Chapter 378: The Guardian Family

Chapter 378: The Guardian Family

In the luxurious carriage on their way back, Rain immediately opened the wooden box containing 11 Soul Energy Crystals and held them all up.

[Ding! Detected Soul Energy Crystals that can enhance Mana Liquidation, accelerate absorption? (Note: System absorption can eliminate impurities and complete absorption at once.)]



"Yes!"

Instantly, Rain felt a part of the silvery mist in his mind begin to stir and quickly transform into a silvery liquid.

The silver liquid began to increase, and after a few seconds, this growth began to stop.

Since there were double-digit Soul Energy Crystals, compared to the three that Jennifer, the beautiful lady, had brought last time, Rain felt that the enhancement was quite noticeable.

Rain glanced at the system panel:

Mental: 88 (Liquidation 42%)



"But with 11, it only increased by 10%." Rain's eyebrows furrowed, thinking to himself.

"No wonder, compared to its expensive price and small increase, the average noble heir probably can't afford to use it much."

"Unless it's the top family in the Imperial Capital, but for them, the biggest problem is the after-effects. They can't use it continuously like me. After using one Soul Energy Crystal, they have to stop for a while."

After a while, Rain, who had returned to the Bavaria Family Mansion, couldn't resist the temptation of the new Second-Rank Spell, and after greeting Anna, he went to the study and opened the scroll.

One hour later.

In the training room.

As Rain recited the incantation, a few seconds later, he pointed at a wooden dummy not far in front of him.

A dark silver glow flashed around the wooden dummy, and a square metal cage, similar to those used to detain prisoners, suddenly appeared, enclosing the wooden dummy inside.

"Amazing! Is this the effect of manipulating the surrounding metal elemental particles?" Anna exclaimed in surprise.

"And it's so thick!" Anna stepped forward to take a closer look and then used her fair and slender fingers to feel the sturdiness of the metal cage's cylindrical bars, quite astonished.

Rain smiled and nodded.

According to the description of the scroll's effect, the bars of the metal cage should be about two fingers thick.

But the effect Rain displayed had reached the thickness of an adult man's wrist.

Rain knew that this was due to his high affinity for metal elements and the combined bonus effect of Steel Heart Meditation.

At this moment, a system prompt also followed:

[You have studied the Metal Cage and your understanding has improved!]



[You have understood a new skill - Metal Cage]



[Your skill Metal Cage has improved, experience +3]



At the same time, a new icon appeared below the Warhammer Wizard (Legendary) panel.

The icon was a square metal cage with evenly spaced grids.

Below the icon was a line of small text:

Metal Cage lv1 (1/100)



Metal Cage lv1 Effect: Consumes a certain amount of mental power to quickly form a metal cage around a single target by invoking a specific spell model to manipulate nearby metal energy particles.

(Note: Casting time 3 seconds.)



After practicing for a while, Rain discovered a problem.

Improving proficiency in Second-Rank Spells was several times more difficult than First-Rank Spells.

"Knock knock knock!"

At this moment, there was a knock on the training room door.

"Come in!"

A young man appeared at the door, wearing a silver knight's armor with gold thread embroidery, and from his appearance, he looked quite similar to Duke Minster.

This immediately led Rain to guess the young man's identity.

"Greetings, Rain, I'm Halowen," the young man smiled brightly, giving off a very sincere feeling.

"Greetings, Halowen."

"This must be Miss Anna," Halowen nodded slightly towards Anna.

"Greetings, Halowen," Anna curtsied and said.

"Hmm? Is this a Second-Rank Metal Spell, 'Metal Cage'?" After the greetings, Halowen's eyes inadvertently glanced at the metal cage that Rain had cast over the wooden dummy.

Instantly, his gaze couldn't move away.

"Such power..." After a few seconds, when Halowen looked at Rain again, his attitude had completely changed.

Hallowen, nicknamed 'Bavaria's Spear,' had surpassed his father, Duke Minster, in strength and was naturally a legendary figure.

A few days ago, he received a message from his father, mentioning a young man named Rain, who had been transferred to the Imperial Capital's Swordmaster Headquarters and would temporarily stay at their mansion.

To be honest, at that time, Halowen felt that his father was being too kind.

Although his father had clearly stated in the letter that Rain had greatly contributed to the Minster Province and the Bavaria Family, and that this young man possessed extraordinary talent.

But there was no need to be so accommodating.

However, now it seemed that the young man's talent was not just extraordinary but was among the top in the entire empire.

It was well known that the difficulty of enhancing a wizard's strength was even greater than that of a knight. At such a young age, he was already a Second-Rank Liquidation Wizard, and a rare metal sorcerer. What did this imply?

After some pleasantries, Halowen's eyes lit up as he looked at Rain and said, "Lord Rain, do you mind if we stop the pleasantries and have a friendly match?"

Rain was taken aback for a moment.

He looked into Halowen's clear and passionate eyes and couldn't help but smile.

Interesting.

He never expected that the eldest son of Duke Minster, the first heir of the Bavaria family, would turn out to be a battle maniac.

Indeed, it was because of this that he was able to enter the formal legend and earn the title of 'Bavaria's Spear' at such a young age, barely in his thirties.

"Of course," Rain said, sensing the talent of this first-time meeting with the eldest son of Duke Minster. He nodded in agreement.

However, before that, Rain planned to increase his attributes a bit.

"The three-second casting time for the Metal Cage spell is still too slow and completely impractical for actual combat," Rain thought.

"This is a perfect opportunity to integrate this new spell into my own combat system," Rain thought to himself.

After all, it's not often that one gets a legendary-level fighter as a sparring partner.

Rain glanced at his remaining skill points on the attribute panel.

After using 2 points on Steel Heart Meditation, he still had 14 points left from his 16 skill points, which was more than enough to upgrade his Second-Rank Spell, 'Metal Cage.'

This was also the reason he had been diligently practicing tailoring skills in Minster.

Better safe than sorry!

Without hesitation, Rain instantly invested 11 skill points and 8 gold skill points into the Second-Rank Spell, 'Metal Cage.'

As the Second-Rank Spell 'Metal Cage' suddenly increased from lv1 to lv20!

In an instant, a flood of memories related to the spell 'Metal Cage' rushed into Rain's mind.

For a moment, Rain felt as if he had entered a mysterious space, constantly practicing and refining the Second-Rank Spell 'Metal Cage' for over a hundred years, making his gestures and syllable compression as natural as instinct!

After a few seconds, when Rain had fully digested the memories and returned to his senses, he smiled at Halowen.

Halowin felt a mysterious and profound aura emanating from Rain's smile, which made him feel a sense of awe. He immediately raised his level of respect for Rain.

"Lord Halowen, shall we begin?" Rain said.

"Of course, Lord Rain. I'm about to make my move, please guide me!" Halowen said, picking up a nearly three-meter-long spear from the nearby weapon rack, his expression turning serious.

"Whoosh!"

Halowin took a quick step forward, raised his spear, and thrust it towards Rain with lightning speed.

As a titled knight, it was necessary to close the distance.

Especially in Halowen's eyes, Rain was an exceptionally skilled wizard.

But the next second, he was stunned.

He was blocked.

At this moment, he found himself trapped in a square metal cage.

"This is a Second-Rank Spell! How did you cast it so quickly?" Halowen exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise, as if he had seen a ghost.

Rain pursed his lips and pointed at Halowen, and the Second-Rank Spell 'Metal Cage' was instantly activated!

"Clang!"

Halowin's body radiated a brilliant aura as he threw a powerful punch with his right hand, causing even the thick metal bars to deform instantly.

With just two strikes, he broke free from the metal cage.

As a Second-Rank Spell, even with Rain's enhancement, it was unrealistic to hold a legendary-level melee fighter for too long.

But Halowen's expression was unusually solemn.

Others might not understand, but he himself knew it better than anyone.

He had just used almost eighty percent of his strength to break the cage, and the binding strength was almost on par with a Third-Rank Spell cast by a Crystal Wizard.

By this time, Rain had already finished casting the Second-Rank Spell 'Cutting Net,' and a large silver net was descending upon Halowen, leaving no room for evasion.

At the same time, Rain leisurely strolled away, creating distance between himself and Halowen, and began casting his next spell.

As a result, after Halowen clashed with the sharp metal net, he was once again caught by Rain's almost instantaneous 'Metal Cage' spell.

Since it was just a friendly match, Rain naturally wouldn't use lethal spells, and Halowen wouldn't use his killer move either.

In this situation, Rain completely dominated Halowen with his two Second-Rank Metal Spells, leaving him with no chance to fight back.

He couldn't catch up.

There was no way he could catch up.

For Rain, the purpose of this match was to familiarize himself with the crowd control effect of the Second-Rank Spell 'Metal Cage,' so he repeatedly tested his new spell.

After a few minutes of sparring, both of them holding back, the match ended in a draw.

Halowin panted heavily, staring at Rain in disbelief.

Damn, this wizard's talent is even more impressive than what my father described in his letters.

As they both hailed from the Minster Province, they quickly became familiar with each other.

Especially when the topic turned to Rain's recent trip to the Marne Province.

"Oh? Lord Rain, you know Lord Luther too?" Lord Halowen's eyes lit up as he asked.

"Yes, we're pretty good friends, and he should be arriving in the Imperial Capital soon too," Rain nodded with a smile.

"Is it for the Dragon Knight Reserve assessment? He mentioned it to me last year, but I didn't expect him to be my competitor in this batch of selections." Lord Halowen laughed.

"Lord Rain, by the way, are you also planning to participate in this batch?" Lord Halowen suddenly remembered the Blood-Feathered Horned Beast in the family mansion's stables.

Indeed, the Rain before him was also a flying knight, meeting the requirements for the Dragon Knight Reserve assessment.

Compared to Luther, Lord Halowen considered himself on par, with not much difference in their combat abilities.

However, for some reason, Lord Halowen always felt a bit apprehensive about Rain, hoping not to encounter him during the selection.

Suddenly, the golden emblem in Rain's pocket began to vibrate slightly.

One of the special functions of the golden emblem was to convey specific messages within the Imperial Capital.

The frequency of this vibration indicated that there was a situation at headquarters that required Rain's presence.

"Lord Halowen, I need to go to headquarters. See you tonight."

"Of course, Lord Rain, feel free."

Half an hour later.

In the task hall of the Swordmaster Headquarters, inside Anthony's office.

"Lord Rain, sorry to disturb your rest. Your assigned task has arrived."

The person speaking to Rain was an old acquaintance, Anthony, the head of the reception department.

It was then that Rain realized that the other party also held the position of Deputy Secretary of the Task Hall.

"Hmm, so fast. But I only reported three days ago, and now I have an assigned task? According to the rules, isn't it once every three months?" Rain raised his eyebrows, his gaze turning slightly unfriendly towards Anthony.

"This... This is a directive from above. The rule is indeed to complete a task within three months, but it doesn't specify which day within those three months."

As Anthony explained awkwardly, he pointed upwards.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Rain understood that he was being targeted.

As for who was behind this, there were several possibilities, but the most likely suspect was naturally the Drakum family.

After a while, Rain stared at the other's slightly evasive eyes and asked.

"Um, Lord Rain, this is the specific task content, hehe." Anthony chuckled and quickly handed over a stack of documents to Rain.

Rain flipped through it and saw a hideous dragon-like venomous dragon on the first page, its appearance resembling that of a giant dragon. Below it was a lengthy piece of detailed intelligence: 'Venom Dragon'. Estimated strength: Epic Peak.

"Epic Peak? Lord Anthony, do you also think this assigned task is suitable for a newcomer like me?" Rain looked at Anthony with a smile.

"Hehe, maybe it's because those above know that Lord Rain is young and gifted." Anthony wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, racking his brains for words of praise.

He was well aware that there was a problem.

This task to kill the Venom Dragon was one of the most challenging tasks currently available at the Swordmaster Headquarters.

After all, if it were any more difficult, it would be considered epic.

That was a task for the Imperial Guardian to handle, not a Swordmaster.

"What if I refuse?" Rain asked with a smile.

"Lord Rain, you're joking. Refusing an assigned task will result in discipline." Anthony's expression changed.

"Alright, I'll take it. But I need to recruit team members, which will take some time."

Rain nodded, appearing to reluctantly agree.

In truth, he had been laughing inside ever since he saw that the target of the task was a dragon-like creature.

Although he didn't know what the person behind this was thinking, if the task target was a dragon-like creature... Even if they didn't arrange it, Rain would have proactively applied to complete this task himself.

After all, to further enhance his Dragon Bloodline, he needed the blood essence of various powerful dragon-like creatures.

The stronger, the better!

"Of course! You can depart within three days at the latest. We have a dedicated airship at headquarters."

Watching Rain leave, Anthony couldn't help but shake his head, sighing inwardly, "What a pity, such a talented young man has offended those above."

He, too, was acting under orders; if he didn't listen, his position would be at stake.

Half an hour later.

In Greenwood's room at the Swordmaster Headquarters.

"Did he take it?" Greenwood asked with a hint of urgency.

"He did." Nathan nodded.

"Good, hehe. Now that he's accepted, it's impossible for him to back out. The matter is halfway to success."

"Greenwood slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair, excited.

He had also considered what to do if Rain refused.

In fact, he initially thought that the possibility of Rain refusing was slightly higher than accepting the task.

After all, this task was extremely challenging!

'What's the task?' Mia asked curiously, seeing Greenwood's happy and confident demeanor.

'Kill the Venom Dragon!' Greenwood said with a hint of pride, emphasizing each word.

'What?! Isn't this one of the most difficult tasks at headquarters?!' Chandler, who was nearby, was also shocked.

He didn't expect Greenwood to have assigned such a challenging task to Rain through the higher-ups at headquarters.

This was simply too much to ask of someone.

He couldn't help but silently mourn for Rain in his heart.

If a small-town youth wanted to make a name for himself, he had to follow orders obediently, or else he would be asking for trouble!

'Is there anything else I and Chandler need to do?' Mia asked, flipping her hair.

In her opinion, it was no longer a matter for her and Chandler.

'Has the news about Rain's promotion due to luck rather than strength spread?'

'It has already been spread by people within the headquarters.'

'Hmm, I'll need you two to actively join his team. During the battle, as long as...' Greenwood said in a low voice.

'Can't you wait until they both suffer heavy injuries or are both severely wounded before sending someone to finish them off?' Mia thought that Greenwood's plan was a bit too shameless.

'The opponent has defeated three legendary beings, and their strength cannot be underestimated. I want to ensure absolute success.'

'Rest assured, I will have a powerful member of my family ensure your safety. Additionally, all rewards for killing the Venom Dragon will be credited to you.'

'Alright, I agree.' Chandler shrugged and said.

Meanwhile, at the Swordmaster Headquarters' task hall.

'I want to recruit a few team members.' Rain handed over the Golden Emblem to the female clerk in front of him.

'Okay, Rain, what are your requirements?'

'Mithril rank, with a unique skill, prioritizing wizards. Five people should be enough.' Rain said.

When facing flying creatures like dragons, ordinary knights were not very effective unless they were griffin knights. Naturally, wizards were a better choice.

Additionally, the headquarters had similar regulations to the branches, and the team limit was usually six people.

'Okay, Rain, I've filled it out.'

'Hmm, thank you.'

That evening, at the Bavaria Mansion.

'Oh? Has Rain received an assigned task so soon?' Hearing this news, Halowen's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Although he hadn't joined the Swordmasters, as the legitimate son of Duke Minster and a griffin knight, he was well-versed in the operations of most imperial institutions.

He immediately sensed that something was amiss.

'Someone must have pulled some strings behind the scenes.'

'Yes.' Rain nodded.

'By the way, Halowen, do you know about the Drakum family?' Rain asked after some thought.

Previously, Rain couldn't ask this question because he didn't know Halowen's character, and he also wasn't aware of the relationship between the Bavaria family and the Drakum family.

However, after getting to know each other over the past few days, they gradually learned about some matters.

'The Drakum family?' Halowen's expression changed.

From the previous incident, he immediately associated it with something.

'Do you need me to mediate?' Halowen asked solemnly after some thought.

This was actually a very responsible statement, as this was the imperial capital, not Minster.

Not everyone would give face to Duke Minster.

'Not for now, thank you, Halowen.' Rain smiled slightly.

'Hmm, the Drakum family doesn't have much interaction with our Bavaria family, but I am still quite familiar with them.'

'Although they appear to be a ducal family like ours on the surface, in reality, their family has an Imperial Guardian.'

'In such cases, we usually refer to them as Guardian Families, which are significantly different from regular ducal families.'

'Oh? There's an Imperial Guardian in the family?' Rain's eyebrows furrowed.

This was a bit tricky.

However, Rain didn't feel the slightest fear.

Ever since he learned about his own strength through Steel Heart Meditation, he knew that his Dragon Human General form was legendary.

Even against epic-level opponents, he had the killer move 'Soulbreaker Hammer', and he wasn't afraid.

Additionally, he hoped to have the opportunity to use the core skill of the Thousand Blade King, 'Blood Frenzy'. Moreover, his strength had significantly improved over this period.

'That's right. In addition to the Imperial Guardian, the family also has several legendary-level consultants. The Drakum family has deep roots in the imperial capital and has close relationships with many major families.'

Halowin provided a detailed introduction.

'Who is that Guardian?' Rain's focus remained on the Guardian.

'Dragon Knight Pantoskock, titled 'Stormcloud'!' Halowen said with a grave expression.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end