There were around twenty options in total, along with a note at the bottom.
[Every five levels will unlock ten additional options.]
Five levels is still a long way off. Better focus on what’s available right now.
[List A:
Tailor
Plumber
Farmer
Singer
Musician
Barber
Dancer
Shoe Mender
Gardener
Chef]
This list was separated from the rest.
I didn’t need to ask why.
The system answered before the thought could fully form.
[The professions in the first list do not affect the host’s stats. They only grant the knowledge and skills associated with the chosen profession. Additionally, they can be replaced later by spending some CP, unlike the professions in the remaining lists.]
So the professions in this list can be swapped out later.
Not a bad way to keep me from ignoring them altogether.
I mean, being a chef or a tailor would honestly be valuable in this world.
Still, no point getting ahead of myself.
[List B:
Administrator
Doctor
Hunter
Assassin
Potion Master
Courtier
Demon Slayer
Dragon Slayer
Goblin Slayer
Blacksmith]
[Note: Jobs from List B cannot be replaced unless one golden token is utilised.]
This was insane.
Not because there weren’t any good options, but because every single profession looked indispensable.
I read through the list again before looking up.
"Can I check their descriptions?"
[Indeed, Host. You may view each profession’s advantages and limitations.]
I selected Administrator first.
[Administrator: A profession that significantly enhances the host’s management ability, communication skills, and composure under pressure. The host’s intelligence is greatly amplified, allowing them to process complex information efficiently and arrive at the most optimal solution to a problem.]
[Note: Maintaining this profession consumes five Lumina Points every ten minutes.]
Hmm...
I have fifty points.
That means I can keep it active for well over an hour.
But would it actually be useful to me?
I could question that later.
Instead, I opened the description of the profession that had caught me completely off guard.
[Courtier: A profession that enhances the host’s appearance, charisma, flirting ability, and stamina during intimate activities. It also significantly improves the host’s powers of persuasion.]
[Note: Maintaining this profession consumes 30 Lumina Points per hour.]
"..."
Damn.
So it was basically the Casanova class.
And it cost even more to maintain.
Definitely something to think about.
"System, what’s the difference between the Hunter profession and creature-specific professions like Goblin Slayer or Demon Slayer?"
[Host, the Hunter profession provides balanced growth in essential hunting skills such as tracking, scouting, trapping, and combat against both beasts and humans. Creature-specific professions, however, grant overwhelming bonuses when facing their designated target.]
[For comparison: The Hunter profession increases the host’s Strength and Speed by approximately five to seven points. The Dragon Slayer profession, however, raises those same attributes by thirty points when fighting dragons. In addition, the host gains extensive knowledge of a dragon’s life cycle, hunting patterns, and critical weaknesses.]
"..."
Damn.
The system really knew how to tempt me from every direction.
Every option had something I wanted.
Choosing was hard enough already, but knowing that a Group B profession could never be replaced unless I paid with something valuable made the decision feel even heavier.
"This is difficult."
I let out a slow breath as my shoulders sagged.
The town I lived in had several goblin nests nearby, while wolf packs only appeared during certain seasons.
Truth be told, both Hunter and Goblin Slayer felt like solid choices.
But I couldn’t have both.
Hunting wasn’t going to be the only thing I did.
I should evaluate the rest first.
Potion Master sounded promising. In this world, potions were priceless commodities. Even ordinary brews sold for respectable sums, while high-grade elixirs capable of regenerating lost limbs were worth fortunes.
If making money as quickly as possible was the goal, that profession was hard to ignore.
Then reality hit me.
What about the ingredients?
I was broke.
I didn’t even have a proper source of income yet. The only money in my pocket came from the allowance that old bastard gave me.
Thinking about it only made me feel pathetic.
So...what should I do?
For now, I opened the profession’s details.
[Potion Master: A profession that naturally enhances the host’s knowledge of herbs, poisons, and alchemical ingredients, greatly improving the ability to brew a wide variety of potions.]
Hmm...
If earning money was my priority, then Blacksmith wasn’t a bad option either. Blacksmiths never struggled to find work.
The problem was that ordinary steel weapons weren’t particularly valuable, and getting my hands on rare ores or legendary materials would be nearly impossible.
Maybe I was looking at this the wrong way.
"I’ll take the Hunter..."
"Waah!"
A sharp cry escaped my lips as something suddenly clamped onto my shoulder.
An overwhelming force ripped me off the ground.
I instinctively looked up.
The pain came a heartbeat later.
"What the..."
My eyes widened.
Suspended above me was a blood-red creature unlike anything in my memories.
Its body was grotesquely thin, every rib protruding beneath leathery skin. Two elongated talons dug into my shoulders as it carried me effortlessly through the air. Massive wings beat against the wind, keeping us aloft.
But what froze my blood was its face.
It had the head of a human.
Its neck bent downward as it stared directly at me.
Grinning.
My entire body turned ice cold.
The amusement in its eyes.
The greed.
Whatever this thing was...
Every instinct I had screamed at me to fear it.
I forced myself to glance below.
The ground was already frighteningly distant.
If those claws let go...
I wouldn’t survive the fall.
A wave of panic finally crashed over me.
I... might die immediately after being reborn.
"Kekeke... you are one peculiar human."
Its shrill, screeching voice sent a violent shiver down my spine.
Then its unnaturally long tongue slid across its lips, licking them from one corner of its mouth to the other.
The sight made my stomach churn.
My mind struggled to process the absurd nightmare I had been thrown into.
Just then, as if sensing my desperation, the system spoke.
[Host, select the Demon Slayer profession to maximize your chances of survival.]
"..."
The one profession I had barely spared a glance.
"I’ll take it," I muttered.
The moment the words left my mouth, a warm current spread through my chest.
In the very next instant, my body moved on instinct.
I jerked my head forward and sank my teeth into one of the demon’s toenails before wrenching it backward with all my strength.
"GAAAH!"
The creature let out a piercing shriek, one of its talons releasing my shoulder.
I gave it no chance to recover.
My freed hand shot out and seized its other leg.
"You puny little shit!"
It screeched in fury, violently shaking its body in an attempt to fling me toward the cliff below.
"Graaah! Let go!"
I didn’t.
Because I knew exactly where to hurt it.
The joint where the tendons met.
I sank my teeth into it.
With every ounce of strength I could muster.
Every bit of desperation.
SQUELCH.
A revolting taste flooded my mouth.
The demon screamed.
Its body convulsed violently, and the two of us tumbled out of the sky before crashing onto the hillside.
The impact knocked the air from my lungs.
I released its leg and rolled across the rough ground.
Pain exploded through my shoulders, but I forced myself back to my feet.
I was still alive.
That was all that mattered.
The demon staggered upright, blood dripping from its wounded leg.
Only then did I notice its injuries weren’t entirely my doing.
Its body was already riddled with wounds before it had found me.
So that’s why it picked me.
To it, I must have looked like easy prey.
We were both fighting with one hand tied behind our backs.
The demon was badly injured.
And I...
I was pathetically weak.
"Guess that makes this a fair fight."
I drew the only weapon I possessed.
A small fruit knife.
Anything larger was still impossible for me to handle.
The demon snarled.
Its already hideous face twisted further, stretching into something so monstrous that it barely resembled anything human.
[Host, at your current level, you cannot maintain the profession’s abilities for long. The safe limit is one minute.]
One minute?
I didn’t need that much.
Forty seconds would be enough.
I already knew exactly what I had to do.
And the demon...
...would dance as I have planned.