"Just got lucky."
Lorin took huge bites of the stewed meat. He had never been one to mistreat his stomach; now that he had money, he had to eat well.
It felt like he hadn’t had a single decent meal since crossing over to this world. He was either gnawing on black bread in the slums or trying to survive in the wilderness.
"That’s still pretty impressive. Interested in taking on a couple more requests?" Hiv asked with a beaming smile.
"I need a break. A break," Lorin said, waving his hand.
Then, his curiosity got the better of him. "By the way... how does one become a Professional?"
Hiv raised an eyebrow in surprise. "So you really aren’t one, kid."
He plopped down next to Lorin. "Taking out a swarm of giant rats all by yourself without even being a Professional—that’s no simple feat."
"Haha..." Now it was Lorin’s turn to change the subject. "I just got lucky and burned them to death."
"As for Professionals... there isn’t really a unified standard. The Guild’s Rating for Professionals is quite vague," Hiv explained, pausing to organize his thoughts.
"Generally speaking, we consider a Professional to be someone who has stepped onto an Extraordinary path.
"For example, a Warrior walks a path known as ’Bravery,’ while a Mage walks the path of ’Truth.’ Anyone who is already walking their respective path can actually call themselves a Professional."
Lorin put down his spoon and stared at him in utter confusion. "Why does that sound so broad?"
Hiv chuckled. "Broad? It is, a bit.
"That’s why, to prevent people from faking it, the Guild established a ’threshold’ for determining Professionals—essentially a set of requirements. As long as you meet these requirements, we will recognize you as a Professional."
"What requirements?" Lorin asked curiously.
"Take a Warrior, for instance. First, you must master a suitable weapon. It doesn’t matter what it is—even a pitchfork would do.
"Next comes the hardest part: you must learn one of the Warrior class’s Martial Arts and master it until you are Skilled."
"I understand that part—Charge, taunt, things like that." Lorin nodded thoughtfully. "But how do you determine if someone is Skilled?"
"Most registered Combat Skills have their own criteria for judgment. If you comprehend a Combat Skill that no one has ever used before, you can submit an application to the association. Not only will you receive a monetary reward, but you also get to dictate the standard for what is considered ’Skilled’."
"Just knowing how to use a weapon and mastering a single Combat Skill... Put that way, wouldn’t there be a ton of Professionals in the world?" Lorin asked doubtfully.
Based on that logic, he might have already killed a Professional—the Adventurer who ambushed him, Soron. He just didn’t know if Soron’s Charge had met the Skilled standard.
Hiv grabbed a glass of iced beer for himself and took a sip. "On the contrary, in a small town with a population of a few thousand like Shallow Beach Town, there might not be a single Professional."
He sighed, as if recalling something. "People with talent are already extremely rare, and among them, those who actually realize they possess such potential are even fewer.
"Moreover, even if you realize your potential, learning Martial Arts requires years of practice. Is a Mage born knowing Magic? No, they have to study Magic theory, practice from one trick to the next, craft their own Magic Staff, and learn to commune with the Magic Net..."
"Then what if a person wields a sword, but the Martial Arts they know is actually Magic?" Lorin frowned slightly.
He either couldn’t use a Magic Staff or didn’t know a Warrior’s Martial Arts at all. What did that make him?
"Then it would be very difficult to define his professional scope, but that wouldn’t affect his strength. Since most certified Professionals pin their badges on their chests to show off their status, you’d need to be extra careful.
"The elderly Mage you bump into, wearing a ’Formal’ Tier badge, might just be a Legendary Warrior who only knows Light Magic but carries a Magic Staff weighing tens of thousands of pounds."
Lorin’s mouth twitched.
That Legendary individual simply had too sick a sense of humor...
"However, the situation you described actually has precedents recognized by the rules of the world. They are called—Sword Singers."
Hiv looked at the young man before him with a hint of envy.
He looked like he was only in his early twenties, yet he could cast Magic?
He was probably just a Wild Mage who knew a few tricks. He didn’t look like a student from any Mage Academy either—no Mage could possibly be this poor.
"Recognized by the rules of the world? What the hell is that?" Lorin grew even more puzzled.
"I don’t know either. Regardless, the moment you are recognized, you’ll feel it. According to Professionals who have reached the ’Extraordinary’ Tier, you will feel the world’s blessing."
Hiv rubbed his face with his hands, a yearning expression in his eyes. He continued his explanation.
"Oh, right, Professionals are divided into five Tiers.
"If you have your own specialty and can use a certain Combat Skill at a Skilled level, you can register at the Guild under the ’Formal’ Tier.
"Afterward, if at least three of your Combat Skills reach the Master Level, you can be promoted to ’Elite.’
"Further up, your skills have reached the realm of perfection, and your path has been recognized by the rules of the world. A person like this is what we call ’Extraordinary.’
"Then there is the most powerful and mysterious ’Legendary’ Tier, which I know nothing about."
Lorin earnestly digested the information and asked curiously, "And that Sword Singer you mentioned...?"
Hiv knew the kid would ask.
Hiv grinned and stroked his thick beard. "His name was Ithvyrun Selseryn. Rumor has it that he reached the ’Legendary’ Tier a long time ago."
"Sounds like an Elf?"
"Yes, a High Elf. In fact, the vast majority of later Sword Singers were Elves. Mortals cannot live long enough, let alone master both Magic and Swordsmanship at the same time," Hiv explained.
"I see..." Lorin exhaled a breath.
However, new doubts soon surfaced in his mind.
"What if a Mage doesn’t need to rely on the Magic Net when casting, let alone a Magic Staff? In that case, how would his Rating be evaluated?" he asked.
"Then he is either a ’Legendary’ Mage or a Sorcerer." Hiv’s gaze grew somewhat complex.
So the kid was a Sorcerer... Hiv had almost forgotten about such rare oddities.
Lorin noticed the shift in Hiv’s expression and hurriedly pressed, "A Sorcerer?"
His only impression of that title was Gul’dan. But he didn’t know Evil Magic, nor was he glowing green all over, so how could he be considered a Sorcerer?
He didn’t want to be burned at the stake as a heretic.
Suddenly, Hiv didn’t know whether to feel jealous or pitiful.
"Yes, there are many types of Sorcerers. But no matter which kind, they don’t need to learn how to use the Magic Net. They naturally command their innate Magic."
He hesitated for a couple of seconds before continuing.
"But... it’s a blessing as much as it is a curse.
"When you are born with a certain Power, you lose the desire to understand it deeply. Just as people don’t explore exactly why they are able to walk, Sorcerers rarely investigate where their Power comes from.
"Therefore, while there are ’Legendary’ Mages in this world, even ’Extraordinary’ Tier Sorcerers are extremely rare."
Hiv shook his head, choosing not to say any more.