Ascension from Dual Professions

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: ”Calamity Star” Jon

Harvia Empire, Heta County, Birchwood Fief.

Every early winter, a frigid wind from the far north would cross the Shery Mountains, rush into the dense Birch Forest, and turn everything an immaculate white.

Drifting snowflakes rode the wind, landing on branches and eaves—and upon the last remnants of the dying.

The faint, cold sensation pulled a distant soul back from the void.

Jon opened his eyes, but was met with utter darkness. He could see nothing, and his nose was filled with a thick, rank odor.

Every inch of his body ached, and to make matters worse, something heavy was pinning him down, rendering him immobile.

”Did my game pod glitch? Ugh... no, that’s not it—”

Chaotic memory fragments flooded his mind from an unknown source. Only after a long while did his brain regain its ability to think.

’I am Jon... My adoptive parents died from a plague at the beginning of the year. I was the only one who survived, so the villagers branded me a Calamity Star and cast me out. I’ve been living in an abandoned Hunter’s Cottage, surviving by picking fruit and catching small animals...’

’This time, to stock up on food for the winter, I had to brave the snow and hunt in the mountains. I finally got lucky and took down a deer, but I was ambushed by a wolf on the way back. After a fight to the death, we took each other out...’

After processing these memories, Jon’s brow furrowed.

’I... I’ve been transmigrated? Into the body of someone also named Jon?’

The reality was so shocking it was difficult for him to accept.

But the heavy wolf carcass on top of him, the rank smell filling his nostrils, and the waves of pain crashing over his body... all these things that would never have happened in his old life were reminding Jon—Congratulations, you’ve arrived in the Otherworld!

”Fuck! What the hell is this?!”

It’s not like he was some orphan with no parents, the kind of person who wouldn’t mind being transmigrated!

Recalling his parents’ unfailing love and the laughter and horseplay with his friends, Jon felt a sting in his nose as sorrow overcame him.

’I don’t want to be here. I want to go home...’

But a familiar voice, suddenly ringing in his ear, interrupted his grief.

[You’re outta health, drink a potion! You’re outta health, drink a potion—!]

This was the custom status alert Jon had set up in *Yino*, the game he always played, specifically to remind him to manage his character’s status.

This alert meant his health bar had dropped below 20%.

But for Jon, that sound held an entirely different meaning.

’Since it’s still here, does that mean—’

Jon swallowed and tentatively spoke the command to summon the game interface, just as he had done countless times before.

”ENO?”

PING~

A soft, ethereal chime sounded.

In that moment, he had never found the familiar system-interface sound so melodious.

The familiar menu materialized before his eyes, just as it always had. It was a translucent blue, with icons for various functions arranged on either side according to his custom layout. In the very center was Jon’s [Status] bar, what gamers would call their ”health and mana bars.”

[Life Value: 37/210, Magic Power Value: 150/150, Qi Value: 13/65, Willpower Value: 55/55]

Critical!

His Life Value was below 18%, and the humanoid diagram indicating his body’s condition was almost entirely blood-red!

And in the time it took to glance at it, his Life Value dropped another 2 points, falling from 37 to 35!

Not only that, but two glaring red icons were displayed below his health bar!

[Status: Weakened (All Attribute checks reduced by 50%), Blood Loss (Life Value continuously decreases)]

But Jon ignored all that. Instead, almost prayerfully, he mentally tapped the [Character] tab on the left side of the menu.

Instantly, data cascaded down like a waterfall, overwriting the previous information.

—

[Nickname: Joe Nide]

[Race: Human Race - Havia Northern Species]

[Attributes: Power: 6, Constitution: 7, Agility: 5, Intelligence: 5, Spirit: 6]

[Class: Warrior Apprentice LV.1 (0/800), Sword and Shield Warrior (Locked), Dragon Blood Warrior (Locked), Immortal Venerable Master (Locked)]

[Sub-profession: Artisan - Mechanical School (Locked), Alchemist - Flesh and Blood School (Locked)]

[Talents: Tenacity (Racial Talent, Constitution Growth Coefficient +5%), Rugged Physique (Initial Talent, Constitution Growth Coefficient +20%), Power Harmony (Locked), Dragon Blood Boiling (Locked), Immortal Crown (Locked)]

[Please select your initial talent.]

—

’No way... My game character transmigrated with me?’

Jon was in a daze.

Although his level had been reset to 1 and his Attributes were back to newbie levels, all the Classes, Sub-professions, and Talents marked as ”Locked” were a testament to the long journey he had undertaken in *Yino*. And they hadn’t vanished with his transmigration!

Moreover, the final prompt at the bottom of his personal panel was a delightful surprise.

’I can choose another initial talent?’

He tapped the prompt, and countless dazzling icons leaped into view.

Innate Brawn, Discerning Mind, Child of Fortune...

Each had its own unique advantages; each promised a bright future.

After all, in *Yino*, a character’s entire build was constructed around their initial talent!

When Jon had first gotten into the game, it had already been live for a year and was past the initial discovery phase. The player base had already figured out the best ways to use many of the talents.

After consulting his friends and looking up guides, he had chosen [Rugged Physique] as his initial talent. Paired with the [Tenacity] racial talent of the Havia Northern Species, he started the game with a +25% Constitution growth coefficient. The goal for his character build was obvious: to become an unkillable, ultimate tank!

He savored the sense of accomplishment that came from standing in front of his friends and taking all the damage for them.

In a way, he was a very protective person.

His later choices of primary Class, Advanced Class, and Ascension Class, as well as their corresponding class talents, were all in service of this goal.

’And now, what would happen if I chose another initial talent?’

He knew that during character creation, the step right after picking an initial talent was choosing a starting class!

’Could it be... because I’ve gone through a Fusion with the previous soul, I can have dual talents and Dual Professions?’

Jon felt his heart pounding in his chest.

This was partly because his injuries were starting to affect his organs, but it was also because he was unbearably excited.

Having been abruptly transmigrated into a strange and dangerous environment, he couldn’t suppress the deep unease in his heart!

The familiar interface, a clear path to gaining power, and the potential future of Dual Professions—all of this gave him a much-needed sense of hope and security.

But whether any of that was possible was a question for later. Right now, the most important thing was to get free!

Under the Weakened status, the 50% penalty to all Attribute checks reduced his strength from that of a strapping young man to that of a child. He didn’t have the strength to push the wolf carcass off himself, to say nothing of the ”Bleeding” debuff he was suffering from!

In the brief time he’d spent looking at his personal panel, his health had dropped by another 4 points!

’If I don’t get free soon, I’m really going to die!’

He started thinking rapidly.

’Is there an initial talent that can help me get out of this mess and also complement my original class build?’