Chapter 188: Beast Knight

Chapter 188: Beast Knight



Rain removed a small wooden cylinder, about the thickness of a thumb, from Blue Helmet Pigeon's leg and opened the cork to find a note from the Crowley family:

"Baron Norman has challenged you to a bloody duel today. Reliable sources indicate that he has also informed Earl Habus simultaneously. It is believed that he has regained his peak strength through the use of a high-grade elixir, possibly reaching the level of a Great Knight (unconfirmed). Please consider carefully whether to return to Myester in the near future. - Jennifer"

After reading the letter from the noble lady, Rain's first reaction was to heave a sigh of relief.

"Thankfully, it's not a matter concerning my family or Jennifer herself."

"Bloody duel?" Rain murmured, deep in thought.

He had learned about this term after becoming a baron, which was typically used to resolve irreconcilable conflicts among the nobility. There were two types of duels: ordinary and bloody.

In an ordinary duel, one could concede, but in a bloody duel, the word 'bloody' implied that there was no room for surrender, and the duel would only end with the death of one party.

While ordinary duels were occasionally witnessed, bloody duels were far less common, and it was not unusual for a county like Myester to go a year or two without a single bloody duel.

However, the next moment, Rain was puzzled. Where did this Baron Norman come from?

The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite recall where he had heard it before.

Rain pondered for a moment, and then his eyes lit up as he remembered.

Several months ago, while practicing Bear Swordsmanship in the dense forest near his home in Shangjin Town, he had been attacked by a middle-aged swordsman.

The man had said something that Rain still remembered clearly: "I'm giving you a chance. If you're willing to pledge your loyalty to the Norman family, it will be the wisest decision you ever make."

Yes, that was the exact phrase!

And the man's condescending attitude while saying this, as if he were offering a favor, made Rain think he was a high-ranking noble. But it turned out to be Dennis's family!

So, this Baron Norman was Dennis's father.

But was their grudge so deep that it warranted a father seeking revenge for his son by challenging Rain to a bloody duel?

Rain found this utterly absurd.

"I've always heard that a mother's love can spoil a son, but is this a case of a father's love spoiling a son?" Rain shook his head, at a loss for words.

Wait!

Suddenly, a flash of insight crossed Rain's mind.

It was him!

He remembered.

After the Level 3 Apprentice Wizard Adams attacked him, the young clerk at Adams' shop had said, "Adams dismissed a middle-aged man who had come in shortly before. So, the details of their conversation and the man's identity are unclear, but since that man's visit, Adams has disappeared."

Later, the captain of the night watch, Mateo, had given Rain a portrait of the middle-aged man based on the young clerk's memory.

Rain took out the thin parchment from his pocket.

As he examined it, the middle-aged man on the parchment looked more and more familiar, and it was indeed eight or nine-tenths similar to Dennis's appearance.

"So, this middle-aged man is Baron Norman, and he hired or asked Adams to attack me!"

Rain had always felt that the man's appearance seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint the source of this familiarity.

Now, everything made sense!

Understanding this, Rain felt a surge of anger.

"He repeatedly tried to assassinate me for a petty matter of jealousy over his son. If I weren't strong enough, I might have ended up six feet under!"

"And now, he's challenging me to a bloody duel, thinking he has me cornered?"

"However, Baron Norman's strength should not be underestimated. Although Jennifer isn't entirely sure, if he does have the strength to challenge a Great Knight, then he's at least on par with me."

"Interesting!"

Rain felt no fear.

One of the most important things he learned from Master Gunther's special training was about faith.

If a Great Swordsman has an unyielding faith in the power of their sword to cut through anything, Rain now also understood that having unwavering faith in one's ability to overcome powerful enemies could be an equally formidable asset.

"Fear not, I will arrive in Myester promptly. I will gather information about Baron Norman while ensuring my safety. Also, please take care of my family's emotions. - Rain"

Rain quickly wrote a reply with a quill pen and placed it in the pigeon's carrier.

With a flutter of wings, the pigeon soared into the northern sky.

Rain's thoughts turned to the Scaled Ironback Turtle's shell. He began to cut it into pieces and lightly roast them over the campfire, stacking them up. These shells, with their natural protrusions, were excellent shield materials due to their thickness, durability, and weight.

Even Rain had to exert considerable effort to cut through them.

Additionally, the massive corpse of the Scaled Ironback Turtle, resembling a sand dune, could yield over a ton of high-quality feral beast meat with minimal processing, which would be a waste to discard.

After some thought, Rain had come up with a solution.

Rather than letting such a magnificent creature go to waste, he'd better gift it to Haas!

"Also, it seems we won't have time to go to Rosby City this trip. I was hoping to visit Evelyn and Major Marika."

"It looks like we'll have to postpone that for another day!"

At that moment, Rain recalled the sensation he felt when he had just raised Tokkar Hammer Technique to lv7.

This was undoubtedly a level beyond mastery, reaching an even higher realm.

However, he also knew that this achievement relied heavily on his lv3 Hammer Specialization. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for lv7 Bear Swordsmanship to remain at the mastery level while lv7 Tokkar Hammer Technique had advanced to the next realm.

Rain vaguely remembered Master Gunthel mentioning that the level after mastery was the Grand Master level.

Nevertheless, Rain's achievement, largely dependent on his Hammer Specialization, could only be considered a half-step towards Grand Mastery. It was still a far cry from the genuine Grand Master level.

Rain suddenly recalled the system notifications he had overlooked due to the unexpected appearance of the Scaled Ironback Turtle and the subsequent task of handling its heart:

[Your Tokkar Hammer Technique has reached lv7. +1336 Skill Points]



[You have experienced a battle. Knight (Extraordinary) +379 Experience Points]



After this battle, Knight (Extraordinary) reached lv5 (597/2000), and Tokkar Hammer Technique advanced to lv7 (1690/5000).

With only 1 remaining Skill Point and 3 unused Attribute Points, Rain quickly processed the turtle shell and rode his tall black horse south for a short distance before turning back towards Lachmond Fishing Harbor. He found two honest-looking town residents and gave each a silver coin, asking them to deliver a message to Haas:

"The problem has been resolved. Go to the beach at the estuary and collect the spoils of war. Bring more people, and find a caravan to send the turtle shell to me. - Rain."

The Scaled Ironback Turtle's shell was incredibly heavy, so Rain decided to have Haas find a caravan to transport it for him.

After completing these tasks, Rain mounted his tall black horse and galloped towards Meyster County.

Lachmond Fishing Harbor, outside Haas's home.

"A message from Rain?"

"He wants me to go to the beach at the estuary?" Haas was initially confused.

But when Haas heard the messenger say, "Find a caravan to send the turtle shell to me," his eyes widened, and a flash of realization crossed his mind. "It can't be..."

"Impossible, impossible!"

Haas's younger brother, puzzled by his brother's unusual behavior, asked, "Brother, what's impossible?"

"I'll explain when I get back!"

Without waiting for a response, the injured Haas rushed out. As soon as he reached the street, he called out to two patrolling peacekeepers, "Jeremy, gather ten men and follow me!"

When Haas and the group of peacekeepers and night watchmen arrived at the beach near the estuary, they saw a mountain of bloody flesh, already being torn apart by various birds of prey.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock at the sight! This was the Scaled Ironback Turtle, a beast with strength comparable to a Great Knight!

Despite its shell being removed, it was immediately recognizable.

However, the group soon realized that the problem plaguing Lachmond Fishing Harbor had been resolved!

Haas muttered to himself, "How could Rain have possibly..."

"He only received a 'good' evaluation during the knighting ceremony..."

Suddenly, Haas realized something, and his eyes lit up. "It seems I've been filling in the blanks myself. Now that I think about it, Rain never directly answered any of my questions!"

"In Rosby City, at the Navy House Inn's training ground, Rain politely declined my offer to spar. And during the knighting ceremony, when I went to ask him..."

"It seems I've made a remarkable friend!"

"To defeat a beast as strong as a Great Knight, what kind of strength does he possess?"

"Moreover, Rain is so young!"

"Captain Haas, I think you should take a look at this," said a peacekeeper, his face slightly unnatural.

"Hmm?"

Haas walked over and saw a pile of thick, neatly cut turtle shells stacked to the side.

Rain had indeed sent a message to Haas, but the peacekeepers didn't know about it! They thought some other powerful beast had killed the Scaled Ironback Turtle, but now it was clear that wasn't the case. Beasts wouldn't cut and stack turtle shells so neatly.

For a moment, no one knew what to do with the mountain of flesh and the valuable turtle shells. According to tradition, the one who slays the beast has the right to claim and distribute the spoils.

But when Haas saw the neatly cut and stacked turtle shells, a distinctive feature of the Scaled Ironback Turtle, he immediately understood what Rain meant in his message when he asked to have the turtle shell sent to him via a caravan.

"Hahaha, it's him! That Rain!" Haas laughed heartily.

With this confirmation, Haas had no more doubts. He also realized that Rain had asked him to send the turtle shell but hadn't mentioned the beast's meat. Clearly, Rain intended to leave the entire Scaled Ironback Turtle carcass for Haas to handle.

Huston was excited, as this was a huge fortune for him!

---

Meyster County City.

Not long after Alonso returned to the mansion from prison, Steward Michel came with a smile to report, "Baron, I think you should take a look at this." Michel respectfully handed Alonso a thin stack of documents.

"Oh?" Alonso saw Michel's smiling face and knew that there must be some good news in the documents.

Indeed, after taking the documents and flipping through them, Alonso also smiled and said,

"Is this news true?"

"It's been verified, it's true! Baron, according to the news, Baron Norman is determined to have a bloody duel with Rain."

"After delivering the bloody duel letter to Rain's new mansion, Baron Norman immediately submitted an application for a bloody duel to your father, Count Habus."

Upon hearing this, Alonso's smile faded, and he asked, "What did my father say?"

"After receiving the bloody duel application, the Count originally wanted to persuade Baron Norman to give up the duel, but Baron Norman politely declined!" Michel smiled and explained.

"Hmm? Baron Norman won't even give my father face?" Alonso was taken aback by this.

This kind of situation was extremely rare!

"Hmm! It's said that Baron Norman has recovered his strength to the peak, and he's already started preparing to break through to the Great Knight's items these days. It's likely that he plans to be promoted or serve in the Imperial Navy again." Michel explained.

"By the way, Michel, take three bottles of divine blood and give them to Baron Norman as a token of my gratitude." Alonso thought for a moment and said.

"Yes, Baron!" Michel bowed and slowly left the room.

However, Steward Michel, who had just left the room, suddenly returned with a peculiar expression.

This made Alonso a bit puzzled, and he asked, "Is there something else?"

"Baron, Lady Maral has sent a secret message saying that 'Beast Knight' Giovanni has recovered from his injuries and stated that he will seek an opportunity to kill Rain in the next few days."

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this news, Alonso's expression also became peculiar, and soon, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

One good news after another was coming his way since his return! Alonso thought to himself.

"This Rain, he's really in demand! He's on the Black Flame Church's hit list and is also Baron Norman's duel opponent. I wonder who he'll die at the hands of, Michel? Haha!"

"This time, even the Goddess of Fortune can't save him." Steward Michel also laughed and agreed.

"That's right, not even the Goddess can save him! Besides these two, there's one more insurance." Alonso said with certainty.

This made Steward Michel's expression freeze as he looked at his master in confusion.

These two were already at the peak of Meyster County's fighting strength, could there be an even stronger person about to take action?

'Beast Knight' Giovanni, as the president of the Wilderness Brotherhood, was a peak knight in terms of strength, but he had the Beast Transformation skill. At full power, even a Great Knight could withstand a blow or two.

Additionally, it was said that after the bloody duel with Rain, he would break through to the Great Knight, so he must be at the critical state of breaking through! But Baron invited a third person as a backup to deal with Rain?

This made Michel's face freeze instantly! Could it be that there's a Great Knight-level powerful individual about to take action against Rain? Then, even with Rain's talent, he couldn't escape this fate!

Also in Meyster County.

In a study room of the Crowley family mansion.

A beautiful woman, Jennifer, wearing a one-shoulder light purple dress with intricate golden lace embroidery, sat behind the desk with a straight back and an elegant posture.

"Jenny, have you heard any news from Rain?" The beautiful woman frowned, looking a bit anxious, and asked her daughter.

"Not yet, mother, don't worry."

Jenny saw her mother's worry about Rain and felt a sour taste in her mouth. Originally, Rain wasn't supposed to be her mother's man.

However, she soon adjusted her mindset and comforted her, "You know Rain's strength, he was already strong, and since he's gone to study, he'll likely become even stronger!"

"So, I think that Baron Norman won't be able to handle him. Besides these two, there's one more insurance." Alonso said with certainty.

This made Steward Michel's expression freeze as he looked at his master in confusion.

These two were already at the peak of Meyster County's fighting strength, could there be an even stronger person about to take action?

'Beast Knight' Giovanni, as the president of the Wilderness Brotherhood, was a peak knight in terms of strength, but he had the Beast Transformation skill. At full power, even a Great Knight could withstand a blow or two.

And Baron Norman, who had recovered his strength to the peak, might be even stronger. With his long years of service in the Imperial Navy, he had extremely rich combat experience.

Additionally, it was said that after the bloody duel with Rain, he would break through to the Great Knight, so he must be at the critical state of breaking through! But Baron invited a third person as a backup to deal with Rain?

This made Michel's face freeze instantly! Could it be that there's a Great Knight-level powerful individual about to take action against Rain? Then, even with Rain's talent, he couldn't escape this fate!

"

Although she had heard her daughter's reassurance, the beautiful woman's worries between her eyebrows remained unresolved. She shook her head and said,

"It's different. This opponent is unlike any of the opponents Rain has encountered before."

"Baron Norman is of the same generation as your father. He is very strong, and in his younger days, he had the opportunity to challenge the rank of Great Knight. However, during his service in the Navy, he was severely injured in a battle, and even after recovering from his injuries, he still had lingering internal injuries, causing him to fail in his attempt to become a Great Knight and retire."

"Now, through some rare secret medicine, he has restored his strength to its peak. Such an experienced and powerful opponent is probably unlike any Rain has ever encountered before." The beautiful woman explained with a worried expression.

Hearing her mother's explanation, Jenny couldn't help but furrow her thin eyebrows slightly.

"Mother, why did Baron Norman challenge Rain to a bloody duel?" Jenny tried to change the subject as her reassurance fell on deaf ears, also because she had wanted to ask this question for a while.

Baron Norman, being of the same age as her father, should have had little interaction with Rain. How did he suddenly issue a duel invitation to Rain?

Fortunately, the guards at Rain's new mansion were all from her family. The guards immediately realized the importance of the matter and came to report to her mother.

Currently, Rain's parents and sister were still unaware of this news.

She and her mother discussed the matter and decided that telling them would only cause them unnecessary worry.

Of course, the final decision still rested with Rain.

"I'm not entirely clear on the details, but I sent someone to inquire. This matter is now beyond reconciliation. Baron Norman not only issued a duel challenge to Rain but also applied and reported it to Earl Habus."

"Additionally, I heard that he directly refused the Earl's persuasion."

"In other words, he was determined from the start to reject any mediation and proceed with this bloody duel!"

Jenny was at a loss for words.

This made her worry even more.

After all, this was a Great Knight!

Among dozens of formal knights, the appearance of a Great Knight was rare, and a Great Knight held significant influence, whether in the Imperial Navy or administrative institutions.

---

After passing through this forest, Rain would reach Meyster County Town in half a day.

At this moment, along the winding path through the dense forest, there were scattered groups of people, each pair seemingly observing and searching for something.

"Look! Haji, is this the person from the Wilderness Brotherhood that we were asked to keep an eye on?" A slender man turned to his companion and asked.

"It should be him! Blackie, carrying two weapons, a great sword, and a two-handed war hammer, matches the description. Hurry, go and report!" A man named Haji exclaimed with joy.

Rain had already noticed the occasional glances directed at him as he entered the forest. These glances became more frequent as he ventured deeper.

He knew that soon, they would make their move!

Sure enough, a large group of mercenaries blocked his path ahead.

Riding his horse, Rain came to a stop.

However,

Rain merely glanced at them before turning his attention to a tall carriage behind them.

Although Rain's gaze couldn't penetrate the carriage, his level 3 'Danger Perception' skill was alerting him to a threat within.

He knew that the real target was inside the carriage, while these people outside were merely 'fodder'.

Inside the carriage, a tall, slender man sat upright, wearing a gray knight's plate armor.

Even while seated, he stood nearly 1.9 meters tall, his knight's helmet almost touching the top of the carriage.

On his knees, a peculiar long-handled weapon rested, resembling an elongated scythe with a blade length of about one meter.

Outside the carriage, a bearded man peered through a small window and spoke to the person inside,

"Chairman Jo, if we take out this kid, will we really get two thousand Imperial gold coins?"

"Huh? Is Captain Sim interested in giving it a try? Of course, if your Wildwolf Bandits can take him down, you'll get two thousand gold coins, not a single one less." Chairman Jo replied, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Having someone take the lead was a welcome proposition.

"Chairman Jo, rest assured! Leave it to us." The bearded man patted his chest confidently.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end