Chapter 389: Puppets and Statues

Chapter 389: Puppets and Statues

"Oh right, Rain, I suppose you don't have an Intermediate Battle Puppet yet?" Alicia suddenly blinked her beautiful eyes, as if she had thought of something.

"Er... I think I only have the Ironclad Battle Puppet right now," Rain replied after some thought, nodding his head.

Over the past few days, Rain had spent most of his time in the school library, and he had some understanding of the differences between the Basic and Intermediate Battle Puppets.

Aside from being larger in size and heavier in weight, the Intermediate Battle Puppet had something more important compared to the Basic one—a miniature energy core.

With this device, the Intermediate Battle Puppet could unleash an attack similar to a mid-to-high-level Ultimate Skill under the control of a wizard during battle.

"No wonder Rain hesitated just now, it turns out he doesn't have an Intermediate Battle Puppet yet," Alicia couldn't help but laugh.

"Audrey, Joseph, let's help Rain get an Intermediate Battle Puppet," Alicia turned to the two of them and said.

Joseph seemed to hesitate, as if he wanted to refuse, but Audrey readily agreed, "Of course, this is what we senior students should do."

For Audrey, who vaguely knew Rain's true identity, she would be more than willing to give her own Intermediate Battle Puppet to Rain, let alone help him make one.

However, the question was, would an Intermediate Battle Puppet be useful to this Rain? Audrey couldn't help but glance at Rain.

Seeing Audrey's immediate agreement and Joseph's reluctant nod, Joseph muttered under his breath, "When I came here, I didn't get such good treatment."

"By the way, Rain, which Intermediate Battle Puppet do you plan to choose?" Alicia asked enthusiastically.

Just as Rain was about to refuse, Joseph suddenly brightened up, as if he had thought of something, and suggested, "Why don't you choose the Fury Hammer Battle Puppet? It can perform a special attack called 'Thunder Hammer Heavy Strike,' which is quite powerful. Moreover, we made quite a few of them recently, and there are two finished products in the warehouse. We just need to add a miniature energy core."

Obviously, Joseph was trying to be lazy.

Alicia glared at Joseph and said, "Joseph, what kind of suggestion is that!"

"Rain can probably only control one Intermediate Battle Puppet for now. Although the Fury Hammer Battle Puppet has good attack power, its defense is relatively weak, which is not suitable for a novice like Rain."

"Rain, listen to your sister. When you can control two Intermediate Battle Puppets, then consider choosing the Fury Hammer Battle Puppet. Otherwise, the Sword Shield Guard Puppet is a good choice with a balanced offense and defense, and no obvious weaknesses."

Joseph, having been rebuked by Alicia, didn't dare to argue and muttered, "Rain seems to have a knight's build, so his movement and dodging should be fast. Controlling the Fury Hammer Battle Puppet directly might even lead to a surprising victory."

"I'll take the Fury Hammer Battle Puppet," Rain said after a moment's thought.

Having a ready-made one was naturally the best option, as the choice of an Intermediate Battle Puppet didn't really matter much to him.

Additionally, he had been working on this Fury Hammer Battle Puppet for the past few days, so he was quite familiar with it.

Soon, the group of four arrived at the Metal Elemental warehouse.

Inside, numerous half-finished battle puppets were scattered about, along with even more spare parts.

Since the Fury Hammer Battle Puppet had just been completed a few days ago, it was placed not far from the warehouse entrance.

The three-meter-tall Fury Hammer Battle Puppet, although only about a meter taller than the two-meter-tall ones, gave off a completely different sense of oppression.

You should know that in his previous life, although Rain was short, the height difference between him and Yao wasn't even a meter.

But when playing basketball, the pressure one felt facing Rain and Yao was completely different.

"Rain, I happen to have an extra miniature energy core here. You can use it for now," Audrey took out a rectangular object the size of a brick but much thinner and handed it to Rain.

"Just insert it into the puppet's back."

The energy core mainly contained a crystal stone, which was nurtured in the elemental energy pool within the school's grounds.

Of course, there was another higher-quality source for the crystal stone—when an elemental creature's strength reached the Transcendence level, it would naturally nurture this crystal stone within its body.

Moreover, the higher the strength of the elemental creature, the stronger the energy contained in the crystal stone, and the crystals nurtured by different-attributed elemental creatures also varied in attributes.

Although the latter had better effects, and high-level crystals had immense power, their prices also increased geometrically.

"Okay... thank you!" Rain thought for a moment and took the miniature energy core from Audrey.

"You're welcome, junior," Audrey lowered her eyes, but her heart was racing. She seemed to have discovered that this famous 'junior' in front of her wasn't that difficult to get along with.

"Huh? Audrey, the miniature energy core isn't cheap. It costs 100 Contribution Points to exchange for one! Why are you being so generous this time?"

Joseph couldn't help but look at him with a puzzled expression.

"Well, Rain is my junior, and as his senior, I should show some hospitality." Audrey's face flushed for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.

But the way Audrey looked at that moment, in Alicia's eyes, held a different meaning.

Alicia's beautiful eyes glanced at the two without leaving a trace, and her heart thought, 'It seems that our young and pretty junior is quite fond of the new junior.'

'But your sister might not let you have him, you know?'

When Rain inserted the miniature energy core into the horizontal slot on the puppet's back, he began to cast the activation spell.

"Activation Spell!" Rain deliberately controlled the casting speed of the level 4 activation spell.

As he softly chanted the incantation and pointed his finger, the large Fury Hammer Battle Puppet's body twitched slightly, but since Rain didn't give any specific commands, the puppet remained stationary.

However, what surprised Rain slightly was that if the mental energy consumption for the activation spell on the metal dummy was one unit, then this intermediate battle puppet had skyrocketed to around ten units.

It was worth noting that the mental energy consumption for the previous basic battle puppet, the Iron Skin Battle Puppet, was also around three units.

"No wonder the activation spell's description had that line – 'Casting time and mental energy consumption are determined by the complexity and size of the target.'"

"It seems that even for a late-stage level 1 vaporization wizard, the number of intermediate battle puppets they can control simultaneously won't be too many. Three or four should be the limit." Rain pondered silently.

Additionally, Rain also discovered that the connection between his spirit sea and the Fury Hammer Battle Puppet was slightly more complex than that of the previous basic puppet.

It was as if an extra game controller had appeared in his mind. Before, there was only one button, but now, in addition to the large button representing the Fury Hammer Battle Puppet, Rain could also sense a small button next to it.

Rain knew that this small button was connected to the miniature energy core on the puppet, and he could use it to release skill attacks.

At this moment, the system prompt suddenly sounded:

[You have completed the Fury Hammer Battle Puppet's full creation, and your understanding has improved!]



[You have learned a new skill – Fury Hammer Battle Puppet]



[Your Fury Hammer Battle Puppet skill has improved, experience gained +3]



Rain was slightly startled at first, but after a moment's thought, he understood.

Over the past few days, he had been working on creating the Fury Hammer Battle Puppet, and today, he had essentially completed the final piece of the creation, naturally mastering the related skill.

"Rain, you're quite skilled with the activation spell. Now that you're done, let's head to the training room," Alicia praised Rain.

As they passed through the corridor, Audrey, Alicia, and the other two returned to their offices and controlled their intermediate battle puppets to move out.

Alicia, being the strongest, controlled two intermediate battle puppets – the Sword Shield Guard Puppet and the Great Sword Battle Puppet.

The Great Sword Battle Puppet, like the Fury Hammer Battle Puppet, was an offensive-oriented battle puppet, while the Sword Shield Guard Puppet, as its name suggested, was a defensive-oriented puppet.

Audrey and Joseph were almost the same, each controlling a Sword Shield Guard Puppet and an Iron Skin Battle Puppet equipped with a shield.

Of course, Rain could easily match Audrey and even control more puppets.

However, he was currently wearing the Concealment Cloak, which displayed his power as a level 1 wizard at the beginning, and controlling an intermediate battle puppet was already close to his limit.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

Several battle puppets were controlled by the group as they entered the spacious training hall.

"Rain, let's go," Alicia said with a smile.

"Um, how about I fight Rain instead?" Joseph suddenly interjected.

He had his reasons. Clearly, Alicia was the strongest among them, and Audrey had gradually surpassed him since the previous period.

If Alicia and Rain were to spar, he would have to fight Audrey, and the point of losing, which didn't feel good, especially to a newcomer.

But with the new Rain, Joseph was confident that he could win.

"That's fine," Alicia thought for a moment and agreed, feeling that it would be better for the new Rain to not feel too discouraged by the gap in strength between them.

As Rain and Joseph controlled their respective puppets and stood in the center of the arena, Joseph smiled and said, "Rain, let's begin. If you can't handle it, you can surrender immediately."

Hearing Joseph's words, Audrey couldn't help but roll her eyes, though she didn't know how Rain would win, she knew he wouldn't lose!

"Okay," Rain smiled and nodded.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

With a slight movement of Joseph's mind, the sword and shield puppet guards, holding their weapons, rushed forward towards Rain.

At the same time, the ironclad combat puppet beside him curved around, heading towards Rain's rear flank.

Of course, due to the detour, this ironclad combat puppet wouldn't reach Rain quickly, but Joseph's initial dual-line control exposed his intentions.

He was taking advantage of Rain's current weakness of having only one combat puppet, planning to attack him from both front and rear.

"That sly Joseph, he's clearly taking advantage of Rain's weakness!" Alicia instantly understood Joseph's plan upon seeing this scene.

Facing this situation, Rain briefly contemplated and controlled the Furious Hammer combat puppet to charge towards Joseph's sword and shield puppet. Simultaneously, he controlled the puppet to grip its heavy hammers with both hands, ready to strike.

"Hmm? This isn't a good strategy. If the only puppet gets entangled, it'll be a very passive situation." Alicia shook her head and sighed.

"It's a pity that Rain is going to lose. As manipulators, when we only have one combat puppet, we must prioritize self-protection."

She realized that although Rain had remarkable talent, he was a complete novice in puppet manipulation.

However, Audrey remained silent, her beautiful eyes fixed on the center of the arena.

"Clang!"

Facing the Furious Hammer combat puppet's heavy hammer strike, Joseph quickly controlled the sword and shield puppet to raise its shield in defense.

It blocked the attack! Joseph's face lit up with joy, and just as he was about to command the sword and shield puppet to entangle the opponent, he was surprised to see his puppet being knocked back several steps by the hammer strike.

Hmm? Did Rain activate the Furious Hammer combat puppet's skill, 'Furious Hammer Strike'?

That shouldn't be possible.

Joseph couldn't sense any energy fluctuations from Rain.

Joseph thought quickly.

This was actually because Rain had a high level of activation skill, coupled with his expertise in close-quarters combat techniques, allowing him to control the Furious Hammer combat puppet and exhibit exceptional combat prowess.

In simpler terms, ordinary wizards could only bring out a fraction of a puppet's potential, but Rain could unleash over ninety percent of its power.

It was like in his past life, only Takumi Fujiwara could drive the AE86 to its full potential; other racers struggled to achieve this.

The two women were momentarily stunned by this display.

"It seems Rain is highly skilled in close combat. Otherwise, this wouldn't be possible," Alicia furrowed her brows, pondering for a moment before speaking.

"Yes, I suppose so," Audrey responded briefly.

At that moment, Joseph snapped back to reality, clearly unable to accept this outcome.

Seeing Rain's Furious Hammer combat puppet seize the opportunity to charge towards him, Joseph decided to use the sword and shield puppet's special skill.

"Charge!"

As the small energy device flashed, the three-meter-tall sword and shield puppet took rapid steps, pursuing the Furious Hammer combat puppet.

Joseph's confidence returned as he witnessed this.

If the sword and shield puppet could catch up and entangle its opponent, he would have the upper hand.

He saw his previously deployed ironclad combat puppet had already advanced to within twenty meters of Rain's rear flank.

At this moment, Rain smiled slightly and then commanded the Furious Hammer combat puppet to activate its skill.

"Furious Hammer Strike!"

The three-meter-tall combat puppet, wielding massive dual hammers, unleashed its power, accelerating in a swift black arc!

"Boom!"

A deafening clash of metal reverberated through the air!

The sword and shield puppet, which had just charged from behind, tried to block with its shield but was struck by the Furious Hammer, sending it flying several meters away, crashing to the ground seven or eight meters away.

"Damn!"

Before Joseph could control the sword and shield puppet to stand up, the Furious Hammer combat puppet had already reached within meters of him, while his ironclad combat puppet was still several meters away.

"Rain, I concede!" Joseph's face paled, and he shouted.

Joseph had no intention of enduring the Furious Hammer combat puppet's previous strike.

"Hmm? You're not continuing?" Rain was slightly surprised.

In his understanding, even if the puppet got close, the wizard could still use innate wizardry or restrictive wizardry to limit the opponent's actions, and the battle could continue.

"Rain, generally speaking, allowing a mid-level combat puppet to get close is considered a loss." At that moment, a fragrant breeze approached, and Alicia walked slowly to Rain's side to explain.

A formality?

This wasn't practical for real combat.

"Tsk tsk, Rain, I didn't expect your puppet manipulation skills to be so strong. Come, let's have a sisterly match." Alicia spoke seductively.

After an intense battle...

(End of Chapter)To avoid drawing too much attention, Rain reluctantly conceded defeat, but the intense and fierce battle still left Alicia in awe.

She never expected that even with two puppets against one, it was still a close call.

"Rain, if you were at the mid-stage of a Tier 1 Wizard, I'm sure I wouldn't stand a chance against you," Alicia said.

"By the way, Audrey, why don't you give Rain a try?"

"Me? I think I'll pass," Audrey immediately shook her head upon hearing this.

Days passed, and Rain became increasingly proficient in controlling the Fury Hammer Battle Puppet in combat, gaining a deeper understanding of puppet warfare.

In fact, the combat power of an intermediate battle puppet was roughly equivalent to a peak Grand Knight who had mastered the basic ultimate technique, although it excelled in strength and defense, it was slightly less agile.

Even without transforming, Rain could easily defeat it.

He hadn't encountered a high-level battle puppet yet, but he assumed it would be similar.

In other words, unless he was crafting a War Golem, it wouldn't significantly enhance his combat capabilities.

However, the library had more foundational knowledge about puppets, while knowledge about War Golems was relatively scarce.

Nevertheless, when it came to Golems, Rain couldn't help but recall the counterfeit Giant Axe Golem Guardian he had defeated in Wales.

As the one who had captured it, he had later obtained the related blueprints from Olena.

Rain remembered his mentor, Magaro, and the puppet masters of the Clay and Rock divisions from the Bius Armament Academy who had come to Minster to study the structure of the Giant Axe Golem Guardian.

Magaro's Office.

Rain asked his mentor, Magaro, about the Giant Axe Golem.

"Oh, you mean that counterfeit Giant Axe Golem Guardian," Magaro said, recalling it.

After some thought, Magaro explained, "Well, although the other party crafted the Giant Axe Golem according to the blueprints, our assessment, along with ancient records, suggests that this counterfeit Giant Axe Golem's combat power is only about sixty percent of the original."

"Sixty percent?" Rain asked, puzzled.

"Er, to put it simply, the power core, no, the energy device, of the counterfeit is vastly different from the original."

"Power core?"

"Yes, the other party used a large energy device to drive it instead of the Hellfire Crystal, but this resulted in a reduction in the size of its shell design."

"Otherwise, according to ancient records, the Giant Axe Golem Guardian in the ancient Black Flame Temple was eight meters tall, far surpassing the counterfeit's height of around five meters."

Magaro hesitated, then waved his hand, saying, "I'm getting old, my memory isn't what it used to be."

Rain looked at Magaro, sensing his hesitation, and said, "Mentor, if there's something difficult, you can tell me directly."

"Yes, I will. Thank you!"

That evening, Rain's new residence.

Lady General Tatiana secretly visited again.

"Sir Rain, you can now freely arrange your itinerary, including leaving the imperial capital. However, the headquarters is currently purging some traitors, so I advise against taking on headquarters' tasks, as it may expose your identity."

"Of course, this process won't last long. The purge should be completed in about half a month to twenty days," Tatiana said.

"Oh? Is it because of the previous incident?" Rain's eyebrows rose, and several figures flashed through his mind.

Tatiana nodded and smiled, "Yes, some may not have direct evidence to send them to the military court, but their positions will be adjusted. We should also thank you for exposing many of them this time."

The next evening.

Bius Armament Academy, Metal Division Training Room.

Rain and Audrey, along with the other four, shared their experiences and insights about puppet control.

"However, your tactics were a bit too aggressive. The most crucial aspect of controlling puppets in combat is to keep enemies at a distance."

"If you have only one combat puppet, it's best to choose a Sword and Shield Puppet Guardian, which can protect your safety and also has formidable attacking power."

Seeing Alicia's serious expression, Rain smiled and said, "Thank you."

Audrey's advice came from a senior's perspective, genuinely caring for Rain's well-being.

"Not good!"

At this moment, a male Metal Division Wizard Apprentice rushed in, panicked, "Lady Alicia, Ladies and Gentlemen, bad news! Something terrible has happened!"

(End)

Chapter end