Chapter 57: Successful Job Change

Soon, Gabumon and Greymon returned from the sewers. In order for a Digimon to enhance its combat abilities, it must engage in battles with opponents of equal strength. With Tsunomon’s meager fighting power, honestly, it might not even serve as good practice for rookie Digimon, let alone for a champion-level Digimon like Greymon.

After handing over the Tsunomon’s mucus to the NPC, Gabumon officially completed his job change. As a reward, the NPC gave him a large cauldron and a spatula—these were professional tools, and at the same time, he learned the Harvesting skill.

The Harvesting skill allows one to collect materials. Since the recent update, when a Digimon is defeated, its body doesn’t immediately dissipate into light; instead, it lingers for a while. During this window, players can use the Harvesting skill to collect materials, which can be used for practice or sold. Notably, harvested materials are considered extra gains. When the Digimon finally vanishes, its standard rewards will still drop as usual. However, given this game’s infamous stinginess with loot, it's entirely possible to get nothing even after a successful hunt.

As for the cauldron and spatula, though they’re system-issued and of decent quality, that's all they are. At best, they're starter gear. If one has the means, it’s best to upgrade as soon as possible.

Professional tools like these typically come from three sources: first, as rare drops from bosses; second, by commissioning other professional players to forge them, or seeking out a Digimon blacksmith for help; and third, by scouring the auction house.

In any case, Gabumon had completed the two most urgent tasks. Now, the priority was to tackle dungeons. Only by clearing dungeons could he level up. With each level gained, more areas would become accessible, increasing the chances of finding the scattered data of Zeromon.

After accepting every available quest, Gabumon set out for the city gates. The training zones outside Greymon’s small town weren’t extensive, divided into three distinct stages.

The first stage was the level 10–13 training zone, which came with a corresponding level 10–13 standard dungeon. Since the update, players no longer need to search for standard dungeons—they appear automatically.

However, each standard dungeon can only be cleared three times per day. Without this limit, the training zones would lose their purpose. Fortunately, each training zone has its own dungeon.

Furthermore, dungeon difficulty has been significantly lowered. The challenge of the first and second clears is nearly identical. Consequently, the rewards for the first completion are only marginally better than the second, unlike before when there was a clear disparity.

Additionally, hidden dungeons are no longer unique to the first player who triggers them. Now, even after you discover a hidden dungeon, others can still trigger it for themselves. Hidden dungeons also require a party to enter, preventing under-leveled players from biting off more than they can chew. These hidden dungeons appear immediately after the standard dungeon.

In short, if Gabumon and his party clear a standard dungeon and happen to trigger a hidden one, they’ll proceed directly into it. If they choose to leave after clearing the standard dungeon, the hidden dungeon is forfeited. To encounter it again, they’d need to trigger the hidden event anew in a future run.

The second stage is the level 14–16 training zone, with its own corresponding dungeon. The third stage is for levels 17–20, likewise with its own dungeon.

These three stages comprise all the training zones around Greymon’s small town. Though the cap is level 20, that doesn’t mean players can leave town at that point. In fact, one must reach level 30 before venturing to the capital.

By the time players reach level 30, typically one or two Digimon in the group will have evolved to the Ultimate stage. Without even a single Ultimate-level Digimon, even the weakest monsters in the capital would be insurmountable.

As for other training zones around Greymon’s town, they’re even further afield. One generally has to push through one of the initial three zones to reach higher-level areas.

Though the outlying zones are far away, Gabumon had no need to think about them yet. He was only level 13 and still needed to grind. There were already some players who had hit level 10 and arrived in Greymon’s small town.

However, their levels lagged too far behind Gabumon’s. Taking them along would only slow him down. With two champion-level Digimon in his party, he was more than strong enough to go solo.

Soon, Gabumon made his way through the training zone to the entrance of the dungeon—a valley, whose mouth served as the dungeon’s gate.

Upon entering the valley, Gabumon skipped the usual tedious procedures and went straight into the dungeon.

This was a Greymon-themed dungeon. In fact, its backstory was closely tied to the guardian Digimon of Greymon’s town, though the details could wait for another time.

As Gabumon stepped inside, two Greymon immediately opened their jaws and launched fireballs at him.

Greymon, a dinosaur-type Vaccine Digimon at the Champion stage, is known for its signature move, "Mega Flame." Its head is protected by a hardened, beetle-like shell, and with its sharp claws and massive horns—every inch of its body a weapon—it is an extremely aggressive Digimon.

With "Demon King’s Might," the black figure formed from dark energy on Gabumon’s body threw two powerful punches, shattering the fireballs to pieces.

Speaking of combat, it’s worth mentioning Gabumon’s condition after reaching the Champion stage. At this moment, his physical state was...