https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-297-Breaking-Through-Part-2-of-2-/12957046/
Chapter 296: Class Change and Intelligence
Chapter 296: Class Change and Intelligence
"This... It's probably going to be difficult. After all, the opponent killed Grant in three moves, clearly a formidable enemy."
"It might be for you and me, but not for the Commander." The alluring Scorpion Woman subtly praised Commander Asimov.
Asimov smiled and said, "Scorpion Woman, Iron Man is right. The opponent killed both Grant and Ilaiho, and their strength should not be underestimated."
"Also, is this all the information the branch has gathered? We only have details about the opponent before they joined the Swordsman and when they killed Grant." Asimov turned to look at Drak, his expression slightly displeased.
"Do we have any information about Ilaiho's battle with this Rain?"
Regarding this question, Drak didn't know how to respond, so he called for Viscount Fabien.
"Well, the intelligence capabilities of the Minster branch are limited. Additionally, Ilaiho's battle took place in Myester, and it's said that it occurred in a room with only Rain and Ilaiho present."
"So... We have no way of knowing the specifics of their encounter." Fabien shook his head and said.
"Does this Rain have any family? Would coercion be effective? He looks very young and should lack experience in handling matters." Scorpion Woman asked.
"That's not a good idea. Even if he has family, if you were in his shoes, would you surrender without a fight?" The tall and muscular Iron Man rebutted.
"Not necessarily. What if he's someone who values family greatly?" Scorpion Woman didn't get upset by Iron Man's rebuttal; instead, she smiled with delight and giggled.
"In that case, he'd be more likely to keep himself alive to seek revenge on us later." Iron Man's expression turned solemn, as if recalling something, and he seemed to be deep in thought.
A solemn atmosphere filled the room.
"It's not worth discussing," Scorpion Woman's expression changed, realizing she had unintentionally touched upon a painful memory for Iron Man, who was now taking things seriously.
Continuing the conversation might lead to an argument, so she decided to drop the subject.
"The opponent is currently staying long-term at the Minster Swordsman Division; we can't possibly launch an attack there."
"In other words, we can only take action at their residence."
"The problem is that the streets of Minster are heavily patrolled. By the way, Viscount Fabien, how long will this high alert situation in Minster last?"
"It's estimated to continue for at least another week," Fabien recalled the information he had and replied.
"A week? We don't have that much time to waste here. I still need to go back to the imperial capital to get my nails done." Scorpion Woman's tone rose as she tapped her beautifully patterned nails, expressing her dissatisfaction.
Iron Man carefully examined the map and calculated the distance between Rain's residence and the Swordsman Division; he spoke in a deep voice, "If we directly attack their residence, we'll have to retreat within three minutes at most, and that's assuming we take out two street patrols."
"The opponent is smart; their residence is located approximately 850 meters in a straight line and about 1200 meters by path from the Swordsman Division."
"No, we don't have three minutes. Don't forget that this is the provincial capital, and there are griffin knights patrolling the skies as well." Asimov shook his head.
"If we launch a full-on assault, we'll have to withdraw within two minutes at most."
"In that case, we might not have a good chance of capturing them alive. We can only hope that the opponent is a bit stronger and doesn't die too quickly under the Commander's 'Lava Fist.' Hehe." Scorpion Woman seemed to have thought of something.
"Then it's settled. Scorpion Woman, you send people to tail and investigate. When the opponent returns to their residence from the Swordsman Division, we'll make our move." Asimov reviewed the intelligence once more and made the decision.
"Shouldn't we wait for the information from the Swordsman Division? I've already contacted someone to help with the investigation." Drak, who was standing nearby, hesitated but still asked.
He had met Rain before.
He always felt that the overly calm young man gave off an unreadable vibe, his eyes as serene as a deep pool.
"Hehe, Viscount Drak, does it matter if the Commander personally takes action? Whether the opponent is a Silver Rank Swordsman or a Gold Rank Swordsman, does it make a difference?" Scorpion Woman seemed to disdain Drak's suggestion.
However, knowing that the opponent was the younger brother of Marquis Orland, she didn't show it in her tone.
"Then we'll wait for one day. If there's no news tomorrow, we might take action at any time. Viscount Drak, we'll trouble you to book a return airship for the three of us."
Asimov smiled and said.
At the same time...
That evening, Rain, with Vieri's assistance, managed to enhance the spell 'Metal Barrier' to LV3, reducing the casting time to 2 seconds.
As it was getting late, Rain sent a message to his residence through the guards and then rested in his new home.
The next morning, while Rain was having breakfast, two system prompts quietly appeared:
[Congratulations! Your Constitution attribute has increased!]
[Congratulations! Your Agility attribute has increased!]
"Huh?"
"It seems the effects of integrating the Breathing Technique are starting to show."
Rain glanced at his attribute panel:
Constitution: 46
Strength: 46
Agility: 46
Spirit: 55
Will (Hidden Attribute): 3
"All my Strength, Constitution, and Agility are at 46, but it's still quite a distance from the requirements of the Annihilation Force Field."
"However, I'm currently in the period of enhanced effects from the Breathing Technique, so this growth should continue for some time."
Additionally, Rain felt that after his Will increased, the influence of the Darkflame Mark on him seemed to lessen slightly.
"Could it be that increasing Will can actively diminish the Darkflame Mark?"
"Or does it merely reduce the mark's influence?"
Suddenly, Rayn thought of something else.
"There doesn't seem to be any news from the Akson Auction House yet."
"Could there be some unforeseen circumstances again?"
As he thought about it, Rayn's brows furrowed slightly, after all, two days had already passed.
If the other party was sincere, they shouldn't be in this state.
"It seems I need to find someone to look into this."
Half an hour later, Neor arrived at Rayn's room.
"Captain, you wanted to see me?"
"Yes, Neor, do you know anyone at the Minstrel branch of the Akson Auction House?" Rayn put down the mithril shoulder armor he was crafting and gestured for Neor to take a seat.
"Oh? Captain, are you planning to purchase something or attend an internal auction?" Neor asked with a smile.
"Neither, I just want to find out some information," Rayn shook his head.
"I see, but with their strength, they might also be good at causing trouble."
Although Neor's expression was calm, his heart was filled with unease.
Their captain was indeed powerful and gifted.
But the Akson Auction House was one of the top powers in the entire empire.
Could it be that the stronger the strength, the more trouble they could cause?
The Marquis Orland family's words made it seem like it was just a minor misunderstanding with the Akson Auction House.
But strangely, Neor felt that their captain could handle the situation.
Perhaps it was Rayn's calm demeanor?
Or maybe it was the impression of Rayn's strength that left Neor in awe.
Previously, he had high hopes for Rayn's abilities and future prospects. Otherwise, as the son of a marquis, he wouldn't have chosen to join Rayn's team.
Rayn was impressed by Neor's efficiency.
In just a short time, Neor managed to gather information and returned to him.
"As you suspected, Captain, they don't seem to be willing to peacefully transfer the shares. According to their staff, three extraordinary combatants arrived from the capital yesterday evening."
"According to the waiters, they were so intimidating that it made everyone's hearts tremble," Neor said solemnly.
Rayn's eyes narrowed at Neor's words.
"By the way, I had someone sketch their appearances, and they all have distinctive features. One is a seductive woman with a scorpion pattern on her forehead, another is a burly man with a giant shield, and the leader is a middle-aged man with a short staff," Neor explained.
Neor handed over three sketch drawings to Rayn.
"Thanks, much appreciated," Rayn nodded, taking the sketches and examining them immediately.
"For now, this is all the information we have."
"However, with their distinct appearances and knowing they're from the capital, their backgrounds should be easier to investigate."
"Considering they're from the capital, the fastest way is to use the Swordsman's internal intelligence system to retrieve information from the capital. These three should be strong, and there should be records at headquarters."
Neor suggested.
"I'm not familiar with the intelligence department officials in the division, I'll ask others about it."
"Lord Rayn, didn't you know that as a Gold Rank Swordsman captain, you have access to the Swordsman's internal intelligence system to query confidential information? And as a Star Rank, you have even more privileges," Neor said, slightly surprised.
He had thought their captain was the type to be single-mindedly obsessed with improving his strength, yet he seemed unaware of the Star Rank privileges.
If it were him, he would have known all the benefits before his promotion.
But perhaps that was how top-tier warriors were.
Rayn was slightly taken aback by Neor's words.
"That's convenient," he thought to himself.
"Lord Rayn, do you want me to inform Evelyn and the others about this?"
"No need, wait for my message," Rayn shook his head.
After Neor left, Rayn stood up and looked out the third-floor window at the training ground.
At that moment, large patches of dark clouds were approaching on the horizon, signaling an impending storm for Minstrel.
"It seems they're determined to take action."
"Two seconds is still too slow for practical use."
"I was planning to practice more, but it looks like I need to step up my game."
Rayn checked his attribute panel, with a total of 6 skill points remaining.
Without hesitation, Rayn invested all 6 skill points into the spell 'Metal Barrier'.
As the spell 'Metal Barrier' leveled up from lv3 to lv9, a flood of memories about the spell rushed into Rayn's mind.
For a moment, Rayn felt as if he were in a mysterious space, constantly practicing the spell, with incantation compression becoming second nature, and his speed increasing!
When Rayn processed the memories and recited the incantation again, he realized that only 0.5 seconds had passed, and three hardened gold crane shields surrounded him.
The half-second casting time was almost comparable to that of innate spells.
Now, if Rain claimed that his innate spell was 'Metal Barrier,' it would be convincing enough to fool anyone.
"However, it's still not fast enough."
"If I could invest another 3 skill points to upgrade it to level 12, the casting time would be reduced to 0.25 seconds. Then it would truly be indistinguishable from an innate spell."
"After transitioning to Grand Armorer, I'll get another wave of skill points."
However, Rain didn't immediately start making the 'Mithril Engraved Plate Armor.' Instead, he left the room and went to the Quest Hall.
In the Deputy Administrator's office.
Rain and Olenna sat facing each other.
"Ms. Olenna, there's something that might trouble you."
"Sir Rain, please tell me what you need," Olenna said with a smile, seemingly eager to help Rain.
"It's like this: I heard that Diamond Rank Swordbearers can request the Intelligence Department to help retrieve some information. However, I'm not familiar with the head of the Intelligence Department, so I was hoping you could introduce me to them."
Rain directly stated his purpose.
"Sir Rain, if you want to gather intelligence, you can also come to me directly. I'll contact the Intelligence Department for you," Olenna immediately took on the task.
Although she had been waiting for an opportunity to help Sir Rain, she knew that helping once or multiple times made a significant difference.
If she directly introduced Sir Rain to the Intelligence Department, would he still come to her in the future?
Even if he did, the chances would be much fewer.
Given Sir Rain's rapid progress, she didn't know when he would be promoted and transferred away. It would be foolish not to seize the opportunity to build a closer relationship.
Olenna had long believed that as long as Sir Rain didn't fall, he would undoubtedly become a legendary powerhouse of the empire.
Building connections was something to be done as early as possible!
Rain hadn't expected Olenna to be so enthusiastic. After some thought, he felt that this wasn't a problem and would actually be more convenient.
So, he handed over the three portraits given to him by Neor and said:
"I want to gather information on these three individuals. They all come from the capital. Can the branch help me contact the capital to retrieve the information as soon as possible?"
"Of course, Sir Rain. Do you have their names?" Olenna took the portraits and quickly glanced over them before responding.
"No, but these three individuals should all belong to a force under the Akson Auction House, or perhaps the Orland Marquis family in the capital."
"Hmm? Sir Rain, do you have a conflict with them? As a Diamond Rank Swordbearer, as long as you're not in the wrong, Swordbearers will always be your strong support," the efficient woman said firmly.
Rain felt a slight warmth in his heart.
"Not yet, I want to understand the situation first."
"Understood. I'll contact the Intelligence Hall immediately. Deputy Administrator Colin is on duty today. Once I have the information, I'll have him contact you right away."
"Thank you, Ms. Olenna."
"You're welcome."
Back in his room, Rain began to make the 'Mithril Engraved Plate Armor.'
At this moment, Rain once again appreciated the benefits of choosing 'Metal Deformation' as his innate spell.
Under normal circumstances, even other metal-based wizards could transform metal ingots directly into armor, but this was equivalent to casting a first-level spell, which consumed a considerable amount of mental energy.
However, Rain had solidified 'Metal Deformation' as an innate spell, reducing the mental energy consumption to less than one-tenth of the normal amount.
Thus, in an instant, Rain transformed the mithril ingot into the components of a knight's suit, and immediately began engraving runes on the components.
If he failed, Rain would simply reshape the mithril plate and engrave again.
The efficiency was almost dozens of times higher than the normal forging process!
After just over an hour, Rain completed the ten engraved plate armor components required for the Grand Armorer promotion.
The system prompt also sounded:
[The prerequisites for upgrading to Grand Armorer (Extraordinary) are: 1. Armorer level 5 or above; 2. Strength 15 points or above, Constitution 15 points or above, Spirit 18 points or above; 3. Forge ten qualified engraved plate armor components independently; 4. Master knowledge related to engravings. Current conditions met. Do you wish to upgrade to Grand Armorer?]
[Note: After transitioning to Grand Armorer, the original Armorer interface will be integrated into the Grand Armorer interface, and the original Armorer core skills will be retained.]
Without hesitation, Rain decided to start the transition!
"Yes!"
[Ding! Transition to Grand Armorer (Extraordinary) successful! Strength +2, Constitution +2, Spirit +3! Obtained Grand Armorer core skill: Inscription Mastery (Passive).]
"Huh?"
"Another core skill related to crafting?"
Rain couldn't help but recall the previous Armorer's 'Armor Mastery (Passive)' and the current 'Inscription Mastery (Passive),' which almost formed a complete set of core skills for crafting plate armor.
[Core Skill: Inscription Mastery (Passive)]
Inscription Mastery (Passive) effect: When engraving runes on armor, the success rate is significantly increased.
"It seems that even if I just open an iron forge, I could still make a fortune."
With the assistance of the 'Inscription Mastery' core skill, Rain's engraving process was like a breeze!
The speed of making the mithril engraved plate armor increased several times!
Finally, as evening approached,
Rain successfully upgraded the Grand Armorer (Extraordinary) profession to level 4 (3/1000) and received 3 skill points and 3 attribute points.
With the 3 skill points invested, the casting time of the spell 'Metal Barrier' was further reduced to just 0.25 seconds, making it comparable to an innate spell!
To achieve this effect, a normal wizard would likely need decades of hard practice, and that too, focused solely on this one spell.
Even with the relatively long lifespan of wizards, this was almost an impossible feat.
After all, there were too many things that would consume a wizard's limited energy and time.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
Rain opened the door and saw a middle-aged man with a Mediterranean hairstyle and a slightly plump build, smiling eagerly.
"Lord Rayn, greetings. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Colin, the Deputy Administrator of the Intelligence Hall. It's a pleasure to meet you."
After Colin had spoken with Olenna, his expression brightened, and he immediately sprang into action.
After incurring another favor from Olenna, he finally obtained the opportunity to report to Lord Rayn privately.
After all, who wouldn't want to flatter a future legendary powerhouse?
"Lord Colin, greetings. Please come in," Rain immediately realized that this must be the Colin Olenna had mentioned.
The two sat down in the reception room, and Rain rang a bell.
A maid-like attendant respectfully served tea and snacks and then quickly left.
"Lord Rayn, based on the clues you provided, we have gathered information on the three individuals from the Imperial Capital."
"The three belong to the Bloodcap Mercenary Group, led by Asimov, who is affiliated with the Akson Auction House and has a particularly close relationship with the Marquis Orland family."
"Asimov, the leader of the Bloodcap Group, is a descendant of a mutated bloodline."
"A mutated bloodline descendant?" Rain's eyes narrowed at these words.
"Yes, Asimov was a descendant of a bloodline noble, but his bloodline was too thin to awaken. When he was young, he struggled to advance to a full wizard. Later, he volunteered to be a test subject for his mentor's blood fusion experiment, but surprisingly, the experiment succeeded."
"He immediately killed his mentor and discovered that he had been infused with the blood essence of a Bloodcap Troll, thus awakening the talent 'Raving'—a rapid incantation ability."
"This is also why they are known as the Bloodcap Mercenary Group."
Rain nodded.
He had read about this Bloodcap Troll clan before.
It was said that trolls of this clan had not gone extinct and that some remnants still existed in remote, rarely visited areas.
Their talent, 'Raving', accelerated incantation speed, which was a different path from compressing syllables.
In simple terms, after using 'Raving', their lips moved swiftly, relying on their rapid speech.
Of course, the strength of modern trolls differed significantly from ancient trolls; otherwise, the Orland family wouldn't be so fixated on ancient troll fangs.
At that moment, Colin handed over a stack of materials to Rain.
"Moreover, in terms of strength, the three are no less than a Golden Rank Swordsman captain, and even the leader of the Bloodcap Group, Asimov, is no less formidable than a Diamond Rank captain."
"Additionally, I must remind Lord Rayn to be cautious, as all three of them possess unique talents."
Talented abilities?
Like himself?
Interesting.
Rain narrowed his eyes.
He opened the stack of materials given by Colin and examined them carefully:
"Iron Man, real name unknown, has the bloodline talents of fortitude and poison resistance. He specializes in Wind Blades and Venom Darts and is also proficient in bandaging and herbal medicine."
"Asimov, leader of the Bloodcap Group, is a Second Rank Liquidation Wizard. He has merged with the blood essence of a Bloodcap Troll, and the entire mercenary group is named after him. His displayed abilities suggest proficiency in fire spells."
Colin added, "Asimov has engaged in combat numerous times, but there have been few survivors. Therefore, he likely possesses some kind of trump card."
"Furthermore, it is rare for all three of them to act simultaneously, indicating that they consider you, Lord Rayn, a formidable opponent."
Rain nodded.
Based on their appearances, a typical assessment would be that the burly man was a siege-type, front-line fighter, while the Scorpion Woman was likely an agile assassin or controller.
Asimov, on the other hand, seemed to be the squad's 'heavy hitter'.
However, according to the intelligence, aside from Asimov possibly being the 'heavy hitter', the other two were entirely different from their outward appearances.
Interesting.
Rain once again experienced the benefits of having powerful connections.
"Lord Rayn, for any future intelligence needs, you can contact me directly."
"Of course, you can also contact Deputy Administrator Olenna." After some thought, Colin added this.
"Thank you, Lord Colin."
Soon after, Rain left the Swordsman Division with Vieri and headed back to his residence.
He hadn't returned home yesterday, so it was only natural to go home today.
The main purpose was to instruct his family to stay indoors for the next few days.
As soon as Rain and Vieri left the Swordsman Division, several agents from the auction house who had been tailing them lit up with joy and immediately released carrier pigeons to report.
On the second floor of the Akson Auction House's Minster branch, a room:
"Tsk, tsk, I didn't expect we could take action today!" The Scorpion Woman smiled, flicking a piece of paper and addressing the other two.
(End of Chapter)
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