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Chapter 293: Eruption
Chapter 293: Eruption
Ren thought for a moment and walked towards the 'Spear Launcher' in the middle, adjusting the knob to the 'High' setting.
As metal spears shot out like a rapid-fire cannon from the launch port, a clanging sound filled the room. "Ding, ding, dang, dang!"
The spears struck Ren's levitating crane shield, creating a shower of sparks. After several tests, Ren's face lit up with a smile.
"Tempered Mithril, excellent in physical defense, has achieved a defense rating of nearly 55 degrees against physical attacks!"
Ren then grabbed a nearby steel shield and cast 'Metal Barrier'. The testing power was significantly reduced, and the shield was quickly pierced and shattered under the high-speed and dense barrage of spears.
"If it were an ordinary steel shield, the defense with 'Metal Barrier' would be around 39 degrees, about ten degrees lower."
Ren then moved to the Arcane Attack Testing Device coated with Enchanted Serenium.
Neilo was well aware of Galina's strength, a Gold Rank Swordsman he knew who was significantly stronger than him. However, during the assassination attempt on Galina, he failed and was severely injured instead! "So, Veri, that's the situation. As for your suggestion of becoming my follower, let's not bring it up again."
Ren was surprised to find Radiant Stones in the branch and decided to exchange some, as they were very useful against spiritual and undead entities.
"Yes, sir!"
"As you wish, Lord Ren."
If one were to look down from the sky over Minster and mark the locations of these little boys, a pattern would emerge.
"When facing enemies with different specializations, you can use targeted metals to counter them."
The two women were startled when they saw Ren striding towards them. "Curious, you've woken Lord Ren!" Agatha complained.
The man with black hair muttered an incantation, and the painting 'Gaze of the Eye' in the gallery suddenly emanated a heart-palpitating aura.
Ren nodded and handed over his freshly minted Crystal Emblem.
In Ren's new residence...
Jenny suddenly furrowed her brows, slowly crouched down, her face contorted in pain, her spirit weary and listless.
"Twenty pounds would be 3,600 Valor Points."
"Enchanted Serenium Ingots have extremely high elemental energy resistance. Exchange price: 180 Valor Points per pound."
A similar scream echoed.
"Welcome." Ren thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"Lord Ren, there is no such person. The one you mentioned is probably the High Priest of the Dark Flame Church in Wales County, an extremely powerful individual. The Swordsman Branch seems to have a Gold Rank mission to eliminate him," Angus explained.
"Tempered Mithril Ingots have an extremely high hardness. Exchange price: 24 Valor Points per pound."
"It's like this, Lord Ren. I also hope to join your squad."
Ren's expression turned peculiar when he heard that they were fighting against the Black Flame Cult in Wales County.
The box was thrown aside, and his forearms were now covered in layers of three different colored metals.
Other wizards, even those specializing in the Metal Element, couldn't use Ren's method unless their innate magic was 'Metal Transformation'.
One by one, little boys rushed from all directions, and in an instant, hundreds of them gathered like moths to a flame.
"By the way, what about the others? I remember Deputy Administrator Olena mentioning that you were injured on your last task." Ren asked with concern.
"First, give me twenty pounds of Enchanted Serenium."
After Ren inflicted damage on the little boys, they quickly healed themselves by absorbing energy, rendering the damage ineffective.
The surface of the Enchanted Serenium remained almost untouched.
"How many?"
Ren nodded.
The two little boys felt a strong sense of threat. They glanced at each other and quickly moved closer, merging into one in the blink of an eye.
Read the error-free version at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+Book_Bar
"Hmm, it seems that choosing 'Metal Transformation' as my innate magic has unexpectedly brought me some unexpected benefits." Ren's eyes lit up.
"Then come to my dorm for a chat."
As he opened the door, a red-haired Evelyn entered his sight, with two new Swordsmen behind her. "Evelyn, is your task over?"
"Lord Ren, Angus and I would like to join your squad."
When Ren approached, the two identical little boys behind the two women seemed to sense a threat, slightly tilting their heads and staring with their all-black eyes.
The Radiant Stone on his forearm immediately transformed into a sword and shield.
"Actually, about this matter..."
Neilo was somewhat relieved, as he had anticipated Evelyn's promotion to Gold Rank in the task hall.
Lynx Hound blocked the path of the two women, growling low and baring its teeth. "Hmm?"
Ren's eyes narrowed in surprise. Behind the two women, there were two boys, about eight or nine years old, closely following them.
"It's 6,480 Valor Points. Is that correct?"
"Neilo Ren made a deep impression on me. He is a rare Scroll Mage, a specialized branch of Wizards who primarily rely on pre-made scrolls for their attacks."
Ren observed this scene without intervening, watching as the fusion took place.
"Ah, yes! Of course, Your Excellency." The maiden quickly snapped out of her daze.
Indeed.
For Ren, whether as a Hammer Wizard or with his newfound Will Radiance, he could easily perceive the scene beneath the field.
Today, it seemed like there were quite a few people searching for him.
"Vieri, Angus, it's been a while." Upon seeing the two, Ren smiled and nodded.
Now, his room felt a bit cramped.
However, the expected Soul Energy did not appear, which made him ponder.
Suddenly, Ren thought of something and turned to Neilo, asking, "Your Excellency Neilo, may I ask..."
At the same time, the spirit's strength intensified!
The maiden was taken aback, and with increased reverence, she accepted the emblem and promptly placed it into a specially designed fitting groove. Soon, a black stone tablet in front of Ren displayed some white text.
Is it just being troublesome?
This revelation left everyone unsettled.
After arriving in Ren's room, the three of them casually sat down.
"A Malevolent Spirit?"
"Yes, I encountered them while passing through Wales County. I took the opportunity to ambush and kill them. That woman's Shadow Manipulation was quite troublesome, but I managed to handle it." Ren nodded.
"Your Excellency, let me confirm. Radiant Ingots, 20 pounds, totaling 2,400 Valor Points; Tempered Mithril Ingots, 20 pounds, totaling 4,800 Valor Points. Plus, the Enchanted Serenium is worth 3,600 Valor Points."
If the opponent possessed the ability to create clones as Ren suspected, then in a crowded place like the art exhibition, the number of affected individuals might not be limited to just one or two.
"And this one?"
He had just used his hammer, instead of a sword, to kill the Malevolent Spirit, intending to accumulate some Soul Energy.
"No, no! I mean, I'm too weak, not that I don't want to." - During dinner time.
"Whoosh!"
"As you wish, Your Excellency Ren."
The spirit had nowhere to hide.
"Your Excellency Ren, thank you for avenging Cleir, but I still want to become your Follower." Vieri bowed deeply towards Ren.
"Yes, and the High Priestess Galina from Wales County was also killed by me." Ren nodded.
The maiden staff member stood up and bowed, "Greetings, Your Excellency. How may I assist you?"
Vieri's handsome face now had a new scar between his eyebrows.
The previous battle had already alerted the guards within the residence! "Mateo, go notify the patrolling night guards and have them contact the peacekeeper."
Meanwhile, the Lynx Hound Curious's exceptional perception stemmed from the animal itself.
As expected, the black line snapped! Ren swiftly struck again with his sword, severing the black line behind Agatha.
Why couldn't it be pre-deformed?
"Radiant Ingots, Radiant Stones, possess special effects to exorcise evil. Exchange price: 120 Valor Points each."
Inside the Exchange Hall.
Ren's words made the two women realize why Curious had been barking at them.
"Perhaps I can prepare several metals with higher resistance, about ten kilograms each, capable of transforming into a crane shield size."
Ren's eyebrows furrowed slightly in surprise.
The merged boy's body was like a lightning strike! The transparent phantom was like snow meeting boiling water, instantly melting away! This time, as Ren had suspected, after the black line was cut, the two boys did not resurrect again.
He hadn't anticipated that someone would proactively request to become his Follower so early, and that person was also a fellow Swordsman.
"Of course." Ren could tell from their expressions that they had something to discuss.
"Thank you, Your Excellency Ren." Vieri's face showed relief.
When he was in Minster, he had asked Olena for coordination, but unfortunately, it didn't work out. At that time, he heard that the task had left her injured.
It's possible.
"Please wait, I'll get it for you."
"I've completed several Gold Rank tasks, but I won't go into the details." Ren smiled and said.
The boy's body began to grow, and his aura intensified! Even more so!
Ever since arriving in Minster, she hadn't ventured out much.
"Stellar Iron Ingots, possess strong resilience and hardness. Exchange price: 20 Valor Points each."
Ren took a swift step forward, creating a gust of wind as he passed the two women. With his Radiant Longsword, he struck one of the boys with a downward slash!
But as soon as she stood up, Curious took a cautious step back, his eyes fixed on her.
"An art exhibition?"
If Galina were there, given her troublesome nature, these two women might not return.
Ren pondered for a moment, forming a guess.
It was highly likely that the black line acted like a spider's feeding tube, sucking out some sort of Soul Energy from the two women.
Instantly, Ren infused a strand of Will Radiance into his longsword, causing it to emit a more intense white light.
"Hmm? No Soul Energy?"
"Could this be another trick by the Axson Auction House?" Ren's eyebrows furrowed, his anger rising.
Meanwhile, in Minster...
The Norman Family lacked a suitable person to take charge of protection, and Vieri, as a Great Knight, had the necessary strength to handle the situation.
Another massive metal cylinder lay horizontally on a track-like rail, with a circular face facing the person, only the color of the face was different, displaying a dark silver metallic sheen.
"No, no! Lord Ren, I'm not here to join your team. I was just curious, so I came to take a look."
After some thought, Ren stepped out of the testing room.
Ren also recognized the other Caroline, one of the few females among the new Swordsmen.
Upon seeing this, a young boy with a distorted face immediately waved his hands and charged towards Ren, only to be struck by Ren's Radiant Shield and sent flying.
"20 pounds of Radiant Ingots and 20 pounds of Tempered Mithril Ingots, that's all," Ren said.
"You two, don't move! There's a Malevolent Spirit behind you!" Ren said calmly.
The next moment, the young boys began to merge into each other one after another!
Apparently, Ren's action was faster than expected, and a shrill scream was heard as the boy was split in half by Ren's strike.
Ren felt that this matter should be reported to the local magistrate immediately.
Vieri and Angus were even more shocked, as they had always believed that Ren's promotion to Gold rank was due to his assistance in the Stone Squad's mission.
Ren squinted his eyes, and he could now see that between the two eerie boys and the two women, there was an extremely thin black line connecting them.
"In that case, my previous idea should be feasible."
"Curious, what's wrong with you today?" Jenny bent down and tried to reach out to calm him down.
"Curious, don't shout at us! I'm Agatha, and this is Jenny. You'll wake up the others!"
Ren simply tested a beginner-level Fire Element magic called 'Radiant Light.'
"Brother, I want to go shopping too," Mint said enviously.
Hmm? Ren remembered that guy. He had used Metal Transformation to suddenly extend the length of his Tiger Blade and killed him with a single punch.
But Ren was different. As a part-time Great Knight, he wore plate armor and could discreetly modify some of the plate armor components for practicality.
Additionally, physical strength was one of Ren's specialties. After all, restoring points meant instant recovery!
The man was unusually close to the two women, less than half a meter away. Moreover, these two identical eerie boys were both holding a doll in their hands.
"Sir, which type of exchange do you require?"
"They're all familiar people, let's go together."
"Lord Ren?"
"It seems to align with what the young female staff member said; Enchanted Serenium appears to have extremely high resistance to energy damage."
Caroline, with her round face, quickly waved her hands to decline when Ren asked her.
In no time at all, the young female staff member returned, her face slightly red, struggling to carry three wooden boxes of different colors.
Moreover, there wasn't even one in the branch.
Just as the work report was about to end, Ren suddenly heard Curious' cries and faint voices coming from downstairs.
As Ren was about to say something, a knock sounded at the door.
Ren stood up and looked down from the window.
"This..." Ren's face showed contemplation.
But curiosity overpowered everything else.
If it weren't for his innate magic, it would have been nearly impossible to achieve near-instant casting with minimal mental energy consumption. These two points were...
Ren couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"I-I'm sorry, how much do you need?" The young female staff member was stunned. This was an astronomical price of 180 Valor Points per pound!
The young woman was shocked. She quickly said, "I-I..."
Agatha, looking terrified and still shaken, supported Jenny and said, "Lord Ren, we just went to Master Painter Franco Van Cleef's art exhibition."
Could it be... Were these two actually clones, not the original? "Where did you two go just now?" Ren asked, turning around.
"As for you two joining my team, it's no problem."
Agatha was at a loss, unsure of what was happening. Curious, the usually perceptive Hound, barked at her and Agatha incessantly.
Without hesitation, Ren quickly walked downstairs.
"Twenty pounds," Ren patiently repeated.
Oh my!
Malevolent Spirit? The two women looked at Ren in fear.
In the shadows of a street in Minster, a man in a black robe raised his eyebrows slightly and whispered, "Hmm, discovered? Their reaction is quite swift. But the energy accumulation is almost complete now."
The young woman fluttered her eyes in surprise, gazing at Ren.
"And it's a Gold Rank task?"
"Lord Ren, are you serious?" This news was like a thunderbolt for Vieri, leaving him utterly shocked.
What a spendthrift! If converted to Dragon Empire coins, she calculated on her fingers; it would take her two thousand years of work, starting from the establishment of the Dragon Empire, to save up enough money to afford these items.
The man was a rare Scroll Mage, and Ren had no reason to refuse him.
The young boys' spirits were like fireflies, covering the entire Upper City, and even a few were spotted in the Noble and Trade Districts.
"Ren, I want to ask you, why did you allocate so many Task Evaluation Medals and Valor Points to me?" Evelyn originally didn't want to ask this question in front of everyone.
Ren nodded and smiled at the two of them, saying, "Hello."
"Don't be afraid, it's a minor issue."
Enchanted Serenium encompassed resistance to all energy types. Although it might not excel in resistance to a specific element compared to certain rare minerals, the difference wasn't significant.
"Yes, it's in a wealthy merchant's villa in the Upper City of Minster, not far from here," Agatha nodded and said.
"Wait, there's more. Take note of this."
After dinner, it was the customary work report time for the beautiful lady.
"It's not just a minor injury! Our mission was to escort the convoy from Wales County." Angus' expression darkened as he began to narrate.
However, a wizard carrying three or four shields, each weighing around fifty kilograms, would surely have their movement speed affected, and this style of painting seemed rather peculiar.
"Yes, that's right." Ren nodded.
He planned to visit the Exchange Hall to see if there were any suitable special alloys or rare metals available.
If the opponent's aura was previously around the level of a Tier 3 Wizard Apprentice, now they could almost compete with a full-fledged Wizard.
A few minutes later, Ren, quite satisfied, headed back to the dormitory.
Ren must have received a reward far exceeding three Silver Task Evaluation Medals to be able to give Evelyn so many Valor Points. Ren, who was not a romantic, could see that.
"By the way, Angus, Veri, the 'Wild Bull' Biddles and that Dark Array Master you mentioned, I believe I've killed them all."
Even with his Dark Vision, he had just discovered them due to the darkness of the night.
Veri felt that if he didn't seize this opportunity to follow and learn from Ren now, he might not get another chance in the future.
"Yes, Ren, this is Neror, and this is Caroline. These two provided me with a lot of help during the task." Evelyn introduced them.
Tempered Mithril was used to replenish the losses from the previous battle.
At the same time, he was also the person he had seen with the fastest improvement speed.
It seemed that the task the two of them encountered was quite intense.
As for their character, based on their current interactions, they seemed reliable. After all, someone who constantly thinks about avenging their fallen comrades couldn't possibly be of bad character.
Even if they were spirits, whether vengeful or malevolent, when struck by a Radiant Stone, they would exhibit signs of weakness.
This time, the little boy seemed to have been enlarged by a factor of 1.2, and he charged at Ren with confidence!
"Ren, it's been a while!"
"Hehe, in a couple of days, when I have some free time, I'll take you around." Ren smiled and nodded.
Veri and Angus exchanged a glance, and Veri spoke with a hint of urgency, "Ren, is it convenient for you now? Can we find a place to chat?"
What Ren didn't know was that, at the same moment he killed those two little boys who were malevolent spirits, hundreds of other little boys in different locations simultaneously turned their gaze towards Ren's direction.
Followers? Ren was slightly startled.
Veri and Angus, who had just arrived at the dormitory entrance, spotted the familiar figure at the stairs and hurriedly called out.
Lady Jennifer's face flushed slightly, and she said, "They must have gone shopping."
"Also, I personally request your help in avenging me. As compensation, I'm willing to become your follower!"
The female staff member was about to turn around, but Ren suddenly called out to her.
Ren's expression turned serious, and the Radiant Longsword in his hand transformed into a warhammer. Facing the charging little boy, he lightly swung the hammer! It was the Ultimate Technique, 'Annihilation Hammer'! Upon contact!
"That's interesting."
"Secret Silver Ingot, with excellent Elemental Energy conductivity. Exchange price: 140 Valor Points per pound."
At this moment, a struggle flashed in Veri's eyes. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, and the next second, he looked at Ren with determination and said:
The female staff member was amazed. Was this the Star-level Swordsman?
"Okay, sir, please show your badge."
"Alright! I agree, Veri. If you have any questions about the path of knighthood, feel free to ask me." Ren nodded.
"Sure, sir. I'll go get it for you."
It seemed that the task Angus and Veri had undertaken was before Ren's journey through Wales County.
Moreover, Ren was so young, and his current strength level was definitely not his limit!
"Then let's bring the time forward a bit."
Ren aimed and slashed with his sword! "Swoosh!"
In Veri's heart, Ren's mastery of Extraordinary Combat Techniques was awe-inspiring.
"Didn't you fight someone named Galina? A woman skilled in Shadow Manipulation." Ren asked curiously.
However, the strength of the opponent's spirit body seemed undiminished.
"You also killed Galina?" Neror, standing beside him, exclaimed in disbelief.
"Hmm, where are Jenny and Agatha?" Ren asked as he used a silver fork to cut his steak.
Could it be Galina's group? "That 'Wild Bull' Biddles, I will avenge him. Cris was trying to save me, but he was directly knocked away by their Ram Horn, flying over a dozen meters with no chance of survival!" Veri's eyes turned red.
"This is a Replica Imperial Staff. Also, help me check for exchangeable rare metals and alloys."
However, the little boy who had been split in two by Ren's sword quickly recombined not far away.
(Omitted 10,000 words)
Angus' injuries were more apparent, with a large patch of newly grown skin on his neck, indicating that he had been affected by some kind of corrosive or flame damage.
He quickly surpassed the Near-Legendary level and entered a level extremely close to Legendary!
Such a strong aura fluctuation immediately alerted the patrol squad, the Goddess Church, the Duke's Residence, and various other departments in Minster City.
Ren, who was in the front yard of his home, suddenly looked up and gazed in the direction of the art gallery, saying:
"Mateo, it seems I don't need to notify you. I have to go out for a bit. None of you should leave the house."
(End of Chapter)
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