Chapter 216: The Deceiver

Chapter 216: The Deceiver



At that moment, Rain suddenly thought of something and turned to Veronica, who was standing beside him.

"Miss Veronica, were the magics used by those two members of the Fish Dragon Squad from the Navy's special item exchange list?" Rain asked.

"That's right, Lord Rain," Veronica replied. "They are likely apprentice mages trained by the Imperial Navy, and they differ from mages like me who follow a school of magic. Their magics are acquired through the special item exchange list."

Veronica recalled the impression she had of the two mages and confirmed her assumption.

"In other words, if they have task evaluation medals and merit points, they can exchange them for their desired magics," Rain asked again.

"Yes, that's correct," Veronica answered promptly.

"The magic used by that archer named Trevor, which you mentioned, was 'Sharpening Spell,' right? It's a metal-element magic, isn't it?" Rain had faintly sensed the mysterious silver-colored energy particles.

"Your perception is sharp, Lord Rain. It's indeed the metal-element 'Sharpening Spell.' Unfortunately, I don't know that magic," Veronica said with a hint of regret.

She had just realized that if she knew this 'Sharpening Spell,' she could have enhanced Lord Rain's weapons during his previous battle with Volod.

So, Veronica decided that when they returned, she would ask her mentor, Master Enius, if she could learn this 'Sharpening Spell.'

Although she wasn't a metal-element affinity, it wouldn't prevent her from learning it; the only difference would be slightly inferior proficiency.

Once she mastered it, she could provide Lord Rain with decent damage enhancement in combat.

Rain nodded, his eyes flashing slightly.

Since joining the 'Tide Walkers,' the Imperial Navy's special combat department, allowed one to exchange for metal-element magics like 'Sharpening Spell' by completing special tasks, then joining the more powerful 'Sword Bearers' organization would undoubtedly offer access to an even wider range of metal-element magics.

Joining the 'Sword Bearers' was directly related to enhancing his future strength!

Rain realized he needed to prepare and perhaps inquire about the 'Sword Bearers' assessment process.

Just as they exited the training room, a sudden, distant roar echoed from the sky!

By the time the sound reached their ears, it had already diminished, but it was still discernible as a human voice.

The roar was exceptionally condensed, allowing those present to hear it clearly despite the distance it had traveled.

Instantly, including Rain, everyone looked up towards the direction of the sound.

The direction was towards the sea.

Crucially, everyone was familiar with this voice—the gravelly sound belonged to Captain Balon of the Fish Dragon Squad, and Rain sensed that Balon was likely enraged.

The others in the room exchanged glances, their expressions changing.

Evidently, the Fish Dragon Squad had encountered a formidable enemy.

Judging by the sound's direction and distance, the encounter was likely in the nearby sea area, not far from Fishing Port Town.

At that moment, everyone's gaze shifted back to Rain, not only because he was the governor of Fishing Port Town but also because he was the strongest among them.

"Lord Rain, we..." Major Marika began, her face filled with worry. But she stopped mid-sentence, having realized something.

She had intended to suggest rescuing the Fish Dragon Squad.

However, she quickly became aware of an issue—if a specialized combat unit like the Fish Dragon Squad was finding the enemy formidable, then her side might be in grave danger.

Perhaps her first choice should be to retreat, not rescue.

Nevertheless, Rain didn't hesitate. After a brief moment of thought, he said, "Miss Veronica, please send your White Seagull for aerial reconnaissance immediately."

"Also, time is of the essence, so I'll head over first."

"Wait, Lord Rain, I..." Major Marika started, but her words trailed off as she realized something.

She had intended to offer to rescue the Fish Dragon Squad.

But she soon understood that as a naval administrative staff member, her primary concern should be safety, and she should listen to Rain and Veronica, who had more authority in combat matters.

As Rain and Veronica boarded the small boat, the White Seagull that had been sent for reconnaissance descended from the sky.

Veronica observed the White Seagull, and her initially rosy cheeks paled. "Lord Rain, the Fish Dragon Squad is currently fighting three large sea beasts, and from the White Seagull's description, it seems there's a human controlling them."

"Hmm? Someone is controlling them?" Rain's eyebrows furrowed.

The combination of large sea beasts and a human controller was a formidable force.

At that moment, a large white albatross with a wingspan of several meters flew in at high speed from the distance. Upon spotting Veronica, it immediately circled and descended.

Rain had seen this albatross before; it belonged to one of the Leviathan Squad members.

Soon, more detailed intelligence was relayed through the albatross.

"Sir Rain, a message from the Leviathan Squad. They have been intercepted by a special combat team from the Eagle Federation."

"Captain Balon, let's immediately organize the evacuation of the Fishing Harbor Town. They won't be able to hold out for long."

"The Eagle Federation?" Rain was greatly surprised.

After all, this was within the empire's territory. Could it be that the Eagle Federation intended to wage war on the empire?"

"Yes, Sir Rain, we..." The twin-tailed girl's face was a mix of worry and excitement.

After some thought, Rain turned his head and smiled at the twin-tailed girl, saying, "Miss Veronica, are you afraid?"

"Of course not! I feel very safe with Sir Rain."

Her eyes sparkled as she said this.

Rain couldn't help but laugh when he saw the girl. Veronica reminded him of those game girls from his previous life, who were both weak and enthusiastic, with a penchant for gaming but lacking in skill.

It was quite difficult to carry such a player.

After some thought, Rain focused his attention on the system panel.

Since he was facing a potential strong enemy, it was unnecessary to hold onto his two skill points.

A large sea beast?

Naturally, he couldn't allocate points to the Kadhar Fist Technique. In the face of such large or even extra-large sea beasts, a two-handed weapon was the only way to deal sufficient damage.

After a moment's consideration, Rain decided to allocate points to the Tokkar Hammer Technique.

Although the Giant Bear Sword Technique now had the benefit of the Weapon Master (Legendary) exclusive talent 'Basic Weapon Proficiency (Passive)', making it somewhat more powerful.

In comparison, the Boar Head Hammer, with its 'Hammer Proficiency lv3' buff, made the Tokkar Hammer Technique still his strongest Extraordinary Combat Technique in terms of damage.

As the remaining skill points dropped from 2 to 1, the Tokkar Hammer Technique advanced from lv10 to lv11.

Instantly, a vast amount of hammer training memory flooded Rain's mind.

After absorbing and digesting it, this memory gradually merged into his muscles, forming muscle memory.

But Rain had a feeling that this allocation of points was a bit different from before.

Subtly, his hammer technique seemed to have broken through a thin barrier. He had a different insight into the Tokkar Hammer Technique.

Especially for the original secret skill 'Ascending Dragon Hammer,' its integration with his Essence became even tighter.

Just as Rain came to his senses, he noticed two system notifications suddenly appearing:

【Congratulations, your Tokkar Hammer Technique exclusive secret skill 'Ascending Dragon Hammer' has advanced to Quasi-Oblivion 'Ascending Dragon Hammer'!】

【After advancing to Quasi-Oblivion, would you like to change the skill name?】

Quasi-Oblivion?

Immediately, the delighted and surprised Rain noticed a change in the icon of the secret skill 'Ascending Dragon Hammer' located above the 'Tokkar Hammer Technique' on the Weapon Master (Legendary) panel.

The muscular man twisting his body and swinging a two-handed hammer from below upwards now looked even more formidable and imposing. At the same time, wave-like patterns appeared on both sides of the hammer, making it look exceptionally powerful and vivid.

Below the icon, a small line of text read:

Ascending Dragon Hammer (Quasi-Oblivion) Effect: Combining Essence, use a special force generation method to swing the heavy hammer from below upwards, delivering a strike that combines Essence and rotational force.

(Note: Quasi-Oblivion cannot be directly upgraded through skill points.)



(Note: The power of Quasi-Oblivion is positively correlated with: 1. The skill level of the Tokkar Hammer Technique; 2. Essence value; 3. Hammer Proficiency level; 4. Strength value.)



As for renaming, Rain thought about it and chose no.

It was just a Quasi-Oblivion, not necessary to change it to a grand name. Besides, 'Ascending Dragon Hammer' sounded quite pleasant, and he didn't feel the need to spend time coming up with a new name.

Clearly, the power of the secret skill advancing to Quasi-Oblivion must have increased.

As for the extent of the increase, that would need to be tested.

Additionally, Rain looked at the second note with some thought, 'The power of Quasi-Oblivion is positively correlated with: 1. The skill level of the Tokkar Hammer Technique.'

Since further increasing the power would mean using the remaining skill points, he decided to allocate them directly.

After all, his hammer secret skill wasn't just one move.

So, Rain quickly made up his mind.

As the remaining skill points dropped from 1 to 0, the Tokkar Hammer Technique advanced from lv11 to lv12.

Instantly, another vast amount of hammer training memory flooded Rain's mind.

When Rain came to his senses, two system notifications quietly appeared:

【Congratulations, your Tokkar Hammer Technique exclusive secret skill 'Earthsplitting Hammer' has advanced to Quasi-Oblivion 'Earthsplitting Hammer'!】

【After advancing to Quasi-Oblivion, would you like to change the skill name?】

Sure enough, Rain saw the icon of the secret skill 'Earthsplitting Hammer' located above the 'Tokkar Hammer Technique' on the Weapon Master (Legendary) panel change slightly.

The muscular man raising a two-handed hammer and striking the ground forcefully from above now looked even more robust. At the same time, a fan-shaped cracked area appeared on the ground, with floating stones of various sizes, making it look incredibly powerful.

Below the icon, a small line of text read:

Earthsplitting Hammer (Quasi-Oblivion) Effect: Combining Essence, use a special force generation method to swing the heavy hammer from above downwards, striking the ground and delivering a strike with multiple oscillating forces.

(Note: Quasi-Oblivion cannot be directly improved through skill points.)



(Note: The power of Quasi-Oblivion is positively correlated with the following: 1. Tokkar Hammer Technique skill level; 2. Force value; 3. Hammer specialization level; 4. Strength value.)



Similarly, Rain did not choose to change the skill name and continued to name it Earthsplitting Hammer.

After both Hammer Techniques were promoted to Quasi-Oblivion, he could clearly feel that his understanding of hammer techniques had advanced again, and it seemed that he was not far from truly mastering the Great Technique.

Unfortunately, he currently had no remaining skill points.

However, this made Rain look forward to the upcoming battle.

He wanted to test the power of Quasi-Oblivion, and of course, there was the experience reward after the battle.

On the other side of the ship's railing, Veronica seemed eager to try something, her expression revealing a hint of anticipation.

This made Veronica stare in amazement.

Facing the battle without fear and instead yearning for it? Rain truly possessed the essential quality of a top-tier powerhouse.

When the two of them arrived at the scene, they saw from a distance four small and one large red-and-white striped snake-shaped sea beasts surrounding and attacking the Fish Dragon Squad on the coral reef.

Even the smaller snake-shaped sea beasts had more than three meters of their bodies exposed above the water's surface, and the larger one was as tall as five meters!

The snake-shaped sea beasts had a ring of spikes under their heads, and between the spikes was a layer of thin membrane, giving the impression that the snake's head was wearing a hat.

"These are Spineback Sea Serpents!"

"The venom of the Spineback Sea Serpents is highly toxic, and their close-combat abilities are also strong. Their overall strength is not inferior to that of a High Knight."

"As for that giant Spineback Sea Serpent..." Veronica quickly added.

After experiencing so many battles, Rain only needed a few glances to understand the entire battle situation.

If the Fish Dragon Squad was formed around Captain Baran, a Grand Knight, as its core, then the opposing side was quite the opposite.

The opponents seemed to be formed around a formal Wizard as their core, with the remaining four members being High Knights. One of them held a sword and shield, guarding the Wizard, while the other three controlled the snake-shaped sea beasts to besiege Baran.

The opponents' snake-shaped sea beasts also had strong close-combat abilities.

From the composition of the teams, it was difficult to determine which side had the advantage.

However, judging from the situation on the battlefield, it seemed that Captain Baran, the core of his squad, was being countered by the Wizard on the opposing side.

As the captain, Baran was moving at an extremely fast speed to block the attacks coming from three directions. But the situation was becoming precarious, and one member of the Fish Dragon Squad was lying on the coral reef, seemingly having lost his ability to fight.

Although Captain Baran's body was flashing with various magical lights, enhancing his speed, strength, and other attributes to an extremely high level, he was certain of his role as a High Knight.

However, the three snake-shaped sea beasts' combat abilities were quite strong, and magical lights were constantly appearing on their bodies, either from the support of others nearby or from their innate abilities as large sea beasts.

Moreover, High Knights were also riding on the backs of the snake-shaped sea beasts, fighting in coordination.

The crucial point that Rain keenly noticed was that a thin thread of crimson blood was seeping from the corner of Captain Baran's mouth.

Furthermore, during the battle, Baran would occasionally pause for a moment, his face contorting in pain.

This quickly made Rain realize that the large Spineback Sea Serpent on the back of the man in black robes, who was intermittently chanting spells while holding a short dagger, was most likely the key to breaking the stalemate.

In other words, to change the course of the entire battle, the key was that man in black robes.

At this moment, a knight holding a sword and shield was standing by the black-robed man's side, seemingly to prevent Captain Baran's rapid advance.

Upon seeing Rain and Veronica suddenly appearing, the members of the Fish Dragon Squad looked puzzled.

Trevor, who was serving as the bowman, immediately turned his head and said to another member, "What's going on? Didn't you notify them to evacuate quickly?"

"We can't hold out for much longer! If it weren't for the fact that Fishing Port Town is nearby, we would have retreated long ago, and Bastor wouldn't have been severely injured."

The member seemed a bit aggrieved and said, "My Albatross just told me that it had notified them. I think it must be this Baron Rain who is coming!"

Although Trevor had a good impression of Rain, he couldn't help but feel angry at this moment. "This young man is too impulsive!"

"He doesn't know that we're just sparring with him. Fighting alone against this kind of squad is completely different from a one-on-one duel."

"Baron Rain, what should we do now?"

"Let's stop here. I'll take care of the rest." Rain said as he noticed a nearby small reef that could serve as a preset battlefield.

After all, fighting sea beasts in the water was at a disadvantage.

"Okay, Baron Rain."

At this moment, Veronica began chanting a magical incantation.

Suddenly, Rain felt a large amount of water elemental energy particles gathering under his feet, giving him the sensation of being buoyed up.

"Baron Rain, I've cast the Water Walking spell, which is sufficient to support your weight and allow you to walk normally on the water's surface for about half an hour."

This made Rain's face light up with joy.

He had originally planned to lure the opponents to the nearby reef for the battle, but now it seemed unnecessary, as there were many more options for the battlefield.

Veronica continued to instruct, "By the way, Baron Rain."

If you intend to use magic, you should be careful."

"It's best not to affect the area beneath your feet, otherwise, the magic I cast for you, 'Water Walking', will be canceled or become unstable."

Rain listened to Veronica's reminder and nodded.

He understood this point.

In simple terms, he couldn't use the magic 'High Temperature Field' in combat because this magic would cover the area beneath his feet, thus affecting the stability of the 'Water Walking' magic. However, he could cast 'Scorching Touch' or 'Radiant Flame'.

Immediately after, a faint blue magical light flashed.

Rain instantly gathered a thin layer of water film around himself, a water-based magic called 'Water Film Spell', which provided a certain level of defense.

"Thank you, Miss Veronica. It's my turn now." Rain nodded and smiled at Veronica.

"Lord Rain, please be careful. If needed, I still have a formal magic scroll given to me by my mentor."

"Okay."

Rain didn't say more and took a step towards the ship's railing, standing on the sea's surface.

The people from the Eagle Federation, of course, also saw Rain and Veronica.

A man in a black robe glanced at the two of them and muttered, "Is this the local defense force of the Dragoon Empire? A third-level wizard apprentice and a knight, no, seems like a grand knight?"

"Hoffman, go and take care of these unstable factors."

"Yes, sir," said the grand knight holding a sword and shield, riding a spineback sea serpent at high speed towards Rain.

The man in the black robe named Nehru, had energy fluctuations that clearly exceeded the limits of a third-level wizard apprentice. However, his gaze remained fixed on Baron, who was engaged in rapid combat.

As the third-ranked member of the 'Leviathan' squad, he received information from the federal navy side, and was the first to arrive.

Not long after he arrived, he discovered the traces of the Dragoon Empire's combat squad, so the battle suddenly began.

The other squad leader was a grand knight, who was quite tricky after enhancing the other squad members with beneficial magic.

Even he had to work hard to suppress the opponent.

Nehru observed the faintly black-glowing 'Curse Blade' in his hand, and couldn't help but feel a bit proud.

If it weren't for himself, who happened to be a counter to the grand knight, even the 'Leviathan' squad might not have been able to defeat the opponent.

Just now, he had relied on this 'Curse Blade' to consecutively curse the opponent three times: 'Weakening Curse', 'Pain Curse', and 'Cold Heart Curse'.

This caused the opponent's strength to be completely unable to perform normally.

Nehru observed for a while, then shifted his gaze to Rain and Veronica in the distance.

With a slight incantation, Nehru used a short dagger glowing with black light to make two cuts on his fingers, and as the crimson blood overflowed, a strange fluctuation instantly rushed towards the distant Veronica.

And a moment later, another inexplicable fluctuation rushed towards Rain!

After finishing the spell, Nehru's face turned slightly pale, but a smile appeared on his lips.

This way, Hoffman should be able to easily solve the problem.

The unstable factors will be eliminated!

Suddenly, Veronica's expression changed drastically, "Lord Rain, I'm under the influence of the Pain Curse. Be careful, that black-robed person seems to be a Deceiver."

Pain Curse?

Deceiver?

Rain inexplicably associated him with the third-level wizard apprentice Adams, who he had killed before, and his methods were quite bizarre.

Of course, the person in front of him was a formal wizard.

But at this moment, Rain had no fear, because his current strength was much stronger than before.

It was just that after hearing that the person was a Deceiver, Rain became more cautious.

But the next second, Rain felt a surge of negative energy rushing towards his body, instantly invading his physique.

"Is this the Weakening Curse?"

Rain immediately realized, as he had experienced this magic not long ago.

However, compared to the Weakening Curse cast by Nathaniel, this time's curse was much stronger.

If not dispelled, basically, under the influence of this curse, his grand knight strength would be reduced to that of a peak knight.

This was a battle, a life-and-death struggle, so without hesitation, Rain added an attribute point to his spirit.

As the remaining points decreased from 6 to 5, and his spirit increased from 31 to 32 points, a warm current pumped from his heart and quickly spread throughout his body.

In an instant, the feeling of weakness that had enveloped Rain's body completely disappeared!

"Good!" Rain smiled slightly.

Adding points still worked!

At this time, the grand knight named Hoffman, riding a spineback sea serpent, also smiled and rushed towards the boat where Rain was.

Because just now, he had sensed that the two enemies had been cursed by Nehru.

This situation had occurred many times in previous battles.

So, the upcoming battle had no suspense.

In his eyes, those two enemies were no different from lambs waiting to be slaughtered!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end