Chapter 203: [Cleaner] or [Calligrapher]

Chapter 203: Chapter 203: [Cleaner] or [Calligrapher]

Time to awaken a Profession.

Seraphina Sullivan, of course, hoped to awaken a Profession that was suitable for surviving in this instance—one that could even take advantage of the environment’s unique traits.

A combat Profession, to fight the "Junk Monsters"?

A support Profession, to understand the meaning of "Purification"?

Or perhaps a survival Profession, for finding resources in this ocean of trash?

Pushing aside all distracting thoughts, Seraphina Sullivan focused her mind and directly activated her [Worker] Talent.

[DING! Talent awakening in progress!]

The familiar system notification chimed in her mind, carrying a rhythm that seemed to decide her fate.

The brief wait felt as if it were stretching on forever.

Finally—

[DING! Awakening successful!]

[Congratulations Player! Your Worker Talent has awakened two Professions in the special Junkheap Ruins instance. Please make your choice!]

The effect of her upgraded Talent was now apparent.

A panel appeared before Seraphina Sullivan.

A screen of light unfolded, clearly presenting two Profession options before her eyes:

[Cleaner] or [Calligrapher]

"..."

Seraphina Sullivan stared at the two options, momentarily at a loss for words.

’A [Cleaner]?’

’In a world where trash is piled into mountains and filth is everywhere, this Profession sounds... well, very fitting. Almost ironically so.’

But her intuition told Seraphina Sullivan that this Profession was far more than just "cleaning things up."

’And the other one, a [Calligrapher]?’

Seeing this Profession, she thought to herself, ’In a place like the Junkheap Ruins, where even a single clean sheet of paper is likely a luxury?’

’Fighting trash and monsters with ink and a brush?’

’The combination seemed so out of place, so absurd it was almost laughable.’

One was a perfect fit for the environment, while the other seemed completely unrelated.

This seemingly simple choice might lead down two entirely different paths of survival and development.

Seraphina Sullivan didn’t make her choice based on the Profession names alone.

’The name of a Profession is just superficial. The real core lies in the specific Effects of its Skills.’

’Assumptions based on names alone are mostly just my own speculation.’

’Perhaps the detailed Skill descriptions will hold an unexpected surprise.’

Calming herself, she first tapped on the details for the [Cleaner] Profession, the one that seemed most suited to her current environment.

[Cleaner]

Ability One: Clean Bubble: Condense bubbles of cleansing Energy that can attach to and break down targets, washing away all stains, contaminants, and even some residual Energy. The bubbles are highly stable and have a certain physical carrying capacity.

Ability Two: Disinfection Bubble: Condense Disinfection Bubbles containing highly effective purification agents, eliminating the vast majority of known bacteria.

"This..." After reading the [Cleaner]’s Skill descriptions, Seraphina Sullivan felt a strong inclination.

’This Ability is practically tailor-made for the world of the Junkheap Ruins!’

’The [Clean Bubble] can not only clean the environment, but it might also have a miraculous effect on certain special obstacles or "stubborn contamination."’

’And the [Disinfection Bubble] is a life-saving godsend for dealing with this harsh environment and preventing infections from unknown germs.’

’There’s no need to overthink it. When survival is the top priority, the practicality of this Profession is almost irreplaceable.’

However, out of caution, she suppressed the urge to choose immediately and tapped on the other, seemingly incongruous [Calligrapher] Profession to see what secrets it held.

[Calligrapher]

Ability One: Magical Ink: Consume spiritual power to condense special "Magical Ink." Patterns or objects drawn with this ink can be briefly manifested into reality. Their duration and Effect are influenced by spiritual power, artistic skill, and the complexity of the object. Note: Creations made from Magical Ink dissolve in water, and their effects dissipate.

Ability Two: Four-character Enhancement: Write specific single characters to grant temporary enhancement effects. Writing the character for ’Power’ grants a small, short-term boost to the target’s Power. Writing the character for ’Speed’ grants a small, short-term boost to the target’s speed. Writing the character for ’Defense’ grants a small, short-term boost to the target’s physical defense. Writing the character for ’Stamina’ grants a small, short-term restoration of the target’s stamina. Only one enhancement effect can be active at a time.

Seeing the [Calligrapher]’s Abilities, Seraphina Sullivan’s eyes lit up.

’The potential of this Profession is far beyond what I imagined!’

’[Magical Ink] is practically a creation skill. In a resource-scarce environment, it can create things out of thin air. Whether for making tools, weapons, or temporary obstacles, it has immense tactical value, despite its weakness to water.’

’[Four-character Enhancement] is a simple but effective combat support ability that can directly improve survival and fighting capabilities.’

"If I were in any other apocalyptic instance focused on exploration, combat, or resource scarcity, I would definitely choose [Calligrapher]," Seraphina Sullivan mused.

’The versatility and growth potential of this Profession seem excellent.’

’Especially the Magical Ink Ability.’

’It’s comparable to Nicholas Jensen’s [Mobile Doll]. He brings dolls to life, while Magical Ink brings drawings to life.’

This immediately made Seraphina Sullivan think of several combat strategies.

For example, she could draw countless pigeons and use them for observation with her [Pelican’s Eye] ring. For her Bombing Pigeon Plan, she would only need to figure out how to get the bombs.

"But unfortunately, this is the Junkheap Ruins instance... The ubiquitous pollution and potential biological threats are the primary concerns."

Weighing the pros and cons, the extreme and unique nature of the environment trumped everything else.

The targeted survival assurance provided by the [Cleaner] Profession was what she needed most urgently right now.

"I’ll choose the [Cleaner] Profession."

Seraphina Sullivan no longer hesitated. With a single thought, she made her final decision.

The next second, a cool, gentle energy flowed through her entire body, as if she were being meticulously cleansed from the inside out.

The methods for using [Clean Bubble] and [Disinfection Bubble] were imprinted on her consciousness like an instinct.

A clear connection was established between her spiritual power and these two special types of bubbles.

Seraphina Sullivan could even feel a vague sense of the level of "filth" in her surroundings.

Now that she had the [Cleaner] Profession, Seraphina Sullivan’s very first thought was to give herself a full-body "Cleanse" and "Disinfection"!

Ever since entering the Junkheap Ruins, she had been exposed to the suffocating air and the ubiquitous trash.

Exposed to such an environment, Seraphina Sullivan had no idea how many harmful substances she had come into contact with.

However, just as she gathered a thread of spiritual power to try and activate her Ability—

"RUSTLE... CLANG!"

A series of rapid, chaotic running sounds, accompanied by the sharp clang of a metal can being kicked over, suddenly came from behind a twisted pile of junk to her front and side!

The sound was moving from far to near, clearly heading in her direction!

Seraphina Sullivan instantly dispersed the Ability she had just started to form. Her muscles tensed as she whirled to face the source of the sound.

In this deathly quiet and dangerous world of ruins, any sudden noise was highly likely to mean... trouble. Or danger.

’Is a crisis heading my way?’

’Is it a Junk Monster from the Junkheap Ruins, or something else?’