Chapter 355: Frostclaw Bear Mercenary Corps

Chapter 355: Frostclaw Bear Mercenary Corps



"Yes!"

In an instant, Ren felt the silver fog in his Mental Sea rapidly increasing, and soon, a new section of his Mental Sea was expanded.

By now, nearly seventy percent of his Mental Sea was filled with silver fog.

Ren glanced at his System Panel:

Mental: 68 (Fogification: 68%)



"Hmm? I gained 4 Mental points during the previous battle, and the Fogification progress also increased to 53%. Now it's at 68%, so if I calculate it, one Soul Crystal is just enough to increase it by 3%."

"Looking at it this way, to reach 90% and above, I'll need at least seven or eight Soul Crystals."

"That's not right!"

"The effect might deteriorate again, so it seems like having ten Soul Crystals would be a safer bet."

At this moment, as if remembering something, Ren took out a scroll (map) from his pocket and spread it out to examine.

Before setting off, it was only natural to carefully study the map.

A prominent red dot was visible on the map, located at the seaside of Howling Bay, with the label 'Frosty Cliff' nearby, and not far from it, there was a clear shipwreck mark.

"It's very noticeable, it shouldn't be hard to find." Ren nodded, thinking to himself.

At this moment, a knock on the door sounded again.

"Knock knock knock!"

"Come in!"

"Lord Ren." Melita, wearing a fitted white Wizard Robe, hesitated at the door and continued, "Lord Ren, about that matter..."

"Lady Melita, you don't need to worry about this matter, it's not a big deal." Ren smiled and said.

"Oh, Lord Ren, this is the information the mentor asked me to give to you." Melita quickly walked up and handed a set of documents to Ren.

Perhaps due to her nervousness, as Melita hurriedly approached Ren, she suddenly stumbled, and her entire body fell onto Ren.

Ren's hand was naturally reaching out to take the documents.

But when Melita suddenly fell, he instinctively used his right hand to support her, only to touch an inappropriate area, right on her fair and plump chest.

"Ah, sorry, Lord Ren!" Melita was about to stand up, but when her sensitive spot was touched, she immediately went soft and fell onto Ren again.

Ren only felt a warm and soft body in his arms, but when he pinched her, realizing something was wrong, he quickly helped the cotton-like Melita up.

Melita's face was flushed, and her head was almost buried in her chest.

Because when Melita thought back to her actions just now, she felt her face burning, and even she herself thought that she had just thrown herself into his arms.

But Melita swore it was an accident.

And Ren, having touched Melita's sensitive spot, also felt a bit embarrassed, so the two of them stood there awkwardly for a moment.

At this moment, Ren naturally looked at Melita, who had a curvy figure with a slender waist, and her chest was partially exposed as the robe's neckline was opened and pinned with a brooch, just like the last time.

Even though Melita was bowing her head, Ren could still clearly see her fair and smooth skin.

"Ren...Melita...you two?" At this moment, Anna's voice came from outside the half-open door.

This startled Melita like a rabbit, and she quickly bent down to pick up the documents from the floor and handed them to Ren, saying, "Miss Anna, I'm delivering some documents to Lord Ren."

"Goodnight, you two."

The next second, Melita hurriedly left, looking a bit flustered.

"Hmm? Melita seems a bit odd." Anna entered from the half-open door, glancing back at Melita and said.

"Hmm, I'm not sure either, but it might be because of this matter." Ren coughed, holding up the Four-Eyed Moth's documents and gestured.

Anna nodded, "Yes, Melita is still very concerned about this matter, no wonder she's acting like this."

The next morning.

Considering the potential danger of traveling to Frostwind Bay, Ren initially planned to persuade Anna to stay at Winterfort Academy.

However, Anna insisted on waiting for him in the forest near their destination, leaving Ren with no choice but to agree to bring Anna along.

After declining Bartalov's suggestion to have Melita accompany them, Ren and Anna mounted the Gryphon.

The two of them waved goodbye to Bartalov, Luther, and the other Winterfort Academy leaders, and soon, Bloodplume vigorously flapped her wings, and a light blue aura swiftly enveloped them.

"Whoosh!"

The two of them soared into the sky, gradually disappearing into the horizon.

Melita, among the crowd, couldn't hide the disappointment on her face.

Several hours later.

Ren and Anna arrived at a place called Ilgarra Town.

This was also the last town located about a hundred miles away from their destination, and it was the last place with a large forest, which was safe for a Druid like Anna.

Additionally, with Bloodplume's Gryphon providing advance warnings and support from the air, Ren didn't have to worry too much about Anna's safety.

Anna took the initiative to hug Ren, quickly kissing him, her face turning red, and her eyes fixed on his, saying, "Ren, please be careful.

"Don't worry." Ren ruffled Anna's hair and smiled.

"Hmm!" Anna watched Ren's departing figure, feeling a sense of loss in her heart.

She never expected that after becoming a Druid, the gap between her and Ren's strength would only widen.

"Sigh, I still need to work hard!"

"I must quickly learn to transform into a giant bear and an eagle!" Anna clenched her small, fair fist, determined to master these transformations.

Ilgarra Town, located about a hundred li from the Frosty Cliff Wall on the map, was a border town of the Bay County, still under the Empire's control.

Ren planned to ride a horse from Ilgarra Town to avoid drawing attention from the Sea God Cult in this region.

After all, a flying knight would be too conspicuous.

Additionally, considering his Secret Silver Embellished Plate Armor or Demonic Serenium Plate Armor, Ren, like before, wore a grayish Wizard Robe over them.

At the same time, Ren only carried a staff made from hardened Pure Gold, appearing like a young Wizard Apprentice.

Soon, Ren arrived at a stable near Ilgarra Town.

Due to the turbulent situation, there were quite a few people buying horses.

"Boss, how much for this brown horse?" Ren pointed at a robust-looking brown horse in the enclosure, asking.

"Twenty gold, but I haven't had time to reshoe it yet. If this gentleman isn't in a hurry, he can come back this afternoon," said the stable owner, a stout middle-aged man. He gestured the price and pointed at the horse's hooves, then spoke.

"Boss, it's fine. Here's twenty gold," Ren said, handing over twenty gold coins.

"Sir, be careful. The right rear hoof's shoe is a bit loose and might not support a long journey," the stout owner warned, taking the gold coins.

As the owner, he had to remind the customer, but that was all.

"Hmm, thank you," Ren nodded.

A few other horse buyers nearby looked at Ren, who was leading the horse away, with surprise.

This young man seemed to be in a hurry?

But the horse's shoe needed to be fixed; otherwise, the horse might become lame.

Ren led the horse to the side of the road near the stable and stopped.

He lifted the horse's right rear hoof, and in the next moment, his Arcane Aura flickered, and a new metal shoe appeared in his palm.

Ren carefully removed the old shoe and, with his bare hand, placed the new one, quickly reshaping and driving seven iron nails into it.

The entire process took only a few seconds, countless times faster than even the most skilled blacksmith.

After all, no Metal Magic Wizard could beat him at shoeing a horse!

The brown horse seemed a bit dazed, blinking its big eyes, its head a little confused.

After finishing, Ren smiled and dusted off his hands, then mounted the horse and headed towards Ilgarra Town.

He planned to visit the tavern first to gather information.

In the distance, a middle-aged man dressed as a mercenary, who had also bought horses, watched Ren's actions with shock.

"Was that Metal Magic 'Sharp Spell?'"

"Is he a rare Metal Magic Wizard?"

"No, judging by his age, he's most likely a Tier 3 Wizard Apprentice."

"Could it be that he also took the Empire's high bounty on the Sea Tribe? But how could he be alone? However, if he's alone..." The middle-aged man quickly deduced.

After some thought, the mercenary-dressed middle-aged man bought two horses and quickly headed towards the town.

Ilgarra Town.

In the center of the town, the Bay Tavern was bustling with voices.

Ren found an empty window-side table for two and sat down. He quickly scanned the room and noticed most of the patrons were mercenaries wearing leather or chainmail armor, carrying various weapons.

Strangely, most of the mercenaries had a war bow on their backs.

A minority didn't have war bows, but instead, they carried sturdy shields, and their equipment was different. Most wore thick plate or a mix of plate and chainmail armor.

Additionally, a few Tier 2 and Tier 3 Wizard Apprentices were interspersed among them.

This puzzled Ren.

Could there be a bounty or a quest here?

Why else would so many mercenaries gather here?

"Sir, this is the Bay's specialty, Storm Liquor. Care to join me for a drink?" A middle-aged man smiled, holding a bottle of liquor, and approached Ren.

Ren glanced at him and immediately remembered seeing him at the stable earlier.

This made Ren instantly realize something. He smiled and nodded, "Of course, please sit."

After a few cups of Storm Liquor, they chatted casually.

Ren learned that the middle-aged man was named Vandar, leader of the Frostclaw Bear Mercenary Corps.

This time, they also took the Empire's high bounty on the Sea God Cult and came to Howling Bay.

This also made Ren understand why so many strong mercenary corps gathered in a small border town of the empire.

The Ice Claw Bear Mercenary Corps chose the area centered around the sunken wreck at the Frosity Cliff for their search. Although the destination was slightly off from where Ren was heading, it was no more than ten miles away, and the areas largely overlapped.

Vandar, at the age of thirty-seven, started as a mercenary at eighteen. His insight into people was quite unique. Almost every member of this Ice Claw Bear Mercenary Corps was discovered by him, and the entire corps was built up by his own hands.

Since the time at the horse field, he had felt that Ren seemed extraordinary, with an exceptional demeanor. However, there seemed to be a mist surrounding the other party, making it hard to gauge their true strength.

But this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

After so many years of rolling in the mercenary corps, Vandar trusted his intuition and judgment.

At this point, seeing the atmosphere just right, Vandar couldn't help but bring up the main topic.

"Sir Ren, are you also taking on the empire's bounty to slay the sea race? If so, why don't you join our team?"

A few members of the Ice Claw Bear Mercenary Corps, upon hearing their leader Vandar's words, couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled about why their leader would suddenly invite a stranger.

Although this young man seemed to be a Wizard Apprentice from his attire, for a relatively mature mercenary corps like theirs, inviting a stranger just before a mission was something they usually avoided.

After all, the coordination among the veterans was already very smooth, and adding one more person would disrupt this harmony to some extent.

Moreover, the stranger's background was unclear, and they might bring significant problems to the team.

"Ah, I guess it would be to slay the sea race."

"Since Leader Vandar has so kindly invited me, I will accept." Ren thought for a moment, then nodded and agreed.

Although Luther had some intelligence related to the Sea God Cult, it was only on a broad scale. The specific strength and distribution of the Sea race near the Frosity Cliff was not very clear. If he could conduct an on-site investigation, it would be the best approach.

Ren had initially planned to do just that.

Vandar was instantly delighted, smiling and saying, "That's great! Sir Ren, cheers! I hope we work well together!"

"Cheers~"

"Sir Ren, may I ask, are you a relatively rare Metal School Wizard Apprentice?"

"Oh? How did Leader Vandar know that?" Ren appropriately showed some surprise, smiling.

"Hehe, I saw Sir Ren use 'Sharpness Spell' at the horse field just now, and its power seemed unusual," Vandar smiled, explaining.

The other members of the Ice Claw Bear Mercenary Corps, upon hearing this, all looked as if they had just realized something.

No wonder their leader suddenly invited a stranger to join the team. It turned out the other party was a rare Metal School Wizard Apprentice.

This all made sense now!

In their mercenary corps, apart from the leader's sister, Georgia, who was an archer and a Tier 2 Wizard Apprentice, the rest were all warriors and rangers.

If they could have a Metal School Wizard Apprentice add 'Sharpness Spell' in the battle, it would significantly boost the team.

This made some members of the Ice Claw BearMercenaryCorps less resistant to Ren's joining.

At noon, Ren and Vandar's mercenarycorps started advancing towards thesunkenwreck.

Along the way, Ren also learned that not only the IceClawBearMercenaryCorps, but other mercenarycorps were alsoattracted by thehigh bounty from the Maen Province of the empire, coming toHowlingBay.

The news from theBayWine just confirmed this.

On the other hand, the constant emergence of various sea races, influenced by theSeaGodCult, was putting significant pressure on theempire'sdefenses.

"LeaderVandar, what's our plan this time?" Renasked casually.

"Our target this time is to slay a hundredThickshell Lobster People and bring back their giant pincers as proof of completion," a plate-armoredknight holding atower shield smiled warmly, answering Ren's question.

"Of course, if we can slay a few more Slitherblade Naga, it would be even better," he added with a smile.

"SlitherbladeNaga?" Ren couldn't help but show interest.

"Right, Sir Ren, haven't you heard of them? SlitherbladeNaga are advanced sea race, generally stronger than formal knights, and some can even reach the strength of grand knights. The bounty for them is several times that of the thickshell lobsterpeople."

"However, once we encounter them, we need to be very cautious," he warned.

At this moment, the others looked at Ren with somewhat peculiar expressions.

After all, not everyone in the team welcomed Ren's joining.

It seemed that although this WizardApprentice was rare in the MetalSchool, he appeared to be a complete novice.

Could he have just come from the WizardAcademy for training?

An inexperienced WizardApprentice would not be ideal, even if he was rare in the Metal School.

How could the captain think of inviting someone without thoroughly understanding their background?

"Is that so, are there any stronger ones?" Renasked, continuing.

"Of course, Sir Ren, although you're here to hunt the sea race, it seems your preparation was quite inadequate."

"A crisp voice sounded from behind them.

"What if you encounter an Abyssal Titan? You'd probably be so scared you'd run for your life!" A slender young woman with a bow on her back and wearing leather armor rode forward on her horse, her voice laced with sarcasm.

Georgia was a bow-wielding apprentice wizard, and she strongly disagreed with her brother's decision to invite Reyn.

Reyn, despite his young age, wore a white wizard's robe and carried an iron-skinned staff, which seemed to irritate Georgia.

"Who does he think he is? The legendary wizard Rocdillo?" Georgia's eyes narrowed. "He's probably just a novice fresh out of wizard school, out for a field experience."

"Georgia, watch your attitude," Vandar said sternly.

"Sir Reyn, I'm sorry. This is my sister, Georgia. She's a bow-wielding apprentice wizard. I've spoiled her, and she can be a bit arrogant," Vandar apologized.

Reyn waved his hand, unbothered by the situation. "How strong are the Abyssal Titans?"

"Well, I once saw a battle from afar in Frostwind Tundra between the renowned Frostclaw Bear Mercenary Corps and an Abyssal Titan. The Titan displayed formidable strength."

"Furthermore, the Titan's power is exceptional. The leader of the Frostclaw Bear Mercenary Corps is a seasoned knight, wielding a tower shield, but he couldn't withstand a single hammer blow from the Titan. In the end, they relied on their agility, losing several members before barely managing to defeat it."

"If our team encountered one, we'd likely have a slim chance of winning. We should immediately avoid them," Vandar said gravely, his expression turning serious as he mentioned the Abyssal Titan.

Reyn nodded and smiled. "With me here, perhaps we can give it a try. After all, the bounty might be worth the risk."

"Adding you to the team won't change the outcome much, so it's best to avoid the Abyssal Titan altogether!" Georgia, already upset from her brother's scolding, couldn't hold back her frustration.

"Newcomer, my brother says your Sharpness Spell is extraordinary. Why don't you show it to everyone?"

"Hehe, I'll demonstrate it when we're in battle. There's no point in wasting psychic energy now," Reyn replied calmly, not getting angry as he understood Georgia's concerns.

However, he didn't comply with Georgia's request, merely waving his hand.

Georgia, feeling defeated, huffed and turned away, tugging on the reins to control her horse and ride away.

As the team advanced towards the Sunken Wreck, the lush foliage around them gradually thinned out.

Soon, they left the wooded area and arrived at a coastal region resembling a mudflat, with low-lying shrubs and grassy meadows dominating the vegetation.

Reyn and Vandar continued their conversation as they moved through the team, and Reyn gained a better understanding of the sea creatures harassing the nearby shores.

The topic then shifted to the Sea God Cult.

"Actually, the most formidable opponents are the Sea God Cultists. Some of them control Sea Eagles with slightly weaker abilities, making them the easiest to deal with. We call them Eagle Riders, and they're roughly on par with veteran knights in terms of strength."

"Others, wearing black robes with a giant octopus emblem on their chest, are Sea God Cult acolytes. Each of them possesses the strength of a full-fledged wizard, making them challenging opponents."

"But whether it's dealing with Eagle Riders or Sea God Cult acolytes, archers are the most effective. That's why the mercenary groups that came here are primarily archers or rangers. It all makes sense now."

Vandar turned slightly and gestured behind him, indicating why half of the team members carried bows.

"Oh, I see," Reyn nodded, understanding dawning on his face.

No wonder he found it peculiar that almost half of the mercenaries in the bay were archers, while the rest were warriors carrying various shields.

"Vandar, do you know if there are any powerful members of the Sea God Cult nearby?" Reyn asked again.

"Well, the most renowned and powerful member of the Sea God Cult in Howling Bay is a wizard named Harfus, nicknamed 'Shadow Heartburner'. He's rumored to be a legendary wizard with incredible strength."

"Recently, he's consecutively killed two Imperial Guardians responsible for this area. It's a serious matter," Vandar said gravely.

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(End of Chapter)

Chapter end