Chapter 339: Choices and Consequences
With my System fully restored and these incredible new rewards at my disposal, I found myself facing a decision that could fundamentally reshape my capabilities. The Job Integration Protocol offered me access to any job title I’d previously observed, and as I scrolled through the available options, each one brought back memories of the people who’d wielded them.
Job Switcher was Mark’s title. The ability to switch freely between different job without the usual restrictions. It was undeniably useful, allowing for incredible versatility in any situation. But something about the impermanence bothered me. I’d built my identity around mastering and truly understanding each profession I took on. The idea of constantly switching felt... hollow. Like being an expert in everything but a master of nothing.
Job Inverter is Sienna’s unique ability to reverse the effects and applications of her current job and skills. Fascinating from a theoretical standpoint, and I’d seen how devastatingly effective it could be in the right circumstances. But here was the issue: I could already copy Sienna’s skills directly when needed. More importantly, the job was incredibly situational. Its effectiveness depended entirely on having the right opposing force to invert against. Too specialized for my needs.
Alexis had the Job Merger title, and this one immediately caught my attention for multiple reasons. First, it would allow me to combine my current jobs together for exponentially greater effect rather than simply running them in parallel. But more importantly, it addressed a persistent problem I’d been dealing with: overheating from having too many jobs at the same time.
Alexis had claimed that the bitumen vial had fixed my overheating issues, but I hadn’t fully tested this theory yet. Having Job Merger as a backup safety measure would significantly reduce the risk of system overload. The ability to consolidate multiple jobs into streamlined combinations would be invaluable as my collection of skills continued to grow.
Job Maxer is likely Camille’s title, allowing her to temporarily boost all skills to level 10. The power implications were staggering. Combined with Full Profession Sync, I would be essentially invincible for about ten minutes. But that word "temporarily" was exactly the problem. I’d learned to be wary of abilities that provided massive short-term benefits followed by equally massive drawbacks. I was building a foundation for long-term success, not looking for flashy tricks that would leave me vulnerable afterward.
Portfolio Copier is definitely Evelyn’s ability, allowing her to duplicate any of my organized skill portfolios. But obviously, I had no need to copy my own jobs and skills. The very concept is nonsensical and redundant.
System Scanner - I was confident this belonged to 3830, providing an advanced scanning ability that revealed information like job titles and system messages. Massively useful for intelligence gathering and strategic planning. However, there was a significant limitation: job titles were still relatively rare. In the World Leaders meeting, only Valeska had shown clear signs of possessing one. Even if someone like the World President had a job title, it would likely be quite some time before I encountered him in person. The utility was too situational for immediate needs.
System Disabler - 3829’s ability, allowing targeted disruption of others’ System connections. Theoretically powerful, but it suffered from the same line-of-sight limitations that made it impractical. It required either direct visual contact or knowledge of someone’s specific location, and the more general the targeting area, the weaker the effect became. Another situational ability that wouldn’t provide consistent value.
Siren Job - The final option, almost certainly Valeska’s supernatural ability to influence and persuade others without their conscious awareness. I’d experienced its effects firsthand and understood both its power and its limitations. More importantly, I’d proven that it could be overcome through sufficient willpower and skills. I had already beaten her and so with Instinct at level 9, I doubt that the job title would work on me anymore.