Chapter 33: Treating the Merchant with Insatiable Greed and Shamelessness

[Fire Rabbit Medal 1/1]

[Upon use, you will receive Master Hade’s certification and become a Junior Forger.]

Although Blaze had refused, Hade stubbornly shoved the item that unlocked the Blacksmith Profession into his hands. In Hade’s own words, having the Fire Rabbit Totem on his back meant he could take in disciples however he pleased.

What Blaze found highly amusing was that the legendary Dwarf Forger, Eugene, actually had the title of Fire Rabbit.

"Human, what are you thinking about?" the chicken asked in confusion, watching Blaze as he continuously examined the medal. "If you want to use it, just use it."

"No... I was just wondering if the Night Watcher is also a special type of Profession, one that can’t be leveled up simply by absorbing souls for Experience Value."

Blaze shook the medal in his hand, recalling the battles he had fought since acquiring the Night Watcher Profession. He had defeated quite a few Monsters. Even though every little bit usually counted, his level hadn’t increased at all.

"Perhaps. Even a noble being like myself has only heard the rumors," the chicken said. He spread his short wings, lowering his voice to a hushed whisper that only the two of them could hear. "That is the Guide who appears when the night is swallowed by darkness. He will carry a lantern, leading the dead Wild Beasts to find fallen stars, and offer those stars back to the heavens."

"Did I sign a contract with you just to listen to you tell stories about the Night Watcher?" Blaze rolled his eyes.

"Who told you this was a story about the Night Watcher?" The chicken flapped his wings and grumbled in dissatisfaction. "The Night Watcher is merely a part of this tale. You haven’t found all the puzzle pieces to this story yet."

"The dead Wild Beasts, the lantern, the tinder, the stars, and the ability to walk in the dark without getting lost. The Night Watcher—the one who commands the dead Wild Beasts. Beyond that, I don’t know anything else." Blaze pointed at the chicken, then threw his hands up in resignation. "As expected, I should focus on acquiring some new combat Professions first."

"At this very moment, the honest Merchant and your partner, Herbie, makes a grand entrance!" SWISH! Herbie pushed the door open and walked in.

Judging by the red marks on his face, Herbie had likely been pressing his ear against the door for a long time, eavesdropping and waiting for the perfect moment to make an appearance.

"As long as the price is right, our Hermes’ Travel Hat can help you fulfill the unlock conditions for any Profession you desire! Right now, during our promotional period, if you unlock two, you get one free!"

"Strongman, Hunter, Assassin, Qi Gong Master, Scout, and Stalker. Also, give me an illustrated guide on Profession sacrifices." Blaze simply asked for the moon, rattling off a long list in a single breath.

Once his Strength Value exceeded 500, he could evolve a Full Level Great Sword Master into a Giant Sword Master. The Strongman was a Profession that could massively increase one’s Strength Value, but the difficulty of obtaining it was also incredibly high.

To acquire the Strongman Profession, one had to prove their power by lifting an Extremely Heavy object.

It was a vicious cycle. Without a high enough Strength Value, how could anyone lift an Extremely Heavy item? Fortunately, one could forcibly lift the Extremely Heavy item by applying Support Magic that boosted power or by equipping gear that drastically increased the Strength Value.

As for the latter Professions, Blaze had learned of them from the guides shared by the Foreigners. At that time, he didn’t know what Profession sacrifice meant, so he had been completely baffled when he heard about them.

Sacrificing the Qi Gong Master to the Fighting Master would yield the Master of Boxing, allowing one to learn close-combat attacks like Inner Strength that offered Piercing Defense. This Profession was easy to obtain; one only needed to acquire an item called the Qi Gong Book.

The Assassin Profession was meant to better utilize the Lethal Execution Skill. However, the unlock method was a bit troublesome: one had to eliminate fifty enemies without being detected, and all fifty had to be at a higher level than oneself.

Meanwhile, Scout and Stalker were based on his speculations regarding the forest rumors about the Dark Walker.

As for the illustrated guide on Profession sacrifices, he wanted it purely because he knew absolutely nothing about the subject. Although the Tree of Life had helped him perform a sacrifice once before, that was the extent of it. He had no idea how to actually conduct a sacrifice himself.

He hoped the basic instructions would be written in the guide’s introduction.

"You... you really don’t hold back at all." Herbie’s mouth twitched before his expression suddenly shifted. Like a street punk, he clicked his tongue and threw an arm around Blaze’s shoulders. "Oh, come on, brother. I was just joking with you. Given our relationship, how could I possibly have the nerve to charge you?"

"You just realized that giving away any of those for free would be a massive loss for you, right?" Blaze asked.

"Obviously." Herbie rolled his eyes, letting go of Blaze as his expression turned serious. "I’m being serious. If you want to obtain the Strongman Profession, you’d better learn how to get a cat to like you."

"Then can we move on to the next serious topic?" Blaze’s face was equally solemn.

Herbie shrugged, offering no further explanation. "Something happened to the Foreigners who went to subjugate the goblins. They suffered a huge loss and had to retreat."

"All of them?" Blaze found it somewhat hard to believe. The Foreigners who accepted the subjugation quest for the Goblin Tribe had an average level around Level 50. Their combat power should have been overflowing against mere goblins.

Of course, the strangest part was that Herbie used the word "retreat." If they had suffered a huge loss, shouldn’t they have been completely wiped out and killed?

"You should know that a swarm-type Monster like the Goblin Tribe has its own Totem, right?" Herbie pulled out a tattered piece of cloth and handed it to Blaze. "This is that tribe’s Totem."

"A... Lion?!"

Although it was an abstract design painted with red pigment, Blaze still recognized it. He subconsciously assumed this Goblin Tribe was connected to the Nemean Lion. But on second thought, if they were bloodthirsty Monsters undergoing Erosion from the Evil God’s Blood, how could they have merely forced the Foreigners into a retreat?

"Did the Foreigners who came back after suffering a loss say anything?"

"They..." Herbie’s expression turned strange. "Every single one of them was beyond thrilled. They even formed a temporary guild in Balkan City and are still recruiting."

"Ah." Blaze understood instantly. The Foreigners must have discovered that the Goblin Tribe involved some sort of special quest, and they planned to unite all those in the know to share the rewards.

This rare display of unity moved Blaze almost to tears, considering that the vast majority of the time, Foreigners would engage in chaotic brawls, each wanting to monopolize special quests.

"Should we retreat while the main force of the Foreigners goes to subjugate that Goblin Tribe?"

"Exactly, but we can’t do it under the identity of Hermes’ Travel Hat." Herbie sat on the bed and crossed his legs. "For the road ahead, Audrey and I can only rely on you, so it’s time to tell you some..."

"About Audrey being a future Lady or something?"

"...How did you know?!"