Chapter 29: How the Different Types of Professions Level Up

A teenage boy was standing not far away, holding a small box in his hand. His black hair was slightly messy, and his face was so calm it was almost expressionless, completely unlike someone who had just called out to another person in the middle of the street.

Ular immediately recognized him.

It was the Craftsman kid from Grandma Kim’s shop.

The one who had crafted the strange spatial ring, and who gave Ular the feeling that the boy in front of him was not as simple as he appeared.

"Is that you?"

Ular looked at the box in Kei’s hand and furrowed his brows slightly.

Kei did not explain why he had shown up here. He simply walked over, stopped in front of Ular, and calmly looked at him.

Then, Kei opened his mouth and asked:

"Hunter Ular, are you interested in buying a ring I just crafted?"

Ular looked at the teenager in front of him, and a strange feeling rose in his chest.

Did he really not know how to start a normal conversation?

However, since he had matters to investigate, Ular did not want to stand in the middle of the passage talking to Kei. He glanced around, then turned and walked inside the headquarters.

"Follow me."

Kei did not ask any further questions and immediately followed, holding the box.

Ular led him into a private room located behind the reception counter. This place was originally used for exchanging information with hunter teams. It had fairly good soundproofing, and normally no one wandered in casually.

After closing the door, Ular turned back to look at Kei.

"Alright. Let me see the ring."

Kei placed the box on the table and pushed it toward him. Ular took it seriously, his expression gradually growing focused. He opened the lid.

Inside was a simple silver ring.

No elaborate patterns, no embedded gemstones. If one only looked with the naked eye, it was no different from an ordinary accessory sold in a store.

Ular picked up the ring and channeled a bit of energy into it. Immediately, he noticed the stable spatial structure fixed within the ring.

"This is..."

Ular was stunned for a moment.

Then, he raised his head to look at Kei, his eyes full of astonishment.

"A rank F spatial ring?"

Kei nodded.

"That’s right."

"Hahaha! Congratulations, Kei-nim!"

Ular immediately broke into a wide smile and slapped the table once.

"You’ve crafted your first rank F item! It’s only been a few weeks, hasn’t it? You’re truly talented in this field!"

Kei blinked.

He had only thought of it as a low-tier item, never expecting Ular to be this pleased.

"It’s just rank F, is there anything worth congratulating?"

"Of course there is!"

Ular looked at Kei as if he had just said something utterly absurd.

"This is the first rank F item you’ve crafted. Moreover, if Kei-nim crafts a rank E item, you’ll break through your limits and level up to a rank E Craftsman. At that point, the shop’s income will soar!"

Kei immediately sat up straight.

"Wait. What did you just say?"

"About breaking through limits and leveling up?"

"Yes."

Kei’s eyes lit up.

He had originally planned to find Thunder after arriving here to ask more about the crafting profession. Unexpectedly, the person he met first could answer this very question.

Ular set the ring down on the table and slowly explained:

"All professions have ranks corresponding to a person’s ability. But the way combat professions and crafting professions level up is not entirely the same."

"First, the combat professions."

Ular raised one finger.

"Hunters need to constantly train during combat in Dungeons. When they accumulate enough experience and reach their own limits, they break through. After leveling up, their stats and skills are elevated by a tier."

Kei nodded slightly.

This was a very familiar leveling method from the old world. Warriors who wanted to grow stronger all had to go through real combat. In Kei’s world, adventurers often called it overcoming the "trial of the gods."

"What about crafting professions?"

"A bit simpler."

Ular raised a second finger."A Craftsman only needs to create an item one rank higher than their current rank to immediately break through their limits and level up."

Kei silently stared at the ring on the table.

He was currently an F-rank Craftsman. In other words, if he could just craft an E-rank item, he would be able to become an E-rank Craftsman.

"Then doesn’t that mean Craftsmen can level up faster than Hunters?"

"Not exactly."

Ular shook his head.

"Crafting an item of a higher rank than your own rating is much more difficult. An F-rank Craftsman trying to craft an E-rank item is nearly impossible without sufficient skill and experience in the craft. It’s not just about having good materials, you also need exceptional technique and extremely stable energy control."

He looked at the spatial ring on the table, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"But this ring is truly flawless. The spatial structure shows no signs of collapse, the energy flow is stable, and the capacity meets the standard for an F-rank spatial ring."

Ular picked up the ring and inspected it once more.

"You’re only an F-rank Craftsman, yet you managed to craft such a stable item. Kei-nim, your skill is genuinely impressive."

Kei didn’t respond to the compliment.

Only one thought remained in his mind. If he crafted an E-rank item, he could level up. If that were the case, then once he became an E-rank Craftsman, wouldn’t he be able to craft even better items?

Then solving Kei’s problem of insufficient mana would soon be within reach.

It was a very simple cycle of growth.

"Thank you for explaining. I was planning to ask Thunder about this."

"Thunder?"

Ular looked a bit surprised.

"Yes. He’s the only person I know with a deep enough understanding of the crafting profession."

Kei nodded.

"But fortunately, you were able to answer my questions."

"It’s no big deal."

Ular smiled, then pushed the ring back toward Kei. He looked at the ring and frowned slightly.

"Aren’t you going to buy it?"

"I already have quite a few spatial rings."

Ular waved his hand.

"Take this ring back and sell it in your shop, Kei-nim. With quality like this, it’ll sell quickly."