Chapter 354: Improvement and Enhancement

Chapter 354: Improvement and Enhancement



"Then I'll leave the Frostwolf Knights with you." Lagrela knew of Ren's upcoming trip to Howling Bay to seek a Metal School spell and anticipated the possibility of needing additional hands. She offered, "I'll stay behind."

Ren waved his hand, firmly rejecting the idea, "No need. I'd be more worried about you traveling alone. With twenty Frostwolf Knights, it'll be much safer."

"Don't forget, I'm the King of the Bears now. If we really need more people, I can mobilize far more than twenty," Ren half-jokingly said, seeing Lagrela about to speak.

This caused Lagrela and the others to laugh.

"That's right, I forgot. You're the King of the Bears now," Lagrela smiled and said.

Not long after, Lagrela, who had just arrived on a Frostwolf, bid farewell to twenty Barbarian elites as they departed from the Primordial Dragon Nest, returning to the Norton Clan's new settlement in Gikar Valley.

At this moment, Luther, standing nearby, seemed to recall something, his expression turning serious. "Lord Ren, are you heading to Howling Bay? The situation there is not peaceful."

"Oh? Could you elaborate, Lord Luther?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course."

"Recently, there have been signs of the Sea God Cult in the area. Apparently, the Thick Shell Lobster Men tribe has already been subdued, and there have been multiple small-scale battles with the Bay County's garrison."

"So, if Lord Ren wishes to go to Howling Bay, there's a high chance of encountering the Sea God Cult's heretics directly."

Luther, being from the Maen Province's ruling family, was extremely well-informed.

"Lord Luther, if we ride our flying mounts directly to our destination and exercise caution, won't we avoid detection?" Anna asked.

"Miss Anna, you may not be aware. Many of the Sea God Cult's heretics raise Sea Eagles, using them for communication and as a warning sign. So, even if you and Lord Ren were to ride a Gryphon, it's likely you'd be discovered before reaching your destination."

"Even if we're not discovered, if you two stay for a slightly longer duration, they'll likely gather like wolves that have caught the scent of blood."

"I'm not concerned about Lord Ren's strength, but the Sea God Cult also has experts, and their methods are bizarre and varied. It's best to be cautious." Luther patiently explained.

"I see." Anna nodded.

"Lord Ren, I'm truly sorry. I didn't expect this situation to arise." Upon hearing this news, Melita, who had promised Ren something, felt the most anxious and apologetic.

Although she had made a promise to Ren before, she was unaware of this situation at the time.

The issue was that Ren had agreed to her condition, which was to slay the Primordial Dragon Kolrax, but now circumstances had changed.

Melita's face turned red, feeling embarrassed.

"Melita, the appearance of the Sea God Cult has nothing to do with you." Ren waved his hand, dismissing the concern.

During their journey, he had learned that Melita had been away for a considerable time, so it was understandable that she was unaware of the situation.

Additionally, Melita had already given him the sheepskin scroll (map) before he arrived at Colossus's nest.

As for the Sea God Cult?

Ren's expression turned thoughtful.

According to the Imperial Territory Map provided by Olena, Howling Bay was located near the Summer Sea and Permafrost Sea, separated from the Minster Province by seven to eight provinces' worth of sea.

Ren was surprised by the Sea God Cult's astonishing expansion, almost covering all the coastal areas of the Draconian Empire.

It was likely that the southern coastal areas of the empire had also been infiltrated or attacked.

Based on the coverage, the cult's strength might even surpass that of the Black Flame Cult.

Furthermore, this indicated that the empire's turbulent situation was not something that could be resolved quickly.

This indirectly confirmed the situation described by General Edward and Bishop Cienne, that even with the most optimistic estimate, this turmoil would persist for a considerable time.

This couldn't help but add a sense of urgency to Ren's heart.

Even the joy of slaying the Primordial Dragon Kolrax was somewhat diminished.

However,

Ren wasn't seeking danger, but had a compelling reason to go.

Metal School spells were already rare, and this was an offensive Metal School spell, a first for Ren. If he didn't retrieve it, he feared he'd feel unfulfilled for a long time.

"When I was in Minster, I didn't have a direct confrontation with the Sea God Cult. I didn't expect to have this opportunity in Frostfall Mountains," Ren thought to himself.

"Melita, the matter between you and Lord Ren is something I shouldn't inquire about. But this time, you've caused him inconvenience."

"Lord Ren, if it's convenient, could you inform us of your specific destination in Howling Bay?" Bartalov scolded Melita and then turned to Ren for an answer.

Anna, along with Luther and Bartalov, were part of the Winterfort Academy's upper echelon, and with the gold mine as a bond, they were, to a certain extent, a community of shared interests.

Ren smiled, "There's nothing confidential. In fact, Melita is the one who knows this matter best, so why don't we let her explain?"

Melita had just been reprimanded by her mentor, but upon hearing Ren's nonchalant tone, she felt even more grateful as she looked at him.

She immediately adjusted herself and began explaining to the group:

"Mentor, Lord Luther, Vice-Chancellor Velti, the situation is like this..."

"I should've realized it earlier. Lord Ren is seeking the residence of the Metal School wizard with the moniker 'The Cutsman', the Stage 2 Liquidation wizard Otakar." Bartalov's expression turned to realization.

The others also showed expressions of sudden realization.

After all, during the battle, Ren's formidable close-combat strength had left a deep impression, and his exceptional Metal School spells were equally memorable.

Seeking an offensive Metal School spell was, naturally, within reason.

"Oh? Otakar? Ren raised an eyebrow, noticing Bartalov's choice of words, as if the Winterfort Academy's headmaster was quite familiar with this wizard with the moniker 'The Cutsman'.

"Yes, 'The Cutsman' is Otakar's real name, Otakar Frey, who became famous in the Metal School merely thirty years before Ren, a rare Metal School wizard. Unfortunately, he failed in his attempt to become a Tier 3 Crystal Mage." Bartalov recalled, explaining.

"However, there may be a rather troublesome situation regarding his former residence." Bartalov furrowed his brows as if he had thought of something.

"Oh?"

The group couldn't help but look curiously at Bartalov.

"In fact, in addition to the 'Slicing Net,' which is his famous signature move, there's another lesser-known ability. Otakar has a group of Four-Eyed Gryphons, or perhaps you are more familiar with their other name—Soul Eater Gryphons."

"Soul Eater Gryphons? Are they the kind that feeds on spiritual entities?" Luther frowned.

"That's right! It seems that Lord Luther has also heard of them." Bartalov nodded.

"Of course, these Soul Eater Gryphons are almost like a nightmare for knights. They are immune to physical damage, and I've also heard that even magical damage has little effect on them?"

"Yes, Soul Eater Gryphons are peculiar beings similar to semi-spirits. They are immune to physical damage, and their resistance to various types of magical damage is also quite high. Unless you can cast soul-piercing spells, it will be relatively easy to defeat them." Bartalov nodded in approval.

"But soul-piercing spells aren't that easy to obtain, are they? These spells are probably the most precious in dark magic, and I haven't heard much about them, at least." Lady Velti sighed.

"Indeed." The others nodded in agreement.

Soul Eater Gryphons?

Do they require soul-piercing spells?

That's just what 'Soul Shattering Impact' is tailored for.

At this thought, Rein couldn't help but smile.

At this moment, Bartalov, Luther, and the others turned their gaze towards Rein.

Although they had witnessed Rein's powerful close-quarters combat prowess in the previous battle, they all believed that Rein was primarily a knight with some wizardry skills.

Facing the Soul Eater Gryphons with physical immunity, Rein might be at a disadvantage.

"Lord Rein, how about this: you wait for a while longer, and after my injuries heal, I'll accompany you." Bartalov thought for a moment and offered.

"Well, Lord Rein, I might not be able to handle the Soul Eater Gryphons, but I should be able to hold off the Black Flame Cult on the side without any issues." Luther quickly added.

Rein pondered for a moment and shook his head. "No need, Dean Bartalov and Lord Luther, I think I should be able to solve this problem."

"However, regarding the Soul Eater Gryphons, we might need more detailed information from Dean Bartalov."

"Huh?" The others looked at each other in surprise and confusion for a moment.

But since this involves Rein's signature skill, he naturally wouldn't elaborate.

"Of course, no problem, Lord Rein. However, this might require us to return to the Winter Fortress Academy first. The relevant information is in the Academy's library." Bartalov snapped back and nodded.

"Alright, then thank you, Dean Bartalov." Rein bowed slightly in gratitude.

After handling the dragon corpse and gold mining matters, Rein and the others spent several more hours in the Primordial Dragon Nest before departing back to the Winter Fortress Academy.

Before leaving, Rein also reminded White Bear Beast Priest Ursen and left him with a way to contact him.

Several hours later, the group arrived at the Winter Fortress Academy.

Since Bartalov hadn't known Rein's strength and identity before, the room he had arranged was merely a standard guest room.

This time, the Winter Fortress Academy prepared two of their best luxury suites for Rein and Anna.

In addition to the bedroom, living room, and bathroom, the luxury suite also had a training room equipped with various facilities.

Inside the suite.

Rein finally had some time to examine his own changes.

After the Dragon Mutation Bloodline concentration reached 'Dense,' he gained the top-tier ability 'Swift Regeneration.'

【Dragon Mutation Bloodline (Dense) Effect: Water, Earth, and Fire elemental affinity greatly increased, possessing Swift Regeneration, Danger Sense, Dark Vision, Weapon Mastery, Extraordinary Insight, Super Strength, Hardened Body, and Dragon Roar top-tier abilities. Owns the ability to transform into the first and second forms of Dragonborn.】

【Dragonborn First Form (Dragonborn Warrior Form)】

【Dragonborn Second Form (Dragonborn General Form)】

"However, 'Dense' doesn't seem to be the key aspect of the bloodline."

"Moreover, the increase in bloodline concentration significantly enhances one's strength, with immediate results!"

"It seems that, in the future, we can still strengthen and elevate the bloodline concentration by absorbing the genes of other dragons or dragonkin."

"Although it will become increasingly difficult to make further leaps as the bloodline concentration increases, this path hasn't reached its end yet. Keep an eye out for news about dragons or dragonkin."

Rein clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within his body, and thought to himself.

Immediately after, Rein reviewed the previous battle prompt:

【Congratulations, you have obtained 19 Golden Skill Points for defeating a powerful foe!】

【Congratulations, your Will (Hidden) attribute has been enhanced!】

【Congratulations, your Thousand Blade King (Epic) Profession level has increased!】

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With the battle against Colossus, Rein's Thousand Blade King (Epic) Profession level smoothly reached lv10, granting him another attribute point and skill point.

Adding to his remaining points, he now had a total of 5 attribute points and 3 skill points.

After consuming 12 Golden Skill Points previously, this time, he gained 19 more, reaching a new high of 5 points.

Seeing so many Golden Skill Points, Rein fell into deep thought.

"So many Golden Skill Points..."

"Previously, when breaking through Extraordinary Battle Techniques, Golden Skill Points were needed. Aside from that..."

"Right, when fusing different types of Extraordinary Battle Techniques, a large number of Golden Skill Points were also used. For example, the fusion of Giant Bear Sword Technique and Arcadia Sword Technique, the fusion of Knight's Breathing Technique, and so on."

"Could it be that when used for wizardry, they can only be used to enhance Extraordinary Battle Techniques?"

Rein thought for a moment and decided to try again to see if there were other options upon reaching a certain level.

Rein concentrated his attention on lv20 Sharpness Spell and added a Golden Skill Point. The Sharpness Spell successfully reached lv21.

At this moment, a system prompt suddenly appeared:

【Host's Sharpness Spell has reached lv21, unlocking an improved version of the spell. This improvement requires 7 Golden Skill Points.】

(Note: The improved spell will be more suitable for the host to cast, with increased power, attack range, or other enhancements.)



）

(Note: The improved spell will not change its tier.)



"Hiss~"

"I didn't expect that a trigger condition is required to unlock this!"

Ren instantly felt like he had hit the jackpot!

"After the improvement, will there be an increase in power, range, or other aspects?"

"Great!"

Ren's heart was filled with joy.

Now, he was no longer the novice he was half a year ago, and he was well aware of how difficult it was to increase the power of spells.

Therefore, without any hesitation, Ren immediately chose 'Yes'! At the same time, a vast amount of knowledge about the spell 'Sharpness Spell' began to flood into Ren's mind.

It was as if Ren had spent hundreds of years in a mysterious space, focusing on his own casting habits, physical condition, and so on, to fine-tune the Sharpness Spell, making the spell model more suitable for him.

During this process, Ren didn't know how many times he had failed or attempted.

After absorbing this memory, the system prompt sounded again:

【Ding! The spell 'Sharpness Spell' that the host mastered has been improved, and the new spell model adjustment was successful, increasing the spell power by 17%.】

"17%?!" Ren's eyes lit up instantly.

"This boost is not a small amount!"

"It's equivalent to a 34% increase in psychic energy fogification."

This made Ren look at the Tier 1 spell 'Metal Barrier' with even more enthusiasm.

"Sharpness Spell is just a Tier 0 spell, so what about Tier 1 spells? Will the effect be even better?"

This matter didn't require guessing, as Ren currently had enough Golden Skill Points to directly verify this.

As Ren added 1 Golden Skill Point to his Tier 1 spell 'Metal Barrier', the system prompt sounded again:

【Ding! The host's mastered spell 'Metal Barrier' has reached lv21, unlocking the improvement restriction for this spell. Do you wish to improve this spell? This improvement requires 13 Golden Skill Points.】

(Note: The improved spell will have increased power, range, or other aspects suitable for the host's casting.)



(Note: .)



With his previous experience, Ren immediately chose 'Yes'! Instantly, a vast amount of knowledge about the defensive spell 'Metal Barrier' began to flood into Ren's mind.

After a few seconds, the system prompt sounded again:

Ding! The host's mastered spell 'Metal Barrier' has been improved, and the new spell model adjustment was successful, increasing the spell power by 18% and the spell range by 25%.】

"The difference in spell power is not significant, 17% last time and 18% this time."

"This is normal, after all, it's just an improvement, fine-tuning it for the host's situation."

"If the increase was 40% or 50%, that would be abnormal!"

"Huh? The spell range increased?" Ren's eyes lit up instantly.

This also made Ren understand more deeply the phrase in the notes - 'power, range, or other aspects will be improved'.

After a moment of thought, Ren focused his attention on the Warhammer Mage profession panel, specifically the description of the spell 'Metal Barrier'.

Metal Barrier lv21 effect: Consumes a certain amount of psychic energy, using a specific spell model to control a certain amount of metal, which hovers within a 2.5-meter range around the caster, blocking any attacks targeting the caster.

"As expected, the previous description was '2 meters', and now it's '2.5 meters', an increase of 25%!"

Ren was pleasantly surprised by the improvement effect of Metal Barrier. To test its effectiveness, he quickly went to the small training room in his suite.

As Ren's heart moved slightly, three kite-shaped shields slightly larger than before appeared around him.

The most noticeable change was the distance, which increased from 2 meters around him to 2.5 meters, giving him more space to use his weapons.

"Can I improve other spells as well?"

"That's not right, the improvements of those two spells actually used up 22 Golden Skill Points."

"The original 56 skill points are now reduced to 34 points."

Ren's expression changed slightly.

"I thought I could use them freely, but I still need to be reasonable."

"Then, let's temporarily stop the improvements for now."

"Knock knock knock!" The knocking sound suddenly rang out.

"Come in!"

"Ren, I'm sorry to disturb you."

Unexpectedly, the visitor turned out to be Vice-Chancellor Velti of Winterfort Academy.

"Chancellor Velti, please come in."

After some pleasantries, the beautiful Velti smiled and stated her purpose: "Ren, during the process of killing the Primordial Dragon Kolrax, we are grateful for your timely assistance."

"According to Melita, you are interested in Soul Crystals. Here are five Soul Crystals, representing Winterfort Academy's gratitude."

The beautiful Velti smiled and placed a small dark brown wooden box on the tea table.

"This is too much."

"Actually, I have an agreement with your academy's Melita. So, Winterfort Academy doesn't need to specifically thank me for killing Kolrax." Ren waved his hand, refusing.

"Ren, if not for your timely intervention, the academy would have suffered heavy casualties. This is also the consensus of Chancellor Bartalov and us. So, please accept this."

The beautiful Velti insisted.

"Alright, then I'll accept it."

"Ren, I won't disturb you further." The beautiful woman smiled slightly and stood up to leave.

After Velti left, Ren opened the small wooden box, and indeed, there were five Soul Crystals inside.

"As expected of a Wizard Academy, they are quite generous."

For a Wizard Academy like Winterfort Academy, Soul Crystals are naturally in high demand. This gift of five Soul Crystals is quite generous.

The Norton Clan had to go through many battles to accumulate three Soul Crystals, which was not easy.

"If calculated based on a 4% increase per crystal, I can increase my fogification progress by 20%. Not bad." Ren's lips curled up slightly.

After some thought, Ren decided to absorb these five Soul Crystals.

After all, to become a Drakaline Wizard, he only lacked one condition - a Crystal Mage. Naturally, he wanted to advance to Tier 2 Liquidation Wizard as soon as possible.

He held these five Soul Crystals in his hand and quickly activated the Advanced Meditation Technique of the Heart of Fire. The system prompt sounded:

【Ding! Detected that the Soul Crystals can increase psychic energy fogification. Do you wish to accelerate the absorption? (Note: System absorption can remove impurities and complete the absorption in one go.)】

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end