"How about it, Tingfeng? Have you decided which Destiny Path to choose?"
"King of War."
"Oh, King of Tactics, huh? That path gives you five Zero-star, blue-quality guards at the start. You'll want to make good use of them… wait a minute? Did you just say King of War? Not King of Tactics?"
"Mhm."
"???"
Qin Feng's nonchalant reply made Don't call me MC's eyes go wide, his face a mask of confusion.
'No!'
'Dude!'
'I've explained this to you several times!'
'Why are you so dead set on stepping into this Epic Level trap?'
'Do I really sound like a villain when I talk? Can't you even trust me this much?'
Sensing the other's distress, Qin Feng immediately explained,
"No matter what game I play, I always prefer late-game builds. It's fine if King of War is a bit of a grind at the start, as long as it becomes powerful later on."
Don't call me MC rubbed his temples hard, his tone filled with the exasperated anxiety of someone watching a friend make a terrible mistake.
"My dude…"
"You can't treat this like some casual virtual game…"
"You have to understand, as a King of War, you start with no soldiers and no towers. If the surrounding Wild Monster Forces discover you and launch a full-scale invasion, there's no way you'll last three days…"
"And if the enemy takes out your Lord's Hall, we Divine Chosen Lords lose our Infinite Resurrection cheat. If you die after that, it's a true, permanent Game Over…"
Hearing this, Qin Feng chuckled, then said tentatively,
"It's fine."
"I'll fight myself."
"If I can't win, I'll just sneak back to the Real World."
"There's no way the monsters from this Lord World can tear open a dimensional wall and chase me into the real world to kill me, right?"
Don't call me MC pursed his lips.
"It wouldn't go that far."
"Only us Lord Players can bring our subjects back to the Real World."
"The worst those Wild Monster Forces can do is raze our territory to the ground and, while they're at it, destroy our Lord's Hall, which acts as our 'resurrection point'…"
Having gotten the information he wanted, Qin Feng stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.
'So it seems… that Death Knight back in the Real World, the one that cleaved a bus in half with its axe, must be a Soldier Type or a hero under some Lord Player's command. It wanted to take the Lord's Stone my sister left me. That's why it caused such a huge commotion and killed so many people. But… what about my sister? Did she disappear because of this Lord's Stone, too? Tsk, not enough information to be sure… but my Sixth Sense is telling me loud and clear that she's still alive, and she's right here, in this Lord Plane! I will find her! I must!'
Qin Feng's knuckles turned white from clenching his fists too tightly.
After transmigrating here, he was an orphan, with no parents to protect him and no relatives to support him. It was his sister who had propped up their entire home on her slender shoulders, raising him from a stumbling toddler.
The cold nights without enough food, the mornings of being bullied by neighbors, the long days spent struggling to make a living… his sister swallowed all the hardship and exhaustion, leaving him with the only warmth and stability they had.
In this cold world, one could say his sister was the only source of warmth connected to him by blood.
Therefore, in order to find his missing sister, Qin Feng had long ago cast aside all thoughts of life and death.
Even if the path ahead was fraught with peril, even if it meant making an enemy of the entire Lord Plane, he was determined to cut through the heavy fog of uncertainty until his sister was safe behind him once more.
Having come to this conclusion, Qin Feng decided to end his conversation with MC and devote himself completely to managing his territory and building his forces.
He would temporarily set aside the other mysteries about the Lord World swirling in his mind.
It wouldn't be too late to slowly learn about them later when the need arose.
"MC."
"Thank you for answering my questions."
"I'm not sure what resources you're short on, but once I've developed my territory, I'll send some your way as payment for this chat."
Don't call me MC waved his hand.
"Why be so formal?"
"It was nothing."
"But really, the Destiny Path you want to choose is a huge problem. I suggest you reconsider… If you've already made up your mind, then focus your territory's development on Creating Militia."
"At the very least,"
"You need to be able to withstand the frequent invasions and attacks from the Wild Monster Forces."
Qin Feng replied in a low voice,
"Okay."
"I understand."
"Thank you."
After that, the two chatted idly for a few more moments before Qin Feng tapped the virtual interface, actively disconnecting the private chat with MC.
He turned his gaze to a villager in front of him. The man was skillfully skinning a Fire Fox with a Bone Blade, then slitting open its abdomen to remove the entrails, his movements as smooth as flowing water.
[Your territory has obtained 1 unit of Food (Fox Meat)]
'Killing beasts in the forest also provides meat from their corpses?'
'Mm.'
'That seems reasonable.'
'But isn't the amount a bit ridiculous?'
'A fox that big is only enough to feed one villager for a day?'
After a moment's thought,
Qin Feng decided not to get hung up on such minor details.
After all, buildings that could spring up in ten minutes, wheat that could grow in a day, and villagers who appeared out of thin air… everything was pretty ridiculous.
[You have used the Proof of Reincarnation (Treasure). Please select your Extraordinary Profession!]
[1. Warrior, 2. Archer, 3. Mage, 4. Priest... Interrupted by an unknown power!]
[You have obtained new optional Professions!]
[Ranger: You are an experienced scout who protects and watches over the safety of the forest. Your strength is unparalleled, your body and bow have become one!]
[Witch Hunter: Heresy is the root of all evil for the good people of the empire, a corruption that must be purged. Please learn the techniques of the Witch Hunter and face all manner of wicked foes with gunpowder and faith!]
Qin Feng was taken aback.
'Huh?'
'Aren't these two professions from the Middle-earth Warhammer mod?'
'Did they get included in my cheat, too?'
'But, it seems like just with "Bloodthirsty," because the "Riding and Cutting system" was forcibly loaded, it's become incomplete and only includes a small portion of the mod's effects.'
'For example, the Vampire profession I loved to play in my past life, the Knight of Chivalry from Batonia, the Gray Lord of the High Elves... none of them appeared.'
'Not a big deal.'
'I wouldn't necessarily choose them even if they did appear.'
'But do these two existing Warhammer Professions have any unique advantages compared to the Lord World's native Extraordinary Professions?'
As if sensing Qin Feng's thoughts, either the Riding and Cutting system or the Lord System provided a detailed series of answers.
[Archer (Ordinary Profession): Max level 50.]
[Ranger (Legendary Profession): Max level 90.]
[Divine Chosen Lord (Mythical Profession): Max level 100.]
Qin Feng: "…"
'Alright then.'
'I get it now.'
'If it comes from Riding and Cutting, it's gotta be good.'
'Then, I choose you.'
'Ranger!'
'Activate!'