Chapter 33: A Bountiful Harvest

“Congratulations to the China region! The player ‘Old Deer’ from Lava Fortress has become the first in the world to complete the profession advancement quest, earning a mysterious reward.”
“To all other players, keep striving—the generous prizes await brave warriors!”

These two brief sentences were like a stone thrown into a tranquil lake, stirring countless ripples.
The world’s players exploded in excitement!
Although the level 10 advancement quest wasn’t particularly prestigious, it was the first global system announcement. No one expected the victor to be from a small, obscure city in China!

But Lu Kuan had no time to ponder such things; he was already overwhelmed by the cascading system notifications.
“System notification: You have completed the profession advancement quest. Because your completion speed ranks first in the world, you gain 100 reputation points, all other rewards doubled, and receive an extra bonus.”
“You gain 500 experience points.”
“Skill points awarded: 3.”
“Solo completion of the final quest step, extra 100 experience points.”
“Total quest completion time under 48 hours, extra reward: Relic-grade ring.”
“Gold reward: 50.”
“Advancement quest complete. Please select your profession development path (Note: Once chosen, cannot be changed. Please choose carefully.)”
“Your reputation in Lava Fortress increases by 100. Your reputation among the followers of the Ranger Goddess Melika increases by 500.”

Lu Kuan could do nothing but laugh. Rewards flashed before his eyes, while his ears rang with a series of notifications: gained experience, acquired items, skill points—so many that they dazzled him.
The message manager was buzzing nonstop, but Lu Kuan ignored it, opening his backpack and gazing at the purple ring lying quietly within.

The ring was shaped like a vine, naturally twisted into a thumb ring. At its tip, a pale blue flower bud waited to bloom, emitting a faint purple glow.
“Valentir, Ranger’s Oath (Relic-grade ring, set component)
Thumb
Equip requirements: Basic Ranger profession, level 11

Strength +2
Hit Rate +2%
Valentir’s Resolve: Whenever you use Bone-Shattering Arrow Cluster twice in succession, all damage dealt within the following 15 seconds is increased by 20%, and hit rate is increased by 20%. The interval between triggering the effect cannot be less than 50 seconds.
Set: Valentir’s Legacy (1/2)
Set effect: Unknown
‘Three hundred years ago, the elven ranger Valentir led his forces against the undead army of Frostfire Mountains; wherever his arrows flew, the dead trembled!’”

At first glance at the ring’s name, Lu Kuan was so excited he nearly stopped breathing.
It was this ring!
In his previous life, this was one of the most famous top-tier ranger sets, renowned as an exceptional item that remained useful even at level 50, now appearing right before Lu Kuan’s eyes.
Its equip level was only 11, but its special effect was formidable: a 20% boost to damage and hit rate, scaling even higher as players leveled up.

Furthermore, Bone-Shattering Arrow Cluster was the ranger’s most commonly used offensive skill. No matter how high your level, you’d never worry about the ring’s effect failing to trigger. In the future, if he put in the effort to find a master blacksmith and boost its main attributes, Lu Kuan felt this ring could last until level 100.
And it was even a part of a set—the true ultimate dream for any ranger player.

“Heaven above… Am I finally turning my luck around?” Lu Kuan muttered after a long pause.

At that moment, Lore’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Adventurer, I can see you’re excited, but you’d best choose your advancement path quickly,” Lore teased with a smile, then gestured behind Lu Kuan. “If you don’t hurry, you might just become an exhibit for the crowd.”

Lu Kuan froze, following Lore’s gaze. His scalp tingled.
He’d not noticed, but Lore’s office door was now crowded with players, all jostling forward, using their recording functions to film him.

“Mr. Lore, I’ll trouble you then,” Lu Kuan quickly composed himself and responded.
Lore nodded, and with a wave of his hand, five distinct glowing spheres appeared on the desk, each representing one of the ranger’s five advanced professions: Forest Guardian, Beastmaster, Sharpshooter, Arcane Archer, and Wilderness Walker.

Lu Kuan had long since made his plans. Without hesitation, he chose Beastmaster.
Each advanced profession provided hit rate bonuses, which were wasted on Lu Kuan; Beastmaster had the smallest hit rate adjustment, meaning the least loss.
Moreover, Lu Kuan was an expert on in-game pets. If he could tame a unique animal companion, he could maximize this profession’s advantages. Beastmaster also strengthened the ranger’s weakest point: melee combat. For Lu Kuan, Beastmaster offered the greatest benefit.

“You’ve decided?” Lore was surprised by Lu Kuan’s decisiveness.
“Yes, I have.”
“Very well.”
Lore nodded, his expression solemn. He stood, removed the ranger badge from Lu Kuan’s chest, then produced a brand-new deep red badge and pinned it in place.

“System notification: You have successfully changed profession to advanced job ‘Beastmaster.’”
“You gain Beastmaster-exclusive skills: Old Hunter (profession specialization, hit rate +3%), Enhanced Pet Taming (level 1), Teamwork (level 1), Spiritual Bond (level 1), Steadfast Companion (level 1), Loyal Protection (1), Light Weapon Specialization (1), Hunter’s Blade Strike (1).”
“You are the first player in Lava Fortress to advance, extra reward: 1 skill point.”

A string of system notifications marked the completion of the advancement. Lu Kuan bid farewell to Lore and activated his town return scroll.
Back in the main street, Lu Kuan didn’t linger. He found the nearest inn, rented a room, and finally had time to organize his quest rewards.

First, the newly acquired relic-grade ring. Lu Kuan slipped it onto his right thumb. With this single piece, all his investment in this advancement quest was repaid! The +2 strength and the ring’s special effect would let his damage soar to new heights!
The new Beastmaster badge was a green-grade item, granting animal companion health +20 and +1% to all damage dealt by both player and pet.
With four new skill points, Lu Kuan immediately raised Bone-Shattering Arrow Cluster and Aimed Shot by one level each, assigning the remaining two points to Hunter’s Blade Strike and Light Weapon Specialization.

Hunter’s Blade Strike (Level 2): Swing your weapon to deal physical damage equal to 120% of regular damage to the target, consuming 10 energy.
Light Weapon Specialization (Passive, Level 2): Increases damage dealt with light weapons by 6%, and your strength and agility attributes further enhance melee damage. Light weapons include, but are not limited to, daggers, shortswords, light scimitars, and throwing knives.