Chapter 250: The Choice

Chapter 250: The Choice



In an instant, Rain seemed to be enveloped by a peculiar energy.

At this moment, he could clearly see the movements of the merfolk and the approaching Blood Curse Nagas, but they couldn't see him.

The merfolk's bulbous eyes widened in confusion.

The Blood Curse Nagas also froze for a moment, but as highly intelligent beings like humans, they quickly realized that the human had likely used some form of sorcery.

Without hesitation, Rain seized the opportunity of his invisibility, which lasted for about a minute, and quickly moved down the stairs.

The rectangular stone steps wound around the edge of the circular cave, descending in a spiral.

The steps were a faint bluish color, covered in moss, indicating their ancient origins.

As Rain reached the bottom, the entire interior of the cave came into view.

He discovered that a fierce battle had taken place here long ago.

The evidence was in the shattered remains of the once-intact blue stone slab passages, broken by some immense force. The entire passage was in ruins, with several Doric-style columns lying broken and toppled to the side.

Beside the original passage, a newly dug cave about four to five meters wide was visible.

Deep within this cave, various sizes of pearls and luminescent stones were haphazardly embedded in the walls, emitting a faint glow.

However, the lighting didn't matter much to Rain, as his dark vision allowed him to see clearly.

About a dozen meters ahead, a humanoid shadow flickered in the distance.

From its size, it seemed to be the male Blood Curse Naga on patrol with his pet.

This matched the reconnaissance results that Veronica had obtained with the White Seagull.

However, behind Rain, a 'hissing' sound like a giant snake slithering on the sand could be heard.

Obviously, these were the Blood Curse Nagas from the beach, checking on the situation.

Rain quickly scanned his surroundings and spotted a broken pillar, large enough for a person to hide behind.

With a swift movement, Rain concealed himself within the crevice.

After the 'hissing' sound of the Blood Curse Nagas and the subsequent 'patter' of the merfolk's footsteps echoed back and forth twice, the entrance finally returned to a state of calm.

However, the Blood Curse Nagas weren't foolish, and they might have increased their vigilance within the passage.

Rain wasn't concerned about this.

He glanced at a system notification, and golden words caught his attention.

System Notification:

【Your Great Bear Sword Technique has improved, gaining 912 experience points.】

【Your Tokkar Hammer Technique has improved, gaining 1919 experience points.】

【You have gained experience from a battle: Legendary Weapon Master +1109 experience points.】

【Congratulations! You have defeated a powerful enemy, earning 1 Golden Skill Point!】

【Congratulations! Your Legendary Weapon Master profession level has increased!】

The Legendary Weapon Master profession level increased by one, reaching lv7 (331/5000).

This also granted Rain an additional attribute point and skill point.

Currently, Rain has 14 remaining attribute points and 2 remaining skill points.

What delighted Rain the most was the acquisition of 1 Golden Skill Point from this battle, bringing his total to 2 Golden Skill Points.

Golden Skill Points are crucial, and can be used for promoting High Techniques.

The thought of this made Rain's heart race.

At this moment, as he looked towards the deep tunnel, his eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"I wonder how many Golden Skill Points I could earn if I thoroughly defeat him?"

However, Rain didn't forget his rescue mission.

He took out the Sensory Stone and examined it, finding that its brightness had increased by another level.

Taking a few steps forward, Rain could sense the subtle increase in brightness, indicating he was getting closer to his target, Alasha.

The tunnel was filled with the roars of enormous feral sea beasts and the constant chatter of the merfolk, creating a noisy environment.

This provided Rain with excellent conditions for infiltration.

Even if he encountered patrolling merfolk, as long as he controlled the noise of his battles, he wouldn't attract the attention of the entire sea tribe.

Rain also noticed that the long cave wasn't a straight tunnel, but rather, it twisted and turned as it went deeper.

---

On the coastal defense line.

When Veronica and the Heavy Shield Crossbowmen saw the four to five Blood Curse Nagas that had charged into the cave re-emerge, a thought crossed their minds: "Has Sir Rain fallen in battle or survived?"

And more concerned about Ryan's twin-tailed maiden, her heart trembled at this moment, her face pale with shock!

Ryan must have already...

She clenched her teeth and nervously took out a strange green glass bottle from her bosom.

Veronica quickly removed the stopper, and a highly agile transparent seagull flew out of the bottle, circling around her.

This was a rare seagull spirit, extremely hard to come by.

The soul energy of ordinary birds is not strong enough to form a spirit.

To form a bird spirit, one must carefully cultivate it after birth. This seagull spirit was the result of Veronica's nearly a year of cultivation.

Most importantly, this seagull spirit had formed a kind of spiritual link with Veronica.

According to Veronica's mentor, Master Anius, once this seagull spirit is injured, Veronica's spirit would also suffer a significant trauma, which might affect her future promotion to a formal wizard.

This was why Veronica had not used this seagull spirit before.

But at this moment, due to her concern for Ryan's situation, she took it out without hesitation.

With the help of the seagull spirit, Veronica could cast a level 1 wizardry 'Bird Spirit Scrying' that only formal wizards could successfully cast.

As the crisp incantation sounded.

The air in front of Veronica rippled slightly, and after a few seconds, suddenly, a strange mist condensed, forming an oval mirror-like object.

The scene inside the mirror was an aerial view of numerous sea creatures on the beach.

Moreover, the scene was rapidly moving towards a cave on the island.

Turns out this dynamic scene was actually the perspective of the seagull spirit!

This magical sight caused the Imperial soldiers beside them to marvel.

They had seen a few times the various powerful attack wizardry as the Imperial elite forces. But this kind of wizardry that the twin-tailed maiden cast, with no offensive power but so magical, was indeed the first time they had seen it.

The crowd spontaneously formed a circle, staring intently at the mirror formed by the wizardry.

They also wanted to know, what had become of the young but powerful Ryan, after rushing into the cave?

In less than ten seconds.

The seagull spirit swiftly flew into the underground cave on the island.

At the same time.

Viscount Filck, riding a griffin in the sky, was rapidly flying towards another island several kilometers away.

On that island, an altar was covered by a large reflective water membrane after being discovered by the griffin knights, and could no longer be seen.

However, this was currently confirmed by the Imperial military as an important stronghold of the sea creatures.

Previously, including the Swordholder, the Imperial special department, relying on griffin delivery, had already sent several squads, but as of now, there had been no news.

Even among them were two griffin knights under his command.

However, the latest news was that the nearby Imperial army reported that this large reflective water membrane had suddenly disappeared.

Could it be that the Swordholder's squads had achieved something?

This was why he immediately came to check.

Soon, Viscount Filck flew over the island.

At this moment, the altar was clearly visible, and on the ground, six or seven male Blood Curse Nagas were commanding the Merfolk and Lobstermen, doing something.

Around the altar, there were traces of intense combat, pits and craters on the ground, and flames burning in many places.

Viscount Filck's pupils suddenly contracted.

He was very clear that this was the effect of fire-based wizardry.

The sea creatures were naturally not very skilled in fire-based wizardry.

It seemed that the Imperial army's scouting squads had encountered some mishap.

As for the Swordholder's squads?

So many Blood Curse Nagas, the situation seemed not too good.

But as he got closer, Viscount Filck suddenly discovered that there was a hidden cave under this altar!

Compared to the cave Ryan went to, this one was even more secretive.

They had never seen it before!

Seeing this, a layer of dark clouds seemed to shroud Viscount Filck's heart!

What were the sea creatures up to?

Were there more?

Could there be some secret hidden underground?—

Inside the cave.

Just as Ryan continued to walk forward, suddenly, he sensed something.

He quickly turned around, and Ryan immediately saw a transparent seagull emitting a hazy glow flying swiftly towards him from the cave entrance.

A seagull?

Ryan immediately realized what it was.

As it approached, a familiar and crisp voice echoed in Ryan's mind.

"Ryan, it's me. Veronica, I can help you scout the situation ahead.

Action: A tall figure with a height of around 1.7 to 1.8 meters approached, their skin a rare shade of gray-white with red stripes on their back fins, a unique feature. This was an unseen type of Fishman.

The weapons they held were also better than those of the Fishmen on the beach, including metal spears and large metal blades. Clearly, these White-Scaled Fishmen were the elite among their kind.

The leading Fishman, with its large bubble eyes, gazed at the human knight who had suddenly appeared in front of it, blinking in surprise. Then, with a wave of its spear, it let out a 'Wala' cry and fearlessly charged towards Ryan.

The Fishmen behind it, seeing Ryan, were also excited, like seeing a woman after half a year of abstinence. They waved their weapons and charged forward as well.

Just as Veronica was about to warn Ryan through the White Sea Gull's spirit, Ryan took a step forward without drawing his sword or warhammer!

Ryan's figure flickered, and with a swift right-handed punch, he slammed the leading White-Scaled Fishman into the cave wall beside him.

"Bang!"

The White-Scaled Fishman, struck by the heavy punch, instantly formed a large 'X' shape, stuck to the hard stone wall, barely breathing!

Clearly, it wouldn't last long.

Ryan raised his hand, deflecting the swing of a White-Scaled Fishman's blade, and with two quick slaps, the two Fishmen behind followed the lead Fishman's fate.

"Bang Bang!" They too embedded themselves into the cave wall, shattering the stone like a spider web, instantly meeting their demise.

The last two were even worse off. Ryan stabbed them with their own spear, piercing them together and pinning them to the wall.

Although they hit their vital heart points, the muscles and nerves of the Fishmen were still active, and their webbed limbs continued to twitch.

Meanwhile, the White Gull's spirit behind Ryan, like a live broadcast, showed the entire battle to Veronica and the Imperial soldiers watching through the fog mirror.

The front-line crowd was left in awe!

This was too powerful!

The crowd became excited, whispers growing louder.

However, some soldiers were concerned. Although Ryan's strength was truly formidable, he was not invincible, and his stamina was not limitless. There might be more enemies in the cave, and before long, more and more Imperial soldiers gathered to watch.

The commotion at the front line attracted the attention of Korbert, who was still recovering from his injuries in the camp's infirmary.

He came over with his hand covering his not-yet-healed wound and soon saw the crowd gathered around a mirror-like object, curiously examining it.

When he saw the real-time footage inside, which was of Ryan carrying out a task, Korbert couldn't help but widen his eyes, watching intently.

Soon, he became excited!

Because in front of Ryan, there appeared a strong male Blood Curse Naga with a circular scar about 20 centimeters in diameter on its bare chest.

This feature was unforgettable to Korbert; it was the one who killed his brother and injured him!

"Be careful, Ryan!" Korbert exclaimed, with a hidden expectation that Ryan could avenge his brother.

Unfortunately, Ryan couldn't hear Korbert's words at this moment.

Veronica's witchcraft didn't have such an effect.

However, for Ryan, hearing or not hearing made no difference.

He was determined to take down this powerful ancient race.

Additionally, Ryan felt the strength of this creature was slightly greater than that of the one he defeated on the beach.

With his stamina already half-depleted, there was no hesitation.

Ryan quickly added a point to his Strength Attribute.

Action: As the remaining attribute points decreased from 14 to 13, Rain's strength also reached 32 points.

Most importantly, at this moment, his stamina and condition instantly recovered to their peak!

Facing the sudden appearance of this human, the male Blood Curse Naga was startled, but soon his face twisted into a sinister grin.

Just now, he had received a notification that a 'little mouse' had slipped in, and he never expected to be so lucky as to collide with this 'little mouse'.

This was great; he would receive praise from Commander Gnessis!

As he watched, the man immediately commanded his pet, a Feral Sea Serpent, to rush towards Rain, while he himself followed closely behind, wielding a trident and charging towards Rain!

Rain's gaze remained calm, and facing the Azure Sea Serpent, he countered with a heavy hammer strike!

The dark pig-headed hammer moved like lightning, leaving an afterimage in its original position, but the hammerhead had already slammed into the body of the Azure Sea Serpent.

"Bang!"

The Azure Sea Serpent was directly folded in half, its entire serpentine body embedded in the rock wall, resembling a mural.

At this moment, the Blood Curse Naga also rushed to Rain's side, and seeing this scene, he became furious!

Facing Rain's heavy hammer strike, the opponent didn't make any attempt to block or dodge, but instead used his trident to stab at Rain's chest and abdomen, piercing deeply.

A life for a life?

No.

This was the opponent's plan to force Rain to change his attack, knowing that his physical strength and power were far inferior to the Naga's.

In the relatively confined underground cave, dodging would be difficult, and it would disrupt his offensive rhythm.

But what surprised the Blood Curse Naga was that the human in front of him didn't even attempt to block or dodge his trident stab.

This made him very happy!

Humans like this, who didn't seem to have any combat sense, were quite rare.

However, the next second, his expression froze!

He watched as his trident, after piercing through the opponent's pale silver armor, met with increased resistance, barely managing to penetrate a few inches before getting stuck.

It was as if he was using the trident to forcefully stab a lump of iron.

What was going on?

Shouldn't humans have hard outer armor but soft insides?

How did it become hard armor with an even harder interior?

At this moment, a sharp pain came from his chest.

He looked down and saw that the human's dark hammer had pierced his body, breaking several of his ribs.

This caused his face to change dramatically, and he was extremely shocked!

How could such a small body could possibly have such immense strength?

"Clang!"

"Clang clang!"

After exchanging blows for more than ten moves, the male Blood Curse Naga, unable to match Rain's peak stamina, continuously unleashed the Intermediate High Technique - Shockwave!

As the saying goes, the defeated fall like a collapsing mountain!

"Bang!"

Finally, the opponent was knocked down by Rain's hammer.

And Rain once again obtained a Golden Skill Point.

Watching Rain defeat his powerful enemy, Veronica's face lit up with joy, and she breathed a long sigh of relief. But the next moment, her expression changed slightly.

It turned out that the first-level witchcraft's spiritual power consumption was too great, and the White Seagull Spirit was about to dissipate.

"Rain, my witchcraft time is almost up," she said.

Suddenly, the White Seagull Spirit dissipated in mid-air.

Although Veronica didn't finish her sentence, Rain already understood her meaning.

"Plop!"

At this moment, the half-dead Feral Sea Serpent finally fell from the embedded rock wall.

Looking at the still-alive Azure Sea Serpent, Rain then looked down at the wounds on his body where the Naga had stabbed him. After a moment's thought, Rain walked over, placed his hand on the serpent, and began the core skill of the Beast Priest - Beast Affinity.

As Rain's vitality flowed into the serpent, the originally heavily injured Azure Sea Serpent became even more listless, its large eyes barely able to stay open.

And a warm current, far stronger than the one from the previous test with the forest wolves and grizzly bears, flowed from the serpent's body into Rain.

The wounds on his body, caused by the Blood Curse Naga, were neither shallow nor deep, and with Rain's Beast Affinity, they quickly healed.

"Not bad!"

"It seems that the effect is especially good when the target is a Feral Beast!"

Because Veronica's witchcraft had dissipated, this process was not witnessed by the others behind them.

After recovering from his injuries, Rain continued to move forward.

The depth of this cave was much longer than Rain had imagined.

So far, he had moved forward about 600 to 700 meters, with one right turn and a 200-meter advance.

However, at this moment, the sensory stone in his hand was already very bright, and even compared to the large, glowing pearls on the wall, there wasn't much difference.

Obviously, Alasha should be nearby.

At this time, Rain suddenly stopped, because in front of him was a fork in the path.

One way was the direction he was currently heading, straight ahead.

The other way was to turn right.

Rain seemed to be deep in thought, and he brought the sensory stone to his eyes, moving slightly in both directions.

Soon, he confirmed that he needed to turn right.

However, just as he turned and walked towards the right passage, sounds of weapon clashes and human exclamations came from the straight-ahead direction!

This caused Rain's expression to change slightly; there were other people in the cave?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end