CHAPTER 83: REACHING THE PROFESSION ALTAR

The very same weapon he wielded against the Demon Lord during the final battle.

Its power was terrifying—blessed not only with divinity but the ability to strike a person’s soul directly.

It bypassed flesh, mana barriers, even ethereal forms.

That one trait alone was a huge reason Terry had managed to face the Demon Lord on near-equal ground, despite the massive disparity between their strengths.

Even though he’d ultimately lost, it was mainly because of the cheap trick used by the demon lord at the end.

But still—

Terry had been the only human who managed to push the Demon Lord that far.

And that great power of his, more than anything else, was why he was recognised as the strongest hero of humanity.

A man chosen by the gods.

Riley exhaled softly, eyes lingering on the two churches in the distance.

Then he shook his head.

"I don’t plan on joining any faction anyway..." he muttered under his breath. "I’ll just get stronger... and overcome whatever comes my way."

No matter how powerful the churches seemed. No matter how many players clung to the gods for blessings, or how many blessings they promised to give.

He knew at the end of the day, the gods only saw them as pawns, and he refused to be anyone’s pawn.

Instead, he would forge his own path with his strength, will and blood.

He stepped forward, walking past a row of NPCs shouting out offers near a potion stand.

His expression remained calm, but his thoughts were already turning.

’The first event should be happening a few days from now,’ he thought. His brows furrowed slightly. ’Probably two or three days at most.’

In [Apocalypse], events were the real game-changers.

Each one brought new enemies, new mechanics, new rewards—and new chaos.

Though they seemed random, they weren’t, and followed a certain order.

And the most terrifying thing about them was how each one was stronger than the last.

If you missed the early ones—or were too weak to participate—you’d fall behind fast.

In his previous life, Riley had entered the game late, so he missed quite a number of events.

The few he managed to participate in were too difficult, and he ended up accomplishing nothing from them.

However, this time, he would be ready for whatever [Apocalypse] might throw at him.

Riley’s gaze shifted toward the center of the city.

’Before all of that,’ he thought, eyes narrowing slightly, ’I should complete my profession trial.’

And with that, he took another step forward.

He already knew where the closest profession altar was.

It was tucked far from the center of the city, a location he had memorized long ago from his past life.

Most players didn’t even know about it.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Riley blurred forward, his figure vanishing in a gust of wind as he sprinted down the streets of Montville.

NPCs gasped as the wind passed them.

Players turned in confusion, wondering what had just flown past their eyes.

But by then, Riley was already gone.

He darted past merchant shops, cut through narrow alleyways, and shot down the final turn leading to the city’s edge.

Within minutes, he reached it.

A wide, circular altar embedded in the ground, with rocks piled atop it.

The altar was about five meter wide, and a few faded carvings ran along its surface, making it look quite ancient.

A large blue circle glowed faintly around it, pulsing with quiet energy.

Riley stepped onto the clearing slowly, glancing around.

It was just as he remembered.

This particular altar was situated behind a quiet old building and fenced off by tall stone walls, making it look more like a forgotten ruin than a proper profession altar.

Most players never came here. They were all drawn to the more famous altar at the heart of the city.

That one was a lot larger and packed with crowds of both players and NPC’s.

Since it was built to attract the players, it was a lot more flashy.

But this altar... was not, looking completely abandoned.

Riley walked forward, his steps calm.

In his past life, he’d discovered this altar entirely by accident.

Back then, he’d been struggling.

He had just entered the city and was on his way to the main altar when a group of stronger players ambushed and robbed him.

They took everything from him, leaving him with only his common-grade sword becauee they found it too useless.

Left alone, with nothing but shame and frustration boiling in his chest, he’d wandered aimlessly through the city outskirts.

And somehow, he’d stumbled across this place.

No one had been around to mock or jeer him, neither were there any crowd to block his way to sneer at his level.

It was just him and the glowing circle.

And there, he’d completed his profession trial, gaining a C-rank class.

He could still remember how overjoyed he was back then, because he had expected to end up with a D-rank class, the lowest possible class.

However, his efforts during the trial paid off, and he got a C-rank class.

Now, in this new life, he stepped into that same blue circle once again.

His eyes flashed with a strange glint.

Ding!

[Congratulations! You have reached the Profession Altar!]

[Would you like to begin ’Profession Trial’?]

[Yes / No]

Riley smirked.

"Yes," he muttered.

Swish!

Immediately, his body vanished in a flash of blue light.

*

He soon reappeared in a large white space, similar to the one he found himself when he first logged into the game.

Swirrr!

Seven, large portals suddenly swirled open in front of him, each one glowing bright blue.

Above each of them were different symbols, representing the respective professions each of the portals stood for.

The first by the left was for warriors, and had the symbol of a sword and a shield.

The one for mages had that of a magic staff, however, Riley’s concern wasn’t with any of them.

His gaze shifted over to the fifth one, which had the symbol of a pair of daggers crossed over a crescent moon, and his lips curled up.

He walked through it with a slight smirk, and his figure immediately vanished, the portal closing up behind him.