Chapter 328: The Precondition (Part 1 of 2)

Chapter 328: The Precondition (Part 1 of 2)



Hansal was taken aback, as there was an extra person present.

While Rain's appearance was expected, the presence of the beautiful woman beside him puzzled Hansal. She had a dignified appearance.

Could it be that in the middle of the night, the two of them were...? But no, the woman's clothes didn't seem wrinkled.

However, Hansal quickly dismissed these chaotic thoughts from his mind.

At that moment, two words flashed through his mind—'more money'! It didn't make sense that he would charge the same amount for leading away one person as he would for two.

An extra person naturally meant extra payment.

That was only fair, right?

Meanwhile, Rain quickly sized up the burly man before him.

The man had a cross-shaped scar on his face, a robust build, and a strong aura. Based on his aura, he seemed slightly stronger than Batista of the Stonewall Squad.

Compared to Tide Piercer Ruergatsbi, he fell short.

In other words, the man's strength was likely between a Peak Great Knight and a Title Knight.

However, Rain hadn't quite grasped the man's intentions yet.

As soon as he entered, he grabbed Agatha?

Did he have a grudge with the Wiggins family, or did he mistakenly capture the wrong person? Rain had always assumed that if someone were to be abducted, it would be Anna.

Suddenly, the man lifted Agatha and quickly moved to the left, seemingly uninterested in engaging with Rain.

Rain turned to Delana and said, "Delana, I'd appreciate it if you could guard the mansion, especially Anna."

As he finished speaking, Rain's figure at the spot began to gradually fade away.

Delana was astonished, witnessing Rain's words come to life as he moved over twenty meters away, rapidly pursuing the intruder.

If this had happened two days ago, Delana might have scoffed at Rain's words, but since arriving at his mansion, she had come to trust his words more and more.

Simultaneously, her heart rate increased as she realized the extent of Rain's abilities.

She nodded in agreement and turned to Anna, who had also been startled awake, giving her a slight nod.

When Hansal turned back for the first time, seeing the two women still in their original positions, he couldn't help but feel relieved.

He thought to himself, 'This money is too easy to earn.'

But the next moment, his expression changed drastically! He felt a gust of wind behind him, and instinctively, he spun around, protecting the girl he was holding with his right hand. Then, he intended to use his arm shield to block the attack from behind.

However, Hansal only caught a glimpse of a dark shadow before feeling a sharp pain in his right hand, causing him to lose his grip on the girl.

Immediately after, he felt an immense force on his arm shield!

"Bang!!!"

Hansal's entire body flew like a heavy artillery shell, shooting straight through the garden of Rain's mansion and out into the street.

"Boom!"

The sturdy marble courtyard wall shattered, creating a large hole, but Hansal didn't stop there. He continued to fly across the street, crashing into the wall of a mansion on the opposite side, finally coming to a halt.

The solid white stone wall had a human-shaped indentation, and spiderweb-like cracks were spreading in all directions.

This scene was witnessed by Sam's team and Hansal's followers, who were hiding outside Rain's mansion.

They had just heard a distinct sound of metal clashing and assumed Hansal had succeeded, eagerly awaiting their chance to strike.

But the next moment, they saw Hansal's familiar tall figure fly out, but he was flying backward!

The speed was incredibly fast, befitting a 'Earth Dragon Knight,' but it didn't seem like he was luring the enemy to pursue him.

It was more like...

being knocked away by the enemy?

For a moment, including Sam, everyone was at a loss, as they couldn't quite understand Hansal's current state.

Especially Sam, whose thoughts were in turmoil.

Was Hansal deliberately showing weakness to lure the enemy?

Was he trying to entice them to pursue him?

But hadn't he made it clear that he should immediately leave with one of the women, and the enemy would chase after them?

Why did this guy insist on fighting Rain?

Damn it!

But soon, Sam's pupils contracted, and his face turned grim.

He recognized the figure who calmly walked out of the broken wall—it was Rain.

After saving Agatha, Rain handed the frightened girl to Vieri, who had rushed over with the guards, startled by the loud noise.

Rain, however, walked towards the mansion.

He didn't chase after the intruder because he was still pondering the punch he had just thrown.

Rain hadn't used his new core skill, 'Weak Point Mastery,' nor did he activate 'Blood Frenzy.' He merely tested his 'Ultimate Strength' and used the intermediate secret technique, 'Heavy Punch Combo,' to save Agatha and strike the man.

He hadn't expected the punch to be so powerful.

Rain looked at the embedded man in the wall and his visibly twisted left arm, feeling a sense of awe.

But soon, Rain understood the reason.

The 'Ultimate Strength' provided a significant boost, and the eight points of strength and agility gained during the class change further amplified the effect.

Additionally, the punch's power was comparable to his previous use of the top-tier Warhammer secret technique, 'Annihilation Hammer.'

No wonder a single punch had such an impact on a Peak Great Knight.

"Damn it!" Hansal struggled to get up from the wall, his face contorted with rage. However, when he looked down at his dislocated left arm, a chill ran down his spine.

How could a near-legendary strongman dislocate his arm with a single punch?

Was this a joke?

That's when Hansal realized the reason behind Sam's repeated emphasis on grabbing one of the women and leaving immediately. It wasn't out of fear that he would kill the opponent, but rather the concern that if he didn't leave promptly, he wouldn't be able to escape later!

Why did Sam, that cunning bastard, agree to double the price? He must have known the opponent's strength beforehand!

That was his own stupidity. Damn it! It was all because of that bastard Sam's deception!

But he hadn't lost yet!

"Krups!" Hansal roared, and at the same time, he 'cracked' his dislocated arm, restoring it to its original state.

"Boom!"

A giant lizard, three to four meters tall and six to seven meters long, burst out from a nearby house.

This caused a hint of surprise to flash through Rain's eyes.

It wasn't the surprise at the monster's size or the level of power it displayed.

Rather, it was the dragon-like aura mixed within its aura.

"It's actually a dragon descendant?"

"This is an unexpected delight!"

Rain's gaze towards Hansal softened.

Such a good person!

Ever since Rain learned that his Dragon Bloodline required the absorption of dragon essence or similar items to gradually enhance his power, he had been thinking about where to start this endeavor.

He never expected that he would have an opportunity presented to him so soon!

As for the people lurking around, Rain had, of course, sensed them.

Moreover, he had a vague awareness of the approximate strength and numbers of the hidden enemies.

"But this is good. My departure should prompt these onlookers to reveal themselves."

"With Delana and Vieri here, I should be able to return within a minute, and there shouldn't be any problems."

Rain made an instant decision.

As soon as Hansal leaped onto the dragon descendant, he let out a monstrous roar and quickly galloped away in the opposite direction from Rain.

This scene left Sam speechless.

He was roaring in his mind!

"Hansal, you idiot, the plan was for you to kidnap the female captive and then run!"

"I didn't tell you to run directly!"

"Without any hostages, will they still chase after us now?"

However, to Sam and the others' surprise, Rain tapped his toes, and his entire body surged forward in a silver streak, charging straight towards Hansal riding the Earth Dragon.

This left Sam's team members staring at each other in bewilderment for a moment, utterly dumbfounded! Because, in most cases, when faced with such a situation, it would be natural to focus on defending their own residence first, rather than pursuing the fleeing enemy.

But Rain seemed to have a screw loose, as he was chasing after them?

"Leader, the person has been led away, but there seems to be a significant difference from our plan! Should we still go after them?" Garcia asked with a complex expression, witnessing this incomprehensible scene, and speaking in a low voice.

Sam's mind raced, and soon, a ruthless look appeared on his face. He quickly said, "Of course, we're going after them! We just need to make some adjustments! Estevan, you two go as well and help Garcia capture the elf girl quickly!"

"Theom, you go all out and take down Vieri as soon as possible, then join me in capturing the other elf." Sam turned to the bald, muscular man beside him and added.

"Got it!"

He had been wanting to suggest that their leader delegate some authority.

Damn it!

The previous operation had been carried out timidly, and it wasn't at all satisfying.

In fact, if 'Earth Dragon Knight' Hansal and Theom had combined their efforts, they might have been able to take down Rain directly.

Initially, losing one elf might have been too costly, but now with two elves, sacrificing some personnel to achieve their goal would be a worthwhile trade-off.

As soon as Sam gave the order, his team members emerged from their hiding places and charged towards Rain's residence.

Soon, they leaped into Rain's mansion.

Upon seeing that their attention was focused on herself and Anna, Delana's suspicions were confirmed.

When she had descended from the airship during the day, Delana had sensed that someone was tailing her, and now it seemed that her instincts hadn't been wrong.

Delana's attention immediately shifted to the black-robed man leading the group, as his magical aura suggested that he was a high-level expert, possibly even stronger than herself.

Beside her, Vieri's expression turned solemn.

The man facing him was a stranger, a bald, muscular man with shiny skin and knotted muscles, and his aura was even stronger than Angus's, making him a peak Great Knight.

Although he had been training frequently with his captain, Rain, and had made significant progress, he could only compete with a veteran Great Knight, and was still far from matching a peak Great Knight.

Vieri had also launched a signal flare, and if he could hold on for five minutes, the rest of the squad would arrive.

"Let's move!" Sam commanded in a low voice.

Then, he began to chant spells.

Hansal's nickname was 'Earth Dragon Knight', and the Earth Dragon beneath him was his greatest reliance. As a dragon descendant, the Earth Dragon's strength and speed far surpassed those of ordinary ferocious beasts.

With the Earth Dragon's cooperation, Hansal's offensive and defensive capabilities increased significantly.

Additionally, the Earth Dragon's speed was exceptional, allowing them to outrun even legendary pursuers without the need for flying mounts.

In fact, if it weren't for the formidable power Rain had displayed earlier, Hansal, who had just suffered a setback, would have turned around to give Rain a taste of his might.

However, just as Hansal's heart had begun to relax, he turned around and was shocked to see that Rain was catching up at a speed faster than his Krups. In less than five seconds, he would be caught.

"Krups, Earth Dragon charge!" Hansal roared.

With a heavy tug on the reins, blood-red beads seeped through the gray skin of the Earth Dragon beneath him. Then, its four limbs rapidly alternated in motion, dashing forward.

The night watch squad along the way was caught off guard by the whirlwind created by the dragon's charge, and some unlucky ones were blown into the air, falling from a height of four to five meters, instantly losing their fighting ability.

"Huh? It still has some fight left in it," Rain observed as the Earth Dragon, which was about to be caught, managed to gather its strength and gradually increase the distance between them.

It was worth noting that Rain was intermittently using the top-tier secret technique 'Shadow Step' in his pursuit.

"Since that's the case..."

In an instant, the hardened mithril in Rain's hand transformed into a short spear.

Suddenly, Rain stomped his foot, and the white stone-paved ground was instantly dented by his secret silver boots, sending shards of stone flying in all directions.

At the same time, he twisted his hips and spun, causing his arm muscles to swell to more than twice their original size, and he swung his arm forcefully.

"Huh!"

With a loud exclamation, the short spear in Rain's hand disappeared, and a black lightning bolt shot out from his fingertip, striking the bald man's back from a distance of several dozen meters.

Without a sound, the spear seemed to teleport through space. A circular white air wave appeared in front of Rain, and the Hansal on the earth dragon's back had his waist and abdomen explode, creating a huge hole!

Just then, an extremely sharp whistling sound echoed all around.

"Chirp!"

The spear's speed was so fast that it had already surpassed the speed of sound, creating such an effect and power that it broke through the sound barrier and struck its target directly.

However, after piercing through Hansal's waist and abdomen, the spear still had enough momentum to slam into the earth dragon's neck, which was in a straight line with Hansal.

"Boom!"

The hardened mithril spear, nearly half its length, penetrated the earth dragon's neck, creating another bloody hole!

"Ahhhh!"

"Roar!"

Hansal and his earth dragon cried out in pain, and the dragon's hurried state could no longer be maintained. It stumbled, its steps faltering.

Hansal also fell to the ground due to the intense pain and severe injury.

The next second, Rain appeared in front of the earth dragon with a double-handed greatsword in his hand, having teleported from his previous position.

"Swoosh!"

A curved slash cut through the earth dragon's neck.

"Sizzle!"

A gush of the earth dragon's blood, like a small waterfall, sprayed out from the circular wound.

Rain adjusted his distance slightly and was soon drenched in the dragon's blood. At that moment, the system prompt sounded:

[Ding! Host detected as having received the Earth Dragon's Blood Baptism. Absorbable Dragon Bloodline detected. Absorb?]



(The micro amount of Dragon Bloodline can slightly enhance the host's Dragon Bloodline concentration limit.)



"As I thought, my perception was correct. This Earth Dragon has dragon bloodline, with a micro amount of dragon blood."

"However, from the description, it seems to be on par with the Legendary Earth Serpent, and it's only a 'micro' amount. It probably won't be enough to upgrade my bloodline."

"But every little bit counts. I'll accumulate it over time."

Rain immediately chose "Yes!"

Just like before, Rain felt a warm sensation rising from the part of his body that was covered in the Earth Dragon's blood, as if something was seeping into his body. The process was brief.

"Pfft!"

Rain sliced open the Earth Dragon's chest with his sword, and with a single hand, he reached into the dragon's chest and pulled out a heart the size of a basketball, still beating.

"Can't waste this," Rain muttered.

Rain glanced at his skill points and saw that his prediction was correct.

[Dragon Bloodline: Medium concentration. Water and Fire Elemental Affinity moderately increased. Danger Sense, Superb Understanding, Ultimate Strength, and Enhanced Toughness top-tier talent effects. Battle Cry type Secret Technique doubled.]



"Hmm? What's this?" Rain wondered.

But the next second, Rain's eyes lit up.

He noticed that the system had updated with a new prompt:

[Promotion to Legendary Dragon Vein Wizard requires: 1. Dragon Bloodline concentration at 'Dense' or higher; 2. ???]



"I didn't expect that as my Dragon Bloodline concentration increases, the conditions for becoming a Legendary Dragon Vein Wizard would become clearer."

"Also, the requirement is for the Dragon Bloodline concentration to be 'Dense'?"

"I'm currently at Medium, so the next level is Dense. I'll work towards that."

But then, he shook his head.

"It doesn't matter now. I should hurry back to the estate."

"Just now, I sensed many prying eyes. They should all be out by now."

As Rain was about to leave, he noticed the man lying in a pool of blood on the ground ahead, still struggling to get up. His gaze was fixed on Rain with hatred and vengeance.

"Right, can't waste this," Rain muttered to himself.

Rain's double-handed greatsword began to transform into a warhammer, and under Hansal's horrified gaze, the warhammer struck his forehead with precision.

"Crack!"

A transparent soul shadow with a long tail flame appeared, swirling around Rain several times before entering the warhammer.

The next second, the ground beneath Rain's feet cracked like a spider web, and a white air wave rapidly expanded! The soul shadow on the ground began to dissipate.

At the same time, in Rain's new estate.

A wall of dense green vines, extending for dozens of meters, separated the two groups.

The vines glowed with a rich green arcane light, absorbing almost all the attacks from Sam's group.

However, Delana, the caster, was not in a comfortable state. Sweat already beaded on her forehead.

She knew her second-tier sorcery, 'Vine Wall,' could not hold off the enemy for much longer. It would fail within minutes.

At that moment, Anna's gaze turned towards the estate's entrance, and she exclaimed, "Rain!"

"Huh?"

Hearing Anna's exclamation, everyone in the room turned their attention to the doorway, and for a moment, they were all frozen in shock.

Rain had suddenly appeared at the estate's entrance, drenched in blood, but his fluid movements indicated that it was not his own.

"Damn! Has it only been a minute?"

The bald man, Theom, who was about to attack Vieri, was stunned by this scene.

"Hansal, you bastard! You said you'd buy us ten minutes!" another teammate exclaimed, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah! The boss wisely left almost twice the time! But even with that, it's been so short, it's not enough to deal with the current situation!" Estevan muttered.

Sam's expression sank, his mouth twitched.

Hansal, the people around him, aware of his 'Earth Dragon Knight' strength, were now certain that Hansal had suffered severe injuries and fled, leaving Rain to face a difficult choice.

Should he retreat or attack?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end