Mercenary Wars

Chapter 79 Survival Determines the Battle
Gao Jiano himself had considered choosing the demon's true name, so of course he wouldn't consider it something heinous.

“It’s just a demon’s real name, that doesn’t prove anything, and I have no interest in accepting any praise from the church like ‘piety’ or ‘purity,’” he said. “If you want me to help you, you’d better provide concrete evidence, or at least some meaningful clues.”

Clearly, after so many years, the sailors could not provide any substantial evidence or clues.

They can't even offer any decent benefits.

After another long silence, a dark blue light suddenly appeared in the corner of the room, which had been filled with a large puddle of water. Within it, the figure of a sailor with a distorted face could be vaguely seen.

Immediately, the pale blue light flashed and instantly disappeared into Gao Jiano's body.

[Status Acquired: Sailor's Curse of Revenge]

[Level: Fourth Ring]

[Effect: Kill Mary within one year, or die]

……

[No countermeasure target, curse lifted]

……

Seeing these messages flashing by, Gao Jiano was stunned for a moment before he understood what was going on.

Sailor Tom was clearly far from having the ability to unleash the Fourth Ring Curse, so in order to complete the curse, he had to pay the price of self-annihilation.

The curse was completed, but since the curser's soul had been annihilated, the Fair Curse had no target to counteract it, and so the curse was lifted.

Recalling the fleeting "sailor's curse of revenge," Gao Jiano couldn't help but think: It seems that what the sailor said was mostly true, otherwise he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to inflict such a costly curse.

This made him pay some attention to and be wary of Mary, a woman he had never met before.

But in any case, the curse on the house has been completely lifted.

Gaucano let out a breath and then called Daryls to help him tidy up the house.

From then on, this was his home.

After sleeping at home for the first night, the next day, Gao Jiano first went to the Hunter's Guild to buy a level 4 wind-type crystal core, which he placed next to the owl egg to provide energy for its hatching.

Then he continued to think about his career and specialization.

After asking around and reading several books, Gao Jiano gradually developed some unique thoughts and perspectives on career and specialization.

These thoughts and opinions all stem from a simple question: What exactly determines the division of combat professions?
Is it a weapon?

It seems not. For example, there are many skilled swordsmen in both the warrior and the thief classes, but almost no one would confuse the two.

Or perhaps it's a skill?
No, for example, "Hunter's Mark." Although it has "Hunter" in its name, no one stipulates that only hunters can learn it. At least as far as Gaogano knows, the popularity of Hunter's Mark among thieves is not much lower than that among hunters.

What exactly is that?
After much deliberation, Gaucano noticed that armor seemed to be a more critical factor.

A hunter, whether using a bow and arrow or a sword, whether using runes or magic, can be an undisputed hunter. But if he wears plate armor or a robe, many people will no longer consider him a hunter.

Similarly, a paladin can use a longsword, a warhammer, a staff, or even just a holy book, but if he wears a robe, everyone will call him a priest.

Continuing along this line of thought, Gaucano eventually realized that what truly distinguishes different combat professions is survivability.

A warrior's survivability comes from armor and physical strength; a hunter's from distance and their beast companion; a rogue's from quick reflexes and stealth skills; a mage's from magical shields and magical armor...

That makes sense, since for most normal people, protecting themselves is definitely a better priority than killing the enemy.

Survival determines combat, not the other way around. Only after the survival model is established can the combat model be determined, and only then can the differentiation of professions take shape.

Considering it this way, choosing a career is roughly equivalent to choosing a means of survival, and career prospects are naturally roughly equivalent to the potential of one's means of survival.

Gaucano's thoughts gradually became clearer.

Without a doubt, his most developed combat class is Hunter.

With excellent archery skills and a swift wind, plus a Warcraft companion, he would be a classic hunter.

However, the hunter's survivability, as well as his monster companions, doesn't seem to have much potential.

Thieves are out of the question. This profession exudes an aura of insecurity and a lack of future prospects. Most thieves, even the most renowned assassins, initially entered this path because they had no other choice. What potential could such a profession possibly have?

As for the Warrior class, Gao Jiano has a pretty good impression of it, and objectively speaking, Warriors do have strong survivability; otherwise, they wouldn't be charging into battle in various situations.

However, a significant drawback of warriors is their lack of flexibility. Most warriors rely heavily on heavy armor, and without armor, their survivability may be the lowest of all classes.

The monk.

Overall, the mage is probably the most powerful class, possessing a wide variety of protective spells that are neither cumbersome nor fragile. Some mages even believe that only the "mage" is the true profession, while others are merely "special features."

However, the problem with this profession is that it has a high barrier to entry.

To become a proper monk, one must undergo systematic training; taking unorthodox methods is virtually impossible.

As for receiving systematic magical training, Deep Blue Academy is out of the question; Gaucano is far too old. Ax Magic Academy still offers a chance, but it's a long way off, and he's not ready yet. As for other magic academies, the gap between them and these two is too great; it's better not to go.

After much deliberation, although Gao Jiano's understanding became clearer, he became increasingly unsure of his own ideas.

Until he remembered a spell recorded in the Blood Magic Notebook.

Blood regeneration.

The entire Blood Magic Notebook records dozens of spells, but very few of them can provide survival abilities; Blood Regeneration is the most prominent one.

The effect of Blood Regeneration is simple: it absorbs blood to heal injuries. The degree of healing depends on the amount of blood absorbed; the greater the amount and the higher the level of the blood, the greater the degree of healing.

In theory, as long as the blood meets the conditions, the effect of blood regeneration can even approach rebirth indefinitely.

Since survival determines profession and combat, mastering a sharp survival skill like Blood Regeneration is tantamount to making a career choice.

Gao Jiano turned to the section on Blood Regeneration in the Blood Magic Notebook.

Blood Regeneration, a second-circle spell, combined with runes...

As he read the description of Blood Regeneration, Gao Jiano became increasingly excited. Combined with the name "Blood Magic Notes," a series of fantasies immediately arose.

The legendary "Blood Mage"... could it be a mage whose core skill is blood regeneration?
(End of this chapter)