Chapter 192: Rapid Advancement

Chapter 192: Rapid Advancement



As Admiral Parix grumbled, the group of burly men surrounding him remained silent, each one keeping their eyes forward and vigilantly scanning the surroundings as if fully focused on their guard duties.

This left Admiral Parix feeling rather bored.

"Who?" One of the burly men gazed intently at the pitch-black coastline and whispered.

Soon after, a skinny man in leather armor appeared. Upon seeing Admiral Parix, he bowed respectfully and said, "Admiral, I'm here to escort you as per Lord Magis' orders."

"Since our original base has been destroyed, Lord Magis has helped us find a new location in Wolfhill Plains, but it's in a different position. It's the former base of the Wildwolf Bandits."

"Their main force was annihilated today, and according to reliable sources, it was done by the same person who destroyed our base."

"Hmm? Tell me more," Admiral Parix said with interest as he looked at the skinny man.

Before coming, he had already received a report from Magis about the overall situation in Mystria County, which also detailed the main suspect behind the destruction of the base—a new Baron named Rain.

In Magis' opinion, if they wanted to re-establish the flag of the Zalar Resistance in Mystria County, Rain would be the perfect target.

However, Admiral Parix had more important matters to attend to in Mystria, and he didn't agree with Magis' suggestion.

In his eyes, Rain was merely a 'pebble' that could be easily crushed.

Magis, hmph, he was just a high-ranking spy with a narrow-minded view!

"Admiral, I also only heard about this. It's said that Rain personally killed Giovanni, the leader of the Wilderness Brotherhood, and several members of the Wildwolf Bandits outside Mystria County."

"Hmm? Rain again?"

"What... Wilderness Brotherhood? Leader? How strong is he?" Admiral Parix asked with a puzzled look.

"Er... It's a mysterious organization in Mystria. Giovanni's strength is only second to that of a Great Knight," explained the man in leather armor.

"Only second to a Great Knight? So, Giovanni isn't a Great Knight?"

"Er... You're right, Admiral."

"Haha, next time, don't make a mountain out of a molehill with such reports. Your focus should be on the powerful individuals in Mystria, the Great Knights, understand?" Admiral Parix sneered.

"Er... Yes, Admiral!"

---

In the study of Rain's new mansion in Mystria County, Rain and Hamilton continued their conversation.

"The biggest difference between a Great Knight and a Knight is the secondary evolution of the body and the use of Prime Force."

"As we progress through the Knight stage, our bodies will gradually start to generate Prime Force as we approach the peak of our Knighthood. However, at this stage, we won't be able to control it freely."

Hmm?

Upon hearing this, Rain couldn't help but feel confused.

He could control it freely now, so Hamilton's statement seemed a bit off.

However, Rain didn't interrupt and chose to continue listening.

Hamilton continued, "The key to a Great Knight's overwhelming power lies in their ability to manipulate Prime Force to cover their entire body and weapons, greatly enhancing their combat strength and defense."

After Hamilton's explanation, Rain's confusion only grew.

After thinking for a moment, Rain asked, "Hamilton, are there any Knights who can freely control that trace of Prime Force?"

"Yes, this usually occurs in individuals with exceptional willpower or belief, such as those who dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the longsword as Peak Knights, can freely control that trace of Prime Force in combat."

"Knights who can wield the longsword with extraordinary combat power at the Knight stage are known as Swordsmen. They possess combat power comparable to Great Knights, but their defense is far inferior."

So that's it!

This made sense, as Hamilton's statement aligned with Master Gunser's explanation, and the system's job change prompt further supported this.

Comparable to a Great Knight's combat power?

Rain recalled his battles with the Coastal Snake-Neck Dragon and the Scaled Ironback Turtle, and with the belief and Prime Force supporting his greatsword, it felt like he could slice through anything.

"Hamilton, you mentioned that Great Knights can manipulate Prime Force and attach it to their longswords in combat. How is this different from a Great Swordsman?" Rain asked again.

Rain already had a guess about the answer, and he was questioning Hamilton to confirm his suspicions.

Hamilton shook his head, "They're not the same. You can think of Great Swordsmen as a special group within Great Knights."

"Their longswords not only possess Prime Force but also embody their beliefs. It's a... belief and power with extraordinary combat strength!"

Indeed, Rain nodded slightly, as his thoughts were almost identical to his previous assumptions.

Now, he had one last question, "Hamilton, are there any extraordinary traits or special considerations regarding the High-Grade Potion, Beast Essence?"

It was common knowledge that advancing potions had their intricacies.

Hearing this question, Hamilton smiled and said, "Before the High-Grade Potion, Beast Essence, appeared, there were still successful advancements from Knight to Great Knight, but the numbers were extremely low, about one in a hundred."

"Failure often resulted in death or severe injury."

"However, with the High-Grade Potion, Beast Essence, as an aid, the success rate has increased significantly, almost ten times higher. And the consequences of failure are relatively less severe."

"Unlike other advancing potions, the main function of Beast Essence is to provide abundant energy for a higher level of physical evolution."

"The essence of secondary evolution is to enhance your existing extraordinary traits and gradually embed them into your bloodline. This process does not create new extraordinary traits."

Rain suddenly understood!

No wonder the advanced potion for becoming a formal knight is so precious; the root of it lies here.

"So, to evaluate the quality of a Beast Essence, the main consideration is the amount of special evolutionary matter it contains, right?" Rain thought for a moment and came to a conclusion.

Hamilton looked at Rain approvingly and said, "That's right! But the stronger the beast, the more evolutionary matter can be refined from its heart."

"But in reality, Rain, the most crucial or difficult part of becoming a Great Knight is to use your extraordinary will to command your body. Otherwise, the promotion will surely fail."

Rain nodded in agreement.

He realized that whenever the system mentioned Beast Essence, it never specified a quality requirement; it only stated that it was sufficient.

In other words, as long as he had Beast Essence, he could definitely become a Great Knight, and the quality of the essence was completely irrelevant.

This was the most significant part! Having it meant success!

"Sir, there's something I need your help with. I have a Beast Heart, and I'd like to trouble you to contact Colonel Connor. I'd like the military or the Royal Alchemist Association to help me create a bottle of Beast Essence."

As Rain spoke, he handed the box containing the Beast Heart of the Coastal Sea Snake Dragon to Hamilton.

"Hmm? You have a Beast Heart?" Hamilton was shocked once again, but he quickly regained his composure. After all, Rain had defeated Giovanni, so it was not surprising that he obtained a Beast Heart.

"Yes, I obtained it on my trip to Rosby County." Rain smiled and explained.

"Good! I'll contact Connor as soon as possible." Without hesitation, Hamilton agreed.

Just as Hamilton was about to leave, he suddenly stopped and turned back, "Rain, there's something I wanted to tell you... Never mind, I'll talk to you about it after your duel."

Meanwhile, in a luxurious mansion in Myester County City, a dimly lit underground hall.

The Black Flame Cultist, Maral, was reporting with a nervous sweat, "High Priest, something terrible has happened. Giovanni's mission failed, and he was killed by Rain on the spot!"

"What? Giovanni is dead?" The fat High Priest stood up from his large chair in surprise and immediately asked.

"Yes, sir!" Maral replied, lowering his head.

It was the first time Maral had seen the High Priest lose his composure. The High Priest, with his plump body, slowly paced in the underground hall, muttering, "How is this possible? Giovanni should have been able to escape even if he couldn't win with his speed!"

"High Priest, there's another piece of news." Maral's expression was as if he had a secret, although he knew that the High Priest would be angrier when he heard it, but he still chose to speak up.

"Hmm?" The fat High Priest stopped and looked at Maral suspiciously, as if asking, 'Do you have worse news than Giovanni's death?'

"After killing Giovanni, Rain sent his body directly to the Temple of the Goddess of Gale and Sea." Maral's voice grew softer as he spoke.

The High Priest's pale face suddenly turned red.

Maral knew this was not good; it was a sign of the High Priest's extreme anger!

"Boom!"

The High Priest's face twisted in rage, and he extended his withered arm, blasting a large black flame onto the floor of the underground hall, creating a huge hole.

"Damn!"

"I will make sure Rain pays for this!"

The power of this black flame strike was several times greater than that of an ordinary Black Flame Cultist, scaring Maral so much that he almost jumped. Fearing that the High Priest's anger might be directed at him, Maral quickly spoke up:

"High Priest, perhaps we don't even need to take action ourselves to achieve the goal of killing Rain."

"Because there's news spreading among the nobility of Mystria County that Baron Norman will engage in a bloody duel with Rain next Sunday at the county's duel arena."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, High Priest." Maral wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling relieved that the High Priest's mood seemed to have improved.

"Is it that retired Imperial Navy Norman?" The High Priest seemed to recall something.

"Yes, it's him."

"I remember, wasn't he weakened by divine blood and unable to recover his strength? His current power should be inferior to Giovanni's! Engaging in a duel that's bound to fail will only fuel Rain's arrogance, won't it?" The High Priest spoke with a hint of malice.

"Yes, Baron Alonso's side reported that Baron Norman has already recovered to his peak through secret potions and is now seeking a way to break through to the Great Knight before the bloody duel."

"I see." The fat High Priest nodded, his mood seemingly much better.

He slowly paced back to the center of the hall and sat down, saying, "Maral, since Giovanni has returned to the embrace of the God of Hunt, you will be in charge of contacting the Wilderness Brotherhood."

"Well... High Priest, just now, the headquarters of the Wilderness Brotherhood in the county city was destroyed by the Goddess of Gale and Sea Church." Maral wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied.

"Hmm?" The High Priest felt like he was on an emotional rollercoaster as he listened to the report, and he glared at Maral with a hint of malice in his eyes, as if asking, 'Is this also because of Rain?'

"Is this also because of Rain, right?" He immediately recalled Maral's previous words about Rain delivering Giovanni's body to the Goddess Church.

"Yes, High Priest."

Maral nodded and suggested with a sinister tone, "Why don't we directly raid Rain's new mansion in the noble quarter tonight?"

I thought that even if he survived, his entire family would surely perish."

"Not good!" The High Priest immediately shook his fat head.

He wasn't stupid; he wouldn't risk the entire Black Flame Church just to avenge Giovanni by openly attacking in the county city. Such a move would only make the Black Flame Church an immediate target for the Empire and the Goddess Church.

Wouldn't that play into the hands of other forces, like the God of Sea Church?

"No need to rush," the High Priest said after some time, his fat body sinking further into the chair. "Since Rein is going to take up his post in Fishing Harbor Town, let the God of Sea Church deal with him."

The next day, the beautiful Baroness Crowley rose early and left in a carriage.

It was a slightly busy day for Jennifer.

According to Rein's instructions, her first task was to head to the blacksmith shop and discreetly arrange for the purchase of chrome iron ingots from the market, as well as multiple channels to acquire frost iron ingots or raw frost iron ore.

Later in the day, she would visit the Aksen Auction House to inquire about purchasing Beast Essence, a high-level magic potion.

According to the plan they had discussed the night before, if they could acquire a high-level magic potion like Beast Essence within a week, she would choose to directly purchase a bottle, no matter the cost.

However, if the delivery time was after the duel, that would be a different matter.

Lastly, she also needed to pay a visit to Master Holland, the Alchemist.

At this moment, a delicate wooden box lay at her feet, containing Rein's Beast Heart, the most crucial ingredient for the high-level magic potion, Beast Essence.

After waking up, Rein didn't immediately head to the blacksmith shop to advance his Armorer profession. Instead, he boarded a carriage that had been prepared earlier and made his way to Earl Habus' mansion.

As he had an appointment with the Earl, Rein's first task upon returning to the county city was to report to the Earl.

Soon, the carriage arrived smoothly at the entrance of Earl Habus' mansion. Led by the steward, Rein quickly found himself in the luxurious study, where he met Earl Habus.

The Earl's hair, a mix of white and gray, was neatly combed, and he wore a noble hunter's garb with golden threads and a Cali bird emblem woven in gold on the chest—a clear sign of the importance he placed on family honor.

"Good morning, Earl," Rein said respectfully, bowing slightly.

Earl Habus put down his pen and looked up at Rein with a smile, sizing him up. "Rein, it seems your studies have been fruitful."

"Yes, I've learned quite a bit this time," Rein replied with a smile.

"Excellent. It's good to see young people with such ambition. Speaking of which, I was just thinking it's about time for you to return. I was considering sending someone to look for you."

"Rein, what are your thoughts on Norman challenging you to a duel?"

"Although I can't cancel it, I can have you assigned to official duties for a while."

Rein's heart stirred as he realized the Earl was slightly biased towards him.

But there was no need for that! Rein had been the target of constant assassination attempts by the Norman family, and he wanted to eliminate them directly.

Normally, Rein had no effective countermeasures against their persistent assassination attempts, but this time, the proposed bloody duel presented an opportunity from a certain perspective.

Jennifer had informed him that the Norman family's downfall would be certain if Norman's spine were broken.

Rein shook his head and said, "Earl, I also want to face Baron Norman and see how much I've improved. There are likely records of Norman's duels, and studying them could provide valuable insights.

Hearing Rein's refusal, Earl Habus shook his head helplessly. "Very well! Then, following the Empire's glorious tradition, you two can settle your grievances in the duel arena."

"Is it next Sunday? Today is also Sunday. In seven days, I will personally attend."

"In these seven days, prepare for the duel. I'll arrange for others to handle Fishing Harbor Town in the meantime. We can discuss everything else after the duel."

"Thank you, Earl!" Rein bowed slightly in gratitude.

An hour later, Rein arrived at the Crowley family's blacksmith shop.

In a separate smelting chamber, there were already plenty of clay and a large pile of chrome iron ingots. There were only four or five frost iron ingots, but they wouldn't be needed in the short term, so Rein wasn't worried.

Previously, when he advanced to Armorer, Rein had attempted to craft lancer chest armor, earning only 5 Armorer experience points. This time, he planned to attempt crafting components for the chrome iron greaves.

Using a one-piece molding process, the chrome iron greaves were a layered, intricate chest armor, much more complex to craft than the lancer chest armor.

Rein opted to craft the chrome iron greaves, which included the shin guards, using two chrome iron plates joined together.

This meant that Rein could quickly gain significant Armorer experience by replicating the lancer chest armor's forging process with the Incendiary Touch spell.

At this moment, seven or eight chrome iron ingots were glowing red-hot in the forge.

Rein raised his hand and began chanting the Incendiary Touch spell in a low voice.

Soon, a dense, crimson-red light appeared in front of his palm, and the surrounding flame energy particles rapidly gathered towards it.

As he sustained his mental output, the forge's flames suddenly shot up.

The seven or eight ingots visibly turned red and softened, eventually melting into liquid iron.

Rein immediately opened a small door on the forge and poured the scorching chrome iron liquid into a clay mold prepared earlier.

After cooling down, Rain removed two shin armor pieces from the clay mold and picked up the blacksmith's hammer, beginning the forging process.

With his increased strength, agility, and physique, Rain found the forging process much easier than before. Soon, he joined the front and back chrome iron pieces together, forming a complete shin guard.

At this moment, the system prompted:

【You have completed the forging of the Chrome Iron Shin Guards, and your understanding has improved!】

【You have learned a new skill - Shin Guard Forging】

【Your Shin Guard Forging skill has improved, gaining 24 experience points】

【Your focus on Chrome Iron Shin Guard forging has increased your Armorer profession experience by 28 points】

Rain's eyes lit up at this!

As expected, it was just as he had anticipated.

After choosing the first volume of "Crowley's Armory Crafting Guide," the experience gain for Armorers after crafting the Chrome Iron Suit, which was one level higher than the Spear Cavalry, had significantly increased.

Additionally, Rain felt a strange sense of intuition regarding the success rate of his current armor forging.

This was likely the effect of 'Armorer Specialization lv1,' slightly increasing his armor forging success rate.

After some thought, Rain quickly had the blacksmith shop's workers help him create around ten pairs of clay molds (one left and one right for the shin guards).

Then, Rain repeatedly cast the Incendiary Touch spell, entering a continuous smelting and forging mode!

The system notifications flooded the screen.

For the entire day, Rain only left the shop to return home for meals; otherwise, he spent all his time at the blacksmith shop.

Although it was exhausting, the results were evident. In just one day, Rain's Armorer profession level increased from lv1 to lv2.

As a result, Rain also gained 1 attribute point and 1 skill point as upgrade rewards.

After dinner, Jennifer, who had been busy outside for almost the entire day, came to the blacksmith shop to find Rain.

"Jennifer, from your expression, it seems things aren't going as smoothly as planned?" Rain, who was in the middle of forging the shin guards, looked up and saw the beautiful woman with a displeased expression.

"Yes, there's a ready-made Beast Essence at Aksen Auction House, but the person in charge, Lenon, told me that it was already booked by someone yesterday."

"I negotiated for half a day, but even with a 30% increase, I couldn't secure it." The beautiful woman spoke with a hint of disappointment.

"Oh?" Rain's thoughts turned, and he already had a guess as to who the booker was, most likely Norman or Alonso.

However, it didn't matter.

"What about Master Holland?" Rain asked.

"He agreed to make it, but yesterday, Master Holland received an urgent order and said he could only start working on it after half a month." The beautiful woman sighed helplessly.

"I see, it's fine. Let's continue to have Master Holland make it for us." Rain thought for a moment and said.

"Hmm?" Jennifer's beautiful eyes looked at Rain with a hint of surprise.

She had thought Rain would choose to give up, as this timing would not be enough for the Bloody Duel, missing by a full week.

"Don't worry, I have a plan!" Rain said with a smile.

Rain had anticipated this situation yesterday.

After learning from Hamilton that the Swordsman's combat power was comparable to a Great Knight, Rain had made his arrangements.

If he could raise both Bear Swordsmanship and Tokkar Hammer Technique to lv10, his strength would surpass even the Swordsman, perhaps earning him the title of 'Quasi Swordmaster.'

No, to be precise, it should be 'Quasi Weaponsmaster.'

With the extraordinary traits 'Iron Skin lv3' and 'Attribute Point Reset,' Rain believed that even if Norman advanced to a Great Knight, he could still defeat him! It wasn't that he was overly confident, but this was evident from the fact that Giovanni, whose transformed power was comparable to a Great Knight, was still defeated by Rain.

---

"What? You're saying Rain spent the entire day at the blacksmith shop?" Alonso was taken aback when he heard this news.

"Yes, many people have witnessed it, so it can't be faked." Steward Michel was also puzzled.

A slender man walked in and quickly reported:

"My Lord, you asked me to keep an eye on Lady Crowley. This morning, she went to Aksen Auction House and stayed there for a long time. However, I'm not sure about the specific details of their discussion."

"Additionally, in the afternoon, she went to Master Holland's place."

"Hmm?" Baron Alonso turned to look at Michel beside him.

After a glance at each other, they burst into laughter. Baron Alonso said with a smile, "It seems Rain is trying to mislead us, but his true intention is to get the Beast Essence. You helped him achieve his real goal."

"Michel, do you think Rain is trying to buy something at Aksen Auction House?"

Michel smiled and said, "If I'm not mistaken, it should be the 'Beast Essence.'"

"Exactly!"

"Good thing you contacted Aksen Auction House yesterday."

"As for Master Holland, he will only be able to make the Beast Potion for us after completing the current order."

Alonso laughed heartily as he realized he had predicted Rain's plan.

Michel also wore a confident expression, as he had personally handled both matters.

---

Rain's Armorer level reached lv3 on the third day.

On the fifth day, it increased to lv4!

By then, the remaining attribute points on the system panel reached 6, and the remaining skill points reached 5.

However, the experience points for Chrome Iron Shin Guards began to decline sharply after Rain's Armorer level reached lv4.

Rain knew that to continue rapid progress, he would need to upgrade to a higher-level knight's plate armor.

But the problem was the insufficient number of Frost Iron Ingots; he only had a little over ten, and the unsmelted Frost Iron Ore didn't seem enough for Rain to reach Armorer lv5.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end