https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-131-Let-Him-Live-a-Little-Longer-Part-2-/12996610/
Chapter 132: Surrender? Go to Hell!
Chapter 132: Surrender? Go to Hell!
Flashgold Town Cathedral Plaza.
A group of lavishly dressed nobles and those clad in plate armor surrounded a young man demonstrating his swordsmanship in the center of the arena.
The Night Watchmen, who were initially busy with their tasks, couldn't help but slow down and crane their necks curiously to get a better view.
"Hey, it's Lord Rain!"
"Yeah, it's the new Deputy Sheriff, Lord Rain!"
"That's right, it's Rain. Seems like he's demonstrating his swordsmanship."
Despite Rain's rapid rise in rank, many of the Night Watchmen still addressed him by his name, as Rain was the youngest among them.
It wasn't out of disrespect but rather a matter of habit, as the time for adjustment was too short.
Initially, they called him Little Rain, then Rain, and just over half a month ago, they addressed him as Captain, and now he's the Deputy Sheriff. His promotion speed was simply astonishing!
No one knew when the 'Deputy' title would be dropped.
Rain's face turned solemn as he executed a swift and furious cross-step slash, followed by a fierce leaping strike.
The sharp sound of slicing through the air reverberated across the arena!
"Overhead Slash!"
"Leap Strike!"
"Cyclone Slash!"
"..."
Each transition in Rain's Grizzly Bear Sword Technique was exceptionally smooth, giving the audience a sense of witnessing a graceful dance of strength and beauty.
"Indeed, Rain has mastered the Grizzly Bear Sword Technique!"
"This kid, Rain, has improved so quickly!" Hamilton's eyes widened in astonishment as he muttered to himself.
As Rain's direct superior, Hamilton had witnessed Rain's growth from an ordinary farmer's son to a formidable fighter.
Upon reflection, Hamilton realized that Rain's strength seemed to reach new heights every few months.
Comparing their fighting prowess, Hamilton was amazed to discover that Rain's current strength seemed to surpass his own!
Perhaps Rain still lacked a bit of combat experience compared to him, but the gap was negligible.
Hamilton had to admit that Rain was now on par with him in terms of skill.
How old was Rain?
The rapidity of Rain's progress was blinding, to say the least.
"This is the mastery level of the Grizzly Bear Sword Technique!"
"At only fourteen or fifteen years old, he's reached this level! What an incredible talent!"
Among the onlookers, the one most impressed by Rain's display of the Grizzly Bear Sword Technique was Peres, the noble heir and swordsmanship instructor from the Habsburg Manor.
Peres, who also specialized in the Grizzly Bear Sword Technique, vividly recalled that it took him four to five years of rigorous training to reach Rain's current level.
Although he wasn't familiar with Rain and didn't know the specifics of his training, it was evident that Rain hadn't practiced for long.
Maybe a year? But it was impossible for it to be any longer.
The reason was simple; the sheer weight of the greatsword, which weighed several dozen pounds, was a significant factor.
An eleven or twelve-year-old commoner's heir would never be able to wield such a heavy weapon.
Rain's physique, similar to that of an average person, indicated that he wasn't naturally gifted with extraordinary strength.
Alonso, on the other hand, grew increasingly apprehensive as he watched, his expression darkening. He couldn't shake off a certain fear as Rain's rapid progress reminded him of someone—his sister, Kyra.
Alonso remembered that when he was a Third Rank Knight Squire, Kyra had just learned to hold a sword.
But two years later, he could only fight her to a draw.
In the third year, he suffered defeat after defeat.
Although he had made significant progress in the past year due to the ample supply of divine blood from the Black Flame Church, it seemed foolish to compare his training pace with someone as talented as Rain.
Fortunately, Alonso had anticipated this when he witnessed his sister's potential.
That's why he collaborated with the Black Flame Church, hoping to gain something from their prayer ritual.
If he could acquire control over the Black Flame or any other special ability during the ritual, he would experience a surge in power.
As Alonso's mind raced with these thoughts, the church members watched Rain's swordsmanship demonstration with undivided attention.
"Beryl, how do you rate Rain's swordsmanship?" Dean Rudolph turned to a Temple Knight beside him.
"He's very strong, not inferior to me. But considering his age, I'm far behind," Beryl replied.
"I believe Lord Rain, the newly appointed Extraordinary Knight, possesses exceptional talent in both swordsmanship and knighthood."
"I agree. It's a pity that such talent couldn't be part of our Goddess Church." Dean Rudolph nodded, expressing his regret.
"However, Dean Rudolph, if Rain's current display is all he has to offer, he might still fall short against an Apostle."
Beryl, the Temple Knight, had been observing carefully. After a while, he shared his assessment.
"You're right. But I suspect Rain has an ace up his sleeve, which he's not revealing in this setting," Dean Rudolph agreed, nodding in approval of Beryl's insight.
"From his demonstration, he at least has the potential to defeat an Apostle, doesn't he?" Dean Rudolph said with a smile.
"You're right!" Beryl first froze, then smiled and agreed.
Among the nobles present, the only one who couldn't quite see through the other party's thoughts was Viscount Hamadi, the County Sheriff. He stared at Rain expressionlessly, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Baroness Crowley and Jennie stood by, their eyes sparkling with excitement.
For them, it was natural to hope that Rain, the guardian knight of the Crowley family, would become even stronger.
Rain's sword demonstration lasted less than ten seconds before it ended.
However, it left a deep impression on the surrounding onlookers.
Hamilton approached with a complex expression, patted Rain's shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Rain, you've given me another big surprise."
"Your Grizzly Bear Sword Technique has reached the Master Level, that's incredible!"
"Also, after this assessment, I estimate that you'll have enough Merit Points for your knighthood."
"I was a bit worried that your promotion to Extraordinary was too soon and that your strength might be lacking, but now it seems my worries were unnecessary."
"Hmm?"
The correct version is available at 6+shu_bar! 6=9+shu_bar.
This made Rain's heart skip a beat. He never expected these Flame Black Adepts to be so 'valuable.'
He had thought it would take at least a few months to accumulate 1000 Merit Points to register for the knighthood assessment.
As Rain and Hamilton were talking, a Temple Knight approached Dean Rudolph and reported in a low voice, "Dean Rudolph, I think you should take a look inside the church."
Rudolph raised an eyebrow, looked up, and glanced at the Temple Knight with a hint of surprise. The Temple Knight nodded slightly, causing Rudolph's expression to turn grim.
Rudolph and Beryl quickly entered the church to inspect the scene.
After carefully examining several corpses of Flashgold Town residents, Dean Rudolph said solemnly, "A Bloodstain Ritual of the Flame Black Church was held here, and it seems to have been successful."
"Huh! If, as the Night Watchman just said, Rain killed all the Extraordinary Black Flame Cultists, then the Energy Storage Crystal they used to store blood energy should be in Rain's possession."
Beryl frowned, suddenly realizing something, and reminded him.
"Exactly!"
"Go and ask Rain if the Energy Storage Crystal is still intact or if it was destroyed in the previous battle," Dean Rudolph thought for a moment and said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Dean!" Beryl strode towards the church entrance.
Soon, Beryl approached Rain, who was talking to Hamilton, and asked, "Lord Rain, pardon the interruption, but did you see a rhombus-shaped crystal during the battle with the Black Flame Adepts?"
Rain thought for a moment and nodded. He certainly remembered the blood-red rhombus-shaped crystal at the top of the bone staff.
Not only did he remember, but he also had a distinct impression because when he touched the staff, the system gave him a prompt.
"That's great! Lord Rain, this crystal has an extraordinary significance for the church. Can you..."
"Wait a moment, according to regulations, this crystal is considered loot and must be handed over to the Empire. The church can only apologize for not being able to keep it," someone interrupted from the side.
Rain turned to look, and it was Viscount Hamadi, his superior's superior, approaching with a smile.
"Hamilton, you said that according to regulations, this is indeed the case," Viscount Hamadi turned to Hamilton and asked.
"Indeed, according to the regulations, this is the case," Hamilton's expression was a bit unpleasant, but he still nodded.
Although he suspected Viscount Hamadi's position, without solid evidence, it was impossible to accuse a viscount.
Viscount Hamadi also provided an explanation for Andrew's sudden betrayal and attack on Rain, stating that he was completely unaware of the situation.
Additionally, even if Viscount Hamadi had issues, according to regulations, it would be handled by the provincial level.
"Rain, regarding the Energy Storage Crystal, after conversion, we can directly convert it into Merit Points for you. Perhaps, for you, Merit Points are more useful than Experience Points," Viscount Hamadi said, turning to Rain.
Rain glanced at Hamilton, who nodded slightly at him.
It seemed that this unknown object determined by the system would not be kept by Rain himself.
'Rank has its privileges,' and in this case, two levels higher. Rain had wanted to keep it for further study.
So, Rain nodded to Viscount Hamadi and said, "Alright, Viscount, I'll go home for a moment."
After returning home, Rain locked the door and carefully examined the bone staff.
However, Rain reconsidered. Whether it was Viscount Hamadi or the Temple Knight, they only mentioned the crystal, so he didn't necessarily have to hand over the staff.
He wondered if he could dismantle the crystal separately.
After a brief exploration, Rain quickly discovered a slot between the bone staff and the blood-red rhombus-shaped crystal. He grabbed the fist-sized crystal with one hand and held the staff with the other, prying them apart with force.
A 'click' sound was heard, and the blood-red rhombus-shaped crystal was successfully removed.
"Since you only want the crystal, I'll keep this staff," Rain thought to himself.
However, as Rain held the crystal, the system prompt suddenly rang out.
[Ding! A large amount of unknown absorbable energy detected. Absorb? (Note: Can be converted into designated Occupational Experience Points after absorption.)]
Rain couldn't help but gasp in surprise! "Damn! Is there such a good thing?"
"Of course, I'll choose to absorb it!"
"Hand it over? Go to hell!"
(End of Chapter)
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