4. The Brave Responder

On the other side.

In a pitch-black space without stars or moon.

"Mortal, I am the supervisor of this world, the deity Kafni."

The man with golden short hair sat lazily on a stone chair, resting his chin on one hand as he looked down at Lin Da:

"Young man, become a hero and defeat the Demon King. Purify all the evil that shrouds the continent!"

"What?"

At first, Lin Da was quite excited, thinking that his golden finger had finally arrived.

But at the mention of "Demon King," his expression collapsed in an instant.

As everyone knows.

The Mystic Continent is a highly challenging fantasy adventure game where the main task for players is to get through the World Tree Secret Realm, obtain the Sword of the Hero, and defeat the final Demon King.

In the game, a level 100 Demon King is not so tough.

Grind for a few months, level up, spend twenty thousand RMB, and defeating the Demon King wouldn't be a big problem.

A professional gamer like Lin Da could even pass the game without spending a penny on in-game purchases.

But what about in reality?

Level 100?

In White Dove City where Lin Da lived, a large magic city with a population of a million, not even a level 40 could be found.

The Snow Goose Adventure Team led by Lia had an average level of only 20 and was already a renowned small team in White Dove City.

Currently, the strongest human adventurer isn't even level 70.

So, defeating a level 100 Demon King is completely impossible!

Lin Da looked at the golden-haired man earnestly and said, "Defeating the Demon King and all that, it's better left to someone more capable, right? I'm just an ordinary person who wants to live a stable life, get married, buy a house. Why not just give me a lump sum of gold coins, and let me leave?"

The golden-haired deity named Kafni crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head haughtily, "That won't do. According to the rules of the Divine Realm, anyone who enters must become a hero, or else you must stay here forever."

"Isn't this forcing someone to become a hero? If I become a hero and don't do any real work, that would be troublesome for you too, wouldn't it?"

Lin Da was astonished.

"Do you think I want this? These are the rules set by the big shots above. Why else would I seek you out, a man? Wouldn't it be nicer to have a beautiful girl as a hero?"

Kafni stood up from his stone chair in a fury, his dignity and respectable aura completely dissipated:

"You little mortal ant, don't you dare look down on a deity. Becoming a hero is not up for negotiation! If I don't complete the task of saving the world, I'll be punished. Why else would I waste my breath on a mortal like you?"

"So... do you understand? Unless you're willing to subdue the Demon King, there's no way I'll let you go!"

Lin Da's head was spinning.

He had just escaped from Lia, ready to enjoy a life of freedom, and now he was being forced to become a hero, subdue the Demon King, and save the world?

No chance to spend money, no chance to cheat.

It would have been nice to have a big-breasted goddess at his side; instead, he's stuck with the kind of ugly-faced, male cannon fodder often found in novels.

What a mess.

Lin Da thought and then said helplessly, "So, if I become a hero, what's in it for me?"

"Cough cough, let me see here, according to the 'Divine Realm Salvation Student Handbook' 7th edition, there are three ways I can help you."

Kafni took out a small book from his robes and read aloud, "First, the deity may grant the Chosen Hero profession, a powerful all-round enhancement template that increases growth potential.

Second, a high-quality Legendary-grade Skill Stone. But you'll have to wait for this one; it takes at least a day for the express delivery from the Divine Realm.

Third, the hero may wish for a custom skill, and I will do my best to help create it.

That's all the help I can give you."

"You've already changed classes when you came in, so you should check it out for yourself."

Kafni raised his eyebrows proudly, ready to receive Lin Da's admiration.

Lin Da opened his panel with a mixture of skepticism and disbelief. After changing his class to hero, he didn't feel an increase in strength—in fact, he felt a bit weaker...

In this world, no one can have two professions at the same time. Lin Da's original profession was a level 15 Healer. If he changed his class to hero, his Healer level would be overridden.

In other words, he dropped from level 15 to level 0.

This was not good news. If Lia found out, she would probably laugh at him to death.

But upon further thought, Lin Da felt something was amiss. After becoming level 0, he seemed to only be slightly weaker than a level 15 Healer, and there wasn't that much of a disparity.

It's true that a Healer's combat capability is incredibly subpar, but could it be almost the same as a level 0 Warrior?

Lin Da silently commanded in his mind, "Panel, summon."

A screen of light, strikingly similar to the interfaces from video games of a previous life, appeared.

Most notably, there was a line of text shimmering like the sun after the profession column:

Profession: [Chosen Recovery Warrior]

"What's this?"

After seeing the attributes on the panel clearly, Lin Da was utterly astounded.

He was still a Healer. At level 0, all his attribute points were no more than 10, with pitiable strengths and defenses at a mere 5, and his only initial skill was Healing Art.

But now, the numbers on the panel all reached double digits.

The initial skills were also numerous, too many to fit on one page.

Lin Da's gaze swept over, revealing the entire panel before his eyes.

Name: Lin Da

Profession: Chosen Recovery Warrior

Level: 0

Hit Points: 200

Magic Power: 13

Strength: 13

Defense: 12

Magic Defense: 17

Agility: 11

Resistance: None

Experience: 0/10 (10 experience points needed to reach the next level)

Inherent Skills—

Balance Conservation (Legendary): Your strength will always equal your magic power points.

Venom in the Heart (Legendary): You will master Poison Healing Art.

Eye of Truth (Legendary): You can see the damage numbers you and others cause.

Hidden Skills—

Devour Everything (Fantasy Grade): You will gain Mystical Points after killing Magical Creatures.

Equivalent Exchange (Fantasy Grade): You can exchange Mystical Points for experience points, talent enhancement, skill proficiency, and so on.

...

Recovery Warrior, turns out to be a hexagonal bucket profession?

An initial Magic Defense of 17, even higher than a magic-resistant tank.

Lin Da couldn't help but feel excited.

As a former professional player, he was acutely aware of the importance of initial attributes.

Initial attributes indicate growth potential; their level directly determines whether an account is usable and can be considered a main player.

At level 0, if the total of five basic attributes on one's panel reaches 50, it's considered exceptionally excellent.

In the reality of Mystic Continent, it equates to genius.

The total of Lin Da's previous Healer template basic attributes was only 37.

However, the Recovery Warrior's total of five basic attributes was 66.

Initial Hit Points, 200, twice as high as those of a Healer.

Lin Da pinched the soft flesh between his thighs, afraid he was dreaming.

The positioning of the Recovery Warrior profession was to have exceedingly high hit points and Magic Defense, while also being able to regenerate health—pretty much a tanky healer.

No need for the front line to protect him; he was the front line!