Reversal

A profession?

Su Chen froze as fragmented memories surged into his mind.

Professionals were undoubtedly the most esteemed class in Southwind City, wielding all manner of unimaginable powers.

It could be said that every drifter dreamed of becoming a professional, so they could settle down and no longer live in constant fear.

But becoming a professional was far from simple. Every profession required an exceedingly demanding ritual before one could take up the class.

Setting aside the difficulty of the rituals themselves, even their names were treated as secrets, let alone the details involved.

From the bits and pieces his predecessor had learned, even the slightest error in a ritual could lead to failure, turning the applicant into a terrifying monster.

And his panel seemed capable of gathering information from the outside world, then providing the requirements for taking up a profession?

Su Chen swallowed. He immediately understood what that meant. Just exploiting the information gap alone could make him a fortune.

"I... I'm... a mentor at Southwind Academy, and a member of the Jiang Clan as well. If you... if you dare..."

Jiang He's pain-suppressed voice reached his ears, cooling some of the heat in Su Chen's heart.

He steadied himself. Whatever came later, the immediate trouble had yet to be resolved.

"Ha ha..." The short man had already crouched before Jiang He. His gloomy voice followed. "Madam, of course I know who you are. Enchanting Violet... tsk, tsk, truly worthy of the name..."

Though Su Chen could only see the man's back, he could imagine where that gaze was wandering across Jiang He's body without restraint.

Su Chen grew anxious and fixed his eyes on [Basic Combat]. It seemed to be his only support.

But... his gaze swept over the burly figure beside him. The man's chest muscles were practically larger than Su Chen's head.

Take up Arcane Apprentice?

He had heard that low-tier professions could be attempted without meeting all advancement requirements.

There was some risk, but it was still worth a try. But where was he supposed to find a dark environment right now...

[The host's dangerous situation has been detected. Arcane Apprentice is thinking...]

Su Chen's eyes narrowed. The panel could change too?

[The wise Arcane Apprentice has decided to take a step back. Arcane Apprentice must now meet all advancement requirements before it can be taken up. Therefore, an additional reward may be obtained.]

The words gradually faded away. What... what the hell was that?

This profession could think for itself?

It had to complete all the requirements before taking up the class?

It would not even give him a chance to gamble?

Who knew what the second advancement requirement was?

Questions flooded his mind, leaving Su Chen utterly bewildered.

Then a sharp gaze snapped him back to reality. The hulking man beside him was staring closely at him, seemingly having noticed his earlier abnormality.

Su Chen's heart skipped a beat, but the other man made no further move.

Even as he breathed a sigh of relief, his anxiety intensified. What if these two were not professionals...

"What a shame. There isn't enough time this time. I can't properly play with Madam..."

The short man spoke regretfully, then rose and moved aside, extending an arm. A green hemp rope slid from his black sleeve.

Controlled by an invisible force, it moved like a nimble venomous snake, winding around Jiang He and slowly lifting her before placing her on the sofa.

"Rope Master..." Jiang He forced out the words through clenched teeth. Then she looked toward the burly giant, despair plain in her eyes. "Strongman. Two professionals... who wants me dead?"

"Sorry, Madam. We're professionals." Rope Master shrugged.

"Professionals..." An ugly smile appeared on Jiang He's pale face. "A lowlife who serves whores for a living. You're not even as good as that Strongman over there. He went through the Body Tempering Trial and can at least change professions later. What about you? You'll have no prospects for the rest of your life, yet you dare talk about being professional?"

Her tongue was truly venomous. Su Chen had experienced Jiang He's sharp tongue before.

He could clearly see the stiffness on the short man's face. Insulting both of them at once might not have mattered much, but praising one while putting down the other was different.

At the very least, the big man beside him raised his head a little higher.

Wait... Su Chen's heart stirred, and he hurriedly opened the panel.

[First-tier intermediate profession discovered—Strongman]

[Strongman advancement requirement discovered—Body Tempering Trial: Break through the body's limits ten times through arduous training.]

[Advancement Requirement Two: ???]

Sure enough, a new profession had appeared. But there was only Strongman, no Rope Master. It seemed knowing the name alone was not enough.

Su Chen became even more anxious. This would not work either. The Body Tempering Trial likewise could not be fulfilled in his current circumstances.

[The host's crisis has been detected. The Strongman profession is thinking...]

Su Chen's expression shifted. No way?

[The valiant Strongman profession has decided to press forward without hesitation, voluntarily revealing its other advancement requirements. Completing any one of them will allow for perfect class acquisition, but the remaining advancement requirements must be completed within one month after taking up the profession. Otherwise, the profession will be erased.]

Huh? Huh!

Su Chen's heart leaped. As expected, the second requirement beneath Strongman was no longer a question mark.

[Strongman advancement requirement two: Possess at least one physical mastery skill.]

Su Chen frowned instinctively. A physical mastery skill? Where would I...

No. His eyes suddenly lit up. He still had the gift from his previous life. [Basic Combat] should count as physical, right?

"Your turn..."

Su Chen's face changed abruptly. At some point, the short man had come to stand beside him.

His attention had been almost entirely on the mental panel. He had only vaguely heard the man saying things like, "Madam seems quite spirited," and, "I hope you can still say such things later..."

"Not a bad body..." The short man finally seemed to take the time to examine him. His sinister gaze was filled with malice. "No wonder you could trade your body for an enrollment letter..."

An enrollment letter? Wasn't it an admission letter?

Su Chen could not help feeling puzzled. Then he saw the floating green hemp rope slip in through the man's sleeve, winding around Su Chen's limbs as his body began moving against his will.

"...A lowly drifter is threatened by an academy teacher, only to accidentally kill her during their activities in bed. Before dying, he takes her with him, and the two perish together. That should be believable enough..."

Rubbing his chin, he gave a vicious account. "When the guard arrives, you two will be lying naked on the sofa. Neither your clan nor the academy will want to publicize such a disgraceful scandal. The case should be closed quickly..."

Rope Master looked at Su Chen again, a strange smile curling at his lips. "Lucky you, little one. You'll get to enjoy this beautiful body before you die. But don't worry, I won't let you release it. Hold it in."

Jiang He's face was pale. Whether from fear or something else, she had stopped speaking.

Meanwhile, bound by the rope, Su Chen walked toward the sofa against his will and even began taking off his clothes.

Damn it. Su Chen's thoughts raced. He wanted to equip [Basic Combat] and take up the profession immediately, but it did not feel like the right moment.

Both men were behind him. He had no idea what changes would occur during class acquisition. If they seized the initiative, then even if he took up the profession, he would likely have no advantage.

Whoosh—

Just as he finished removing his shirt and was about to take off his pants, Su Chen felt a chill run through his body. The lights in the room dimmed.

The short man's expression changed drastically as he abruptly looked at Jiang He, whose face was twisted with viciousness. Her lips parted.

"Long!"

She uttered an incomprehensible syllable. It was not loud, yet it seemed to come from an unimaginably distant place—piercing and shrill as it slammed brutally into the minds of all three people present.

Su Chen felt his body loosen. It was as though a steel spike had been driven into his brain, while two dull thuds and cries of pain came from behind him.

"Go, go, cover her mouth!" Rope Master roared, clutching his head and hunching over in agony.

Strongman seemed to be different after all. Though he looked to be in great pain as well, he could still move with difficulty toward Jiang He.

Su Chen had already collapsed to the floor. For some reason, he was not suffering as badly. His thoughts were even clearer.

A massive shadow stepped over him. It was the big man.

Su Chen's thoughts spun at lightning speed. Knowing this was the perfect opportunity, he did not hesitate.

[Basic Combat], equip!

A strange sensation instantly spread through his body, as if countless ants were crawling through the gaps in his bones. His muscle fibers quietly thickened, and his frail body underwent a silent transformation.

But in the current situation, no one had the spare attention to notice him.

Su Chen gritted his teeth. His pupils were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the panel no one else could see.

[Advancement requirements completed.]

Two clear words appeared behind the Strongman profession—Take up!

As his gaze settled on those words, they seemed to sense his resolve. The Strongman profession suddenly collapsed, and Su Chen felt his heart pound violently, as though struck by a drumbeat.

[Strongman profession acquired.]

[Ability obtained—Strength.]

Immediately afterward, an even more intense transformation crashed through him. His muscle tissue seemed to be torn apart, then forcibly stitched back together.

The power held within his body surged rapidly. Yet rather than turning him into a hulking brute, the transformation made his physique more balanced.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The pounding of his heart rang in his ears. The changes brought by equipping [Basic Combat] and taking up [Strongman], coupled with Jiang He's strange influence, nearly drowned his consciousness.

Fortunately, the transformation ended quickly. The pain in his body swiftly faded, and the pain in his mind became negligible as well.

Before he could experience the changes in his body, he abruptly turned to look at Rope Master, who was clutching his head and groaning miserably.

At the same time, Strongman had barely reached Jiang He. His hand moved toward her head, his eyes wide and blood seeping from his nose and mouth.

The strange syllable suddenly ceased, and Rope Master sighed in relief, as though a crushing burden had been lifted.

"Damn it. Don't worry, I'll make you two die slowly..." Rope Master growled, but his expression suddenly froze as a shadow fell over him.

His throat bobbed. The hemp rope that had fallen beside him twitched, but before he could move, a hand from nowhere landed on his head like an iron clamp.

The intense stabbing pain told him that if the other person exerted any force, his skull would suffer irreversible damage.

"Don't move..." A cold voice came from behind him. Rope Master trembled, and disbelief appeared on his lowered face.

How... how was that possible...

"Whew..." Su Chen slowly exhaled, twisting his palm as he moved to stand at Rope Master's side.

"Old Ghost..." At that moment, Strongman turned around as well. Six eyes met, and all of them were stunned.

That was right. Strongman was not foolish enough to kill Jiang He outright. He had only sealed her mouth.

"You..." Strongman seemed unable to process what had happened, his brows furrowing tightly.

Jiang He was staring at Su Chen in equal disbelief. Strongman's burly body had blocked her view earlier, so she had not noticed the changes happening to Su Chen at all.

She had never expected him to subdue the other Rope Master in the blink of an eye.

His once gaunt upper body had become lean and powerful, his muscles evenly distributed. The expression on his face made him seem unfamiliar to her as well.

Coldness, vigilance, and ferocity.

She had never seen those things in Su Chen before.