Genius Chapter 21: Factions and Life Professions

Chapter 21: Factions and Life Professions

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Su Mo instinctively retreated rapidly and casually summoned the Zephyr Hawk. The surroundings grew quieter, and no one was in sight; the assassin had completely vanished. Su Mo rarely encountered assassins in the newbie area; this class belonged to the Flaming Thunder Mountain faction, wielding short swords and dual blades with high physical attack power. The assassin’s inherent stealth ability made them the nemesis of magic classes.

“Brother?! Are you being blocked?” ScarletFruit grew anxious when he heard no response. “Hurry back to the city; it’s dangerous outside Sunset City.”

Su Mo responded, “It’s too late.”

A flash of blades came toward him. Su Mo had been waiting for this moment. As soon as the blades appeared, the Zephyr Hawk, which had been waiting nearby, cast a group slow spell. The slow spell hit the assassin, but it didn’t hinder the assassin’s steps at all.

Damn! Su Mo used a light step technique to retreat, narrowly avoiding the attack and putting several meters between himself and the assassin. Assassins were known for their high attack power, but their defense and evasion trigger rates were low. For the Zephyr Hawk’s slow spell to have no effect at such close range, there could only be one reason—the opponent’s level was higher than his.

The assassin hadn’t expected the strike to fail in killing the summoner, so he abandoned stealth and charged directly at the summoner for close combat. But just as he approached, the summoner summoned two more beasts. The assassin smirked inwardly, thinking this level 58 summoner was quite bold to confront him head-on without control.

The assassin pressed forward, enduring the summoned beasts’ attacks. Just as he was about to reach the summoner, something suddenly hit him hard, and his vision went black. He slowed down and realized it was a rabbit.

“Fuck!” cursed the assassin. He activated his sprint ability and charged, intending to finish off the summoner in one blow. After several rounds, he suddenly found he couldn’t get close to the summoner. Aside from the rabbit, the summoner had summoned multiple beasts in a short time, each blocking his path. When he killed one beast, another would attack. The summoning speed was absurd. Despite the 12-level difference, the summoner’s attacks felt like scratches, but these rounds had drained half his health. Meanwhile, the summoner, still with half health from the initial sneak attack, remained alive at a distance.

The assassin had no choice but to retreat a few steps and re-enter stealth.

Su Mo stood at a distance, holding the Floating Cloud Lantern. Seeing the assassin vanish again, he remained calm and chatted with ScarletFruit, “Is this guy with Eternal Flame? That can’t be right. I hid my ID. Did they use some kind of all-seeing eye?”

“They’re not with Eternal Flame. Brother, didn’t you check the forum before logging in? The game has changed,” ScarletFruit explained while teleporting to Sunset City and rushing to Su Mo’s aid. “After the Apocalypse mission ended, the game entered new maintenance and implemented a faction system.”

“Faction system?” Su Mo, wary of the stealthy assassin, asked, “There wasn’t one before?”

“No, the main system randomly divided players into Eclipse and Abyss factions and redefined high-level maps above level 40 as war zones,” ScarletFruit replied. “The wild is extremely dangerous now. Killing players from the opposing faction earns points that can be exchanged for high-level equipment. The wild has become a killing frenzy! Especially assassins—they’re incredibly powerful!” ScarletFruit continued, “Hang in there; I’m coming to save you.”

Su Mo glanced at the faction indicator and realized he was in the Abyss faction. He warned, “The opponent is an assassin; don’t come and get yourself killed.” 

ScarletFruit responded, “Brother, you have to trust that I can help you escape.”

Su Mo kept an eye on the mini-map. “Really?”

At that moment, the hidden assassin seized the opportunity, seeing Su Mo standing still, and launched another attack. Su Mo narrowly dodged and countered with a few moves, further reducing the assassin’s health.

The assassin, growing impatient, recklessly tried to close the distance. Su Mo saw the assassin’s health drop to 15% and began contemplating how to finish him off in one go.

Suddenly, a sword light descended in front of him, striking the assassin directly and swiftly finishing him off. A Mountainless Blade Sect swordsman had successfully killed the assassin and landed in front of Su Mo. “Don’t leave your alt account in the wild; don’t give points to the Eclipse faction.”

Having his kill stolen, Su Mo expressionlessly retracted his lantern staff. “Oh.”

No sooner had he spoken than the swordsman, standing three meters in front of him, was struck by an unknown light and instantly turned into a corpse at Su Mo’s feet. The process was swift; within seconds, the man was dead.

Su Mo stood silent for a moment. “You just gave away a point.”

The corpse on the ground replied, “…You didn’t have to say that.”

The pace of outdoor battles was incredibly fast. The swordsman killed the assassin, only to be swiftly eliminated by a hidden enemy.

Not daring to be careless, Su Mo took a few steps back and kept a close watch on the mini-map, noticing a hostile red dot about twenty meters away. The dot remained motionless. Sensing danger, Su Mo moved aside just as a cold arrow shot past his foot.

“That was close.” Su Mo’s gaze hardened. The arrow had missed him by only about 0.2 meters, meaning he would have been within the enemy’s range based on his original position. Given the opponent’s long range, they could only be a Flaming Thunder Mountain archer, known for having the longest reach in Celestial Horizon.

This was problematic. At level 58, he was an attractive target outside Sunset City, and passing Eclipse faction players wouldn’t spare him. Encountering an archer was even worse, as they had the advantage of kiting and numerous opportunities for the first strike.

While Su Mo was contemplating the safest direction to flee, the archer suddenly abandoned their range advantage and approached him directly. Dressed in the distinctive armor of Flaming Thunder Mountain, the archer, with a glowing bow, stood atop a rock looking down at him.

Caught off guard, Su Mo thought it was bad news. An archer capable of one-shotting a magic swordsman was undoubtedly formidable. If he were at a higher level and fully healed, he might stand a chance, but in his current wounded and lower-level state, with incomplete skills, the archer’s range advantage would be overwhelming.

He had almost no escape options left. Just then, the archer’s peripheral vision caught sight of the Soul Rabbit at Su Mo’s feet. The archer’s hand, which had been raising the bow, suddenly halted.

Instead of attacking, the archer just stood there on the high ground, staring at Su Mo.

“…?” Su Mo paused for a moment, taking advantage of those few seconds to quickly put some distance between himself and the archer. Without looking back, he ran towards Sunset City. The archer had not hidden their ID, and before leaving, Su Mo saw the ID: ReturnToSimplicity.

“Brother Zhen, have you cleared Sunset City?” 25000 shouted in the voice channel. “We’re moving to another map; we need to level up today.”

“How many maps are left?”

“We’re short on points,” 25000 replied. “We’ll probably need to clear two more maps, and then we can finish up with a demon dungeon.”

It seemed the opponent had just logged in and was a bit unfamiliar and flustered with the outdoor map. Yu Zhen watched the summoner run further away and said, “Wait five minutes, I’ll be there soon.”

* * *

[You have entered Sunset City.]

The escape went surprisingly smoothly. Su Mo made it back to Sunset City without much trouble, encountering a breathless ScarletFruit who had run out from the city.

ScarletFruit froze when he saw him, “You scared me! I thought I’d have to go outside the city to collect your corpse.”

Su Mo replied, “It’s not that dramatic.”

As he talked with ScarletFruit, he downloaded the latest update announcements and system information within the game. Despite only being hospitalized for a few days, the game had undergone drastic changes. The experience needed to level up from 70 to 80 was a huge gap compared to before. Currently, the highest level was 72, with most players still stuck at the previous cap of 70. Additionally, a bunch of new materials and quests had been added.

The biggest change, however, was the faction system. Previously, Celestial Horizon had no faction distinctions, with outdoor areas being contested by guilds. But the introduction of the faction system had completely changed the dynamics.

The factions were divided into Eclipse and Abyss, based on the state of all players during the Apocalypse event. In most cases, players in the same team, guild, or with high intimacy were placed in the same faction. A small portion of players were assigned based on the profession rankings, with Celestial Horizon balancing the factions by evenly distributing top players according to their power levels, ensuring both factions were evenly matched.

With the faction split, various demon dungeons also spawned across Celestial Horizon. These demon dungeons were harder than ordinary dungeons, and clearing them would also earn points.

Su Mo realized, “So this must be the demon seal; the main system is quite interesting.”

ScarletFruit sighed, “It’s completely unreasonable, but fortunately, the war zones are limited. As long as you avoid those areas, you should be fine. Neutral players have also been assigned factions, but they can apply for a Neutral Order at the Celestial Horizon Monument. After applying, they’ll be protected from attacks, but it means giving up all high-reward competitive gameplay unless they create a new character.”

“There’s a trade-off. Enjoying protection means missing out on high-reward quests, which isn’t much different from before,” Su Mo remarked, glancing at ScarletFruit. “Are you in Abyss as well?”

“Why do you seem to hope I’m in Eclipse?” ScarletFruit retorted. “All four of us are in Abyss, probably because we were in the same team during the assignment. The worst part is for low-level players like us. The demon dungeons are too hard, and we get hunted down outside. We can only level up in safe area dungeons.”

This new regional division basically restructured the existing guilds, causing conflicts and alliances to shift dramatically. Despite this official shake-up, it didn’t drive players away; instead, it united them against the main system.

The Eternal Flame guild, for instance, got assigned to Eclipse and suffered heavy losses from ambushes on the first day of faction division.

ScarletFruit asked, “What are you planning to do now? Level up in dungeons? Need a bound healer?”

“Don’t you have a main account?” Su Mo asked, glancing at the leaderboard and pausing briefly when he saw the top player’s name, ‘ReturnToSimplicity’, the same as the archer he had encountered earlier.

ScarletFruit explained, “My main account is for crafting. We just cleared the Mist Sea Realm, and I got a good skill. I plan to use my level 14 character as my main now. Let me join you; I’m wearing full luck gear, and your average luck value is high. Together, we can definitely get rich from materials.”

“No rush,” Su Mo replied, closing the information page. “I’ll head back to the Sect base to learn some skills first.” He paused briefly, “You said your main account is for crafting? Can you make money with that?”

“It depends on luck. High-value items can make a lot,” ScarletFruit remembered something. “Do you need a weapon? I can give you one; my warehouse is full of lantern staffs for summoners.”

Su Mo chuckled, “So generous?”

ScarletFruit didn’t hide his intentions, “Consider it an early investment. Sticking with you will bring benefits.”

Su Mo replied, “No need to give me a staff. Just tell me how to learn crafting.”

Every main city, including Sunset City, had teleportation points to the Sect bases. Su Mo teleported there, learned his skills, and quickly joined ScarletFruit in the main city’s life profession area. In Celestial Horizon, life professions were divided into two main types: alchemists and craftsmen.

Alchemists made potions for health, mana, and stamina recovery, and could also create resurrection talismans. Craftsmen made equipment, including weapons and both soft and heavy armor.

“Just these two?” Su Mo scanned the surroundings, noticing that all the NPCs were associated with either alchemy or crafting. As he looked around, he spotted an alleyway where an astrologer sat.

“Both of these professions can make money. Alchemy has a slightly lower barrier to entry, while crafting requires some upfront investment. But it mostly depends on whether the items you create have high stats. These life professions are somewhat related to luck and mental strength, and the crafting process requires high concentration…” ScarletFruit explained before suddenly remembering something. “Oh, right, there’s also a new profession introduced in the recent update.”

Su Mo glanced over, “Just updated?”

“Yes, it’s called Astrologer. It’s a new life profession that appeared after reaching level 80,” ScarletFruit replied, pointing towards the astrologer NPC. “But we don’t need to worry about it. It’s a special profession, and only players who have completed Astrologer-related quests can be recommended by Astrologers to enter.”

Since quests were already rare, the additional requirement of an Astrologer quest meant that most players would be excluded.

“Astrologer?” Su Mo paused. “What do they do? Fortune telling? Stargazing?”

“Something like that. There are only a few hundred people on the forums who have the chance to learn it,” ScarletFruit explained. “When we were exploring the caves before, Brother took out an illumination scroll, right? That’s one of the items Astrologers can make. Officially, Astrologers are said to have insights through stargazing, but in reality, they make money by crafting items. There are basic recipes as well as player-designed ones.”

“Can you make money from it?” Su Mo asked, surprised.

“Of course! It’s super profitable!” ScarletFruit became excited at the mention of money. “The illumination scroll used to be an NPC quest reward, but after this update, it became one of the items Astrologers can produce. Since it’s harder to obtain now, the price has increased several times over. I made thousands of gold from selling them. I wish I had stockpiled more earlier.”

Su Mo’s eyes flickered as he walked towards the astrologer’s location. “Let’s go take a look.”

ScarletFruit hurriedly followed, saying, “Brother, it’s not as easy to make money, and it’s not easy to become an Astrologer. Plus, this NPC is particularly fierce. If you anger him, your luck will drop significantly…”

As they approached, the astrologer, dressed in a gray robe, lifted his head. His headdress and hairband fluttered in the wind, and his sharp eyes focused on Su Mo. ScarletFruit took a few steps back nervously. “You go ahead…”

The astrologer spoke, “Young man, here to learn?”

Su Mo replied calmly, “Yes, can I learn here?”

“Naturally, but…” The astrologer stroked his beard, his gaze assessing, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He asked, “Do you know Bai Zhi?”

Su Mo hesitated slightly, “I’ve met her.”

Bai Zhi was the quest NPC Su Mo had encountered in the Newbie Village. Myriad Palace Insight was the skill Bai Zhi had given him.

ScarletFruit muttered quietly, “Who’s Bai Zhi? Do you guys have some secret code?”

The astrologer waved his sleeve and gestured courteously, “You bear her mark, come with me, I’ll take you inside.”

Su Mo wasn’t surprised; he followed along.

ScarletFruit wore a baffled expression, “Hey, wait…”

Before he could take more than a few steps, a gust of wind pushed him far away. In the blink of an eye, Su Mo and the astrologer were gone. Damn it! Did he just walk in like that?!

***

Guided by the astrologer, Su Mo entered a long corridor to complete the introductory tasks. This included a brief explanation of the origins of the Astrologer life profession. The primary function of an Astrologer was divination, mainly forecasting daily fortunes, with secondary functions involving crafting items.

Su Mo understood that the main job was fortune-telling, while item crafting was secondary. After completing the prerequisite tasks, he entered a fantastical global area with a large astrological chart towering overhead.

A small girl dressed in a hooded robe approached Su Mo and asked in a childish voice, “Momo, are you sure you want to join our Astrologer’s Guild?”

Su Mo replied, “I’m sure.”

The celestial chart in the sky flashed, and a chart descended, landing steadily in front of Su Mo.

[Congratulations to player momo for becoming an Astrologer, receiving Astrologer’s entry items [Divination Chart x1] [Basic Astrology Chart x3] [Intermediate Astrology Chart x2]]

On the voice channel, ScarletFruit was still asking about the details. “Can you do the prerequisite tasks? Wait a moment, let me check the guide. If you follow the guide, you won’t go wrong…”

“No need,” Su Mo casually responded, his gaze on the items in his inventory.

The Divination Chart was used for fortune-telling, much like Myriad Palace Insight, allowing one fortune-telling session every 24 hours. However, while Myriad Palace Insight granted a skill, the Divination Chart could only predict fortunes. Su Mo set it aside and opened the Basic Astrology Chart. A compass-like workstation appeared in front of him, accompanied by a material library.

After examining it for a while, Su Mo found it relatively easy to understand.

The Astrology Chart was a workstation for crafting disposable items. It had two functions: manufacturing, which involved using existing recipes to create items, and creation, which required players to select materials from the provided library for innovative synthesis. The synthesis had to conform to the balance between material characteristics and game skills; otherwise, it would fail.

The manufacturing function was simple—players put the materials listed in the recipe into the workstation to synthesize, with a chance of failure.

The creation function was a bit more challenging. Su Mo wasted two Astrology Charts before understanding the material system. Essentially, it involved using material characteristics to write formulas. If the formula met the rules of Celestial Horizon, it would become a unique item recipe recorded in the game’s database. Astrologers could then craft and sell the items or export the formula for sale.

Su Mo understood that this process was somewhat similar to terminal programming, but instead of formulas, it involved material formulas. Essentially, it was the same concept.

“Here’s the Astrologer guide I found for you. I don’t really understand it myself, but they say the material library is particularly annoying,” ScarletFruit continued to chatter, sending the guide to Su Mo. “Are you already done? You’re coming out already?”

ScarletFruit was still talking when he noticed Su Mo had already teleported out.

“It’s just a guiding task, only takes a few minutes,” Su Mo said, looking at the few Astrology Charts left in his bag. “Can we sell these Astrology Charts?”

“Of course, there’s an NPC over there who buys them. Basic Astrology Charts go for 3 gold each,” ScarletFruit replied. “But crafting professions really test your mental strength. With my A-class mental strength, I can only make three high-level weapons a day at most before feeling dizzy. With recipes for regular weapons, I can make a few more, but they don’t earn much. I’ve heard that Astrologers require even more mental strength… Bro, how about we do some business?” ScarletFruit grinned, already having a plan. “Do you make Illumination Scrolls? We can split the profits seventy-thirty, or even eighty-twenty… We can sign a shop agreement for this. All transactions can be tracked.”

When it came to business, ScarletFruit had a lot to say, from shop agreements to sales channels, talking so much it was as if he was marketing himself.

Listening quietly, Su Mo observed the features and rules of the material library in the Astrology Chart.

When ScarletFruit finally stopped to ask for his opinion, Su Mo responded leisurely, “I can make Illumination Scrolls, but their price will drop as more Astrologers join the profession, so we can’t rely on them for long-term profits.” Su Mo was already forming several formulas in his mind as he looked at the material library on the Astrology Chart. “What do you think about making an anti-stealth detection item for assassins?”