"Family... Witch Hunters... career paths... the supernatural..."
In the bedroom, Sulu sat in a chair, holding the black sheet of paper that recorded the 'Doom Ritual.' All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind.
[XP+100]
As he read, a large amount of Experience Points appeared.
"Back then... I got 50 Experience Points from the skill-book page for [Corpse Maiden Creation]. This Doom Ritual is obviously much more advanced!"
Sulu muttered to himself and glanced at the Attribute Panel:
Name: [Sulu Portley] Profession: [None] Rank: [0] Title: [None] Strength: [1.6], Agility: [1.3], Constitution: [1.1], Spirit: [1.6] Skills: [Corpse Maiden Creation LV1], [Krav Maga Combat Arts LV5] Passives: [General Hebraic LV3], [Basic Physics LV4], [Demon Hunting Lore LV1], [Ancient Hebraic LV2] XP: [110]
As he read on and the information became more complete, a prompt appeared:
[Ping! Second-tier profession information detected—Doom-Bringer. To take up this profession, a first-tier prerequisite profession is required: Apprentice. Spirit requirement: 2.5!... Requirements not met! Unable to take up profession!]
"Just as I thought. I can't skip a tier! Even if I could, I meet the hard requirements, but I don't have enough Experience Points..."
Sulu quickly considered his options.
To become a professional, he first had to acquire a first-tier profession.
At present, the only complete legacy he could access was that of the Witch Hunters! Of course... something as bizarre as the Idealist Demon was definitely out of the question.
There was also Catherine's side of things, but that was basically impossible.
The only other path was to join the Church of the Goddess of Light or the Federation and exchange that for a suitable reward.
"But... I don't want to give up my faith, and I don't want to become an agent!"
Sulu himself was an unbeliever, but in this world, where True Gods existed, he didn't dare do anything that might deceive the gods.
As for working for the Federation?
He thought it over, then quickly shook his head.
The Federation government was certainly powerful and must have access to plenty of supernatural profession paths. But its control over supernatural beings would surely be just as strong. What if they used military-style management, where you had to go die just because they ordered you to? What then?
"None of these options seems very reliable... So all I can do is wait and hope Rhode obtains someone else's legacy, or go out and take my chances?"
Sulu pursed his lips.
Before, he'd certainly had the patience to wait.
But now... Beatrice might be growing rapidly. If she left him too far behind and reached the point where she could turn on him, would he even survive?
"Besides... even if Rhode obtains some unusual first-tier profession, he might not let me take it up."
Some widespread profession paths, such as [Apprentice] and [Soldier], had surely produced plenty of master-level and even higher-ranking, fifth- and sixth-tier figures. History had proven those paths sound, so everyone could trust them.
But if it was some hidden legacy—one that only reached the third-tier Expert level at best, or worse, only the second-tier Elite level—then those who took it up might eventually find themselves with nowhere to advance. They would have no choice but to abandon it and take up another profession. The time and effort that would cost, not to mention potential conflicts between the systems, might completely destroy their hopes of reaching the top in their lifetime!
"That's why Rhode advised me to take up [Apprentice], a first-tier profession with great potential! He just doesn't know I have an Attribute Panel... As long as I pay attention to conflicts between the powers of different professions and have enough Experience Points, taking up additional professions won't be a problem for me!"
Sulu was confident about that.
"So... I still have to find information about a first-tier profession as soon as possible. Preferably one for a spellcaster. That way, I can gain an advantage in my struggle against Beatrice, even if it's only in terms of Spirit..."
Suddenly, Sulu paused as he remembered the corpse in the sewer.
That was another possible source of supernatural power.
He was still deciphering the parchment pages the corpse had left behind. He needed Professor Alanis's research notes on the Gulam Language.
Sulu realized that he had never before wanted a piece of information so badly.
Rhode was a second-tier Witch Hunter, far stronger than Sulu, so there was no need to worry about his safety.
However, he hadn't accepted Sulu's offer to rent him a place. As he put it, "A spacious, bright, and tidy home would make me feel uncomfortable. That's the effect demons have on me! It's common, mild, and all Witch Hunters experience it..."
But Sulu thought the man was simply born poor! He couldn't bear to pay for an apartment and would rather make do under a bridge or somewhere else.
An abandoned factory building.
Sunlight streamed into the interior through broken windows, illuminating the thick layer of dust on the floor.
There was plenty of discarded junk lying haphazardly around, but little metal to be seen—most of it had been picked up by scavengers.
Supposedly, the factory had once belonged to a textile mill owner who employed a large number of female workers and had made quite a fortune.
But later, as steam-powered spinning machines improved, the price of its products plummeted. The business gradually went bankrupt, unable to pay its debts. Everything of value was hauled away, leaving behind nothing but a desolate plot of land frequented only by stray cats and dogs or homeless people.
Rhode, however, was quite pleased with the place and decided to use it as his temporary base.
He called Sulu over, and together they cleared an area to use for their tutoring sessions.
"Most of the mysterious knowledge I know has to do with demons!"
Before starting the lesson, Rhode began with an overview. "This world is vast. With the arrival of the Dawn of Gods, besides the demons of the Abyss, many more Evil Gods and other evil beings will awaken in the darkness... Their followers have all sorts of abilities. The only thing we can be sure of is that they're generally hostile toward humanity!"
"So... are the Seven Gods the True Gods because they're benevolent toward humanity?" Sulu asked thoughtfully.
"No!"
Rhode corrected him. "What do you think a god is?"
"A god?"
Sulu was taken aback. Memories of his past life surfaced. "Mysterious, powerful, almost omnipotent... Maybe they need humanity's faith, too?"
"Wrong! How could we possibly understand such sublime beings with our limited minds?"
Rhode shook his head. "Their existence, their way of thinking... Perhaps they're nothing like we imagine! The Seven Gods are considered True Gods only because they aren't hostile toward most people. The so-called 'Church' was established by ordinary people hoping to curry favor with the Seven Gods. The gods simply haven't turned them away! Perhaps our faith is important to such beings, but it isn't a necessity!"
"They aren't hostile, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're benevolent? The so-called Church, all that praise... it was just ordinary people trying to curry favor with them..."
Sulu suddenly felt a chill. "If fanatics heard you say that, they might burn you alive!"
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