Witch Hunters

After Rhode explained everything and Sulu drew on his own memories, he finally understood the power system of this world.

First-tier Supernatural, second-tier Elite, third-tier Expert, fourth-tier Master... Each promotion required a specialized "profession"!

But the professional system could be a real trap.

For example... some paths only went up to the third tier, with no record of a fourth-tier profession at all. Unless a professional designed and worked out a fourth-tier profession suited to their path, they would never be able to advance.

Unfortunately, that kind of experimentation took a great deal of time, resources, and effort—and might not even succeed.

With that much trouble, it was more worthwhile to take up a different profession.

Of course, even then, you'd still have fallen far behind. You might spend the rest of your life stuck at that stage.

But for me... even if I choose the wrong profession, it won't matter. As long as I have enough experience, maybe I can force it to advance?

According to Rhode, taking up [Apprentice] required extensive study under a mentor, while taking up [Soldier] required grueling training.

But Sulu didn't have to do any of that. He could take up a profession directly, as long as he had enough experience points!

That's my greatest advantage... Of course, I can also choose not to spend experience points and learn like an ordinary person. And even with the Attribute Panel, certain hard requirements still have to be met. For example, with [Corpse Maiden Creation], if your attributes and profession don't qualify, you can't raise the skill. Taking up a profession must have even stricter requirements than learning a skill!

Just then, he heard Rhode continue, "Any professional system that can reach the Master tier can be called a 'legacy.' It includes all four professions, along with their training, medicines, rituals, and information on how to take them up. These legacies are the very foundation of extraordinary families and institutions, churches, and secret societies! Our Portley Family preserves the Witch Hunter legacy!"

In Rhode's voice, Sulu seemed to hear pride—and even more pain.

"The Witch Hunter legacy? I've only learned a little Witch Hunting Knowledge!" He told the truth.

"You were too young when you left home. You weren't mature enough to withstand the power of the ritual, and the timing wasn't right either. Dawn hadn't yet come, so Father didn't say much..."

Rhode drew a deep breath. "Our family's professional system starts with the first-tier [Demon Contractor], followed by the second-tier [Witch Hunter], the third-tier [Demon Hunting Expert], and the fourth-tier [Demon Hunting Master]. It's a complete system, and you can even advance beyond that. But the path beyond is in the hands of the Church of the Goddess of Light..."

"The Witch Hunter profession... Does our family really hunt... demons?!" Sulu's eyes widened.

"No!"

Rhode's voice suddenly filled with overwhelming grief and despair. "What do you think... a demon is? It's just a general term. We mortals gave it that name based on our own imaginings. No one knows its true name. Perhaps merely reciting it would leave you utterly corrupted. Even seeing its silhouette might kill you... Wherever it goes, the earth splits open, rivers dry up, and the void is left with a permanent mark! Anyone it notices will be plunged into the deepest despair!"

"That description... sounds pretty subjective!" Sulu understood.

The "demons" of this world had nothing to do with the demons he'd heard about in his previous life.

They were more subjective, indescribable beings. From Rhode's description, this was practically a god—a nameless god from an extraordinary world!

"Exactly. Demons are the embodiments of chaos and disorder. They dwell in the Abyss and possess unimaginable, terrifying power. They don't rejoice because you worship them, nor do they bring disaster because you curse them. They simply respond to rituals from time to time according to their own whims, granting power. That wicked, chaotic power always leads to dreadful consequences."

This... sounds a lot like those indescribable Evil Gods from my previous life. They don't care about faith or anything else. They just grant their followers wicked power, then watch them bring about their own destruction...

Sulu thought to himself.

Rhode continued, "The influence of demons has always existed in this world, bringing fear and despair... We don't fight them. We hunt the 'servants' they empower—or, to put it another way, those corrupted by Abyssal Power! This struggle began in the Dark Era, before history was even recorded. The first generation of Witch Hunters discovered that we mortals were as insignificant as ants before demons. Demons could never be defeated or killed! But... we could use demonic power to fight their servants! That's how the [Witch Hunter] profession came to be!"

"We use demonic power to fight the servants of demons?!"

Sulu's eyes widened. "Would they agree to that? Besides... even if we do, we can never fulfill our destiny and destroy the demons themselves."

What would it even mean if some Witch Hunter managed to reach a demon in person? "Use the power I gave you to defeat me"? Would the demon scoff at that?

His thoughts ran wild, beyond his control. What would such a scene look like?

"I told you... You can't guess what demons are like using a mortal's mindset. Perhaps our resistance, our struggles, are nothing but a game to them!" Rhode gave a bitter smile, then his expression turned resolute. "But as long as we can wipe out their servants and prevent demons from interfering with this world, that is the highest goal of us Witch Hunters!"

"All right..."

Sulu was at a loss for words. The Witch Hunter profession seemed to offer no hope at all.

"To become a [Witch Hunter], you need a resilient mind and unwavering conviction. Otherwise, you're likely to fall!" Rhode warned him. "I've already become a [Witch Hunter], but I don't recommend following the path I took!"

"Fall?"

Sulu felt a chill in his heart.

"Unlike the [Soldier] and [Apprentice] professional trees, the [Demon Contractor] has only two branches. One leads to [Witch Hunter], and the other to [Fallen]!"

Rhode said, "Whether you become a [Witch Hunter] or a [Fallen], your first-tier profession is [Demon Contractor], meaning a person who makes a pact with a demon! To become a [Demon Contractor], you must undergo the ritual of 'Gaze into the Abyss'! As you gaze into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes back at you. Only after you complete this step and enter the Abyss's sight will a [Demon Contractor] gain a trace of Demonic Power... Of course, it doesn't come from a real demon—or, rather, it's diluted millions of times over and can only be called Abyssal Power. But that's already enough to raise an ordinary person to the supernatural tier!"

"After becoming a [Demon Contractor], you can either hold fast to your convictions and use Demonic Power in moderation to become a Witch Hunter. This path is extremely dangerous, and it only gets worse as you advance. That's why, after the fourth tier, we need help from other faiths... Historically, the Goddess of Light was the first to reach out to the Witch Hunter community!"

"The rest worship demons and gradually transform into them, straying further and further down a path that takes them beyond humanity. That dark path has its own professional ranks... It's said the original idea came from monsters corrupted by the Abyss!"