In the clear morning, bright sunshine poured into the bedroom.
Su Lu opened his eyes and despite having slept all night, the feeling of exhaustion lingered, a numbness pervading his limbs, sapping his will to move.
Recalling the previous night - the café, the date, Beryl, the murderous shadow, Corpse Maiden... everything seems like a dream.
"Attribute column!"
He muttered in his mind, summoning a glow screen visible only to himself:
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Name: [Su Lu Pottery]
Profession: [None]
Professional Rank: [0]
Title: [None]
Strength: [1.1], Agility: [1.2], Constitution: [0.6], Spirit: [1.6]
Skill: [Creation of Dead Princess LV1]
Passive: [Common Hebrew LV3], [Basic physics LV4], [Demon Hunting Knowledge LV1], [Ancient Hebrew LV2]
XP: [0]
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"My constitution plummeted by a third, yet my spirit rose by 0.1. Is it because I successfully cast a spell last night that refined my spirit?"
The change in the attribute column blatantly verified everything that had happened last night.
Su Lu fell silent, ultimately choosing to accept reality.
'Even if I escaped the murder charge using Black Magic, the real murderer will surely react...'
'Then there's Beryl. I don't know to what extent she can execute yesterday's command. This is also a problem...'
'Now, I hope Rod can arrive sooner.'
His elder brother, who clearly has even more knowledge of demon hunting than him, could have already become a true [Demon Hunter], the solution to such transcendent events.
'I can't place all my hopes on one person, I need to master my own strength.'
Su Lu stared at the attribute column.
The skill [Creation of Dead Princess] is indeed remarkable, but last night's spellcasting proved one thing - he is not yet a true spellcaster. If he rashly uses the spell, he may be drawing on his own life force!
One spell consumes 0.3 constitution points. Two more, and he might be done for!
'How do I open the mana slot? This is a problem. It seems everything boils down to the original question...how to advance to a true profession?'
While the Pottery household has information on demon hunters, it doesn't help in urgent situations.
Su Lu slowly climbed up, dressed, and entered the common living room.
"Wow! Su Lu, what happened to you? Why is your face so pale?" Sean, who was preening in front of a mirror, jumped in fright.
"Oh?"
Su Lu looked into the mirror to find his cheeks had thinned, his eyes shadowed heavily, his hair dry and lifeless. He seemed quite frightful.
"Brother!" Sean looked hesitant, finally patting Su Lu on the shoulder, "Young man, it's normal to indulge yourself once in a while, but you should also take care of your body."
"Shoo!!!"
Rolling his eyes, Su Lu started considering his immediate needs.
'My body has suffered too much, I need to replenish... Then there's the investigation into last night's events, maybe I can start with the note from Moli...'
'The true puppet master might continue to attack me, so I must hold some real power.'
'Also, the anomaly when I cast the spell last time, I feel a bit curious... would be best to check some materials.'
Su Lu thought, "Go to the library for some research, and join Fight Club for training?"
The college students of the White Eagle Federation have a lot of spare time, which they can use to participate in a variety of interest classes and clubs.
But the past Su Lu had little interest in such activities, preferring to stay in the library.
He thought now, going to Fight Club would firstly help to exercise and enhance constitution, and secondly, learn some self-defense techniques. He didn't know how helpful it might be, but at least it might boost his confidence.
Thinking this, he got in front of Sean and punched him. "Hey, Sean, I need your help! Do you know Moli?"
"You mean Moli Aibo who's with Mentor Catherine? Of course, I know her!" Sean rotated his eyeballs, a smirk appearing on his lips, "Don't tell me you're into that type? I still prefer Catherine more, mature, sexy..."
"Where are you going with this?"
Su Lu shook his head, "I... well, okay, I have a thing for her and I need all the recent information about her. Can you help me with this?"
"Of course, we're brothers here!" Sean patted his chest, his mouth revealing his pearly whites, and his thumb gesturing towards his index finger.
"Got it, you won't be short-changed. Payment upon completion!"
Su Lu could feel another heavy blow to his wallet but he agreed nonetheless.
The research institute's contract was set to start in September, leaving him with two months of free time.
During this period, should he try to find a source of income?
"Deal!"
Sean and Su Lu high-fived each other. Then, casting a look at the clothes rack, a suspicion crept onto Sean's face, "Did you... wear my suit yesterday? That's what I was planning on wearing for my date with Mary."
"Hallucination, just a hallucination!"
...
After eating a sandwich for breakfast, Su Lu arrived at the Saint George's University Fight Club.
"Hei!"
"Ha!"
In the large sports field, dozens of young men and women wearing the uniform of Fight Club were practicing combat, or running through set routines, or wrestling with gym equipment.
Looks professional right? It's at least good value for money, much cheaper than off-campus training classes...
Su Lu thought as he walked onto the field.
A girl with a ponytail and wheatish complexion immediately approached him: "Can I help you, student?"
"I am Su Lu Pottery. I want to join the Fight Club and train for a while!"
Su Lu politely stated his intentions.
"Now?"
The girl furrowed her brows, soon relaxing, "Generally, Fight Club recruits new members at the start of the school year. However, there are also some who train during holidays. I am the vice president and a part-time coach here. You can call me Angelia!"
As she spoke, Angelia led Su Lu around the Fight Club, "We provide free access to the students of St. George's University. Of course, the cost of clothing and equipment needs to be covered by the students. We have three public classes each week. If you want to hire a personal coach, it will incur additional cost… twenty Couper for each class session!"
"Sounds reasonable!"
Su Lu knew that this price was half of what the outside training would have cost him. It was a benefit for the students. "I have limited time and want personal training to quickly grasp some basic combat skills."
"No problem!"
Angelia immediately agreed, "The president is often not around. We have three coaches here, you can choose any! By the way, which grade are you in?"
If he chose her as his coach, the private training would earn her a commission, causing Angelia to become somewhat excited.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Su Lu's mouth, "I have completed all the credits and am about to graduate..."
"Cough, cough!"
Angelia coughed a few times to cover the embarrassment on her face, "So not a junior, but a senior... Why would you want to learn fighting now?"
"Because it's only now that I've found my true love for combat!"
Su Lu replied in all seriousness.