As evening fell, Felix closed the book he had been studying, leaned back on the sofa, and shut his eyes to rest.

—

[You have acquired a new profession: Assisting Beginner]

[Dexterity +1, Intelligence +1, you have gained 2 free attribute points]

[New traits acquired: Assisting Beginner, Team Support Lv1, Team Assist Lv1]

—

This was exactly why support professions were so unpopular in the early game. Without the backing of a secondary combat profession, choosing a support as a teammate just for a minor team buff was far less effective than bringing a Guard to clear out enemies.

In Ark, each player could only equip five traits, and the combined attribute bonuses from main and secondary professions could easily surpass four digits. This made every player’s stat distribution and gameplay style unique.

Traits could be obtained through training or quests, but talents were different. They were tied to each account from the beginning—everyone’s starting talent was randomly assigned and completely distinct.

Of course, it was possible to earn new talents by completing specific, rare quests.

Back in version 1.0, support classes made up only 6% of the entire player base—a far cry from the ever-popular Guards, Snipers, and Casters.

After some thought, Felix assigned his two free attribute points: one to Intelligence, and one to Endurance.

More Intelligence would speed up his reading and studying—critical for his role. And as for Endurance? After witnessing a natural disaster up close, he knew how important stamina was. As a fragile support, being slow meant dying fast.

He brought up his character panel.

—

[Level: 2]

[Main Profession: Assisting Beginner Lv1 (0/200)]

[Secondary Profession: Student Lv1 (5/50)]

[Skill Tree: Not Yet Selected]

[Attributes]

Strength: 2

Dexterity: 3

Endurance: 2

Intelligence: 7

Spirit: 2

Charm: 7

Luck: 1

[Unallocated Attribute Points: 0]

[Traits]

Assisting Beginner Lv1 – Gain a small amount of bonus experience when supporting in battle.

Team Support Lv1 – Grants a small attribute bonus to the team upon joining.

Team Assist Lv1 – Grants a small additional attribute bonus to the team.

—

To advance a main profession, all three associated traits needed to be upgraded to their maximum level. Only then would he be eligible to read higher-tier profession books.

As for the skill tree still being locked—it made sense. Most professions couldn’t unlock their first skill until reaching level 5. Even then, acquiring new skills required finding the corresponding skill book.

This was why the early game felt so punishing. You’re dropped into a strange world with little guidance—where exactly were you supposed to find these rare books?

If players want to unlock the skill tree, there’s only one way: completing faction quests to earn loyalty points and then using those points to purchase access.

Leveling up wasn’t limited to monster grinding. Players could also improve by studying and reading books. That’s why, in the early days of version 1.0, players stuck at certain levels often took one of two paths—either forming teams to hunt Originium bugs, or heading to the nearest village from their spawn point to read books on farming and pig-raising, unlocking the Farmer secondary profession to gain experience that way.

In Ark’s data system, each attribute plays a distinct role:

Strength determines physical attack power and the weight limit of the backpack. Players with high strength can equip heavier weapons and gear. Think of it like Sword Art Online—if Shino wants to wield Hecate, she needs to raise her strength stat.

Dexterity governs movement speed and agility, affecting dodging, positioning, and also the crafting efficiency of logistics-oriented players when making tools or items.

Endurance is the limit of physical stamina. With low endurance like Felix’s, running even a thousand meters would be fatal. Higher endurance means the player can take more hits—essentially, it’s your physical defense.

Intelligence affects magical attack power and is favored by mages. High intelligence also means faster learning and reading speeds, and a higher success rate when decoding blueprints or diagrams. Players with this stat excel in knowledge-based activities.

Spirit is the counterpart to endurance. While endurance governs the physical body, spirit handles mental resilience. Most heavy armor even requires a baseline level of spirit, because Caster spells often inflict mental debuffs. When hit by certain skills, a spirit check is triggered—if the stat is too low, the player becomes dizzy or disoriented, essentially losing combat effectiveness.

Charm is the key to interacting with NPCs. It’s tested during conversations—high charm lets players receive quests truthfully, unlock secret dialogue options, and even get better prices when shopping. Naturally, with Ark’s marriage system, high-charm players are extremely popular, and online romances are abundant.

Luck determines the drop rate of rare equipment and other items. Lucky players often win big in the casino—though NPCs may respond by banning them outright, barring them from re-entering forever.

At this point, Felix felt incredibly fortunate.

When it comes to class rank—ranging from zero to six stars—it’s not just about completing tasks. Class upgrades are closely tied to the player’s attributes and the traits they’ve mastered.

Right now, Felix glanced at his progress bar.

0.03 stars.

Wow. That’s impressive… in a depressing kind of way.

In his previous life, even after five years of play, the top-tier players on the leaderboard had only reached five stars. Against true six-star powerhouses, they had no choice but to rely on sheer numbers—and even then, they were nothing but cannon fodder.

Felix shivered at the memory of Saria’s iron fist—how many players had been beaten so badly they cried on the forums and started calling her “Daddy”?

As someone who used to enjoy tempting fate, Felix had once challenged Saria. The result? All his summoned machines were destroyed within ten seconds. His top-grade armor was penetrated in a single blow. Then, she ripped him out of the suit, slammed him into the ground, and pummeled him into the dirt with her fists.

Of course, as a support unit with low HP, Saria had already begun her countdown before she even finished flattening Felix.

As a live-streamer, he naturally became the butt of jokes, but the stream raked in a ton of rewards. He even gave a solemn farewell to the mechanical assistant that had cost him several hundred million Lungmen coins.

He would return to the Holy City of Laterano with the main group tomorrow—which also meant returning to campus life.

Felix planned to spend most of his time at the school library. Maybe he’d find something useful among the shelves.

He had made all the necessary preparations to greet the next sunrise.

In this world, survival was easy—but to live a brilliant life, that was rare.

When he awoke the next morning, Andoain had likely left during the night. On the way to see him off, Felix never caught sight of his guide.

This time, a bus carried dozens of people into the city. As the Holy City of Laterano loomed closer in the distance, a deep and irrepressible longing welled up in Felix’s eyes.

This was paradise for the Sanktas.

It was also the place where player-driven real estate speculation was the most intense.

To live in Laterano, three conditions had to be met. First, you couldn’t be an infected. Second, you needed to have sufficient loyalty points within the Laterano faction. And lastly, you had to afford the property.

As a mobile city, Laterano had a vast inland sea, gleaming white walls, and towering spires. Any player with a bit of money dreamed of owning a home here. If you couldn’t afford a sea-view house in real life, at least you could enjoy one in-game, right?

Well—unfortunately, Ark was never short of overachievers. With each update, the price of those sea-view homes steadily climbed from just a few million Lungmen coins. By the time Felix was actively playing, the price had already soared into the billions.

This was a theocratic state, located in the heart of Terra. It bordered Siracusa, Victoria, and Leithania to the north, Iberia to the south, and Rim Billiton to the east. Having endured millennia of war and upheaval across Terra, Laterano still stood.

Laterano wasn’t just a mobile city—it was a mobile nation.

Terra, in the game’s setting, was thirty times the size of Earth. And accordingly, Laterano occupied an area thirty times larger than any Earth city. Felix often wondered how such a monstrous structure could even move.

Whenever in doubt, he would chalk it up to quantum mechanics.

Upon entering the city, the group was immediately taken for a medical check. Once it was confirmed that they were free from oripathy and in good health, the Papal Knights let them pass. Still, one knight suggested Felix stay in the hospital for a few days, enjoy some sweets, and speak with a psychologist—just in case there were lingering battlefield effects.

Felix nodded in gratitude.

Using his memory, he found his way back to his home.

It was a modest, single-room apartment. A half-finished gun blueprint lay on the table, and nearby shelves were filled with all kinds of spare parts.

In addition to gold coins, Laterano also accepted Lungmen coins. When the economic crisis struck in the past, the city of Lungmen, under Yan State, had vigorously developed its commerce. The emergence of this new currency was inseparable from Yan State’s strong support and the efforts of numerous merchants.

As commerce gradually spread across the Terra continent, Lungmen coins became the most commonly used currency.

Felix recalled the events that had occurred in Laterano in the year 1086—events directly tied to his upcoming actions. He remembered these details from the game’s archive files and player-discovered documents. His expression shifted slightly as the memories came flooding back.

He would have to stay far away from the Michaelaion district.

In his current small body, encountering Sister Tutu would be a disaster. What’s worse, she specialized in spiritual Originium arts, while his own Spirit stat was only 2—probably lower than that of an Originium slug.

There were many wanted criminals scattered across Terra. Players could apprehend or eliminate them to earn rewards. But someone like Arturio, much like Andoain , couldn’t be defeated even through sheer numbers. A renowned domestic professional guild had once organized a raid against Arturia, only to be completely wiped out.

In this world, death came at a cost: players lost experience points upon dying—and the higher their level, the greater the loss. Since that debacle, some players only dared to provide intel on Arturia. Few dared to confront her directly.

Felix’s residence was located in the St. Petersburg district, very close to the artificial sea. When he opened the window, he could see the blue horizon stretching into the distance.

On the table lay various components. He touched them tentatively, but nothing happened. No pop-up window appeared, and he gained no experience.

Clearly, he needed to acquire the secondary profession of a gunsmith before he could gain proficiency through firearm assembly.

That night passed uneventfully. The next morning, after breakfast, Felix made his way to campus.

He was greeted by his stern-looking homeroom teacher.

Felix had no choice. It was the body’s original owner who had disappeared without permission, so he could only nod and admit fault, promising not to repeat the mistake.

Still, to the naïve and adventurous people of Laterano, Felix’s actions were hardly a big deal. The teacher simply scolded him briefly before letting him go.

The morning’s schedule consisted of digital calculations and firearm training. Every Rutlander was naturally familiar with guns—handling them was second nature, as if they were born for it. Gun training was a compulsory subject at the school. In this class, students learned both the internal mechanics of firearms and how to use them effectively.

Felix studied the school-issued gun carefully:

[Black Hawk Pistol·Modified Edition]

Quality: Gray

Caliber: Small

Attack Power: 20–25

Firing Rate: 1.3 rounds/second

That was the extent of the information he could access. If he had already unlocked the gunsmith profession, he would’ve been able to see far more detailed stats.

Felix held the pistol as if he were holding something with flesh and blood. Only then did he fully understand why the Sankta race possessed such a profound mastery of firearms. When he was just a player, he only felt his proficiency increase. But now, as a real NPC, he could feel it—the gun felt like an extension of his own body.

It was a mysterious sensation.

The professor for the class held a pistol in his hand and addressed the thirty or so students before him:

“Remember, the way you hold a gun is very important. Some firearms have strong recoil, and for an unskilled Sankta, it might even cause injury.”

[Farma Lv20 is teaching you the skill [Basic Shooting]. Current progress: 1%. Technician sub-profession unlock progress: 0.02%.]

The Technician, often nicknamed the “Pistol Guy” by players, was a popular secondary profession. It was relatively easy to obtain—simply participating in an NPC-led pistol training class would suffice. When heavy weaponry was unavailable, many sniper-class players relied on pistols for combat. In those cases, a technician’s skill set became crucial.

Felix aimed his weapon in the same stance as Instructor Farma, focusing on the target ahead.

He adopted the Mozambique Drill, a shooting method that had been refined by sniper players in his previous life: two shots to the chest, followed by one to the head. This technique was extremely lethal in real life, and within the numerical combat system of Ark, it delivered optimal damage as well.

Of course, this method only applied to humanoid enemies. For soft and squishy Originium worms, this technique wasn’t effective at all.

“Bang!”

A loud explosion echoed across the field, startling Felix. He immediately lowered the Black Hawk in his hands and turned toward the source of the blast.

A corner of the teaching building—originally constructed from pristine marble—had suddenly crumbled, sending up thick plumes of smoke. On the other side of the blown-out wall, students from another class sat frozen, staring in wide-eyed disbelief.

Enemy attack? Could it be Kazdel? Were they really that bold?

Farma, his face flushed with fury, stormed over to a student and shouted,

“Lemuel! How many times have I told you not to play with explosives during firearm lessons?! How many times has this happened now? Fifteen?!”

“Ahahaha, sorry, my bad. I was aiming for the training stake and… kinda missed.”

The angel girl with shoulder-length red hair scratched her head and gave a sheepish grin. Her expression held no trace of remorse—only pure amusement.

Veins bulged on Farma’s forehead. Letting out a strangled cry, he suddenly took off after her.

“I’m going to have a serious talk with your sister! And with Mostima too! Don’t you dare run—write a self-criticism this instant!”

Farma’s voice trailed behind him as he chased Lemuel straight into the smoking building. From the looks of it, he had no intention of letting her off the hook this time.

Meanwhile, Felix silently repeated those familiar names in his mind.

And then, without distraction, he resumed shooting at the target.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep