Chapter 185: Prerequisites for Promotion to Great Knight (Extraordinary)

Chapter 185: Prerequisites for Promotion to Great Knight (Extraordinary)



Based on the system warning, Rain knew that the key lay in mental power, with the crucial words being 'solidification' and 'vitalization'.

After some thought, Rain quickly understood that it was likely because the Swordsman path required mental power solidification to pursue the ultimate offensive power of the sword.

"Oh, right, Master Gunther mentioned 'Will Radiance' earlier. Is mental power solidification a necessary step or condition for generating 'Will Radiance'?" Rain muttered to himself.

After further contemplation, he shook his head, as he wasn't very familiar with the Swordsman path either, and his previous thoughts were merely speculation.

However, there was one thing he felt certain about. As he was already at the peak of the second level of Apprentice Wizard, and about to advance to the third level, he had a vague sense about the Wizard path.

One of the necessary conditions for the Wizard path, he believed, was mental power vitalization, which would enable the manipulation of various mystical energy particles.

Therefore, the Wizard and Swordsman professions seemed incompatible and distinctly different paths.

Apparently, the Swordsman path also seemed to offer great prospects, as evidenced by Master Gunther himself!

However, Master Gunther was probably not just a Swordsman but a higher-level existence, perhaps a Great Swordsman? Rain pondered.

Regardless of the title, the Swordsman profession undoubtedly possessed extraordinary offensive power, and the ultimate profession might be something like 'Sword Saint'. Rain guessed.

"You can't have your cake and eat it too!"

"What a pity!"

For Rain, a transmigrator, the enigmatic Wizard path held special significance.

He could only temporarily give up on the Swordsman path for now. Perhaps there would be an opportunity in the future?

"I wonder if high-level Wizardry has techniques for creating puppets or clones. If so, it's not completely hopeless."

Standing beside the corpse of the Coastal Plesiosaur, Rain's thoughts were racing.

At that moment, Master Gunther was not far away, in the outermost part of the cave, submerged in the seawater. However, he was in a rare state of shock.

A few minutes earlier, before he had entered the cave, he had felt the sudden vibrations within.

He was startled, wondering why Rain had suddenly become so reckless, rushing into combat with the Coastal Plesiosaur without carefully observing the situation first.

This prompted him to quicken his pace through the passage!

But when he emerged from the water to offer assistance, he was stunned!

Before him lay the massive Coastal Plesiosaur, with combat power comparable to a Great Knight, lying in a pool of blood!

So fast?

Thirty seconds?

It took him a while to snap out of his daze!

Rain had already defeated the Coastal Plesiosaur!

Although he had previously tried to estimate Rain's strength, in the end, Master Gunther realized he had underestimated him!

"Ahem!"

Master Gunther coughed, attracting Rain's attention as he was deep in thought on the beach.

Rain turned around quickly, initially startled, but upon recognizing Master Gunther, his face lit up with surprise.

"Master, why are you here?"

Immediately, Rain understood the situation.

The 'Faith Trial' was the fifth training task assigned by Master Gunther, and since it was a training exercise, he wouldn't actually put his apprentice in a life-threatening situation.

However, what made this 'Faith Trial' unique was its purpose: to allow the apprentice to experience a near-death situation, triggering their faith, fully mobilizing their Prime Force, and finding life in death!

This meant that Master Gunther couldn't tell his apprentice beforehand, "I'm actually following you, and I'll protect you."

Therefore, Master Gunther must have followed Rain into the underwater cave shortly after entering, to avoid being truly killed by the Coastal Plesiosaur.

Understanding this, Rain felt a warmth in his heart.

Even if Master Gunther had seen his swollen muscles during the 'Triphasic State', it wouldn't matter.

Rain had already prepared an explanation, which he could attribute to his Knight's extraordinary trait, 'Gigantic Strength'. After all, his extraordinary traits were quite impressive.

"I intended to protect you, but it seems my worries were unnecessary."

Master Gunther's words confirmed Rain's suspicions.

"By the way, how did you defeat this Coastal Plesiosaur?" Master Gunther approached the corpse, circled it, and examined the cause of death.

When he discovered that the Plesiosaur had died from a single sword strike that split its skull and head in two, his eyes flashed with brilliance!

"Master, when I was about to slay the Plesiosaur, facing that sudden life-or-death crisis, I instantly mobilized all my Prime Force and channeled it into my greatsword."

"I was thinking that with one strike, I could borrow its power to escape. But I never imagined that I could split its toughest beak and head in two with a single blow." At that moment, Rain also had doubts, and hearing Master Gunther's question, he asked, "What was that strike just now?"

He wanted to know what had happened with that strike.

After defeating the Plesiosaur, he had tried a few more times, and while mobilizing his Prime Force was effortless, the power seemed significantly less than that one strike.

"Rain, you've surprised me once again. How about it? Are you interested in staying and pursuing the path of the Sword Saint?" Master Gunther didn't directly answer Rain's question but instead smiled and invited him.

Sword Saint?

Rain's eyes widened as he looked at Master Gunther.

So, it was the Sword Saint!

It turned out that Master Gunther had been semi-retired in the Golden Coast to seek the path of the Sword Saint.

However,

Master, your path is incompatible with Wizardry! Rain's heart sank, as he loved the high-attack power of the Sword Saint path, but for now, he could only refuse.

"Master, thank you for your recognition. However, I'd like to travel for a while first. Perhaps one day, when I can calm my mind, I'll return to the Golden Coast and seek your guidance."

Rain bowed and spoke earnestly.

"Good! Young people should indeed go out and see more of the world first! Studying swordsmanship also requires single-minded focus." Upon hearing Rain's words, Master Gunther thought for a moment and nodded, seemingly agreeing.

Master Gunther didn't try to persuade Rain to stay but instead explained Rain's previous sword strike:

"Your previous sword strike actually combined your faith in the sword and the Prime Force. In layman's terms, this is called Sword Glow, a unique ability that only Swordsmen can master."

"In essence, your faith in the sword is contained within the Prime Force. In that instant, the ordinary Prime Force transformed into the Sword Essence, thereby possessing even greater destructive power than ordinary Prime Force."

"I see, thank you for your explanation, Master!" Rain said, slightly bowing.

The Sword Essence?

Indeed, it seemed to align with his speculation that the path of Swordsmen, Great Swordsmen, and Sword Saints was closely related to the sword's ultimate destructive power.

"By the way, Master Gunther, should we head back now?"

"Wait a moment. An adult Coastal Plesiosaur is a valuable find. As a large ferocious sea beast, it can be considered a treasure trove." Master Gunther said with a smile.

"Especially its heart, which can already be used to make 'Beast Essence,' a potion necessary for a Knight's promotion to a Great Knight!"

Hmm, promoting to a Great Knight?

Rain's eyes lit up at this, as he had planned to seek knowledge about the Knight's subsequent advancement with Bol after returning. He had initially considered asking Hamilton but later felt that his progress was too astonishing, so he decided to put it off for a while.

He hadn't expected to hear such information from Master Gunther.

Sensing Rain's astonishment, Master Gunther thought it was because of the word 'Beast,' so he smiled and explained, "Haha, what's the matter? Do you think the Plesiosaur doesn't qualify as a 'Beast'?"

"In fact, 'Beast' is just a general term we use for ferocious beasts with a body length exceeding ten meters."

"Its heart contains a special substance. Once extracted and refined by an apothecary, it can be made into 'Beast Essence,' which is required for a Knight's promotion to a Great Knight, given the massive consumption involved."

Beast Essence?

It seemed to be similar in concept to the promotion potion used by ordinary people when advancing to a Great Knight (Extraordinary).

Rain wondered if there were various subdivisions and intricacies within it, like the promotion potion.

Just as Rain was about to continue questioning Master Gunther, the system notification popped up again:

[Ding! Host detected listening to extraordinary secrets, triggering the class change to Great Knight (Extraordinary)!]



[The prerequisites for promotion to Great Knight (Extraordinary) are: 1. Physical Limit Break value of 100%; 2. Any Breathing Technique lv9 or higher; 3. Strength, Agility, and Constitution of 20 points or higher; 4. Any Close Combat Supernatural Technique lv9 or higher; 5. High-Grade Potion 'Beast Essence.' Current conditions do not meet the requirements! Promotion to Great Knight (Extraordinary) failed!]



Hmm!

Reading the sudden system notification, Rain silently read it several times, his heart filled with excitement! He hadn't expected that after just missing the Swordsman class change, he would stumble upon the information for advancing to Great Knight (Extraordinary) by listening to Master Gunther's extraordinary secrets about Beast Essence and the Prime Force! It's like finding a ray of light in the darkness!

"From the conditions, it seems that Great Knight (Extraordinary) and Knight (Extraordinary) are closely related, sharing many similar prerequisites."

"Although the Great Knight appears slightly weaker in offensive power compared to extreme attack-oriented classes like Swordsman and Great Swordsman, it doesn't conflict with the path of a Wizard. The most crucial consideration is having a side job."

Additionally, Rain was about to meet or had already met several of the prerequisites for promoting to a Great Knight.

For condition one, 'Physical Limit Break value of 100%,' Rain checked the Knight (Extraordinary) panel and saw that his Limit Break value had reached 95%. This was because he had consecutively increased the Bear Sovereign Breath Technique, adding five attribute points.

At that moment, three remaining attribute points were still available on the panel, so there was no need to waste skill points. He was just a step away from reaching the 100% Physical Limit Break value.

For condition two, 'Any Breathing Technique lv9,' Rain had already fulfilled it. Indeed, the Breathing Technique was worth the investment!

As Rain was pondering, Master Gunther spoke up, "Let's go, Rain. The Plesiosaur's heart needs to be processed while it's fresh."

"Yes, Master!" Rain replied promptly.

When Rain dragged the massive Plesiosaur's body out of the sea, Basque was left dumbfounded.

"Rain, you... You succeeded so quickly?"

"Or did Master Gunther help you?" Basque turned to look at Master Gunther.

Master Gunther understood Basque's question; he was asking if he had assisted Rain in defeating the Coastal Plesiosaur.

Master Gunther shook his head and said, "Rain defeated it alone! Basque, don't just stand there. The Plesiosaur's blood will attract many other ferocious sea beasts. Let's hurry back!"

"Yes, Master!"

Although Basque agreed, he couldn't hide his astonishment. He tied the Plesiosaur's body to the back of the boat and began rowing vigorously while his eyes alternated between the massive Plesiosaur's body rising and falling in the seawater and Rain's calm expression on the boat.

When the three of them reached the island's shore, Rain noticed seven or eight young men led by the bald Froed waiting on the shore.

Evidently, they had also received the news and were waiting for the outcome.

Just as a young man named Arturo was about to ask a question, he caught sight of the enormous corpse behind the boat in the seawater from the corner of his eye and blurted out, "Is... is this a success?"

"

Before Rain could respond, Basque, who had just jumped ashore, proudly lifted his chin slightly and said, "That's right! Rain succeeded!"

"Here, that's the plesiosaur's body. Everyone, help me carry it ashore!"

Instantly, all the young people present fixed their gazes on Rain, their expressions varying between shock and disbelief. They waited until the massive body of the coastal plesiosaur was completely brought ashore, and when they saw the cause of its death, their astonishment grew even more. Their eyes darted back and forth between Rain and the plesiosaur.

They seemed to be in shock, wondering how Rain could have no visible wounds after killing such a large and ferocious sea beast.

What kind of strength was this?

It was truly terrifying!

Half an hour later, Rain packed away the wooden box containing the plesiosaur's enormous heart and placed it on the brown horse.

Master Gunther, who had helped him process it, gave it to him.

As for the other parts of the plesiosaur, such as its scales, skin, and beast meat, Rain left them behind as a token of gratitude.

"Master, I'm ready to leave now. Thank you for your guidance during this time," Rain said respectfully, bowing to Master Gunther.

Although Rain and Master Gunther initially met through Kayla's letter of introduction, now, in Master Gunther's eyes, Rain's importance far surpassed that of Kayla.

Master Gunther smiled with relief and said, "Go back. Your journey ahead is still long. Perhaps, before long, I'll hear of your deeds."

The other young people, including Froed and Doug, bid farewell to Rain one after another.

Rain smiled and nodded in response to them. Although he hadn't had much interaction with the others during these nearly twenty days, and their relationship couldn't be described as good or bad, with Master Gunther's connection, perhaps he would lend them a hand if they met outside.

Beside him, Basque was very enthusiastic, helping Rain load all the luggage onto the brown horse. "Rain, I'll escort you to the main road," Basque said.

"Master, everyone, I hope we can meet again next time!" Rain said, turning back to address Master Gunther and the others before he left.

The group watched as Rain's figure gradually disappeared down the path, their faces filled with emotion.

"Master Gunther, is Rain the fastest person to complete all the training tasks since you went into seclusion?" Froed, the bald-headed boy, asked with a hint of curiosity.

Master Gunther smiled but didn't directly answer Froed's question. Instead, he encouraged them, "There are far more geniuses in this world than you can imagine. Keep striving!"

Walking on the path, Rain didn't immediately mount his horse. Instead, he led the black horse forward, with Basque by his side, helping him lead the brown horse carrying the luggage.

"By the way, Rain, it's best to take the main road on your way back and avoid the smaller paths."

"Recently, the Rosby County area hasn't been safe. There have been several incidents where noble carriages or lone knights have been besieged and killed by bandit gangs," Basque said, his expression turning solemn as if he had just remembered something.

"Bandit gangs?" Rain asked.

"Yes, according to my father's information, these bandit gangs seem to have the Zalar Resistance Army behind them. So, Rain, be careful on your journey. Don't underestimate them just because they're ordinary bandits," Basque warned.

"Thank you, Basque. I'll be careful," Rain expressed his gratitude for the young man's kind reminder.

On the other hand, Rain's heart stirred as he listened to the mention of the Zalar Resistance Army.

He immediately thought of the group he had saved Has from, who seemed to be local bandits on the surface.

At the same time, he also recalled his encounter with the Resistance Army outpost in Myester County.

Not only did they have secret connections with several local bandit gangs, but the Resistance Army itself often disguised themselves as bandits, engaging in looting.

It seemed that this so-called Resistance Army had become increasingly active recently.

Moreover, judging from their activity in Rosby County, they seemed even more active there than in Myester County!

Although the Resistance Army members he had previously encountered were not very strong, the most powerful among them being only a peak knight, such a large organization would undoubtedly have high-level knights. It was indeed not something to be taken lightly.

At this moment, Basque suddenly looked as if he had realized something, patting his head and laughing, "Oh, I almost forgot, Rain! You're the one who single-handedly killed the coastal plesiosaur. If the Resistance Army encounters you, they should be the ones worried, haha!"

Hearing Basque's words, Rain couldn't help but smile.

"Basque, I'll see you off here. Remember to keep in touch, or you can come to Myester County to find me," Rain said, turning to Basque.

Due to the time they had spent together, Basque's good character, and the help he had provided to Rain, the two had developed a harmonious relationship.

"Rain, could you do me a favor and give a message to Miss Kayla for me?" Basque rubbed his palms together, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Hmm? What message?" Rain looked at Basque with a hint of confusion.

"Well, when you see Miss Kayla, could you tell her that Basque from the Golden Coast still remembers her? I hope she can visit the Golden Coast again to see Master Gunther when she's free," Basque said, looking a bit shy.

"Okay, if I happen to meet her." Rain was speechless at Basque's shy demeanor.

Basque's bashful behavior was like that of a shy girl, which was quite unbelievable for a man of his stature.

Asking Kayla to visit Master Gunther?

It seemed more like Basque wanted to see Kayla but was afraid of rejection, hence the request.

Rain no longer dwelled on the thought, shaking his head slightly before turning around and mounting his horse. He waved his hand and said, "Let's go! Basque!"

"Goodbye, Rain!"

Basque watched Rain's departing figure, his eyes fixed in a daze.

The warm winter sun shone upon Rain and his horse, casting long shadows on the ground. Basque felt as if the direction Rain was heading towards was bathed in golden light, leading to the path of the divine.

As he hadn't received any messages from the Blue Helmet Pigeon, Rain believed that his family and the Crowley Family in Myester County were likely not facing any pressing issues.

Given the circumstances, Rain decided to make a detour to visit Has on his way back.

The past twenty days at the Golden Coast had been quite fruitful for Rain, and he was in high spirits.

Has' hometown, Lachmond Fishing Port, was located north of the Golden Coast.

The north was also the direction Rain was heading towards, making it a convenient detour. Rain estimated that if he didn't take any detours and followed the forest trail, he should reach Lachmond Fishing Port by evening.

"Cooked Giant Thornback Salmon?" Rain thought of what Has had mentioned about his hometown's specialty, a smile spreading across his face.

At noon, Rain stopped by the side of the road in the forest to rest.

He took out some roasted Mad Fish Jerky from his bag and chewed on it while contemplating the Prime Force.

Along the way, Rain had been experimenting, and he found that although he could now manipulate the Prime Force skillfully and unleash all of it at once, he couldn't replicate the power of the strike that had killed the Coastal Plesiosaur.

Master Gunther had already explained the reason for this.

Without the life-or-death crisis and a strong enough faith, the Prime Force couldn't be transformed into the more powerful Sword Essence! This level of Sword Essence seemed very high, and it was completely different from the usual method of attaching the Prime Force to the sword to increase its sharpness.

The former had immense power, but it seemed to involve the solidification of mental power, while the latter had much weaker power, seeming to be only a shallow application of the Prime Force.

However, Rain was thinking about another issue: "When I attach the Prime Force to the sword, it increases the sharpness of the blade. What if I attach the Prime Force to a hammer? Surely it won't increase the sharpness of the hammer?"

"You know, one end of the hammer is flat!"

"So, what am I really thinking about when I attach the Prime Force to the sword?"

As Rain pondered, he reached behind him and drew his greatsword.

Rain began to manipulate the Prime Force and swung his greatsword.

After practicing the Bearclaw Sword Technique for a while, suddenly, a flash of insight crossed Rain's mind, and he seemed to understand something!

At that moment, a system notification sounded:

"Congratulations! You have experienced an enlightenment and unlocked an additional effect for close combat skills: Sharpness Level 1 (Passive)."

"Sharpness Level 1 (Passive) Effect: You have a preliminary understanding of the essence of the Prime Force and can freely manipulate it to enhance the power of your longsword, slightly increasing its sharpness."

(Note: This effect is only effective when the host possesses the Prime Force and it has not been exhausted. It is only effective when the host is holding a sharp weapon.)



(Note: This effect is an additional effect of close combat skills. Once the conditions are met, the next level will be unlocked automatically.)



Rain was overjoyed!

Immediately, Rain focused his attention on the icon representing the Bearclaw Sword Technique, and indeed, this time, the additional effect it carried was:

Bearclaw Sword Technique Level 7 (3023/5000), with the additional effects 'Precision Level 2' and 'Sharpness Level 2'.

"Precision Level 2 (Passive) Effect: ."

"Sharpness Level 2 (Passive) Effect: You have a further understanding of the essence of the Prime Force and can freely manipulate it to enhance the power of your longsword, moderately increasing its sharpness."

(Note: To unlock Sharpness Level 3 for Bearclaw Sword Technique, the following conditions must be met: First, Bearclaw Sword Technique Level 9 or higher; Second, Bearclaw Breath Technique Level 9 or higher.)



With two additional effects! Rain carefully read the text description above, and the expressions for Sharpness and Precision were similar. At Level 2, the main change compared to Level 1 was that 'slightly' became 'moderately'.

However, the unlocking conditions were not the same!

After pondering for a moment, Rain decided to try the Tokkar Hammer Technique. If applying the Prime Force to the sword resulted in the Sharpness effect, what would happen when applied to a hammer?

Although Rain already had a vague guess, he still wanted to try it out to be sure!

At this moment, Rain's ears twitched slightly!

Immediately, the Level 3 Danger Sense began to warn him of danger, but the crisis didn't feel intense, so Rain didn't turn around to check. Instead, he continued to calmly wipe the light on his greatsword.

In the dense forest several dozen meters away.

Over ten mercenaries, dressed as burly men, were lurking. Their auras were calm, and their faces were fierce.

One of the mercenaries, holding a single-tube copper tube mirror, was observing Rain!

However, considering that the perception of an Elite Knight who had entered the Extraordinary realm was keen, the burly man glanced at Rain a few times and quickly averted his gaze, not staring continuously.

"Another lone Elite Knight, but judging from his sword technique, he seems to be a master!"

"Tsk! How strong can he be? Just look at his face; he's clearly not even eighteen years old! Don't tell me this guy is a Peak Knight?" one of the burly men scoffed.

"That's right, Scarface is right. How strong can he be? We'll take him down with a crossbow arrow and turn him into a sieve!"

"Yeah, he's carrying a greatsword and a giant hammer, which looks intimidating! But he's not even wearing Knight Plate Armor, probably just a Novice Knight with no real outdoor experience."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end