Chapter 2: Set a Small Goal—First, Turn the Fireball into a Forbidden Spell!

What? One skill point every second?

That is an absurdly powerful cheat!

Lin Yi was completely dazed.

According to what he had learned from his textbooks, most skills possessed by professionals in this world began in their most basic form when first acquired.

Even if you were a grandmaster-level expert who had advanced through five or six class tiers, any new skill you obtained would still be nothing more than a first-tier minor skill.

Afterward, you had to farm dungeons, complete quests, or obtain skill points through rare treasures and fortuitous encounters.

And the efficiency of acquiring skill points was extremely low!

At least before reaching the third class tier, even a difficult dungeon would generally yield only a single-digit number of skill points per run.

As for normal dungeons—sorry, their completion rewards did not include skill points at all!

That was why, to the professionals of this world, a skill’s tier was, to a great extent, the most direct reflection of their combat power.

If my skills are of a higher tier, then even if my level is lower than yours, I can still defeat you with ease.

That was also why most professionals in this world were such relentless grinders.

If you wanted to increase the power of your skills, there was no avoiding an all-out grind!

But Lin Yi?

He quickly did the math in his head.

He did not need to do anything.

No dungeon farming. No quests.

By simply idling for a day, he could obtain 86,400 skill points!

What kind of concept was that?

It meant that after obtaining a new skill, Lin Yi might need only a single day to raise it to the highest tier—or even max it out completely!

In the eyes of everyone else, Lin Yi’s bewilderment and shock had already transformed into disbelief and a tremendous sense of disappointment.

Nothing was more terrifying than comparison.

With Jiang Ya’s rare-class profession setting the bar, and with the expectations and anticipation of so many people, this was the result they had received.

They had even begun to worry that Lin Yi might not be able to withstand such a crushing disparity and disappointment.

Below the stage, Zhang Shan clenched his fists.

After the initial shock, he felt even more sorry for his good friend.

In his mind, even if Lin Yi could not awaken a rare-class profession like Jiang Ya, he should at least have awakened an uncommon one.

Who could have imagined that he would end up with nothing more than an ordinary mage?

His first skill was even Fireball.

The characteristics of the mage profession were extremely obvious.

It was a violent damage-dealing class with enormous area-of-effect range and devastating output.

But it had plenty of drawbacks as well.

Long casting times and a fragile body.

Therefore, for most mages, the best skill they could obtain at the beginning was actually Ice Arrow.

The reason was that ice-based skills came with slowing and control effects.

They made it easier for mages to kite monsters while leveling.

Fire mages might deal higher damage, but they relied far too heavily on protection from others.

They possessed almost no ability to level alone.

“Lin Yi, I don’t think you need to be so disappointed. This is already very good.”

“The mage profession also has limitless potential. You still have a long road ahead of you. Don’t dwell on a temporary gap.”

Onstage, the old principal forced a smile, patted Lin Yi on the shoulder, and earnestly tried to comfort him.

At the same time, countless people below the stage, along with the media reporters, began whispering among themselves.

“First place in the entire grade, and he ended up with only an ordinary profession…”

“Heh heh, I love watching stories where geniuses fall from grace!”

“I’ve disliked that kid for ages. Just because he’s a little better-looking and gets slightly better grades, he acts like he owns the world!”

“Well, he’s getting humbled now, isn’t he? Look at him. He obviously can’t handle the blow!”

“He’s going to disappear into the crowd like everyone else!”

“You’re all talking nonsense! As if you’re guaranteed to awaken a combat profession. For all you know, you’ll turn out worse than Ah Yi!”

Zhang Shan also began arguing with the classmates around him who were making snide remarks.

His neck was stiff, and his face had flushed red.

Among the crowd, Jiang Ya looked at Lin Yi onstage, a trace of regret appearing in her eyes.

She did not make any sarcastic remarks.

Nor did she look down on him because he had awakened an ordinary profession.

She understood this man far too well.

Three years as deskmates. Three years as rivals.

Jiang Ya’s feelings toward Lin Yi had become incredibly complicated.

She had to admit that, at this moment, she had finally beaten Lin Yi once.

But why did she still feel so disappointed?

Comforted by the old principal, Lin Yi was also taken aback.

When had he looked dejected?

Couldn’t the man tell that he was practically bursting with excitement?

Well, it was better to keep a low profile.

No, he couldn’t stay here any longer. Lin Yi was afraid he would lose control and burst out laughing.

With this talent, he had already conceived a crazy plan.

According to the knowledge he had learned from his textbooks, all professional skills were divided into nine tiers.

Above the ninth tier lay the ultimate form of each profession’s skills!

Take mages, for example. A ninth-tier skill was a Forbidden Spell!

As for what came above Forbidden Spells, Lin Yi did not know.

But he did have a small goal: first, he would raise his Fireball to the Forbidden Spell level!

The skill points required to upgrade a skill from the first tier to the ninth were counted in the millions.

For most professionals, it might take hundreds of years—or even an entire lifetime—to reach that level.

For Lin Yi, however, it would take no more than a dozen days.

Lin Yi did not participate in the latter half of the awakening ceremony.

Everyone already thought he was devastated anyway.

So he might as well put on an act.

Getting out of class early felt great!

Lin Yi left the school and returned home.

The person who opened the door was his father, Lin Guodong.

“How did it go? What profession did you awaken?”

“Your mother bought a whole tableful of good food and has been waiting for you to come home!”

Lin Guodong looked at his son with a beaming smile.

Although he was merely an ordinary life-class professional—and a miner at that, the most grueling and lowest-status profession among the life classes—he was still immensely proud to have a son like Lin Yi.

When Lin Yi’s mother, Xu Qingfang, heard the commotion at the door, she came out as well and looked at Lin Yi expectantly.

“Mage!” Lin Yi said.

Lin Guodong and Xu Qingfang exchanged a glance, and both saw delighted expressions on the other’s face.

“Wonderful, wonderful!”

“Hahaha! I never thought our Lin family would produce a combat-class professional!”

“A mage is great! High damage output and no worries about finding a job!”

“Come on, wash your hands and eat!”

The family of three enjoyed a very happy dinner.

Lin Guodong even brought out a bottle of aged liquor he had treasured for many years and drank several extra cups in his excitement.

He even poured Lin Yi a cup. After all, Lin Yi was an adult now and could drink.

Unwilling to dampen his father’s spirits, Lin Yi could only drink along with him.

…

Time flowed like water, and seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

During those seven days, Lin Yi went nowhere.

He simply stayed home, played games, and browsed on his phone.

Life was exceptionally comfortable.

After the awakening of their professions, the school had suspended both theoretical lessons and related practical courses.

For all newly awakened professionals in Great Xia, awakening a profession was essentially equivalent to graduating from high school.

The following month was time for everyone to work overtime, level up, and grind their skills.

A month later would be Great Xia’s annual national professional college entrance examination.

Passing the exam and entering a better professional university would bring enormous benefits to one’s future.

During these seven days, the other students had probably worked themselves to the bone and earned, at most, a little over a dozen skill points.

Who knew how many times farther ahead of them he already was!