to process what he was seeing, his brow knotted tight.
Jiang He stared at Su Chen with equal disbelief. The Strongman's massive frame had blocked her view — she'd had no idea what had happened to Su Chen.
She certainly hadn't expected him to subdue the Binding Adept in the blink of an eye.
His formerly gaunt upper body had turned lean and muscular, his physique well-proportioned. And the expression on his face was something she'd never seen on Su Chen before.
Cold. Alert. Ferocious.
None of it had ever been there.