CHAPTER 11: WHAT’S YOUR PROFESSION

Ash looked attentively at both sides of the far-stretching jungle,that made him twist in discomfort.

He had seen horrors of the jungle personally, and he expected some beasts to lunge at the group.

But it had already been an hour, and he saw none.

There was a chariot in the middle in which the merchant sat. There were two hunters ahead of it and two hunters behind it, riding on horses.

Behind them were five transport wooden carts, sealed and carried by two horses. Between each cart, there were two hunters to keep them safe.

Behind the carts were 5 soldiers that were there to accompany the merchants through the jungle, and they stayed at the back so bandits wouldn’t run away upon seeing them.

Ash also had a fine black horse to ride.

Though he had basic knowledge of horse riding, this one was well-trained.

He was with those soldiers in the back; they were chatting comfortably, talking about their level-ups and their new special skills that they unlocked at certain levels.

Ash was attentive to the information he got, satisfying many of his curiosities.

He wanted to see that bandit group again; he wanted to complete his unfinished job.

When he injured that level 5 bandit, he had thought that the man would be injured for years. But after seeing the miraculous healing of this world, there was a chance he had healed completely.

The time passed quickly; it was fascinating to him how this world was so different.

They were already on the edge of the forest where this path ended; they had bypassed the tall mountains by circling around them.

Now there was open field with some small mountains and different terrains, and the sun setting between the mountains looked gorgeous.

As they crossed the jungle, the group stopped.

All the servants and hunters started preparing for a short stay, while the soldiers planned to return in the early morning.

Opposite to their anticipation, they faced no assault, neither from beasts nor bandits.

And as planned, they would return, leaving the merchant and his hunters alone to travel.

Being out of forest territory, there was still a chance that beasts could attack the group.

Ash saw hunters illuminating the area with some crystals that were glowing.

There was something interesting going on for Ash. A stump of wood erupted from the ground, then was lit with fire by two hunters with just hand movements.

Three women came out of the chariot, wearing simple but tempting clothes.

In a matter of time, it became a camping site.

The short chubby merchant was enjoying the company of three girls while food was cooked by his men.

Soldiers kept their distance, busy in their own chat.

"Look at those cute girls in the hands of that ugly bastard."

"Yeah, he is rich and changes girls like clothes."

"Think if we had girls here."

"It’s punishment for a reason."

The talk continued among the soldiers while Ash stayed silent. He knew these soldiers would leave tomorrow, so he needed to introduce himself to his future comrades so his travel could be easier.

The initial tension eased; everyone was enjoying themselves with rich, energy-filled food.

Ash also ate the meat but was disappointed. It was not as tasty as he had eaten before.

The merchant was drinking and playing with the girls.

Hunters and soldiers were eyeing him with envy; they couldn’t drink because it would hinder their job.

As the time passed, most of the hunters slept, while two hunters kept watch.

Ash was about to go to sleep when howls echoed in the area.

Hearing it, hunters and soldiers readied themselves for a fight.

As the threat revealed itself, soldiers were relieved and disappointed at the same time.

"Hah...these are low-level beasts. I ain’t bothering." A soldier said, yawning, and pointed to a low-level soldier.

"Go, you can farm some free Exp."

The soldier grabbed his blade and ran towards the beasts, while from the hunters’ group, two hunters also participated in the fight.

Ash was curious about their actions; they were acting like it was a daily happening.

"I hoped for better; these lowly beasts already stopped providing me Exp." A soldier sat down comfortably, witnessing the fight unfold.

They were cheering for their friends.

Ash also wanted to get some Exp, but he didn’t want to reveal his gun, nor reveal the fact that he had got a profession—at least not to the soldiers, who could tell it to the jack.

He had lied back there, and to hide it, he had to conceal it just for today. Once the soldiers left, he would reveal himself with the hunter profession to the cohort.

In some minutes, there lay dead bodies of wolves. The fighters retrieved beast cores and regenerated their mana points, which they had used in skills. putting the rest in their bags.

As if nothing had happened, everyone went to sleep, leaving two soldiers on guard.

Ash also slept, waking up with the movement of soldiers getting ready.

The soldiers left the cohort, and the hunters packed their belongings to continue their journey.

Horses were fed, ready to go.

Ash joined the two hunters that were behind the last cart.

"Hey newbie, how was your stay?" A man with a shield on his back started the conversation.

"So far, so good," Ash replied with a gentle smile.

"Getting such harsh punishment at such a young age, now it’s your rebirth. Hope you won’t indulge in criminal activities," the man suggested, taking pity on Ash.

At first, Ash was baffled, unable to understand, but then after serious consideration he realised that these men had misconceptions. According to them, he was returning from exile that had been given to him as punishment.

"You look young, what’s your age?" Another man with a spear at his side asked.

"Just turned sixteen some days ago."

"So you got your profession... nice... nice. You should have participated in yesterday’s fight to get some Exp.

By the way, my name is Arlan and he is Durnok." The guy who had the large shield on his back introduced himself.

"my name is Ash, My level is low, so I thought I would drag the hunters down," said Ash.

"Don’t worry, boy. When we are in a group, levelling your friends is always helpful," the guy named Durnok said.

"This is the territory of the Dire Wolf King, who came out of a D-class dungeon when we failed to clear it, so there will be many assaults from low-level wolves.

You will get many opportunities to fight and level up.

By the way, what’s your profession?" asked Arlan curiously.