Chapter Fifteen: The Hidden Secondary Profession

Item: Golden Letter. Effect: Can trigger a hidden secondary profession quest. Take it to Knoss in Lieshan City. Complete his trial, and you will become a noble Alchemist.

This was the information provided by the system. Ye Chen wasn’t quite sure what an Alchemist was, but just the words “hidden secondary profession” deeply enticed him. In the world of Divine Advent, how do ordinary players make money? Besides grinding for coins and materials, their only option is to take up a secondary profession. There are many to choose from: blacksmithing, tailoring, alchemy, gem setting, dismantling, engineering, and so on. Each can be profitable; even the most basic gathering profession can earn you a living. But these common professions are easy to enter, so players flock to them. Unless you raise your skill to a high level, it’s hard to stand out.

But hidden secondary professions are entirely different. Each one is practically a money-printing machine. Because of their monopoly, every hidden secondary profession dominates its field. Many coveted items can only be crafted by those with a hidden profession, and demand always exceeds supply—if you don’t get rich, it’s your own fault.

Compared to a hidden secondary profession, even Silver-grade equipment seems insignificant.

“I’ll take these two,” Ye Chen said. “The rest—two Silver items go to Monk Dingyuan, two Bronze items to Spirit Fox Shenyue, and we split the gold equally.” Without waiting for their response, Ye Chen used his party leader privileges to distribute the loot and coins.

Spirit Fox Shenyue’s face immediately twisted with anger. Losing the Nethergrass had already made her furious, and now she wasn’t even getting any of the Silver equipment. This was a far cry from her original plan to reap all the benefits. It was intolerable. She glared, clenching her fists. “Why? We agreed to split everything. I should get at least one piece of Silver equipment!”

“Ye Chen, maybe we should give her one…” Monk Dingyuan started to say.

Ye Chen waved him off, then turned to Spirit Fox Shenyue with a cold, mocking smile, locking eyes with her. “Why? Good question. Let me ask you: Why did the Frost Priest King mutate? Why weren’t you surprised at all when the boss changed? If you knew it would mutate, why didn’t you warn me or the monk? What were you hiding? Were you just using us as tools?”

Spirit Fox Shenyue was thrown completely off balance by his barrage of questions. Panic flickered across her face. She had no idea how Ye Chen had figured it out so clearly—this was beyond anything she’d anticipated. “I—I didn’t…”

“Still trying to deny it?” Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, shooting her a sidelong glance and speaking coldly. “You used us as your weapons. If it weren’t for the fact that you did contribute, you wouldn’t even get the two Bronze pieces. Take your things and leave before I change my mind. If you’re still here in a moment, don’t blame me for being rude!” As he spoke, Ye Chen hurled a black fireball at a half-health Frost Priest nearby, killing it instantly with a bang—his last attack before the high-level aura disappeared.

Seeing the damage—over a thousand points—Spirit Fox Shenyue trembled, a trace of fear on her face. Still, she shot a venomous glare at Ye Chen and Monk Dingyuan, grinding her teeth. “You—you… Fine, I’ll admit defeat today. But I won’t forget this. The Spirit Fox Studio won’t forget either! You’d better hope you never fall into my hands—especially you, Ye Chen. I’ll remember you!”

After her threat, she gave Ye Chen one last hateful look, then quickly tore a return scroll and vanished back to the city.

It wasn’t until Spirit Fox Shenyue dissolved into light and disappeared that Monk Dingyuan scratched his bald head and asked, puzzled, “What exactly happened? I’m still kind of confused. From what you said, she set us up?”

Ye Chen smiled, nodding. “Exactly. She accepted a special quest, probably targeting the Frost Priest King. That quest caused the boss to mutate. She knew all along, but she didn’t tell us. At first, she was probably afraid we’d refuse to let her join if we knew. Later, she wanted to keep us in the dark so she could snatch more loot once the boss was dead.”

Now that he understood, Monk Dingyuan’s eyes bulged with rage. “Damn woman! If I see her again, I’ll kill her on sight—every time! Spirit Fox Studio? They have more people than us? If she ever gives you trouble, Ye Chen, just call me. I’ve got plenty of brothers. We’ll wipe them out!”

Ye Chen stroked his chin, chuckling. “Don’t worry, I won’t forget you. If something does happen, I won’t hesitate to call.”

Having spent a month or so in the Blue Feather Studio, Ye Chen knew the importance of having more friends and more connections—especially friends with real strength like Monk Dingyuan. Building a relationship with him was always part of Ye Chen’s plan, and now, with a common enemy, their bond had grown even stronger.

Of course, Ye Chen didn’t befriend just anyone. Monk Dingyuan truly suited his tastes: straightforward, decisive, and principled—a man worth befriending.

“Good! Don’t stand on ceremony with me.” Monk Dingyuan laughed heartily, then pulled the two Silver items from his pack and handed them to Ye Chen. “I don’t know what those two things you picked do, and I don’t care. But I think I’m getting a ridiculously good deal here—two Silver items! There are only a handful of Silver items in all of Lieshan City. I can’t take both. Besides, we only killed this boss because of you. You must take one of them, or I won’t consider you a real brother.”

Ye Chen was a little surprised by this. He looked Monk Dingyuan up and down, saw nothing but sincerity in his face and eyes—no trace of deception—so he smiled and nodded. “Alright. I’ll take one—the level 25 Silver staff. The level 30 physical attack weapon, you keep. It’d be wasted on me.”

Ye Chen wasn’t entirely truthful here. What was his job? Game studio! Game studios exist to make money, and that level 30 Silver physical weapon was definitely worth more than the level 25 Silver staff. It would fetch a much higher price. But he wouldn’t do that—if he did, even if Monk Dingyuan said nothing, there’d be a rift between them, and the friendship would be for nothing. Game studios are supposed to put profit above all, but Ye Chen never managed to do that very well.

“Ye Chen, that level 30 Silver weapon is worth a lot. Are you sure you don’t want it?” Monk Dingyuan rubbed his bald head with a grin.

Ye Chen replied with feigned indifference, “Money’s good, but brothers are better. No brothers, no game.”

His words and expression were the very picture of bravado.

“Good! ‘No brothers, no game’—I like that! You’re my brother for life!” Monk Dingyuan’s eyes lit up, and with a loud slap, he brought his hands together in delight.

Ye Chen smiled, quite satisfied with the effect of his performance.