Chapter 237: The Siege Hammer from Maestria!

Chapter 237: The Siege Hammer from Maestria!



As Rayne gazed at the Obsidian Titan that had just been knocked down before him, he couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

He hadn't expected the Titan to be so vulnerable to his attacks! While Rayne had anticipated causing some damage to the Titan, he had only expected to inflict a significant wound at most.

But now, the Titan was lying on the ground.

"Oh no!"

"Could this Obsidian Titan be the pet of that Earth Mage?"

"But, I can't be blamed for this. That Great Knight Examiner told me to go all out."

As Rayne waited anxiously for the examiner to announce the results, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

"Umm... Examiner, should I consider myself passed?" Rayne asked.

"Hmm? Of course!" The examiner responsible for announcing the results had just regained his composure.

He immediately ran to the five examiners who were scoring the test and checked their scores. Then, with an even more excited expression, he ran back to his original position, his face flushed, and announced loudly:

"Examinee number two, defeating the Obsidian Titan, full marks!"

A commotion erupted in the audience! Not only was Rayne the first to pass the Swordsman Exam, but the examiner had just uttered those two crucial words, "full marks!"

Everyone knew that achieving perfection in even the simplest tasks was challenging. But in the Swordsman Exam, no one had ever heard of anyone receiving full marks.

At that moment, the expressions on the faces of the audience perfectly captured the diversity of human emotions: awe, envy, excitement, and more.

Veronica's face was flushed with excitement, her fists clenched, and her golden pigtails swayed as she spoke. Evelyn also couldn't hide her excitement, covering her mouth in astonishment.

"Umm... Can I leave now?" Rayne asked.

After all, he genuinely didn't know where to go now that he had passed the exam.

"Sir Rayne, you can rest in the lounge area just now. After the other examinees finish their tests, we will process the paperwork together."

"Of course, you can also choose to stay here and observe the other examinees' tests."

Rayne shook his head at the thought of returning to the hall alone.

Veronica and Evelyn, who were still waiting to take their exams, were nearby. It wouldn't be appropriate for him to leave them behind.

"I'll stay with my companions," Rayne said.

"Of course, Sir Rayne, as you wish."

"Yeah!"

Rayne turned around and left the center of the arena, returning to the crowd. As he walked back, the crowd automatically parted, and their gazes followed him.

This gave Rayne a sense of deja vu, as if he had experienced this before in his previous life.

"Sir Rayne, congratulations! You are truly amazing," Veronica said, her beautiful eyes sparkling.

Evelyn also approached, grinning, and said, "Sir Rayne, we've missed you in action for a while. Your strength has reached such a level."

"Thank you. I've had some recent insights," Rayne replied with a smile.

As Rayne returned to Veronica's side, the surrounding whispers resumed, but the topic of discussion seemed to have shifted slightly:

"Damn! That last hammer strike from number two was even more powerful than a siege hammer!"

"Indeed. Let's call him the Siege Hammer then. By the way, where is he from?"

"I heard from the people nearby that he's from Maestria County."

"The Maestria by the sea?"

"Damn! It's surprising to find such a powerful individual from a small place like Maestria."

"How about calling him the 'Siege Hammer from Maestria'?"

And so, Rayne quickly earned the nickname 'Siege Hammer.'

Hearing the whispers, Rayne couldn't help but feel his forehead darken. The nickname was just too awful!

The Iron Hammer Baron was one thing, but the Siege Hammer from Maestria?

On one side of the hall, a rectangular glass was embedded in the wall, and only the staff knew that it was actually a one-way glass. Inside was a small room with three elders in different attire and a middle-aged man. They were discussing Rayne, who had knocked down the Obsidian Titan with a single hammer strike.

One of the elders, dressed in a military uniform, had sharp tiger-like eyes and a hint of crow's feet at the corners, but his dignified demeanor surpassed even that of Baron Habsburg. The three stars on his shoulder epaulets shone, symbolizing his high rank as a Dragoon Empire Admiral, the head of the Swordsman Division in Maestria.

He observed, "His speed and strength seem somewhat imbalanced, with strength far surpassing speed."

The other two elders nodded in agreement with the Admiral's assessment.

They were well aware that Admiral Edward, as the head of the special department, possessed exceptional combat prowess and an extraordinary eye for talent.

At that moment, an elderly man in noble hunting attire spoke up, "But relying solely on strength, it's impossible to inflict such severe injuries on the Obsidian Titan. He must have mastered the hammer technique's basic technique."

The speaker was Marquis Schlann, the Minister of Security for Minster.

As the imperial department with the most frequent interactions with the Swordsmen, their relationship was naturally closer than with other departments.

Almost every year, during the Swordsman Exam, Marquis Schlann would attend as an observer.

"Basic technique? I fear it's more than that. I believe he just demonstrated an intermediate technique," said the elderly man with a meticulously trimmed goatee, his eyes flashing with insight.

Admiral Edward nodded, "Indeed, he has likely reached the intermediate level in terms of techniques."

"A young man with a certain power talent who has also mastered intermediate techniques—interesting. It's been years since we've seen such potential in the exams, hasn't it?" Marquis Schlann said with a smile.

At that moment, Admiral Edward turned to the middle-aged officer standing respectfully beside him, "What about this young man's information?"

"Yes, Admiral Edward, please wait a moment, I'll get it for you right away," the officer immediately turned and left.

"Your Excellency, I know this young man. He's from Maester County, named Rain," said the middle-aged man with a well-groomed goatee, dressed in a black and gold hunting outfit.

If Rain were present, he would recognize the man as Javier Stewart, the envoy he had met once.

As the envoy representing the Imperial Senate in the province of Minster, Javier held a rather lofty position. This time, he had also been invited by the Swordsmen to observe the exam.

What surprised him was the remarkable performance of the young man he had previously favored.

"Oh? Does the Envoy know him?"

"I met him once before and had high hopes for him. This young man is the top-ranked candidate in the Noble Ennoblement Exam," Javier explained.

"I see," the other two nodded slightly.

After a few minutes, the officer returned with the documents and distributed them.

The elderly men who received the documents immediately began browsing them curiously.

"Huh? He's only sixteen?" Admiral Edward was taken aback. In fact, aside from Javier, the others exchanged glances, all showing surprise. To have reached this level at just sixteen years old, what more could he achieve in a few more years?

Right then, Rain's innate talent rose even higher in their estimation.

They had assumed Rain to be around twenty years old.

The younger the age, the shorter the time spent training combat techniques, and more importantly, younger individuals generally had weaker comprehension abilities compared to adults.

To master an intermediate technique at such a young age and in such a short time was even rarer than exceptional power talents.

"He's indeed the top-ranked candidate in the Noble Ennoblement Exam."

"So, he's from Maester County, and he's of commoner origins. I didn't expect that," they said.

---

In the center of the arena, after Rain's devastating blow left the Obsidian Titan lying on the ground, the middle-aged earth mage responsible for the exam frowned as he gazed at the enormous pit in the titan's chest, deep in thought.

He had never imagined that a participant could inflict such severe injuries on his earth elemental companion, the Obsidian Titan. Although it wasn't dead, the injuries were extremely challenging to deal with.

The current issue was, how could the exam continue?

The middle-aged knight coughed and asked, "Master Mathias, can your Obsidian Titan still..."

"Look at it," Mathias replied irritably.

"Does that mean the exam will be postponed?" The middle-aged knight's face reddened as he remembered the words he had just said to Rain about exerting his full strength.

"It can only be postponed unless..." Mathias said, deep in thought.

"Unless what?" Hearing that the old man might have a solution, the middle-aged knight hurriedly asked, "Master Mathias, what do you need?"

After all, postponing the exam was quite troublesome. If it could continue, it would be better to do so.

"Unless there's a piece of Obsidian Essence, otherwise, I can't heal the Obsidian Titan within a short time," Mathias said with a helpless shake of his head.

"Obsidian Essence?" The middle-aged knight thought for a moment, "Master, I believe the branch has this item, but according to the regulations, I need to apply for it immediately."

Mathias was taken aback.

Of course!

This was the Empire Swordsman's Minster Branch.

When it came to valuable items, the Empire Swordsmen had the most.

"If there's a piece of Obsidian Essence, I can heal the Obsidian Titan within about a quarter of an hour," Mathias said with certainty.

"Good, Master Mathias, I'll go and apply for it right away!"

After an emergency consultation with the exam committee and seeking approval from higher-ups, the middle-aged knight announced, "Due to the temporary injury of the Obsidian Titan, the exam will be suspended for a quarter of an hour.

"Please remain calm, everyone. Master Madias will treat the Obsidian Titan."

An elderly man in a pale yellow wizard robe, holding a fist-sized strange item emitting black light in one hand and a short staff in the other, began to chant loudly.

A vast pale yellow energy emerged from the ground, enveloping the entire massive body of the Obsidian Titan.

At the same time, the fist-sized strange item in his hand rose into the air, flying towards the wound of the Obsidian Titan. Black light overflowed from the wound, and the huge hole in the chest of the Titan, the size of a water barrel, visibly shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Veronica, standing next to Rain, whispered, "Your Excellency Rain, this is an Elemental Treasure, Obsidian Essence, extremely rare and expensive."

Hearing Veronica's words, several young people nearby couldn't help but look at Rain.

This made Rain feel a little embarrassed; it wasn't his intention.

He didn't want to waste the Empire's resources either.

After seven or eight minutes, the energy fluctuations of this continuous witchcraft began to subside.

As the witchcraft ended, Rain could sense that the Earth Mage elder must be exhausted; his face looked visibly haggard.

However, when the two-story-tall Obsidian Titan stood up once again, completely unharmed, Rain couldn't help but admire the elder's witchcraft.

"Your Excellency Rain, for creatures like this Elemental Being, if their Elemental Core isn't destroyed, even without specialized treatment, their injuries will slowly heal over time," Veronica continued to explain to Rain.

"Oh? So that's the case. In other words, to completely eliminate an Elemental Being, one must find and shatter their core, right?"

"Exactly."

Apparently, Elemental Beings had a core.

It seemed that Rain hadn't damaged the core of the Obsidian Titan; otherwise, the Titan would have been permanently dead, unable to be healed again.

Additionally, Rain witnessed the miraculous effects of witchcraft.

The Earth Mage elder had used a rare Obsidian Essence to completely heal the heavily injured Obsidian Titan in just ten minutes.

Rain couldn't help but feel envious.

At that moment, his desire for the long-awaited Metal Element Witchcraft intensified.

One of the main reasons he joined the Swordsman Organization was to obtain the nearly extinct Metal Element Witchcraft from the outside world.

It was like reaching the halfway point!

"Now, the exam continues. Number three!" The middle-aged Great Knight was busy, wiping the sweat from his forehead and shouting loudly.

He glanced at Rain, thinking to himself, "Thankfully, this guy didn't hit the core of the Obsidian Titan. Otherwise, the Swordsman Exam would have been impossible to complete today."

Additionally, when the third examinee passed by him and headed towards the center of the field, he was more cautious this time, not mentioning anything about 'full power.'

After all, you never know what might happen.

However, the situation on the field changed.

The healed Obsidian Titan seemed to still be wary of Rain. As a result, it became extremely cautious and careful in dealing with all the examinees wearing Knight Armor.

This made the Obsidian Titan even more challenging to handle.

At this moment, the third examinee in Knight Plate Armor was in a difficult situation!

Originally, he had wanted to imitate Rain's approach, rushing to the feet of the Obsidian Titan and engaging in close-quarters combat, taking advantage of the Titan's massive size and slow turning speed. He thought he could hold on for about a minute.

But now, things were different!

The Obsidian Titan, seeing the 'little guy' in Knight Armor charging towards him, revealed a human-like expression of fear on its door-sized dark face.

It immediately unleashed its ultimate move—Boulder Stomp! A powerful innate ability that only the Obsidian Titan used when facing a formidable opponent, consuming a significant amount of its own energy.

The third examinee, holding a two-handed greatsword, suddenly widened his eyes in shock as he saw the Obsidian Titan stomping the ground with its massive feet.

"Boom!"

The area within twenty meters of the Titan's stomping point and hospitals to enhance its capabilities.

This caused the third examinee to struggle to maintain his balance as he had just arrived near the Titan, and his speed significantly reduced.

Just as he managed to stabilize his body slightly, two massive black shadows mixed with powerful gusts of wind rushed towards him!

"Twelve seconds, disqualified!" shouted one of the staff members nearby.

The crowd's attention turned to Rain once again.

Feeling a bit embarrassed under everyone's gaze, Rain touched his nose, thinking, "You can't blame me for this. After all, according to the examiner, luck is also a part of strength."

The moment the results were announced, and the order of success was determined, the atmosphere changed.

For those skilled in long-range attacks, such as wizard apprentices or archers, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Vinonika successfully passed the exam.

Soon after, the red-haired beauty Evelyn also barely managed to pass.

Two hours later, when the entire process concluded, the middle-aged Great Knight announced, "Those who did not pass the exam, please follow our staff and exit the venue."

The mood among the youngsters in the field turned somber as they began to leave.

However, the atmosphere quickly livened up as the other department heads standing beside the middle-aged Great Knight took action. They descended from their positions and engaged in conversations with the 'failures'.

For those who remained, Rain surveyed the scene, and there were still over thirty people left.

"Congratulations to all of you who have passed the Swordsman Exam. The relevant procedures will take three days to complete. During these days, you can relax, and there will be notifications regarding the relevant matters."

The exam concluded.

Having passed the Imperial Swordsman Exam, Rain and Vinonika naturally wanted to explore the city of Minster.

So, that evening, the two of them walked along the main road of Minster.

The entire city was built against the mountain, with an overall exterior of white, rectangular stone blocks and a Baroque-style architecture featuring numerous domes, arches, and reliefs.

As the sun set, the city glowed in the golden light.

The main road could be described as a winding path climbing up the mountain from its base to the mid-slope. The slope wasn't steep.

At regular intervals along the road, there were platforms featuring large fountains, small garden squares, and occasionally a theater.

Among the pedestrians, the clothing was colorful, and most people had rosy complexions and vibrant spirits.

At this moment, Rain, walking along the roadside, faintly heard the sound of hammering coming from a blacksmith shop.

"Hmm? This rhythm..."

"It doesn't sound like it's being done by hand!"

This made him pause and look in the direction of the sound.

He saw a large blacksmith shop across the street, and in its backyard, there was a huge waterwheel. It seemed to utilize the water flow from the mountain to drive the waterwheel.

The rhythmic pounding he had heard earlier was, as Rain realized, likely produced by a mechanical device driven by the waterwheel rather than by hand.

Intrigued, Rain and Vinonika decided to take a closer look at the blacksmith shop.

"Indeed, water-powered forging! A glimpse reveals much."

Rain hadn't expected that the blacksmiths in Minster had already started using water power on a large scale for forging.

This meant that, aside from high-end weapons, the quality of a large number of mid-to-low-end weapons, farming tools, and ironware would significantly improve.

This indicated that the forging skills in Minster were far superior to those in Myester.

This made Rain think about the next stage of his Armorsmith profession.

It was likely that he could find some clues about it in the well-developed blacksmithing industry of Minster.

While Rain and Vinonika were enjoying the sights of Minster, Jenny and Agatha walked out of a merchant guild, looking dejected.

The two of them had been searching for a business partner in Minster for three days without success.

Most of the businesses on the main street had already established stable operations for decades, or even centuries.

As for the background of these shops, Jenny had inquired about them. Most were backed by nobles, and some were directly owned by them.

The main issue was that, as the capital city, Minster had a high concentration of nobles. Throw a brick, and you'd likely hit a baron! As for viscounts, earls, and knights, they were even more numerous.

So, the Crowley Clan backing Jenny and the Wiggins Clan backing Agatha didn't hold much weight here.

These past few days, as the two women searched for a business partner in Minster, when they mentioned the background of the Hammer and Rose Merchant Guild, and it was said to be backed by two baron families, the response was a shake of the head. It seemed they weren't highly regarded.

If these two baron families were from Myester County?

Well, then, please exit to the right. Barons from other counties didn't hold much weight in the capital city of Minster.

Jenny and Agatha had considered asking Rain for help, but he was still in the middle of his exam, and secondly, Rain himself was only a baron.

Of course, Rain had great potential. He might become a viscount in a few years.

But to the two women, potential was still just potential.

Thank you, reader, for your support!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end