Chapter 224: The Choice of the Fifth Profession

Chapter 224: The Choice of the Fifth Profession



Vexman had already anticipated Ren's next move, which was to swiftly retreat and create an opening to draw the two-handed greatsword sheathed on his back.

However, Vexman had no intention of giving him that chance. He intended to stick to the boy like a bone-eating ulcer, not allowing him any opportunity to use his secondary weapon.

The excruciating pain in his left arm made Vexman despise the boy before him. It had been a long time since he had suffered such a significant loss.

Vexman was determined to stab the boy with his dagger until he had punctured a hundred and eighty holes in his body to relieve his pent-up anger.

However, to Vexman's surprise, the boy did not choose to retreat or draw his two-handed greatsword. Instead, he swiftly unleashed a barrage of rapid punches with both hands.

Vexman's pupils constricted, and he immediately blocked with his dagger while catching a glimpse of the four blades that had sprung out from Ren's plate gauntlet in the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Razor Claw!"

"Ding ding dang!"

A series of metallic clangs, even denser than before, rang out as the two clashed. The speed was so fast that it almost sounded like a continuous line.

In terms of sheer speed, Vexman was undoubtedly faster than Ren. But that was when he wasn't injured.

At this moment, his left arm hung limply by his side, devoid of any combat ability. The loss of his left arm's swinging motion during movement and its role in maintaining balance significantly affected Vexman's mobility.

Furthermore, Vexman was not wearing any armor, unlike Ren. Despite being a peak Grand Knight, his stamina had nearly depleted after the intense battle, further diminishing his speed!

Consequently, although Vexman had finally escaped the paralysis that followed each hammer strike, he couldn't find a moment to catch his breath against Ren's lightning-fast Razor Claw.

This caused Vexman's previously calm demeanor to completely crumble.

Assessing his stamina, Vexman realized that if he didn't fight with all his might, he might very well die here.

Vexman's face contorted into a hideous grimace as he abandoned blocking Ren's Razor Claw and opted to counterattack instead.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

"Pfft!"

In the backyard, the two figures blurred like mist, kicking up dirt and grass as they fought.

Ren's movements with his left and right hands were as swift as thunder, making it impossible to discern his actions. It seemed as if he had grown eight arms, all striking at Vexman simultaneously.

The Razor Claw attacks were relentless, with countless afterimages filling the air. In the blink of an eye, over a dozen slashes had been inflicted on Vexman's body.

Meanwhile, Vexman's blood-red dagger resembled a venomous snake spitting venom, piercing Ren's Water Film Steel Advanced Knight Armor.

Vexman couldn't help but smile.

His opponent had chosen to trade blows instead of playing it safe.

Vexman's dagger possessed the special effects of 'Vampiric' and 'Regeneration'. With each strike, his opponent would lose a significant amount of blood, and a portion of the absorbed blood would replenish Vexman's stamina.

In other words, he would become stronger with each blow!

But the next moment, Vexman's smile faded.

He could feel his dagger piercing his opponent's armor, skin, and body, causing a shallow wound. Although the injury wasn't severe, he sensed his dagger absorbing the other's blood and replenishing his stamina.

However, he couldn't shake the feeling that his opponent was getting faster while he was slowing down. With each strike he landed, his opponent retaliated with over ten slashes of the Razor Claw.

Something was wrong!

Damn it! It wasn't that the opponent was getting faster; it was that he was getting slower!

This numbness...

Fuck!

This bastard's Razor Claw is poisoned!

Vexman felt utterly defeated.

He was an expert assassin, but since he hadn't considered Ren as the highest-level enemy, he hadn't applied poison to his dagger.

Never did he expect that this boy, a mere governor of a small town in the Dragon Empire, would use poison.

After a few seconds, both of them came to a standstill, unmoving.

Vexman couldn't move. His body trembled involuntarily, and he could feel the numbness throughout his body. Even lifting his arm seemed impossible.

He couldn't even speak, his tongue numb!

Vexman's leather armor peeled off like autumn leaves, falling to the ground. The remaining scraps hung on his body like ribbons. Hundreds of slash marks now adorned his body.

"Thud!"

Vexman's rigid body, as stiff as a concrete statue, slammed into the ground.

He remained in a crouching position, dagger in hand, ready to strike again. The sight was comical.

At that moment, he wanted to say just one thing to Ren:

"Fuck! The dose of paralyzing poison you used is way too fucking much!"

This turn of events surprised Ren as well.

When he had applied the paralyzing poison to his Razor Claw, he had only considered the possibility of his enemy being skilled in magic. In that case, he would use the Razor Claw, his fastest weapon, to disrupt their spellcasting.

If he could draw blood, even for a moment, it would be incredibly effective!

But he hadn't anticipated that his opponent would also excel in close-quarters combat. At the very least, during this high-frequency battle, neither of them had the opportunity to cast any spells.

In this situation, even Ren didn't expect his Razor Claw to have a chance to make an appearance.

Currently, the opponent's body had over a hundred wounds, all oozing with fresh blood. This was equivalent to Ren smearing an excessive amount of paralyzing poison on his Razor Claw, which he had imbued with a large dose of medicine, and absorbing it all.

This amount of poison was enough to incapacitate even a giant sea beast weighing several dozen tons!

At this moment, Ren's Water Film Steel Advanced Knight Armor also had more than a dozen holes of varying sizes.

"Whoosh!"

Ren tore open the Water Film Steel Chest Armor, which was now more like a Swiss cheese armor, and examined his injuries.

Just as he had anticipated, despite the numerous wounds—over a dozen of them—they were all relatively shallow.

This was due to the dual defense of the Water Film Steel Armor and his innate talent 'Basic Steel,' which allowed the opponent's daggers to penetrate only a couple of centimeters, just enough to draw blood.

However, Ren's keen perception noticed a sense of weakness in his body, as if he had lost too much blood.

He glanced at the crimson-glowing daggers in the opponent's hand, realizing that the problem likely lay with the daggers.

It seemed they possessed some sort of special blood-sucking effect.

Under Vexman's watchful gaze, Ren approached, carefully prying open the opponent's stiffened fingers one by one, and took hold of the two crimson daggers, examining them curiously.

Swinging them casually a few times, he found them surprisingly easy to wield.

Soon, Ren realized that this was due to his innate talent as a Weapon Master, 'Basic Weapon Proficiency,' which granted him a natural level 1 proficiency with the daggers.

But how could he test the effects of these daggers? Ren paused, deep in thought, and quickly came up with an idea.

He crouched down and, with a few swift stabs, pierced the paralyzed and helpless enemy, who was unable to resist.

Instantly, a faint warm current flowed from the crimson daggers into his palm, and his entire body felt a slight jolt of energy.

This caused Ren's eyebrows to raise in surprise and delight.

Apparently, these crimson daggers not only had a blood-sucking effect but could also nourish the user with something special.

Vexman, on the other hand, stared in horror.

He witnessed the young man using his daggers to swiftly sever the tendons and ligaments in the enemy's limbs.

Ren, out of safety concerns, had initially intended to slit the opponent's throat.

However, after some thought, he realized that he had two members of the Empire's Leviathan Squad with him, who might have better ideas to extract the opponent's value while ensuring they remained under control.

Perhaps, this way, he could also obtain some valuable items from the Empire's Navy.

At that moment, Trevor, Nathaniel, and Veronica rushed into the backyard from the Town Hall, their faces filled with anxiety. Upon seeing the scene, they were momentarily stunned.

The backyard resembled a battlefield, with trenches and craters everywhere, and the once well-manicured plants and flowers now reduced to broken branches and scattered leaves.

They glanced at Ren, then at the motionless middle-aged man lying on the ground, his body riddled with wounds and in an odd position.

Instantly, they understood what had transpired.

Ren had taken on the opponent in a one-on-one battle and defeated him.

Veronica, seeing Ren's bare chest with its dozen red dots, couldn't help but cover her mouth, her eyes widening in a mix of concern and admiration.

Without hesitation, she hurried over and said to Ren, "Sir Ren, your injuries need immediate attention."

Trevor and Nathaniel exchanged glances and said, "Sir Ren, we are truly ashamed. You managed to subdue the enemy commander single-handedly, while the three of us couldn't even capture the Third Rank Wizard Apprentice outside."

"Oh? There was only one wizard apprentice outside?"

"Yes, Sir Ren. A rather rare Third Rank Shadow Wizard Apprentice. We're almost certain that he was the one controlling the Storm Ravens for reconnaissance."

"Yes, and he's a female," Nathaniel added.

Ren nodded and said, "Thank you for your efforts. Sir Trevor, Sir Nathaniel, do you think you could extract some useful intelligence for the Empire's Navy from this man?"

Just as they were talking, Major Marika and the Lemann brothers arrived in the backyard, their faces paling at the sight of the ground, which looked like it had been struck by a meteor shower.

Seeing that most of them had gathered, Ren briefly recounted the battle and his assessment of the enemy.

Upon hearing that the opponent was likely a peak Grand Knight, everyone's expressions towards Ren became filled with disbelief.

Major Marika contemplated for a moment and said to Trevor and Nathaniel, "Gentlemen, I believe the top priority now is to contact the Empire's Tidebreaker."

"Based on tonight's battle, this man is highly likely to be a member of the Federal Navy. Judging by the combat situation described by Sir Ren, his strength and position are comparable to that of Captain Balon."

"Imagine what the Federation's reaction would be if such an important figure fell into our hands?" Maryka Lieutenant paused as she said this.

Trevor's eyes lit up, and he said, "Lieutenant Maryka, do you mean the Federal Navy will immediately organize a rescue plan?"

Maryka nodded and continued, "It's very likely. And one thing is certain, the Federal Navy will definitely send someone over, at least to find out if the person lying on the ground is dead or alive."

"If they're alive, then a rescue operation will be organized."

Nathaniel nodded and said, "Lieutenant Maryka, you're absolutely right. I'll immediately contact Captain Balon and the Navy's Tidebreakers to send over a fully-equipped squad."

"Your Highness, let me help you treat your wounds first. Although direct treatment with Water Therapy is possible, cleaning the wound before treatment will yield better results."

Veronica's attention was not on the person lying on the ground but on Ren.

Lieutenant Maryka added, "Your Highness, let me and the two Leviathan Squad members handle this."

Ren glanced at them and quickly nodded, "Alright, I'll leave it to you then."

The others nodded in agreement, and Trevor said, "Your Highness, please go and tend to your wounds with Miss Veronica. We'll take care of this."

Ren turned and prepared to leave with Veronica.

"Wait, Your Highness!"

It was Knighton Lemann, the younger brother of the Lemann brothers, who had found something in the seam of the leather-armored middle-aged man's pants. He drew out a thin parchment scroll.

"I thought I'd never find it if it was sewn into the pants," the younger Lemann brother muttered to himself.

"You really underestimated me."

Ren was quite surprised when Knighton respectfully handed him the parchment scroll.

After all, during the battle, he had only focused on defeating his opponent and hadn't avoided attacking the opponent's waist pouch or other possible storage areas.

By the end of the battle, he had probably damaged the opponent's waist pouch, leather armor pockets, and other potential storage areas.

Unexpectedly, the opponent had hidden something in the lining of his pants.

Ren took the parchment scroll, his heart stirring slightly. Could this be the secret to the shadow creation and synchronized attack technique the opponent had used? However, when Ren unfurled the scroll, he was slightly taken aback.

The secret technique was not recorded on the scroll.

Instead, written at the top of the parchment were the words 'Maxwell's Rare Poison Crafting Codex'.

At that moment, a system notification suddenly appeared:

【Ding! Host has obtained 'Maxwell's Rare Poison Crafting Codex', triggering a special class change to Deathstalker (Extraordinary)!】

【The prerequisites for the Deathstalker (Extraordinary) class change are: 1. Alchemist or Poison Master lv5 or higher; 2. Spirit 18 points or higher; 3. Mastery of three or more rare poison crafting techniques. Current conditions do not meet the requirements!】

Huh?

A special class change?

Ren's eyes flickered, and he immediately began to ponder.

Since changing his class to the legendary Weapon Master, his class panel had expanded to five slots. With four already occupied, one remained empty.

However, as he hadn't decided on the fifth class, the matter had been put on hold.

Now it seemed that changing to an Alchemist first might be a good choice. After reaching lv5, he could then change to the special class Deathstalker, at least it was an Extraordinary class.

On one hand, it could further enhance his attack power, and on the other, it could improve his ability to prevent and identify various poisons used by enemies)



"Your Highness?" Veronica called out softly.

"Oh, yes, Miss Veronica, let's go." Ren quickly tucked the parchment scroll into his waist and followed her.

But soon, Ren remembered something and checked the system notifications as he walked:

【Your Tokkar Hammer Technique has improved. Experience +1669】

【Your Kadar Fist Technique has improved. Experience +1228】

【You have engaged in combat. Weapon Master (Legendary) experience +889】

(Note: The above skill experience has been enhanced by the exclusive talent 'Basic Extraordinary Insight' by 30%.)



【Congratulations! You have defeated a powerful enemy and obtained a Golden Skill Point!】

【Congratulations! Your Weapon Master (Legendary) class level has increased!】

The Weapon Master (Legendary) class level has increased by one, reaching lv5 (1/2000).

This also granted Ren an additional attribute point and skill point, leaving him with 5 remaining attribute points and 1 remaining skill point.

What excited Ren even more was the acquisition of a Golden Skill Point from this battle.

Golden Skill Point?

Ren quickly recalled the system's previous notification when his Weapon Master (Legendary) class reached lv2—'Golden Skill Points can be synthesized from three skill points or obtained by defeating powerful enemies.'

In the waters off the coast of Maister County, a twenty to thirty-meter-long oval-shaped metal object slowly rose from the depths of the sea, about ten meters deep.

"How is there only one person?" Jonistan observed the surface through a periscope and muttered to himself in confusion.

They had just received a distress signal and rushed to the location, and from the signal, it was the password of the Leviathan Squad of the Federal Navy.

Normally, the Leviathan Squad's operations would involve at least one official member and several followers, so it was almost impossible for there to be just one person.

Under the faint starlight, a woman in a black cloak could be seen running quickly on the sea surface not far from the submarine, her hand pressed against an abdominal wound with an arrow protruding from it.

The metal round hatch on top of the submarine creaked open, and four soldiers in Federal Navy uniforms quickly emerged, rushing to support the black-cloaked woman and immediately escorting her into the submarine.

Soon, the submarine slowly submerged again, disappearing from the sea surface.

After a quarter of an hour, a male officer came to report, "Sir Jonistan, the lady you just rescued requests to see you, saying she has something very important to discuss with you."

"Oh? Is her injury treated?"

"Yes, it's treated, but she refused our help and insisted on treating the wound herself. It's incredible that she managed to treat such a severe injury on her own," the male officer couldn't help but exclaim.

"Alright, I understand. I'll be right there!"

Jonistan was still puzzled.

Although they were both part of the Federal Navy, at their level, they usually wouldn't have direct contact with the Leviathan Squad.

Most of the time, they reported upwards, and the Navy's higher-ups would deploy the Leviathan Squad.

He wondered what the other party wanted to discuss with him.

Inside the submarine's medical bay.

"What? Miss Zenina, you're saying something happened to Mr. Vexman of the Leviathan Squad?" Jonistan was shocked.

Vexman, nicknamed 'Shadow Assassin', was even more famous than Nehru, and as a fellow member of the Federal Navy, Jonistan had certainly heard of him.

"Yes, Sir Jonistan."

"May I ask, is Mr. Vexman..." Jonistan asked, his initial shock giving way to calm as he paused to think.

"I'm not sure." Zenina, the woman in the black cloak, furrowed her brows, recalling the events, and shook her head.

"I was being chased by three people—two third-level Wizard Apprentices and a Marksman. I couldn't spare any attention for Mr. Vexman. Moreover, I was following his instructions to lead the others away while he dealt with the target."

Jonistan nodded, remembering Zenina's initial state with an arrow piercing her abdomen.

She had done her best as a follower of Mr. Vexman, and it was understandable.

"Afterwards, I waited at the designated spot for Mr. Vexman for quite some time, but he never arrived. That's when I knew something must have happened to him."

"So, currently, we can only confirm that Mr. Vexman encountered trouble in the Fishing Harbor Town, but the specifics are still unclear, right?" Jonistan furrowed his brows and asked.

"Yes."

"There's one more thing. I'm not sure if it's appropriate to reveal, and if it involves the Leviathan Squad's secret mission, Miss Zenina can refuse to answer."

"Because if we're going to rescue Mr. Vexman, we need to know the details of your mission to assess whether we have the capability to do so or if we should report to the higher-ups."

Zenina's eyes flickered, unsure of how to respond for a moment.

She knew that Mr. Vexman had come to the Fishing Harbor Town at the request of Mr. Nehru to assassinate someone named Ren.

It was a private request, and they had even haggled over the price.

If Mr. Vexman were here, no one would dare say anything.

But if the information were to get out now, it might damage Mr. Vexman's reputation.

However, what Sir Jonistan said was very reasonable. If the Federal Navy misjudged the situation and suffered significant casualties during the rescue, she would also be held accountable.

After some thought, Zenina spoke, "Mr. Vexman came to the Fishing Harbor Town at Mr. Nehru's request to assassinate someone named Ren!"

"What? Ren!" Jonistan couldn't contain his shock, exclaiming in surprise.

He knew Ren well, as he was the one who had provided the intelligence on Ren to Mr. Nehru!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end