–Ezra's POV–
It's been a week since the Knight, Sir Lugard, fractured my bones.
Because of it, I could only lay idle for the past six days as my bones healed.
It was suffocating, to say the least, but I discovered by the second day that I was actually needing a lot of rest.
I took my time to actually relax and go over the events of the past weeks.
I was surprised by all that I had done.
From owning a guild, to starting a merchant guild, to clearing out chance stores, to enslaving a few assholes, to curing Fredrick's curse ahead of time…and now, the grand scheme.
Thinking about it, I sighed, but smiled right after as I thought…
'This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm not going to waste it'
Which is why I'm doing what I'm doing.
Honestly, I thought of taking it easy. My recent achievements of feeling mana and awakening it by three years old already made me an unprecedented genius in history.
With just the normal level of training, I would reach Expert rank at most by 18, and that was being really lazy.
But…
'It's not enough for me'
I chuckled at this thought. But that was exactly it.
I would never be satisfied, especially considering all I knew.
And especially…My revenge!
The fact that I toiled with blood and sweat for years, only to be thrown away by those not as worthy as me, fills me with rage at the mere thought of it.
I had made up my mind the moment I came to terms with my reincarnation.
'Those guys…must die, no, they must suffer as I did for all those years. Their debts will be paid in full!'
And yet…
'I'm actually also thankful for their betrayal…because it gave me the spark to achieve enlightenment'
Ezra was sure that, if he hadn't died the moment he did, he would have broken through to become a Master-rank.
But…
'At this moment, that matters not'
Because…
'What is done is done, now…I can only move on'
With this realization, my mind became tranquil.
'I am not a hero, but I'm also not a demon, so…I am only myself…and that's all that matters!'
I took in a deep breath and stabilized my mind, before directing my thoughts to the grand scheme in motion.
'The empire will be thrown into chaos for a little while, but thinking about it, I'm also doing them a favor…hehehe'
An evil grin spread on my face at this moment.
'I have to make sure to grab every opportunity…and now that I think about it, the war will start far faster than before'
Yes! It was a possibility. Only in a chaotic situation would Ezra's plans thrive the most.
To be more precise…
'It'll be best to fish in muddy waters'
It would also work even without chaos…but the process would be many times longer!
And…
'I can't have that'
Ezra had many plans that could span decades and still not be done.
And because of that…
'I'll have to take even more risks from now on'
His thoughts stopped as he laughed and slightly hit himself on the head.
'What nonsense? I'm not even sure if this plan will succeed…but I'm already thinking like this? Hmm, is this what they call counting gains before even seeing it? Either way, I'll just have to trust that Fredrick and Cabrera can, no, will pull it off successfully'
As he thought of this, he looked at his short self and slightly fit body and shook his head.
'I have been feeling very uncomfortable since Cabrera set the plan in motion'
'Now I know why. I never liked depending on others'
'But-'
He thought as he looked at himself.
'-i guess I'll have to get to used to it'
*Sigh*
'Once Fredrick gets back with the stones, I'll have to get the royals involved…hopefully, Cabrera's friend is good enough for the job'
'Well, it's not like I can do anything about it now. So…I just have to do my part'
'And most importantly, I have to get stronger, and not just a little…but overwhelmingly so'
'If I don't, I won't be able to achieve my revenge perfectly'
And like before…
'I can't have that'
And if that was so, I knew what I would have to do.
'I have to keep moving forward, keep growing stronger, whether the plan fails or not. I just have to make sure I never stop growing'
As I felt the mana overflowing in my body, I clenched my fists while thinking…
'I'm not wrong, this is the right way to go'
I laughed.
I could already visualize the level of chaos I would cause, because that was the best and easiest path to success.
With such a path in front of me, why would I take one that was stressful and unbelievably slow?
At this moment, I knew what I had to do.
I remembered that Cabrera should be about halfway to Windless Peaks by now.
And Fredrick should already be there.
As for me…
'Let's see, Blacksmith, Runesmith, Formation Master, Artificer or Alchemist?'
I already made up my mind on studying alchemy, but during the week, I decided to examine things closely instead of jumping to a conclusion.
This would be kind of like a second job for me.
Orion was beyond huge, and the three continents are filled with all kinds of people in varying circumstances.
You can't expect everyone to be a fighter, can you?
Apart from the five combat paths, countless jobs have come into existence for those who simply weren't made to fight and those whose forte lies elsewhere.
Famers, Bakers, Fishermen, Butchers, Merchants, Blacksmiths, Alchemists, Beast Tamers, Runesmiths, Formation Masters, Artificers, Appraisers, and so much more.
And in most professions, you had at least one Grandmaster, sometimes even multiple.
It depended on how popular that profession was.
Grandmaster farmers could cultivate something in half the normal time and have it grow to twice the normal size.
Basically, they achieved twice the results with half the resources, and like you probably could guess, they were hot commodities to any power.
Some professions were unique in that only a particular superpower had it.
For a few others, you needed to be part of a specific combat path.
Take Beast Tamers for example. More often than not, this job was mostly suited for shapeshifters.
As humans who could turn into animals, they could subdue beasts to their bidding fairly easily.
Of course, there were limitations and a lot of qualifications were needed, else beast tamers would not be rare, but that was for another time.
Others could practice it and be successful, but it would be much more difficult.
Another example would be Runesmiths.
This profession was the one of the most popular ones, Runesmiths were valued anywhere.
After all, most things used Runes to function.
But most of those in this profession were members of a kingdom named Yule.
It was the place most knowledgeable about runes.
Of course, it had competitors, but it was the uncontested number one in terms of rune mastery.
Even the strongest empire could only be relegated to number two.
What does this have to do anything?
Well, it simply meant that any mage coming from Yule had his rune mastery dozens times above those of other places.
Which in turn made Runesmiths produced by other powers seem lackluster and not receive as many customers.
It was ruthless, no doubt, but that's how Orion worked.
And now, Ezra wanted to choose a profession.
He could change it later, sure, but that meant he would have wasted his time, wasted resources and, for most people, grown old.
This was why most didn't consider changing professions. The problems in doing so were numerous.
Add that to old age and you've got a total no-no.
It would be better to say that what people did do was branch out.
Some people have dual, triple, quadruple, or more professions.
Of course, this was reserved for geniuses or those stuck at a rank in a particular profession and unable to progress.
Now, with all these thoughts, I couldn't help but rethink my choice.
The first thing was…
'Why do I want a profession?'
It was the hardest question, but it had a surprisingly simple answer.
'I don't know'
This was it.
I didn't know, because the reason I thought of studying alchemy in the first place was…
'It will help immensely with the plan…while also giving a good excuse for what is to come'
The second thing was…
'Do I actually need it?'
The answer was clear.
'No'
But…
'Will it be helpful?'
Yes, it would go a long way.
Then…
'What do I lose from not doing it?'
Nothing much, except that I would need a better excuse when playing my part.
Apart from that though, I could confidently say…
'Nothing'
With my plans and knowledge, all that alchemy could give me, I could get it without alchemy.
'What do I gain from a profession?'
The answers were numerous.
I could gain fame, wealth, and reputation.
But…
'As a prince, those things will come naturally'
This was the dilemma.
But wait, there was something else I forgot to mention.
'Knowledge'
I could gain knowledge, a lot of it at that.
And in my book…
'Knowledge is also a part of strength'
It meant that doing it…would make me stronger!
And with this confirmation alone, I instantly made my decision.
'I'm doing it'
I'm definitely getting a profession.
Especially when it meant…
'I'll grow stronger'
And so the next problem was…
'Which profession?'