Mission (Seeking Collection! Recommendation!)

"You say... you deciphered information from a transcendent corpse you stumbled upon, and obtained a lead for the [Medium] profession?"

Inside the abandoned factory, Rhode toyed with the diamond-shaped iron plate engraved with an Ouroboros pattern, eyeing Sulu with curiosity.

"Yes, do you recognize this emblem?" Sulu, having already confirmed through his attribute panel that Rhode held no 'hostility', asked quite casually, "Or do you have any leads regarding this mark?"

"None..." Rhode pondered for a moment and shook his head. "You have to understand... the number of organizations appearing lately is countless. Furthermore, many notorious evil organizations from history will inevitably change their faces and adopt new names, and their emblems naturally change along with them!"

So that means... those infamous evil gods and malevolent entities... are in the habit of using aliases? Sulu understood. "Then what do you think of the [Medium] profession?"

"I've only heard a little about [Mediums]. They can converse with spirits, banish evil ghosts, or summon lingering souls to possess them to answer difficult questions..." Rhode scratched his head. "But they are very mysterious... or rather, the profession is too rare. Even if such an obscure profession is strong at the start, there are problems with subsequent development."

In other words, you don't really approve. Sulu rolled his eyes inwardly. "Then, are there any leads regarding the [Apprentice] profession?"

At the mention of this, Rhode seemed a bit awkward. "I made contact with the Church of the Goddess of Light through channels left by the family. They were happy about the Portley Family's return, but if you want to obtain [Apprentice], you must join the Church's elite department... or complete certain missions for them."

This is completely different from the 'easy and simple' thing you said before. Sulu shrugged. "It looks like... they value you, the [Witch Hunter], much more! But... I don't agree to you taking risks for my advancement!"

After all, he had transmigrated here and occupied the body of the man's younger brother; he already felt a bit guilty. How could he have the face to let someone else sacrifice themselves and take risks for him?

"Actually, it's nothing..." Rhode's expression softened slightly. "Besides, back home, I often took on missions anyway... The Church of the Goddess of Light is just a somewhat unconventional, mission-heavy, and very wealthy client. And... as a [Witch Hunter], even without considering food and lodging, I need a large amount of transcendent materials to craft witch-hunting weapons, replenish ammunition, or make healing potions!"

And all of this required money, or rather, a big benefactor.

Sulu sighed. "So... you've already agreed?"

"Yes, I've agreed!" Rhode handed the diamond-shaped iron badge back. "There's a mission tonight, and I think it's a good opportunity to train you, so... you're coming too!"

"Hm?" Sulu pointed at himself in surprise. "Me?"

"Of course..." Rhode said as if it were only natural. "I can't be by your side to protect you every moment. I must train your ability to handle danger... As the dawn gradually approaches, more and more evil things will awaken. In the end, even the gods will wake up. Did you think you could hide from it?"

Accumulating experience while it's still the early stages and the monsters aren't too terrifying? I'll agree to it. Sulu thought for a moment and immediately accepted.

Being a helper to Rhode was relatively safe, and he could gain experience points!

Once I scrape together 200, I'll immediately advance to [Medium]. Let's see how you'll swap me to [Apprentice] then—you wouldn't make me dual-class at Tier 1, would you?

As Sulu calculated his plans, Rhode suddenly tossed a hunting rifle over. "Catch!"

"This is..." He carefully examined the lethal object in his hands.

It had double barrels, a dark and slender gun body, a polished rosewood stock with a lustrous patina, a heavy feel, and an exquisite, detailed factory emblem and serial number—all of which spoke to its superior quality.

Every man had a yearning for weapons deep in his heart.

In an instant, Sulu felt he had fallen in love with this thing.

"The mission tonight might be dangerous; you need something for self-defense!" Rhode tossed over a bag of ammunition. "Practice well this afternoon!"

"Only one afternoon?" Sulu's eyes widened.

"With your constitution and memory, that shouldn't be a problem... Besides... replenishing special ammunition is expensive!" Rhode explained, though Sulu felt the latter was the real reason.

"And..." A hint of a smile appeared on Rhode's rugged face. "This is a shotgun. The range is short and reloading is a hassle, but one shot covers a wide area. As long as you grasp the timing, even a child could hit the target!"

"Why not give me a revolver? The six-shot kind?" Sulu protested with a bit of resentment.

If he didn't have a permit, carrying such a large piece of hardware down the street would surely attract onlookers.

"Sorry, the budget is limited!" Rhode rummaged through his carry-on case and took out an exquisitely crafted revolver, wiping it down as if caressing a lover.

The silver gun body, along with patterns containing strange power, made Sulu feel a bit envious as he watched.

It truly was a fine gun. At the low-level transcendent stage, even if a transcendent's vitality underwent a qualitative change, they still had vital points and could be taken down by a group of well-trained ordinary people with firearms—just like Catherine and the unfortunate Alanis.

The methods of a [Medium] were mostly only effective against spirits; aside from simple applications of mental power, they had almost no means of self-preservation. Their vital points and vitality seemed to be the same as an ordinary person's. No wonder they died upon exposure and were wiped out by a group of ordinary people.

By comparison, the Shadow Binder might have slightly higher combat power and a more tenacious vitality, but the outcome remains no different.

Rhode, on the other hand, is already a Tier 2 Witch Hunter whose essence has been refined and elevated twice; his speed, strength, and vitality are all at a superhuman level. I even suspect that as long as his heart, brain, or other vital organs aren't struck, he can recover from any injury in no time.

Sulu looked Rhode up and down, pondering the question of how many ordinary men the other could take on.

Undoubtedly, once such a transcendent chooses to wage guerrilla warfare within a city, it spells disaster for any regime of ordinary people.

Of course, if they were to clash head-on with an army, they still wouldn't meet a good end.

"What are you thinking about?"

Rhode suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

"No... nothing at all!"

Sulu smiled and changed the subject: "By the way... what is our target for tonight?"

My hunting rifle is already famished.

"A demon thrall, some fool attracted by a demon, who might have even summoned a minor imp!"

Rhode shrugged his shoulders: "That's the most common type of demonized creature, very easy to deal with."