Graduation

Chapter 48: Graduation

August 1st, early morning.

Sulu and Sean stood beneath the dormitory building where they had lived for several years, surrounded by piles of luggage. Their expressions were deeply complex.

"Farewell... my university!"

Sulu sighed and gave Sean a hug. "What are your plans now?"

"I've already rented an apartment and have an interview today. I need to rush over there after dropping off my things." Sean rubbed his somewhat bewildered face. "Perhaps... we could share a place. It would effectively lower our burden."

"Although I won't be setting off for Green Tree Castle immediately... I have already found a place to stay."

Sulu answered with some pain.

He would be bunking with Rod in that abandoned factory. The man would likely be thrilled to save money and gain more time for training.

"Is that so? Then take care... brother!"

"Take care!"

Sulu dragged his suitcase, staring at Sean's retreating back, and let out a soft breath.

Taking one last look at the campus, he finally turned and left without looking back.

The Twilight of the Gods had passed, and a new era was about to begin.

And he, too, would find his own unique place within the tides of this era!

Sulu secretly set a small goal for himself.

Inside the abandoned factory.

"You... are injured?"

Watching Rod walk in, Sulu twitched his nose, catching the scent of thick blood.

"It's nothing..."

Rod sat down carelessly. "I just punished a certain guy and got into a fight with some others... The matter is resolved. We'll have a new contact person for the Church of the Goddess of Light from now on."

In other words... you killed him?

Sulu's eyelids jumped. He didn't dwell on whether Rod had killed or crippled the man. "Are you still planning to take on missions?"

He had already advanced to [Medium]. While he couldn't say he was committed to this path until the end, ordinary transcendents wouldn't consider a side job before their path to advancement became hopeless.

In other words, there was no need to desperately grind missions to exchange for [Apprentice] career information.

"Of course... why wouldn't I?"

Rod paused. "Whether it's my [Witch Hunter] or your [Medium], both require advancement and resources... Since we have to choose one, why not choose the Church of the Goddess of Light?"

It seemed that although this guy was occasionally rigid, his head was still relatively clear.

Sulu nodded inwardly and suddenly asked, "What are the conditions for the advancement of a [Witch Hunter]?"

Rod's expression shifted, and he took a deep breath. "It requires constant hunting of demonized creatures to seize their transcendent power! This is one of the prerequisites for advancing to [Demon Hunting Expert]!"

In other words, constantly increasing the concentration of demonic power in your body? The further you go, the more dangerous it becomes? And... no wonder you hid quite a few things after dealing with the corpses of those three Little Imps last time.

Sulu's face darkened as he heard Rod ask, "What about your [Medium]?"

"I don't know..." Sulu answered truthfully. Seeing Rod's face darken as expected, he quickly added, "But I already have a lead!"

That adventurer, the archaeologist Kira Gales, was suspected of having close ties with Catherine's mentor and possessed the advanced class for [Medium]—[Occultist]!

The man was a relatively famous figure; as long as he spent some time and money, he would eventually be able to track him down.

As for the improvement of the [Medium] class itself, it was nothing more than coming into contact with spirits and exorcising evil spirits for others.

If all else failed, he could simply use experience points to push his skills up.

Sulu felt that his speed of progress on his career path would exceed Rod's imagination.

After sharing some of his speculations on training as a [Medium], Rod fell into deep thought.

After a long while, he stood up and said, "The weakness of a [Medium] lies in the physical body. Since you've moved in, we are going to conduct training—extensive, intensified training!"

No, please!

Sulu wailed in his heart, but knowing it was for his own benefit, he could only listen with a blank expression.

"At the same time..." Rod continued, "I will post some information at the shop. We will take on more missions related to the supernatural, which will allow your [Medium] abilities to be trained and grow!"

"Wait a minute... did I just hear a rather incredible term? A shop?"

Sulu stared at Rod in surprise.

You're rich enough to own a shop, yet you still sleep in this dilapidated factory?

Big dog, you've changed!

"It's from the mission reward I just received... It originally belonged to that craftsman named Galan!"

Rod answered without the slightest concern. "I think it can serve as our contact point. That's better than exposing our hideout... Besides, the shop's original business is quite good. As long as we hire a clerk and find a source of goods, we can keep it running. That could bring us a profit of two to three Gold Dragons every month!"

"Sounds good!"

Sulu nodded, never expecting that a single mission would turn them into property owners.

Of course, this wasn't because the mission reward was generous, but rather more of a compensation for Rhode. It truly was the crying child who got the milk; making a fuss certainly had its benefits.

"It is indeed good. The Church will handle the supply chain for us, so we only need to hire one employee!"

Rhode said quite cheerfully.

A storefront, plus a steady stream of profit—the Church's sincerity this time is quite substantial... though it is certainly worth the price of this mission!

Thinking back to the danger last time, Sulu couldn't help but feel a chill; they had truly almost been wiped out!

He hesitated before asking, "Are all supernatural incidents as terrifying and dangerous as that evil spirit from before?"

If that were the case, they might as well go hunt magical creatures to grind experience; with the attribute panel, the effect was about the same.

"Not all supernatural incidents are dangerous... but they are always extremely bizarre!"

Rhode fell silent for a moment before answering, "Although I prefer tangible magical creatures over illusory spirits... they aren't exactly constant either. If a Little Imp gains the attention of a demon, it could promote into a much more powerful monster in a very short time, posing a danger even greater than an evil spirit! In fact... as long as it's a supernatural incident, there is nothing that isn't dangerous, much like your Corpse Princess."

Sulu's expression stiffened. Could we not bring that up?

After promoting to [Medium], he had sensed a connection within his own soul.

But unfortunately, he couldn't use it to track her; it seemed Beatrice had unilaterally blocked him.

Otherwise, given the master-servant nature of this contract, as long as the gap in power wasn't terrifyingly vast, he would be confident in suppressing her if they were face-to-face, creating an opening for Rhode.

For now, life for this month is settled. I'll hang around Nia City for a while to scout for the whereabouts of Kira Gales and Beatrice. No matter which side I get news of, I must head there immediately!

Sulu made his plans in secret.