From Beggar to Emperor: My Profession Has Its Own Characteristics

In the hut.

Zhu Yuan with his eyes closed.

I'm calculating today's net income.

Breakfast cost two coins, lunch five coins, and dinner was one coin less than yesterday. I ate four multigrain pancakes, a bowl of soybean dregs, and a bowl of tofu, which also cost five coins.

The meal cost twelve coins in total.

The purchase of coarse straw rope and the hospitality cost a total of eleven coins.

Today's net income is sixty-one coins!

"After deducting the nine coins for the treat, I have a full seventy coins. If I go to Dongyun Martial Arts School to register in ten days, there should be no problem..."

With this idea in mind.

Zhu Yuan drifted off to sleep.

Time flies.

Four days later.

When Zhu Yuan woke up in the morning, his upper body was increasingly sore.

"I've been working too hard these days."

After stretching his legs a bit, Zhu Yuan took a quick look at the second page of the ancient book to encourage himself.

-

Occupation: Porter

Level: Lv2 (345/400)

-

With 45 more experience points needed, the porter profession will be able to level up again.

Over these four days, he gained an average of over 85 experience points per day.

The most trips were made in one instance, totaling 67, while the fewest were still 60.

The 67th trip was on the first day, and the fewest trips were yesterday.

Hard work pays off; in four days, his net income reached 310 coins.

His total assets have exceeded 750 coins, less than a quarter of the 1,000 coins.

"The second characteristic of the porter profession is... please don't let me down..."

Before heading to the dock, Zhu Yuan silently prayed and occasionally stretched his aching shoulders.

When he arrived at the dock, the sunlight had just begun to shine on the water, spreading a layer of shattered gold across the murky river.

"Zhu Yuan, you're here so early again today."

A porter who had just walked to the pile of goods and was yawning and stretching saw him and waved.

"Yes," Zhu Yuan nodded in response, a slightly shy smile on his face.

"How much are you planning to transport today?" the porter asked as he approached.

"It can't be less than yesterday," Zhu Yuan replied with a smile.

"It's good to be young." The porter shook his head with a sigh, patting his stiff lower back. "My old bones can't compare to yours."

Zhu Yuan, who had only been working at the dock for four and a half days, was already recognized by many porters.

His figure, carrying a shoulder pole, was always the first to appear and the last to leave.

During breaks, they mostly close their eyes to rest and rarely gather together to chat like others.

His extraordinary effort and endurance have left a deep impression on many of the dockworkers.

This morning, Zhu Yuan was feeling unwell.

Only twenty-five trips were made, one less than the morning before the porter profession was upgraded.

At this moment, there are only eleven experience points left before the porter profession can be upgraded again.

It should take about eight more trips to upgrade.

Zhu Yuan ate a lot and rested well at noon today.

I put all my energy into working in the afternoon.

He made seven round trips, taking only one break in between.

"This is the last trip."

Zhu Yuan opened his eyes, took a deep breath to relieve his fatigue.

This might be because the porter profession needs an upgrade.

This time, he walked much faster than he had on the previous seven trips.

Zhu Yuan completed his eighth trip.

He could feel a force emanating from his shoulders and waist, which made him feel very comfortable.

It felt so good I almost cried out!

But he held back.

The soreness in my shoulders and lower back is subsiding rapidly.

At this moment, Zhu Yuan squatted down, lowered his head and closed his eyes, looking as if he was resting.

-

Occupation: Porter

Level: Lv3 (0/800)

Feature 1: The Foot of a Porter (White)

Feature 2: Waist and Shoulder Strengthening (White)

Feature 3: Unlocked at Lv5 (White)

-

[You've tied up the sacks and started transporting two sacks with a carrying pole. The pole is heavy on your shoulders, but you seem tireless with your energetic spirit, completing the transport quickly. Job Experience +1.4.]

[Congratulations! Your job level has increased to Lv3. You are now a seasoned porter and have unlocked the second job trait: Waist and Shoulder Enhancement (White).]

Strengthening the waist and shoulders (white): As a porter, long-term labor causes your shoulders to be repeatedly compressed, thickening the periosteum, making your waist stronger and able to bear more heavy objects.

The second characteristic of the porter's profession is somewhat in line with Zhu Yuan's expectations, but not entirely.

His most understood effect was that the porter's second occupational trait could strengthen his upper body, except for his head.

The result was that only the shoulders and waist were strengthened.

His hands were still a little sore.

When transporting goods, the hands are mainly used to hold onto the carrying pole, so that it can be held steady when it sways, and not much force is required.

Zhu Yuan thought about it carefully and realized that it was normal that his hands hadn't been strengthened.

The periosteum in the shoulder thickens, and the lower back becomes stronger.

Techniques that utilize shoulder and waist strength seem to actually exist...

"Zhu Yuan, are you alright? You've been squatting there for quite a while." Old Ma's voice came from the side, interrupting Zhu Yuan's thoughts.

At this moment, Old Ma stood there with his arms crossed, his eyes filled with concern, his gaze fixed on Zhu Yuan's still squatting back.

"It's alright, Uncle Ma, I'm fine." Zhu Yuan opened his eyes and let out a long sigh of relief, as if waking up from a deep dream.

He supported himself on his knees and slowly stood up, patting the dust off his trousers.

After standing up, he tried to move his neck a few times and expand his chest. The movements carried a sense of newfound comfort, and his breathing had returned to normal.

"It's good that you're alright." Old Ma nodded, his gaze lingering on him for a moment before he suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked him up and down carefully. "Hmm, your shoulders...aren't they a bit broad?"

"Yeah, Uncle Ma," Zhu Yuan chimed in, "Don't people in our line of work all develop thick shoulders?"

Old Ma remained silent for a moment upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.

Zhu Yuan's words were not wrong in themselves, but given his experiences over the past few days, something just didn't seem right.

Soon, he stopped worrying about it.

Zhu Yuan was indeed a born porter.

I don't know if this is good or bad.

Honestly, after spending these past few days together, he now hopes that Zhu Yuan will achieve great things in the future.

"Uncle Ma, I've rested enough."

As Zhu Yuan spoke, he lightly jumped twice on the spot, and then rotated his shoulders and waist a few times, looking very energetic.

He bent down and picked up the old carrying pole that was lying at his feet. He weighed it in his hand and felt that it seemed lighter than before.

The second characteristic of the porter profession, although it did not strengthen his hands, still increased his overall strength.

This is a good thing.

"So fast..."

Looking at Zhu Yuan's recovered spirits, Old Ma simply nodded, his face remaining expressionless.

He raised his hand and pointed towards the pile of goods, his voice regaining its usual calm: "Alright, let's continue."

"Okay!"

Zhu Yuan responded loudly, shouldered the carrying pole, took the thick straw rope, and strode towards the pile of goods.

Now that the second trait of the porter profession has been unlocked, he is eager to try out its effects.