Chapter 272: Enhancement and Improvement

Chapter 272: Enhancement and Improvement



"The High Priestess, the Darkflame Church has reported that they discovered a slumbering ancient creature, the Earth Serpent, in Meyster County. Do you think this news is true or false?" The middle-aged man with a black ouroboros pattern on his forehead asked.

The High Priestess, whose lips bore a ring ouroboros pattern, smiled and looked at him with her yellow vertical pupils, saying, "We're going there to confirm if it's true, aren't we?"

"However, I believe they are telling the truth."

The middle-aged man nodded, quite excitedly, "High Priestess, that would be great if it's true!"

"According to the ancient texts within the church, the Earth Serpent's digging ability is unparalleled among all giant beasts."

"Having it, we can quickly excavate tunnels to connect various branches, and we can also explore those ancient ruins buried deep underground more easily."

"Exactly! Holand, you've matured a lot. This is what a qualified High Priestess should consider." The High Priestess nodded.

The ancient Earth Serpent, once fully grown, can reach nearly a hundred meters in length and several meters in diameter, an absolute behemoth.

Although named a serpent, its head is not like a snake's but more resembles a toothed petal, with an incredibly strong bite and crushing force, allowing it to excavate through the ground at an extremely fast speed.

In less than half an hour, it can dig a tunnel as long as its body.

Of course, most importantly, the Serpent Sect has a special method to command the ancient Earth Serpent.

Otherwise, if the Darkflame Church could control the Earth Serpent on their own, they wouldn't be so kind as to share this news.

Holand smiled at the High Priestess's praise, but soon his brows furrowed, "However, even if this news is true, considering the nature of the Darkflame Church, they will definitely try to take advantage of us."

The High Priestess smiled slightly, "Holand, that's not important."

"What matters is whether the Earth Serpent they discovered is an adult, its condition, and if it can be awakened through a ritual. That's why I'm here in person."

"If there are no problems, then what's the issue with agreeing to some of their demands?"

Holand's frown eased, and he nodded, "Indeed, I heard their plans in Meyster were obstructed."

"I suspect they might ask us for cooperation."

"Then we'll cooperate. The more trouble they cause in Meyster, the better for us. However, Holand, you need to deal with a few imperial pests first. They're over there."

The High Priestess extended her hand, pointing to the left rear of the carriage. Her hand was covered in dark green, scaly keratin, looking more like snake skin than human skin.

"Hmm? Imperial pests? Leave them to me!" Holand removed his hood, revealing a bald head covered in mysterious symbols, and chuckled.

In the next second, he suddenly opened the door of the speeding carriage and leaped out.

---

Meyster, Wolfhill Ridge.

Inside a hidden underground cavern.

"Lord Bloodburner, the latest news from Wales County just came in—Lady Galina failed!" The black-robed cultivator reporting the news looked grim.

"How? Is Galina so careless?"

"Did she underestimate the Earl's daughter and let her escape?" Laksoor smiled, swirling the dark red vintage in his glass and sniffing it.

Clearly, he didn't take the news seriously.

After all, the other party was a high-achieving student from the Imperial Royal Academy and the daughter of an Earl, possessing some means to save herself. Escaping from Galina was understandable.

"This..." Hearing Laksoor's words, the reporting Darkflame Cultist's face twisted, unsure how to continue.

"Hmm? What's wrong? Did something happen?" Laksoor's expression turned serious, the blood-red flame mark on his forehead flickering.

He quickly deduced from his subordinate's expression that something unexpected had occurred.

"Yes, my lord, Lady Galina was killed in battle!"

"What?" Laksoor's pupils dilated, and he stood up abruptly, his face filled with disbelief.

The blood-red flame on his forehead turned dark red!

Galina had once been his subordinate and took over his position as the High Priestess of Wales County after his promotion. He knew her capabilities very well.

When he first heard the report, several possibilities flashed through his mind, including the Earl's daughter Kraya escaping.

But he never imagined that his former capable subordinate, the current High Priestess of Wales County, would lose her life on a request-based mission!

After all, with Galina's mastery of illusions, even he might find it easy to defeat the opponent, but to kill her would be extremely difficult.

"How did Galina die?"

"Is the daughter of Count Habsburg, Kraya, that powerful?" Laksoor asked in a deep voice, having calmed himself.

"My lord, it's not that the Earl's daughter is particularly strong. According to the two surviving Novice Cultists, she is probably just a High Knight."

"But she had a young man with her who was extremely powerful. It's said that he killed 'Wild Bull' Bidars with one punch and even withstood and destroyed the Giant Axe Golem Guardian."

As his subordinate spoke, Laksoor's expression was initially serious. However, when he heard about the destruction of the Golem Guardian, he was shocked!

"What! You mean Galina used the Golem Guardian, a secret weapon, and still couldn't defeat them, and was killed instead?" Laksoor looked as if he had seen a ghost.

He initially thought Galina had been careless and was killed in a surprise attack.

But now, it sounded completely different!

Galina took this request very seriously, bringing along a strong hand like 'Wild Bull' Bidars and the secret weapon, the Golem Guardian.

The fact that she was killed was a huge problem!

He would definitely be summoned for questioning!

Moreover, the exposure of the Golem Guardian would likely cause the Empire to take the church's activities more seriously. The Empire might already be preparing a counterattack, a series of troublesome issues one after another.

Laksoor found it hard to accept this answer for a moment!

"Um, yes, Lord Bloodburner." The Darkflame Cultist bowed slightly.

"At first, I didn't believe it either, but after using mind control and truth serum on the two surviving Novice Cultists in Wales County, we found that their stories remained unchanged."

"

"So, Bloodburner, it's hard to believe, but it seems to be true."

The Black Flame Cultivator who reported this news was also shocked and couldn't believe it when he first heard it.

After reading the intelligence report several times, he immediately came to report.

Laksoor's mind was in turmoil at this moment.

What the hell is going on? How can a countess's daughter have such a powerful expert guarding her? The Imperial Royal Academy...

Wait! Could it be... Could that young expert be the heir of a powerful noble in the capital, pursuing Countess Kraya?

If that's the case, everything makes sense." Laksoor's expression turned into realization.

"The background of the Dragon Empire's powerful nobles is beyond imagination, and it's not surprising to nurture such a formidable young man."

However, if that's the case, things will get complicated. Even if I personally take action, it might not be enough to handle them, and there's a risk of failure.

"Calam, according to what you said, the other party should have arrived in Myister by now, right?"

"Yes, Bloodburner. According to the intelligence, the team escorting Countess Kraya arrived in Myister County Town this afternoon."

"Additionally, I've asked a few insiders in the Hubert Duke Manor to discreetly investigate the other party's background."

"Hmm, good."

"Investigate their background and report back to me as soon as possible." Laksoor nodded.

"Yes, sir." The Black Flame Cultivator, Calam, slowly retreated.

However, just a few minutes later, Calam returned with another report:

"Sir, we've received news from the Serpent Sect. Their emissary, High Priest Abad, has just entered Minster Province from Nom Province and will arrive in Myister in about two days."

The position of a High Priest is similar to that of an Archbishop in the Goddess Church, and they are in charge of the church's activities within the province, making them absolute high-ranking officials.

"Oh? The Serpent Sect's High Priest is coming in two days?" Laksoor's expression turned thoughtful.

"It seems I need to find Freeman. The Serpent Sect's arrival is timely." Laksoor seemed to have an idea, and his serious expression immediately relaxed.

---

Myister County Town.

Hubert Duke Manor.

Rain entered the indoor training room on the first floor of the main building, with the assistance of Viscount Selir.

As the highest administrative official of Myister County, the Hubert Duke Manor naturally had two indoor training rooms and an outdoor training ground.

At this moment, Shadiya, dressed in a black maid outfit, approached with a brown wooden box in her hands, and said with a smile: "Sir Rain, this is a special elixir called 'Fortifying Elixir' that Miss Kraya prepared for you before entering the secret chamber. Normally, only the Duke consumes it, and it has significant benefits for Grand Knight cultivation."

"Hmm?" Rain raised an eyebrow, surprised that Kraya had thought of this.

"Doesn't Miss Kraya need it herself?" Rain took the box and asked Shadiya.

"Miss Kraya is not yet a Grand Knight, so she can't consume it. Also, although this elixir is precious, there's still enough for two or three Grand Knights to use during their cultivation."

"Additionally, Miss Kraya said that your strength represents her safety, so please don't be polite."

"Alright, then thank you, Miss Kraya!" Rain smiled.

"By the way, Sir Rain, is there anything else I can help you with?"

Rain thought for a moment and said, "Actually, there is one more thing, Maid Shadiya. Could you send someone to invite a young knight named Haas to come here?"

"Haas the Knight? Alright, Sir Rain." Shadiya slowly retreated.

When Rain entered the training room on the first floor of the main building, he found that it was well-equipped with various weapons such as swords, hammers, axes, shields, and bows.

There were also training dummies and archery targets, all in perfect condition.

This training room was originally dedicated to Duke Hubert and Kraya, but now that they are both injured and undergoing breakthroughs, it's not in use.

Rain didn't have to worry about being disturbed by others here.

Additionally, since last night, Rain had been eager to test the newly learned Arcadia Swordsmanship Basic Technique 'Blade Storm'.

Now, he was ready to give it a try.

To test the effect of Blade Storm, Rain first placed four wooden dummies in front, behind, and to his sides at a distance of four to five meters, and then placed another four dummies ten meters away.

Then, he stood at the center of the wooden dummies and took a deep breath.

The next second, the double-handed greatsword that had covered his hands transformed into a whirlwind, spinning at high speed. The powerful wind seemed to explode in mid-air and quickly swept through the area in the form of a shockwave!

"Bang! Bang! Crack! Crack!" A series of sounds echoed.

Whether it was the four dummies five meters away or the ones ten meters away, they all fell to the ground.

After the dust settled, Rain went to check and found that each of the four dummies five meters away had more than ten deep, horizontal slash marks several inches long.

Wood, with its hardness and toughness, could show similar effects if struck with a thousand-forged steel.

Rain nodded slightly.

Then, he examined the dummies ten meters away.

However, these dummies only had faint, white, streak-like marks, and Rain's expression turned slightly worried.

The damage to the wooden dummies was not caused by the greatsword itself but by the high-speed airflow generated by the Origin Power on the sword, creating a cutting effect.

If the greatsword directly struck the dummies, there's no doubt that the wooden dummies would be chopped into several segments.

"The power is quite strong, but the attack range seems narrower than I imagined."

"If the effective attack radius is only around five meters, it's still too limited."

"However, it's indeed challenging for high-speed airflow to spread much further."

Rain immediately brought up the system panel and focused his attention on Blade Storm.

"If it's upgraded to the intermediate level, the power should increase significantly, right?"

"To upgrade to the Intermediate Technique, the breathing method has already met the requirements. However, you also need Arcadia Swordsmanship Level 14 or above, and it will cost 2 Golden Skill Points."

"Calculating this, it will require a total of 3 Golden Skill Points, which is exactly enough."

After pondering for a moment, Rain decided to try adding the points to see the effect.

A few minutes later, Rain looked at the multiple ironwood dummies lying around and nodded slightly.

"The damage radius has only expanded to about seven meters, which is still much lower than expected. However, the killing power within this radius is indeed considerable, as the ironwood dummies within three to five meters were directly cut in half!"

Rain thought for a moment, and a flash of inspiration crossed his mind.

He focused his mind on the greatsword in his hands.

In the next second, the surface of the greatsword was covered with small four-pronged shurikens, each connected to the greatsword by an extremely thin metal wire.

"Blade Storm!"

In an instant, Rain spun the greatsword like a gyroscope, and a powerful sonic boom swept through the area, accompanied by small black objects in the air.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

With this activation, the dozens of four-pronged shurikens, due to the strong rotational inertia, broke free from the metal wires and shot out in all directions.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The ironwood dummies at a distance emitted a dense sound, like the popping of beans.

When the dust settled, Rain approached to inspect the scene. He found that the ironwood dummies placed in a circle about thirty meters away had several four-pronged shurikens embedded in their surfaces, with some having seven or eight and others having three or four. The depth of penetration was over five centimeters, similar to the cutting effect of the high-speed airflow within the six to seven-meter range.

In other words, with Rain's improvement, the attack range of the Blade Storm had increased from the original six to seven meters to thirty to fifty meters!

Seeing this effect, Rain's face broke into a smile.

As for why he chose four-pronged shurikens?

Rain considered that the stability of the four-pronged shurikens after rotation was better than that of kunai or leaf darts, so he didn't need to worry about the angle of the greatsword when using the Blade Storm.

The four-pronged shurikens could sweep out in all directions, covering a full 360 degrees.

However, this method was not without its drawbacks.

It was extremely expensive in terms of Tempered Steel!

Each time the Blade Storm was used, the eighty or so four-pronged shurikens, made from Tempered Steel, meant that Rain would lose about ten kilograms of Tempered Steel!

It was very costly.

Rain made several adjustments, fine-tuning the thickness of the metal wires to be just right—neither too thick to prevent them from breaking free due to the rotational inertia nor too thin to cause them to fall off prematurely, reducing the effectiveness.

After about half an hour, Rain finally smiled in satisfaction.

Suddenly, a system notification sounded:

[Ding! Intermediate Technique 'Blade Storm' combined and improved with the talent 'Metal Transformation Technique' successfully, achieving the power of an Advanced Technique. Please name the new technique.]



Huh?

Is that possible?

Rain's eyes lit up!

As for the name,

Since it's an improvement, let's call it 'Blade Storm: Improved'!

A lazy naming choice.

[Ding! 'Blade Storm: Improved' named successfully. The related techniques of the original Blade Storm have been synchronized.]



Immediately, Rain focused on the Weapon Master (Legendary) class panel, examining it in detail:

Blade Storm: Improved (Advanced Technique) Effect: Based on the Arc Slash, it skillfully combines Elemental Force and the talent Metal Transformation Technique. By swinging a special greatsword, metal shurikens are mixed into the high-speed airflow, attacking all enemies around.

(Note: Blade Storm: Improved is a Technique and cannot be improved through skill points.)



(To upgrade Blade Storm: Improved to the Ultimate Technique, the following conditions must be met: 1. Arcadia Swordsmanship Level 16 or above; 2. Bear King Breath Technique Level 16 or above; 3. Talent Metal Transformation Technique; 4. Strength 42 points, Agility 38 points, Constitution 38 points or above; 5. Consume 4 Golden Skill Points.)



"Not bad, conditions 2 and 3 are already met, and the attribute points are not a problem."

"In that case, it means that only 6 Golden Skill Points are needed to upgrade 'Blade Storm: Improved' to the Ultimate Technique."

"As a group attack Ultimate Technique, it costs 2 Golden Skill Points less than 'Smash Hammer.' This is the benefit of combining the talent 'Metal Transformation Technique.'" Rain thought to himself.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

At this moment, a knocking sound came from the door of the training room.

"Come in!"

The maid-in-charge, Shadiya, entered and curiously glanced at the ironwood dummies lying around, covered in metal shurikens, before speaking:

"Lord Rain, Knight Hass is not at your manor. However, he left you a letter."

"The servants left behind at your manor said that Knight Hass left this morning. This letter was originally intended to be sent to Minster. The person I sent was quite resourceful and brought it back for you directly."

Shadiya handed the letter to Rain as she spoke.

Hmm?

He left?

Could it be because

Rain's eyebrows raised as he opened the envelope.

"Rain: Lachsoor Harbor has been attacked by a Sea Giant. The situation is not good. Your family was still at the manor, so I couldn't leave. Please forgive me! Hass."

It's only natural.

Rain nodded slightly.

Indeed, that was the reason.

Hass's family was in Lachsoor Harbor, unlike his own, who had already sent his parents and sister to Minster.

The next morning.

The messenger from the Swordholder Division, the lean mail-clad man, arrived again.

"Lord Rain, the two lords expressed their deepest apologies."

"Lady Veronica cannot come to help you this time. She is currently serving as a communication channel between the empire's coastal regions and the navy. It's difficult to find a suitable replacement in the short term."

Rain nodded slightly, showing his understanding.

That makes sense. Veronica is a disciple of Master Enius, the naval advisor, and she is naturally familiar with naval communications.

Maintaining smooth communication during large-scale battles is of great importance.

"Also, the lords you mentioned last time, such as Angus and Vieri, were all injured to varying degrees during their last mission. They are currently recovering and are unlikely to be ready in the short term," the mail-clad man said apologetically.

Hmm?

Hearing this, Rain's eyebrows furrowed.

"So, in the short term, no one can come?"

"Not exactly," the mail-clad man thought for a moment and said.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end