Chapter 231: It Wasn't Me

Chapter 231: It Wasn't Me



In the underground hall, Ren faced Alonso, the birdman, flapping his wings and charging rapidly. Ren reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll imbued with wind energy, the very same 'Summon Hurricane' scroll he had obtained from Adams.

As Ren unfurled the scroll, a powerful hurricane surged towards Alonso, the newly transformed birdman.

Alonso, having just been influenced by the evil divine power and becoming a winged being, was still adjusting to controlling his wings. He could accelerate in a straight line with great speed, but the agility to fly freely would take some time to master.

In an instant, the powerful hurricane swept Alonso around in a 360-degree roll, his body swaying left and right in the wind.

"Whoosh!"

Half a minute passed, and the Staff-Bearing Man stared at the empty triangular formation of the carved staff, a look of astonishment on his face. "Captain, something's wrong! When we were up there, we clearly sensed that trace of the evil god's power."

The Shield-Bearing Strongman, who had come to retrieve the platinum staff from the High Priest, also looked surprised upon hearing his companion's words.

Suddenly, the strange energy or power that had been swirling around the High Priest's corpulent corpse seemed to converge like a hundred rivers, rushing into Ren's body and further into his very being!

Ren shook his head without hesitation. "It wasn't me."

"By the Goddess, if I had absorbed that purified trace of the evil god's divinity, then let me..."

On the other hand, if he could enhance his Blood Rage Archery, a long-range attack method, it would not only compensate for his weakness in long-range combat but also provide a safe way to disrupt the Black Flame High Priest's promotion in the current situation.

With a "Zhuuu" sound, the crimson steel arrow shot through the air at an incredibly high speed, piercing the fat High Priest's head!

Almost simultaneously, the Great Knight, at his age, had decent strength, but surviving under the projection of the evil god's power was still a challenge.

[You have gained experience: Weapon Master (Legendary) +1997, Wizard Apprentice (Supernatural) +138, Beastmaster (Supernatural) +109.]



But where had the evil god's divinity gone?

Of course, what stood out even more at this moment was Ren, holding a war bow and dressed in a banquet gown.

Damn it! The Imperial Staff required a significant amount of merit points to recharge its power, and this task was far from complete. On top of that, he would have to pay additional merit points, making the Shield-Bearing Strongman feel incredibly annoyed.

[Your skill Great Bear Sword Technique has improved. Experience gained: +899.]



Especially now, his mind had gained some exclusive secret techniques related to Blood Rage Archery, 'Blood Rage Strike.'

Without hesitation, he chose 'Yes!'

Hmm? Ren, with his keen senses, noticed a peculiar aura lingering around the deceased High Priest's body.

Suddenly, the Lurcher 'Cookie' rushed to Ren's side. After a moment's thought, Ren picked up the war bow and drew one of the two remaining steel arrows.

The light seemed to flow like mercury across his body, flickering in and out of visibility.

Michelle, with her sharp eyes, immediately spotted Alonso's bisected body upon entering. After all, Ren's sword had slashed diagonally across Alonso's left neck, leaving his head intact.

At the same time, the High Priest's originally bloated body, over two meters tall, began to rapidly expand—two and a half meters, three meters, three and a half meters... The aura intensified, surpassing that of all the peak Great Knights Ren had encountered, including Baron Baron and Count Habsburg. It seemed as if the High Priest had ascended to a higher plane of existence in an instant!

[Your skill Sharpened Shot has improved. Experience gained: +78.]



"Thump! Thump!"

The Staff-Bearing Man had been watching the two of them working at the scene.

"But when I cast the Absorbing Magic Array earlier, I didn't absorb anything! That's not right..."

Suddenly, a flood of memories about practicing Blood Rage Archery rushed into Ren's mind, giving him the sensation of having trained in a mysterious space for decades!

This overwhelming aura was like standing before a human emperor, the pinnacle of power. Ren now realized that the pale blue light was a platinum staff, which had struck the High Priest's chest, creating a bucket-sized hole.

Michelle, witnessing this, trembled uncontrollably, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Ren scanned the area but found no source for the aura.

After all, such a massive human-shaped corpse was anything but normal.

At this moment, Ren could sense a unique, mysterious interaction between this energy and himself.

As for 'Basic Steel Body (Passive)' and 'Basic Weapon Proficiency (Passive),' these were instant-type talents.

There was something faster than his arrows, something that had struck the promoting Black Flame High Priest first!

A system notification appeared: [Congratulations! Your talent 'Basic Steel Body (Passive)' has improved to 'Intermediate Steel Body (Passive)!']



Seeing the successful kill of the Black Flame High Priest, Ren breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as he managed to stabilize his posture, a silver, arc-shaped sword light flashed by! Alonso was still in mid-air, but his wings had begun to stall.

At this moment, the answer appeared! Although Leon wasn't sure if this was the only way to obtain talent points, at least it was a way.

After a brief thought, the burly man pointed to the fat body of the Black Flame High Priest beside him and asked, "Is it possible that this body has absorbed it?"

Limbs and severed arms were scattered everywhere, and the stench of blood and the putrid smell of corpses filled the air.

The group ahead of him was extremely cautious, holding their weapons as they slowly moved forward. When they saw the scene in the underground hall, they were stunned.

However, they nodded at Leon, and then immediately moved forward as if they had a task to complete.

"Of course not, this is just an imitation of the Emperor's staff in the hands of His Majesty," the man holding the short staff explained casually.

The next second, the absorption was complete, and the strange phenomenon disappeared.

The High Priest's promotion process was thus interrupted, and the black flame defense around him suddenly disappeared.

This talent increases the mastery speed of Supernatural Skills.

Instantly, a surging heat flowed across Leon's body. He stretched out his hands and looked down, seeing that the skin on his palms and the back of his hands instantly lit up with a silvery-gray metallic glow.

Soon, a thin, snake-like energy beam appeared in front of his short staff.

The burly man with the shield on his back suddenly took off the shield, revealing a hidden mechanism inside. There was a platinum staff about one meter and twenty centimeters long.

But he had always been puzzled about how to improve his own talents.

Leading the group was the steward of Baron Elliott's manor, who had initially blocked Archdeacon Rudolf, and Michelle.

"A strange thing?" Leon asked, a bit knowingly.

Archdeacon Rudolf was shocked as he watched the staff, like a white lightning bolt, strike towards the black mist shield. "Is this the Imperial Staff?" he muttered.

However, as life ebbed away, the power of the Black Flame Demon seemed to dissipate as well. Alonso's pitch-black eyes began to change again, revealing the whites of his eyes.

So, he solemnly turned to Leon and said, "Leon, as a precaution, these two Swordbearers from the Empire need to perform a spirit-sensing technique on you."

Especially the burly man with the shield, this was already his third time performing this task. How could there be nothing?

"Young sir, was that trace of purified Black Flame Demon essence absorbed by you?" The burly man with the shield stared at Leon with his tiger-like eyes.

Each had distinct characteristics, one leaning towards offense and the other towards defense.

Actually, Leon had been hesitating before. Recently, he had upgraded his Alchemist skill and obtained skill points. Should he use them to improve his Great Bear Sword Technique or Blood Rage Archery? On the one hand, the Great Bear Sword Technique was the first Supernatural Skill he had learned, and he was quite attached to it.

[Congratulations! Your Weapon Master (Legendary) profession level has increased!]



At the same time, in the exchange of glances, there seemed to be a certain clarity.

Just as Leon was about to check, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming from the hole above. He turned his head and saw a group of people descending, including the familiar Archdeacon Rudolf from the Goddess Church and a small team of elite Temple Knights.

"Can you swear to that?" The burly man asked intently.

Because both skill points and golden skill points are used to improve skills, not talents.

After a few seconds, the glow faded, and Leon's skin returned to its original color.

"No problem! He's human!" The man with the short staff nodded affirmatively.

They hadn't expected this boy to survive in such a situation.

However, since he had mastered the Ultimate Technique level Tokkar Hammer Technique, from the perspective of combat diversity, investing skill points into similar close-combat Supernatural Skills at this time would result in diminished returns.

A sound like a watermelon bursting echoed! The huge head on the High Priest's corpulent body suddenly turned into a splatter of white, bloody flesh, fluids, and shattered bones. At that moment, a system notification flashed across the screen: [Your Tokkar Hammer Technique skill has improved. Experience +2322]



Leon felt like he had stumbled upon a great opportunity! But where did that platinum staff come from?

He forced himself to look at Leon, his eyes filled with unwillingness, regret, and anger. The next second, his lips mumbled a few times, and he breathed his last. Leon glanced at the deceased Alonso and immediately focused his attention on the Black Flame High Priest, whose aura was undergoing intense changes! Leon could clearly sense that the High Priest's aura was rising like a volcanic eruption.

(Note: This high-quality energy can be directly converted into talent points after absorption.) Huh? Can it be converted into talent points? Leon was shocked as he read the system notification. He had wondered about this before. His talents, like 'Basic Steel Body,' could obviously be promoted, as the word 'Basic' indicated something.

There were two people, one a burly man with a shield on his back, and the other a relatively thin man holding a short staff. The one who was going to perform the spirit-sensing technique on Leon, was the thin man.

The Lie Detection Skull showed no reaction.

Leon knew that these two official Swordbearers were probably trying to collect the high-quality energy that had dissipated earlier, but the problem was that his system had already absorbed it.

"Clap!" The platinum staff instantly broke through the black mist shield's defense, as simple as a hammer smashing an egg.

As the man with the short staff gently waved, a surge of energy rapidly rushed towards Leon. When it reached a few centimeters in front of Leon, it stopped and began to swirl and coil instead of getting closer.

The bowstring in his hand was stretched to its limit, and the steel arrow in his hand suddenly displayed intricate and bizarre blood-colored patterns, more intense and crimson than when Phil Krantz had cast it.

"Hmm? Is that so?"

At this moment, the shield-bearing man took the platinum staff from the body of the fallen Black Flame High Priest and walked over to Leon, saying in a deep voice, "The energy consumption of the Imperial Staff is quite significant, indicating that the power of the demon has indeed appeared here."

Although his face was distorted, those who knew him could still recognize it as Alonso's head.

Was he worried about being controlled or possessed by the great being worshipped by the Black Flame Cult during their ritual? "Of course!" Leon replied without hesitation.

"I thought you..."

Generally speaking, even with the 'Basic Extraordinary Insight' reducing the time by nearly a third, it still takes a relatively long time to improve the skill level.

Therefore, Leon could only, and must, deny it! "It's just a trace of spiritual substance exuding a vast aura." The man with the short staff frowned, thinking about how to explain it, as the mission was confidential and couldn't be disclosed casually.

The young man with the short staff stopped Rudolph, who was about to step forward, and said, "I need to perform a spirit-sensing technique."

Instantly, the platinum staff burst into a dazzling white light, and at the same time, a majestic and awe-inspiring aura filled the surroundings, completely counteracting the pressure of the demon's will!

The shield-bearing strongman and the man with the short staff also walked over.

The leaf in Leon's hand, which contained surging life energy, was actually a special magic scroll gifted by Anna's aunt, the elven lady.

Leon's face turned solemn, and his entire body exuded a thick crimson aura. The veins on his skin were bulging, looking quite frightening!

[Your skill Blood Rage Archery has gained 2106 experience points]



Since he couldn't allocate the points to the talent 'Intermediate Gigapower (Active)', Leon began to ponder which of the remaining three talents to choose.

"Of course!" Leon nodded.

The shield-bearing strongman and the man with the short staff exchanged glances, both looking perplexed.

When Leon gripped his giant war bow again, he felt that it was completely different!

Hearing Leon's straightforward agreement, the group relaxed.

(Note: The talent 'Intermediate Gigapower (Active)' requires two talent points, and currently, there are insufficient talent points to upgrade it.) Leon quickly understood after seeing the system notification that his first three talents with the 'Basic' prefix were of one level, while 'Intermediate Gigapower (Active)' was of a higher tier.

For a moment, Leon not only felt no discomfort but also experienced an indescribable sense of comfort and elevation throughout his body.

"Is that so? There is indeed that possibility." The man with the short staff stroked his chin, thought for a while, and then nodded.

Leon shook his head and said, "I felt that pressure, but regarding the spiritual substance you mentioned, I really don't know."

[Ding! A total of one talent point has been converted. Please select one of the following talents to upgrade: 'Basic Weapon Proficiency (Passive)', 'Basic Extraordinary Insight (Passive)', or 'Basic Steel Body (Passive)'.]



Before Leon could check the system notification, three metal-patterned short staffs lit up! Half a minute passed, and they remained empty!

"Compared to a true Imperial Staff, its power is less than one percent, but it's more than enough to deal with this projection of the demon's will!"

After half a day of contemplation, the shield-bearing strongman turned and asked Leon, who was still chatting with Rudolph:

Thus, the arrow Leon had just shot, imbued with 'Blood Rage Strike', broke through the Black Flame's defense and hit the head of the High Priest, which had been round and plump.

This aura made Leon feel a hint of familiarity, similar to the great being the Black Flame followers had prayed to earlier. However, at this moment, the evil vibe was much less, replaced by a sense of grandeur. Before Leon could approach, the system notification sounded again:

The shield-bearing strongman waved his hand to Rudolph, saying, "Don't waste the scroll, leave it to me!"

Hearing Leon speak coherently, Rudolph heaved a sigh of relief, "Leon, you're fine, thank goodness!"

Apparently, it was best to first try and see if the Black Flame High Priest could be stopped in this state.

The entire underground hall, once again, returned to its previous state, damp, bloody, and filled with a stench.

As the man with the short staff began to chant quietly.

Immediately, the sound of two heavy objects falling echoed!

The current battle situation helped Leon make a decision.

Fortunately, the Black Flame High Priest hadn't completed his ascension before being interrupted by that platinum hammer.

Following the previous method, the man with the short staff became busy again.

However, Leon found it strange that Rudolph and the others took a step back, while two unfamiliar men with steady strides walked at the front of the team.

The young man in front of him was lucky.

With a firm decision, Leon silently chose to allocate points to 'Basic Steel Body (Passive)' in his mind.

(Note: The aforementioned skill experience has benefited from the exclusive talent 'Basic Extraordinary Insight', increasing it by 30%.

Congratulations, you have defeated a formidable foe and obtained 1 Golden Skill Point!

At this moment, some of the nobles and guards from the upper floors of the manor also heard the commotion and saw the scene below. Many of them made their way down through the hole in the ceiling.

The two unfamiliar men also looked at the young boy before them with a hint of surprise.

Only then did the group truly relax.

Especially in the center of the hall, the mountain of corpses piled up and the towering corpse of the obese High Priest nearby were particularly eye-catching!

After a moment's thought, Ren decided to choose 'Die Jia' for now. "After this incident, if it weren't for that 'Hammer from the Heavens,' facing a Black Flame High Priest who had surpassed the peak of Grand Knight and entered the next level of power, the subsequent battles would have been extremely challenging." "But with stronger defense, my margin for error will naturally be higher."

After a few seconds, the white-glowing snake-like creature suddenly dissipated, revealing a beautiful scene of shimmering particles falling.

In reality, Ren primarily enhanced his Supernatural Skill through the direct addition of skill points.

This roar seemed to come not from the Black Flame High Priest himself but from the majestic presence behind him! Simultaneously, a profound aura that rivaled the terrifying atmosphere in the underground hall was suppressed.

Engaging in close combat with a greatsword was too dangerous, but if he could attack from a distance, it was worth a try.

Ren first dismissed the idea of 'Basic Extraordinary Insight (Passive)' as it was not an immediate combat talent.

Additionally, upon learning that these two men were members of the Imperial Swordmaster Organization, Ren couldn't help but give them a second glance.

"Sir, did you see anything unusual just now?"

Ren smiled and nodded, saying, "Archdeacon Rudolf, thank you for your assistance!"

Without hesitation, Ren immediately allocated all his remaining skill points to Blood Rage Archery.

"Baron!"

[Ding! Unknown high-quality absorbable energy detected. Absorb/Decline?]



Upon hearing this, Ren suddenly realized what had happened.

Ren witnessed a streak of platinum light, like a falling meteor, slamming into the position of the Black Flame High Priest! Instantly, a piercing shriek of pain reverberated throughout the area!

Ren placed it in a position that felt most comfortable.

If someone were to observe from the side, they would notice that Ren was emitting a faint golden glow and an indescribable aura of pressure.

The system had absorbed it, and there was no way he could return it to its rightful owner.

Wasn't he telling the truth?

The vast underground hall had become a slaughterhouse.

A gaping cut sliced diagonally from his left neck, piercing through his chest and abdomen, all the way to the right side of his belly! "Hiss!" A sound like a high-pressure water jet erupted as a ring of foul-smelling blood gushed from Alonso's massive wound.

"Smack!"

Soon, three half-meter-long carved staves began to glow with intense magical light, and the carvings on their surfaces lit up as well.

"The Spirit Sight technique causes no harm; it merely assesses the changes in one's spiritual radiance."

The two halves of the bisected corpse almost simultaneously fell to the ground, spilling bodily fluids and organs everywhere! At this moment, the two halves lying on the ground seemed to be unwilling to give up, but their efforts only resulted in the twitching of some severed limbs.

Immediately after, everyone witnessed the platinum staff, like a shooting star tearing through the sky, rushing towards the depths of the earth with incredible speed! Ren took out a leaf from his pocket, one that he had kept but never used.

"You're concerned..." Rudolf thought of something.

Rudolf quickly stepped forward, patted Ren's shoulder reassuringly, and exchanged a few words.

The burly man held the platinum staff, muttered something, and then forcefully threw it towards the black shield!

As the remaining skill points decreased from 3 to 0, Blood Rage Archery skyrocketed from level 6 to level 9!

At this moment, Ren silently thought to himself that although the benefits of this incident ultimately fell into his lap, it was the system that had absorbed the energy. The burly man glanced discreetly at the staff-bearing man beside him, who examined a skull-like magical item in his hand and shook his head slightly.

Currently, Ren had 8 remaining attribute points and 1 remaining skill point.

The staff-bearing man swiftly approached the location of the Black Flame Church's original ritual array and drove three metal-patterned staves into the ground in a triangular formation. Then, he began chanting and casting spells.

The Weapon Master (Legendary) skill level increased by one, reaching level 6 (13/300), which granted Ren an additional attribute point and skill point.

Instinctively, everyone aimed their weapons at Ren until Archdeacon Rudolf seemed to recognize him and asked tentatively, "Ren?"

He circled the obese corpse of the Black Flame High Priest, placing the three metal-patterned staves at the vertices of an equilateral triangle, and resumed chanting and casting spells.

Upon seeing the newly generated second intermediate talent on his attribute panel, a brilliant smile spread across Ren's face.

The correct version is available on Book Bar 69! 6=9+Book_Bar

The next second, Ren felt dizzy and nearly collapsed.

Fortunately, several guards nearby quickly supported him.

"Quick! Go inform Count Habsburg!"

"Baron Alonso is dead."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end