Chapter 192: Rapid Advancement

Chapter 192: Rapid Advancement



As General Parix's grumbling echoed among the surrounding burly men, not one dared to utter a sound or interrupt. Each man remained vigilant, scanning the area with unwavering focus, as if solely dedicated to their guard duties.

This left General Parix feeling rather bored.

"Who?" One of the burly men stared intently at the dark coastline and whispered.

Soon after, a slender man in leather armor appeared. Upon seeing General Parix, he bowed respectfully, "General, I'm here to escort you as instructed by Sir Magnus."

"Since our original base has been destroyed, Sir Magnus has found a new location for us. It's still in the Wildwolf Hills but in a different spot, at the former headquarters of the Wild Wolf Bandits."

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

"Hmm? Tell me more," General Parix said with interest, looking at the slender man.

Before arriving, he had already received Magnus' report on the overall situation in Master County, along with detailed intelligence identifying the primary suspect behind the base's destruction—a newly-appointed baron named Ryan.

In Magnus' opinion, to re-establish the flag of the Zalar Resistance Army in Master County, this Ryan would be the perfect target.

However, in General Parix's eyes, his mission in Master County was far more important, and he didn't quite agree with Magnus' suggestion.

The aforementioned Ryan was merely a 'small pebble' that could be crushed with a single stomp.

Magnus, a high-ranking spy, had a rather narrow perspective!

"General, I only heard about this. It's said that Ryan directly confronted and defeated Giovanni, the leader of the Wilderness Brotherhood, along with many members of the Wild Wolf Bandits, outside Master City."

"Hmm? Ryan again?"

"The Wilderness Brotherhood? Their leader? How strong are they?" General Parix asked, puzzled.

"Giovanni, the leader of the Wilderness Brotherhood, is a mysterious organization in Master County, and his strength is second only to the Great Knight," the leather-armored man explained.

"So, Giovanni isn't a Great Knight?"

"You're right, General."

"Haha, how long did it take for Ryan to defeat this leader?"

"It was an evenly matched battle that lasted a long time."

"Haha, next time, don't make a mountain out of a molehill with such reports. Your focus should be on the several Great Knights in Master County, understand?" General Parix scoffed, dismissing the matter.

"Yes, General!"

---

Inside Ryan's new study in Master City.

The conversation between Ryan and Hamilton continued.

"The greatest difference between a Great Knight and a Knight lies in the advanced evolution of the body and the utilization of Prime Force."

"As we progress through the Knight stage, our bodies gradually begin to produce Prime Force as we approach the Peak Knight level. However, at this stage, we are not yet able to control it freely."

Hmm?

Ryan couldn't help but feel puzzled at this point.

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

Nevertheless, Ryan chose to continue listening without interrupting.

Hamilton went on, "The key to a Great Knight's overwhelming strength lies in their ability to mobilize Prime Force to cover their entire body, enhancing both their combat power and defense significantly."

As Hamilton explained, Ryan's doubts only increased.

After some thought, Ryan asked, "Hamilton, are there any Knights who can control that trace of Prime Force?"

"Yes, this usually occurs among individuals with exceptional willpower or faith. For example, Peak Knights who dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the longsword may be able to control that trace of Prime Force in combat."

"At the Knight stage, those who can harness the extraordinary combat power of the longsword are called Swordsmen. They possess combat power comparable to Great Knights, but their defense is far inferior."

So that's it!

This aligned perfectly with what Master Gunther had said, and the system's class change prompt further confirmed this.

Comparable to a Great Knight's combat power?

Ryan recalled his battles against the Nearshore Necked Dragon and the Scaled Ironback Turtle. Indeed, with the blessing of willpower and Prime Force, his greatsword felt like it could sever anything.

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

Ryan already had a guess about the answer and was asking Hamilton to confirm it.

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

"Their longswords are not only imbued with Prime Force but also carry their faith. It's an extraordinary combination of faith and Prime Force, resulting in unparalleled combat power!"

Indeed, Ryan nodded slightly, as this was almost exactly what he had thought.

Now, he had one last question, "Hamilton, are there any extraordinary traits or special considerations regarding the high-level potion Beast Essence?"

After all, advanced potions had many intricacies.

Upon hearing this question, Hamilton smiled and said, "That's a good question. In fact, even before the emergence of high-level potions like Beast Essence, there were successful advancements from Knight to Great Knight, albeit in very small numbers—about one in a hundred."

"Failure to forcefully break through often resulted in death or severe consequences."

"However, with the assistance of high-level potions like Beast Essence, the success rate has increased significantly, reaching almost ten times higher. Additionally, the aftereffects of a failed breakthrough are relatively milder."

"In this regard, Beast Essence, as a high-level potion, differs from advanced potions. Its primary function is to provide sufficient energy for the body's higher-level evolution."

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

Ryan suddenly understood. No wonder the advanced potion for becoming a formal knight is so precious; the key lies here.

"So, the quality of a Beast Essence is mainly determined by the amount of special evolutionary material it contains, right?" Ryan thought for a moment and came to a conclusion.

Sheriff Hamilton looked at Ryan with approval and said, "That's right! But the stronger the beast, the more evolutionary material can be refined from its heart."

"However, the most crucial or challenging part of advancing to a Great Knight is the mastery of your body through your extraordinary will. Otherwise, the promotion will surely fail."

Ryan nodded.

Then, he thought about the system's description of Beast Essence for both the Great Knight and Master Armorer promotions. It only required its availability, with no mention of quality.

In other words, as long as he had Beast Essence, he could definitely advance to a Great Knight, regardless of its quality.

This was the real significance!

Having it = Success!

"Sir, there's something I need your help with. Could you contact Colonel Connor? I have a Beast Heart here, and I'd like the military or the Royal Alchemists Association to help me make a Beast Essence."

As Ryan spoke, he handed the box containing the Beast Heart from the Nearshore Necked Dragon to Hamilton.

"Hmm? You have a Beast Heart?" Hamilton was once again shocked, but he quickly calmed down. After all, it wasn't surprising that Ryan who defeated Giovanni would obtain a Beast Heart.

"Yeah, I happened to get one on my trip to Rosby County." Ryan smiled and said.

"Good! I'll contact Connor right away." Hamilton agreed without hesitation.

As Hamilton was about to leave, he suddenly stopped and turned back, saying, "Ryan, there's something I need to tell you... Forget it, I'll talk to you about it after the duel."

---

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

Black Flame Apprentice Maral was reporting with a worried expression, "High Priest, bad news! Giovanni's mission failed, and Giovanni himself was killed on the spot by Ryan!"

"What? Giovanni is dead?" The fat High Priest stood up from his large chair with a 'whoosh' and immediately asked in disbelief.

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

This was the first time Maral had seen the High Priest in such a discomposed state. The High Priest, with his obese figure, slowly paced in the underground hall, muttering, "How is this possible? Even if Giovanni couldn't win, he should have been able to escape with his speed!"

"High Priest, there's another piece of news." Maral had a constipated expression, knowing that the High Priest would be angrier, but he still chose to speak up.

"Hmm?" The High Priest's obese figure stopped, looking at Maral with suspicion, as if asking, 'Do you have news worse than Giovanni's death?'

"After... After killing Giovanni, Ryan sent his body directly to the Temple of the Goddess of Wind 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 the High Priest's extreme anger!

"Boom!"

The High Priest's face contorted, and he extended his withered arm, unleashing a large mass of black flame onto the underground hall's floor, creating a huge hole.

"Damn!"

"I must kill Ryan!!!"

The power of this Black Flame strike was several times greater than that of an ordinary Black Flame Apprentice, scaring Maral so much that he almost jumped. Fearing that the High Priest's anger might be directed at him, Maral quickly said, "High Priest, perhaps we don't need to take action ourselves to achieve the goal of killing Ryan."

"There's news spreading among the nobility of Maist County that Baron Norman will have a bloody duel with Ryan next Sunday at the county's Dueling Field."

"Is that so?" The High Priest asked skeptically.

"Yes, High Priest," Maral wiped the sweat from his forehead, relieved that the High Priest's mood had improved.

"Is it that retired Imperial Navy Norman?" The High Priest asked, as if remembering something.

"Yes, it's him."

"I recall he suffered a dark injury that greatly weakened his strength. Isn't his strength still inferior to Giovanni's? Isn't this a sure-loss duel that will only embolden Ryan?" The High Priest spoke with ill intent.

"It's like this, Baron Alonso's side says that Norman's strength has been restored to its peak through a secret potion, and he's now trying to break through to a Great Knight before the bloody duel."

"And once he becomes a Great Knight, I believe this duel will be Ryan's last."

"I see." The fat High Priest nodded, his mood seeming to have improved.

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

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

"Hmm?" The High Priest felt like he was on an emotional rollercoaster as he listened to the report, and his gaze at Maral turned unfriendly.

"Is this also because of Ryan?" He immediately thought of what Maral had said about Ryan delivering Giovanni's body to the Goddess Church and asked.

"Yes, High Priest."

Maral nodded and suggested sinisterly, "Why don't we gather some men these next two nights and launch a surprise attack on Ryan's new mansion in the Noble District?"

The High Priest immediately shook his fat head, not willing to risk the entire Black Flame Church for Giovanni's revenge. Such a move would only make the church an easy target for the Empire and the Goddess Church.

"No need to rush," the High Priest said after a moment of contemplation, sinking his bulky body into the chair. "Since Rein is going to Fishing Port Town, let the Sea God Church deal with him."

The next day, Baroness Crowley, looking elegant in her carriage, woke up early and set out.

For Jennifer, it was a busy day.

As Rein had instructed, her first task was to head to the blacksmith's shop and discreetly purchase chrome iron ingots from the market, as well as acquire ice iron ingots or ice iron ore through various channels.

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

According to the plan they agreed upon last night, if they could purchase the high-grade potion within a week, she would choose to directly buy a bottle, even at a premium.

However, if the delivery was scheduled for after the duel, there was no need for it.

Lastly, she also planned to visit Master Holland, the alchemist.

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

Instead of heading to the blacksmith's shop to raise his Armorer level, Rein boarded a carriage and made his way to the Habsburg Count's mansion.

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

The carriage soon arrived at the mansion, and with the butler's guidance, Rein quickly met the Count in his luxurious study.

The Count's hair, a mix of white and gray, was neatly combed, and he wore a gray hunting outfit with a Caly bird pattern woven from gold thread on the chest, exuding a gentlemanly air.

The Count clearly valued his family's honor.

"Good day, Count," Rein bowed respectfully.

Count Harris put down his pen and looked up, smiling as he appraised Rein. "Rein, it seems your studies have been fruitful."

"Yes, I've learned quite a bit during my studies," Rein smiled.

"Excellent, young man. You have the right spirit of striving forward. As I was calculating the time, I was thinking of sending someone to find you."

"Tell me, Rein, what are your thoughts on Norman's challenge to a duel?"

"Although I can't cancel it, I can have you assigned elsewhere for a period of time."

Rein's heart stirred, understanding that the Count was slightly biased in his favor.

However, there was no need for that!

Moreover, Rein wanted to eliminate the Norman family, who had repeatedly sent assassins after him.

In the past, Rein had no effective solution to their persistent assassination attempts, but now that they had proposed a bloody duel, it was, in a way, granting Rein's wish.

He had learned from Jennifer that Baron Norman was the backbone of the Norman family, and breaking that backbone would seal their fate.

Rein shook his head, "Count, I also want to face Baron Norman and see how much I've improved."

Hearing Rein's refusal, Count Habsburg sighed, "Very well! Then, follow the Empire's glorious tradition and settle your grievances in the dueling field."

"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 have others handle Fishing Port Town, and we'll discuss the rest after the duel."

"Thank you, Count," Rein bowed slightly in gratitude.

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

In a separate smelting room, clay and a large pile of chrome iron ingots were already placed on one side, and there were only four or five ice iron ingots, but Rein wasn't in a hurry as they wouldn't be needed in the short term.

When Rein had previously attempted to craft lancer breastplates during his promotion to Armorer, gaining only 5 points of Armorer experience, he now planned to try crafting chrome iron greaves.

The chrome iron greaves, consisting of two chrome iron plates hinged together, were more complex to craft than the lancer breastplates and not Rein's first choice.

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

This meant Rein could use the Sorcery 'Burning Touch' to quickly craft the chrome iron greaves in a short time, similar to the process of crafting the lancer breastplates.

This would earn him a significant amount of Armorer experience.

In the smelting furnace, seven or eight chrome iron ingots glowed red-hot.

Rein raised his hand and began chanting the incantation for the Sorcery 'Burning Touch'.

Soon, a dense scarlet light appeared on his palm, attracting nearby flame energy particles that rapidly gathered.

As he sustained his mental output, the flames in the furnace surged upward.

The seven or eight ingots visibly turned red and softened, becoming molten iron within minutes.

Rein quickly opened a small gate on the furnace, pouring the scorching chrome iron liquid into the prepared clay mold.

After cooling, Rain took out two pieces of greaves from the clay mold and picked up the blacksmith's hammer, starting to forge them.

With his increased strength, agility, and constitution, Rain found the process much easier than before. Soon, he joined the front and back chrome iron parts together, forming a complete pair of greaves.

At this moment, the system prompted:

[You have forged the chrome iron greaves, and your understanding of the process has improved!]



[You have learned a new skill - Greaves Forging]



[Your Greaves Forging skill has improved, gaining +24 experience points]



[Your focus on chrome iron greaves forging has increased your Armorer profession experience by +28]



Rain's eyes lit up at the notifications.

As he had expected, after choosing the "Crowley's Armoring Essentials Volume 1" and forging the chrome iron set, which was one level higher than the Lance Cavalry set, the experience gain for the Armorer profession had significantly increased.

Additionally, Rain felt a sense of the current success rate for forging the greaves, which should be the effect of 'Armoring Expertise lv1', slightly increasing his success rate for forging armor.

After some thought, Rain quickly had the people in the blacksmith's shop help him make about ten pairs of matching clay molds for the greaves (one left and one right).

Then, Rain repeatedly cast the spell 'Burning Touch' and entered a continuous cycle of melting and forging! The system notifications kept popping up one after another.

For the entire day, except for a brief return home for meals, Rain spent almost all his time in the blacksmith's shop.

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

As a result, Rain also gained 1 attribute point and 1 skill point as a level-up reward.

After dinner, Jennifer, who had been busy outside for most of the day, came to the blacksmith's shop to find Rain.

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

"Yes, there's a ready-made Beast Essence at Axson Auction House, but the auction house manager Lennon said it was just booked by someone yesterday."

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

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

However, it didn't matter.

"What about Holland the Alchemist?" Rain asked.

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

"I see. It's fine; let's continue to have Holland help 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 give up, as this timing was already a full week behind for the Bloody Duel.

"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 arrangements.

If he could raise both Bear Claw Sword Technique and Thunderclap Hammer Technique to level 10, his strength would surpass that of a Swordsman, and it would be more appropriate to call him a 'Semi-Great Swordsman'.

No, to be precise, he should be called a 'Semi-Great Weapon Master'.

With the extraordinary trait 'Iron Skin lv3' and the killer move of 'Attribute Point Recovery', Rain felt that even if Norman became a Great Knight, he would undoubtedly defeat him! It wasn't that Rain was overly confident, but Giovanni, whose post-transformation strength was comparable to a Great Knight, had also been defeated by him.

---

"What? You mean, Rain spent the whole day in the blacksmith's shop?" Alonso was taken aback when he heard this news.

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

"Knock knock knock!" A thin man in leather armor entered and quickly reported:

"My lord, I was asked to keep an eye on Baroness Crowley. This morning, she went to Axson Auction House and stayed there for a long time. However, I'm not sure about the specifics of their discussion."

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

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

After a glance, they both burst into laughter, and Baron Alonso said with a smile, "It seems this Rain is trying to mislead us while secretly achieving his true goal with the help of the Crowley family."

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

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

"Exactly!"

"Good thing you contacted Axson Auction House in advance yesterday."

"As for Alchemist Holland, he can only attend to us after making the Beast Potion."

The thought of having predicted Rain's plan made Baron Alonso laugh heartily!

Michel also had a confident expression, having personally handled both matters.

---

On the third day, Rain's Armorer level reached lv4.

On the fifth day, it rose to lv4!

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

However, after Rain's Armorer level reached lv4, the experience points for the chrome iron greaves began to drop sharply.

Rain knew that to continue leveling up quickly, he needed to switch to a higher-level Knight plate armor set.

However, the issue hindering him was the insufficient number of ice iron ingots, with only about a dozen available, and the unmelted ice iron ore didn't seem enough for Rain to raise his Armorer level to lv5.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end