"More rookies have arrived. It seems more and more people are awakening combat professions." I've seen a lot of them already!
"You said it. I just saw a crowd of people surround the rabbits in the Level 1 monster zone. Poor rabbits."
"Haha, we all started like that once. Ah, youth, so much energy!"
Shen Xingyan, dressed in translucent clothing, looked around the street filled with people in strange armor. It was obvious that they had all been through battles—a fierce aura emanated from them.
Combat professions, considered rare in the outside world, were found at every turn here. This contrast stunned Shen Xingyan, as if he were a country bumpkin seeing a palace for the first time.
The street was bustling with life: the shouts of merchants recruiting for teams and various discussions created a lively atmosphere.
"Is this what normal life used to look like, without constant external pressure? What a light feeling!" Shen Xingyan thought with admiration.
In the outside world, where a catastrophe could happen at any moment, people spent most of their time in fortified shelters, only going out for training or essential purchases. Scenes like this were sometimes seen in the Central District but were never so carefree.
Shen Xingyan understood why awakened professionals loved spending all their time here. First, one could level up their profession and earn money to get stronger in the real world. Second, this relaxed atmosphere allowed them to temporarily forget the constant tension of the outside world.
Shaking his head, Shen Xingyan checked his inventory. A grid of 36 slots appeared before his eyes; most were empty, giving the inventory a pitiful look.
Only the first three slots contained items given to newcomers in the Star Source world: coarse linen pants, a tunic, and a hoe.
Item: Coarse Linen Pants
Properties: No level requirements, no attribute bonuses, no durability limits. Provides basic protection from the cold. Essential clothing for rookie farmers.
Item: Coarse Linen Tunic
Properties: No level requirements, no attribute bonuses, no durability limits. Provides basic protection from the cold. Essential clothing for rookie farmers.
Item: Hoe
Properties: Physical Attack +1
Strength: +1
Stamina: +1
Durability: Unlimited. Tool for farmers.
He equipped the set with a single thought. They looked crude, but at least they didn't feel heavy.
After equipping his gear, Shen Xingyan began to walk down the main street. He was currently in the "Rookie Village," a place of safety and a starting point for all awakened professionals. Rookie Village served as a hub for life and commerce. Only when a person's profession reached Level 10 could they leave and venture into the Star Source world.
Shen Xingyan walked past a group of players surrounded by a group of wild rabbits. A group of four, armed with swords and spears, stood ready for battle.
"Ready, everyone? Let's rush in together!" the group leader shouted. The others nodded in unison, their eyes filled with excitement.
However, just as they were about to attack, a newcomer who had accidentally wandered too close to the wild rabbits was immediately bitten and knocked to the ground. He screamed in pain as his health bar quickly dropped.
"Dammit! What kind of monster is this? It's only a Level 1 rabbit, and its attack power is so high?" the newcomer shouted, shocked and confused. He didn't understand what was happening; his health bar was almost gone, and he was about to die.
Shen Xingyan smiled slightly. This situation wasn't unusual. The creatures in the Star Source world were not just numbers; they had real combat power. While a Level 1 rabbit might not be as strong as a person, if it landed a good hit, it could do significant damage.
He watched as the group of four quickly took down the rabbits, and the newcomer's health bar was restored, showing that he was recovering.
After a few more moments of observation, Shen Xingyan walked away. The combat professions in the Star Source world weren't for him. He was a farmer, and his path was different. He needed to find the farming area and get to work.
He found the farming area at the edge of the village. It was a large, open field with dozens of plots, each one marked with a sign. He chose an empty plot and a quest window popped up.
[Quest: Cultivate a field and plant 10 bushels of wheat. Rewards: 100 experience points, 10 Star Coins.]
He accepted the quest and got to work. He used his hoe to till the soil, and it didn't take long for him to finish the task. Once he had the field ready, he took out the bag of wheat seeds and planted them.
It was hard work, but he felt a sense of accomplishment as he looked at the field. He had a lot to learn about farming in the Star Source world, but he was ready for the challenge.
Physical Attack: +1
Strength: +1
Stamina: +1
Durability: Unlimited. Tool for farmers.
Looking at the stats of this "professional starter kit," Shen Xingyan smiled bitterly. They perfectly matched the title of novice gear, a far cry from what was described in the textbooks. All he lacked was a straw hat to complete the farmer look.
However, Shen Xingyan did notice one advantage of the starter gear—no durability limits. Wearing this clothing would save him from paying for repairs from tailors and blacksmiths.
Next, Shen Xingyan looked at the magical wallet in the bottom right corner of his inventory, which could be used in the real world as well. It showed 10 copper coins—a basic stipend for beginners from the Star Source.
This money allowed novices without an economic base to buy food to restore stamina so they wouldn't fall into a weakened state when their stamina dropped below 3 points.
The slots for silver and gold coins were adorned with bright zeroes, as if mocking Shen Xingyan.
From his school lessons, Shen Xingyan knew that the exchange rate between gold, silver, and copper coins was 1:1,000. One copper coin was roughly equivalent to 10 fen before the Primal Energy explosion. Thus, 10 copper coins were equal to 1 yuan, 1 silver to 100 yuan, and 1 gold to a whopping 100,000 yuan.
Shen Xingyan had a long way to go to get rid of those zeroes with his Farmer profession.
Finishing his inspection, Shen Xingyan mentally shifted into his professional space.
[Congratulations on your first entry into the Farmer Professional Space! Reward: a bag of wheat seeds!] a voice announced in his ears.
Shen Xingyan opened his inventory and saw that the seeds had appeared in the fourth slot.
Item: Wheat Seeds
Properties: Ripening period: 10 days, planting area: 600 square meters.
Looking at the seed's properties, Shen Xingyan couldn't help but note how thoughtfully the Star Source world was designed. It provided almost everything a novice needed: clothes, tools, seeds. All that was left was to get to work.
While the care was obvious, the value of these items was low, making the Star Source world seem somewhat stingy.
Shen Xingyan looked around his professional space, feeling a strange sense of calm. Every owner of a lifestyle profession had such a personal space—a unique feature unavailable to combat professions in the Star Source world.
Here, Shen Xingyan and other representatives of lifestyle professions could use their skills and harvest crops, gaining experience to level up their profession. The harvested crops could be sold to the Star Source store or traded privately, yielding the most crucial resource—money.
Combat professions did not have such a space. They had to complete quests, kill monsters in the wilderness or dungeons, and acquire experience and loot.
Naturally, combat professions earned money much faster than lifestyle professionals. After all, plunder always yielded more than creation.
Shen Xingyan looked around the small plot of land in his professional space, estimating its size to be about one mu (around 667 square meters). Although the plot seemed small, it was enough to keep Shen Xingyan busy for a whole day.
As the saying goes, "When the granaries are full, the people are content." With this space, Shen Xingyan felt that he and his sister would no longer go hungry.