Chapter 15: The Value of Ordinary Life

Seventh District, Workers’ Residential Area.

This was where the workers of the industrial zone lived. The buildings here were tall, densely populated, but poorly lit. A single long corridor connected numerous one-room apartments, and because the corridor ran through the building, ventilated at both ends like a tube, the locals called these "tube buildings." The bathrooms and toilets inside were communal.

Though the stench of industrial wastewater would waft over from time to time, its proximity to the factories made commuting convenient. With the low housing prices, quite a few people lived here.

Song Qi’s family currently resided in one of these tube buildings.

"I really want to tell my family this good news right away," he thought, climbing the stairs with a surge of excitement. Though he was not originally from this world, after more than a decade together, he already viewed his family here as his true kin.

He approached the window and peered inside—sure enough, no one was home. The place was not only empty, but shrouded in darkness.

"As expected, no one's back yet. I’ll start cooking then," Song Qi thought with a hint of disappointment, fishing out his key and preparing to open the door.

Suddenly—bang!

The old wooden door was yanked open, and the parents and his sister, whom he thought were out, leapt out from behind it.

"Congratulations on your successful job transition, son!"

"Welcome home, our family’s second future high-level professional!"

"Congratulations on your graduation!"

Three makeshift streamers, fashioned from shredded paper, were tossed straight into Song Qi’s face. One, thrown with a bit too much enthusiasm, failed to even unfurl.

Without looking, Song Qi already knew which of them had thrown that streamer.

"Ptui!" He spat out the paper streamer from his mouth, helplessly protesting, "Dad, don’t you know your own strength? Go easy with the streamers next time."

"Sorry, I got carried away. I’ll be more careful next time," his bearded father said sheepishly, scratching his head with a smile.

His mother stepped forward, smiling, and began picking off the bits of paper stuck to him one by one. "Alright, our family’s second professional—come inside! We took the day off to celebrate your graduation."

"We’ve been busy cooking since morning—made four big meat dishes, all your favorites!"

"Four meat dishes?"

With the world outside crawling with demonic tribes, humanity was confined to the cities. As a result, livestock farming was on a pitifully small scale. A single chicken, bred with the help of support-class professionals, cost hundreds of credit points.

For ordinary people, meat was usually just a fleeting taste.

"Thank you, Mom and Dad!" Song Qi was filled with warmth at this display of familial affection.

Both his parents were also professionals, and once dreamed of fighting the alien races. His father had chosen the warrior path, his mother the cleric. But with naturally low attributes and no awakened talents, coupled with their modest means, they couldn’t rise far. Even after reaching level twenty-one, they found themselves unable to clear even the simplest dungeons. In the end, they had no choice but to enter the factories and live out ordinary lives—remaining at level twenty-one to this day.

And since neither of them had chosen support professions, they couldn’t take on special jobs and their wages were meager. This was the reality for most common people. At graduation, many chose combat professions, dreaming of heroics against the demonic armies. In truth, after the novice period, most couldn’t even handle a single dungeon, and eventually faded into mediocrity.

Song Qi glanced at his elder sister.

"Sis, I succeeded in my job transition—and I awakened a talent!"

"Mm." Her response was calm, without even asking what his talent was. Song Qi was used to this.

His sister, Song Lan, was a warrior with a B-level awakened talent. Malnourished in childhood, she had not grown properly and was unremarkable in appearance. But after becoming a professional, perhaps due to attribute increases from leveling, she regained her natural beauty. In less than a year, she transformed from the bespectacled girl classmates used to tease, to a goddess who left everyone stunned.

Her skin became porcelain white, her frame tall and graceful. In black fitted armor, wielding a greatsword, she was the picture of valor. Her once awkward personality was now seen as cool detachment. In recent years, Song Qi’s well-fed state was largely thanks to his sister’s generous helpings.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to share his good news.

"Mom, Dad, actually, the profession I transitioned to today is—"

"Not now!" his mother interrupted. "Whatever it is, let’s eat first—before the food gets cold!"

Seeing Song Qi about to speak, she hurried to pull everyone inside. He could only smile wryly; he knew his mother’s intent—no matter what, they should eat well first, so nothing would spoil the mood.

He accepted her kindness, sat down, and the family enjoyed a sumptuous meal together.

...

After the feast, only a few leftovers remained on the table.

"Burp~~ That was satisfying! Thanks to our son, today I really got my fill of meat," his father said, patting his stomach contentedly as he reclined in his chair. "If only we could eat like this every day."

His mother shot him a look. "Every day? This meal alone cost nearly two thousand. The two of us together only make six thousand a month! And with your sister, we barely top ten thousand credits."

"Heh, but now we have a second professional in the family," his father replied cheerily, turning to Song Qi. Now that dinner was over, it was time for serious matters.

His mother and sister also looked at him. For this family, Song Qi’s profession would have a huge impact. If his talent was good, then with a few years of steady effort, they could rise from poverty to a comfortable life. If not, everything would depend on Song Lan.

Song Qi spat out a chicken bone and, after a brief pause, spoke plainly. "Actually, the profession I chose today is Summoner."

With these words, the atmosphere grew chilly. The three looked at him with disappointment.

Even those who spent their days in the factory knew how problematic the summoner profession was—a notorious waste of resources, unreliable at best.

His father, realizing the mood, forced a smile. "Summoner, eh? If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll summon something powerful. If you get a dragon-type, we’ll be set! Or even a strong beast or undead—leveling up in the early stages wouldn’t be too slow."

"It’s a humanoid summon," Song Qi explained.

His father fell silent. Humanoid summons were infamous for their massive resource consumption. For wealthy families, if the summon had enough potential, feeding it more wasn’t an issue. For their household, supporting even one professional was a stretch, let alone a humanoid summon.

His mother quickly interjected. "So what if it’s humanoid? As long as the talent is good, humanoid summons are strong too! They can think for themselves, have no leveling bottlenecks—don’t they have more potential than beasts or undead? So what if they’re weak at first? By the way, son, did you awaken a talent?"

"I did," Song Qi nodded.

At that, his parents’ faces brightened. His father let out a long breath. "I knew it—my son’s bound for greatness! So, is your talent C-level, B-level, or... A-level?"

For someone without family resources, a talent of at least C-level was essential.

"None of those," Song Qi replied.

"Then... is it S-level?" his mother asked, concern in her voice.

"Not that either."

His father fell silent.

His mother fell silent.

The atmosphere in the room dropped to freezing. Only the sound of Song Lan sipping soup broke the silence. Soon, her bowl was empty.

The couple had already begun to consider how best to comfort Song Qi. Should they tell him that there was virtue in ordinariness, that working in the factory was also a contribution to humanity? Or should they encourage him not to be discouraged, that talent wasn’t everything?