Strength

Gods were incomparably powerful, ageless, immortal, and invincible.

Before such beings, ordinary people were ants. Even low-level Transcendents were nothing more than slightly bigger ants.

How could beings so mighty care about the tiny creatures at their feet? It was like how ordinary people paid no mind to common anthills.

This cold, hard truth suddenly left Sulu feeling suffocated.

If that was how things were, how hopeless must this world be?

"As humans, the only ones we can rely on are ourselves!"

Rhode spoke loudly, seeming somewhat agitated. "That's why professional paths exist. It's the ideal that generations of Transcendents have tried to pass down!"

"The strong are strong because they first have a strong heart. Am I right?" Sulu asked.

He saw a look of satisfaction in Rhode's eyes and realized this was what the other man had wanted to teach him from the very beginning.

"Beings as great as the gods are still far beyond our reach..."

Rhode didn't continue with what he'd been saying. "But... even the merest influence they project can bring profound changes to our world!"

"Among them are some Evil Gods and monsters that delight in death and chaos. Demons are one such example!"

"No matter how evil or depraved a being is, there will always be people who court death out of malice and greed, performing rituals to contact them and receive 'gifts'!"

"Many of those people fall into depravity and become monsters or spirits... But some clever ones observe, study, and learn about all kinds of evil creatures, creating unique professions and paths to advancement! Other righteous factions have all joined forces to suppress them."

For example, the Fallen path is the Witch Hunters' twin—a professional path that continually corrupts its practitioners and draws them closer to Demons! Sulu silently added.

Rhode continued, "Among Demons' followers, the most numerous are all kinds of mutated creatures. They possess strength and speed beyond ordinary people, and perhaps a foul aura from the Abyss as well... The stronger ones can even corrupt nearby creatures. Of course, some are good at hiding. Until they reveal their true nature, they're no different from ordinary people... These hidden ones once brought great harm to the human world!"

"But... they were dealt with in the end, weren't they?" Sulu asked calmly.

"That's right. The Witch Hunters dealt with them all! Witch Hunters possess Demonic Power, which lets them sense other monsters!" Rhode replied. "Actually... those monsters aren't that difficult to deal with, especially now that we have firearms! What gives me the most trouble are Wraiths, Evil Spirits, and the like... They appear as spirits, and most physical attacks are useless against them."

"Besides those two major categories, there are also some indescribable horrors. They might be a curse... like an Ancient Mansion that periodically disappears, a road that leads straight to an unknown space, or an endlessly repeating time trap... They appear and disappear without warning, or remain within a fixed area to form a 'forbidden zone.' Each time, they claim the lives of innocent people!"

"This world... is really that dangerous?" Sulu asked in surprise. "How come I've never heard about any of this?"

"Because it was the Twilight of the Gods. Supernatural events of all kinds had dropped to a bare minimum... Besides..." Rhode glanced at Sulu. "Where did you grow up and receive your education?"

That's right. I was born into a Witch Hunter family, and the supernatural forces were at a low point at the time. Ordinary monsters probably wouldn't dare provoke them.

And I went to university in St. George, which is under the protection of the Church of the Goddess of Light. Who would dare cause trouble there?

Sulu suddenly understood. He smiled sheepishly. "Go on..."

This kind of instruction would surely improve his [Demon Hunting Lore LV1].

So Sulu didn't want to miss a single opportunity.

After their morning lesson, the two hurriedly ate lunch. Rhode casually took off his shirt, revealing a broad, solid chest. Scars like ugly, menacing centipedes crawled across his bronze skin. "This afternoon, we'll do combat training!"

"All right!"

Sulu took a deep breath and stepped to the center of the training ground. "How did you get so many scars?"

"Scars are proof of a man's worth!"

Rhode pointed to one of them. "A Horned Demon gave me this as a keepsake. Its horns were incredibly hard, but in the end, I added its head to my collection... This one was a gift from a Mind Deceiver. It disguised itself as a woman and tried to assassinate me!"

"What about this one?"

Sulu pointed to Rhode's stomach, where a crooked scar looked like a child's careless scribble.

"...That's from an appendectomy when I was a kid. I already filed a complaint against the doctor who stitched me up!"

"All right..."

Sulu held back a laugh, his expression turning solemn.

Just how strong was a second-tier [Witch Hunter]? He was about to find out.

"Careful!"

Rhode warned him.

The next instant!

As soon as the words left his mouth, Rhode charged forward like a Black Bear, bearing down on Sulu.

It was hard to imagine that someone so massive could move as fast as the wind!

Too fast!

Sulu gritted his teeth.

It wasn't just his speed. Once Rhode got serious, the sheer force of his presence left Sulu feeling suffocated. Strong! Were second-tier professionals really this powerful?

"Turtle Style!"

Faced with such a terrifying threat, his body instinctively chose to defend itself.

Thud!

The next moment, a terrifying force struck him where their arms made contact.

Sulu felt as if he'd been hit head-on by a speeding steam locomotive. He was sent flying like a cannonball.

"My arm!"

His face twisted as he clutched his right arm, feeling as though the bone had snapped.

"I used my full strength from the start because I wanted to see what your foundation was like..." Rhode's towering figure approached him. "Your fighting skills are decent... but you still haven't surpassed the limits of an ordinary person!"

"Are professionals really this strong?"

Sulu grimaced as he struggled to his feet, then took the ointment Rhode handed him and applied it to himself.

The ointment worked well. It smelled foul and pungent, but once he rubbed it into his skin, a cool sensation spread through his muscles, effectively easing the pain.

"The first tier of a profession is called 'Transcendent.' It means surpassing the limits of ordinary people!"

Rhode explained, "When you advance to the first tier, you undergo a Baptism, and your physical attributes increase dramatically! The higher you advance, the greater the increase!"

So when you advance from the first tier to the second, your attributes must increase much more than they did when an ordinary person advanced to the first tier?

Sulu asked again, "What about taking on multiple professions?"

"Of course you can do that, but the first time gives you the best results. The second time, the effect is almost halved, and after the third time, there's almost no effect at all!"

Rhode replied, "According to the theory... it's because taking on too many professions causes their rules—or perhaps their origins—to cancel one another out!"

"I understand!"

Sulu nodded gravely, realizing that his idea of wildly boosting his attributes by taking on a large number of professions had fallen through.