Strength

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

In the presence of such beings, ordinary people are merely ants, and even low-tier transcendents are nothing more than slightly larger ants.

Why would such a majestic existence care about the tiny creatures at their feet? It is just as a normal person would not pay attention to an ordinary colony of ants.

This cold, hard fact made Sulu suddenly feel suffocated.

If this is how things truly are, how desperate must this world be?

"As humans, the only thing we can rely on is ourselves!"

Rhode said loudly, appearing somewhat agitated: "This is the origin of professional paths, and the philosophy that generations of transcendents have sought to pass down!"

"The strong are strong because they first possess a strong heart, right?" Sulu asked.

He saw a look of gratification in Rhode's eyes, knowing this was what the other man had intended to convey to him from the very beginning.

"Great existences like gods are still too far removed from us..."

Rhode did not continue the previous topic: "But... even if they only project a fraction of their influence, it might cause profound changes to our world!"

"Among these, there are evil gods and monsters who love to create death and chaos; demons are one such kind!"

"No matter how evil or fallen an existence may be, there will always be those who court death due to the evil thoughts and greed in their hearts, performing rituals to contact them and obtain 'gifts'!"

"Many of them fall because of this, turning into monsters or evil spirits... but there are also clever ones who, through observation, research, and the study of various evil creatures, have created unique professional systems and advancement paths! This is something consistently suppressed by other righteous factions."

For instance, the twin brother of the Witch Hunter—the Fallen system—is a professional path of constant degradation, drawing ever closer to demons, Sulu added silently to himself.

Rhode continued: "Among the demon kin, the most numerous are various demonized creatures. They possess strength and speed far exceeding that of ordinary people, and perhaps even filthy auras from the Abyss... The powerful ones even possess the ability to corrupt surrounding creatures. Of course, there are also those skilled at hiding; when they are not active, they are no different from ordinary people... Such hidden ones have brought great harm to the human world in the past!"

"But... they were eventually dealt with, weren't they?" Sulu asked calmly.

"That is correct, they were all dealt with by Witch Hunters! Because Witch Hunters possess demonic power, they can sense other monsters!" Rhode replied: "Actually... such monsters are not too difficult to deal with, especially after the advent of firearms! What gives me the most headaches are things like vengeful spirits and evil ghosts... They manifest as spiritual bodies, and many physical attacks are ineffective against them."

"And besides these two major categories, there are other horrors difficult to describe, perhaps a curse... for example, an ancient house that disappears periodically, a road leading directly to an unknown space, or an infinite time loop trap... They appear suddenly, disappear suddenly, or fix themselves to a certain range to form a 'forbidden zone,' each time taking away the lives of innocent people!"

"This world... is it really this dangerous?" Sulu asked in surprise: "Why have I never heard of this?"

"Because before this was the Twilight of the Gods, and all kinds of transcendent events were reduced to the absolute limit... Besides..." Rhode glanced at Sulu: "Where did you grow up and receive your education?"

That's right, I was born into a family of Witch Hunters, a time when transcendent power was at its lowest ebb, and ordinary monsters might not have dared to provoke us.

And I attended university at St. George, which is under the protection of the Church of the Goddess of Light; who would dare to act recklessly there?

Sulu suddenly realized, smiling with some embarrassment: "Please, continue..."

Such instruction would surely allow his [Demon Hunting Lore LV1] to improve.

Therefore, Sulu did not want to miss a single opportunity.

After the morning studies were completed, the two ate a hurried lunch. Rhode casually took off his shirt, revealing a broad, sturdy chest. On his bronze skin, scars like centipedes lay coiled, looking quite ugly and ferocious: "The afternoon is for combat training!"

"Understood!"

Sulu took a deep breath and stepped into the center of the field: "Why do you have... so many scars?"

"Scars are the proof of a man!"

Rhode pointed randomly at one: "This is a souvenir given to me by a 'Horned Demon'. Its horns were very hard, but in the end, its head became part of my collection... This is a gift from a 'Mind Deceiver'; it disguised itself as a woman and tried to assassinate me!"

"And what about this one?"

Sulu pointed at Rhode's stomach, where there was a crooked, winding scar that looked like a child's random doodle.

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

"Alright then..."

Sulu suppressed a laugh, his expression becoming solemn.

What kind of strength does a Tier 2 [Witch Hunter] possess? He was about to experience it firsthand.

"Be careful!"

Rhode warned.

The next instant!

The moment the sound fell, he rushed forward like a black bear.

It was hard to imagine that such a massive frame could move with the speed of the wind!

Too fast!

Sulu gritted his teeth.

It wasn't just the speed; once Rhode got serious, the sheer pressure emanating from him made Sulu feel suffocated: Strong! Is a Tier 2 professional really this strong?

"Turtle Style!"

Under such a terrifying threat, his body instinctively chose to defend.

BANG!

The next moment, a terrifying force surged from the point where their arms made contact.

Sulu felt as if he had been struck head-on by a high-speed steam locomotive, his entire body sent flying backward like a cannonball.

"My arm!"

His expression turned ghastly as he clutched his right arm, feeling as though the bones had been shattered.

"I used my full strength at the start to gauge your foundation..." Rhode's towering figure walked over. "Your combat technique is well-practiced... but it still hasn't exceeded the limits of an ordinary person!"

"Are Professionals really this strong?"

Sulu climbed to his feet, grimacing, and took the ointment from Rhode to apply it to himself.

The ointment was highly effective; although it had a foul, pungent odor, the moment it touched his skin, a refreshing coolness spread through his muscles, effectively dulling the pain.

"The first tier of a Profession is called 'Transcendence,' which means to exceed the limits of mortals!"

Rhode said, "When you promote to the First Tier, you undergo a baptism, and your attributes receive a massive boost! The higher the tier you promote to, the greater that boost becomes!"

In other words, the attributes gained from promoting from the First Tier to the Second Tier must be much greater than those gained by an ordinary person promoting to the First Tier?

Sulu asked again, "What about multiclassing?"

"Multiclassing is certainly possible, but if you do that, the first time yields the best results, the second time the effect is reduced by nearly half, and after three times, there is almost no effect at all!"

Rhode replied, "It is speculated... that this is because with too many classes, the rules, or rather the origin, cancel each other out!"

"I understand!"

Sulu nodded with a solemn expression, realizing that his plan to crazily boost his attributes by utilizing a large number of multiclasses had fallen through.