Nfirea turned to the approaching old woman, a sheepish look on his face. "Grandmother."
"This isn't the place for your charity."
"With the Royal Tournament in full swing, buying and gathering herbs is what you should be doing."
Lizzie, hands clasped behind her back, spoke with an impatient edge, her wrinkled face betraying mild irritation.
"Yes, Grandmother." Nfirea replied softly, scratching his golden hair.
Hearing their brief exchange, Adam pieced together why this grandmother-grandson duo, typically found in the border city of E-Rantel, was in the Royal Capital.
He kept his expression neutral, suppressing the flicker of realization.
Don't be fooled by Lizzie's unassuming, diminutive appearance or her minor role in the anime. She was E-Rantel's most renowned pharmacist and a genuine third-tier Magic Caster.
In terms of levels, she was likely above 15, a formidable figure among humans.
At his current state, Adam couldn't afford to cross her.
Lizzie's gaze landed on him, first noting the short sword at his waist, then glancing at his subtly muscular arms.
"Let's go, Nfirea." She said flatly, turning away without a second look.
"Right, Grandmother."
Nfirea nodded quickly, taking a step toward the street. He hesitated, then turned back to Adam. "You're here to watch Sir Gazef and Sir Brain's match, right? I heard the arena seats are pricey."
"Um, take this water skin. Eating black bread without water can choke you."
Nfirea unhooked a water skin from his belt and offered it to Adam.
This guy… he's kind of a nuisance.
Adam's cheek twitched. If he didn't know Nfirea's earnest nature, such sudden kindness from a stranger would've put him on edge.
As an orphan, Adam had never been fond of unsolicited goodwill.
"No-"
Before he could refuse, Nfirea thrust the water skin into his hand.
The sudden action made Adam's expression shift.
Not because of the forceful gesture, meditations but because the moment their hands touched, his status panel flared with a notification.
Buzz!
[Contact with Dual Basic Job Holder: Alchemist (Genius), Pharmacist (Genius). General Job Acquisition Condition Triggered.
Acquired General Job: Genius. Accept Job?]
Note: This is a General Job and provides no attribute bonuses.
Adam's arm trembled as he read the panel's message.
In YGGDRASIL, combat jobs were categorized as Basic, Mid-Tier, and High-Tier/Special, but there were also non-combat General Jobs.
These were essentially production roles, Pharmacist, Alchemist, Blacksmith, Farmer, Merchant, offering little direct combat utility, suited for support.
In the New World, General Jobs extended beyond production roles, encompassing roles absent in YGGDRASIL, like Slave, Maid, Noble, Prince, King, or Princess.
These were even less useful than production jobs. Roles like Prince or Noble were innate, while Slave was acquired through life circumstances.
This was a key difference between New World natives and Players.
Players could choose whether to take a job, while natives automatically gained jobs based on their experiences, often unwillingly.
"Accept!"
Without hesitation, Adam silently confirmed in his mind.
Moments ago, he'd been agonizing over choosing Fighter or Magic Caster basic jobs, yet now he unhesitatingly took a General Job with no combat benefits.
Such was the intensity of his excitement.
General Jobs offered no direct power boost, but that didn't mean all New World-exclusive General Jobs were useless.
[Job Accepted: Genius, Level 1]
[Genius (General): This job can substitute for any Basic or General Job, transforming into the required job as needed.]
[Note: Due to its unique nature, leveling this job does not increase base attributes, and transformed jobs do not carry job-specific traits.]
Adam suppressed his surging excitement as he read the description.
"Are you okay?"
Nfirea, noticing Adam's tightened grip and sudden emotional shift, spoke with concern.
"Sorry, thank you." Adam replied, snapping back to reality. He released Nfirea's hand, accepted the water skin, and spoke earnestly.
His gratitude was genuine.
"No problem."
Unaware of the significance, Nfirea nodded and hurried after his grandmother.
Watching Nfirea's retreating figure, Adam took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with exhilaration.
He hadn't expected to stumble upon such an ultra-rare General Job!
With Genius, he no longer needed to fret over basic job choices, simplifying his job build immensely.
Most critically, it drastically increased his margin for error!
To his knowledge, only one other person in this world shared the Genius job: the Re-Estize Kingdom's Golden Princess, Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself.
Or, as some called her as the Witch of the Falling Kingdom
Her Princess (General) job was a transformation of Genius (General).
In the hands of a New World human like the Golden Princess, this ultra-rare job was somewhat wasted.
Only a Player could unleash its true potential.
For the first time, Adam felt a weight lift from his chest, as if a taut string had loosened.
The despair that had plagued him faded. Though he'd only taken a General Job, the future suddenly felt less daunting.
"Another crucial piece of information." Adam thought, his eyes brightening.
Touching Nfirea had triggered a General Job condition, an unexpected discovery.
Combined with his earlier finding that handling weapons could unlock jobs, he'd uncovered two key mechanics of his Player Talent.
However, since he'd only gained the Genius General Job and not Alchemist or Pharmacist, normal contact with others likely couldn't trigger job acquisition.
"Was it because Nfirea holds Alchemist (Genius) and Pharmacist (Genius), the dual 'Genius' trait, that it accidentally triggered the Genius General Job?"
Adam mused thoughtfully.
***
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