After giving it some thought, he guessed that the difficulty of raising attributes was tied to his own base values.
When he had first transmigrated here, both his Strength and Constitution had been 4 points.
Back then, he could gain attribute points as easily as if they had been handed out for free with just a little training.
But the attribute related to archery was most likely Perception, and his Perception was already higher than the Ordinary person's 5 points.
Simply reaching the Proficient level (LV2) might no longer grant the corresponding attributes. He guessed he might need a higher level.
Additionally, he vaguely sensed an invisible ceiling.
It might be 10 points, or perhaps 12.
Once he reached that threshold—the limit of an ordinary person—mere physical training would likely no longer bring about any qualitative change.
The only way to break through that bottleneck might be the "professional" system.
Only by completing a class advancement ritual could he unlock his body's limits and continue rising higher.
As for whether professionals could only grow stronger by raising their class levels, or whether there were other ways to improve themselves, Lance still knew nothing about that.
"Looks like I need to find some information."
The common educational books in bookstores were clearly not enough. He needed more core materials on professionals.
Even incomplete professional information seemed to be something his interface could piece back together.
Just as he was considering where to ask around—
Creak—
The office door behind him, belonging to the supervisor Grayson, was pushed open.
Lance instinctively turned around.
He saw Nia struggling out with an enormous roll of parchment in her arms.
The scroll looked quite heavy. Together with the boxes of thumbtacks she had to hold against her chest, it made her stagger a little as she walked.
"Hey! Lance!"
The moment Nia looked up and spotted the absentminded Lance, she immediately looked as though she had found a savior and happily freed one hand to wave at him.
"Come help me! This thing's too heavy!"
Lance smiled helplessly, rose to his feet, and walked over, casually taking the huge scroll from her.
It felt slightly heavy in his hands. The parchment was far thicker and finer than an ordinary commission sheet, and a conspicuous guild wax seal was stamped across its header.
"What is this?"
As he asked, Lance followed Nia toward the most conspicuous notice board in the center of the hall.
"The latest guild announcement."
Nia rubbed her slightly sore wrist and took a thumbtack from the box.
"That old chairman finally couldn't sit still anymore. He's planning something big."
It was still early morning, and only a handful of early-rising adventurers were in the hall organizing their equipment. Few paid attention to what was happening here.
Lance spread the scroll across the center of the notice board and helped Nia flatten its four corners.
As the scroll unfolded, its contents appeared clearly before Lance's eyes.
The heading was written in striking red pigment, carrying an air of grim menace.
[Copper Creek Forest Region · Large-Scale Joint Purge Commission]
Lance's gaze quickly swept over the main text.
It was actually a call to arms for every registered adventurer in the guild.
Unlike the scattered minor jobs of the past, the guild had clearly divided the combat zones this time and had even set detailed advance routes.
Lance stood before the notice board, following the red heading downward as he carefully read the entire call to arms.
He had to admit that the chairman, who usually looked like he only knew how to count copper coins, had spent heavily this time.
That old fox of a chairman had actually spared no expense, forcibly pulling a group of experienced professionals away from the more profitable dungeons to serve as the main force.
The announcement also made it clear that all independent adventurers had to register in teams.
When the time came, the guild would divide Copper Creek Forest into different combat zones and arrange for each team to advance along designated routes, combing through the entire area like a comb through hair.
However, after closely studying the advance map, Lance discovered that the chairman had not been arrogant enough to try purging all of Copper Creek Forest.
That was unrealistic. Only a regular army could accomplish something like that.
The goal of this operation was very clear: push the human activity zone five kilometers toward the central region, focusing on eliminating monster nests and hidden caves that threatened the Outer Region of the forest.
"Quite the undertaking..."
Lance stroked his chin thoughtfully.
This cautious, step-by-step style made him strongly suspect that the chairman might have served in the kingdom's regular army when he was younger.
Lance was actually rather looking forward to this operation.
After all, once the purge succeeded, the danger level in the Outer Region of Copper Creek Forest would drop sharply, and Environmental Stability would rise along with it.
At that point, gathering herbs or hunting isolated monsters would become much safer.
"I heard it's because the chairman reached a cooperation agreement with Violet Academy."
Standing beside him, Nia casually spoke as she organized the box of thumbtacks.
"That old man is making such a big show of it because he probably wants to clear the place out before those pampered students arrive."
"After all, if those students get themselves killed the moment they arrive, it'll be hard for the academy to explain."
"Students?"
"Why cooperate with them?"
Lance asked in confusion.
He had only been involved with adventurers for a short time, after all, and there were still many things he did not understand.
"Did you forget about that dungeon mana rampage a few months ago?"
Nia sighed and held up one finger, waving it in front of Lance.
"The mages suffered the worst casualties back then."
Lance nodded. That major casualty incident had happened not long after he joined the guild, and he still remembered it vividly.
In an adventuring party, mages might have formidable firepower, but they were also the frailest. Once an unexpected danger arose, their survival rate was often the lowest.
That disaster had practically caused a gap in Grayrock Town's local mages. It was now hard to find someone on the streets who could even make a fireball.
"But purge commissions can't do without mages."
Nia explained.
Lance froze for a moment, then understood what was at stake.
In a standard adventuring party, a mage's importance was irreplaceable.
Even mage apprentices who had not officially advanced to a class possessed beginner spells with area damage that physical classes could never match.
Especially when facing monster hordes like Goblins, which relied on numbers to win, a mage's Fire Ring Spell was often more useful than three warriors swinging their swords for half a day.
Not to mention specialized purge commissions.
Destroying monster nests, purifying contaminated land, and dispersing poisonous gas from caves—none of those dirty, exhausting tasks could be done without spellcasters.
Before you continue