Chapter 226: Long-Range Strike!

Chapter 226: Long-Range Strike!



Rain rode his large black horse along the winding road, with various items hanging on either side of the horse.

Apart from a striking large bow, there were also two identical long, fur-wrapped objects on the other side, which seemed to be a type of short blade, judging by their length and exposed handles.

These two blood-colored daggers were taken from the shadow assassin, and because the blood-colored glow on the daggers was too eye-catching, Rain had intentionally wrapped them in fur.

As for why the bow and daggers weren't carried on his person, it was because Rain was already carrying two weapons, the Boar Head Hammer and the Radiant Great Sword, on his back. If he also carried the bow and had a dagger at his waist, he would look like a peacock displaying its feathers!

It would truly be an odd sight.

Especially since no proper knight would use a dagger in combat.

Even knights who use daggers as secondary weapons are extremely rare.

But Rain had a strong impression of the special effects of the shadow assassin's blood-colored daggers, and he naturally couldn't bear to leave such excellent weapons unused.

This was why he had requested from the Empire's Southern Fleet that if they didn't have any metal elemental magic, he hoped to obtain an extraordinary combat technique for daggers.

Suddenly, several high-pitched eagle cries came from above Rain's head.

It turned out that, dozens of meters above him in the sky, there was a bird of prey the size of a seagull, with alternating blue and purple feathers, spreading its wings and flying excitedly up and down.

This was Rain's Bloodfeather Horned Eagle beast, and during this time, under the care of Veronica, an apprentice wizard specializing in avian transformation, the young bird had quickly grown strong.

At this moment, the originally fluffy, pale yellow feathers on its body were gradually being replaced by the blue-purple feathers of an adult Bloodfeather Horned Eagle.

Of course, this process would still take a considerable amount of time.

According to Veronica, the larger the bird of prey, the longer it would take to molt compared to smaller birds.

As Rain walked through the Wild Wolf Hills, he looked up at the sky where the young bird was flying freely, feeling envious, and couldn't help but use the Beastmaster's core skill, 'Beast's Eye'.

Since Rain's mental energy had significantly improved compared to before, when he activated the skill this time, despite the distance from the Bloodfeather Horned Eagle, he still instantly locked onto its position.

The moment the skill was activated, Rain felt as if he had become a radar station, and his mental energy was like radar waves radiating out in all directions. In an instant, Rain's mind located the young Bloodfeather Horned Eagle.

With a thought, Rain's vision instantly switched! He saw before him the vast blue sky and the endless expanse of the land. Looking down, he saw the undulating hills covered in thick snow, with some bright green patches appearing in the valleys, and the snow melting into water, slowly gathering into small streams.

Looking into the distance, he saw a winding road leading to the faraway Myester County wall, which looked like a gray line.

Focusing his gaze, he could even make out the faint silhouettes of buildings within the county.

Rain knew that this was due to the extraordinary eyesight of the Bloodfeather Horned Eagle. At this moment, he had only just left the Fishing Harbor Town less than half an hour ago, and it would take half a day's journey to reach the county.

Controlling the young bird to turn around and look back at the road they had come from, he saw the circularly scattered buildings of the Fishing Harbor Town not far away.

Because the distance wasn't far, Rain could even clearly see the faces of the residents walking on the town's streets.

Looking further into the distance, an endless expanse of blue sea came into view, with dozens of scattered, yellow-green islands of various sizes dotting the ocean.

"Indeed, having a bird of prey as a pet, the view from the sky is truly amazing!"

"It's like controlling a combat drone from my previous life."

"Hmm? What's this?"

When Rain turned the young Bloodfeather Horned Eagle towards the county again, he discovered that just below the young bird, a battle was taking place.

He hadn't noticed it earlier due to being too focused on what was right in front of him.

Using the young bird's extraordinary eyesight to look carefully, he saw that several carriages carrying goods on the road, located several kilometers ahead of him, were being besieged by bandits.

Over a dozen guards were engaged in a fierce battle with the bandits.

Among the bandits, one person wearing a black robe immediately caught Rain's attention, as black flames occasionally appeared in his hands.

"That's a Black Flame Adept!"

More importantly, Rain noticed that the carriages under siege had the Crowley family emblem, and one of the guards, a short man, was an old acquaintance—Matteo, the captain of the Night Watch in Shangjin Town.

With the Black Flame Adept supporting the bandits from the rear and occasionally throwing a black flame ball that would incapacitate a guard upon impact, the guards were now in a precarious situation.

Rain estimated the distance and realized that it would be too late to run over to rescue them now, given the winding road through the hills.

If you want to provide timely rescue, it seems that only using a bow and arrow will do.

Additionally, direct shooting is obviously impossible, as it requires shooting through two patches of undulating jungle to hit the enemy.

Aside from the question of whether it can hit the target, the obstruction of trees and the undulations of the hills also make it impossible for Rain to shoot through with an arrow.

If you want to rescue the other party, it seems that only adopting a parabolic shot will work.

However, relying on the vision of the young Bloodfeather Horned Eagle, Rain can see the other party clearly, but he estimated the linear distance and found that the other party was about one point two kilometers away.

Regarding the bow and arrow, the elite Night Watchman's direct shot can penetrate chainmail within sixty meters, and the effective killing distance for a parabolic shot is about one hundred and fifty to two hundred meters.

Although this is already the limit for ordinary people, it is not the limit for the extraordinary.

Back when Rain was at his peak as a Knight, he could shoot straight for about two hundred meters and still cause penetrating damage to a Knight's plate armor, but now, with a parabolic shot, the effective killing distance will naturally increase further!

However, what limits Rain's power now is the bow in his hand.

Even though the bow he uses is the great bow of the "Bloody Archer" Phil, when pulled to its full potential, it can only shoot about one kilometer, after all, Phil was a senior Great Knight, and his strength was not enough to use a stronger bow.

Additionally, if using a parabolic shot, due to air resistance, the power of the arrow will continuously decrease, but fortunately, the two bags of arrows he has now are all made of pure steel.

The weight is seven to eight times that of a normal arrow, so the impact of air resistance is relatively less significant.

But the power will definitely decrease.

Suddenly, Rain had a flash of inspiration.

He first canceled the core skill "Beast Eye" and took out the large bow hanging on his hip, along with a steel arrow. He nocked the arrow, and at this moment, he softly chanted the incantation for the metal-based spell "Sharpening Spell."

Soon, the top of the steel arrow glowed with a faint silver light.

Since the entire arrow was made of metal, the Sharpening Spell, although most of its effect was concentrated on the arrowhead, this silver light spread across the entire arrow.

Watching the light that could last for one minute, Rain's lips curled up in a smile.

Next, there was one last thing to consider.

If Rain wanted to rescue the other party, it was essential to make them stand still for a while.

This is the most troublesome aspect of ultra-long-range sniping. The arrow's speed will gradually decrease due to air resistance, making it slower and slower as it travels.

To put it simply, if the initial speed of the arrow is five hundred meters per second, it might only have a speed of three hundred meters per second after traveling one kilometer.

It might take two to three seconds to travel one point two kilometers.

During this time, if the target moves, the sniping attempt will likely fail!

So, Rain once again used his core skill "Beast Eye" to control the young Bloodfeather Horned Eagle, which flew towards the location of the Black Flame Adept. As it approached, the bird let out a crisp yet distinctly raptor-like cry.

This attracted the attention of the bandits below, who were wondering what this strange cry was all about. When they looked up, they saw a scene that left them in awe.

Previously, the arrogant and domineering black-robed figure who controlled the black flames was now pierced through the back of his head by an arrow that fell from the sky!

The force of the arrow was so great that it penetrated the black-robed figure's entire skull and exited through his mouth, with the impact powerful enough to pin him to the ground.

At this moment, the black-robed figure's eyes bulged, and his expression was one of defiance even in death.

It seemed as if he couldn't understand how this had happened so suddenly, and the body beneath the black robe was still twitching instinctively.

The bandits exchanged glances, their faces filled with disbelief. Especially a bearded burly man, whose mouth twitched uncontrollably a couple of times!

What the hell was going on?

Just as the bandits were losing their momentum, they turned around, and the black-robed figure was dead?

Influenced by the bandits, the convoy's guards also gradually stopped fighting and followed the bandits' gaze.

Among the bandits, the short-statured Matteo was the most obvious in his confusion.

As the captain of the guard, Matteo clearly felt the pressure lessen as the bearded burly man who had been keeping a close eye on him now looked back with a dazed expression.

This made Matteo curious. Could something have happened behind the bandits?

So, Matteo, being of small stature, quickly glanced through the crowd.

As he did, Matteo's eyes widened.

A steel arrow?

Piercing through the skull of the Black Flame Adept?

Who could it be, this nearby marksman with such skill, aiding them? Matteo was momentarily stunned.

At this moment, both the guards and the bandits looked around, searching for the legendary marksman.

But a minute passed.

They couldn't find the marksman who, in theory, should have been nearby.

However, the sudden death of the Black Flame Adept dealt a severe blow to the bandits' morale, leaving them unsure whether to retreat or continue fighting.

At that moment, the sound of heavy hooves echoed from one end of the road.

A tall black warhorse, carrying an equally tall silver-armored knight, galloped towards them.

The bearded bandit leader took only a glance before feeling the imminent danger of facing his natural enemy. He immediately shouted, "Retreat!" and was the first to run away.

Matteo, upon seeing the silver-armored knight, was overjoyed.

"Sir Rain!"

As Rain approached, the bandits quickly scattered.

Rain had no intention of pursuing these ordinary bandits. He rode up to the fallen Black Flame Adept, noticing the flame emblem on the collar and cuffs of his robe, confirming his identity.

Matteo looked at the arrow bag on the side of Rain's black horse, then turned to look at the steel arrow embedded in the Black Flame Adept's head. He stared at Rain in disbelief and asked, "Baron, did you shoot that arrow just now?"

As Rain approached, Matteo noticed that the arrows in the arrow bag hanging on the side of his horse were identical to the one that had killed the Black Flame Adept.

The answer was obvious.

The guards, upon closer inspection, also exclaimed in hushed voices.

The steel arrow and the arrows in the bag were the same.

But just now, the shooter was nowhere to be seen!

How far away was the shooter?

Was this the power of a formal knight? Matteo had many questions in his mind, but he was too weak to sense that Rain was no longer just a knight; he had reached the level of a Great Knight.

This realization would have startled him even more.

Rain was also surprised to see Matteo in the Crowley family's caravan.

In response to Matteo's question, Rain nodded without denying it, a smile on his face. "Matteo, what are you doing in the Crowley family's caravan?"

"Baron, do you remember the last time you asked me to come to the county town? After some thought, I made my decision. After resigning from Hamilton, I came to the county town to find you."

"But when I arrived, Baroness Crowley, who received me, said that you had gone to the Fishing Harbor Town as the Governor."

"The route of the New York City is a route in the New York City subway system.

"The Baroness, knowing that you had sent me and that I had been the Night Watch captain before, allowed me to serve as the captain of the merchant caravan."

Rain's expression showed understanding.

Long ago, he had invited Matteo to work at his new manor in the county town.

Although working for Rain might not offer the same long-term career prospects as an official imperial position, there was a ceiling to advancement beyond the Extraordinary rank. Therefore, it was better to work for Rain.

After some questioning, Rain learned that since the last bandit raid on the county town, the Wild Wolf Hills bandits had become scarce, and the security around the county town had improved significantly.

But this peace didn't last long. Recently, the remaining bandits in the area had become active again.

Rain stared at the corpse of the Black Flame Adept, his thoughts turning dark.

It seemed that the absence of the Zalar Rebel Army had created a power vacuum, allowing the Black Flame Church to take advantage and infiltrate the Wild Wolf Hills.

Although Rain didn't recognize the other guards, they approached and bowed respectfully, saying, "Baron, good day!"

"Oh? Have you seen me before?"

"Yes, Baron, we witnessed your trial when you became the Guardian Knight of the Crowley Clan. We admired you and the other two knights from afar."

Rain nodded and turned to the short Matteo, asking, "Are you escorting goods to the county city?"

"Yes, Baron, this time..."

Along the way, Rain contemplated a question. Perhaps the Legendary Weapon Master profession was even more powerful than he had imagined.

For instance, the Weapon Master had just combined the skills of a bowman and a beast tamer, achieving a sniping effect comparable to that of a modern sniper rifle in his previous life.

From a certain perspective, a Weapon Master was like a highly compatible motherboard that could accommodate various electrical components such as chips, graphics cards, and memory, thus forming diverse combat capabilities.

This was something Rain hadn't considered initially.

As his Weapon Master profession became proficient in more categories, when combined with other professions, it would unleash unimaginable combat power.

However, for now, Rain had yet to discover this potential.

The half-day journey passed quickly as Rain chatted with Matteo.

The county city's gate was already in clear view. As an imperial baron, Rain didn't need to undergo inspections at the entrance.

Matteo's Crowley Clan caravan, bearing the Crowley Clan emblem, was also easily waved through by the guards.

As Matteo had to deliver the goods, Rain bid him farewell and headed towards the New Manor.

Thinking of the family and Jennifer he was about to meet, Rain's heart stirred.

Soon, Rain was reunited with his long-separated parents and his younger sister, Mint.

"Rain, I think you've grown taller," his mother, Emma, said, both delighted and a little worried as she looked at her increasingly tall and robust son.

Rain was only sixteen, and he was already almost two meters tall. In a few more years, his physique... Would it be difficult to find a suitable noble lady for him?

"Mother, I have grown a bit," Rain replied.

"Brother, Cookie's injury has finally healed. It's the same as before, no, even stronger than before," Mint said enthusiastically after giving Rain a big hug.

"Hmm?" Rain raised an eyebrow.

He had thought that Cookie's spinal injury might not heal on its own, and he had planned to take Cookie to the Goddess of Wind and Sea Church for treatment after returning this time. But to his surprise, Cookie had recovered on its own.

At that moment, as if on cue, a remarkably large and sturdy lynx suddenly dashed out from behind the villa. 'Cookie' saw Rain and its eyes lit up with joy as it rushed over.

Rain smiled and patted the tail-wagging lynx circling around him.

This was his first pet, albeit an ordinary lynx.

However, Rain could sense a strange change in its body, which might explain why it had healed such a severe injury on its own.

Perhaps, it wouldn't be long before he fulfilled the requirement for the Beast Tamer profession—'to raise at least one ordinary animal into a Brutalized Beast.'

At that moment, a Bloodfeather Horned Eagle soaring in the sky seemed to notice the interaction between Rain and the lynx, and its mood became slightly complicated. It let out a loud cry and descended.

Seeing such a formidable raptor, Mint was captivated. "Brother, is that your pet? What kind of bird is it? It's so beautiful."

"Haha, it's a Bloodfeather Horned Eagle, a naturally ferocious species," Rain said, petting Mint's head affectionately.

The young bird, sensing its master's attitude towards those around him, approached Mint and looked at her curiously.

"Brother, have you named it?" Mint asked, her bright eyes fixed on Rain.

"Name it? I haven't thought about it yet," Rain said, taken aback. Did his sister want to name his pet?

"Brother, can I name it?"

Rain smiled wryly and said, "Of course."

"Great! Then I'll call it Cookie," Mint said excitedly.

Rain nodded, "It's a good name."

At that moment, Rain noticed a familiar figure in a one-shoulder white dress walking out of the villa's door towards him.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end