Chapter 295: Bloodcap Mercenary Group

Chapter 295: Bloodcap Mercenary Group



In the afternoon, Olenna sought out Rain once again, leaving him a little puzzled. He felt that she was more like his personal secretary than the Deputy Administrator of the Task Hall, given how frequently she sought him out.

"Lord Rain, I suddenly remembered this morning that you're still in the Novice Tower," Olenna said with a smile.

"So, I contacted the logistics department immediately, and that's when I found out that the news of your recognition as a Diamond Rank hadn't reached them yet."

Olenna's smile was accompanied by a touch of diligence, making it hard not to feel a sense of goodwill towards her.

"I've already arranged everything for you. According to your Diamond Rank status, your new suite is located across from the Training Building, next to the Training Ground. It's the best suite in the division."

"A suite?"

"Yes, Lord Rain. It's fully equipped with a bedroom, living room, and even an indoor training room."

Rain nodded, surprised by the excellent treatment Diamond Rank Swordsmen received.

"Why don't you move in now?" Olenna suggested.

Rain agreed after a moment's thought. "Alright, thank you, Deputy Administrator Olenna."

The mention of a training room piqued Rain's interest, as he had some moves that were not suitable for public training rooms. Additionally, as the leader of a Swordsman squad, he needed a more spacious place for gatherings or meetings than his current novice dormitory.

Upon seeing Rain's agreement, Olenna waved her hand, and two tall guards appeared at the end of the corridor to help with the move.

Rain didn't have much, but the weapons in his cabinet were numerous.

Olenna led the way, and they headed towards the training ground.

"By the way, Lord Rain, don't forget the award ceremony this Sunday at the Minster Administrative Hall," Olenna reminded him.

"If this ceremony were held a few months later, you might not just be a Viscount, but a Baron," she added with a smile.

"Thank you, Deputy Administrator Olenna, you flatter me," Rain smiled, not saying much more.

Sunday, in six days.

Suddenly, the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground echoed from behind them.

"Plop!"

One of the guards, his face red with exertion, lifted the blue and white double-handed war hammer again, grunting with effort.

Rain was speechless, turning around and effortlessly lifting the war hammer with one hand.

"You can help with the other weapons," Rain said casually.

"Yes, thank you, Lord Rain," the guard replied gratefully, his eyes wide with amazement.

The guard couldn't believe that Rain could lift the hundreds of pounds of war hammer with such ease.

Now he understood why the young Rain was a Diamond Rank Swordsman.

Upon entering the Diamond Rank suite on the third floor, Rain was impressed by the accommodations provided for Diamond Rank leaders.

Just as Olenna had described, the suite had a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and training room, all fully equipped. Additionally, there was a dedicated service team in the corridor, ready to provide housekeeping services at the ring of the room's owner.

Of course, they would only enter when summoned.

Rain's first stop was the training room.

Spacious and bright, with a clear view through to the other side, the training room was well-equipped with dummies, archery targets, and various weapons. The floor had also been specially reinforced.

Overall, it was not too different from the training room in the Baronial Mansion.

Rain was satisfied with the setup.

Hours later, in Rain's private training room.

Rain stood calmly in the center of the spacious room, surrounded by three dark crane shields, while Vieri, his only follower, stood opposite him, holding a greatsword with a serious expression.

The next second, Vieri's feet pushed off the ground, and he began to circle Rain rapidly, searching for an opening.

A good opportunity! The gap between two of the crane shields was a bit wide!

Vieri narrowed his eyes, and without hesitation, he executed a swift cross slash!

"Clang! Clang!"

Unfortunately, his attack was futile.

The two swift and powerful strikes were blocked by the crane shields.

This left Vieri feeling a little discouraged.

He had felt that Rain was full of openings, and the gap between the two crane shields had seemed wide enough for his greatsword.

But as soon as he swung his sword down, the crane shields' rotation speed suddenly increased, blocking his attack path perfectly.

Vieri tried a few more times, attempting to get behind Rain or attack from the side or front, but to no avail.

It was like a solid wall of metal, leaving him feeling hopeless.

Meanwhile, Rain stood with his arms crossed, occasionally pointing out flaws in Vieri's swordsmanship.

With his level 16 Arcadia Swordsmanship, Rain had no trouble guiding Vieri's greatsword techniques.

As Rain's only follower, Vieri was helping him improve his 'Metal Barrier' proficiency while also receiving feedback on his greatsword techniques, making it a win-win situation.

And on the sidelines, the red-haired beauty Evelyn, Neor, and Angus were whispering to each other.

"Captain Rayn's spell, 'Metal Barrier', has such strong defense. I'd be helpless too if I were in his shoes," Angus mused, shaking his head in admiration.

He specialized in sword and shield, and while his overall strength surpassed Vieri's, in terms of sheer offensive power, he was only on par with Vieri.

After all, Vieri wielded a greatsword, which inherently had more attack power than a single-handed sword.

"Neor, do you know the spell 'Metal Barrier'? It's ridiculously powerful!" Angus asked, turning to Neor.

"It's indeed extraordinarily powerful! It seems much stronger than regular elemental defensive spells, which doesn't make sense!" Neor frowned, deep in thought.

"If it's not because of extremely high elemental affinity, then there's only one explanation."

"What explanation?" Angus looked at Neor.

Upon hearing this, Evelyn's beautiful eyes also lit up with curiosity.

"It might have something to do with the metal Lord Rayn is using," Neor said with understanding.

"Have you noticed Lord Rayn's dark crane shield? It's made of tempered gold, a special metal with exceptional hardness and toughness."

"Even a peak Knight would find it challenging to break it," Neor added, believing he had pinpointed the key factor.

However, a wry smile soon appeared on his face.

He suddenly remembered something.

Lord Rayn, who was currently standing in the center of the field, was an offensive expert despite his solid defense.

"Neor, if you were to use your spell to attack, could you break through Lord Rayn's Metal Barrier?" Angus asked.

"It's difficult! Did you see the dark silver metal on Lord Rayn's forearm?"

"Yes, what about it?" Angus looked thoughtful, as if trying to recall something.

"If I'm not mistaken, that's enchanted serenium, a metal with high resistance to all elemental energies."

"In other words, if Lord Rayn is using it, he must have extremely high resistance to all elemental energies," Neor said, crossing his arms.

"Wow, enchanted serenium! But that's a huge chunk of it. How many merit points would that cost?" Angus, having served in the military, was familiar with enchanted serenium, often used as a special coating in thin layers.

But he had never seen it applied as thickly as on Lord Rayn's forearm.

And how many merit points would it take to acquire that much? Evelyn's eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Angus, don't forget that Captain Rayn has completed one diamond and four gold-rank quests. Do you think he's short on merit points?" Neor said, glancing at the red-haired beauty, Evelyn.

In fact, there was something else he didn't say.

He had given away three silver-rank evaluation medals and two thousand merit points as gifts alone.

Their captain, Lord Rayn, likely had tens of thousands of merit points, so exchanging some for enchanted serenium was no big deal.

They hadn't known that Lord Rayn had completed a diamond-rank quest until he invited them for a friendly match, and they discovered that this was a diamond-rank suite!

It was located on the third floor of a three-story building next to the training ground, covering an area of over eight thousand square meters with fewer than twenty suites. This was the designated accommodation for diamond-rank captains in the entire Swordsman Division of Minster.

Each suite had a small training room, a bedroom, a dining room, a reception room, and more, fully equipped.

Additionally, there was a dedicated housekeeping team in the corridor, available 24/7 with a simple bell ring.

When they arrived, they were stunned!

In comparison, their novice dormitory seemed like a hovel.

"Angus, it's your turn."

Vieri, holding his greatsword, was already out of breath, but he hadn't even touched Lord Rayn's sleeve.

In a full-speed battle, even a Knight would exhaust most of their stamina within a few minutes and need to rest and adjust.

"Alright!" Angus, excited, struck his sword and shield together and stepped forward.

Until their casual conversation, Angus hadn't known that Lord Rayn was also skilled in sword and shield techniques, offering him valuable advice on their combination.

This surprised Angus because he had always thought Lord Rayn specialized in warhammers and greatswords, never expecting him to be proficient in sword and shield as well.

No, it wasn't just proficiency; it was mastery.

Lord Rayn's mastery of the sword and shield might even surpass Angus's.

After a few minutes, Angus, wielding sword and shield, was also out of breath and drenched in sweat.

At this moment, Neor tightened his grip on his short staff and stepped forward.

Encountering Neolo, Rain smiled slightly and slowly unleashed his innate sorcery, 'Metal Transformation Spell', transforming his three hardened gold crane shields into a covering for his knight gauntlets and forearms.

The enchanted serenium on his forearms was reshaped into a dark silver crane shield.

This entire process took nearly ten seconds.

It wasn't that Rain was intentionally hiding it, but explaining it would be too troublesome.

He thought that once the level of his 'Metal Barrier' increased and his casting speed significantly improved, he could create illusions that would make it hard for others to distinguish his innate sorcery.

Witnessing this, Neolo couldn't help but smile wryly, saying, "Captain Rain, you're being a bit too specific, aren't you!"

Hearing this, the red-haired beauty Evelyn, who was beside him, couldn't help but giggle, her face flushing with amusement.

Angus and Vieri also burst into laughter.

After finishing his conversation with Neolo, Rain, who had just fought three consecutive battles, temporarily put away his 'Metal Barrier' spell.

He glanced at his Warhammer Wizard (Legendary) profession panel. With the strong support of Neolo and the other two, his 'Metal Barrier' spell had reached level 2 (218/300).

The speed of improvement was quite encouraging!

Given the current turbulent situation, Rain initially planned to raise it to level 3 and then use skill points to enhance it, quickly forming his combat power.

The group sat around the tea table to rest.

The corridor staff respectfully served tea and snacks and then quickly left the room.

"Tsk tsk, Lord Rain, the treatment you receive as a squad leader is truly exceptional," Angus said enviously.

Rain smiled slightly and asked, "Do you all know about what happened last night?"

"Lord Rain, are you referring to the demon spirit attack that happened yesterday?" Neolo's eyebrows furrowed as she asked.

"So, yesterday's incident was a demon spirit attack?" Vieri and Angus exchanged glances, their expressions filled with realization.

Evelyn, on the other hand, stared at Rain with her beautiful eyes, seemingly waiting for him to continue.

Rain looked at the group.

Apparently, Neolo, being a local noble heir of Minster, was very well-informed.

It wasn't that Vieri and Angus had less sensitive senses, but by the time they noticed something, the battle was already over.

Yesterday's battle had ended in less than two minutes.

"Not only was there a demon spirit attack, but there's also another matter. Archbishop Gomez of the Minster Goddess Temple was assassinated," Rain revealed a shocking piece of news.

"What?!" The group's expressions changed.

As either noble heirs or military-born, they naturally understood the status and strength represented by the Goddess Church's archbishop.

The assassination of such a figure clearly indicated a highly turbulent situation in the Empire.

"Please keep this matter confidential for now. I'm telling you this to primarily encourage you all to urge your families to take action if necessary," Rain said.

"The Empire's situation might be even more unstable than we imagine," Rain's expression turned solemn as he looked at them seriously.

Now that they were teammates in the same squad, Rain shared this news with them.

"My family has already relocated some members here. But my father is a feudal lord, so he can't leave Rosby County," Evelyn nodded and said.

"I'm the only one in my family," Vieri shrugged and looked at Rain.

"Just you?"

"My mother passed away very early, and my father was an imperial colonel. He sacrificed himself in a battle against ferocious beasts," Vieri explained with a hint of sadness.

"If you don't mind, you can move into my residence," Rain offered.

"Can I?" Vieri's face lit up with joy, but he also hesitated.

"Of course," Rain nodded.

Rain had already thought of this earlier, but his family background was a bit shallow. Aside from him, there weren't any other formidable fighters in his family.

Now, with Vieri as a follower, the situation improved significantly.

"I'll contact my family right away. My family is in Canton County, and it's similar to Evelyn's situation. They are feudal lords and can't leave, but the others can," Angus nodded.

"Lord Rain, have you heard about what's happening above?" Neolo suddenly remembered something and pointed upwards, speaking with a hint of mystery.

"The imperial capital?" Rain's eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes, I heard that for some reason, the top powerhouses from various provinces have been summoned to the imperial capital," Neolo whispered.

This matter was likely an imperial secret.

"Are you sure? Is there someone from Minster as well?"

"Yes, there is," Neolo nodded.

Rain suddenly realized that something important must have happened in the imperial capital, requiring the Empire's high-end combat power.

But what exactly was happening that required the Empire's high-end combat power for an extended period?

In the administrative district of Minster, a group of three people disembark from a docked airship from the imperial capital. The leader is a middle-aged man in gray robes, holding a fiery red staff, exuding a profound aura. To his left stands an extremely robust man, towering over two meters and three, carrying a massive shield on his back. On his right is a bewitching woman with purple eye shadow and a distinct scorpion pattern on her forehead, her figure curvaceous.

"Viscount Asimov, you've finally arrived," greets Drake and Fabien's group, who have been waiting nearby.

The middle-aged man nods, "Viscount Drake, we've kept you waiting."

After a brief exchange, the group boards several luxurious carriages and heads toward the Akson Auction House, the Minster branch.

In the reception room on the second floor of the auction house.

Drake and three members of the Bloodtop Mercenary Group are chatting.

"By the way, what's the big event happening in the imperial capital?" Drake recalls the content of his brother's letter, Viscount Orenz, and asks.

Viscount Asimov explains, "We only know it's related to the imperial capital, but the specifics aren't clear. These days, the top-tier warriors from various imperial provinces and special departments have been summoned to the capital."

"It seems to be in response to some kind of risk or trouble."

"Let's not dwell on that. By the way, Viscount Drake, tell us about Lord Rain's situation. Grant and Ilaiho both died at the hands of the other party."

Grant and Ilaiho, though not from a bloodline family, possess remarkable talents and are crucial members of the Bloodtop Mercenary Group, specializing in control, attack, reconnaissance, and assassination.

"By the way, the patrol density on the streets is quite high. Has Minster always been this focused on security?" a bewitching voice inquires.

"Not exactly. These days, a special incident occurred—the assassination of the Grand Bishop of the Goddess Church in Minster, suggests a solution.

"So, it's not easy to make a move." The Scorpion Woman nods.

"Not necessarily. If we cause casualties during our operation, we can blame it on the Blackflame Cult," Viscount Asimov ponders and suggests.

"True, but the difficulty lies in obtaining the heart blood of the other party," the Scorpion Woman adds with a chuckle.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end