**Chapter Four

  { Professions }**

  “Do any of you know something about the Falling Petals Event?” Ian asked.

  The knowledge he had inherited was too common and shallow. But Chris and the others were natives of this world—surely they knew more than he did.

  “No,” Yora replied.

  “Neither do I.”

  “Same here…”

  Everyone shook their heads.

  “Alright, let’s ignore it for now. Back to our main task—the army. How do we create the strongest army?” Ian asked.

  “We need professions first, my Lord,” Yora said.

  “Why?” Ian already knew the answer, but he wanted to shorten the distance between him and his people.

  Yora smiled softly.

  “The difference between a warrior with a profession and one without… is the difference between the ground and the summit.

  A person without a profession—regardless of their grade or talent—will always be extremely weak. But those with professions will grow, advance, and receive various rewards… either profession rewards that make their craft stronger and more valuable, or special benefits that enhance them in every aspect.”

  Professions were the source of all skills—the mother of skills.

  Skills were but a single drop from the vast ocean known as profession.

  “Then we know what we’ll research first.” Ian turned toward the Researcher, Aliano.

  “It would be my honor, my Lord—but which profession should I search for?”

  “What do you think, Chris?” Ian asked.

  “We have some swords stored in the training grounds. So for now, the only available option is the Warrior profession—at least until we expand further,” Chris answered.

  “Alright, we’ll go with that.” Ian gave the order immediately.

  Researcher Aliano stood up at once to begin studying the Warrior profession and to search for a Profession Change Stone.

  “My Lord… I’m not good with speeches or giving advice, but I do have some seeds stored in the medical garden. They’re just simple seeds—vegetables and berries—but they will help us for now,” Martin said respectfully.

  “Good. Go,” Ian replied.

  That left only Liu—the silent one—along with Chris, Yora, and the five new villagers.

  “Now… what do you all think of the den?”

  Ian asked.

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  The Empty Den was a treasure.

  Something unmatched, to be honest.

  Even though its level was low, its cultivation speed slow, and its effects limited for now… it remained a jaw-dropping miracle.

  Why?

  Because it could reproduce any bloodline…even dragons could be born here.

  Of course, a dragon would only be born once every hundred years—or even longer—but the mere fact that the possibility existed made the Den priceless.

  Honestly, Ian wanted to save it until he obtained a rare and extraordinary beast… something like a dragon, or at least close to one.

  But how long would it take before such a chance appeared?

  And truthfully… would he even be strong enough by then to capture a dragon?

  And during all those years, the Den would remain at its Common level—meaning it wouldn’t be capable of producing daily dragon offspring anyway.

  So what was the point?

  The only logical choice now was to use it.

  But once he used it, there would be no going back…

  Only the first beast placed inside would ever become the Den’s King.

  Just one decision…!

  Ian had to be precise.

  “There’s a beast called the Savage Wolf,” Liu said. “It’s strong, fast-breeding, and its bloodline potential is excellent.”

  “Air superiority would be better,” Chris said after a moment of thought. “If we had a squad of Sky Hawks or Iron Crown Falcons, we’d be unstoppable—especially with how weak our forces currently are.”

  “And what about our lovely adviser here?” Ian asked, glancing at Yora.

  Yora thought for a moment, then pulled out a pen and a small notebook.

  She activated her The Ledger skill and wrote:

  { What is the most suitable beast for the Empty Den? }

  Suddenly, the words vanished, replaced by a single name:

  { Treasure Rat }

  “Treasure Rat?” Yora blinked in surprise. “This is actually a very good option for this stage, my Lord.”

  “Can you explain its traits?” Ian asked.

  “It’s a beast capable of locating treasures—above ground, underground, even underwater. Terrain doesn’t stop it. Its reproduction rate is excellent too. But… it’s not a combat beast at all. Extremely cowardly, in fact,” Chris explained.

  Ian pondered for a moment, when Noa—one of the five new villagers—spoke up.

  “Forgive my interruption, my Lord,” Noa said.

  “It’s alright. Speak,” Ian replied with a smile.

  Noa felt warmth touch his heart as he said,

  “If the Lord wants something rare and truly powerful… there’s only one creature I can think of: Cerberus.”

  “You mean the dog from myths?” Liu asked.

  “Yes. That creature isn’t naturally born. It results from certain mutations that occur to corpses under special conditions. If we could obtain one, it would be a tremendous advantage,” Noa said, watching Ian nervously.

  Ian rubbed his chin, then asked, “Do you know a way to obtain it?”

  “Not exactly, my lord… It isn’t a natural beast that appears on its own, but obtaining it isn’t impossible,” Noa said.

  “What do you all think?” Ian asked the other four.

  He hadn’t ignored them earlier on purpose. He had allowed them to attend the discussion, but they were the ones who chose not to speak at first—not him.

  But now, with Noa stepping forward, they would gain courage as well, feeling their loyalty deepen more and more.

  Loyalty…

  If this world was truly real, then he had to give his followers the rights he never received in his own world.

  Ian’s experiences were different.

  He wasn’t just a 22-year-old young man. He had endured harsh trials—

  From losing his father and mother…

  To his sister’s illness…

  To working and studying at the same time…

  To being bullied by other boys…

  To boxing training…

  To competing in multiple international tournaments, both in his specialty and in boxing, just to survive…

  He was someone with a broad view of the world and countless experiences.

  But becoming a Lord?

  That wasn’t something he expected—

  Or rather, he never expected to become a real Lord.

  At first, he had decided to treat all of this as a job—just something to earn a bit more money.

  But now… he had discovered something entirely different, something that changed his mindset completely.

  Especially with the Purple Aura that dwelled within his body without him even realizing it.

  Seeing their Lord speak with them and ask for their opinions made them feel warmth and closeness… and a desire to dedicate themselves to him.

  “It’s a good idea, my lord.”

  Loyalty… 85%

  Ian smiled and looked toward Chris, Yora, and Liu.

  “I agree,” Chris said.

  Liu nodded.

  Yora nodded as well. “It’s a good idea, my lord… especially since obtaining one isn’t impossible.”

  Ian smiled, a thought forming in his mind.

  “Yora, use your art and ask about the Falling Petals.”

  Yora nodded and wrote:

  ‘Event: Falling Petals’

  Her question vanished—replaced by a single word, stitched in blood:

  “Disaster?!”

  The Falling Petals event… was a Disaster.