"Wow… that's amazing! You can actually handle that many professions at the same time?"
Hearing Kanzaki Rei's completely unrestrained praise, the old man's weathered face flushed faintly red.
The man was named Mazer—a rugged fellow wearing a cowboy hat with a longbow slung across his back.
He gave a bitter smile.
"'Handle' is a bit of an exaggeration. I only started taking on side professions because my main class didn't seem to have any hope of advancing."
He paused, then added with genuine admiration in his voice:
"Your talent is the truly impressive one."
The envy in his tone was unmistakably sincere.
After all, joining Kanzaki Rei's party meant he had already heard quite a bit about him.
Who wouldn't admire a magical prodigy second only to Izparut?
That was Izparut—the youngest Level 5 Mage on the entire continent of Ruilen, a historic genius in the field of magic.
"Besides," Mazer continued, scratching the back of his neck, "as a combat-class archer, I'm only Level 2."
Rei shook his head.
"Oh no, Mazer-nii. I think it's amazing that you found a path that suits you."
"It's not like combat classes are the only useful ones."
"If you've already become a Level 3 Gatherer, Mazer-nii, I bet a lot of teams want your help, right?"
Heh…
As someone who had spent many years navigating workplace politics in his previous life, Rei knew exactly how to say the right things.
And when words that sounded like flattery came out of a child's mouth, the effect was entirely different.
Seeing the sincerity in Rei's eyes, Mazer felt a warm current rise in his chest.
Originally, he had assumed Rei would be one of those difficult, aloof geniuses…
But unexpectedly, the boy turned out to be incredibly warmhearted.
There was always a subtle barrier between geniuses and ordinary people.
Even when standing right beside them, one could still feel an invisible wall separating them.
But Rei's gentle attitude melted that subtle divide like warm sunlight.
"Haha! Well, that's true! Lots of teams want me to help them with gathering work!"
"Honestly, choosing which team to join every day is its own kind of headache!"
Tsk tsk.
He really was easy to flatter.
Just a couple compliments and Mazer was already getting carried away.
"But being able to learn an extra profession really does seem convenient."
"I'd also like to take on a second class. Do any of you have suggestions, big brothers and sisters?"
Rei smoothly steered the conversation back to the topic he truly wanted to discuss.
Books had indeed written quite a bit about this subject.
But books and reality were not the same.
Even on Earth, nobody would treat popular science books written years—or even decades—ago in a library as reliable references for the present day.
"A second class, huh?"
Loth, who had been listening quietly, lowered her head and thought for a moment.
"Normally, people only take a second class when they feel their main class has no further room for advancement."
"After all, it's considered a deviation from the Principle."
Deviation from the Principle.
Rei knew about this.
Because he cared deeply about this matter, it had been one of the first things he researched.
The Advancement Ceremony was an act of following the Principle.
Taking on another profession meant deviating from the original path dictated by that Principle, which would make future Advancement Ceremonies far more demanding.
In a way…
It was like secretly working two jobs, getting caught by your boss, and then still expecting a promotion.
That was why Izparut and the others hoped Rei would first walk the path of a Mage and climb to a higher level before taking additional professions.
That way, he could avoid a great deal of suffering later.
"But if we had to suggest something," Loth continued, "the class most closely related to a Mage would probably be a Scholar."
Scholar.
Rei had read about that class before.
The librarian in Rein Town was also a Scholar.
Apparently, he was a Level 4 Scholar who had read every book in the Rein Town library and could recite their contents from memory.
If that was true, then he truly was deserving of the title "Scholar."
"But in terms of combat," Loth added, "Healers also share quite a few similarities with Mages. I've seen adventurers who were Mages with a Healer subclass, and their performance was excellent."
"Crafting classes like Enchanters also require intensive magical training. If your main class is Mage, it would make their development much easier."
So the suggestions were Scholar, Healer, and Enchanter.
Thinking about Kumironi's performance earlier, Rei found himself leaning more toward the Healer class.
If he could heal himself after getting injured, his survivability would increase dramatically.
Scholar wasn't bad either.
Being able to obtain information faster would help him absorb knowledge in this other world much more efficiently.
As for Enchanter…
For now, forget it.
Blacksmiths, Enchanters—those kinds of crafting professions felt pretty underwhelming to Rei.
It wasn't that they lacked potential.
But they probably wouldn't be useful for a long time, and they didn't directly increase combat strength.
"Oh right, aren't you Izparut's disciple?"
Loth suddenly remembered something.
"When it comes to class advice, we're all amateurs… I've heard that the White Tower and the Church of Life conduct specialized research in this field."
"They probably have much deeper insights."
"As for what I said… it was just casual speculation, haha."
After giving Rei her answer, Loth suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
Who exactly was she?
And here she was giving career advice to Izparut's apprentice…
"It's okay, Loth-oneesan. Your advice was very helpful."
"I've already memorized it."
"Besides, we're all in the same party. It's fine to just chat casually."
"I'd really like to become friends with everyone too."
Bratty kids were annoying.
But kids who knew how to speak well were genuinely likable.
Rei confirmed this truth once again.
The others quickly became far more willing to talk with him.
Almost every question Rei asked received an answer.
Even when he touched on topics that might normally be considered private, nobody suspected him of having ulterior motives.
Talking with people provided information that was far more up-to-date than what he could learn from books.
Aside from job-change information, he also learned about:
The income and rewards of a Level 3 Adventurer,Typical pay scales,Which skills they had learned,Where their hometowns were,Their favorite foods.
He even discovered the reason behind Loth's bankruptcy…
And somehow, gossip about Mazer juggling two relationships at the same time was dug up as well.
Even the usually quiet Trand spoke up eventually.
He mentioned his happy family and showed everyone his pocket watch.
Inside the watch was a small photograph of his wife.
He had become an adventurer to earn money for the child that was about to be born.
What a massive flag…
Trand, I would honestly rather you hadn't told me that.
…
Aside from that, they also discussed key information about how monsters are formed.
Monsters were created alongside something called the Monster Tide.
It was an invisible flow of energy—something the naked eye could not perceive—that existed throughout the world and constantly circulated.
As this energy flowed, monsters would spontaneously appear in places where living beings rarely observed.
The denser the Monster Tide became, the more monsters would be born—and the stronger they would be.
Dungeons were also formed alongside the Monster Tide.
However, compared to wild monsters, dungeon formation was influenced by additional factors—such as the month, the positions of the stars, and even the agitation of certain ancient nests.
The Monster Tide itself could not be seen with the naked eye.
But it could be detected through special methods.
Every day, the Kingdom broadcasted weather reports using special techniques.
These forecasts didn't just include wind, rain, thunder, temperature, and humidity—
They also reported the movement of the Monster Tide, changes in the monthly cycles, and other mystical phenomena.
Powerful adventurers would follow the flow of the Monster Tide to seek opportunities for profit.
Where the Monster Tide grew dense…
Adventurers inevitably gathered.
For Rei, the process of hunting monsters wasn't simply about killing enemies.
Exchanging information with these adventurers was just as important.
"I see the target…"
As they approached their destination, Mazer was the first to stand up inside the carriage.
He had already spotted the target.
Rei followed his gaze and looked in the same direction.
But he couldn't see anything.
Was it because he was an archer?
Archers possessed sharper vision—able to see farther and more clearly.
While they couldn't compare to true Observers, their eyesight still surpassed most other combat classes.
It seemed Mazer's field of vision really was broader than Rei's.
The surrounding terrain consisted of sparse woodland.
The trees didn't completely block the view, but they still made it difficult to see far into the distance.
Rei stood up.
The ring on his right hand glimmered faintly.
It was a Spatial Ring he had purchased yesterday from the magic item shop.
Price: 10 gold coins.
Storage capacity: a 27-cubic-meter cubic space.
Living creatures could not be stored inside.
The ring flashed with light—
And a gray staff appeared in Rei's hand.