Chapter 239: Profession Information

Chapter 239: Chapter 239: Profession Information

After joining the group chat, Seraphina Sinclair casually invited Frostleaf.

The group had over forty members. She gave the member list a quick scan and, sure enough, spotted several familiar names: Artemis, Seaview, and Rex Shaw. There were also a few top-ranked players from other Zones whose IDs she recognized.

The group owner, Chrona, soon sent a message. She must have been busy, as it was a voice message. Her tone was cheerful and open:

[Chrona]: Welcome, Master Blacktiger! And welcome, Master Frostleaf! Our group is finally starting to take shape. From now on, let’s all help each other out and look after one another.

[Chrona]: There aren’t many rules, just two. First: No scamming! We don’t have any anti-fraud apps here, but can we all just promise not to be scammers, okay? If you encounter one, report them to me immediately. Once verified, I’ll kick them out of the group. Second: All information shared in the group is not to be spread outside without permission. Of course, I don’t mean *my* permission. The person who shares the information owns the rights to it!

These two rules were reasonable and fair, even lawful.

Even though this godforsaken place had no laws.

Just from those few words, Seraphina Sinclair could see what Artemis had meant about her.

’She definitely has charisma. The rules she laid out are solid, and her character seems decent, too.’ 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

By now, Seraphina Sinclair was fairly certain this would become her new client base, but then Chrona sent another message:

[Chrona]: Also, after path selection every Sunday, we can all briefly discuss our choices and the reasons behind them. It’ll be a good way to give each other a heads-up and avoid any traps.

This proposal was exactly what Seraphina Sinclair had been hoping for.

Chrona was polite and, as the group owner, the others were naturally inclined to show her respect.

Several messages followed. Though no one knew each other well, no one was eager to cause conflict.

"We should definitely give each other a heads-up about the paths. We’re pretty much the top few dozen people in this Zone, so the path bosses are definitely going to target us!"

"Ugh, the boss on the last path was a real piece of work. Everyone in our Zone who ran into it died. I still haven’t figured out what kind of monster it was. It’s a shame we weren’t in the same Zone last week, otherwise we could’ve exchanged information."

"Our paths last week were different, so our negative effects must be different too. If you think about it, that means the nine thousand-plus people in this Zone are dealing with over fifty different kinds of negative effects."

"But our paths for next week will be the same. So come on, Masters, what did you all choose?"

People in the group began to announce which path they had chosen for the week.

"I picked Thundering Gorge. The other option was D-level, and I really didn’t have the courage for that."

"I actually chose the other one. Thundering Gorge seems fine, but those Thunder Strikes..."

Everyone in the group was sharp; they saw his message and immediately knew what he was talking about, chiming in to agree:

"Yeah, you can tell just from the description how hard those Thunder Strikes will be to deal with."

"We’re all basically using metal weapons, right? I wasn’t great in school, but I know my basic science. That stuff attracts lightning, doesn’t it?"

"That’s exactly what I was thinking, which is why I chose Misty Forest. But Misty Forest is a D-level path, so I don’t feel great about it either. Seriously, the system makes these choices harder every week."

They chatted for a while, and as Seraphina Sinclair scanned the conversation, she found that most people had chosen Misty Forest.

Their reasoning was similar to her own: the Thunder Strikes were simply too difficult to manage.

But not many of them had items that could resist Spiritual Pollution like she did. She figured that the eight hours from midnight to 8 a.m., before they could obtain their first Immunity Crystal, were going to be agonizing for them.

But their suffering was their own business. It had little to do with Seraphina Sinclair. As long as she got the boss information, she could get her clients.

Seraphina Sinclair hadn’t encountered this week’s boss yet and wasn’t sure if she would today.

The small cabin hummed as it advanced. Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t sure if today counted as entering the new Zone, so she took advantage of the time before the Black Mist rolled in to paint several more runes, which put her more at ease.

Lucky circled her feet. He was adorable, but also getting in her way.

After accidentally kicking him several times, Seraphina Sinclair finally couldn’t help but bend down and pick the Little Dragon up.

Ever since the Little Dragon had opened his eyes and first laid them on Seraphina Sinclair, this was the first time she had held him with both hands.

The Little Dragon seemed overwhelmed by the sudden favor. His four small claws curled up stiffly, and a contented purr rumbled in his throat as his red eyes stared at her without blinking.

Seraphina Sinclair placed him on the corner of the table and tapped his cool little nose. "Stay here and be good. Don’t move, and don’t disturb my rune painting."

Her tone wasn’t gentle, but it wasn’t harsh either. Lucky couldn’t understand her words, but because his "kin" had put him in a specific spot for the first time, he was unwilling to leave. He sat like an exquisite jade statue, with only the tip of his tail still wagging ever so slightly.

With that little interruption dealt with, Seraphina Sinclair refocused, returning her attention to the rune paper.

She continued to paint.

After the Black Mist had surged in a few times, Seraphina Sinclair understood. They wouldn’t officially be considered in the new Zone until tomorrow.

Today’s monsters hadn’t gotten any stronger—in fact, they were considerably weaker. There wasn’t a single E-level monster, only F-level trash.

After dealing with them casually, Seraphina Sinclair couldn’t help but take out the runes to have another look.

’Good enough. The Traveling Merchant should arrive tomorrow. I can just sell them then.’

Seraphina Sinclair put her things away. Once she confirmed that the day’s travel was over, she paced around the mobile cabin, wondering what else she could do today.

Her gaze landed on the automated workbench. She slapped her forehead and opened the Zone channel.

Seraphina Sinclair composed a message, but just as she was about to send it, she suddenly realized the Zone channel was discussing... professions!

The first one that caught her eye read: "Oh, so that’s it. In that case, Master Blacktiger must be a Rune Master. I always thought she had some item that gave her an endless supply of runes, I never expected she was painting them herself."

Seraphina Sinclair: "..."

’Who said what in the Zone channel now?!’

Her cover had been completely blown, though it wasn’t as if she had been trying to hide it.

If Seraphina Sinclair had truly wanted to hide her identity, she would have acted like Pretty Guardian, who had remained completely under the radar. The Potions she made were either sold to Seraphina or used herself.

She scrolled up through the chat log, quickly finding the message that started it all—the culprit!

[Artemis]: I just passed through a special area that had a single Stone Tablet. The text on it seemed pretty useful, so I’ll share it with everyone. "The Black Mist World has numerous professions, but only a few are truly useful: Rune Masters, who paint runes; Pharmacists, who create Potions; Engraving Masters, who improve blueprints; and Sealing Masters, who command the art of sealing! For tens of thousands of years, these four great professions have remained at the apex of the Black Mist World. And besides these four, there are many more professions not worthy of record, yet still indispensable..."