Chapter 21 Initial Occupation
The pointer oscillated between flame red and metallic yellow, causing William to fluster along with it.
Occupation held immense allure for anyone in the post-apocalyptic world, and William was no exception. Since the roulette did not display specific occupation information, he felt a mix of nervousness and anticipation about what occupation he would receive next.
Would it be an archer? That was his most familiar occupation, one that could quickly elevate his status. Would it be a powerful summoner? Or a glamorous mage? Perhaps a dashing swordsman? A versatile paladin? A hunter? An assassin? A boxer? A mechanic? A charioteer?
Once, he had exchanged a large sum of hard-earned money for an archer's occupational certificate, accrued massive debts, received a promotion scroll, and spent years in the battle group, fighting for others, only to meet his end during a mission.
Now, something that required a significant sacrifice from a past life was presented before him. How could he not be excited?
The pointer began to slow down, and William stared intently. Finally, it settled in the flame red zone.
A clicking sound emanated from the equipment box beneath the Tricolor Roulette, as if something had dropped, resonating like sacred music.
William reached out to open the equipment box, realizing his hand was trembling.
Inside the box lay an exquisite flame red certificate, emitting a faint warm halo in the darkness, illuminating William's excited face.
After caressing the certificate for a while, William slowly unfolded it, as if opening a high-definition screen, revealing a line of text： [Congratulations, you have obtained the occupation—Honorable Artisan!]
William trembled all over, his body leaning weakly against the roulette. Then, he began to stare blankly, eventually breaking into a solitary giggle.
As he laughed, tears welled up in his eyes, warm trails running down his still-smooth cheeks, leaving faint marks.
At this moment, the contrast between this life and the past was stark. The vast disparity made William involuntarily recall his previous life, with many once-forgotten images now vivid in his mind and emotions long thought lost or forgotten resurging.
Hardship, adversity, trials, fear, confusion, along with alcohol, frenzy, bloodlust, greed, numbness—Would this life be the same?
Raising the certificate in his hand, William's unfocused gaze gradually sharpened, growing brighter. In this life, he vowed to lead a different existence.
Perhaps some "god" orchestrated all this, or some "boss" manipulated it all. Earth had become an experimental ground, or perhaps an online game, where even if he had been reborn, he was still a mere pawn in the grand scheme.
An unstoppable fury ignited within William.
He thought, 'Yes, I might be a pawn, insignificant in the previous life, ultimately being buried into dust. This life, however, will be different from the last! Even if I were to be a pawn, I would be the most powerful one! I'll break free from the chessboard and see who is manipulating me, who is toying with Earth!
'Damn it, don't let me catch you!'
William growled, crushing the occupational certificate in his hand.
The object in his hand transformed into a mysterious occupational emblem and an ancient scroll of vows.
These two items were not unfamiliar to William. The occupational emblem symbolized the occupation, with each occupation having a distinct emblem representing its level, current proficiency, and promotion credentials.
Occupational levels progressed from apprentice to junior, senior, and advanced. Beyond advanced levels were master, mentor, and transcendent levels, mere legends that William had only heard about occasionally from the captain of the Eight-Star Evolver team in his previous life.
Occupational proficiency indicated one's skill level in the occupation, which was directly related to usage frequency, quality, and comprehension. Promotion credentials were simpler; once proficiency reached the maximum for the current level, one could use a promotion scroll to advance.
The vow scroll was even more crucial. This ancient parchment served as a "contract"; to possess an occupation, one had to swear an oath. Each occupation had a unique oath.
Furthermore, the vow scroll detailed the characteristics of the occupation, its usage, and other relevant information, serving as a manual.
These two items constituted the post-apocalyptic occupation. They were traded during transactions.
Artisan?
William paused at the sight of this occupation, a hint of disappointment flashing across his face.
This was an auxiliary occupation. It did not directly enhance combat abilities and skills, which was unsatisfactory for William, who urgently sought to boost his strength.
However, William had heard of the artisan occupation before. It was considered excellent among auxiliary occupations, capable of crafting outstanding weapons and equipment. In his previous life, there were renowned artisans whose creations were highly sought after, with William's sniper rifle being one such item that had been enhanced by an artisan, doubling its power. With the archer occupation and the rifle, he was allowed to inflict significant damage on targets beyond his level.
With this realization, William felt somewhat relieved. Although he did not receive his primary occupation, being an artisan was still good. The increase in level would noticeably enhance his combat prowess.
But there was confusion lingering in his head as he thought, 'But what does this 'Honorable' signify? When I obtained the archer and swordsman occupations in the past, there was no such prefix.'
To find answers, he had to swear an oath to become a practitioner of this occupation. Without hesitation, William opened the vow scroll, reciting the oath as instructed, pricking his finger to drop a few drops of blood on it. The parchment shimmered, and a gentle, empowering force surged in William's mind.
Having experienced this before, William knew that this was the manifestation of mental power activation.
If occupations granted one specific ability, using these abilities required expending mental energy. Without mental energy, occupational abilities could not be utilized.
Once the power subsided, William picked up the occupational emblem and glanced at it. The seemingly inconspicuous emblem now appeared crystal clear, displaying some changes.
As William observed these changes, his expression turned exceedingly peculiar.
He thought, 'Why does this occupational emblem look so peculiar?' The circular emblem displayed five different areas resembling a roulette, separated by elegant patterns, each area featuring faintly colored words, apprentice!
William understood the meaning of "apprentice," which signified that his artisan level was still at the apprentice stage. But he didn't understand what five areas with five apprenticeships signify. In his previous life, his occupational emblem had only one area and one "apprentice."
He thought, 'Could this be the meaning behind the Honorable prefix?'
Continuing to examine the emblem, beneath the faint words denoting apprenticeship, each area also displayed a line of small text in the same color as the "apprentice" background, showing a row of numerals: 0/100.
This represented proficiency; reaching 100 meant that his occupation had reached the pinnacle of the current level, allowing you to advance to the next stage.
