Chapter 6

"Runner? What a trashy path, a useless thing. As a devotee of the Mother Goddess, you are willing to take up such a job?"

"It doesn't affect anything. Many people have part-time jobs. I heard that low-level jobs don't have much impact in the early stages..."

"Talking about it is embarrassing! Haha, a runner?!"

"Then give me a better option. I warn you, if you try to trick me, I'll make you an up main, the kind who plays the piano in a nude apron."

Sure enough, there was no response from the other side.

Upon truly entering the supernatural world, Lu Ping'an immediately found himself overwhelmed by the numerous "paths," leaving him unsure which one to choose.

For a Keeper of Secrets, the main career path seemed to be of utmost importance.

"The only thing that can be agreed upon is to choose the path that best aligns with one's 'unique abilities.' Only then can one have a promising future... But how can I know which path is best suited for my Life Bank?"

Ask Xia Qin? The memory of the 'elimination' in the surveillance file still lingered, and Lu Ping'an did not intend to reveal all his abilities to any outsider. He still concealed his first ability, planning to let it 'naturally awaken' after some time.

At this moment, he naturally asked his "personal old man."

Chris's response was full of mockery and disdain... but the exchange itself was meaningful, and Lu Ping'an felt she was gradually accepting reality.

In fact, even if Chris dared to speak, Lu Ping'an might not listen.

Since he didn't know which one was the best, he would choose one that wasn't bad.

Runners may not have strong combat abilities, but they run fast and have a high survival rate. Many job skills and abilities are quite practical, and many high-level Keepers of Secrets take on part-time jobs, which is not a bad deal.

From the limited information available, part-time jobs, at least low-level ones, do not seem to have much impact.

"......Before determining your main path, don't take on more than three part-time jobs, or you will regret it."

Suddenly, Chris added this on her own initiative.

At that moment, even though Lu Ping'an tried to remain calm, a smile still appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He still didn't believe her, but since she showed a sign of goodwill, even if it wasn't a sign of submission, it was at least a good omen.

"Three, huh? Thanks......"

He rarely mocked her and even responded with a smile and gratitude. Even in a hawk-dove strategy, one can't always use the stick.

On the other hand, Lu Ping'an decided not to take on more than two part-time jobs, or even any additional ones.

Yes, he still didn't trust Chris, but such a flimsy lie was unnecessary.

Since she said that too many part-time jobs were harmful, it would be best not to take any more. The limit of three might not be a hard number.

"If you could help me choose a path, that would be great. From the information I have, you have the Beast Trainer, Healer, and Black Knight paths. Are they suitable for me? The Black Knight doesn't seem to be among the fifty-three common paths......"

What Lu Ping'an truly needed was not the "common knowledge" of this world but Chris's "expert advice" as a high-level practitioner.

But no matter what Lu Ping'an said, the other side did not respond.

Lu Ping'an smiled and temporarily gave up.

Actually, he wasn't in a hurry. Just to meet the "runner" requirements, these fifteen days might not be enough.

"For a little bonus in the college entrance exam, it's not easy for me......"

He sat in his seat, watching the two runners below work hard, and felt the same joy as a farmer watching his crops grow.

[Black Iron Customer Lei Shuiyun, Credit 1.]

[Black Iron Customer Lei Huoren, Credit 7.]

In addition, there was another customer, Xia Qin, with a credit of 13.

Currently, Lu Ping'an did not know what the "credit" was for, but it increased by 1 to 2 points each time he used his ability. It was probably part of the ability accumulation.

Lu Ping'an speculated that since the rule-based abilities were based on the user's self-awareness, perhaps the credit level would unlock new functions... like VIP for the bank or VIP for the heart, which, as a person from the East, was probably already part of his subconscious.

"......Credit needs to accumulate, skills and abilities need to accumulate, and even the number of customers needs to accumulate. Clearly, this is a growth-oriented ability that requires time to develop. Unfortunately, time is what I lack the most, is this also a mockery of fate......"

Shaking his head, the six months he spent in the hopeless ward taught him that sometimes looking too far ahead only brings negative emotions and is of no benefit.

"Observation is also a form of learning. Let's see how they run."

As a second-stage Striker (Runner path), Lei Huoren ran very fast, and as he ran, he used the Step Reduction technique with great ease, sometimes in four steps, even three steps!

His sister was much simpler, just gritting her teeth and sprinting. Apart from her endurance and speed, which made Lu Ping'an, a boy, feel embarrassed, there was nothing supernatural about her performance.

"Looks like she's a zero-stage quasi-runner. But who knows, I might break through faster......"

In fact, Lu Ping'an was the one who benefited, but Lei Huoren and Lei Shuiyun also gained a lot, if not more.

One unit of vitality means one day of life, and improvement is not so simple or obvious.

It means being in the best condition and having extra vitality. Many times, a moment of inspiration far exceeds ten days of hard work. Lei Huoren was trying to develop new job abilities and needed to be in the best condition. Even without the rule-based ability, he could feel the daily improvement.

The 10% share for Lu Ping'an? When his daily harvest actually reached 300% of the original, and he often gained extra inspiration, what was 10%?

Lei Shuiyun was also trying to develop her "job ability" and aimed to become a first-stage runner before the college entrance exam to gain bonuses and benefits.

Lu Ping'an was right. The little girl below was already regretting it, imagining the pain of being overcharged.

Her condition was much better than expected, and she felt she was making progress with every step, seemingly close to breaking through the threshold.

But the better her condition, the more she felt sad.

"If the price really goes up, this week, I can only eat cat food with Xiao Bai, the milk-salt flavor, which should taste pretty good......"

Why did she guess that Lu Ping'an would raise the price? Haha, if it were her, she wouldn't raise the price either!

Look, the old silver coin smiling up there, wasn't it smiling at her with ill intent? It was mocking her shortsightedness....

"Cheer up!"

When he passed by, he even nodded at her, mocking her so directly. Was she really that stupid?

But at this moment, what could Lei Shuiyun say? She forced a smile....

"Thank you, your ability is great meow. Let's work hard together and get into the same college next year meow... ha ha, ha ha."

After saying this, she laughed foolishly, turned her head, covered her mouth, and ran away in tears.

"This kid, she's so happy she's crying......"

Lu Ping'an was happy, happy that his ability could help others.

A win-win situation, both money and ability improved. He won twice, and she won once and lost once (money).

"Meow......"

This time, he was sure he didn't hear wrong. Her catchphrase was indeed quite strange.

But seeing the girl running with her hand over her mouth, he didn't bother to ask.

In this world, "Keepers of Secrets" always have secrets, and the name of the profession itself suggests that investigating someone's secrets is the greatest act of hostility.

Sitting on the platform, observing Lei Shuiyun using her ability, it was impossible for her to hide.

Under the hairpin that forced her hair down, there was a faint, white, furry thing, and among the two decorative ribbons that looked like streamers on her back, a furry tail of the same color was quietly moving.

"Is it a 'cat'......"

The talent ability "Cat" is one of the most common animal transformation abilities in the Self-Transformation branch of the Change System.

Its ability is to turn you into a "cat," and its negative curse is also to turn you into a "cat."

The most obvious aspect of animal transformation abilities is the enhancement and modification of the physical body. A "cat" with both strength and agility is indeed well-suited to start as a runner.

"I heard that Black Iron animal transformation abilities can easily reach twice the strength and speed of a normal person, making it a strong combat ability in the early stages."

That means that Miss Lei Shuiyun could tear him apart in one move right now.

But in daily life, it seemed to be a burden.

The hoodie with a cat pattern and the white ribbon streamers were probably her disguise for daily life.

"Tsk, there's even a bow on the tail. Is it a fake decorative tail? Cat hair clip plus a fake cat tail, when exposed, it can pass as a cat enthusiast?"

But little girl, are you sure that adding a hole to your underwear and a "decorative tail" on your buttocks won't attract strange looks and peculiar interests?

From her out-of-control "catchphrase," she needed to complete her job as soon as possible to use the "job" power to limit the growth of her talent ability.

Perhaps out of shame and worry, the girl in the hoodie ran even faster, easily surpassing her second-stage brother using the Step Reduction ability.

Lei Shuiyun's disguise was not very successful, and Lei Huoren was even more visible, but the surrounding people, who expected to see runners, were not surprised and simply avoided them.

Just this scene made Lu Ping'an more certain that the supernatural powers in this world were probably much more numerous than he had estimated.

Seeing the "green onions" so self-aware, Lu Ping'an did not waste time.

Since he was here, he might as well practice more and get familiar with his newly acquired job skills.

"Black Iron spell Step Reduction, from the system's prompt, requires running techniques, breathing techniques, and spatial perception. The saying 'the stronger the job skills, the stronger the job ability' is probably true. So, I need to practice running more......"

Then, he practiced for 10 minutes....

"Never mind, I'll go home and play games. I practiced all morning, and my proficiency didn't increase at all. Yesterday, Lei Huoren directly gave me 33 points! Professionals do professional things, don't waste effort on useless tasks. Focus on cultivating the 'green onions.' Yes, today's job success was a big harvest, and I worked hard for it."

--------

-------

A little cat drama.

"Xiao Bai meow, I had a good thing and a bad thing today. Which one do you want to hear first meow?"

The girl in the cool clothes, with white ears and a tail, lay on the beam in her room.

She hung half of her body in the air, but she was at ease, as if on flat ground.

On the not-so-big beam were comics, snack bags, and a cute white cat.

It was full of anticipation, meowing at its "hunting companion" who had just returned.

"The good news is that I found a great opportunity, and the chances of getting into Ancient University have greatly increased!"

"Meow!"

Hearing this, Shuiyun smiled even more happily.

"Ha ha, when I get in meow, we'll eat well and drink well, buy a whole reservoir of fish to raise at home, and no one will eat fish-flavored cat biscuits anymore. Uh, uh, um."

Seeing the white cat eating in front of her, the girl subconsciously swallowed her saliva.

"The good news is over...... The bad news is that if I want to maintain that 'opportunity,' all my living expenses will probably exceed the budget. Ding, ding, ding, a cat food crisis. So, can you share some with me......"

"Meow? (Share what?)"

The innocent pet, curiously asked its "companion."

It didn't know the dangers of the human world or what its owner's straight gaze meant.

"Cat biscuits...... I don't need much, just let me try. If the taste is acceptable, the two boxes at home should last until the exam! When I have money, I'll buy three boxes to pay you back meow!"

"Meow! (No way)"

"Let me clarify, I didn't want to taste them before, but I really have no money...... Meow meow! What are you grabbing me for! No, you say it! You're still grabbing! Dead cat, bad cat! Stingy meow!"

Then, for a box of cat biscuits, the girl and the cat started fighting on the beam.

No matter how fiercely they fought, they rolled around but never fell off.

The girl's strange posture maintained balance during the fight, like a real cat.

"Just one bite meow, for all the times I bought you food before meow, don't be stingy meow......"

Uh, the greedy look was also like a cat's.

"Ding."

At this moment, her phone received a message from her always "quick" brother.

"You probably have no money, I got some meal tickets, remember to come over for a meal. Although you said 'if you're hungry, eat cat food' as a joke, I'm really a bit worried you might do it. Sister, breaking human limits casually is not good, at least try to be human......"

It seems that he, who was always a step ahead, was more reliable than Shuiyun expected and knew how low her limits were.

"Meow! I won meow!"

Her quick brother was still a step behind. The delighted girl had already won the cat fight and happily stuffed the cat food into her mouth.

"Wow, it really tastes good! What a bargain!"

The girl's cheeks bulged, and she chewed with a satisfied smile, her face full of genuine happiness.

------

------

While Lu Ping'an happily estimated how many new "green onions" he could harvest tomorrow, in a corner of the city, a group of "cat lovers" were gathering at a pet store.

On their table were only a few line drawings.

They were the emblems of the missing "Sacred Giant Beast," the cat... tiger head and snake tail pattern.

"Our god disappeared here......"