Chapter 253: Caelus Pulls a Gun! The Value of a Profession Card, Dual-Mode for Ruyi Jingu Bang
The apartment was quiet when Caelus and Sylvia finally returned.
After everything that happened inside the Rift, they simply let themselves relax.
While they were trapped inside the Rift, another day in the Origin Ascension Domain had passed. They missed their daily login. But it was fine. They leveled up multiple times and secured incredible rewards.
They then talked about their plans for the rest of the day.
They took a shower together to wash away the grime of the shattered dimension.
They ordered good takeout food and sat on the sofa to watch a movie together while hugging each other. It was a peaceful, comforting evening.
The next morning, they headed straight to a local bank.
Players constantly moved in and out. Employees verified their identities at the front desk before guiding them to a processing terminal.
A transparent holographic screen lit up, displaying the conversion rates. Caelus and Sylvia authorized the transaction. The Origin Credits disappeared from their status windows.
Moments later, both received a bank confirmation on their phones.
Now, Caelus had $1,474.74 in his account while Sylvia had $1,472.55.
It was not a fortune. But it was the first large amount of money they had earned entirely through their own strength. That feeling of independence was incredible.
After leaving the bank, they casually walked through the streets of Queens.
The streets were busy. People hurried to work, food stalls blew steam into the air, and traffic moved steadily along the roads with pedestrians everywhere.
Caelus wore a relaxed expression as he walked with Sylvia. This was his home, and with him was his girlfriend. His mood was naturally high right now.
While they were walking, a man suddenly ran toward them.
He looked anxious and out of breath.
"Please!" the man shouted. "My friend got into an accident! Can you help?"
"Hm?" Caelus frowned. "Where is he?"
"He’s nearby. I’ll show you! Come with me!" he exclaimed.
"Should we go, Sylvia?" Caelus asked quietly via telepathy.
"Queens is not really a good place if I’m being honest."
"Let’s see what it is," Sylvia suggested.
Caelus nodded. If there really was a person who got into an accident, then they wouldn’t want to keep them waiting.
They then began to follow the man to see what was going on.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
He led them around a corner into a quieter street.
The moment they stepped into the alleyway, a gunshot echoed.
Caelus instantly sensed the danger, and his senses flared in response.
Whoosh!
He twisted his body at the last possible moment.
The bullet narrowly missed his shoulder and struck the brick wall behind him.
The frightened civilian immediately dropped the act.
His face twisted into a cold sneer as he threw away his t-shirt, revealing an outfit Caelus was familiar with.
He was a Direwolf Gang member!
"Tch." Caelus clicked his tongue. "Were you people camping for me to come here or something?"
"Too bad..."
Without hesitation, Caelus reached for his pocket.
A firearm appeared in his hand.
"Y-You." The Direwolf Gang member was shocked seeing it.
However, before he could continue, Caelus pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A hole tore through the man’s head as he dropped dead on the floor.
Sylvia was slightly surprised by this.
"I got it from the incident with them earlier. This gun can kill someone with a combat score of 25," Caelus said with a smile. "It was put to good use."
As he said that, he glanced at the dead man and his gun.
Caelus immediately grabbed the firearm from the man’s hands.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Just then, more Direwolf Gang members emerged from hiding behind the dumpsters and fire escapes.
"We were waiting for you to come out for a long time, kid! You can die now!" one of the members exclaimed. "You are definitely not getting away after killing more of our people."
Caelus looked at them coldly.
"So there were more."
His ascended body flared up. His vision slowed to a crawl as his eyes analyzed all targets.
They all roughly had the power of 50 combat score or less emanating from them.
But the gun in his hand also had just as much power in it!
He was able to ascertain it while narrowly dodging the bullet that the man he just killed shot at him.
This was enough!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Every shot landed with deadly precision.
Bodies dropped one after another as Caelus fired.
This gun was significantly stronger. The last gun he faced could only threaten targets around a Combat Score of 25. This heavy model remained effective against opponents with a Combat Score of up to 50.
One surviving gangster attempted to attack Sylvia from behind with a knife.
Sylvia just then calmly raised her hands. In her hand was also a gun.
Bang!
With blood spurting from the attacker’s head, he collapsed with a hole in his head.
Afterward, Sylvia lifted the barrel to her face. She blew imaginary smoke away from the muzzle with a completely serious expression.
Caelus stared at her speechlessly.
Then, he gave her a silent thumbs up.
"Good work, Sylvia."
"Hahaha~" Sylvia chuckled as she winked at Caelus.
Only these two would act like this while they were in a dangerous situation, and that’s what made them both unique.
After confirming the area was safe, they both began assessing the situation.
It did not take long for Caelus to connect the dots.
These people were almost certainly sent after him because he dismantled one of their operations two days ago.
Sylvia nodded. "It looks like destroying them really was the right decision."
Caelus agreed. If they had ignored the gang before, those criminals would have continued hurting innocent people anyway.
Killing them was just doing a great contribution to society.
With the interruption over, the two resumed exploring Queens.
They did get a few more distress calls. It was clearly the Direwolf Gang, but they didn’t go this time. They gave them the middle finger as they continued walking unbothered. Public assassination wouldn’t happen because this country was pretty safe. As long as you were in front of civilians, there were always police watching from the shadows.
Eventually, they stopped in front of a blacksmith workshop.
A simple metal sign hung outside with the text written: "Sugar Rush Blacksmith Workshop".
This was a modern facility. It featured reinforced steel walls, large industrial equipment, and heavy mechanical hammers. Crafting stations were visible through the front windows. Despite the modern technology of Earth, the place still carried the heavy atmosphere of an old-fashioned forge.
People came and went, speaking with the assistants inside.
Standing outside the entrance was a familiar face.
Candy was leaning against the wall, casually chewing bubblegum.
Caelus smiled. "We met sooner than I expected."
Candy simply nodded with an unbothered expression and asked, "What do you need?"
Caelus immediately took out the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
"I want to modify it. I want a second form. When transformed, it should become a double-edged spear."
Candy took the staff and examined it for a few seconds.
"It is possible," Candy said. "It will cost $10,000."
Caelus almost choked hearing the number. "Wha...."
Caelus and Sylvia froze. Their lips visibly twitched.
They had only just become excited about finally having a thousand dollars.
Now, an amount ten times that was being asked of them.
Being a player was never going to get easier, was it?
Caelus held a wry smile on his face. "...Do you take installments?"
Caelus had thought about becoming a blacksmith himself someday to avoid costs like this.
Unfortunately, Earth was completely different from the Azure Origin Planet. Profession Cards on Earth were incredibly valuable.
Even an ordinary Blacksmith Profession Card could cost around $50,000 on the market.
Professions were considered sacred resources here.
They were not something ordinary people could casually obtain.
Candy quietly watched their pained expressions.
Then she shrugged helplessly. "...I can do it for free."
Caelus blinked, with his eyes slowly widening.
"My grandpa can modify 1-star weapons easily," Candy added. "Consider it repayment for helping me during the time inside the Rift."
Caelus immediately became grateful.
He sincerely thanked her for the favor with a sheepish smile.
Candy took the Ruyi and disappeared behind the heavy workshop curtains.
As the curtain parted, Caelus caught a brief glimpse of an elderly man working inside. The old man casually glanced toward Caelus. It was only for a single moment. Then he returned to his hammering without saying a word.
Candy noticed Caelus looking.
"Do not mind Grandpa," she said, blowing another bubble with her chewing gum. "He is antisocial."
After waiting outside for a short while, Candy returned with the modified weapon.
It looked slightly different, carrying a sharper metallic sheen.
"Expose it with Mana and it’ll change," Candy said with a bored look on her face.
Caelus did exactly as she instructed.
He did as she instructed, and the staff turned into a double-edged spear. He swung it around; it was swift, and he didn’t find any problems with it either.
With this, he could now finally use his Holy Sword Surge skill.
Caelus and Sylvia sincerely thanked her once again before turning to leave.
Just as they walked away, Caelus felt his phone begin vibrating in his pocket.
He pulled it out and looked at the screen.
