Chapter 18: New Mission

The system's calm prompt, "D-level mission: Struggle for the Bat Wings completed, gained 500 experience..." sounded like a spark that ignited a powder keg. Immediately after the shout, the second floor of Dad's Bar erupted into chaos. The surrounding demon hunters who knew Ye Qi all stared at him with wide eyes, their expressions a mix of shock and suspicion. Those who didn't know him eagerly inquired from the people around them. In an instant, the entire second floor, except for the area around Ye Qi, became as bustling as a market.

"Brats, Dad's Bar is closed for today! Come back tomorrow if you have any business!"

Seeing the chaotic scene, the merchant pulled Ye Qi by the arm and led him through a small door behind the bar—this was the merchant's resting place, which was usually off-limits to everyone. Even with his connection to John, Ye Qi had never been allowed in before. Today was the first time.

So, as soon as he entered, Ye Qi carefully examined the surroundings. However, to his disappointment, the place was even more shabby and small than the inn he lived in. Apart from a single bed and a bedside table, there was nothing else. The extremely monotonous color scheme of the room instantly reminded Ye Qi of a prison cell. In fact, Ye Qi genuinely believed that even a prison cell would be better, at least it would have a toilet...

"Ye, when did you awaken?"

Without further ado, the merchant asked directly. Ye Qi, who had already prepared his response, answered methodically.

"It was during this mission! I encountered a titled vampire this time, and I was caught by it. I thought I was going to die, but suddenly my body burst into flames..."

Ye Qi's explanation was very reasonable, as in the history of apostles awakening, apart from a few natural awakenings, most were like what Ye Qi described—awakening in life-threatening situations.

"A titled vampire...?" The merchant's brows furrowed slightly but quickly relaxed. "Ye, you did a great job this time! Not only did you eliminate a titled vampire, but you also awakened as an apostle! I'm sure John will be shocked when he hears this. After all, it took him seven years to eliminate a titled vampire! Hehe, Ye, congratulations on completing this mission!"

"C+ level mission: Mysterious Expansion completed, gained 5,000 experience..."

"Congratulations, your character level has been upgraded to 6; your profession level has been upgraded to 2. Your injuries and energy have been fully restored; you have received 10 skill proficiency points, which you can allocate as you wish."

As the merchant's words faded, a series of system prompts sounded, making Ye Qi's heart leap with joy. Although he had guessed that completing this C+ level mission might result in another level-up, the actual upgrade still made his heart race, and he couldn't wait to check his character attributes.

"Ye, now that you have awakened, you should report to headquarters for testing and obtain the title of apostle!" The merchant continued, "I'll write you a recommendation letter, and then you can go directly to headquarters..."

"Old Ward, wait a moment! Isn't the apostle test held every December? It's only August now, and there are still four months to go! There's no need to rush!" Seeing the merchant speaking on his own, Ye Qi, who had his own plans, quickly interrupted, "I plan to meet John and tell him this good news in person before heading to headquarters!"

Ye Qi had already decided last night that after completing this C+ level mission, he would find John. Now that the mission was completed, he naturally prioritized this. As for the apostle test, with four months to spare, there was plenty of time.

The merchant was taken aback, then nodded, "Yes, John is your teacher, and it's only right to inform him in person! Although John has over twenty years of experience, and you are just a rookie with two months of experience, the place he was called to assist is certainly not somewhere a rookie like you can go! However, since you have now awakened, I hereby announce that Ye Qi, the demon hunter of Talmont District, will go to Winter Forest District to assist John in completing the local demon extermination mission!"

"C+ level mission: Assist John. John, who went to Winter Forest District for a rescue mission, has encountered trouble. Please proceed and eliminate the threat."

Hearing this mission, Ye Qi was startled—getting a mission from the merchant was not surprising, but the level of this mission was worth his shock, especially considering John's involvement, which deepened his concern.

C+ level, having just experienced this level of mission, Ye Qi knew what it represented—almost certain death. Even with the title of a high-level demon hunter, Ye Qi did not believe John would come out unscathed. After all, Ye Qi was well aware of John's capabilities, and while John was skilled, he was about the same level as Ye Qi. If he encountered a titled vampire like before, he would either be severely injured or even killed.

Thinking of John's life in danger, Ye Qi could no longer sit still. After carefully inquiring about the details of the mission from the merchant, he left Dad's Bar with the merchant's reminder to return on time and travel safely.

To do something well, one must first sharpen one's tools.

The demon hunter did not immediately set off for Winter Forest District after leaving Dad's Bar. Instead, he first returned to the temporary inn on Fisher Street to gather and equip his stored weapons and gear, then opened his character attribute panel.

After adding five skill points to cold weapons, just like with firearms, the cold weapons skill also upgraded to Cold Weapons Mastery.

Cold Weapons Mastery: After long-term use of cold weapons, you can wield any cold weapon with unimaginable power. Effect: 10% increase in damage when using cold weapons.

For the remaining five skill points, Ye Qi did not allocate them randomly after seeing the effects of upgrading firearms and cold weapons. First, adding them now would not achieve the same qualitative change as upgrading to Cold Weapons Mastery. Second, Ye Qi wanted to verify whether skills could be improved through self-training.

If this hypothesis could be verified, then skill points would become even more precious—everyone knows that learning any skill starts from simple to difficult. Initially, these skills can be improved with a small amount of practice, but later on, it requires a large amount of time, or even full dedication. Therefore, skill points that can enhance skills become more valuable as one progresses.

Thinking of the scenario where others struggle to improve a skill due to a bottleneck, while he could easily overcome it with just a few skill points, the corner of the demon hunter's mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.

As for the newly acquired first-level and second-level spell slots, the demon hunter had already made his plans:

Identification (Identify): Using the power of magic to determine the properties of magical items. Effect: Identify various magical items.

Bear's Endurance (Bear's Endurance): Summon the spirit of a giant bear and attach it to the caster, granting the caster far superior physical attributes. Effect: +4 to Constitution, duration 1 minute per level.

Identification is a very useful daily auxiliary skill. If not prioritizing attack or defense skills, the demon hunter would have chosen Identification first. After all, with his current level 2, identifying magical items or lost holy relics is as impossible as a mortal challenging a deity.

As for choosing Bear's Endurance over other attack spells for the second-level slot, the demon hunter considered the nature of combat. As a demon hunter, they would inevitably encounter sudden battles, even continuous battles. With his current Constitution of only 14, it was far from enough. After all, four Burning Hands would deplete his 14 Constitution. The demon hunter couldn't guarantee that future battles would be resolved with just four first-level spells. Therefore, a spell like Bear's Endurance, which can temporarily increase Constitution, is the best choice for now.

The demon hunter carefully calculated that with the system's attribute points, each point increases the base value by half. After accounting for the Constitution required to cast Bear's Endurance, he could still cast nine Burning Hands, more than double the original four. This would provide more sustained firepower in case of emergencies.

With everything prepared, the demon hunter immediately left the room and drove towards Winter Forest District.

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