Chapter 281: Making Use of Waste (Part Two)

Chapter 281: Making Use of Waste (Part Two)



Lord Rain surveyed the area, walking over to the massive pits on the ground to inspect them. The Legendary-tier Earth Serpent that had caused them had vanished without a trace.

He picked up the replica Imperial Staff that lay on the ground. The Imperial Power it contained was nearly depleted after the recent battle.

It seemed he would need to recharge it at the Nom Province Swordbearer Division.

Rain hesitated, unsure whether to pursue the injured Earth Serpent or stay to protect Claire and the others.

Though the Earth Serpent had been injured by the replica Imperial Staff, its wounds were not severe. Furthermore, as a Legendary-tier creature, its strength exceeded Rain's own.

Even if Rain gave chase, he wasn't confident he could defeat it. He could only rely on the Soul-Shattering Warhammer's unique Soul Shatter Impact to ensure a one-hit kill.

At this moment, Claire and Olenna approached the cave entrance.

"Lord Rain, your strength is growing more formidable!" Claire stood beside Rain, her head tilted as she gazed at him. "You've defeated two Near-Legendary-tier powerhouses, especially the Serpent Sect's Cannon. I feel you're just a step away from becoming a Legendary yourself."

"They were indeed challenging opponents," Rain acknowledged with a nod.

Just as Rain was about to inquire about Near-Legendary powers, Olenna stepped to his other side and smiled. "Indeed, Lord Rain. I will immediately report your slaying of Laksoor to the Swordbearer Division."

"Moreover, the opponent's strength exceeded our expectations. I believe the task rating of three and a half stars is unfair. I'll suggest to Lord Umaz that it should be raised to four Golden stars."

"Tsk, this is Laksoor, the perpetrator of the Maistre County massacre. It's fitting that he met his end at the hands of the Maistre Hammer." Olenna smiled.

"Oh, and Lord Rain, you also eliminated the Serpent Sect's High Priest Cannon."

"However, as a task for the Nom Province Swordbearer Division, I still need to communicate with them regarding the rewards." Olenna glanced at the Blade Squad members receiving treatment as she spoke.

"Then thank you, Lady Olenna. The Blade Squad also deserves credit for defeating the Serpent Sect's High Priest," Rain said.

"Yes, I understand Lord Rain's intention. I'll discuss this with Captain Roland first," Olenna nodded.

At this moment, Claire noticed Rain staring at the massive tunnel on the ground, deep in thought. She asked, "Rain, do you intend to pursue that Legendary-tier Earth Serpent?"

"Yes, I'm concerned that if we don't eliminate it, it might return for revenge," Rain replied, his brow furrowed.

Olenna looked at Cannon's headless corpse on the ground and then turned to Rain. "Lord Rain, this Legendary-tier Earth Serpent was likely controlled by the Serpent Sect's High Priest."

"Now that Cannon is dead, the Earth Serpent has gained its freedom and will likely leave on its own. It's highly unlikely it will bother us again."

"Oh? Is that so?" Rain contemplated.

If that was the case, there was no need to venture into the tunnel to attempt to kill the Earth Serpent.

The Soul Shatter Impact's effect wouldn't be fully demonstrated without a suitable opponent.

In hindsight, he should have killed another Darkflame Adept to test the Soul Shatter Impact on the Serpent Sect's High Priest.

Rain glanced at Cannon's headless corpse, feeling a tinge of regret.

At this moment, the head maid, Shadia, stood behind her mistress, Claire, her legs pressed together and slightly rubbing against each other.

As a regular person, Shadia had barely seen Rain's battles with Laksoor and Cannon. The speed of the fights had exceeded her visual limits, and she had only witnessed blurry shadows, splashes, pits on the ground, and vague silhouettes.

One thing the head maid was certain of was Rain's exceptional stamina. After two battles, he showed no signs of fatigue.

Additionally, the words of the Serpent Sect's High Priest, who had controlled the Earth Serpent, further confirmed Rain's innate talent for stamina.

This caused the head maid to glance at Rain again.

Feeling a bit shy, she thought, 'Aside from his stamina, is Rain exceptional in other aspects as well?'

While Claire and the others talked with Rain, the nearby guards began assisting the servants in tending to the garden.

Action:

- Follow the "Translation Rules" strictly, using the provided "Key Terms" for translation.

Translation:

At this moment, the servants whispered to each other: "Ah, you guys, look at that! Basically, all of them were headshot, including the corpses of Laksoor, the Serpent Sect Cannon, and the Count Habsburg."

"This... I guess the enemies were terrified!"

"Lord Rayne must have intended to intimidate the enemies with this combat style!" a servant exclaimed with an understanding expression.

The other servants looked at each other and instantly realized the situation.

"That's right! It should be like this."

"In this case, the original nickname of Lord Rayne, 'Maistre Siege Hammer', doesn't seem appropriate anymore."

"Right, what do you guys think about calling him 'Skullbreaker'?"

"That's appropriate, it can be!" a servant nodded in agreement.

"It can!"

At this time, Roland dragged his injured body and came over.

He first looked at the corpse of the Cannon in shock, then looked at Rayne, and sighed: "Lord Rayne, your strength, it's really something!"

Roland gestured with a thumbs-up while speaking.

Just now, they, the Blade Squad, worked together and completely crushed the Cannon in about a minute!

But if it was the Cannon and Habsburg, it would be the same, crushed into corpses in about a minute!

This made Roland not know what to say for a while!

Of course, Roland's praise wasn't because he was good at understanding, but because for the Swordbearers, there was a prerequisite, which was to come back alive after a mission.

So, internally, the Swordbearers highly respected powerful companions.

Because sometimes, encountering powerful companions would make a difference between life and death.

"Roland, I want to ask you a question. What's the biggest difference between Quasi-Legendary or Legendary, and our Grand Knights?"

"Huh? Lord Rayne, didn't you understand this?" Roland looked at Rayne in surprise.

In his opinion, Rayne should have a more comprehensive and deeper understanding of the Quasi-Legendary level, which he was about to enter.

"For the Wizards, the distinction between Quasi-Legendary and Legendary is simpler, which is the liquefaction of spiritual power, that is, the second-level Wizard. While the Legendary is the crystallization of spiritual power." Kraya, who was standing beside, said.

"If spiritual power is likened to a multi-faceted crystal, then perception is one of its facets, which is an external manifestation of spiritual power. While willpower is another facet of this crystal, which is the crystallization of spiritual power."

"This... I think it would help you."

"Kraya's beautiful eyes fixed on Rain, who nodded in response.

Two sides of the same coin?

Rain nodded again, "Thank you, Miss Kraya. Miss Sephiris' words have been very enlightening for me."

But Rain knew that this was just a summary, a glimpse into the vastness of the subject.

For him, mastering Will Radiance required starting from the very beginning.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'll leave you to it. I'd like to go back and think things over."

"Of course, Your Highness Rain, please do."

Upon returning to his room, Rain reviewed the system prompts:

[You have engaged in combat. Warhammer Wizard (Legendary) experience gained +2491]



[You have engaged in combat. Weapon Master (Legendary) experience gained +1387]



(Note: The above skill experience has been enhanced by 30% due to the exclusive talent 'Basic Extraordinary Insight'.)



[Congratulations! You have defeated a formidable foe and earned 3 Golden Skill Points!]



[Congratulations! You have defeated a formidable foe and earned 4 Golden Skill Points!]



[Congratulations! Your Warhammer Wizard (Legendary) profession level has increased!]



[Congratulations! Your Warhammer Wizard (Legendary) profession level has increased!]



The Warhammer Wizard (Legendary) profession level rose from lv1 at the time of the job change, advancing four levels to reach lv5 (591/2000).

Due to the original Weapon Master (Legendary) profession level, which was at lv8, the massive experience gain also resulted in a level-up to lv9 (198/10000).

This was an unexpected delight!

It also meant that the first condition for the Epic profession - Thousand Blade King (Epic) - 'Weapon Master lv9 or higher' was fulfilled.

Additionally, Rain gained 5 attribute points, 5 skill points, and 7 Golden Skill Points.

A bountiful harvest indeed!

With the remaining points he already had, Rain now had 6 attribute points, 6 skill points, and 8 Golden Skill Points.

This meant that Rain could currently upgrade either 'Crushing Hammer' or 'Blade Storm - Revised' from High Technique to Ultimate Technique.

Furthermore, Rain also seemed to have grasped a hint of the secret to Willpower.

At that moment, Rain stood in his room, pacing back and forth with one hand on his chest and the other supporting his chin as he pondered.

---

Several hours later.

The twenty-odd Black Flame Adepts who had fled saw a group of familiar figures at the other end of the original tunnel, led by another adult from their church, Freeman.

Beside him stood a stranger, tall like a small giant.

In the dim light of the torches, the stranger's hair was disheveled, and his face was obscured. He wore an exceptionally old bronze breastplate, and his exposed skin was a grayish-white, wrinkled, and lacked the elasticity of normal human skin.

What made the Black Flame Adepts even more apprehensive was the overpowering aura emanating from him, which kept them from daring to approach.

"Freeman, bad news! Lord Rakshul has been killed by Rain."

"Hmm?"

"Is Rakshul dead?" A shadow fell over Freeman's initially cheerful mood.

"So, the plan to attack Count Habsburg's residence has failed as well?"

"Well..." The Black Flame Adepts exchanged glances.

"It's not a complete failure. The Cannon Lord of the Serpent Sect is still fighting."

"Hmm? And you ran away? Bunch of useless fools!" Freeman's eyes twitched, and he was furious inside.

"Pfft!"

Ancient Hero Monge, who knew when he had advanced several meters, had a withered arm like dry wood, but his muscle fibers were clearly visible, and his skeleton was extremely thick. He pierced the chest of a Black Flame Adept who had fled.

This Black Flame Adept was also dumbfounded. He never expected to be attacked within his own church's crowd.

At this moment, his entire body was like a little chicken, picked up by the arm that had pierced his chest.

Red blood lines began to appear on the arm, and the Black Flame Adept opened his mouth wide, as if he wanted to scream, but his entire body began to hunch, shrink, and dehydrate at a visible speed.

Soon, his limbs also hung down like a dry corpse, turning grayish-white, and his neck also fell to one side.

The obviously much redder thick arm casually threw the corpse to the side, like discarding a piece of trash.

"If you're useless, then you're useless (Ancient Common Language)," said the low and hoarse voice from Ancient Hero Monge's mouth, as if he had just killed a chicken instead of a person.

This cold tone scared the group of Black Flame Adepts who had fled, making their faces turn pale!

"Well... Lord Monge, although these are useless, they are still faithful followers of the church (Ancient Common Language) and can still be of some use." Freeman quickly explained.

At the same time, he also cursed himself.

Damn! How could I forget that this Lord was here?

I just said 'useless,' and this Lord heard it.

Of course, the key issue is that many words in Ancient Common Language and Modern Common Language have the same pronunciation, including the word 'useless.'

"Your Excellency, I will take you to a place where there are enough strong people to help you recover your body."

"Not a waste like this again?"

"Of course not. They are all elites of the Dragon Empire." Freeman was taken aback and gave a dry laugh.

Meanwhile.

Minster.

The top floor of the administrative building in the Swordsmen Division.

Inside Admiral Edward's office.

A middle-aged man in a military uniform with a pair of golden branches and four crescent moons on his shoulder pads reported respectfully, "Admiral, I just received an urgent military report from Maistre."

"The Sealed Gate has been opened by the Sea Folk and the Sea God Sect, but unexpectedly, there was a Triple-Tailed Sea Dragon sealed inside."

"I didn't expect it to be a Triple-Tailed Sea Dragon."

"Hmm? It escaped?" Admiral Edward, in his military uniform, raised his eyebrows in disbelief at the news.

"Yes, it seems that the Triple-Tailed Sea Dragon possessed a trace of divinity, so..." Colonel Stanley explained.

"Divine creature? No wonder!" Admiral Edward's expression revealed understanding, but the fish tail wrinkles at the corner of his eyes deepened.

"Yes, sir."

"It's a challenging time," Edward sighed.

This indicates that the current situation faced by the Empire is gradually slipping out of the Empire's control. Otherwise, even if this Triple-Tailed Sea Dragon is a divine creature, it should not have been able to escape.

"Does Duke Minster and Archbishop Gomez know about this?"

"Duke Minster should know, but Archbishop Gomez probably hasn't been informed yet."

"Hmm, notify Archbishop Gomez and let them be on high alert."

"Yes, sir."

"What did the higher-ups say?"

"Er, the order from above is for our division to issue more assignments related to the Sea Folk and the Sea God Sect, assisting the Imperial Navy and Army."

"Hmm, we'll follow the orders."

Maistre County.

Hubert Duke's Manor Garden.

The insider planted by the Black Flame Cult in Hubert Duke's Manor was currently shoveling dirt into the large pit dug out by the Legendary Earth Serpent.

After more than an hour, his forehead was already covered in fine beads of sweat.

"Hey, Aria, you're being quite diligent today, not taking any breaks."

"Hmm," the insider, going by the name of Aria, obviously didn't want to respond to the teasing of his guard companion.

Because at this moment, his mood was crushed.

He didn't expect the carefully planned attack to end in such a way!

And when he witnessed Lacus dying in Rain's hands, his body went cold.

Fortunately, during the attack, he didn't immediately betray them.

Otherwise, he would be lying on the ground now.

He made up his mind to survive for a while before reporting any more news or intelligence to the cult.

Because after Lacus and another Black Flame Guardian died in Rain's hands, the elite of the cult didn't know his true identity.

After another strenuous effort, the huge pit was finally filled up.

Aria wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at his 'labor' results with a sense of relief.

Suddenly, he faintly sensed something amiss, as he felt a tremor under his feet.

"Hmm? Could it be the Earth Serpent again?"

"If you want to find someone, go find Rain!" Aria's expression changed, and he turned to leave the pit.

But in an instant, a surprise occurred! The soft dirt splattered, and a thick, grayish-white, withered arm suddenly emerged from the ground, grabbing his ankle!

Instantly, Aria felt a piercing chill that rushed from his tailbone to the back of his head!

In the blink of an eye, Aria disappeared from his original position.

Aria was dragged directly from the ground by a powerful force.

A small hole less than a meter in diameter appeared in the filled pit.

The guards' faces changed one after another!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end