Chapter 251: Close Your Eyes and Cover Your Ears

Chapter 251: Close Your Eyes and Cover Your Ears



Rayen paused for a moment, deciding to complete the assigned task first and rescue Alisa before moving on.

The sounds of combat from the passage ahead were still distant, and it would take him some time to reach the source, while Alisa was only twenty to thirty meters away.

After Rayen turned right, it wasn't long before he noticed a faintly visible wall made of large pale-blue stone slabs ahead, and a subterranean hall appeared before his eyes.

This was a genuine hall!

Unlike the newly excavated passages, this hall had existed for a long time, giving off an ancient vibe.

Since the cave entrance had collapsed not far from here, it seemed that this tunnel was dug to connect to this very place.

The hall was constructed with the same pale-blue stone slabs that Rayen had seen when he descended into the cavern earlier, and in the center stood two rows of Doric-style pillars for support, also made of the same pale-blue stone.

Additionally, at the far end of the hall, there was a passage that seemed to extend deeper into the darkness, with shimmering water reflections on both sides.

The sudden appearance of this rustic hall piqued Rayen's curiosity.

He tiptoed forward, carefully approaching, and took a quick glance.

Inside the stone hall, there were over twenty of the white-scaled fishmen he had just killed, guarding the area in shifts, and three Blood Curse Nagas were stationed there as well.

What surprised him the most was that along the wall of the hall, there were seven or eight cages woven from a resilient type of seaweed, holding captive men and women.

These prisoners all shared one distinctive feature: their knight plate armor or wizard robes were torn or damaged, and they looked listless.

Rayen's keen eyes noticed that the young woman with a single ponytail on the outer side was tightly clutching a stone that faintly emitted a faint glow, and it was the same sensory stone that he held in his hand.

Apparently, this must be the target, Envoy Javier's youngest daughter—Alisa.

Alisa had only discovered the faint glow from the sensory stone in her embrace about ten minutes ago, and at first, she thought it was just her imagination.

After all, only when another sensory stone was nearby would this one light up.

But how could that be possible? Her father was in Minster, how could he have sent someone so quickly?

As soon as Alisa thought that her father's rescue team was about to arrive, her initially listless eyes widened with newfound hope!

However, her brows furrowed slightly as if something crossed her mind, and her expression became worried and uncertain once again.

She tilted her head slightly, glancing at the other captured Imperial elite squad members beside her.

"The two closest to me are members of the Jagged Bear Squad under the command of the Earthshaker, a special division of the Imperial Army. They were captured shortly after me, and during the noisy commotion with the fishmen guards, we exchanged a few words."

"The three further away are also under the Earthshaker's command, but they belong to another squad, seemingly called the Swift Dragon Squad. They were captured about an hour after the Jagged Bear Squad, and they mentioned something about exploring an altar."

"The other two are even more impressive, members of the Swordsman Branch, a special division of the Imperial Army. I didn't get the chance to ask which squad they belonged to."

"But from the brief conversation I overheard between them and the Swift Dragon Squad members, it seems they are here to rescue the two squads from the Imperial Army."

"So many capable squads have fallen here, will the rescue team sent by my father be able to save us?"

"Lady Luck, please bless me."

With this thought, Alisa's confidence wavered.

Meanwhile, Rayen observed the enemies in the hall.

Suddenly, he noticed that one of the three Blood Curse Nagas was very different from the others.

He had only glanced casually earlier, and the figure was mostly hidden by the stone pillars, so he didn't get a clear view.

This time, as the Naga moved, changing positions, he could see its full appearance clearly.

Surprisingly, it was a rare female Blood Curse Naga!

According to ancient texts, Blood Curse Nagas, like other Nagas, have a matriarchal society, meaning female Nagas are generally stronger than their male counterparts."

This revelation caused Rayen's face to stiffen slightly, and he began to study the female Naga closely.

Suddenly, the female Blood Curse Naga turned her head towards Rayen's direction.

Rayen's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly took a step back, retreating into the shadows of the passage he had entered from.

At that moment, Gniss, the Blood Curse Naga Overlord in the subterranean hall, furrowed her brows in confusion. She had sensed something over there just a moment ago.

As she was about to send someone to investigate, her eyes narrowed slightly!

It was a sealion that had crawled out of the ground.

Gniss relaxed, then turned her gaze away.

The female Naga's keen senses surprised Rayen!

This female Naga had a human-like face, and if not for the tall fins surrounding her head, she would have been as beautiful as the lady Jennifer.

Another thing, the opponent actually has four arms, although from the perspective of arm thickness, it is far inferior to the muscular physique of a male Blood Curse Naga. However, they hold four different close-combat weapons, namely a sword, a knife, a short spear, and a trident.

Judging from their casual and effortless wielding of the metal weapons, the opponent's strength should be quite formidable, but their physical attributes appear more graceful.

Ren originally thought that based on the four weapons held by the opponent, the female Blood Curse Naga before him should also be a close-range Naga similar to a knight.

However, he never expected the opponent's mental perception to be so sharp, almost discovering him just now.

In other words, this female four-armed Naga is not only strong in close combat but also, as recorded in ancient books, may inherently cast Water Sorcery.

This couldn't help but furrow Ren's brows. If he wanted to rescue people, he would have to take down the Sea Tribe in the hall. He was confident about dealing with the White-Scaled Fishman and the male Blood Curse Naga, but the only uncertainty was the female Naga before him.

In other words, his current means of dealing with the enemy were insufficient.

Without hesitation, Ren immediately opened the system panel.

He had originally planned to save up 4 skill points and 2 golden skill points to upgrade the Intermediate Mystic Technique 'Shockwave' to a High Technique.

But now, it seems this step needs to be postponed.

According to ancient records, the ancient Blood Curse Naga liked to sacrifice capable enemies as blood offerings.

By the time he returned with reinforcements, the captured Alisa and his captured imperial colleagues would have likely returned to the embrace of the goddess.

Just in time, his first extraordinary battle technique upon entering the path of knighthood—Giant Bear Sword Technique, had already reached the brink of High Technique.

Ren was confident that as long as he used a golden skill point now, he could comprehend the High Technique following the Giant Bear Sword Secret Technique 'Roaring Strike.'

The High Technique derived from the Giant Bear Sword Secret Technique 'Roaring Strike' also made Ren secretly guess and anticipate.

Ever since encountering the Blood Curse Naga, Ren's gains might not be significant, but the efficiency of obtaining golden skill points was genuinely high.

In less than a quarter of an hour, he had already gained two golden skill points.

Therefore, Ren used them without hesitation.

Additionally, since Ren had already experienced comprehending the High Technique 'Shockwave,' he knew that casting a High Technique required meeting two conditions.

The first was the accumulation of Force over a long period, which was necessary to reach the lower limit of Force required to cast a High Technique. However, Ren had already fulfilled this condition when he previously comprehended the High Technique 'Shockwave.'

At this moment, his Bear King Breathing Method had reached lv14, far surpassing this condition.

Therefore, Ren only needed to further deepen his comprehension of the Giant Bear Sword Secret Technique 'Roaring Strike' and then perfectly combine the two to successfully comprehend and cast the subsequent High Technique.

As Ren used the golden skill point, he seemed to enter a mysterious space, experiencing years of training in the Giant Bear Sword Secret Technique 'Roaring Strike' in an instant.

When Ren came back to his senses, the system prompt arrived as promised:

[Congratulations, you have comprehended the Giant Bear Sword Basic High Technique: Roaring War Cry!]



High Technique—Roaring War Cry? A smile appeared on Ren's lips, which was close to what he had expected.

After all, the previous Giant Bear Sword Secret Technique 'Roaring Strike' could be said to be a sonic attack that was even more powerful than a sword strike.

But there was nothing wrong with that.

Perhaps, in this hall filled with enemies, sonic attacks might be even more effective.

Immediately, the delighted Ren found a new icon on the Weaponmaster (Legendary) panel, located right above the Giant Bear Sword Secret Technique 'Roaring Strike.'

The icon showed a head of a burly man with his hands wide open, roaring towards the sky. Around his open mouth were arc lines, seemingly representing the sonic attack radiating outwards, looking extremely fierce.

"The Secret Technique icon was a bear's head, and now it's become an High Technique, it's changed to a burly man's head?"

"This..."

Ren was also confused for a moment, not understanding the system's aesthetic standards.

He continued to look down.

Below the icon, there was a line of small text:

Roaring War Cry (Basic High Technique) Effect: Using a special technique that combines Force and vocal power, unleash a powerful sonic attack with a roar, attacking and intimidating surrounding enemies.

(Note: The effect of Roaring War Cry diminishes with distance and is proportional to one's Constitution.)



(Note: Roaring War Cry is a High Technique and cannot be improved through skill points.)



(To upgrade Roaring War Cry to an Intermediate High Technique, the following conditions must be met: 1. Bear King Breathing Method lv14 or higher; 2. Constitution of 30 points or higher; 3. Consume 2 golden skill points.)



Hmm?

Ren narrowed his eyes, falling into deep thought.

"This last sentence is very interesting."

No wonder the icon and the Giant Bear Sword had nothing to do with each other.

Upgrading Roaring War Cry to an Intermediate High Technique didn't require further improvement in Giant Bear Sword at all.

This seemed to indicate that Roaring War Cry had been refined and elevated to a purer sonic High Technique.

Realizing this, a brilliant smile spread across Rain's face.

This meant that when he used the Tokkar Hammer Technique, he could simultaneously use this brand new sonic mystic technique, Roaring War Cry! It wasn't limited to when he wielded the Dim Light Greatsword.

What a pleasant surprise! The key was that when he compared the requirements for upgrading to an intermediate mystic technique, he found that he met every single one!

"Hmm? It needs 2 Golden Skill Points?" Rain's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he saw that upgrading to an intermediate mystic technique required 2 Golden Skill Points.

He clearly remembered that when he upgraded the Shockwave mystic technique to an intermediate level, it only needed 1 Golden Skill Point. But now, Roaring War Cry needed 2 points.

"Does this mean that self-enlightenment and skill point upgrades are different?"

"Or do different mystic techniques have different Golden Skill Point requirements for upgrading?"

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Rain.

"Could this be related to weapon specialization?"

"Since my hammer specialization is at Level 3, and my sword specialization, according to the Weapon Master's innate talent 'Basic Weapon Proficiency', is only at Level 1. Could this be the reason?"

"But with such a small sample size, it's hard to draw a conclusion."

"I have exactly 2 Golden Skill Points."

Should he keep the Golden Skill Points to upgrade the Shockwave mystic technique to an advanced level?

No.

Rain shook his head slightly.

As Rayen was about to step forward, he suddenly halted, retracting his foot.

He swiftly plucked a luminescent stone from the nearby wall and tossed it into the air above the hall, shouting in a deep voice:

"Close your eyes!"

The members of the Empire's elite squads, all from various special departments, immediately understood the human's command, their faces lighting up with surprise and joy. They knew help had finally arrived.

Most of them promptly closed their eyes as instructed, but the Merfolk and Nagas, still gazing at the faintly glowing stone flying overhead, were momentarily perplexed. Should they focus on observing the stone or locate the source of the voice?

This situation left the Blood Curse Naga Overlord, Gniss, both furious and speechless.

"Idiots! That human is over there, take him out!" Gniss commanded in Naga language, her voice filled with rage.

Just as the White-Scaled Merfolk were about to act, a brilliant light suddenly illuminated one end of the dim hall, the Mystic Technique 'Blazing Light' unleashed by Rayen.

The intense light instantly blinded the Merfolk, causing them to see nothing but a bright haze.

Even the two male Blood Curse Nagas and Naga Overlord Gniss, instinctively covered their eyes to protect them from the harsh light.

The next second, the hall returned to its dim state.

Though it lasted only a second, it was more than enough.

Rayen's goal was to create an opportunity for a surprise attack by using the Mystic Technique 'Blazing Light' to momentarily blind his opponents and exploit the situation.

The sound of swords being drawn filled the air.

"Hissssss!"

The White-Scaled Merfolk, with their robust constitutions, regained their vision within two seconds.

Gniss, infuriated by this turn of events, charged forward with the two male Nagas. The White-Scaled Merfolk, their vision slowly returning, followed suit, rushing towards Rayen from all directions.

This scene worried the seven elite members of the Empire, including Alisa, who were suspended in the net cage.

They had initially thought Rayen was just the vanguard, expecting at least a squad or even several squads of the Empire's elite to follow.

But as the seconds ticked by, there was still only Rayen in the hall.

Where were the Empire's elite squads?

The young man was clearly alone, a reckless move that left many of them anxious.

"Be careful! The Blood Curse Nagas are coming!"

"If it's too much, let's retreat!"

"Young man, go back and report to the Empire. You alone can't save us!"

". . ."

"Cover your ears!"

Rayen's voice echoed through the hall, and the captured elites, after a moment of confusion, immediately obeyed.

Two of them, who had ignored Rayen's previous command, now had tears streaming down their faces.

So, when Rayen shouted 'Cover your ears,' they all instinctively covered their ears without hesitation.

Rayen's chest swelled like an inflating balloon, his neck veins bulging like angry snakes, his mouth wide open.

"ROARRRRR!"

A ferocious sonic wave accompanied by a powerful gust of air swept through the hall, akin to a tsunami.

The White-Scaled Merfolk, caught off guard, had their large faces distorted by the intense wind, trembling. Their eardrums ruptured instantly, and their heads rang with a loud buzz.

They stood frozen, their weapons still raised in attack positions.

The closest White-Scaled Merfolk to Rayen, about five or six of them, had their heads explode, their headless necks spewing tall columns of blue blood.

Those slightly further away had their skulls cracked open by the sonic wave, their large eyes still staring, blue blood oozing from their nose and ear cavities.

The two male Blood Curse Nagas who had charged forward, their tridents now on the ground, clutched their ugly dragon heads with their thick arms, writhing in pain.

Even Gniss, the Blood Curse Naga Overlord, over twenty meters away, who had been about to cast a spell, was interrupted, her beautiful face contorted with pain and anger.

"Thump! Thump!"

The sound of heavy objects falling filled the air.

Dozens of White-Scaled Merfolk, like a field of wheat being harvested, fell in a perfect fan shape, all facing outwards.

Rayen stood at the apex of this fan-shaped arrangement.

Such a display left Alisa, the ponytailed girl, with eyes wider than the Merfolk's bubble eyes, in awe.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end