Volume 4 Chapter 46: Kelly’s Guidance

The messages on the communicator belonged to Beruses and Mafa. As managers of Apostle City, they could easily obtain information about Qin Lun’s return from the Other World through the registration records of the Teleportation Hall.

Although they didn’t know whether Qin Lun had successfully completed his third Otherworld Mission, they could easily reach a conclusion from various clues in the following days. For example: Didi’s activities at the Auction House, Qin Lun’s training situation at the Training Ground, and so on.

Generally, as long as a Junior Apostle successfully survived the first three Otherworld Missions, their chances of survival greatly improved. For someone like Qin Lun, who had not failed any of his first three Otherworld Missions and had a 100% success rate, it indicated that this Apostle had great potential and was completely worth recruiting and investing in.

The success rate of the first three Otherworld Missions was not only a standard by which the Sapient Races measured an Apostle’s potential, but also a criterion for many large Apostle teams when recruiting new members. If Qin Lun had now used relevant records from Devil’s Horn to indirectly prove his 100% success rate in the first three Otherworld Missions, and made this information public at the Mercenary Guild, recruiters from major teams would have already come knocking at his door.

The content of Beruses and Mafa’s messages was just ordinary greetings. After some thought, Qin Lun sent a reply to both. The reply to Mafa was ordinary, but in his reply to Beruses, he subtly indicated that he was about to undergo Class Change and needed the help of a Cunning Demon.

Beruses quickly replied, first congratulating Qin Lun, and then stating that he would visit the Villa the next evening.

Originally, Qin Lun had already begun to differentiate his attitude toward the Demon Clan and the Moonlit Elves. Although Beruses had also invested in him, it felt more like a transaction, with very little personal sentiment involved. On the other hand, the transaction with the Elven Race involved a lot of personal sentiment, such as the World Tree Fruit.

The World Tree Fruit related to the Moon Night Elf Bloodline was ostensibly obtained through an equivalent trade with Big Black Bear BEN, for which Qin Lun still owed the Moonlit Elves fifty thousand Shattered Crystals. In reality, compared to the intrinsic value of the Moonlit Elf Bloodline, he had already gotten a great deal. Besides the Shattered Crystals, he also owed Mafa a huge favor.

If not for the fact that the Jungle Hunter had the option to advance into a Demon Hunter, Qin Lun had planned to gradually distance himself from Beruses, maintaining only normal equivalent exchanges with the Demon Clan in the future.

However, since he now also had a need for the Demon Bloodline, Qin Lun could no longer share information about his Class Change with Mafa. Otherwise, he would owe too big a favor, and it might end up displeasing both sides later. Moreover, he still owed the Moonlit Elves fifty thousand Shattered Crystals; even with thick skin, he couldn’t bring himself to ask for more benefits.

Now, seeking out Beruses wasn’t for the purpose of immediately obtaining the Demon Bloodline. With his current strength, even if he obtained the Demon Bloodline, he could only replace one bloodline with another, with no possibility of mixing the two bloodlines. Only in the distant future, when Qin Lun gradually approached the Demon Hunter career path, would he potentially be able to blend the two bloodlines together.

This time, seeking out Beruses, Qin Lun wanted to try to obtain a summon from the Demon Clan. Of course, this was just an idea for now; whether it could actually be implemented probably only Beruses could tell him.

After receiving Beruses’ reply, Qin Lun thought for a while, then sent an inquiry message to a High-Rank Apostle.

This High-Rank Apostle was the female Apostle who had previously explained the World Tree Fruit to him. This Apostle wore an Elf mask and had a fairly deep connection with the Moonlit Elves. This time, Qin Lun wanted to ask her about the Career Quest and information regarding the Jungle Hunter profession.

The next day, before Beruses came to visit, this High-Rank Apostle was the first to send a communication request.

“Oh, it’s you. Have you reached the threshold for Class Change?” As soon as the communication projection opened, a familiar, clear voice came through.

“Yes, I have received the Career Quest!” Qin Lun said with a smile.

“Oh? What profession are you planning to change to?” The female Apostle wearing the Elf mask lazily yawned and asked casually.

“Jungle Hunter! Additionally, I have alternatives: Demon Hunter, Beast Master Hunter, and Combat Mage!” Qin Lun quickly laid out his career plan and the introductions of the four combat professions, merely omitting his own Apostle Skills.

To some extent, the combat professions an Apostle possessed weren’t very important intelligence. Even with the same combat profession, different skill combinations could form completely different combat styles.

Moreover, for a talented individual like Qin Lun, given enough time, he would inevitably stand out in Devil’s Horn. By then, much of his information, including his combat profession, would be hard to keep secret. Only by reasonably combining professional skills and minimizing weaknesses in combat style could he truly protect himself.

“Four combat profession directions?” The female Apostle’s body stiffened slightly, and her crisp, pleasant voice carried undisguised surprise. “How many Quest Worlds have you been through? Wait, I remember you asking about ‘converting the World Tree Fruit into Elf Bloodline’ just over ten days ago!”

“Yes, up to now I have been through… six Quest Worlds!” Qin Lun frowned slightly. The female Apostle’s strange tone made him a bit wary, and he unhesitatingly doubled the number of Quest Worlds he had actually experienced.

All along, from the friendly attitudes of Mafa and Beruses toward him, and the occasional fragments of information they revealed, Qin Lun could fully deduce that he was among the more outstanding Apostles. However, he wasn’t very clear about exactly how outstanding he was.

After all, he had been in Shattered Starry Sky for less than two months, and he had to enter the Other World to carry out a mission every half month. The ten-plus days after returning were only enough for him to recover his mental state; he simply had no time to communicate with other Apostles or exchange experiences.

Although Qin Lun subconsciously doubled the number of Quest Worlds he had been through, having obtained the Elf Bloodline and successfully reached the Class Change threshold in just six Quest Worlds was still a very astonishing achievement.

“An Apostle like him generally doesn’t save mission rewards; within a few days of returning to Shattered, he would cash in his gains. He obtained the Elf Bloodline and reached the career threshold just over ten days apart. That means his mission intervals are likely between half a month to a month!”

Kelly stared at Qin Lun across from her, momentarily lost in thought, her mind calculating rapidly as she murmured to herself, “A Junior Apostle can’t have too many skills. The only way he could obtain four profession directions is if several of his skills are composite-type skills.

Judging from the names of the four combat professions, either his offensive and defensive skills cover both ranged attacks and close combat, or he has several highly valuable auxiliary abilities, or possibly both.

Six Quest Worlds seems a bit exaggerated… However, I really haven’t heard any rumors about this Apostle among the Moonlit Elves or at Devil’s Horn. So, within ten Quest Worlds should be fine!”

As her thoughts deepened, Kelly’s gaze at Qin Lun gradually brightened, and the expression behind her mask became complex. Except for misjudging the number of Quest Worlds, Kelly’s assessment was close to the truth, while the inexperienced Serial Killer remained unaware that he had already revealed his hand.

“Originally, I thought I was just mentoring a new attached Apostle of the Elven Race. I never expected to stumble upon a raw diamond!” Behind the mask, her pretty face showed a sly, fox-like smile.

“Do you have any suggestions regarding the combat professions I’ve chosen?” Although he couldn’t see the other’s face, Qin Lun keenly sensed something off in those clear, bright eyes, and he shifted uncomfortably.

Qin Lun truly valued the advice of this High-Rank Apostle. Although he had already decided on Jungle Hunter as his career goal, if this High-Rank Apostle gave more reasonable suggestions, then both Joey and he would need to reconsider.

“I don’t know your specific abilities, but just from your career plan, both Beast Master Hunter and Jungle Hunter are good choices.” Kelly said seriously, “From my experience, I can only give you two useful suggestions!”

“Oh? Please tell me. If the information costs within ten thousand Shattered Crystals, I’m willing to pay!” Qin Lun said cautiously.

“Hehe, it’s just my personal experience. Consider it a free gift from our last transaction!” Kelly said with a smile.

“Just remember two points. First, an Apostle’s career path can change in countless ways. Before reaching the final profession, there may be other hidden branch options along the way. You must choose carefully and try to keep your options broad. Although this might involve some waste, it’s much better than regretting it later.”

“Are you saying that future Otherworld Missions might yield extremely valuable equipment, items, or skills that deviate from the career path, so I should prepare for unexpected situations?” Qin Lun understood after a moment’s thought.

“You’re very clever!” A glint flashed in Kelly’s eyes. “Anything can happen in Quest Worlds. As long as you keep living, you will inevitably encounter temptations that are hard to refuse. If your career path is too narrow, you might miss opportunities. The more valuable something is, the harder it is to trade for. The broader your options, the more opportunities you’ll have.”

“And the second point?” Qin Lun nodded noncommittally.

“As for the second point… After learning about the Career Quest, did you really want to complete it directly in Shattered Starry Sky?” Kelly blinked and said with a smile.

“Yes, my task is to hunt a fifth-tier intermediate creature. In Shattered Starry Sky, I can obtain more comprehensive target information, and I can even hire mercenaries to help with some auxiliary work!” Qin Lun’s eyes flickered as he spoke frankly.

“Hehe, every effort equals reward. It’s not impossible to complete the Career Quest in Shattered Starry Sky. However, I suggest you do your Career Quest in a Quest World. If your Apostle rank isn’t very high, you could even delay it for several Quest Worlds before completing the Career Quest!” Kelly said with a smile.