Hidden Profession

Mia felt a blush creep up her neck as Ryan pulled her into a hug. She was mature for her age, but even she knew his embrace offered a comfort that could easily become an addiction. Still, she instinctively pulled back. Not because she didn't want it, but because a part of her was scared of just how much she did.

Molly, on the other hand, was still a kid at heart. She practically dove into Ryan's chest, her tiny body shaking with pure joy. A squeal of excitement escaped her, and she wiggled around in his arms like a happy puppy.

"Ryan, you actually made money?" Mia asked, still trying to wrap her head around it. Her voice held a fragile hope. I mean, he'd only been in the game for a couple of hours. How could he have made anything significant so fast? Even a few bucks would have been amazing, just something to show they were finally getting a break.

"I did! Five hundred bucks!" Ryan beamed, letting go of Molly as he walked over to the small cabinet next to his bed.

He pulled out their old bank card, the one they hardly ever used anymore, and swiped it through the slot on the old virtual setup. The device hummed softly to life. Within seconds, a notification chimed, confirming the money had moved from Sky Dragon Iris right into Ryan's bank account.

"Mia, take this card and go to the bank. Pull out everything and buy as much meat as you can. You both seriously need some real food in your system."

He pressed the card into her hand and glanced at Molly, who was practically buzzing with excitement at the mention of meat. Her eyes sparkled like she'd just won the lottery.

"Meat! Meat!" Molly chanted, twirling around the room, giggling like crazy.

Mia rolled her eyes, but a small smile played on her lips as she gave Molly a playful tap. "You're not a baby anymore, act your age."

Ryan chuckled. "You two head to the market. I'm jumping back into the game. If things keep going this well, we might actually get out of this dump in a few days."

He slipped the headset over his eyes, and with a quick flicker, he was gone, back in the game world.

---

A bright flash of light greeted Ryan as he reappeared in the starter village. Cobblestone streets stretched out in front of him, lined with charming wooden cottages that gave the place a rustic feel. But Ryan didn't stick around to admire the scenery. He had a mission.

He quickly opened his quest log and started turning in all his completed tasks. Pelts, fangs, tails, all the usual stuff you get from low-level wolves, were checked off one by one. He made a quick stop at the general goods vendor and offloaded a mountain of junk items, earning himself over twenty silver coins. His inventory was now clear, ready for the next round of grinding.

Only one quest remained.

Ryan's eyes narrowed.

'Jimmy's Revenge' a super rare, timed quest, was finished with an insane 550 kills. That number didn't just turn heads, it blew everyone's minds. Even players way further into the game hadn't managed to rack up a count like that, especially not with a Paladin.

What made it even crazier was that Ryan hadn't even leveled up. He had a whopping 23,000 experience points banked, almost three times what he needed to hit the next level. It was a totally unheard-of strategy. Usually, players would rush to level up for all the stat boosts and new skills. But Ryan had deliberately held back.

His secret weapon? The Paladin's 'Fist of Light,' a magical attack that completely ignored monster dodges, parries, and even armor. And with the special 'Weapon Oil' from the quest, it became even more ridiculously efficient, letting him mow down 'Frenzied Wolf Cubs' faster than any other class could dream of.

Warriors only dealt physical damage, which got soaked up by armor. Rogues were fast, but their low hit damage meant they'd get hit back a lot. And once either of those classes took a hit, they'd need time to heal up.

But Paladins? They could just keep pushing.

Even Ryan wasn't sure he could pull off that kind of stunt again. It wasn't just rare, it was practically legendary.

---

Reaching Jimmy's small cabin on the edge of the village, Ryan guided his Paladin to talk to the NPC.

"I've avenged you," he said, patting his chest.

Jimmy's eyes lit up, like a huge weight had just been lifted off his shoulders.

Suddenly, Ryan lost control of his character. A pre-programmed cutscene took over, and he watched, a little impatiently, waiting for the game to finally give him his quest rewards.

Finally, the notification popped up:

---

You killed 550 wolf-type creatures.

You earned Jimmy's approval!

You learned Engineering from Jimmy!

You gained 100 Quick-Toss Grenades!

You gained 5500 experience points!

You gained 55 silver coins!

---

'Engineering?! Are you serious?!'

Ryan just stared at the message, completely floored.

Engineering wasn't supposed to be in the game yet. He distinctly remembered it being added during the first expansion, along with two new races. But the game had literally just launched. Nobody should have access to this so early.

He quickly opened his character sheet, clicked over to the professions tab, and found absolutely nothing.

No Engineering.

His eyes narrowed. Had the system glitched?

He re-read the message. It clearly said he'd learned Engineering.

Confused, he dug through every part of the interface until something tiny caught his eye: a new little entry called 'More Options,' tucked right under the profession slots.

Curious, Ryan clicked it, and a whole new panel opened up.

Hidden Profession: Engineering.

His jaw dropped.

There it was. Not only had he learned it, he'd unlocked a hidden profession. One that wasn't even supposed to exist yet.

He tapped on Engineering, and a familiar skill tree blossomed onto the screen. Everything was there.

He flipped back to his regular profession tab, still empty, with two open slots.

"Hidden professions don't take up normal profession slots?" he mumbled, more to himself than anyone.

His fingers trembled a little. This was insane. He'd learned an unreleased profession through a low-level quest. What else was even possible?

If he could unlock other unreleased professions… If he could get access to every profession's skill tree…

He wasn't just thinking about Engineering anymore. In the late game, some profession-exclusive buffs could totally flip the balance of power.

But when he clicked back on Jimmy, the NPC just kept repeating the same old lines. No hints on how to level up this new skill.

His Engineering proficiency was still at zero.

"How the hell am I supposed to level this up?" Ryan grumbled, frustrated. Would he have to wait for the expansion?

He stared longingly at the Engineering panel. Some of the gadgets and items it could make were absolute game-changers.

Then, an old saying echoed in his head:

"Blacksmithing can ruin your life. Engineering can bankrupt your entire bloodline."

Ryan let out a low, bitter laugh.

He remembered his past life so clearly, how poor he'd been, how close he'd come to selling everything just to survive. And yet here he was, on the brink of something nobody else had even dreamed of.

"But this time," he muttered, his eyes burning with determination, "I'm not afraid of being poor anymore."