Chapter 267: Action, the [Ninja] Job Disappears
"Re Loberu."
The southwesternmost border city of the Re-Estize Kingdom, hailed as the "Port City," it boasted extremely prosperous trade and shipping routes, even allowing one to sail directly to the Holy Kingdom.
It was about a five-day journey from the border town of "Ye Yiwuer."
At this moment.
The "Free Will" Adventurer Team was staying in the most luxurious inn in the city. The team's arrival had caused quite a stir.
The instincts of merchants and nobles have always been the sharpest, which was fundamentally due to their access to information far superior to that of ordinary people.
The value brought by a merely powerful adventurer was limited.
However, the value represented by a "Genius Alchemist" who could create alchemy potions that no one else could make no longer needed to be verified.
The impact of the "Regeneration Potion" in the Royal Capital, and the gold coins it brought in, had long made countless nobles and merchants green with envy.
Faced with the arrival of "Free Will," these merchants and nobles naturally vied to pay them a visit.
Tang Zheng had already returned from the hills ahead of schedule, allowing the person disguised as him to make occasional appearances during the journey.
But for more detailed matters like visiting the Adventurer's Guild and interacting with these nobles and merchants, he needed to appear in person.
After wasting the better part of a day.
Tang Zheng finally freed himself from these trivial matters and returned to the luxurious inn with the Green Leaf Witch and Enri.
Inside the room.
"Lord, here is your warm water." Enri, holding a cup, happily passed it over.
Tang Zheng took the cup and nodded lightly at Enri. "Mm, I plan to stay here for a few days. It's going to be tough on you both."
Naturally, neither the Green Leaf Witch nor Enri had any objections.
"It is the Lord who is truly working hard."
Enri spoke softly, her eyes filled with adoration and worry as she looked at Tang Zheng.
Most of the time on the road, the Lord was in the carriage researching alchemy and rarely appeared. Compared to her task of just running errands, Enri felt that Tang Zheng was the one working the hardest.
She had personally handed those inexpensive alchemy potions to the impoverished as a seller, and she knew that the potions her Lord made had helped many people.
But no matter how hard one person tried, they couldn't save all the poor.
Her Lord's power was immense, capable of summoning divine angels, and he possessed wondrous alchemical techniques, allowing him to create cheap potions.
Since joining "Free Will," Enri had seen too much along the way. Many questions she once had were gradually answered, and she even learned how to think for herself.
Because of this.
From the bottom of her heart, Enri felt that her Lord was the best person in this world. Her only frustration was her inability to better assist him.
After listening to some of Tang Zheng's instructions, Enri and the Green Leaf Witch withdrew from the room.
Creak—Click!
The door closed.
Tang Zheng raised his hands to rub his temples and let out a light sigh. "These troublesome little things are finally dealt with."
With their experience from the Royal Capital, Enri and the Green Leaf Witch were perfectly capable of handling things calmly.
He got up and walked to the window.
Tang Zheng took a gulp from the cup of water Enri had given him, his gaze fixed on the world outside the window, his eyes flickering with contemplation.
The current matter at hand was still the Abelion Hills.
There were only about three years left.
Tang Zheng knew that the "boiling a frog in warm water" approach was completely unsuitable for him.
Controlling a region or a country was not his ultimate goal, and he had no intention of putting himself in the spotlight before the Great Tomb of Nazarick's arrival.
The "Warrior King," Gagaran, was the demi-human Tang Zheng had chosen to push to the forefront to control or influence the entire Abelion Hills.
Tang Zheng had many reasons for doing this. In the script he was currently constructing, the Abelion Hills was not the only stage.
As the central region between the Holy Kingdom and the Slane Theocracy, these two countries were also part of his script.
One of the main objectives was to establish a connection with the Slane Theocracy through the persona of Tang, the adventurer from "Free Will."
This "connection" could not be initiated by him; the Slane Theocracy had to be the one to take the initiative.
"There are too many actors in the script, and the actual plot may not follow it exactly. However, as long as the main storyline remains on track, I can improvise the rest."
A sharp glint flashed in Tang Zheng's eyes as he smiled calmly. "After all, in this script, I'm at most just a minor character who's a little bit eye-catching."
He had received a lot of advice from Renner. Much of it was unfeasible for him or too time-consuming, but some of it could be applied.
"It's just..."
Tang Zheng's gaze shifted downwards, looking at the bustling street and crowds below. "Of all these arrangements I'm making now, how many will actually be effective in the future?"
He shook his head.
"No matter how effective they might be, as long as there's a chance they'll work, I have to do it. The trump cards I can play are ultimately too few, and some things can't be solved by military prowess alone."
Tang Zheng turned around and grasped at the empty air. A crimson magic robe appeared in his hand.
The next moment, he had vanished from the room.
The Abelion Hills region didn't have a particularly complex history. It was said to have once been ruled by a kingdom established by a group of Hill Dwarves.
Unfortunately, it was eventually destroyed by various demi-human species, leading to the current chaotic and strife-ridden landscape of the hills.
Throughout the entire hills region.
The variety of races was immense. Even the demi-humans living in the hills might not know of all the existing races. However, among them, 12 races had the largest populations and the most powerful individuals.
Besides these 12 races.
There were several other races with extremely high reputations in the hills. These were either small but powerful ethnic groups or solitary, powerful individuals.
The Water Elemental Ogre was one of them.
In addition, there was an Earth Elemental Ogre, the Snake King, a Guardian Elf, and a Beast-bodied Quadruped.
At this moment!
At the stronghold of the Water Elemental Ogre.
About 100 ordinary ogres were gathered there.
In front of these ogres stood three figures: the Water Elemental Ogre, its body a pale white with a hint of blue; the Earth Elemental Ogre, its skin dark and earthy brown; and at the very front, the "Warrior King," Gagaran.
The presence of the three Higher Tier Species made the 100-plus ordinary ogres dare not make a single move, standing obediently in place awaiting orders.
"Can't you guys take a bath? You stink to high heaven."
The White Mist Witch sat on a large tree nearby, her bright yellow pupils looking down at the group of stinking, boorish fellows below as she pinched her nose.
After Tang Zheng had subjugated Gagaran and the Water Elemental Ogre, he had sent them out to defeat the equally famous Earth Elemental Ogre and bring it here.
This was why the Earth Elemental Ogre was here.
"What does that man want?" Gagaran's face was expressionless as he heard the White Mist Witch's words, his voice cold.
"You should address him as Lord!" the White Mist Witch leaned forward, correcting him.
"Hmph." Gagaran snorted coldly, his gaze filled with disdain and contempt for this strange demi-human who was monitoring them.
Hummm—
The air vibrated.
A mysterious figure in red appeared out of thin air before everyone.
"So few ogres?" Tang Zheng's raspy voice was filled with surprise.
In the hills, the number of ogres and goblins was not inferior to that of some of the top tribes, but their low wisdom prevented them from forming integrated tribes.
In the eyes of some other demi-human species, ogres and goblins were treated as nothing more than common monsters.
"These two are loners. It's already impressive that they could gather a group of ogres around them," Gagaran said flatly, though his pupils contracted slightly.
Although the Water Elemental Ogre and the Earth Elemental Ogre possessed a certain degree of wisdom, they had no intention of subjugating ordinary ogres.
As Higher Tier Species, in their eyes, they did not even belong to the same race as ogres.
"Idiots."
Tang Zheng let out a cold laugh.
Given the nature of ogres and goblins, if these two Higher Tier Species elemental ogres were willing, they could easily subjugate all the ogre and goblin races in the entire hills.
With such a massive group of tribesmen, plus their own strength, they would have had the power to contend with the 12 major races.
With a thought, Tang Zheng's stat panel appeared.
[Experience Slot: 1/460000]
[Comprehensive Level: 48 → 47 Lv]
[Ninja: 2 Lv → 1 Lv]
A short while ago, he had used XP Casting again, causing his level to drop by one once more.
"Human!"
"It's a human! You two actually submitted to a two-legged crawler! Roar!"
The Earth Elemental Ogre roared furiously upon seeing Tang Zheng appear.
He had assumed that the one who could make strong ones like Gagaran and the Water Elemental Ogre submit would be another powerful demi-human, but he never expected it to be a weak human.
"Oh, I really did overestimate your wisdom. Even as a Higher Tier Species, you're still brainless."
Tang Zheng looked at the Earth Elemental Ogre, which looked similar to the Water Elemental Ogre. "Since you're so noisy, you can stop talking from now on."
"Charm Species!"
An invisible wave of magic power surged forward.
The Earth Elemental Ogre's roar cut off abruptly. Unable to even struggle, its gaze instantly became vacant.
Tang Zheng's current spellcasting level had reached the standard of the Tenth Tier. Although it was a false spellcasting level with no bonuses, against a low-level opponent, there was no way for them to resist.
"Cut out your own tongue," Tang Zheng said indifferently.
Without hesitation, the Earth Elemental Ogre grabbed its own tongue and sliced it off. A large amount of blood gushed from its mouth.
The intense pain twisted the Earth Elemental Ogre's face. Its body began to tremble, and the agony jolted it awake from the charmed state, letting out a wail as it lay on the ground.
Seeing this, the expressions of Gagaran and the Water Elemental Ogre changed. Then, their gazes contracted sharply.
They simultaneously felt a terrifying aura emanating from Tang Zheng's body. The air seemed to become heavy and viscous.
The Water Elemental Ogre was terrified.
Gagaran subconsciously took a step back, his hands tightly gripping the spiked club beside him. He stared at Tang Zheng in disbelief, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"This aura... How..."
Gagaran's breathing became ragged. In that moment, he was overcome by a sense of powerlessness, feeling as if he could be killed at any moment without any way to resist.
[Experience Slot: 1/410000]
[Comprehensive Level: 47 → 46 Lv]
[Ninja: 1 Lv → ...]
As he used the "Transcendental Technique" ability, his level instantly dropped again, and with it, the [Ninja] job vanished from his stat panel.
Tang Zheng had always been using the "Concealed Aura" passive ability. It was lost along with the [Ninja] job.
This caused his own aura to be exposed for the first time, creating a terrifying pressure!
"Fourth Tier Magic requires a cost of 200,000 experience. The experience slot is still at one point after the level drop."
"It seems that as long as the experience consumed by XP Casting doesn't exceed the experience slot's upper limit, it won't cause a drop of two levels at once."
"The job is gone, so the passive disappeared with it."
Tang Zheng had been closely watching the changes to the stats on his panel, and he finally had a deeper understanding of the "Experience Conversion Technique" skill.
"You, lead them."
Tang Zheng said to the White Mist Witch. The moment his voice fell, his figure had already vanished.
"Yes, Master," the White Mist Witch replied respectfully at once, then looked at the tense Gagaran below with a giggle.
"Hee hee, have you only just now realized the difference in strength between you and our Master? Big guy, take those stinky fellows behind you and follow me."
Meanwhile.
Tang Zheng had already arrived at the quiet location of the lava zone.
He once again confirmed the information on his stat panel.
"The job and the passive have indeed both disappeared." Tang Zheng's eyes were serious as he carefully observed and confirmed it once more.
This result wasn't disappointing; it was a scenario he had anticipated.
"Wait, the skills didn't disappear?"
Tang Zheng's gaze shifted downwards, and he suddenly discovered that the entire series of skills from the [Ninja] job was still there.
*Skill "Ninjutsu: Hidden Shadow" discovered. Requires High-Tier Job [Ninja]. Current conditions not met. Requires 3 skill points.*
*No prerequisite Mid-Tier Job, conditions not met, requires 6 skill points. No Basic Job, conditions not met...*
*"Genius" job activated. You possess the Basic Job "Rogue." Learning conditions met. Acquire job?*
*Skill "Ninjutsu: Detect" discovered. Requires High-Tier Job [Ninja]. Current conditions not met. Requires 3 skill points.*
*No prerequisite Mid-Tier Job, conditions not met, requires 6 skill points. No Basic Job, conditions not met...*
*...*
Tang Zheng stared at the job information that subsequently refreshed on his stat panel and fell silent.
(end of chapter)