"Begin Profession Awakening."
A pop-up window appeared directly in Naruto's line of sight.
"Please follow the instructions."
"First, place your palm in the center of the Profession Awakening Scroll."
The next moment,
the scroll, which had been lying quietly on the table, automatically unfurled.
The scroll was blank.
Naruto did as he was told, placing his hand in the center of the scroll.
"Close your eyes and keep your mind calm."
Naruto closed his eyes, emptied his mind, relaxed his body, and thought of nothing.
"Whoosh!"
On the blank scroll, mysterious symbols representing professions such as Warrior, Mage, Assassin, and Archer began to appear.
A mysterious and ancient power was being activated and flowing, transforming into thousands of complex runes that danced joyfully on the scroll, spreading out like ripples.
Naruto's mind also flashed with images of small figures:
Some wore armor, holding shields and swords, either slashing or blocking.
Others wore wide-brimmed hats and cloaks, holding staves, continuously chanting incantations to unleash ice, fire, hurricanes, and more.
Some held bows and arrows, leaping backward while drawing the bow and firing arrows that streaked across the sky like meteors.
…
These small figures continuously demonstrated the skills of their respective professions.
But after a short while,
the figures gradually disappeared, leaving only a small figure holding a dagger, shrouded entirely in a black robe.
"Awakening successful! You have obtained the Assassin profession."
The Profession Awakening Scroll spontaneously turned to ash, transforming into a shimmering purple stream of light that merged into Naruto's body, unlocking the power of the Assassin profession for him.
"Assassin?"
It seemed quite ordinary.
Naruto opened his eyes, without much surprise, but rather with a sense of expectation.
After all, Ninja and Assassin were quite similar.
"Detecting host's innate initial profession—Ninja."
"Detecting a high compatibility of 85% between the Ninja and Assassin dual professions. A new hidden profession can be fused and awakened."
"Do you wish to awaken the hidden profession?"
"Hmm?"
"Yes!"
Naruto was momentarily stunned, then chose to awaken without hesitation.
"Whoosh—!"
The flame of the oil lamp flickered violently three times, its original orange-yellow hue turning a deep, eerie bluish-black. The shadow of Naruto, cast on the floor by the oil lamp, instantly stretched out, ignoring walls and windows, lengthening and widening into a pitch-black curtain that instantly covered the entire land of the Border Town.
At this moment,
time and space seemed to freeze for a split second.
adventurers clinking glasses in the tavern, a girl opening a window and waving a handkerchief to attract customers, a purple-haired, long-speared girl standing on the roof of the town's clock tower, a calico cat catching mice, a stray dog gnawing on a bone—everything, absolutely everything, froze, unmoving.
"Whoosh—!"
The shadow covering the land receded like a tide, rapidly shrinking back to Naruto's feet.
"Awakening successful! You have obtained the hidden profession—Shadow Assassin."
Immediately, a vast and complex skill tree appeared before Naruto's eyes.
Starting from the origin point, the skills in the skill tree were mainly divided into three categories: Stealth, Assassination, and Intelligence.
The skill icon at the origin point had already been lit up, as it met the LV10 level requirement. The skill was named Stealth Technique.
"Stealth Technique (Basic): Allows you to conceal your body temperature, scent, Chakra, and even your presence. Even if you stand in front of someone, they will ignore your existence."
From this, it was clear that whether for stealth, intelligence gathering, or achieving the final assassination objective, Stealth Technique was fundamental.
Beyond Stealth Technique, every skill icon was dark, not yet learned, and required reaching LV15.
"With Stealth Technique, I can conceal my Chakra, and even sensory Ninjutsu won't be able to detect my presence."
"However, the greatest benefit of awakening a hidden profession is the attribute bonus from leveling up."
"From now on, for every level I gain, the free attribute points I receive will increase from the original 2 to 5!"
Naruto's eyes gleamed as he took a deep breath, slightly calming his excited mood.
The more free attribute points, the greater the benefits, undoubtedly.
Ultimately, quantitative change would lead to qualitative change, allowing him to become a numerical monster, perhaps even achieving what Might Guy did after opening the Eight Gates—twisting space and time with a mere flesh and blood body, almost kicking out the ending.
Night Guy was a burning of life, a fleeting splendor, like a brilliant meteor streaking across the deep night sky, but what Naruto wanted was a physical body that could constantly rival Eight Gates Guy!
Of course,
Naruto was not abandoning Ninjutsu.
The massive Chakra reserves were also a huge advantage; comprehensive development of both Ninja and body would lead to overall strength, with no weaknesses.
"As for Genjutsu… if I reach a consensus with Kurama inside me, I might be immune to Genjutsu attacks."
"But having a Tailed Beast living inside me all the time isn't a good solution."
"Especially after growing up, with my wife, hmm…"
"I need to come up with a foolproof plan."
As Naruto pondered, a loud bell suddenly rang out, echoing over the Border Town.
"Dong ~ Dong ~ ~ Dong ~ ~ ~!"
"Dragon, it's a dragon!!"
Accompanying the long, resonant bell, the town guards shouted excitedly.
"What?"
"Dragon—"
"Could an evil dragon be attacking the Border Town?!"
Naruto's heart skipped a beat.
In the Goblin Slayer World, dragons existed and belonged to high-tier species, by no means comparable to a mere Goblin Hero.
Dragon attacks could usually only be resisted by Gold-Grade adventurers or cities equipped with heavy siege machinery.
Ordinary villages and towns would only be turned into raging infernos under the dragon's rampage, eventually becoming charred ruins!
Naruto quickly got up, pushed open the arched wooden window, and peered out, finding that the Border Town had become brightly lit. Every household was lighting lamps or opening windows, and the adventurers who had been clinking glasses and drinking heartily in the tavern downstairs were all walking onto the street.
The entire Border Town instantly boiled like a haystack thrown into a spark.
Outside the town gate, in the dark blue night, a caravan slowly advanced.
Among them, several well-equipped Silver-rank Adventurers were not the main focus; they were mere backdrops beside a huge oak cart.
Because… the oak cart was carrying a Flying Dragon!
The oak cart carrying the Flying Dragon's corpse groaned under the immense weight. Dark purple dragon blood dripped along the seams of the cart, sizzling and scorching the Kitsuchi road.
The Flying Dragon's corpse was covered in greenish dragon scales, faintly shimmering with a metallic luster in the dim light. Its hardness was obvious without needing to guess.
But now, its dragon scales were scarred and battered, bearing traces of swords, spears, and axes. Its dragon wings drooped on both sides of the cart, and its translucent wing membranes were pierced with numerous holes.
The dragon's head was crookedly wedged between the front railings of the cart, an arrow stuck in its left eye, while its right eye was pierced by the Judgement Spear of a supreme god's priest. Its dragon horns were likely broken off by a greatsword.
These… were not fatal wounds!
The fatal wound was in its dragon belly, where the dragon scales were peeled back, and a long spear had pierced directly through its flesh and dragon bones, stuck in the heart position.
"This is a Flying Dragon?!"
"It looks no weaker than a Tailed Beast."
Naruto exclaimed in considerable shock.
"Hmph! Short-sighted brat, have you ever seen a Tailed Beast? That's just a big lizard with wings, what's so impressive about it?" A low, deep voice echoed in Naruto's mind, full of disdain, mockery, and arrogance!