Animal Companion

[Job Change Successful, Current Profession: Hunter]

[Attribute Bonus Acquired: Strength +0.5, Agility +1]

Compared to the attribute boosts gained when transferring to Blacksmith, the basic Hunter profession's attribute bonus didn't give Roland a significant feeling.

Thus, after a slight nod, he moved his gaze downward.

[Trait Acquired: Animal Companion]

[Animal Companion: Upon activation, allows conversation with non-human creatures possessing a certain level of intelligence. Duration depends on Spirit attribute value.]

"Animal Companion? Another trait that can be actively activated!"

Seeing the description after Animal Companion, Roland licked his lips excitedly.

With the precedent of the [Focus] trait, he felt that actively activated traits were often more flexible than passive ones, capable of producing unexpected effects at critical moments.

Thinking this, he mentally recited the activation command.

The instant this thought flashed through his mind, Roland suddenly felt a strange buzzing in his eardrums.

It was like someone gently struck a silver coin by his ear, the resonance lingering in his skull for a long time.

He subconsciously covered his ears, only to realize the sound wasn't coming from outside.

Sunlight filtered through layers of leaves in the dense forest, casting dappled shadows at the cave entrance.

A Red Squirrel was clutching an acorn, watching him warily, its tiny nose twitching constantly.

But at this moment, in Roland's ears, the subtle sniffing sounds transformed into broken whispers.

".Dangerous two-legs. Hide."

Roland's eyes widened in shock.

He then noticed that the entire forest was awakening in his ears.

Subconsciously stepping out of the cave, the voices in his ears grew even more chaotic.

The chirping of sparrows on the treetops was no longer meaningless noise, but had turned into gossipy chatter, like that of women.

"Bugs! Fat bugs over there!"

Amidst the rustling of leaves in the nearby bushes, there was the flustered murmur of a wild rabbit.

"Footsteps too loud, too loud."

Most chillingly, when he accidentally snapped a dry twig, the sounds of the entire forest fell into a brief silence.

Countless invisible gazes were cast upon him from all directions, and those fragmented whispers instantly turned into unified warnings.

"Danger!"

"Run!"

"It's the Hunter's aura!"

Roland's temples began to throb, and a cold, stinging sensation crawled up his spine.

At this moment, his brain felt like it had been forcibly stuffed with dozens of noisy radio stations, with fragments of thoughts flooding in madly.

The cawing of crows from the treetops echoed with hoarse laughter.

"Going crazy, going crazy!"

And the moles beneath the soil emitted dull complaints.

"Is it an earthquake again?"

Just as his consciousness was about to be drowned by these sounds, Roland abruptly deactivated the [Animal Companion] trait.

The world suddenly fell silent, leaving only his own ragged breaths echoing in the forest.

The Red Squirrel had long since vanished, leaving only half an acorn, half-eaten, rolling on the moss.

"So."

Roland wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and shook his head gently.

"Befriending animals isn't that simple either."

With a soft sigh, he slowly returned to the cave and shifted his gaze further down.

When a series of golden subtitles flashed before his eyes, the corners of Roland's mouth turned up slightly, revealing a knowing smile.

"As expected, Class Resonance only occurs between professions of the same tier."

"Basic profession and basic profession, advanced profession and advanced profession, that's the rule for triggering resonance."

Thinking this, he couldn't help but look forward to the additional benefits that would trigger between advanced professions.

"It's a shame I haven't triggered the transfer for any other advanced profession besides Blacksmith yet."

After shaking his head slightly, Roland cast his gaze back to the profession panel.

[Learner profession detected, Class Resonance can be triggered]

[Class Resonance Activated]

[Hunter + Learner]

[Gained Additional Buff: Ecological Scholar]

[Ecological Scholar: When engaging in combat with enemies, there is a chance to obtain Ecological Notes.]

"Ecological Notes?"

Roland frowned slightly, falling into a moment of contemplation.

After a moment, he shook his head gently.

"Guessing blindly now is useless. I'll naturally find out what these Ecological Notes are when I'm in actual combat."

Putting this question aside for the moment, his gaze continued to sweep over the information on his Profession Panel.

[Hunter + Rookie]

[Gained Additional Buff: Adaptive Training]

[Adaptive Training: When fighting or exploring in wilderness environments such as forests and snowfields, gain Agility attribute bonuses over time. The bonus effect depends on your base Agility value.]

"Whoa! This one's not bad!"

Roland unconsciously stroked his smooth chin, a flash of excitement in his eyes.

"According to this description, fighting in wilderness environments will make me faster and faster? This is practically turning forests and snowfields into my home turf!"

Images of himself darting through the jungle like the wind flashed through his mind, and Roland couldn't help but yearn for it.

But soon, his rational mind brought him back to his senses.

"However, what specific environments count as wilderness? What are the numerical values and frequency of the Agility bonus? Is there a stacking limit? These all need further verification."

As he was thinking, another line of golden text caught his eye.

[Hunter + Blacksmith Apprentice]

[Gained Additional Buff: Battlefield Maintenance]

[Battlefield Maintenance: Increases the durability of held weapons during combat.]

"This buff is also very practical."

Recalling the [Standardized Production] he had obtained earlier, Roland's eyes suddenly lit up.

"[Standardized Production] can improve weapon quality through repeated forging, and Battlefield Maintenance extends weapon durability. With both combined, the weapons I use will surely..."

While he was thinking, a faint cough sounded in his ears.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Roland looked towards the sound and saw Darko slowly opening his eyes.

The young noble first looked around blankly, his gaze finally settling on Roland.

"Roland? Oh. Right."

Darko shook his heavy head, his voice weak. Even his usually striking blond hair seemed to have dimmed slightly.

"How long did I sleep?"

"Not long."

Roland checked the wounds on him again, confirming there was no severe bleeding, then gently patted his shoulder.

"You can rest a bit longer. Don't worry, I'll keep watch and wake you up immediately if there's any danger."

"Thank you so much, Roland."

Darko gazed at Roland's slightly tired face, a flicker of guilt in his eyes.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke.

"Roland, is there anything you want? Money, beautiful women. Anything I have, I can give to you."

As if afraid of being misunderstood, he quickly added, "I'm not saying this because I'm afraid you'll abandon me, I just want to repay your kindness."

"Heh heh."

Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, Roland chuckled softly.

He didn't doubt Darko's sincerity.

From the memories of his original body, this young noble, despite possessing the inherent arrogance of the upper class, had always been generous and kept his word.

But beautiful women...

He didn't need them.

As for money, while not exactly wealthy, he wasn't at the end of his rope either.

Besides, with the life-and-death bond they now shared, if he ever needed money in the future, as long as the amount wasn't too large, would Darko refuse?

Thinking of this, Roland half-jokingly probed.

"Then I want the Knight Breathing Technique, do you have it?"

"Uh, this..."

Darko was suddenly speechless.

Thinking of the bold claims he had just made, he twitched his nose and said awkwardly.

"Sorry, Roland, but nobles like me don't have any inherited breathing techniques."

"Is that so?"

Roland raised an eyebrow slightly.

"But I remember you always saying you wanted to be a knight. Did I misremember?"

"I did say that."

Darko adjusted his sitting position with difficulty, a sharp intake of breath escaping him as he winced from his wound.

"But the way I acquire breathing techniques is rather special."

"It's through noble privilege to enter the Knight Academy for advanced studies without an exam. After successfully graduating, I can obtain the Knight Breathing Technique, but..."

He added with a wry smile.

"According to the noble treaty, I cannot impart it to anyone privately. I'm truly sorry."

Knight Academy?

Noble treaty?

These were two more unfamiliar terms.

Seeing Roland fall silent, Darko nervously pursed his lips.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"Wait! Our family does have an inherited combat skill!"

"Combat skill?"

Roland's attention was drawn back.

"That's right!"

Darko said excitedly.

"Imparting combat skills is not restricted by the noble treaty. I can ask my father to hand over that secret scroll for you to study, but..."

At this point, his voice lowered involuntarily as he recalled his own experience of practicing for years without grasping the essence.

"But that combat skill is extremely difficult to learn; very few people can truly master it."

As if realizing his promise sounded a bit frivolous, Darko quickly added.

"But including that combat skill, you can ask for anything else you want."

"Alright, alright, Darko."

Seeing the excited young noble, Roland gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"The most important thing for you now is to recover from your injuries. As for rewards, we'll talk about it when we get back to the manor safely, okay?"

"This, uh..."

Thinking of their current predicament, Darko deflated like a frost-bitten eggplant.

"You're right, Roland."

Noticing the young noble's dejected expression, Roland raised an eyebrow.

"However... I do have something I need your help with right now."

"Help?"

Darko's eyes lit up. If he weren't injured, he would have eagerly slapped his chest to give his word.

"Just tell me what you need!"

"Do you have any food on you?"

"Of course, are you hungry?"

Darko tilted his head, gesturing with his eyes.

"There's some emergency food in my satchel. Take it and eat. As for me..."

He licked his dry lips.

"I... I'm not hungry yet."

"Ha."

Seeing Darko's forced demeanor, Roland shook his head helplessly.

He took down the satchel and untied the string.

Inside were bread, cured meat, and a large chunk of butter.

This guy's emergency food is better than what I usually eat, Roland muttered inwardly. He divided the food into two portions and, ignoring Darko's protests, shoved one portion into the young noble's mouth.

Then, his gaze turned towards the outside of the cave.

Not far away, a small squirrel was busily nibbling on a pinecone, looking incredibly cute.