"Let's go," Vincent said in a low voice, rushing to the side and starting the dilapidated motorcycle. Its shell was already peeled off.
They had prepared for this for a long time. They knew the awakening ceremony was dangerous and had multiple backup plans. If one of them awakened a combat Profession, they could hold their ground—even a common-grade fighter was far beyond what an ordinary person could handle. Outside the Base City, Professionals kept the nearby monsters in check, so any attracted threat shouldn't be too powerful.
But if they both failed to awaken, or neither got a combat profession, they could only flee. The motorcycle was their last resort, a desperate dash toward the city's perimeter, where guards would intervene if monsters crossed the line.
Thalia's pale, small face was a mask of reluctance as she saw Vincent's swift action. She pursed her lips, then immediately ran over, jumped onto the back seat, and hugged his waist tightly.
Vincent twisted the throttle. The motorcycle shuddered to life with a loud, chaotic roar, its engine a rattling thrum as it sped toward the Base City.
"I awakened as a [Farmer]…" Thalia's voice was barely a whisper in his ear.
[Farmer]… Vincent's hand trembled on the handlebars. A life Professional. He let out a light breath and said softly, "It's okay, it's good that you awakened. The ecological park has a huge demand for farmers, so you have a way out."
Thalia didn't respond, her hands still trembling as they clung to him. He could feel her unwillingness, the quiet devastation in her silence.
He knew this girl better than anyone. At nine years old, she had watched her parents die protecting her from dungeon monsters. She was an orphan, a survivor only because a Professional had happened to pass by. Since then, her lifelong dream had been to become a powerful combatant, to hunt and kill those monsters. She had trained tirelessly for this moment, but now…
Her dream was shattered. Vincent didn't know how to comfort her.
Or rather, perhaps he was more desperate than she. At least she had a Profession, a way out. It would be difficult, but she had a chance. As a Non-Professional, he would be relegated to the lowest rung of this world.
"Heaven, did you throw me here just to play with me?" he sighed, a deep weariness settling over him. He had died from overwork in his previous life, a victim of endless "blessed overtime." He had struggled for two years in this new world, only to face the same dead end.
He had always wondered what the legendary Professional Panel looked like…
The Professional Panel could only be seen by those who had a Profession. Since he hadn't awakened one, he shouldn't have one…
Before the thought was finished, a transparent virtual screen suddenly appeared before his eyes with a whoosh.
"Screech!!"
A sharp braking sound rang out. Thalia gasped as Vincent snapped back to attention, releasing the brake. The motorcycle swerved dangerously. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he fought the handlebars, stabilizing the bike just before it spun out of control.
"Brother, what's wrong?" Thalia was still shaken.
Vincent didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on the transparent screen before him.
A Professional Panel? But I… I failed to awaken, didn't I?
A hint of doubt flashed in his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Never mind! As long as I awaken, that's all that matters. Even a life Professional would be a way out.
And with that look, Vincent's eyes widened.
[Profession Panel]
[Name: Vincent Sterling]
[Profession: Boss]
[Tier: Tier 0 Level 0]
[HP: 300]
[MP: 300]
[STA: 97]
[Attack: 115]
[Magic: 130]
[Defense: 25]
[Magic Resist: 25]
[Strength: 20]
[Agility: 20]
[Constitution: 20]
[Spirit: 20]
[Skills: A Contract, Investigate Target]
A Contract: Consumes Enterprise Reputation to create a contract. After signing it, the other person becomes your employee and can be granted a new Profession that perfectly matches their potential. All skills, experience, attribute points, and other benefits gained by your employee are perfectly shared with you. The more employees you have, the stronger you become. A contract can be terminated at any time; however, upon termination, all benefits the employee received from the contract—including their Profession and experience—are canceled. All benefits you gained remain unchanged, and Reputation is not refunded.
Investigate Target: Can detect a target's basic attributes, skills, and history. This function is essential for a large enterprise looking to hire, ensuring thorough background checks before committing to a partnership.
[Enterprise Reputation: 100 points (initial value)]
Note: Whenever you or your employees perform astonishing feats
Vincent was stunned. What was this?
A Boss profession?
A mere cog like me, how can I awaken such a high-class Profession?
His scalp tingled as he read the first skill. A Contract? It consumed "Enterprise Reputation" to grant employees a brand-new Profession perfectly suited to their potential. Not only that, but he would perfectly share all of their skills, experience, and attribute points.
What kind of divine Profession was this?
The sudden shock of it all made Vincent lose focus. This was a wilderness, and the road was already uneven.
They crashed.
"Ah! Brother?"
The motorcycle lost its balance without warning, sending both of them tumbling. Thalia gasped, but Vincent's mind snapped back to his body as he was airborne. His heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively braced himself for impact.
The moment he moved, he noticed the difference. His body felt much lighter. That's right… His attribute points!
Instinctively, he braced his hands on the ground and did a front flip, landing steadily. He looked at his palms. Aside from some dirt, there wasn't a single scratch.
"This is…"
Just as the thought formed, Thalia's voice rang out. "Brother…"
Vincent snapped back to attention, looking up. He started to open his mouth to reassure her, "Thalia, no…"
Before he could finish the word, Vincent froze. A green health bar was prominently displayed above Thalia's head.
Thalia, who was sitting on the ground, looked dazed, staring blankly at her hands. "Brother, it doesn't hurt…" she said, looking up at him.
Vincent took a deep breath. He understood immediately. This was body energization, or datafication.
This was how Professionals fought monsters. Their bodies became like those of game characters, without fatal points. A sword to the head wouldn't decapitate a Professional; it would only deal damage. Only when the health bar was emptied would the body become a corpse. The energized body felt no extreme pain, so injuries didn't affect combat power.
No pain, no fatal injuries, only death when health is zero.
This was the true power of a Professional.
Thalia had awakened a Profession, and her body had been energized. Her health bar had dropped slightly—3 points—from the fall, but she was otherwise unharmed. Vincent had felt no pain either; his palms were just dirty.
Just as he was thinking, a low growl suddenly came from afar.
The sound made both of them turn their heads simultaneously. A huge creature was rapidly approaching from within the dense forest.
Under the silver moonlight, Thalia saw it clearly. Her pretty face went instantly pale.
"Brother, it's an Irritable Rabbit!"
A three-meter-tall rabbit-shaped creature, covered in bulging muscles and running upright, burst from the trees. Its mouth was a jagged line of teeth, its eyes a bloody crimson.
Vincent's expression tightened. He hadn't expected such bad luck.
If it were any other monster, they might have a chance. But an Irritable Rabbit was a Level 9 monster. Most newly awakened Professionals were no match for it.
Though he now had basic attributes and an energized body, he had no weapons. And his [Boss] profession didn't seem to have any direct combat skills. His stats were far too low.
While the Boss profession was powerful, it was clearly not a pure combat class. Its four-dimensional coefficients were abysmal. Facing this Irritable Rabbit… he was likely dead.
What to do?!
Vincent's mind raced as he suddenly thought of something. He looked at Thalia.
Thalia was startled, her face a mix of nervousness and confusion. "Brother?"
Vincent ignored her. He had a thought.
"Investigate Target!"
Whoosh!
A light screen immediately appeared before Vincent's eyes