Chapter 310: Advanced Meditation

Chapter 310: Advanced Meditation



As soon as Mogar saw Rain, he spoke with a hint of urgency, "Rain, do you know what happened in the Imperial Capital?"

"Yes, Admiral Edward just held an emergency meeting. The Emperor is severely injured, and the situation is quite dire."

"It's not just dire; all communications between the Empire and the School have been suspended, and all active personnel have returned to their posts. Your plan to study at the School of Bius Assembly will have to be put on hold for now."

Rain nodded upon hearing Mogar's words.

When Admiral Edward had convened the urgent meeting, Rain already had this expectation, so he didn't feel too much emotional upheaval, although a slight disappointment was natural.

"Moreover, I have to return to Temriel shortly to repair the Colossal War Golem, the Steel Colossus. I'm afraid I won't be able to spare much time for you," Mogar said, looking at Rain with regret.

For such a talented disciple, he had originally planned to teach him well.

"It's okay, Master Mogar. Let's wait until the situation stabilizes," Rain comforted.

"No, I'm in a hurry! You're my disciple, and I've made up my mind!" Mogar immediately raised his voice with excitement.

As he spoke with heightened emotions, he took out a sheepskin scroll emitting a dense wizardly aura from his pocket and handed it to Rain.

"Here! This is the contract to join the Bius Assembly School. Take a look, and if there's no problem, sign it. I've already discussed your case with the Dean."

"After signing, you'll officially be a member of the School, and you'll be my disciple. No one can take you away."

"Hmm? A contract?" Rain took it with a slightly surprised expression, not expecting Mogar to be more anxious than himself.

Apparently, the wizardly talent he had displayed so far had truly caught Mogar's attention.

Rain's initial impression of Mogar was quite positive.

Mogar had a straightforward personality, or one might say, he wore his heart on his sleeve.

Rain could sense that while Mogar might be highly skilled in puppetry, his personal strength was quite ordinary, only reaching the peak of a first-rank wizard.

This became evident when compared to Minor, the Duke's advisor and a second-rank transmutation wizard, whose aura was significantly stronger.

Although Mogar's strength wasn't exceptional, Rain saw him more as a guide on his path to becoming a wizard.

As for strength, it was naturally better to be stronger, but if it was average, it wouldn't be too concerning. Soon enough, Rain would likely surpass him.

Of course, when it came to signing a contract, Rain knew he had to read it carefully.

He took the contract, which emitted a wizardly aura, and began to read through the clauses one by one.

After several minutes, Rain didn't find any issues. The contract mainly stated that he must not harm the School's interests or disclose its secret knowledge.

After reading it again, Rain didn't hesitate and immediately signed his name with a quill.

At that moment, the parchment contract emitted a white light and quickly disintegrated, while a symbol appeared in mid-air, flashing a few times before disappearing.

"Good, very good!" Mogar, who had been waiting anxiously, took the parchment and carefully examined the signature, 'Rain Calan,' and couldn't help but feel delighted.

In fact, Mogar was more concerned about Rain joining the School than Rain himself.

After that day, he immediately contacted the School.

And this morning, after receiving the news from the Imperial Capital, he became extremely anxious. He took the contract and a few other items and hurried over.

"In that case, I have a few things here that I can give you now," Mogar said, taking out a transparent, eight-sided crystal from his pocket.

The crystal was composed of two tetrahedrons stacked together, about two fingers wide and one finger long.

"This is a memory crystal containing the School's most important advanced meditation technique, 'Steel Heart,' at the first level."

"Although it's just the first level of the advanced meditation technique, it's still a closely guarded secret among various wizard schools. Usually, newcomers to the School need to undergo more than a year of observation, background checks, and assessments."

"But in your case, with your talent and status, these requirements seem a bit redundant to me."

"The 'Steel Heart' advanced meditation technique not only allows official wizards to enhance and refine their mental power but also grants the additional ability to control metal, which suits you perfectly."

"However, the entry is quite challenging, so take your time and start reading it."

At this point, Mogar took out a slightly thicker book from his pocket.

"The principles of puppetry are relatively easier to grasp, but it's a skill that's easy to learn yet hard to master. Focus on learning the metal puppet creation principles. This matches your metal affinity very well, and you'll be able to bring out the full combat potential of metal puppets."

"As for other types like clay, stone, and flesh puppets, you just need a basic understanding."

"Additionally, here is the method for crafting an entry-level combat puppet—the Iron Battle Puppet." Mogar handed Rain a piece of ancient parchment.

"Of course, you don't need to craft it yourself. This is mainly to help you better understand and master the principles of puppetry."

"Take good care of these three items."

"Given the current turbulent situation, I estimate that within two or three months, after His Majesty the Emperor recovers, the situation should calm down. During this time, these things should be sufficient for your studies."

"I hope you will take the time to study these in the next few months, and when you return to the school, you'll be able to grasp things more quickly." Mogar advised.

Upon receiving these three items, Rain was initially startled, but then he was naturally overjoyed.

He hadn't expected that by signing the contract, such benefits would come to him so quickly.

Especially the 'Steel Heart Advanced Meditation'! Rain had already inquired about this at the Exchange Hall.

It wasn't available!

Perhaps the headquarters of the Swordsmen might have it, but the division definitely did not.

Moreover, even if the headquarters had it, there might be very high exchange conditions, or it might require a Diamond Rank or higher task evaluation medal.

He had asked Olenna about this, and as far as she knew, it seemed that only by going to the headquarters of the Swordsmen would he have a chance to receive such teachings.

He couldn't believe that he had obtained it so easily, even if it was just the first layer.

It seemed that his extraordinary metal element affinity was even rarer than he had anticipated.

"By the way, Tutor, how do I use this Memory Crystal?" Rain examined the transparent crystal emitting a faint white light in his hand and asked.

Rain also changed his address, referring to Mogar as Tutor, which caused Mogar to stroke his red beard and smile.

Hearing Rain's question, Mogar slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, I almost forgot about this important matter."

"You can concentrate your mind on the Memory Crystal, and you will see nine light points arranged in a square pattern, three in each row, totaling three rows. Draw a 'Z' shape over the square to activate these light points, and you'll be able to access the contents of the Memory Crystal."

"Remember, handle the Memory Crystal with care. Once you've memorized the contents, simply squeeze it, and it will shatter, preventing any accidental leaks." Mogar's expression turned solemn as he cautioned.

"Yes, Tutor," Rain nodded.

This seemed convenient, but the crafting process might not be easy, and there might be some restrictions.

Otherwise, so many ancient books would not have been preserved in book form.

"Alright, Rain, I have to go. The Empire's airship will depart in two hours, and I still have some things to pack and organize." Mogar stood up and said.

"Okay, Tutor, I'll see you off." Rain smiled.

Back in the room, Rain looked at the three items in his hand and couldn't help but show his delight.

"I thought there was no chance of joining the school."

"I didn't expect to find another opportunity so soon!"

Rain placed the three items in a row on the desk, and his attention was immediately drawn to the Memory Crystal.

"Steel Heart Advanced Meditation"

Rain picked up the faintly glowing Memory Crystal and concentrated his mental power on it. Following Mogar's instructions, he quickly unlocked the Memory Crystal.

Instantly, an extremely complex three-dimensional stereoscopic pattern appeared in Rain's mind.

Was this the first layer of the Advanced Meditation Steel Heart? Rain examined it carefully.

In essence, it was a three-dimensional stereoscopic pattern, but its complexity far exceeded any will rune he had encountered in his basic meditation.

If the twenty-four will runes he had previously practiced were individual Lego blocks from his previous life, then this three-dimensional pattern was a collection of those blocks assembled into a toy car or a toy house.

The difficulty was naturally incomparable.

But the power was also incommensurable.

The latter not only enhanced and refined mental power but also granted the practitioner certain special effects or abilities.

Rain immediately attempted to practice it.

After some time, even with Rain's current mental power, it was not easy to grasp.

"It seems that Tutor Mogar was right; the difficulty of this Steel Heart Advanced Meditation is indeed not low."

Although Rain had the system, he still needed to grasp the basics before the system panel could display it, and then he could improve it through talent points.

However, Rain calmed down and set the Memory Crystal aside for the moment.

He crossed his arms and paced around the room for a while before focusing his attention on his system attribute panel.

"In the current situation, it's best to prioritize the job change to the Epic Class 'Thousand Blades King'."

"Then, I'll consider allocating my energy and time to practicing the Steel Heart Advanced Meditation."

"The goal must be clear!"

After some thought, Rain decided to change his job first.

Also, he still had some unused talent points.

In fact, if he wanted to use these points instead of saving them, he had no other choice.

Because whether it was 'Intermediate Gigastrength (Active)', 'Advanced Extraordinary Insight (Passive)', or 'Advanced Steel Body (Passive)', none of them could be improved with just a few talent points.

After some consideration, Rain decided to use these points instead of keeping them stored.

In his current situation, every bit of strength gained meant a better chance at overcoming the crisis.

As Rain focused his attention on the talent 'Basic Weapon Mastery (Passive)', a system prompt soon appeared:

【Congratulations, your talent 'Basic Weapon Mastery (Passive)' has been upgraded to 'Intermediate Weapon Mastery (Passive)'!】

Rain immediately checked the intermediate talent 'Intermediate Weapon Mastery (Passive)'.

The text description was as follows:

【Exclusive Talent of Weapon Master (Legendary): Intermediate Weapon Mastery (Passive)】

Intermediate Weapon Mastery (Passive) Effect: Weapon Masters have an innate familiarity with all types of weapons, and using any weapon comes with a 'Specialized lv2' effect.

(Note: 'Hammer Specialization lv3' remains unchanged as it exceeds this effect.)



Rain casually transformed the Tempered Gold into a throwing spear.

When he held the spear, he immediately felt a difference from before.

There was an added sense of familiarity, a feeling of being more in control.

From the text description, this was because his overall weapon specialization had increased from lv1 to lv2.

Additionally, the greatest benefit of reaching specialization lv2 was that it would further reduce the difficulty of comprehending the Extraordinary Combat Skill's secret technique for his future Extraordinary Insight.

"It's very likely that level 11 will be enough."

"After adding the three talent points, that means, once the Extraordinary Combat Skill reaches level 10, adding more points will basically allow me to comprehend the secret technique."

"If that's the case...hmm...I might only need three to four days to master a new secret technique."

"In other words, quickly within nine days, or at most half a month, I can change jobs to the Epic Class 'King of a Thousand Blades'!" Rain quickly calculated the approximate time needed for his job change.

This made Rain feel more at ease, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face.

"However...which Extraordinary Combat Skill should I choose next?"

Unintentionally, Rain glanced at the nearby trophy cabinet.

He noticed that there were not just three, but more daggers inside, and yet he had never practiced any dagger-related Extraordinary Combat Skills.

"Huh, could it be that I have an innate aversion to the Assassin class?"

Rain thought for a moment and couldn't help but laugh.

"Then, next, I'll choose daggers."

With a decision made, Rain quickly left and headed towards the redemption hall.

Actually, at Rain's current stage, he already had quite comprehensive close-range and long-range attack methods, so learning any new Extraordinary Combat Skill wasn't that important.

Rain planned to learn a dagger-type Extraordinary Combat Skill first.

Then, he would consider learning a long-handled weapon, like a lance, which could be used in combination with his Swift Warhorse 'Blackie'.

As for the ninth secret technique...

Rain hadn't decided yet.

Half an hour later, Rain returned to his room with a scroll in hand.

Back at his desk, he opened the scroll to see several large characters—'Brakar's Assassination Dance Step', and he couldn't help but smile.

Why did he choose this one?

Because the price for this scroll was the highest, much higher than any other dagger-type Extraordinary Combat Skills!

Perhaps it was because Rain had experience with short weapons like the Lion's Claw, this time, he only spent a few minutes to grasp the basics of 'Brakar's Assassination Dance Step'.

So, Rain went to the nearby training room, instantly transforming two daggers, and began practicing.

System prompts sounded one after another:

【You trained in Brakar's Assassination Dance Step, and your comprehension increased!】

【Your Brakar's Assassination Dance Step has improved, +3 experience】

Every six or seven seconds, the system would prompt an experience gain of three, forming a stark contrast to the previous experience gain of one.

In just over ten minutes, Brakar's Assassination Dance Step reached level 2.

This astonishing speed made Rain feel amazed.

"Is this the effect of the advanced talent 'Advanced Extraordinary Insight'? It's incredible!"

Although Rain had estimated this beforehand, the joy in his heart still showed on his face.

About half an hour later, Brakar's Assassination Dance Step reached level 3!

Then, less than an hour later, it reached level 4!

"This speed, it's unmatched!"

"It's like a rocket-powered boost!"

Even Rain felt it was a bit over the top.

Knock, knock, knock!"

At that moment, the sound of knocking filled the room, and Rain opened the door to find Neor and Vieri, along with the rest of his team, standing outside.

"Captain!"

"Captain Rain!"

"Come on in."

Ever since Rain moved into the Diamond Rank Swordsman's suite, which came with a private training room, it had become a gathering spot for his team.

Whether they had business or not, everyone would drop by.

"Oh, Captain, are you practicing with a dagger?" Vieri, with his sharp eyes, was the first to notice that Rain was holding a different weapon this time.

What piqued his curiosity even more was that this was the first time he had seen Rain using a dagger.

"Yeah, Captain, I remember you were practicing spear throwing a couple of days ago. Why are you using a dagger today?" Angus, standing beside Vieri, also looked perplexed.

After all, his shield had taken a beating from Rain's spear-throwing practice just a few days ago.

"Well, I felt like it, so I picked up a dagger Extraordinary Combat Skill and started practicing."

Hearing Vieri and Angus' questions, Rain looked down at the weapon in his hand and gave a vague excuse.

After all, he couldn't very well tell them that his talent had improved, allowing him to grasp the Secret Technique in just a few days!

But Rain's words still left the others looking at each other in bewilderment.

Felt like it?

Just practicing casually?

Perhaps only Neor, as a Scroll Master, wasn't fully aware of the sweat, time, and effort required for an ordinary Knight to learn an Extraordinary Combat Skill.

Whether it was Angus, Vieri, or Evelyn, who was also on the path to becoming a Knight, they all understood the difficulty involved.

The thought that popped into all their minds was, 'What a talent!'

"Oh, you guys came at the right time. You can help me test out this new dagger combat skill." Rain smiled and said.

"Captain, did you just learn this today? Don't lose face if you lose." Vieri volunteered, joking.

"We'll find out after a test." Rain couldn't help but laugh.

A few minutes later, the sparring match ended.

Vieri looked at Rain with a ghostly expression and said, "Captain, you're not fooling me, right? You just started learning the dagger today?"

"Well, maybe as a short weapon, the dagger has a lot in common with the Blade-Claw that I'm proficient in, so I picked it up faster." Rain thought for a long time before coming up with this vague explanation.

Evelyn's beautiful eyes flashed, and she couldn't help but think, 'Is this fast? It's more like flying!'

Angus, on the other hand, listened quietly, stroked his chin, and looked thoughtful, as if he found the explanation very reasonable.

With his teammates taking turns to spar with him, Rain's new combat skill, "Brakar's Assassination Dance Step," improved at a speed that was unimaginable to ordinary people.

...

Two days later, in the early morning.

The sun had just risen.

A slender girl arrived alone at the Still Water Lake, looking a bit disheveled.

Several groups of men and women camping by the lake glanced at her curiously, seemingly surprised that she was traveling alone.

Recently, the empire's situation had been volatile, with refugees, bandit gangs, and even vicious Cultists running rampant. It was common knowledge that one needed to travel with a large merchant group or mercenary band to ensure a safe journey.

The girl rinsed her face with clear water, then stood up and looked towards the distant majestic mountains and the grand city of Munster built upon them.

After staring in awe for a few seconds, the girl, not yet drafted, murmured, "So this is Munster. It's truly magnificent!"

The girl was Anna, who had traveled all the way from Mayorst City in the Rosby County to Munster.

She had asked about Rain's whereabouts from the servants left behind at the Rain Estate in Mayorst, and after learning that he had been granted the title of Baron and joined the Imperial Swordsmen organization, and that his family had also moved to Munster, she set out for Munster.

Along the way, it wasn't entirely smooth sailing, but Anna's Great Antelope transformation was very useful.

Not only did it provide formidable combat power, but it also allowed her to travel at a speed comparable to the Swift Warhorse, 'Blackie.'

When she encountered bandit gangs, Anna didn't hesitate; she simply accelerated and detoured around them.

If she encountered persistent pursuers who wouldn't back down, Anna used her 'Giant Horn Charge' to instantly break their bones.

Meanwhile, at the Munster Swordsmen Division.

Knock, knock, knock!"

"Oh, Lady Olenna, so early."

"Lord Rain, good morning. Admiral Edward requests your presence. Viscount Lein has also just arrived at the division to recognize your outstanding contribution during the recent cult incident."

Olenna smiled as she spoke.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end