Chapter 149: What...What Kind of Monster Are You?

Chapter 149: What...What Kind of Monster Are You?



Hamilton walked towards Rayen, his expression grave as he spoke, "Adams Nolan, the top assassin of Shadow Stinger, an Apprentice Mage, Level 3, known as the 'Ghost Spirit Manipulator' and 'Mind Manipulator'. He's an imperial fugitive wanted for the murder of the City Guard Colonel, Elite Knight Baron Faris Cadis, and suspected in the murders of Merchant Jabi Bogado and Mayor Saskia Laza, as well as numerous other homicides."

"Any imperial citizen who encounters Adams should immediately report to the nearest imperial authority and will be rewarded with 50 imperial gold coins. If they manage to defeat him, they will receive a reward of 1000 imperial gold coins."

Rayen understood that Hamilton was not only informing him of the man's information but also trying to corner him.

At this moment, the elite Night Watchmen following Hamilton held torches and lanterns, illuminating the narrow alley and surrounding them in layers.

"Huh? Who are you? Are you the sheriff or the mayor of this town? You actually know me?" Adams was surprised by the unexpected recognition in this small town.

Of course, Rayen was still unclear about the specific mechanism.

The entire decision-making process was completed in an instant!

Obviously, Hamilton hadn't expected the other party's perception to be so keen, allowing them to hear his words so clearly. "You go left, and I'll go right!"

Rayen remembered that his 'Scorching Touch' was a touch-based arcane skill, and its power increased with proximity. However, Adams seemed completely unaware of this, consumed by his anger to take them both down. He didn't believe that these two knights could break through his 'Minor Physical Reflection Shield'.

Rayen raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly.

Apparently, Rayen had defeated his opponent!

Referring to the words of a great leader, 'Seize the opportunity, grasp the enemy's weakness, and turn the tables!'

Rayen looked at the system prompt, and his mind began to race.

Fortunately, he was protected by his extraordinary trait, 'Iron Skin Level 3'.

"Pfft!"

Firstly, this statement indicated that Hamilton himself lacked confidence in directly defeating or killing Adams, an Apprentice Mage, Level 3.

Adams couldn't help but think to himself, 'This Norman guy is a bit of a scammer. This Rayen fellow is not just a newly promoted knight; his strength is no weaker than many veteran knights.'

"Boom!!!"

"It seems I've found the key to advancing from Apprentice Mage to an extraordinary profession!"

The scorching heat of nearly 1500 degrees, even if it lasted only a second or two, could cause significant damage to the human body.

Just as Rayen felt dizzy and was about to be dragged into an illusion, he quickly added 1 point to his mental attribute. The sudden surge in mental power broke the illusion's hold on him.

Hamilton unleashed a powerful shield strike towards Adams!

"Not even the Elite Knight has such formidable attack power!"

"Bang!"

Hamilton and the Night Watchmen at the alley entrance all had stunned expressions, frozen in place like scarecrows.

Hamilton had planned to wait for the 'Malevolent Fog' to erode the knights' bodies before dealing with them.

Moreover, was an Apprentice Mage, Level 3, this powerful? What about a full-fledged Mage? "Futile attacks! Prepare to die!"

A large fan-shaped area of the ground crumbled like tofu, shaking and rising a meter into the air.

"Damn it! I wasted a precious life-saving scroll!"

The black fog swirled around their bodies, like a slithering snake, filling them with negative energy. Soon, a sense of exhaustion overwhelmed them.

The arrow shower pierced through the black fog, ringing as they struck the ground, missing Adams, who had long disappeared into the fog.

When Rayen's Boar Head Mace struck the other's shield again, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. A silver light traveled from the shield through the mace and into Rayen's body.

Of course, Rayen wasn't sure if he could break through it.

Hamilton roared, his muscles bulging. He thrust his knight's longsword three times at the black film.

The next second, his entire body swelled! The seams of the chromium-iron suit widened, and the slightly larger knight's plate armor once again became child-sized!

Initially, Rayen had planned to use his self-recovery effect to regain his mental clarity, but the sudden surge in mental power seemed to directly break the illusion's hold on him.

He was surprised that someone in this small town knew the details of the imperial bounty on him better than he did.

But soon, Rayen sensed something amiss with the black fog!

Hamilton's face was filled with despair.

A sensation of striking rapidly flowing water coursed through the greatsword and into Rayen's hand.

Despite having Iron Skin Level 3 protection, Rayen was different. He didn't suffer much damage, but he also stopped attacking. After all, attacking recklessly would only result in being injured by the counterattacks of that bizarre silver shield.

[Your skill Great Bear Sword Technique has improved. Experience +127]



Rayen immediately felt a tingling sensation throughout his body.

[Your skill Scorching Touch has improved. Experience +14]



The dense spikes on the tip of the Boar Head Mace almost reached Adams' eyelids.

"Oh? Stalling? That's an interesting idea."

Rayen's heart leaped with joy. He swung the Glowing Great Sword down fiercely towards his opponent.

This specialized defensive shield was far more powerful than the initial black membrane.

Adams, under the black membrane, looked at Rayen with shock. His casual demeanor vanished, and he examined Rayen seriously, saying, "I didn't expect a newly promoted knight like you to have such formidable strength."

Rayen now had two choices. One was to allocate skill points to boost his strength and try to break through the shield with sheer force.

Rayen swiftly sheathed the Boar Head Mace and drew the Glowing Great Sword from his back. He then rushed towards the slightly hunched figure within the black fog.

Rayen's 261% strength-amplified Great Hammer Strike created a fist-sized dent in the black membrane.

Suddenly, screams of the Night Watch's elite forces resounded from the alley behind the two.

"Currently, it's highly likely that this is the case."

When it came to breaking shields, the Boar Head Mace with its numerous spikes was far superior to the Glowing Great Sword. "Bang!"

"Arcadian Language. Drag him into an illusion!" As Adams finished the last syllable, a smug smile appeared on his face.

Hamilton, standing beside Adams, suffered. The seams of his knight armor emitted steam, indicating severe injuries.

Moreover, the fact that Adams recognized him at first sight made it even more impressive.

The surface of the shield emitted a faint silver glow, clearly distinguishing it from the initial black membrane shield. Rayen and Hamilton continued their attacks from both sides of Adams.

This was the first time Rayen heard Hamilton speak like this.

For the first time, he let out a piercing scream.

Instantly, Rayen felt a surge of heat in his heart, accelerating his blood flow and causing his muscles to bulge.

"Rayen, tonight's battle will be tough, but if we disrupt his casting and hold out until reinforcements arrive, we can win!" Hamilton whispered to Rayen.

[You have experienced a battle. Knight Experience +87, Arcane Apprentice Experience +13]



The power of that black beam was evident.

This was why Adams stumbled and almost fell, needing to support himself with both hands.

The black membrane seemed transparent when not under attack, but it appeared when struck.

Rayen quickly moved behind Adams, raising his left hand and aiming at Adams' back, about two centimeters from the silver shield. He got as close as possible.

"Faris Cadis is one of my best friends!"

"In this battle, I used the 'Scorching Touch' spell, so not only did the skill 'Scorching Touch' gain experience points, but the Arcane Apprentice's profession experience points also increased?"

After Rayen and Hamilton rushed into the black fog, they seemed to lose sight of their target.

As the black membrane became almost transparent, a bubble-like circular shield replaced it, enveloping Adams' outer surface.

"Fire arrows!" Hamilton's face turned solemn as he shouted.

Ripples appeared on the black membrane's surface, but the egg-shaped membrane remained unchanged.

The black membrane's surface shimmered with black light, blocking Rayen's determined strike.

The ripples grew larger, and the egg-shaped membrane slightly dented, but it was clear that this level of power wasn't enough to overcome the defense of the black membrane. Rayen narrowed his eyes. "Limit Break!"

To counter the intangible black fog, Rayen decided to use an intangible approach.

After Rayen's consecutive attacks, not only was Adams unharmed, but Rayen himself was severely injured by Adams' bizarre silver shield.

Although Hamilton and the others didn't see how Rayen defeated Adams, they were all shocked, staring at the shattered area.

Rayen's eyes lit up as he understood the key.

The second choice was to move behind Adams, avoiding Hamilton's and the others' line of sight, and casting the 'Scorching Touch' spell.

Immediately after the secret technique 'Dragon Ascension Hammer', Rayen followed up with the 'Tokkar Hammer Technique'.

At least, this was the case for knights. As for grand knights, who knew?

"Roar!!!"

At this moment, Hamilton stepped forward, his eyes wide with disbelief, staring at the black-robed mass of flesh. With a mix of surprise and confusion, he asked, "Rain, did you... defeat Adams?"

When Hamilton and the night watchmen recovered from Adams's illusion, they witnessed a startling scene: Rain stood tall, gripping his black hammer with one hand. In front of him, a large fan-shaped area of the ground was shattered, and on the ground lay a pool of black-robed flesh and blood, almost indistinguishable from its human form.

Therefore, Rain could determine that the silver shield was specifically designed to defend against physical attacks and possessed a certain energy for counterattacks. It was highly unlikely that it could withstand wizardry or energy attacks.

While taunting Rain and Hamilton, Adams continued to mutter incantations under his breath, preparing an unknown spell.

Adams, protected by a 'Minor Physical Reflection Shield,' suddenly took action, his face contorted with anger and ferocity!

This momentary display stunned Adams within the black membrane!

However, Rain truly didn't believe that the shield could continuously defend against his attacks.

To his surprise, Adams's body surface manifested a black membrane resembling an eggshell.

This also prevented him from hearing the incantations whispered by Rain behind him.

Moreover, the elite night watchmen at the alley entrance unleashed a barrage of arrows at him, creating a constant sound of arrows piercing the air.

"Huh! Able to pinpoint my location," Adams in the black fog realized that Rain was charging towards him.

Clearly, if the black fog wasn't dispelled, the elite night watchmen would become sitting ducks. As time passed, both Rain and Hamilton might not be able to hold out.

However, Rain possessed the core skill 'Scorching Touch,' allowing him to quickly adapt to the vision within the black fog and barely discern the faintly hunched figure within the mist.

The reason was simple: the opponent had defeated an elite knight.

Hamilton's words revealed more than he intended.

This was far too passive!

At this moment, Rain was captivated by the system prompt:

The opponent's abilities seemed almost insurmountable for a knight.

"Oh? Do you intend to avenge your friend?" Adams's tone remained calm, as if he didn't care that he was currently trapped in an alley with over ten night watchmen aiming their bows and arrows at him.

100% Strength Amplification!

Rain followed closely, wielding the Boar Hammer, and attacked from the left.

In the next moment, Adams staggered, and the pale silver shield on his body gradually faded away. Whether it was due to the shield's time limit or Adams's sudden injury was unclear.

At this moment, Adams, who was in mid-air, began to fall! Despite Adams's missing jaw, Rain still worried that he might have some bizarre or hidden life-saving trick up his sleeve. Without hesitation, Rain unleashed a two-hit combo.

"Arcadian Language: Minor Physical Reflection Shield!" Adams shouted.

This caused Rain's eyes to narrow in determination! The one attacking them from behind seemed to be Adams.

The elite night watchmen's dense arrow shower rained down on Adams in the alley, even before the two sheriffs could arrive.

Unexpectedly, one of them could pinpoint Adams's location within the black fog.

This indicated that even the elite knight's secret trump card couldn't do anything to Adams.

Simultaneously, Rain swiftly switched weapons, reverting to the Boar Hammer.

This strike was the secret technique of the Tokkar Hammer Technique, 'Dragon Ascension Hammer'! The wielder of this technique could only be Rain.

Regardless, this allowed Rain to utilize his full mental power to guide the spell 'Scorching Touch,' continuously launching high-temperature attacks against Adams.

The fact that a large area of hard stone pavement was shattered in this manner indicated the terrifying power of the attack.

At this moment, Adams was clearly preparing to unleash a powerful move and wouldn't move his position for a short time.

"Gigantic Force lv3!"

However, the same scene unfolded.

Adams's entire body, including his toes, trembled as he soared into the sky, flying three to four meters high. In mid-air, Adams's jaw was clearly visible, instantly shattered by the black light, spraying blood, shattered bones, and flesh.

Secondly, Hamilton had just mentioned interfering with Adams's spellcasting. This indicated that the upcoming tactic would focus on harassing and distracting Adams.

When Adams recovered, his internal organs, body fluids, and other tissues had suffered severe high-temperature injuries.

[Congratulations! Your Tokkar Hammer Technique has improved to lv4]



Adams had assumed that neither Rain nor Hamilton understood the Arcadian language. However, when Adams unfurled the scroll, Rain had clearly heard the critical word 'Physical.'

This black fog seemed to have purposes beyond concealing one's figure, possibly possessing other mysterious abilities.

The flat head of the heavy Boar Hammer struck the ground.

This shield was formidable! Its effect was similar to a counterattack, causing Rain to be wary of Adams.

As Adams's figure emerged from the black fog, his hidden form was clearly revealed.

No wonder he was a wanted fugitive with a bounty of one thousand Imperial Gold Coins. His strength was truly formidable! Rain could understand why he was able to defeat an Elite Knight.

However, at the same time, Adams's expression suddenly changed! His entire body stiffened, and he let out a painful cry. "Ah!"

After just a few seconds, Rain felt his limbs grow weak, and even his swinging of the war hammers became increasingly clumsy.

"However, your understanding of me seems to be limited to the wanted poster." Adams glanced at Hamilton with a hint of ridicule.

But only Rain knew that the key to their battle was not hammer technique but wizardry.

Due to Rain's Roar Strike dispersing some of the black fog in the center of the alley, Hamilton and the elite Night Watchmen outside could see the ongoing battle between Rain and Adams, and they quickly rushed to provide support.

A powerful shockwave in the form of a fan spread out towards the ground in front of them.

Hamilton, armed with a sword and shield, charged towards Adams from the right.

At this moment, Hamilton, with his sword and shield, had reached Rain's side. He glanced at the gaping hole in Rain's chest plate, his pupils constricting, and then turned his gaze towards Adams, the black-robed elder, and said, "Your..."

Rain's strike truly startled Adams. He frantically began rummaging through his pockets, showing none of the composure he had displayed earlier.

[Your skill, Tokkar Hammer Technique, has improved. Experience gained: +138]



100% Strength Amplification!

"Ah!!"

Seeing this, Hamilton was overjoyed and unleashed his full power, coordinating with Rain's attack.

"This is impossible! What...what kind of monster are you?!"

Read the error-free version on 69 Book Bar!

Evidently, Rain's secret technique caught Adams off guard! It also caused Adams, who was in motion, to suddenly stall.

Rain quickly circled behind Adams and chose the second option, casting the wizardry spell 'Scorching Touch'.

Soon, Adams pulled out an ancient gray scroll and quickly unfurled it.

"Overhead Slash!"

But none of this mattered! A black beam of light, like a dragon emerging from the sea, shot upwards from the ground towards Adams's chin in an instant.

Combat required wisdom.

Huh! I didn't expect this! The experience points from this battle seemed to be automatically distributed by the system according to some rules among the Knight and Apprentice Wizard professions.

It turned out that Rain and Adams had finished casting their spells almost simultaneously. While Rain was affected by the illusion, Adams was also struck by the scorching heat of 'Scorching Touch'.

A unique mental power, mixed with a strange energy, rapidly spread out beyond several dozen meters.

However, before the arrows could hit Adams, a large cloud of eerie black fog enveloped him, spreading rapidly towards both ends of the alley.

At that moment, Rain's second hammer strike hit the black membrane, making it nearly transparent. Evidently, this was a sign that the energy was about to be exhausted.

"But if that's the case, it's obviously good news! Then, to raise my Apprentice Wizard level, I can not only practice basic meditation but also cast more spells during battles."

61% Strength, Dexterity, and Agility Amplification!

On the ground, Adams, still immersed in the excruciating pain of his shattered jaw, had just landed when he went dark and never regained consciousness.

"But why didn't the Apprentice Wizard profession receive any experience points during the previous battles? It seems that the reason is that I didn't use any wizardry."

Rain thought to himself that while 'Tri-state' was powerful, it might not be entirely safe to go head-to-head with it.

When Rain was about three meters away from Adams, he immediately unleashed the Great Bear Sword Technique secret skill—'Roar Strike'! A visible ripple emanated from Rain's wide-open mouth, rapidly spreading in all directions, and the black fog was like a sea struck by a meteorite. Rain's sonic attack directly dispersed a large circle of fog!

"Yes, sir. With your cooperation, I was able to seize the opportunity and take down the opponent."

"Alright... Your hammer power truly surpasses my expectations!" Hamilton remained silent for a while before mustering this response.

Hamilton clearly remembered that he had repeatedly stabbed with his Knight's longsword, but it was all blocked by the silver shield. Additionally, he had been severely injured by the shield's counterattack.

But Rain managed to break through that silver shield? However, Hamilton carefully examined the shattered fan-shaped area on the ground and realized that it made sense for Rain, with his powerful hammer technique, to defeat the opponent.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end