Chapter 303: Phantom Strike

Chapter 303: Phantom Strike



Elder Rayn's words struck Rain like a bolt of lightning.

"Father, perhaps...this legend might be true." Rain glanced at his mother, Emma, who was teasing his father.

"Hmm? Look, Rain agrees too," Elder Rayn chuckled upon hearing this.

Emma, seeing this, wanted to retort, but out of love for her son, she hesitated and said, "Rain is being filial, knowing to speak according to your wishes."

Mint giggled as she listened.

Jenny and Agatha, standing nearby, couldn't help but smile.

Only Jennifer, the beautiful woman, seemed to be deep in thought as she looked at Rain. Her eyes sparkled, as if pondering the meaning behind Rain's words.

After dinner, Rain and Jennifer retired to the study for further discussion, focusing on the share transfer matters of the Axson Auction House's Minster Branch.

"Did things go well this afternoon?"

"Yes, Deputy Chief Olena is a formidable negotiator with sharp words. I barely had to say anything. By the way, regarding Deputy Chief Olena, should I express something on your behalf?" Jennifer asked.

"You can handle it as you see fit."

Earlier, she had been puzzled as to why Deputy Chief Olena was so enthusiastic about their family's affairs. Now, it seemed clear that there was no romantic involvement between Rain and Olena, otherwise, their attitude wouldn't be like this.

If Rain had found a girl with superhuman abilities, Jennifer wouldn't be so nervous.

But the fact that Olena was a capable married woman made her a little anxious. After all, if Rain were to have a relationship with Olena, it would mean they were competing on the same path.

"By the way, Jennifer, as a shareholder of the auction house, there should be some special privileges, right?" Rain asked.

This was an aspect Rain was particularly interested in.

He had been contemplating whether he could acquire hard-to-obtain items within the Swordbearer Organization through the auction house's channels.

"Yes, I briefly looked through the shareholder charter. It states that shareholders can be informed in advance of items up for auction at Axson Auction House and enjoy a certain degree of priority purchase rights."

"Even with priority purchase, the price is still significant. You'll need to pay 130% to 150% above the assessed value, with variations depending on the item category."

"That's in line with my expectations. Jennifer, please keep an eye out for me, especially for high-quality breathing techniques, metal or fire spells, and some rare items related to them."

"Of course, dear." Jennifer had no issues with Rain's request.

"By the way, regarding security, it's clear that Mateo and the others alone won't be enough."

"If necessary, you can contact Vieri. Although he's also an Imperial Swordbearer, he might have some official duties. But if you inform him in advance, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Vieri? Isn't he your colleague, dear? Isn't that inappropriate?" Jennifer asked, considering her words carefully.

"It's fine. He volunteered to become my follower, and I agreed," Rain explained, sharing a moment with Jennifer.

A Great Knight-level follower? And he volunteered? Jennifer was taken aback, her eyes widening.

She knew how difficult it was to find a family guardian knight; she had almost offered her daughter Jenny's future happiness as a bargaining chip. Yet, Rain had attracted a Great Knight to become his follower!

Jennifer, having had a filling lunch at the cafe earlier, now felt a sense of eagerness but physical fatigue.

That night, Rain didn't stay at the mansion but returned to his residence in the Executor Division, as he had a few tasks to complete.

After practicing the crafting of Mithril Engraved Plate Armor several times, Rain returned to the study and opened a diary he had obtained from Asimov. He began reading it carefully.

This diary was different from the previous ones he had skimmed through.

It didn't contain romantic tales of 'love and adventure.'

Instead, the diary primarily recorded Asimov's knowledge of bloodline awakening ceremonies, bloodline transplant experiments he had undergone or personally led.

After all, no one wanted to be forever plagued by the aftereffects of bloodline transplants.

Rain's initial grip.

He hadn't been interested in this diary at first because he had flipped through it casually and thought bloodline transplants seemed unethical. Additionally, he had no connection to bloodline nobility.

But after awakening the Dragon Bloodline, his perspective changed.

He believed he could learn from others' experiences.

Even if he didn't undergo a bloodline transplant, understanding the bloodline ceremony would be beneficial.

"On the first day of the first week of the Grass Moon in the 2324th year of the Empire, I transplanted the essence of a Moon Soul Werewolf bloodline into a captive of the formal knight rank.

"Despite the captive's strength, they couldn't withstand the experimental surgery and died three days later due to bodily collapse. Damn it, all of them are useless!"

"In the 2324th year of the Empire, on a Sunday during the Flower Moon. Useless! Not a single one can withstand it!"

Rain read the entire diary from start to finish, then closed the book and fell into deep thought, considering what I had read.

Through his experiments, Asimov had come to a few conclusions about bloodline transplantation. First, the success rate of the procedure was closely tied to the strength and willpower of the subject. The stronger the individual and the greater their desire to survive, the more likely the experiment would succeed.

However, significant racial differences could lead to bodily collapse, as noted in the experiment records, especially in innovative transplantation experiments, where the probability of this occurring was high.

Another conclusion was about bloodline awakening ceremonies. While the rituals varied, their purpose was the same: to increase the concentration of the bloodline in future generations, making them better suited to cultivate the family's corresponding bloodline breathing technique.

Of course, there were also cases where individuals did not undergo bloodline awakening ceremonies but still achieved success in cultivating bloodline breathing techniques. This was either due to naturally high bloodline concentration, which was considered a sign of genius among bloodline nobility, or an exceptional talent and insight for cultivating breathing techniques, allowing them to activate even a thin bloodline.

Rain was an example of the latter. Using his legendary Dragon Breath Technique, he gradually revealed some extraordinary traits of his thin Dragon Bloodline.

Rain examined his status panel, noting the 'Thin Dragon Bloodline' and the remaining 7 Golden Skill Points. "I should leave at least one Golden Skill Point to understand the Technique of Shadow Spear Throwing. That means I can use 6 points," he thought to himself.

Rain decided to allocate some of his Golden Skill Points to the Dragon Breath Technique. With each point invested, he could feel a slow change within his body, as if molten rock was flowing and strengthening inside him.

After allocating 3 Golden Skill Points, Rain's Dragon Breath Technique reached Lv.15, and he noticed a change in the description of his Dragon Bloodline on the attribute panel:

【Thin Dragon Bloodline Effect: Slightly increased affinity with fire element, slightly enhanced Giant Strength talent, slightly improved Steel Body talent, and strengthened war cry-type Techniques.】

(Note: Dragon Bloodline development has reached the current physical limit. Further development requires increasing bloodline concentration.)



"Hmm? It's still 'Thin,' but there's an additional mention of strengthening war cry-type Techniques," Rain mused.

He carefully sensed his body and, with his keen perception, realized that his affinity with the fire element and other talents had indeed improved, albeit slightly. The changes were subtle, hence the use of the word 'slightly' in the description.

However, what intrigued Rain the most was the note about increasing bloodline concentration.

"Do I need to increase my bloodline concentration?"

"The Thin Dragon Bloodline has only enhanced existing talents and Techniques, without awakening any dragon-specific talents. Could this be due to an insufficient bloodline concentration?"

"How do I increase my bloodline concentration?"

Rain's attention turned to Asimov's diary.

"Obtaining pure dragon essence is too difficult. The next step might be to start with some dragon-descended creatures."

"But this isn't urgent. I can focus on improving my Shadow Spear Throwing first."

---

Three days later, in the early morning, Rain and Angus were in the training room. A tall figure, holding a shield, was dodging rapidly, while Rain stood in place, holding a pure steel spear.

As a senior Great Knight who had already grasped the basics of the 'Bulwark' shield defense Technique, Angus was no pushover. However, facing Rain's Lv.8 Shadow Spear Throwing, he struggled to keep up.

After enduring dozens of spear strikes, Angus's left arm began to ache, and his beloved shield was now pockmarked with dents. If he didn't know that his captain could repair the shield, Angus would have been heartbroken.

But the issue was that dodging didn't seem to work either. Within a 30-meter range, it was almost impossible for Angus to evade Rain's spear throws.

"Alright, Angus, let's take a five-minute break," Rain suggested.

"Okay," Angus agreed, surprised that Rain had offered a rest. In the past few days, it was always Angus who first became exhausted and requested a break.

This break was because Rain's Shadow Spear Throwing had reached the expected level, entering Lv.9 (1/10000).

From this point on, skill points would be the solution. Even with Rain's talent for 'Basic Extraordinary Insight' and Instructor Asara's guidance, mastering a new Extraordinary Combat Skill from scratch and understanding its Technique was not something that could be achieved in just a few days.

Rain estimated that without relying on skill points, he would need at least a few more months to complete the training.

Of course, this was still much faster than the usual Great Knight, who would often spend seven or eight years practicing a single Extraordinary Combat Skill.

To achieve it in just a few days, the only option was to use skill points to cover the most time-consuming and experience-demanding levels, from 11 to 13.

Over the past few days, Rain had been continuously crafting Mithril Engraved Plate Armor, which had raised his Great Armorer (Extraordinary) level to 6, earning him two skill points and two attribute points.

Together with the previously earned skill point, he now had a total of three skill points.

Without hesitation, Rain invested three skill points in a row, directly raising Shadow Spear Throw to level 12.

Instantly, a flood of training memories about Shadow Spear Throw surged into Rain's mind, quickly integrating into his muscle and tendon memories.

For a moment, it was as if he had personally experienced over a decade of intense Shadow Spear Throw training in some mysterious space.

At the same time, Rain faintly felt that he was just one step away from the advanced technique derived from this combat skill.

There was no need to hesitate.

With the investment of one Golden Skill Point, Shadow Spear Throw smoothly reached level 13, and the system's prompt about the advanced technique finally sounded:

【Congratulations, you have comprehended the basic technique of Shadow Spear Throw: Phantom Strike!】

"Phantom Strike, done!"

"Now, I just need three more advanced techniques from different weapon categories to meet the requirements for the job change."

At the same time, Rain saw a new icon on the Weapons Master (Legendary) panel, located right above 'Shadow Spear Throw'.

The icon showed a burly man holding a short spear, taking a stride forward, with a long spear already thrown out, but seemingly still holding another spear in his hand.

Upon closer inspection, it could be discerned that the spear in the man's hand was actually a lingering spear shadow, hence the slightly blurry appearance.

In the lower left corner, the text description for the advanced technique read:

Phantom Strike (Basic Technique) Effect: Using a unique Essence-combined throwing technique, the spear in hand is swiftly thrown out, launching a powerful penetrating strike.

(To upgrade Phantom Strike to the intermediate technique, the following conditions must be met: 1. Shadow Spear Throw level 14 or above; 2. Dragon Breath Technique level 12 or above; 3. Strength 32 points, Agility 35 points, and Physique 32 points or above; 4. Consumes 1 Golden Skill Point.)



Although Rain still had three Golden Skill Points left at this moment, he did not immediately think of upgrading 'Phantom Strike' to the intermediate technique.

He planned to save the remaining Golden Skill Points for the advanced techniques of the other three Extraordinary Combat Skills.

"Angus, let's begin." After gaining a new advanced technique, Rain naturally wanted to try it out.

"Yes, Captain." After resting, Angus was full of energy. He knocked his sword and shield together a few times and walked to the center of the field.

"Oh, right, Neor, please cast a defensive spell on Angus." Rain thought for a moment and said.

"Hmm?"

Rain's words caused the four, including Angus, to look at him in surprise.

"I just had a new realization, and I might not be able to control the force when I attack." Rain explained.

"I see, okay, Captain."

Neor nodded and quickly cast a Water Membrane Technique defensive spell on Angus, creating a water membrane on his body.

Seeing Angus in a defensive stance with his shield, Rain nodded to signal that he was ready to begin.

The next second, everyone clearly saw that Rain still held the steel spear in his hand, but a silver spear shadow suddenly appeared in front of Angus.

A piercing sound of metal clashing rang out.

Angus retreated seven or eight steps, and the water membrane on his body was quickly pierced through. The specially crafted Tempered Gold shield was about to be penetrated as well!

Neor, Evelyn, and Vieri, who were standing beside, were already stunned by what they witnessed!

This was what Rain had comprehended?

He directly comprehended an advanced technique!

Neor's eyes twitched as he watched, because according to Rain's current throwing power, only a few wizards with unique defensive spells would be able to withstand a single spear.

Slightly stronger ones might last two spears before being defeated.

With the captain's mastery of this short spear throwing technique, he was almost like an anti-wizard specialist.

"Dong, dong, dong!"

"Oh, Lady Olenna." After a while, Rain's team members became familiar with Lady Olenna, the Deputy Chief of the Task Hall.

"Greetings, Lady Vieri." Olenna nodded slightly to Vieri, who had opened the door.

At the same time, she turned to Rain and said, "Lord Rain, your appointment with Master Mogaro is almost here. Shall we depart now?"

"Of course. Please wait a moment."

"Neor, you two can continue. I should be back soon."

Rain placed the long spear in his hand and quickly tidied up before departing.

On the carriage.

Rain and Olenna sat facing each other.

Over the past few days, Rain had also gained a deeper understanding of the cooperation model between the Swordsman organization and other wizard schools.

Although the introduction letter from the Swordsmen could serve as a token, allowing them direct access to study in a Mage School, the learning process is more akin to short-term training.

It's understandable that within three to six months, one can only grasp the basics without delving into the core aspects.

However, for most Swordsmen who aspire to become Mages, this is already sufficient.

But Rayn's situation is somewhat unique.

Firstly, he genuinely wants to learn something substantial. To maintain his rapid advancement, he needs to engage in various battles to earn system rewards.

Only then can he achieve the fastest progress.

In this case, the only solution is to officially join a Mage School and simultaneously establish a mentor-apprentice relationship with a teacher within the school to learn some of the more advanced techniques.

Using the concept from his previous life, it's like transitioning from a short-term trainee to an exchange student jointly cultivated by the Swordsmen and the Mage School, earning a degree in the process.

Therefore, Rayn intentionally spent a few days gathering information.

"Master Mogaro of the Bius Assembly School is currently at the Church of the Goddess, examining the other half of the Axe Golem Guardian," Olenna's words interrupted Rayn's thoughts.

Hmm? Rayn's face showed confusion.

Shouldn't half of the Axe Golem Guardian be in the hands of the Church of the Goddess?

Sensing the hint of confusion in Rayn's expression, Olenna smiled lightly and explained, "Yes, Lord Rayn, there's a reason for this."

"If a complete Axe Golem Guardian were stored in our branch, then the headquarters might issue a transfer order to move the Guardian away."

"In that case, we wouldn't be able to study the Axe Golem Guardian!"

"However, if we find a reason to attribute the other half of the remains to the Church of the Goddess, it's a different story. If the headquarters want to study it, they'll have to come to Minster."

"Even if the headquarters insist on moving it, they'll need to coordinate with the Church first."

"Understood," Rayn replied with a smile.

The power struggle between headquarters and local branches is common. As the branch that captured the Axe Golem Guardian, they naturally seek some autonomy or additional rights.

Meanwhile, in the outskirts of the nearby town of Barrington, located close to the provincial capital of Minster.

Four men, clad in knight armor and mage robes, rode their horses to the edge of Barrington, where a forest awaited them.

"Captain, we have intelligence that there's been suspicious activity here at night, possibly by cultists," one of the men reported.

"But this place is so close to the provincial capital. It's unlikely that the Black Flame Cult would establish a base so close to the city," a team member questioned.

"Indeed, setting up a base here would be suicidal," another team member agreed.

"That's the best-case scenario. We've completed our investigation and can finally take a well-deserved rest," the middle-aged captain, dressed as a knight, said solemnly.

"Yes, we can finally rest tomorrow!" a deep voice echoed from the nearby forest.

Suddenly, four men drew their weapons, on guard.

Following their gaze, a tall, cloaked figure emerged from the forest, black flames burning in his hands.

With a push of his hands, four pillars of black flame erupted, and the men were immediately engulfed, turning into human-shaped fireballs. Soon, their cries of agony faded into silence.

Inside Extor's residence, Burges reported, "Grand Priest, we've taken care of the little mice. However, you might need to find a new place to stay as this is the Empire's second batch of spies.

"Yes, it's time to celebrate the ceremony tomorrow. But it's also our ceremony, hehe." Extor smiled.

"The Empire a surprise, but we've stayed for so long."

"Burges, sacrifice this town to the blood ritual."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end