Chapter 396: Tutkas

Chapter 396: Tutkas

"Thank you." Rain smiled as he took the documents.

"Hmm? Lava Dragon 'Hemados'?"

The first thing Rain saw was the top-ranked dragon-slaying mission.

As soon as he read this, he immediately understood why Alena had suggested he consider the later missions instead of this top-ranked one.

The word 'Fire Dragon' carried a lot of significance. Fire Dragons were a subspecies of Red Dragons, known for their exceptional control over fire elemental magic.

Additionally, as a dragon subspecies, their combat power was second only to the Five-Colored Dragon, far surpassing other dragonkin.

"A juvenile dragon resides in the Blade Volcano in Mosel Province. Currently, an Elite Swordsman squad from the headquarters has failed the mission. According to the report, the dragon's strength has reached the Legendary Peak."

"Especially in a volcanic environment, its strength is comparable to Epic Wisdom, making it difficult to lure it into a trap." Rain carefully read through the details.

Seeing that Rain seemed more interested in the top-ranked Lava Dragon mission instead of looking at the later ones, Alena furrowed her brows slightly, thinking to herself, 'Did I say something wrong and end up goading Lord Rain instead?'

After a moment of hesitation, Alena politely added, "Lord Rain, the fire breath of the Fire Dragon is incredibly powerful, and its extreme heat can instantly melt most metals."

"Thank you for your concern." Rain smiled slightly.

He, of course, understood that Alena meant well and was subtly reminding him that his specialty in Metal Magic might not be as effective against the Fire Dragon.

However, what interested him more was the concentration of dragon bloodline, or the purity of the dragon's lineage.

Fire Dragons, in general, contained a higher concentration of dragon genes compared to the non-traditional dragons he had slain before, such as the Rotten Dragon and the Ancestral Dragon.

In other words, if he successfully killed the Fire Dragon, the increase in his dragon bloodline concentration would be even higher.

This was the reason why Rain had almost decided to choose this mission.

However, although the purge at the Swordsmaster Headquarters was nearing its conclusion, it had not yet ended. Therefore, while Rain had made his choice, he did not plan to accept the mission immediately.

"Lady Alena, please inform me when the purge is over. I'll keep these documents here and go through them slowly."

"Yes, Lord Rain." Alena heaved a sigh of relief.

It seemed that Lord Rain had understood her intention.

In the following days, Rain's routine changed from two locations to three—the mansion, the academy's residence, and the headquarters of the Royal Alchemists Association.

Rain dedicated most of his time to studying and preparing advanced potions.

Although advanced potions were only consumed by ordinary people when they entered the Beyond Mortal realm, their creation was not an easy task. It was no wonder that the potion he needed at the time seemed to have been made with the help of a master from the Royal Alchemists Association.

Rain still remembered the name 'Ignacio Ofastin' engraved on the plaque of the potion he had consumed.

Through Alisa, he had also inquired about this potion master.

As he had initially expected, these potion masters were all formal wizards, and some, like Master Ignacio and Alisa's mentor, Master Cavera, were even Tier 2 Liquidization Wizards.

It made sense; during potion preparation, the requirements for precise measurements were extremely high. Only with sufficient mental energy could one achieve this level of precision and make almost no mistakes during the lengthy preparation process.

Otherwise, every mistake would result in the loss of precious ingredients.

Rain held a glass beaker containing a blue liquid, gently shaking it to mix the contents, while his other hand squeezed a pipette, continuously dripping a clear liquid into it.

"Lord Rain, your precision in potion preparation is truly awe-inspiring." Alisa, the 'Genius Potion Girl,' couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Since Rain had displayed exceptional potion-making skills from the very beginning, what impressed Alisa the most was his learning speed and extraordinary mixing precision.

After Rain evenly mixed the liquid, he slowly poured it onto a semi-transparent object resembling a cow tendon, which was extracted from the tendons of the ferocious Shadow Panther.

Alisa clapped excitedly as she witnessed Rain successfully complete the final step.

"Rain, this Shadow Panther potion turned out very well." Master Cavera, who was overseeing the process, stroked his goat beard and smiled, "If it weren't for the fact that Rain is already an Imperial Elite Swordsman, I would have found a way to make him my disciple. But now, I can only keep this regret hidden in my heart."

Rain also smiled.

This was his second potion recipe after mastering the 'Black Crocodile Tail,' and he was just one recipe away from mastering three potions.

"I must thank Master Cavera for his meticulous guidance and Miss Alisa for her invaluable assistance." Rain smiled and bowed to both of them in gratitude.

That afternoon.

In the laboratory of the Bius Armament Academy in Mogaro.

Mogaro led Rain to a huge metal puppet lying on the ground, a hint of pride in his voice, "Rain, this is the new golem I created based on your requirements by modifying the Great Axe Golem Guardian of the Black Flame Cult. It's entirely made of metal components."

"The overall power source is a small furnace driven by Hellfire Crystals, capable of casting Shadow School and Fire School spells. Of course, this requires the addition of relevant spell runes."

"Currently, it has been inscribed with Shadow Arrow and Fireball spell runes."

As Mogaro explained in detail, Rain nodded in agreement.

He hadn't even mastered the Fireball spell himself, yet his puppet had already learned it.

Ever since that day when he returned from the Flame Canyon secret realm, Rain had been thinking about creating a Great Axe Golem Guardian using the thirteen Hellfire Crystals he obtained.

However, upon further consideration, he realized there were a few issues.

Firstly, the Great Axe Golem Guardian was essentially a large rock-type construct puppet made entirely of stone materials, not metal, which didn't suit his style.

Therefore, the first challenge was to replace all the construct's components with metal ones.

Metal puppets were more compatible with his Super Metal affinity, complementing each other perfectly.

With this, he could not only change the war golem's weapons at will, replace specific parts with different metals, and from another perspective, the metal golem also served as his 'weapon repository.'

Secondly, the Great Axe Golem Guardian stood at a height of seven to eight meters, and its movement would create a significant commotion.

So, Rain thought of the metal arm of the iron man, and he asked the Master Mogaro if it was possible to reduce the size of the golem.

Rain's two requests caused Mogaro to put in a lot of effort, and after consulting several puppet masters specializing in rock systems, the finished product was finally completed.

"Rain, after precise processing and proportional scaling, this Steel War Golem is only four meters tall, but its close-combat power is no less than the original eight-meter-tall Great Axe Golem Guardian."

"Thank you for your hard work, Master." Rain bowed slightly in gratitude.

Recently, he didn't have much time and energy, nor could he afford to spend precious skill points on golem improvements, so he entrusted this task to Master Mogaro from the very beginning.

Rain didn't expect Mogaro to be so dedicated.

The war golem he crafted exceeded Rain's expectations in every way.

"Master, has this new golem been named yet?"

"Not yet, I called you here to let you name it." Mogaro said with a smile.

"Master, you've put so much effort into this, you should be the one to name it." Rain shook his head.

"Well..."

"How about Hellfire Golem? Its power source, the Hellfire Crystal, is the most precious thing."

"Great! Let's call it the Hellfire Golem." Rain smiled and nodded.

Two days passed.

At the headquarters of the Royal Alchemists Association.

After Rain successfully crafted the third advanced potion, 'Bright Scale Electric Eel Lung,' the system prompt sounded:

[Ding! Host has mastered the crafting of three advanced potions, triggering the advanced job change for the Deadly Poisoner (Beyond Mortal) - Potion Master (Legendary)!]



[The prerequisites for the job change to Potion Master (Legendary) are: 1. Level 5 or higher in a potion-related profession at the Beyond Mortal level; 2. At least 30 points in Spirit; 3. Mastery of crafting three or more advanced potions. Current conditions fully met!]



[Note: The job change will overwrite the Deadly Poisoner (Beyond Mortal) job panel.]



Upon seeing this, Rain didn't hesitate and immediately chose "Yes"!

[Ding! Job change successful!]



[Successfully changed job to Potion Master (Legendary)! Constitution +3, Agility +2, Spirit +5! Obtained Potion Master (Legendary) core skill: Potion Mastery lv1 (Passive).]



[Potion Mastery lv1 (Passive): Due to your years of dedicated research in potion crafting, the effectiveness of all crafted potions is slightly increased. Additionally, the effects of all crafted potions are further enhanced.]



[Note: If the potion is a poison, the difficulty of counteracting it with antidotes or dispelling spells like 'Dispel' is slightly increased.]



"This new core skill, 'Potion Mastery,' is basically an upgraded version of the 'Deadly Poison' core skill from the Deadly Poisoner (Beyond Mortal). It expands from poison to all Beyond Mortal potions."

"Additionally, the other skill of the Deadly Poisoner, 'Poison Resistance Constitution,' has already been fused with the Mutated Dragon Bloodline, so it's not considered lost." Rain thought to himself.

That afternoon, when Rain returned to his mansion, he received a small surprise.

On his desk, there was a small brown wooden box containing three Soul Energy Crystals.

This was sent by Jennifer, who had just arrived by airship.

Seeing the Soul Energy Crystals, Rain couldn't help but feel touched.

It was evident that Jennifer had stayed in Minster to take advantage of the convenience of being a shareholder in the Axson Auction House to help collect various items, including Soul Energy Crystals.

Fortunately, Jennifer now had the support of Lagre and the Ice Claw Bear Mercenary Group, as well as the care of the Minster Duke and General Edward, ensuring a relatively safe environment.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

At that moment, a knock on the study door interrupted Rain's thoughts.

"Come in."

Olena entered the study with a deed in her hand, smiling as she spoke:

"Sir Rain, the Dram family's compensation has arrived. It's a suburban manor and 200,000 imperial gold coins."

Olena spoke while inwardly marveling at the amount.

The 200,000 imperial gold coins alone would take her 273 years of saving without spending a single cent to accumulate such a vast sum.

Moreover, there was also the suburban manor.

Olena had personally inspected the manor, which occupied nearly 20 acres of land and boasted beautiful scenery. Even in the suburbs of the Imperial City, it was worth over 100,000 gold coins.

However, Rain, upon hearing the amount, wasn't particularly moved. Instead, he flipped through the deed, deep in thought.

"Lady Olena, please help me put this manor up for sale and transfer the 200,000 imperial gold coins to Jennifer." After a while, Rain said.

"Of course, Sir Rain. But won't you go and take a look at the manor?"

"It's too far out, and even if I dare to live there, the safety of my family would not be guaranteed." Rain shook his head.

"Alright, Sir Rain, I'll take care of it." Olena understood and left.

After Olena left, Rain took out the Soul Energy Crystals and absorbed them using the system.

Glancing at the system panel, Rain saw:

[Spirit: 98 (Liquidization 85%)]



"Three Soul Energy Crystals increased it by 3%."

"This should be partly because I've been practicing the second layer of the Advanced Meditation of Steel Heart every day."

"Otherwise, the effect of the Soul Energy Crystals alone might not have reached 3%. Rain's eyebrows rose as he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, in the westernmost part of the Cyrodiil Plateau, numerous figures in black robes with various skull or spider designs on their chests were bustling about.

This was the secret academy Tutkash, specializing in necromancy.

Deep within a spacious cavern, a disheveled black-robed wizard was working on a massive deformed creature.

From a distance, one could see the enormous deformed creature on the table.

The upper half of the creature was a muscular giant, while the lower half was a giant scorpion, seemingly forcibly joined by some magical means.

The giant's upper body was left intact, but its body length was impressive. The rugged facial features and muscular build suggested it was a formidable opponent.

At that moment, the black-robed wizard was bent over, holding a large sewing needle that glowed with a dense black arcane aura, deftly stitching the flesh and skin at the seams of the two parts.

"Lord Staven, the Master of the Academy wishes to see you," a young man in an apprentice robe appeared at the door, bowing respectfully.

The black-robed wizard named Staven naturally heard the messenger's words. However, he showed no reaction, continuing to focus intently on stitching the malformed creature in his hands.

The wizard apprentice who delivered the message was not at all surprised by this and continued to stand respectfully at the door. He knew very well that the Lord Staven before him was one of the top powerhouses of their academy. Decades ago, he had already reached the peak of Tier 3 Crystalization, specializing in creating mutated undead creatures and excelling in curses and Shadow School spells. His current strength was unfathomable.

After about ten minutes, Staven finally put down his sewing tools and slowly turned around. Under his disheveled hair, his eyes were bloodshot, almost to the point of obsession, indicating he hadn't rested properly in a long time. However, the madness and obsession in his eyes revealed a deep, unwavering pursuit.

"Let's go!"

"Of course, Lord Staven. The Master is waiting for you in the laboratory. Please follow me."

Soon, Staven followed the wizard apprentice to a grand underground hall with a ceiling over ten meters high. A black-robed figure, exceptionally tall and bulky, was hunched over a long table filled with experimental equipment.

However, as soon as Staven appeared at the door, the black-robed figure immediately sensed his presence. He turned his head, revealing a gaunt, pale face hidden under his hood.

As he approached Staven, the most shocking thing was his lower half. Although most of it was covered by the black robe, the exposed part that should have been his ankles was actually four pairs of spider-like jointed legs.

No wonder he appeared so bulky. His lower half was no longer that of a normal human but had transformed into the droplet-shaped abdomen of a spider.

From the faintly emanating dense and evil aura, it was evident that this person was a Dawn Wizard of Epic Strength.

"Staven, it seems your strength has improved. It looks like you're about to reach the rank of Dawn Wizard," the figure observed Staven with a smile.

"The experiment still hasn't succeeded," Staven shook his head, seemingly not agreeing with Master Graham's assessment.

"It's alright. If it doesn't work, you can choose to follow my path and perform the Spider God Prayer Ritual for assistance. This is a shortcut to becoming a Fourth Tier Dawn Wizard," Graham offered a pale smile, trying to reassure him.

"Alright, I'll consider it if it doesn't work," Staven looked at him and nodded.

"By the way, the reason I called you here is to have you kill a Dragon Empire Elite Swordsman," Graham got to the point.

"I'm still busy with experiments. Why not send Cyprian?" Staven frowned.

"There are two reasons. First, this request comes from the Isodre Academy. You know, being on the same Cyrodiil Plateau, they turn a blind eye to certain things, making our lives much easier."

"The second reason is that according to intelligence, this Empire swordsman has the ability to transform and has killed the Breton Legendary Powerhouse known as 'Corpsealer' Greg."

"I know about your recent experiments. Although you obtained the corpse of a Breton Legendary Powerhouse, the compatibility issue has been troubling you."

"Since this Empire swordsman was capable of killing 'Corpsealer' Greg, his strength is likely superior to thecorpse you currently have. Perhaps his body can help you solve the compatibility issue."

Upon hearing this, Staven's bloodshot eyes lifted, fixing his gaze on the Master of the Tutkash Academy.

"Alright! Give me a day to forcibly fuse this Golem Chimera, and I'll set out," Staven thought for a moment and agreed.

"Good. Here are the details. The transformation seems to significantly boost his combat power. Take this vial of Spider God Blood," Graham handed over a vial of blood that glowed with a faint arcane aura.

"I understand," Staven hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take the vial of Spider God Blood.

Staven was well aware that once he consumed the Spider God Blood, his strength would surge, and he might finally reach the long-awaited rank of Dawn Wizard. However, this also meant an irreversible choice. He would gradually be drawn into the embrace of the Spider God Niaubrecan.

In his understanding, if he relied on this to reach the Fourth Tier Dawn Wizard, he would not be a true Dawn Wizard but rather a high-ranking priest of a cult.

Thus, over the past decades, he had persisted, trying to fuse two or more Legendary creatures using special Necromancy spells to create a Golem Chimera of Epic Strength.

If successful, he would not only gain an Epic Golem Chimera but also smoothly reach the Fourth Tier Dawn Wizard rank.

This was one of the traditional advancement methods of the Necromancy school Tutkash.

Three days later.

In the study of the Imperial City of Tamriel, at the residence of Rain.

"Lord Rain, Lieutenant Tatiya has informed me that the cleanup is complete, and you can now take on the mission from headquarters," Alena, wearing a black hunting trouser and a white floral blouse, smiled.

"Alright, I understand. By the way, Lady Alena, how is the recruitment going?" Rain asked.

"I was just about to report. This matter has been causing quite a headache for Ladies Claire and Bianca," Alena giggled, covering her mouth.

"Overall, too many people want to join your team, making it difficult to decide. We've preliminarily selected four candidates, and the final decision is yours."

As she spoke, Alena handed Rain a stack of documents detailing the four candidates.

"Why are they all women?" Rain scanned the documents, looking at Alena with surprise.

"Didn't you tell them it would be best to recruit two male members?"

"Uh," Alena blinked her beautiful eyes, looking at Rain with an innocent expression, unsure of what to say.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end