"Acquiring a Professional Skill is the most fundamental requirement for becoming a Professional..."
Bain recounted what he had learned from his predecessors. "In other words, without a Skill, you can't become a Professional, no matter what."
Lin Mo nodded. The requirement for becoming a Professional being tied to Skills matched his earlier speculation.
"What about the specifics?"
"Since you have a Skill, you should already know, right? When you successfully acquire a Skill, your aptitude in a certain area also improves by leaps and bounds."
That was true. When he learned the Slashing Skill, Lin Mo's Strength had increased by one point.
"This improvement is related to the type of Skill. For example, my Shield Strike is a Knight Class Skill, and it improves my physical constitution and damage resistance. Warrior Skills, on the other hand, increase Strength or speed, depending on their focus. By that logic, the Assassin and Ranger Classes usually improve speed, while Mages gain Magic Power..."
Bain held up two fingers. "As you continue to use and refine a Skill, this kind of change will happen two more times."
"The first occurs when you can use the Skill proficiently, and the second is after you've completely mastered it. Once you reach the right stage, all your accumulated hard work pays off handsomely."
"After experiencing all three of these changes, your aptitude in that area will usually reach or approach a critical threshold. Once you smoothly cross that threshold, you will officially take on the corresponding Profession, and all of your Attributes will once again see a massive, leap-like improvement!"
'So that's how it works...' 'You improve your Attributes by using Skills, and only after your Attributes have risen to a certain level can you take on a Profession.'
'And after successfully taking on a Profession, you get another, even bigger boost to your Attributes. That's the reason for the huge gap between Professionals and Non-Professionals.'
Lin Mo nodded. He touched his chest and suddenly thought of something. "Can a person only have one Profession? Is it impossible to have two at the same time?"
Bain froze, seemingly caught off guard. "I'm not actually sure about that... But it should be possible. The tales woven by Minstrels have mentioned dual-classed Adventurers, so it's probably not just a baseless rumor."
As he spoke, he shot Lin Mo a strange look.
'Most people would be thanking their lucky stars just to successfully join a Profession. Who has the luxury to think about something like this?'
"It's better for young people to be more grounded. A person's energy is limited, after all. Even the Nobility in the capital—with all their talent and nearly inexhaustible resources—wouldn't consider cultivating two Professions at once, let alone us Adventurers with our modest talents."
In Bain's eyes, compared to his troublesome nephew Evan, Lin Mo might be a talented young man, but he was a far cry from the great nobles of high birth...
"I understand. Thank you for the advice."
Lin Mo didn't argue. After all, from Bain's perspective, what he said was undoubtedly true.
It was just that Lin Mo's situation was different.
He didn't need to spend years practicing to master his Skills. He just had to kill Demons or enemies to gain Skill Level and raise its Level.
This meant that as long as he kept killing monsters with his Skills and grinding his Skill Level, he could totally develop two, or even more, Professions at once, becoming a "Full-time Expert" with no weaknesses.
Lin Mo had never been so eager for Demons to appear. At that moment, he wished a hundred Goblins would pop out of nowhere, lining up for him to farm them one by one.
'Of course, that's just a thought. If they actually showed up, I'd probably have to figure out how to run for it first.'
Elsewhere, Evan and Millian were still bickering... or rather, Evan was pestering Millian, and the short-haired female Ranger wore a look of disdain, clearly not wanting anything to do with him.
Bain watched the two in the distance, a smile gracing his lips. "Evan's my nephew. Not long after he learned to walk, he stumbled over, picked up a branch, and whacked his dad right on the heel."
"When the neighborhood kids played together, he'd use a carefully polished branch and some semblance of 'sword' techniques to become their leader. From that day on, he always said he was a Swordsmanship genius, born to wield a Sword."
"He grew up, and just as his parents expected, he wasn't content with an ordinary life. He was always clamoring to become an Adventurer. So about two years ago, his father came to me and asked me to look after him..."
But the story that followed wasn't as wonderful as his childhood dreams.
Evan wasn't a real genius. Though he managed to become an Adventurer with his uncle's support, he was undoubtedly at the very bottom of the ladder.
This sad, unavoidable mediocrity was a rite of passage for the vast majority of Adventurers.
To this day, he still hadn't acquired a Skill of his own. He'd finally come to realize that the seemingly cool-looking swings of his youth were just the obnoxious antics of a stubborn child lost in his own world.
The childhood friends who once looked at him with envy and adoration now carried hoes on their shoulders. Their eyes were no longer as bright and full of life; like their parents, they were slowly growing mature and numb.
Sometimes he'd run into a familiar face and they would stop to chat for a moment.
It really was just for a moment. To avoid holding each other up from work, it was often just a passing glance and a few words of greeting.
And the phrase he heard most often was, invariably, the same.
"I hope I get to see you again, Evan."
It could mean genuine concern, a lament for the passing of time, or even schadenfreude born from jealousy... The same words held different meanings depending on the tone.
Even so, Evan never gave up on being an Adventurer, and he never gave up on the Sword in his hand.
"Millian, someday we'll become Adventurers famous throughout Roland Town... no, throughout all of Lania City!"
The young man lay on the grass, gazing at the starry sky through the gaps in the leaves. He raised his Sword, pointing it straight at the heavens.
A sliver of moonlight fell, reflecting a cold glint off the blade.
"Dreaming again..."
Millian scoffed at his words. She sat on the grass, hugging her knees, her head tilted slightly as her eyes reflected the fleeting glint of light.
"Get some rest. I'll take the first watch."
By the campfire, Uncle Bain slowly rose and added more wood to the fire.
Lin Mo nodded, stretched his weary body, and went into the simple tent he had just pitched.
The tent had no floor, just a thin cloth laid out on the grass. There was no blanket and no pillow.
'I need to buy a sleeping bag next time...'
Lin Mo's vision blurred as he thought this, using his arm as a pillow.