Chapter Forty-Nine: Branch Professions

Ye Chen walked out of the teleportation point in high spirits. He had originally intended to head straight for the class change mentor, but recalling that the class change quest might be dangerous, he decided it would be safer to visit the warehouse first. There, he deposited the Gale Sword and the Blackfire Staff, planning to sell these two pieces of equipment after completing his class change quest.

The Guild of Professionals was located in the northern district of Liemountain City. It was sizeable—certainly larger than the Alchemists' Guild. Although it was nearing eleven at night, the place was still bustling; players seeking to change classes or learn new skills streamed in endlessly.

After circling the guild hall, Ye Chen quickly located the NPC mentor for his class. Dark Priest was hardly a popular profession, so he easily made his way to the mentor’s side. It was worth mentioning that the Dark Priest mentor was a stunning NPC beauty. Devoted to the God of Darkness, she dressed in a daring, seductive set of black leather armor that accentuated her alluring curves. With her enchanting face and voluptuous figure, Ye Chen was convinced she had all the makings of a goddess among shut-in gamers.

The sultry Dark Priest mentor caught sight of Ye Chen approaching. A mysterious light flickered in her eyes as she let out a coquettish laugh and said, "Young apprentice of the dark, I sense a familiar aura about you. It seems to be the scent of that old fellow Caro. Have you seen him? The guild is offering a reward of three hundred contribution points for any information about his whereabouts."

Ye Chen’s heart gave a leap. Contribution points from the Guild of Professionals were valuable; many powerful skills couldn’t be learned with gold alone—contribution points were also required. But these points were notoriously hard to come by: a standard guild quest might only grant one or two, while any strong skill required at least fifty. Thus, aside from hoping for skill book drops from bosses, players had no choice but to grind guild quests if they wanted powerful abilities.

Three hundred contribution points was a fortune if sold, easily worth over a hundred gold coins. Even with Ye Chen’s deep pockets, he couldn’t ignore such a windfall. It seemed this Caro was someone important indeed. He gave a slight bow and put on his best manner, saying, "Respected mentor, I have indeed met Master Caro, but he has become an undead skeleton. May I ask if the guild’s reward still stands?"

"Of course," the beautiful mentor nodded, smiling. "Master Caro was the greatest magical researcher among the Dark Priests of Liemountain City. Even as an undead, that hasn’t changed. Besides, we followers of the God of Darkness do not shun the undead. Now, tell me where that old fellow Caro is, and you shall receive a generous reward."

A notification chimed: You have triggered a quest. Reveal Caro’s location to the Dark Priest mentor for a generous reward.

As expected, a quest! Ye Chen was delighted and promptly informed the beautiful mentor of Caro’s whereabouts.

Another notification: Congratulations on completing the quest. Reward received: Guild of Professionals Contribution Points +300.

Three hundred contribution points were an unexpected windfall. After his class change, he could use them to learn several powerful skills and wouldn’t have to keep tossing Blackfire Balls every day.

"Young Dark Priest, thank you for your help. Let me see—you are now qualified to become a full Dark Priest. Would you like to proceed with the class change?" The beautiful mentor batted her eyes at him as she spoke.

Ye Chen nodded; this was precisely his intention. "Yes, respected mentor, I wish to become a full Dark Priest."

The beautiful mentor smiled seductively. "There’s no problem with the class change. However, as the one who provided Caro’s whereabouts, you’re entitled to more advancement options than ordinary Dark Priests. Would you like to take a look?"

Ye Chen immediately nodded. Of course, only a fool would refuse.

With a graceful wave of her slender, snowy hand, a menu appeared before Ye Chen. In addition to the standard Dark Priest class, there were several branch professions: Dark Spellcaster, Dark Reviver, and Dark Arbiter.

Ye Chen was momentarily stunned by the additional choices—branch professions! This was a distinctive feature of Divine Descent. They weren’t the so-called legendary hidden classes, but many players could obtain these advanced professions through difficult quests. However, since the game had only recently launched, such branches were still rare; at this stage, they were coveted like national treasures. Compared to the well-rounded but bland Dark Priest, the advantages of the branches were more pronounced.

Without hesitation, Ye Chen dismissed the idea of remaining a generic Dark Priest. Influenced by the studio’s many female members, he, too, preferred to walk an unconventional path. However, deciding which branch to pick gave him pause. Dark Spellcaster, Dark Reviver, Dark Arbiter—each had its merits. The Dark Spellcaster specialized in offense: after choosing this path, healing skills would be weakened, but offensive abilities would be strengthened. The Dark Reviver was oriented toward healing, with skill effects opposite to those of the Spellcaster. The Dark Arbiter, meanwhile, focused on support. Unlike the other two, the Arbiter went to the extreme—healing skills were entirely replaced by buff spells.

Considering the current situation, the studio was not short on healers, and Ye Chen had no desire to be a pure support himself, so he immediately ruled out the Dark Reviver. As for the Dark Spellcaster, while its offense was improved, it could never match the firepower of the Elemental Mages—of whom there were plenty in the studio. Ye Chen saw no need to join their ranks. This left the Dark Arbiter: an extreme and distinctive path that appealed to him, though he was uneasy about the effectiveness of its buff spells. If they turned out to be weak, he’d be better off with the normal class change.

Since class skills couldn’t be viewed before the choice was made, Ye Chen couldn’t count on the beautiful mentor for answers. Searching the forums, he found not a single post about branch professions in Zone Four, let alone detailed skill breakdowns.

This was understandable—there were few who had managed to obtain a branch profession in all of Zone Four, and those who had were quietly amassing their own advantages, unwilling to reveal their secrets. As for the forums in the older zones, there was no point in checking; every zone in Divine Descent had different maps and professions. Veteran players might bring their skill, but aside from that, they started from scratch just like newcomers—old guides were useless in the new zones.

The choice of class was crucial—it would determine a player’s future. So Ye Chen had to proceed with caution. After much deliberation, he decided it was safest to consult 2058.