013. Profession Showcase
Immediately after, the demo PV began introducing the profession system in "Star Abyss". The developers were well aware of the high difficulty level of the game, so they specifically highlighted the representative characters of each profession to give players a quick understanding of how each profession performs on Azure Star and their combat potential.
Basically, every NPC representing a profession here is the strongest in that field on Azure Star, essentially the 'class mentors' as traditionally known by players.
The screen gradually darkened.
Li Aozi thought: If there are no surprises, the first to appear should be the Destruction class.
Winter—Ding—
The sound of a guzheng filled with Zen resonated, accompanied by a gentle flute, soothing the audience and making them feel as if they were in a bamboo forest, refreshing and tranquil.
Just as the audience was immersed in the healing music, a male voice filled with killing intent suddenly spoke:
"In ancient times, people practiced martial arts to maintain their health; today, people practice martial arts to kill the enemy."
Boom!
In the next moment, the screen was shattered by a punch. The force, as mighty as a dragon, stirred up an endless, overwhelming momentum, with the echoes lingering in the air.
The one who struck was dressed in plain martial arts attire, his demeanor reserved. He slowly raised his hand from the burning tank, his powerful muscles slightly bulging, instantly unleashing a fierce protective aura that calmly blocked incoming bullets and cannon fire. He then slowly raised his fist, channeling a fierce and vigorous energy, with each move releasing a concentrated wave of energy that stretched tens of meters, effortlessly tearing and burning through the alloy.
[Martial Artist], Dragon Style advanced profession—[Qi Master].
The text beside the screen introduced this Beta-tier martial artist as Yan Qixiong, a martial arts master from Tianhuan, and the top combatant among the Dragon Style advanced [Qi Masters] on Azure Star.
[Qi Master] can be considered a physical mage with immense strength and a powerful physique. They specialize in qi energy, making them nearly impossible to kite, but their downside is that they cannot undergo body modifications or wear armor, as these would hinder their performance.
Li Aozi had a deep impression of him; this old brother was close to Gamma-tier in his previous life and only died after taking a direct hit from a small tactical nuclear bomb.
Next was the mentor of the Crane Style, a middle-aged man with a ponytail.
Li Aozi recognized him: Chu Zhenglan. He was also a [Martial Artist] from Tianhuan, dressed in a loose ronin robe, with only basic exoskeleton armor and no signs of modification. Handsome, with a stubbled beard—many had already noticed that he was the ronin warrior who disassembled a mech with his bare hands in the previous Tianhuan introduction video.
The Crane Style advanced profession on Azure Star is [Samurai], but it can only be learned and transferred to in Tianhuan. Samurai can only use bladed weapons but can wear equipment such as super Kevlar and nano-fiber composite armor.
Then came the mentor of the [Assassin], an elite agent from Frost-Plated Law IV mechanism—Gekarin Telshi, who advanced into the [Annihilator] profession. Simply put, she's a fierce assassin who brazenly walks up to you and takes you down, mastering firearms, close combat, and rapid mobility. A major feature is her extremely high burst speed, able to reach 3.5 times the speed of sound on land in an instant, making her faster than missiles.
Of course, the downside is that she's incredibly fragile, unable to wear any armor, even more fragile than Li Aozi.
Next was the final branch of the Destruction class: [Ranger], and its mentor was interestingly the security consultant of Zhengxu's Heibolong Arsenal, Jose Rediaz, a dark-skinned man who carried nine different guns and cannons. His combat demonstration wasn't in actual combat but a simple shooting session at a range, where he alternated shots and in 12 seconds shaved off a third of a 200-meter-tall hill.
The promotion path for [Ranger] is very straightforward, currently with only one advanced profession, [Firepower Envoy].
In simple terms, it allows their weapons to imbue qi energy, making bullets with delayed explosions, continuous burning, blunt force trauma, piercing armor, and other effects—simple, brutal, and effectively magical.
The popularity of the [Destruction] class was the highest, with the thrilling destruction effects directly striking the XP of macho male players. The old-school, muscle-bound [Martial Artist] with their vigorous and overbearing demeanor particularly attracted straight male attention, leaving them thrilled.
"Sorry, Hell is full."
After the dazzling explosion, the scene quickly shifted to the eerie and mysterious [Eerie] specialization.
The mentor for [Medium] was a mature beauty with lingering charm, dressed like a fortune-telling witch. Her fluffy black curls added to her allure, with a seductive figure. Her name was unknown, only that she belonged to the external organization Trash Old.
As an advanced profession [Soul Conjuror], she could lightly converse with ghosts, easily summon spirit demons that cause endless trouble for non-[Eerie] players, conceal her presence using psychological techniques, and even manipulate others' minds, turning enemies against each other, extracting the souls of the dead, and transforming them into spirit creatures under her command.
The mentor for [Shaman] surprised Li Aozi; different from his impression, this one was named Kruz Wofray, from the Metro Brotherhood, a huge man with bulging muscles like a mountain. His advanced profession wasn't the common [Druid] but [Sorcerer].
[Sorcerer] can be understood as a melee mage or a spell tank. Unlike the [Druid]'s all-round but not specialized abilities, the [Sorcerer] sacrifices healing capabilities for tremendous destructive power and defense. They can request part of nature's power, summoning lightning and storms.
Li Aozi had no memory of Kruz, but the official rating gave him a strength level as high as Gamma-tier—Li Aozi suspected he might have encountered some leftover knowledge from the old era, no, probably knowledge from beyond this world.
Because the [Sorcerer] couldn't possibly be a profession originating from Azure Star.
"It seems necessary to visit the Metro Brotherhood and make some contacts," Li Aozi thought.
Kruz raised his arm, struck a drum, and soon the sky poured down torrential rain. In the cold outer world, once the rainwater hit the ground, it instantly froze, causing even more terrifying secondary freezing damage.
The stage was then handed over to the [Craft] specialization—unfortunately, the only two routes available on Azure Star for the [Craft] specialization were [Biochemist] and [Mechanist], and the debate between 'gene ascension' and 'mechanical ascension' played out in the comments.
The representative of the [Mechanist]... unsurprisingly was Du Zexin, Du Unlucky.
"Armor on!"
Du Zexin roared, and his body was covered by the [Blessed Wish] mechanical armor, igniting the enthusiasm in the entire live broadcast room.
"Damn it! A real man should pilot a mech!"
"I want to be a Mechanist! No one can stop me! Kamen Rider, transform!"
"Ore wa Gundam!"
"Nice," Li Aozi thought, "but unfortunately Du Unlucky's profession doesn't advance. This set of armor didn't last long before being smashed by a biochemical colossus."
As for the [Biochemist] mentor, it was Kelly Shalegon, a baroness from the Red Arrow Empire.
A change of personnel, which is normal.
After all, in the previous life, the [Biochemist] mentor was 'Pioneer,' codenamed N4, with no known real name.
However, she had an interesting identity: the actual controller of the Abyss Heavy Industries Group, in a sense, all the professor's abilities were taught by her.
"Did I kill the professor and scare 'Pioneer' enough that they didn't dare show their face?" Li Aozi rubbed his chin.
The [Craft] specialization people are really sharp; even though Li Aozi didn't want to waste attribute points, he couldn't help but want to invest in [Intelligence].
To put it bluntly, if the professor had known some martial arts and combat instincts, they could have easily crushed him and Du Unlucky. The [Biochemist]'s dominance in the early stages was too strong, combining tankiness, healing, intelligence, informational advantage, group damage output, and burst potential. In the hands of players, it might not be obvious, but in the hands of NPCs, the [Intelligence] bonus was extremely terrifying.
Baroness Kelly's performance was decent; the Red Arrow Empire's style is practical, with basic aesthetics. The biochemical beasts were similar to feline creatures, suitable for ambush and assassination roles—neither cute nor eye-catching. Compared to Du Zexin's powerful and stylish mechanical armor as a [Mechanist], it lacked a bit of flair.
"Is it my turn next?" Li Aozi eagerly thought.
The video, accompanied by the galloping of biochemical beasts across the mountains, gradually moved towards the other side of the battlefield.