Chapter 237: The Siege Hammer from Maister

Chapter 237: The Siege Hammer from Maister



As Ren gazed at the obsidian golem that had just collapsed before him, he couldn't help but feel a bit stunned.

He hadn't anticipated that the golem would be so vulnerable to his attacks. While he had considered the possibility of inflicting injuries on the obsidian golem, he had expected, at most, to create a sizeable wound.

But now, the golem was lying on the ground. "Oh no!"

"Could this obsidian golem be the pet of the earth wizard over there?"

"But, I don't think I can be blamed for this. The grand knight examiner told me to give it my all."

As time passed and the examiner still hadn't announced the results, Ren couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.

"Um... Examiner, does this mean I've passed?" Ren asked hesitantly.

Instantly, many of the young people in the field showed disappointment and began to leave.

To be continued...

One of Ren's primary reasons for joining the Swordbearer organization was to gain access to metal magic, which had become almost non-existent in the outside world.

"I think I'll stick with my companions," Ren said.

But now, things were different!

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

As Ren walked along the road, he faintly heard the sound of a hammer striking an anvil in the distance.

Such an obsidian golem would undoubtedly be more challenging to deal with.

This couldn't help but remind Ren of his own armorer profession and the path ahead.

A massive surge of pale yellow energy erupted from the ground, enveloping the entire obsidian golem within its radiance.

Every year, during the Swordbearer examinations, Marquis Schlank would arrive to observe.

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

"Your Excellency, I know this young man. He's from Maister, by the sea."

That evening, the two of them arrived at the main road in Minster.

As for the backgrounds of these shops, Janine had inquired about them. Essentially, the shops on the main street were all backed by nobles, and some were even directly owned by them.

Ren surveyed the remaining participants; there were still more than thirty of them.

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

As the envoy of the Imperial Senate stationed in the province of Minster, Javier Stewart held a relatively lofty position. This time, he had also received an invitation from the Swordbearers to observe the examination.

"Unless what?" The middle-aged grand knight asked eagerly, "Please, Master Matthias, what do you need?"

"Twelve seconds, disqualified!" The staff member on the side shouted.

Instantly, the ground within a twenty-meter radius around the golem's stomping point began to shake violently.

This indicated that the opponent was a high-ranking and influential Dragoon Empire admiral, none other than Admiral Edward, the head of the Swordbearer branch in Minster.

After seven or eight minutes, the energy fluctuations from this sustained magic gradually weakened.

The highway could be described as a winding road that snaked up the mountainside from the base to the mid-slope, twisting and turning, with a gentle slope.

That's right!

"Is it the Maister by the sea?"

Evelyn approached with a smile and said, "Sir Ren, it's been a while since I last saw you in action. I didn't expect your strength to have reached this level."

"Please maintain silence. Master Matthias will treat the obsidian golem."

Additionally, Ren witnessed the astonishing effects of magic.

"I've met him once before, and I had high hopes for him. This young man is the top candidate in the noble ennoblement examination."

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

Two hours later, the examination concluded, and the middle-aged grand knight announced, "Those who did not pass the examination, please follow our staff and leave now."

"Of course!" The examiner who had been announcing the results finally snapped out of his daze.

"Indeed, otherwise, we might as well name this number two the Siege Hammer. By the way, where is he from?"

"Sir Ren, for creatures like this elemental being, if their elemental core isn't destroyed, their injuries will heal over time, even without specialized treatment," Veronica continued to explain to Ren.

"Just a primary technique? I doubt it. The one he just used seemed like an intermediate technique, didn't it?" The elderly man with the neatly trimmed goatee glanced with a flash of insight.

"That's right."

It was indeed water-powered forging! A glimpse into the future.

The elderly man in a pale yellow wizard's robe held a fist-sized, peculiar item that emitted black light in one hand and a short staff in the other, chanting loudly.

Ren was surprised to see that the blacksmith shops in Minster had already adopted water-powered forging tools on a large scale.

He hadn't even considered that an examiner would be able to injure the obsidian golem, his earth elemental partner, to this extent. Although it wasn't dead, the injury was extremely troublesome.

Ren shook his head as he returned to the main hall.

The speaker was Marquis Schlank, the Chief of Security in Myester.

After all, you never know what might happen!

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

It seemed that Ren had not injured the core of the obsidian golem, otherwise, the golem would have been permanently killed, and it would not be possible to heal it again.

Inside, there was a small room with three elders in different attire and a middle-aged man. They were also discussing Ren, who had knocked down the obsidian golem with a single blow.

After Ren's strike heavily injured the obsidian golem, the examining Earth Wizard elder frowned as he looked at the huge pit in the golem's chest, deep in thought.

Thus, Ren quickly earned the nickname 'Battering Ram'.

The two of them had been continuously rejected for three days! Business in Myester was challenging, as all the well-located and decent shops had been established for decades or even centuries, making them renowned.

"So he's from Maister County, and he's actually of commoner origins." - Center of the arena.

The third participant, holding a two-handed greatsword, charged forward, but his eyes widened in surprise as he saw the obsidian golem stomping the ground with its foot.

At the same time, the strange item the size of a fist in his hand rose into the air and flew to the golem's wound. Black light overflowed, and the huge hole in the golem's chest, as large as a water tank, visibly shrank.

He immediately ran to the five examiners responsible for scoring, looked at their scores, and then returned to his original position in an even more excited state, his face flushed as he shouted:

"Okay, Master Matthias, I'll go and apply for it right now." After the examination committee's urgent consultation and seeking approval from higher-ups, the middle-aged Grand Knight announced again: "Due to the temporary injury of the obsidian golem, the examination will be suspended for fifteen minutes."

"Sir Ren, you can rest in the waiting hall. After the others finish their examinations, we'll process the paperwork together."

"What do you think now?" Master Matthias replied irritably.

It was common knowledge that the younger one's age, the shorter the time spent cultivating combat techniques. Additionally, it was crucial to note that younger individuals generally had weaker insights compared to adults.

At that moment, the expressions of the spectators below reflected a range of emotions, including envy, jealousy, excitement, and more.

With this, the quality of a large number of mid-to-low-end weapons, farming tools, and iron household items would significantly improve.

Facing the crowd's gaze, Ren felt embarrassed for a moment, thinking, 'You're right, according to the examiner, luck is also a part of one's strength.'

".

"A young man with a certain power talent who has also mastered intermediate techniques, interesting. It's been years since we've seen something like this in the examinations, hasn't it?" Marquis Schlank said with a smile.

Originally, he had wanted to use Ren's opening tactic, sprinting to the golem's feet and taking advantage of its large size and slow turning speed for close-quarters combat, believing he could hold out for at least a minute.

Clang!

It was likely that he could find some traces of it in Myester's highly developed blacksmithing industry.

"Thank you, I've recently had some insights." Ren smiled.

When it came to valuable items, the Imperial Swordsmen were the ones to beat! "If I had a piece of obsidian essence, I could heal the obsidian golem in about fifteen minutes." Master Matthias nodded affirmatively.

"Of course, Sir Ren, please feel free."

"Oh? Does the envoy know him?"

At this moment, Admiral Edward turned to the middle-aged officer standing respectfully beside him and asked: "Where are this boy's documents?"

"I see." The two people beside him couldn't help but nod slightly.

On one side of the hall, a rectangular glass was embedded in the wall, which was actually a one-way glass known only to the staff.

"Oh? There's such a saying, which means that to completely destroy an elemental creature, you have to find and shatter its core, right?"

"Hmm? What kind of rhythm is this?"

The main issue was that, as the provincial capital, Myester had a high concentration of nobility. Throwing a brick could easily hit a baron, and knights were as common as cattle. So, the Crowley family backing Janine and the Vigen family backing Agatha were not impressive enough.

At that moment, their perception of Ren's talent and quality rose a notch.

The Earth Wizard elder only needed ten minutes to completely heal the heavily injured obsidian golem using the rare obsidian essence.

Ren and Veronica, both having passed the Imperial Swordsmen examination, naturally wanted to explore Myester.

He didn't want to waste the empire's resources.

"This boy should have a special talent related to strength."

"These past few days, they've been searching for potential partners in Minster, and upon inquiring about the background of the Iron Hammer and Rose Commerce, they learned that it was a collaboration between two baron families. This news left them with a less-than-impressed first impression, especially when they discovered that these baron families were from Maister County.

Among the bustling pedestrians, a colorful array of attire was on display, and most individuals appeared healthy and energetic, their faces flushed with vigor.

At that moment, Ren's anticipation for the long-awaited metal-based magic intensified.

However, when the two-story-tall obsidian golem stood up once again, unscathed, Ren couldn't help but admire the old man's magical prowess.

As the magic concluded, Ren sensed that the old earth wizard must be exhausted, his face visibly showing signs of fatigue.

The question now was, how should the upcoming test proceed? Ren didn't have a second obsidian golem, a rare elemental creature!

'Ahem, Master Matthias, may I ask if your obsidian golem can...' The middle-aged grand knight coughed and inquired.

Apparently, elemental creatures had something called a 'core.'

At this moment, Admiral Edward nodded and said, 'Indeed, in terms of techniques, he should have reached the intermediate level.'

Without hesitation, the obsidian golem unleashed its ultimate move—Boulder Stomp! This was a unique ability that only the golem possessed, requiring a significant expenditure of its own energy.

The obsidian golem, upon seeing the 'little one' in knight armor charging towards it, revealed a remarkably human-like expression of fear on its large, ebony face.

Among them was an elderly man dressed in a general's uniform, his tiger-like eyes gleaming with vitality, with a hint of crow's feet at the corners. His commanding presence surpassed that of Count Habbs, whom Ren had encountered before. On his shoulders, the epaulets shone with three circular golden emblems, each symbolizing the sun.

The Iron Hammer Baron was one thing, but a siege hammer from Maister?

As Ren returned to Veronica's side, the surrounding whispers resumed, albeit with a slight shift in topic. 'Damn! That second hammer just now was even more powerful than a siege hammer!'

Ren glanced at Ren, thinking to himself, 'Good thing this guy didn't hit the obsidian golem's core; otherwise, the swordmaster qualification test would have been impossible to complete today.'

'Can I go back to Wales now?' Ren continued to ask.

What kind of nickname was that?

Ren noticed a large blacksmith shop across the street to his right, with a massive waterwheel in the backyard, seemingly harnessing the water flow from the mountains to power the wheel.

Ren couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed; it wasn't intentional.

The atmosphere suddenly stirred with excitement. Not only was Ren the first to pass the swordmaster qualification test, but the examiner had just uttered those two crucial words—'perfect score!' Everyone knew that achieving perfection in even the simplest tasks was challenging, and none had ever heard of anyone scoring a perfect score in the swordmaster qualification test.

'Hmm? He's only sixteen?' Admiral Edward was genuinely surprised. In fact, aside from Javier, the others exchanged glances, all expressing astonishment. To have reached such a level at just sixteen, what might he become in a few more years?

Ren promptly turned and left the center of the field, rejoining the crowd.

Just as he was about to steady his posture, he felt two massive black shadows rushing towards him with a gust of wind! 'Bang! Bang!'

The test was over.

This was the Imperial Swordbearer Division in Minster.

Upon hearing this, Ren's forehead darkened; the name was just too damn awful!

As Ren returned, the crowd automatically parted, making way for him. Simultaneously, everyone's gaze swept over Ren.

'Just now, I noticed a disparity between his speed and strength. His strength seemed significantly greater than his speed,' he said.

Additionally, when the third examinee passed by him on the way to the center of the field, Ren was more cautious this time, refraining from mentioning 'full power' or similar phrases.

'This is the top scorer in this session's noble ennoblement examination.'

If you were before me in the sequence, this wouldn't have happened!

However, the atmosphere quickly livened up. The other department heads who had been standing beside the middle-aged grand knight took action, descending from the field to converse with the 'failed' examinees.

'It doesn't seem like human strength!'

At this moment, the third examinee, clad in knight plate armor, felt extremely uncomfortable.

The officials who obtained the information immediately showed curiosity and started browsing through it.

He hadn't expected the young man he had once favored to give him such a pleasant surprise.

This immediately drew the attention of the other examinees to Ren once again.

'Of course, you can also choose to stay here and observe the rest of the tests.'

'Congratulations to all of you for passing the swordmaster qualification test. The related procedures will take three days to complete. During these days, you can relax, and we will notify you when necessary.'

Out of curiosity, Ren took Veronica with him to take a look at the blacksmith shop.

Ren couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.

"I heard from the people next to us that he's from Maister County."

The entire city was built upon the mountains, with white rectangular stones as the primary construction material, and the architectural style carried a Continental Baroque influence from Ren's past life, featuring numerous domes, arches, and reliefs.

Veronica, standing beside Ren, whispered, "Sir Ren, this is an Elemental Treasure, an Obsidian Essence. It's rare and incredibly expensive."

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

Hearing Veronica's words, several young men nearby couldn't help but turn their attention to Ren.

Just as the third examiner approached the giant, the ground beneath him turned soft and mushy like noodles, undulating up and down, significantly slowing him down and almost causing him to lose his balance.

"Damn it! It's unbelievable that such a formidable person could come from a small place like Maister."

With Veronica and Evelyn still waiting to take their exams, he couldn't just leave on his own.

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

The middle-aged man speaking had a well-groomed goatee and wore a black hunting outfit with gold trim. If Ren had been there, he would have recognized him as Envoy Javier Stewart, whom he had met once before.

As the sun set, the golden sunlight illuminated the city, creating a magnificent sight.

"Hmm!"

"Examiner Number Two, defeat the Obsidian Golem! Full marks for passing!"

"Unless I have an Obsidian Essence, there's no way I can heal the golem within a short time," Matthias shook his head helplessly.

Upon hearing the rhythmic knocking sound, Ren immediately realized that it likely came from a waterwheel-driven mechanism rather than manual labor.

They had initially thought Ren was around twenty years old, but they were surprised to learn that he was only sixteen.

"Then let's call this Number Two, 'The Siege Hammer from Maister'!"

After all, postponing the exam was a hassle, and it was better to continue if possible.

"Does the exam need to be postponed?" The middle-aged Grand Knight blushed, recalling what he had just said to Ren. "It has to be postponed, unless..." Matthias hesitated.

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At that moment, an elderly man in noble hunting attire spoke up, "But strength alone couldn't have caused such severe injuries to the golem. He must have already mastered the hammer technique."

The exam was now halfway done! "The exam continues! Examiner Number Three!" The middle-aged Grand Knight was busy, wiping the sweat from his forehead and continuing to shout.

"An Obsidian Essence?" The middle-aged Grand Knight pondered, "Master, I believe there's one in the division, but according to regulations, I need to apply for it immediately."

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

Examiner Number Three managed to block the golem's attack, but the golem's combination punch with its rock fists quickly knocked him to the ground, resulting in an immediate failure.

The healed Obsidian Golem seemed to remain wary of Ren, and as a result, it also treated all examiners in knight armor with caution and care.

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

However, every advantage had its drawback. For those skilled in long-range attacks, such as wizard apprentices or archers, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Veronica passed the exam with ease.

"Boom!"

This gave Ren a sense of deja vu, reminiscent of the military parades he had witnessed in his past life. "Sir Ren, congratulations! You're truly incredible." Veronica's beautiful eyes shone with admiration.

Matthias was taken aback.

Some industries, such as blacksmiths and seamstresses, had already established stable businesses.

After a few minutes, the officer returned and distributed the materials.

Along the way, platforms appeared at regular intervals, featuring grand fountains or mini garden plazas, and occasionally, a theater could be seen.

As Ren and Veronica admired the sights of Minster, Janine and Agatha emerged from a commerce house with furrowed brows and grim expressions.

At this point, the situation on the field took an unexpected turn.

The other two examiners nodded in agreement with Admiral Edward's assessment.

"I apologize, but please exit to the right and seek the Baron of another county. In the provincial capital of Minster, you're practically nobodies!"

Janine and Agatha had considered asking Ren for help, but they hesitated because Ren was still in the middle of his exam, and he himself was only a Swordbearer.

Of course, Ren had great potential and might become a Marquis in a few years.

However, in the girls' eyes, potential was still just potential.

Thank you, reader 20240429084807530, for your 500 starting coins reward!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end