Chapter 34: A Fisherman Never Comes Home Empty-Handed

Until today, Danika had always assumed that Leon’s profession was much like her own—stronger than the average, but falling short of the power wielded by rare classes.

But now, that was hard to say.

After all, a self-healing ability of this caliber rarely appeared in a first-tier professional.

"What exactly is this kid's profession?" Danika wondered, though this was hardly the time to dwell on it.

"Grab him, Leon!"

She shouted to him before re-engaging the three-meter-tall mining robot in front of her. Though it was a mining bot, the massive drill mounted on its right arm was terrifying to behold, not to mention the fiery, energy-pulsing lines that flickered across its frame from time to time. It was clear that this machine, originally intended for mining, had been heavily modified by Raymond.

Seeing this, Leon thought to himself, "So, 'Artisan' isn't just a research-based profession after all."

With that, he immediately lunged toward Raymond, who had already managed to slip toward the edge of the mining site.

Seeing the monster who had kicked Higgins to death charging at him, Raymond was startled. "Federal profanity!"

The scrawny, oil-stained man took off running, but he stood no chance of outrunning Leon, a physical powerhouse. Realizing he was about to be caught, Raymond pulled out a pistol and fired blindly behind him.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Small-caliber bullets flew everywhere. A stray shot or two grazed Leon, but those wounds vanished in the blink of an eye, mended by his "Threefold Reverse Cultivation."

"That is not how you use a gun."

The demonic whisper reached Raymond's ears. He turned his head to see a pale hand reaching toward him.

"!!"

Raymond’s soul nearly left his body, and he instinctively opened his mouth to scream. But before he could make a sound, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, unconscious.

Leon pulled back his hand and looked down at the "Artisan" lying on the ground, unable to help but scratch his cheek.

"So fragile..."

What he didn't expect was that even with Raymond unconscious, the mining robot in the field showed no signs of stopping. Leon immediately prepared to go and assist Danika.

Just then, Danika dodged a lunging drill and called out with a sigh of resignation, "Chief, you've been watching long enough. Time to come out, isn't it?"

"Surely no one is going to come to save them now."

Leon was stunned, followed by a surge of surprise.

Marcus was here?

*Whoosh—*

The next moment, a sturdy, red-clad figure descended from the sky, smashing the massive mining robot into pieces. Marcus, the Chief of the Public Security Bureau, stood amidst the sparking debris and said to Danika with a meaningful tone, "Fishing requires patience. What if someone else was hiding, just like me?"

Looking at the stubborn Chief, Danika couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Catching that 'Artisan' is good enough. Chief, were you really hoping to catch the whole net?"

At the mention of the Artisan, both of them turned to look at Leon, who was standing beside Raymond in the distance.

Seeing this, Leon hurriedly dragged Raymond back. "Chief."

Staring at the young man, Marcus broke into a wide grin, clapping him on the shoulder with a palm as large as a palm-leaf fan. "Well done, lad."

As the Bureau Chief, Marcus had been watching from the shadows the entire time and had naturally seen Leon defeat Higgins—including the moment Leon used his Threefold Reverse Cultivation to mend his body. As Chief, Marcus knew Higgins’s strength. In his estimation, if Higgins had concentrated his final attack into a single strike, he might have had a chance to win. After all, based on his observations, he assumed Leon could only heal non-lethal wounds.

But that was the nature of combat; information gaps often led to fatal consequences.

"I wonder if his ability can be upgraded further..."

At this thought, Marcus's smile deepened. Regardless, Leon could now be considered half-one-of-his-own, and naturally, the stronger, the better.

Leon, meanwhile, became even more certain of his suspicions. He had felt the recent events were far too coincidental. Now, it seemed that the convenient "malfunction" of the surveillance at Price's and the Bureau had been intentional on Marcus's part.

"So he knew Higgins was a problem from the start?"

As if reading his mind, Marcus chuckled. "Did you think I was the one behind those smugglers?"

"You're wrong. I'm not that stupid."

He was greedy, certainly, but there were ways to amass wealth. Taking kickbacks harmed the interests of subordinates, but smuggling harmed the interests of the Federation. The former wouldn't affect Marcus much—at most, a few scoldings—but the latter... that was a death sentence.

"As for Higgins... he likely wasn't just here to silence people this time." Not wanting to dwell on the topic, Marcus walked toward the edge of the mine. "Enough, take them back. You two have worked hard; I'll see to it that you get a bonus."

"Chief," Danika said listlessly, "don't forget the vacation you promised me..."

She cared far more about the time off than the bonus.

"I know, I know."

Marcus waved a hand and disappeared from their view.

The two looked at each other and sighed in unison.

"Back to work..."

Although Danika and Leon were fine, the other squad members had been injured in the earlier ambush. Fortunately, Cole, the driver, was unharmed, but it was clearly unrealistic for them to sweep the battlefield now.

Seeing Danika head toward the mining quarters to check for any missed intelligence, Leon grabbed Raymond with one hand and Higgins with the other, heading toward the pickup truck outside.

Just as he tossed Raymond into the backseat, a thin book fell out from the scrawny man's jacket.

Loot dropped?!

Leon bent down to pick up the book from the ground and brushed off the dust.

*Introduction to Alchemy — by Garos*

"?"

Leon paused after reading the title, and his profession panel immediately displayed a notification.

[Key professional item detected.]

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[Profession: Artisan Apprentice]

[Requirements:

1. Obtain books related to alchemy, mechanics, or forging... or receive instruction from a professional of the "Artisan" rank or higher. (Check)

2. Individually craft an item matching one of the categories above. (X)]

[Upon Advancement:

1. Attribute growth.

2. Gain professional skill: Basic Construction.

3. Gain professional specialty: Nimble Hands.

4. Gain special bonus:

Slightly increased speed when crafting profession-related items.

Slightly increased speed when learning artisan-related knowledge.]

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