https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-95-Talking-Too-Much-It-s-Really-Not-Good-/12956429/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-97-The-Diary-of-an-Unconventional-Man/12956434/
Chapter 96: Three Consecutive System Notifications
Chapter 96: Three Consecutive System Notifications
An Apprentice Mage?
Ryan, standing nearby, listened with a thoughtful expression.
Clearly, the opponent had just displayed a mage's spell, and the pale green corrosive liquid sphere was called 'Acid Projectile,' with quite a powerful effect.
Seeing Ryan's longing gaze, Hamilton immediately understood and said, "An apprentice mage's strength can vary greatly."
"But Ryan, you are a rare knight genius. Don't be distracted; focus on your path as a knight."
"Only knights are the orthodox path. Many of these apprentice mages end up neither human nor ghost in the end."
"Oh, thank you for the reminder, sir."
Ryan nodded, but his eyes flickered with uncertainty.
"Obviously, Hamilton is a staunch believer in the superiority of knights. Asking him more about apprentice mages will only make him uncomfortable."
"I'll wait for a better opportunity to inquire about this."
The Crystal Lizard was loaded onto the stone cart, and the Elite Night Watch carefully pushed it out.
As for the body of the Stone Sentinel, with the appearance of the 'Heart of the Stone Sentinel,' it seemed that all the essence had been extracted from its entire body, leaving only an ordinary granite torso with no value.
Additionally, it was quite heavy.
So, it was left abandoned in the mine tunnel.
As soon as they exited the gold mine, the watching miners saw the Crystal Lizard's corpse on the cart and couldn't help but cheer for Hamilton and Ryan's group.
After whispering to Velen for a moment, Velen stepped forward and announced, "Your overseer has unfortunately fallen in battle. Now, choose a foreman to temporarily manage the gold mine."
The miners exchanged glances, their faces showing no signs of sadness.
It seemed that the death of the overseer, killed by Endry, didn't affect them much.
After a while, a middle-aged man with a dark complexion and wrinkles all over his face was chosen to temporarily take on the role of the overseer.
Once everything was settled at the mine, the group quickly returned to Shangjin Town.
Since the gold mine was located southwest of Shangjin Town, and Ryan's home was on the south side of the town, Ryan left the main group and made a quick stop at his house. Soon after, he arrived at Hamilton's office and handed over three hundred imperial gold coins.
"Sir, here are three hundred gold coins. I might need some time to gather the remaining two hundred gold coins."
Although according to the bounty hunter's loot distribution rules, he didn't need to pay this much.
However, Ryan knew that without Hamilton holding off the monster in the front and injuring it first, his chances of a successful kill would have been slim.
Moreover, this task was originally an internal mission for the Night Watch. If not for Endry's appearance, Ryan wouldn't have claimed the Heart of the Stone Sentinel as a bounty hunter.
If he had completed the mission as a Night Watchman, Ryan would have had to pay much more.
So, Ryan was actually getting a great deal.
"Good!" Hamilton, feeling relieved, looked at Ryan with a hint of surprise at his ability to produce such a large sum of money.
But he didn't ask further and accepted the payment.
After a moment's thought, Hamilton furrowed his brows and added, "By the way, Ryan, there's something you might want to consider."
"Sir, please tell me," Ryan said, noticing Hamilton's slightly troubled expression.
"Given your rapid progress, you can choose to sell the Heart of the Stone Sentinel to the Imperial Military in exchange for a high-quality Advanced Potion."
"Although you can obtain the Advanced Potion corresponding to your breathing technique using Merit Points, it would only be of ordinary quality."
"A high-quality Giant Bear Palm is rare, and even if one appears, the competition among the nobility is fierce! So, the Imperial Military is the best choice."
Ryan immediately understood Hamilton's suggestion and nodded, deep in thought.
His original intention for participating in this investigation at the Elym Gold Mine was to earn more Merit Points to exchange for an Advanced Potion.
Now, by selling the Heart of the Stone Sentinel to the Imperial Military, he could achieve this goal, no, exceed it.
According to Hamilton's explanation, a high-quality Advanced Potion had the potential to trigger two Extraordinary Relics.
During his contemplation, Ryan inadvertently glanced at Hamilton, who was drafting the 'Investigation Report,' and noticed that he had stopped writing at the section about the Stone Sentinel.
Instantly, Ryan understood.
"It seems Hamilton is facing a dilemma! If the Heart of the Stone Sentinel is mentioned in the report, the news will spread among the nobility, and I might be inundated with visitors from various influential backgrounds!"
"Hamilton must have considered this, which is why he subtly suggested this option to me."
"I won't be able to complete the class change with the Heart of the Stone Sentinel in a short time!"
Ryan realized the potential consequences of possessing such a valuable item. "My priority is to become an Extraordinary Relic as soon as possible. This world is vast, and there are countless treasures beyond just the Heart of the Stone Sentinel."
"As my strength grows, the opportunities to obtain treasures will also increase."
"The most crucial aspect is to smoothly transition through the period of weakness in your abilities."
"I also need to consider the Empire, Lord Hamilton, Baron Alonso, and the Wilderness Brotherhood, who might trace things back to me."
After this train of thought, Rain suddenly realized, "I was blinded by the system's special advanced class, the Stone Guardian!"
"Greed is indeed a sin!"
Having understood all this, Rain smiled slightly and bowed, saying, "Of course, your suggestion is excellent, Lord Hamilton. I'll leave this matter in your capable hands!"
"Good! Good!" Lord Hamilton found Rain increasingly pleasing to the eye and exclaimed "Good!" twice in a row. Simultaneously, the investigation report he was writing flowed smoothly without any further hiccups.
Lord Hamilton's quill pen danced between his fingers, swiftly completing the investigation report on the Elium Mine in just a few strokes.
Rain, on the other hand, solemnly handed over the 'Mountain Borer's Heart', which emitted a gentle yellow glow from his waist pouch, to Lord Hamilton.
Upon returning home, Rain found Anna and Mint taking care of Cookie. After greeting them, he decided to contemplate in silence. He resolved to allocate the newly gained skill points to Bear Breath Technique Level 4.
As the Bear Breath Technique reached Level 5, a flood of memories related to its cultivation instantly appeared in Rain's mind.
These fragmented cultivation memories flashed through his mind, awakening within his body's muscles and fascia, almost instinctively.
When Rain opened his eyes again, he felt as if he had endured months of arduous cultivation of the Bear Breath Technique.
His body now felt noticeably warm, with his muscles visibly swollen, and his fascia seemed to have gained increased resilience, like a network of sinews connecting his entire skeletal and muscular structure.
At this point, the Bear Breath Technique finally reached Level 5, simultaneously fulfilling the requirements for the Knight's (Extraordinary) advanced class in terms of breath techniques.
R
The fourth form required him to do a one-handed handstand, touching his palms to his head, forming a circle with his body.
The main difference between this form and the previous three was that while the first three focused on training the upper body's muscles and fascia, the fourth form seemed to emphasize flexibility and stretching of the fascia.
The ongoing mutation of his fascia intensified, with the fascia fibers becoming thicker and more prominent, connecting with Rain's skeletal and muscular fibers.
Suddenly, Rain's eyes widened as if he had broken through some sort of limit.
It was as if a bow, stretched to its limit, was pulled once more, and the bowstring snapped.
Three system notifications quietly appeared:
[Congratulations! Your Constitution attribute has increased!]
[Congratulations! Your Strength attribute has increased!]
[Congratulations! Your Agility attribute has increased!]
Rain couldn't help but look up and laugh heartily. It had been a long time since he had gained attribute increases while cultivating breath techniques.
It was about time.
But what Rain didn't expect was that three system notifications would appear all at once!
This indicated that the Bear Breath Technique did increase Agility, but it required training the subsequent forms to enhance Agility.
This made sense; otherwise, if the Bear Breath Technique only focused on Strength and Constitution, and knights who cultivated it couldn't hit their targets, it wouldn't have become so widespread.
Relatively speaking, the Bear Breath Technique emphasized Strength and Constitution.
Rain, feeling the surging power coursing through his body, realized that he had fulfilled the first prerequisite for the Knight's (Extraordinary) advancement—any knight breath technique above Level 5.
The second requirement, Strength, Agility, and Constitution above 12 points, was also just met.
All that remained was to practice Riding Skill, Shield Defense, and Archery to Level 3 or higher, and he would be done.
Riding Skill and Archery were manageable.
However, for Shield Defense, it seemed he would have to seek Lord Hamilton or the quartermaster to exchange for a related combat skill.
"Additionally, once the Bear Sword Technique reaches Level 5, I should be able to unlock the second level of Roar Strike."
Thinking of Roar Strike, Rain quickly opened the Night Watch panel and focused his mind on the icon located above the Bear Breath Technique and Bear Sword Technique. The icon depicted a roaring bear's 'headshot'! This was the icon for Roar Strike.
He took another look and read the small text in the lower right corner:
Roar Strike Level 2 requires the following conditions: 1. Bear Breath Technique Level 5, 2. Strength 12 points, Constitution 12 or higher.
(Note: Roar Strike is a secret technique and cannot be directly upgraded using skill points.)
Rain nodded, confirming that he remembered correctly; once his Bear Sword Technique reached Level 5, he could unlock Roar Strike Level 2.
This made Rain wonder about the power of Roar Strike Level 2, considering how formidable Level 1 already was.
(End of Chapter)
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