Ascension from Dual Professions

Chapter 21: Chapter 21: An Unpeaceful Journey

The next morning, Jon set out on his journey.

The winter roads were difficult to travel. After two straight days of snow and a full day of sun, the accumulated snow had melted into slush, which mixed with the dirt to create a vexing quagmire.

The drawbacks of poor infrastructure were on full display in this quasi-magical, medieval world.

Forget about horse-drawn carriages, which required well-maintained roads and would be utterly stuck here; even traveling on foot took considerable effort!

But Jon’s mood was surprisingly good.

He was clad in heavy leather armor, a sharp blade hanging from his waist and a sturdy shield strapped to his arm. His adventurer’s belt was fully equipped with various tools, and a cloth sack on his lower back held the dried meat and waterskin he’d prepared for the journey.

He had, for the time being, moved past the stage of struggling for mere survival and was entering what you might call his ’growth phase’.

Of course, the main reason was the power now surging through his veins—a power that far surpassed any ordinary person’s.

An Ordinary adult on the Yino Continent had about 5 points in each Attribute.

And now, all of Jon’s Attributes, with the exception of Agility, had surpassed this baseline.

His Power and Intelligence had both reached 7, his Spirit was at 8, and his Constitution was a whopping 9.5—nearly double that of an Ordinary person!

Unlike in a game, where an increase in Attributes is just a change in numbers, a real-world Attribute boost genuinely improved every aspect of a person’s condition!

Jon had already experienced the changes brought by the other four Attributes, all except for Agility.

An increase in Power strengthened his muscles and bones, filling his body with might. An increase in Constitution enriched his Qi and Blood, making him resistant to heat and cold.

An increase in Intelligence quickened his thoughts and enhanced his memory. An increase in Spirit filled him with vigor and sharpened his senses.

Such a change was undeniably addictive.

Because the two words, ”become stronger,” describe a pursuit rooted in the instinct of every living creature.

Jon was only human, an ordinary one at that. He naturally couldn’t resist the sense of euphoria that came from stepping from the ”Ordinary” to the ”extraordinary.”

The biting wind on his face could not penetrate his body with its chill.

His legs were powerful, his stride completely unhindered by the muck.

He felt a simple joy in overcoming these harsh conditions with such ease.

But amidst his happiness, observing his surroundings also stirred a sense of wistful reflection within him.

’So this is what the world was like before the players influenced it...’

At the edge of the fields, which were still partially covered in snow, dark-brown mud mixed with half-melted slush, spreading out to cover the simple earthen ridges that might have once been there.

Icicles clung to the sparse, withered-yellow branches of shrubs, refracting a faint light under a sky obscured by dark clouds.

It was a bleak winter scene.

By the time he started playing, players had already been active in this world for a year, gradually integrating into it and changing it.

Back then, the road beneath his feet had long since been paved with neat, thick flagstones, allowing players to ride their mounts freely.

The surrounding farmland, which had once belonged to rural farmers, had long been acquired by player guilds. Life-skill players cultivated all sorts of basic materials there.

Everything was orderly and brimming with thriving vitality.

But now, would any other players ever appear?

Would those changes still happen?

Toward what unknowable fate was this vast and real Yino Continent heading?

He had no answers for any of it.

’I guess I can only take it one step at a time.’

Lost in thought, Jon suddenly realized he had walked a considerable distance. Traces of human activity grew scarcer, the road beneath his feet turned hard and frozen, and the surrounding landmarks became indistinct.

He had to stop and look to the sky, trying to use the Sun’s position to get his bearings and avoid losing his way.

However, as the whistling wind reached his ears—now sharper thanks to his increased Spirit—it carried with it the faint sound of a strange commotion.

It wasn’t the low growl of a beast or the sounds of a predator, but rather what sounded like human shouting.

Jon’s brow furrowed instinctively. He turned, intending to head away from the commotion.

’In this frozen wasteland, out in the middle of nowhere? What could it possibly be?’

’It’s probably just some nonsense like a bandit ambush. I’m not some bleeding-heart saint who has to save everyone I meet. I can’t be bothered.’

However, the instant the thought crossed his mind, a familiar, translucent prompt popped up before his eyes.

[Ding! Something seems to be happening nearby.]

It seemed like a pointless sentence, but it actually meant only one thing: a Random Quest!

On this continent, everything was in a constant state of flux, with all sorts of events happening at any given moment.

Some of these events unfolded naturally with no one’s involvement, while others were influenced by external factors and led to different outcomes.

An event significant enough to trigger a random quest prompt would, of course, offer a player certain benefits.

Sure, some were garbage quests—dog-eat-dog scenarios, ambushes between thieves, or things that would bring endless trouble. But there was also a chance it could be a quest with generous rewards and loads of Experience Points, or even the start of a long quest chain!

This sense of a dynamically evolving world, driven by randomly triggered quests, was one of the reasons *Yino* was called the ”most realistic” virtual reality fantasy game.

Of course, Jon now knew that Yino was a real world, so such realistic developments were only to be expected.

As for whether or not he would do the quest... was there even a question?

With his Dual Professions, his need for Experience Points was anything but ordinary. Good or bad, there was no harm in taking a look.

’Better to be safe than sorry. If there’s something to be gained, it’s worth getting my hands dirty... but if it’s too much trouble, I’ll just abandon it!’

As the thoughts spun in his mind, Jon’s gaze sharpened.

He tightened his grip on the hilt of the saber at his waist, took a deep breath of the cold air, and quickly pinpointed the source of the commotion.

With a flicker of movement, he abandoned the muddy road where he would easily leave tracks. Instead, he moved to the wooded area at the side, stepping on rocks and patches of deep snow where he would leave less of a trail. Following the sound, he crept forward in silence.

—

’Merciful Lord Po Ao... Your devout believer prays to you...’

The girl’s trembling whisper echoed in the frigid air of the narrow carriage. Her fiery hair was in disarray, like embers scattered by the winter wind, a stark contrast to her pale cheeks.

’Please grant me your grace and help your lamb overcome this ordeal...’

Outside the carriage, the piercing clash of metal and agonizing screams rose and fell. It was like a tolling bell from Hell, each peal striking at her heart—her guards were fighting back, but they were being steadily overwhelmed.

Amid such chaos, her prayers seemed so hollow and helpless.

Suddenly, a desperate roar tore through the din, only to be abruptly cut short.

”My Lady, be careful! These men aren’t bandits! They’re here specifically for you—Aargh—!”

Hearing the Guard Captain’s final warning, the girl’s pupils contracted.

She suddenly recalled the messenger from yesterday—the one who brought news that her ”father was gravely ill”!

’Thinking back now... was he really a messenger?’

’Is Father really gravely ill?’

Whispers she’d heard at the banquet floated to the surface of her mind.

The open conflicts and secret schemes in the capital over the succession... and Count Heta, who was rumored to be planning his next move...

For the past six months, the Noble Merchant Association her father had organized had been repeatedly targeted by an unknown rival...

It all became clear... This was obviously a meticulously planned kidnapping!

She could already imagine how, if she were captured, the masterminds behind this would use her to force her father into submission!

”No... Never...”

The girl’s trembling hand reached into the folds of her dress, drawing a small dagger, still warm from her body, and pressing it to her own slender neck.

”I... I will never fall into the enemy’s hands! I will not become a bargaining chip to be used against my father!”

The clash of blades outside came to an abrupt halt. With a final, mournful cry, the last guard paid the price for his loyalty.

The noble girl’s hands shook, and the tip of the blade pierced her pale skin.

Beads of blood mingled with her tears as they streamed down the blade, dripping onto the carriage floor.

”Father... I can’t stay by your side any longer...”