Combat-Oriented

"Mentor, are we continuing with The Arcane Path today?"

Zhao Xu asked. By the second day of reading it, he had realized that it really was one of those specially crafted magic books.

Once the book was read through and closed, its contents would automatically change, revealing something new each time it was opened.

And if he wanted to look up something he had read before, all he had to do was silently recall the relevant memory, then open the cover, and the content would automatically appear.

Zhao Xu had only encountered a book equipped with such AI-like search technology in this life.

In his Previous Life, he had only heard of certain pieces of equipment being able to communicate with their owners.

Over the past few days, Zhao Xu had basically spent all his time on that book and the lectures.

"No." Antinoa said.

Even after spending several days together, Zhao Xu had still never gotten a proper look at the face hidden beneath the shadows of her hood.

"These past two days, the organization has had some disagreements regarding your future path."

Zhao Xu immediately perked up when he heard that. He had never felt the slightest burden about being a chess piece.

His goal was simply to live well.

"Mainly, someone has raised a new perspective because of your status as a Dual Elite character."

"Arthur does have people who do not pursue Advanced Professions, choosing instead to remain pure Wizards or pure Clerics all the way through. They are also among the few pure classes that are not weak."

Zhao Xu understood as soon as he heard that. Wizards and Clerics were powerful enough that even without access to Advanced Professions, they would still be solidly strong.

"After reaching legendary rank, pure Wizards also gain substantial benefits from Feats. And—"

Antinoa paused here. "Pure Wizards can also engage with magic more purely, which is beneficial to magical research."

"Therefore, some within the organization have proposed that you become a pure Wizard directly, rather than pursuing a short-term increase in combat power."

Zhao Xu understood now. After observing him over the past few days, they thought he looked worth cultivating?

Rather than taking the field-agent route, they wanted him to become a researcher?

But when Zhao Xu thought carefully about it, everything Antinoa had told him had happened after he stepped onto the Floating City.

So the views of most people in the organization had really only formed over the last two days.

Compared to three days ago, no one in Arthur had even known he existed.

"Previously, when we said we needed to decide your class path, it was because we feared you would waste your natural advantages by taking some trash Advanced Professions. That would save me the trouble of using Energy Drain on you to erase your Class Levels. Our organization is actually quite free, so I came today to ask what you think."

"Do you want to pursue combat power and take the Advanced Profession route, or become a pure Wizard and remain in the Floating City for research?"

As Zhao Xu listened to Antinoa explain it word by word, the moment he heard the name "Energy Drain," every hair on his body stood on end.

Arthur had many negative conditions, such as Attribute Damage, Attribute Drain, Energy Drain, dazed, blinded, deafened, shaken, frightened, panicked, confused, fascinated, fatigued, exhausted, sickened, nauseated, slowed, stunned, prone, grappled, pinned, entangled, staggered, paralyzed, held, bound, asleep, unconscious, petrified, and incapacitated.

But among them, the one players feared most was Energy Drain.

Energy Drain was a ninth-level Arcane spell capable of directly erasing 2D4 character levels from its target.

2D4 meant the sum of two four-sided dice, with a result ranging from 2 to 8.

Being hit by this spell was agony beyond words. If a character's level was lower than the number of levels drained, they died outright.

If it was higher, the spell would last for twenty-four hours, after which the target had to make a saving throw for each drained level.

If the save succeeded, the negative level disappeared. If it failed, the negative level disappeared, but the character permanently lost one level.

Permanently losing a level was the real punishment.

One of Zhao Xu's incomparably powerful friends in his Previous Life had been struck by a lich's Energy Drain. After failing save after save, he had fallen from greatness and lost all his influence.

That was why people like Zhao Xu, who lived off their levels, avoided such things like the plague.

Realizing that he might be caught up in some kind of ideological dispute, Zhao Xu chose his words carefully before asking, "Mentor, may I ask what faction within the organization made this proposal?"

"Strictly speaking, Final Scroll is merely one major faction within the headquarters of the Arthur Mage Association. The Goddess has prestige, but she does not have absolute authority. This proposal came from some old research fossils at the association headquarters. They have been stuck on the subject of the Divine Spell barrier for a long time, so they hope someone like you, born with Divine-Arcane Dual Cultivation, can join them."

The moment Zhao Xu heard that, he relaxed considerably. Researchers were ultimately nowhere near as quick with a knife as people who used them. Even if he declined their goodwill, they probably would not remember him.

"I heard that Arthur's Arcanist Advanced Profession can also achieve Divine-Arcane Dual Cultivation, can't it?" Zhao Xu suddenly recalled something from his Previous Life and asked.

Antinoa's expression sharpened, and Zhao Xu could vaguely feel her piercing gaze even through the shadows beneath her hood.

"The Arcanist Advanced Profession has always been highly secretive. It would not be strange for you players to learn of it later. But I did not expect you to encounter it after only three days?"

Zhao Xu was instantly embarrassed. He had not expected his casual boasting to kick a stone.

In truth, high-ranking figures like Antinoa knew that Zhao Xu had access to the internet on Earth. The gods should have informed them of that. Thus, whenever Zhao Xu inexplicably brought up things about Arthur, Antinoa would always answer him rather than question him.

"Are you wondering why I was surprised?"

Zhao Xu hurriedly nodded.

"The Arcanist Advanced Profession has no class abilities whatsoever. Its sole function is that every one of its Caster Levels can stack simultaneously with both Arcane spellcaster levels and Divine Spell caster levels."

Only then did Zhao Xu realize why the Arcanist had been praised to the heavens in his Previous Life.

A level 12 character with 1 level of First-level Mage, 1 level of Cleric, and 10 levels of Arcanist would effectively cast spells like an eleventh-level Wizard and an eleventh-level Cleric.

Then what was the point of him being a Dual Elite?

No, didn't that mean he could do it too?

But Antinoa immediately shattered his fantasy.

"The prerequisite for becoming an Arcanist is being able to cast Second-level Arcane spells and second-level Divine Spells. Also, you Dual Elites cannot take this profession."

Only then did Zhao Xu understand where the trap lay. How could he possibly have heard of an Advanced Profession that players could only encounter at level 7 when the game had just opened? No wonder it had aroused suspicion.

Second-level Arcane spells and second-level Divine Spells meant a player had to be a Third-level Mage and a third-level Cleric. That was already a level 6 character. Even if they could then multiclass into ten levels of the Advanced Profession and maximize it, by level 16 they would only be able to cast level 7 Arcane spells and level 7 Divine Spells.

A pure Wizard would already have eighth-level spells by then, and ninth-level spells would be within reach at the very next level.

One step behind meant falling behind every step afterward. If a level 20 character were created directly, the Arcanist Advanced Profession would be fine. But if one started playing from level 1, Zhao Xu was certain this profession with no class abilities whatsoever would be agonizing to play.

This was also the greatest advantage of his Dual Elite status: keeping one eye on the pot while eating from the bowl.

"Mentor, I choose the combat-oriented path." Zhao Xu no longer felt any need to hesitate. Since he had Dual Elite status, he had to make good use of that advantage. If he did not take the combat-oriented Advanced Profession route, his one-in-ten-thousand test account would truly be wasted.

I received the signing message today. I'll keep writing well. Thank you all for your comments and encouragement. Thank you.