Sparks flew from beneath the Stone-Drilling Monster's crotch, but regretfully, they could not breach its defense.
Clearly, this common weak spot in humans was not applicable to the Stone-Drilling Monster.
However, most creatures do not enjoy being chopped at their groin, and it seemed that was universally true.
In an instant, the Bounty Hunter's action infuriated the Stone-Drilling Monster.
The monster swung its massive stone maul high above its head, aiming a heavy blow at the Bounty Hunter between its legs.
"Boom!"
Dust flew up, and the shock made everyone tremble.
The Bounty Hunter had already leapt to the Stone-Drilling Monster's back, chopping at its knee joints and back with his axe.
"Clang clang bang bang!"
What a commotion!
Seeing this, the other two Bounty Hunters exchanged glances, both spotting joy and hope in each other's eyes.
This Stone-Drilling Monster was indeed tall, strong, and defensively powerful, but it was not agile.
As long as they could exploit this Achilles heel, they could eventually grind the Stone-Drilling Monster down to death.
With this in mind, the two Bounty Hunters coordinated with the first to attack, circling the monster's legs, ceaselessly aiming for its knees.
Sparks scattered nonstop and debris continued to fall, revealing a light grey color different from the surface rock material.
This immediately brightened their eyes.
The situation seemed to be overwhelmingly positive!
Yet this made the Stone-Drilling Monster extremely angry, and after a roar, its entire body seemed to grow slightly larger.
The creature raised its right leg high, paused slightly as if gathering strength, and then stomped down towards the ground with the speed of lightning!
Rein had been observing this completely unknown monster from the sidelines.
But as soon as he saw the monster's power-gathering move, he narrowed his eyes, suspecting that the three Bounty Hunters were about to suffer!
At that moment, Endri shouted a warning, "No good, it's 'Boulder Trample', get out of the way!"
"Thud!!"
A tremendous force erupted from the center of the ground where the Stone-Drilling Monster had stomped, spreading outwards like waves at great speed.
It was as if a stone had been thrown onto a calm lake, rippling the surface.
Only now, the lake's surface was replaced by the ground.
Even Rein, standing over ten meters away, felt the ground shake violently; it was as if he were standing on a soft piece of dough that was constantly undulating and quivering, making it hard for him to stand steady.
One could only imagine the plight of the three Bounty Hunters who were much closer!
Although the Bounty Hunters had begun to flee, the shockwave was faster and wider, throwing them to the ground.
At that moment, the three of them turned pale with shock.
Fighting such a creature was like dancing on a tightrope; needless to say, the consequences of falling down and losing control of their bodies were imaginable.
Sure enough, a massive stone maul came crashing down from the sky.
In an instant, a Bounty Hunter was flattened into a paste, with limbs, organs, and blood splattering in all directions.
Literally, a meat paste!
A nearby Bounty Hunter, splattered with a face full of blood, turned ashen with fear and immediately tried to scramble away.
But it was too late!
The next second, he was hit in the midsection by the massive stone mallet, now swung once again, sending him crashing against the tunnel's rock wall, turning into a mush of gore.
The leading Bounty Hunter's face was now etched with terror and disbelief.
His expression hardened, he once again attempted the same trick, sliding under the Stone-Drilling Monster's crotch to escape to the other side.
"Whoosh!"
He slid through successfully!
A smile broke out on the Bounty Hunter's face as he rushed towards the others.
"Watch out!" the people shouted.
"What?"
"Why do they all look so horrified?"
"It shouldn't be! The Stone-Drilling Monster isn't agile enough to catch up."
The Bounty Hunter couldn't understand and glanced back in confusion while running at full speed.
Only to see a huge shadow charging towards his forehead.
"It's over!"
"Damn it! It can throw too!"
"Smack!"
Like a fly being smacked, the scene unfolded before everyone's eyes.
As it turned out, the Stone-Drilling Monster had just hurled its maul, which weighed hundreds of pounds, at the fleeing Bounty Hunter with full force!
Directly smashing him into a meat pancake.
At this point, all three Bounty Hunter brothers had fallen in battle!
It wasn't that the others watched idly as the trio died, but rather that the situation went from very promising to total annihilation in less than ten seconds.
It was certainly beyond everyone's expectations!
Rein sighed softly in his heart, noting that the three Bounty Hunters were clearly driven by greed.
Had they succeeded, they indeed would have been entitled to a lion's share of the value of the 'Heart of the Stone Monster' as per usual practice.
Regrettably, they had underestimated the strength of a Boulder Trample.
Now it seemed that even a true Knight, if not careful, could fall in an instant when facing a Boulder Trample, let alone the far inferior three Bounty Hunters.
Seeing the grim fate of the three made most of those present shudder with fear, and to say they weren't afraid would be a lie.
Fortunately, Hamilton had also somewhat recovered by this time.
Only his steel shield was almost twisted into a pretzel, and the left hand that held the shield was obviously more seriously injured, the armored gauntlet was even deformed at this moment, a testament to the immense Strength of the Boulder Trample.
Looking around, Hamilton quickly judged that continuing this way would not do.
The might of the Boulder Trample was astonishing; just two blows had driven him back and then effortlessly slaughtered three Bounty Hunters, its ferocious and invincible momentum reaching its peak.
They had to dampen the creature's sharpness!
In addition, the tunnel at hand was too narrow; their entire team was stretched out like a long dragon, with one end blocked by the Boulder Trample, unable to surround it and harness their numerical advantage.
Hamilton grabbed the mine supervisor, who was pale as death, by the collar and roared, "Where in the mine is there more space?"
"There is... there is!"
"The branch... There's a minecart transfer station at the branch!" Facing Hamilton's fierce gaze, the pale-faced gold mine supervisor snapped to his senses and hastily pointed in the direction.
"Night Watchman, fire arrows, everyone retreat to the branch!" Hamilton shouted.
Because the Elim Mine was so old and rich in gold deposits, there were several old tunnels that had been mined for gold, and the branch where several tunnels intersected was the minecart transfer station.
Rein nodded slightly in agreement with Hamilton's decisive decision, very much approving of his superior's choice.
He remembered the branch from his entrance.
It seemed to be the meeting point of two or three old and new tunnels. As he had passed by earlier, Rein had glanced over and, with the aid of his Dark Vision, could nearly see the area's size clearly, close to a hundred square meters.
Clearly, fighting there would certainly be better than sticking to this narrow tunnel.
With Hamilton's leadership, the elite Night Watchman's previously panicky expressions gradually faded, replaced by orderly arrow fire as they began to coordinate and retreat while shooting.
"Ting ting dang dang!"
Although the Night Watchman's archery skills were quite exquisite and their arrows sharp, they still couldn't breach the Boulder Trample's 'monstrous' defensive power.
The flurry of arrows could hardly cause any substantive damage to the Boulder Trample.
Therefore, the Night Watchman instinctively aimed at the creature's eyes, forcing it to cover them with its arms.
So, the arrows had at least a decent disruptive effect.
Meanwhile, this allowed the entire team to retreat in an orderly fashion while engaging in battle, eventually reaching the minecart transfer station at the branch.
However, many of the keenly observant Night Watchman noticed that the Boulder Trample's body seemed to have swelled slightly more than before.
Moreover, its movement and attack speeds had also increased a bit from earlier.
This gave Rein cause for concern as well.
"Is this Boulder Trample's strength actually increasing as the fight goes on?"
"Truly monstrous indeed!"
At this moment, the Wandering Bard Endri, who stood next to the viscounty pale Schmidt, whispered, "As soon as there's an opportunity, follow me and we leave immediately."
"This Boulder Trample seems to have awakened a furious talent, and even if we all attacked together, we might not withstand it."
"Soon, Hamilton and these Night Watchman will suffer heavy losses."
"Manager Schmidt, make sure to stick close to me for a quick escape!"
"Alright... alright!"
Having been intimidated by the Boulder Trample, Manager Schmidt quickly agreed upon hearing Endri's words, grasping at it like a drowning man clutching at a straw; as someone usually in charge of the viscounty's internal affairs, he was rather unaccustomed to such perilous situations, and he momentarily felt helpless!
As the Boulder Trample was slowly lured into the widest part of the tunnel—the minecart transfer station—the tide of battle quickly turned.
In the relatively open space, the seven or eight still combat-capable Night Watchman finally managed to encircle the Boulder Trample and, together with their leader Hamilton, assault it from all sides.
Rein at this moment was still observing for any weaknesses.
Apart from the eyes, which were an obvious weak point, to be honest, the Boulder Trample's body was nearly covered from top to bottom with hard, thick layers of rock, leaving no obvious vulnerabilities exposed.
"Cast the net!!" While engaging the Boulder Trample's attention upfront, Hamilton quickly commanded.
Instantly, three or four hemp rope nets were thrown onto the monster.
But due to the vast disparity in strength, even when three or four Night Watchman strained with all their might to pull on one end of the net, the Boulder Trample still managed to grab and toss it aside with a single swipe.
Meanwhile, Endri and Schmidt had already snuck to the minecart transfer station's exit, looking ready to flee at any moment.
Rein certainly noticed this scene.
"As expected, all the 'smart people' from the County Town are thinking of escaping first when things look bad," he mused.
Stop them?
Rein shook his head slightly; doing so would be of no use in changing the current situation.
Now, he had a tentative plan in mind, but he wasn't yet certain of its effectiveness.
However... time could no longer be delayed; he had to act!
Otherwise, if these two really managed to escape, it would deal a heavy blow to the morale of the elite Night Watchmen who are holding their ground in battle!
After all, anyone would think: "Damn it, I'm fighting to the death here, and these two just ran away."
Once confidence is lost, I'm afraid Hamilton could fight to his last breath and still not be able to turn the tide.
However, just as Rein was about to launch an attack, Hamilton, who was a Knight, taught everyone a lesson on 'what a Knight's strength really is'!
Hamilton, wielding a sword and shield, quickly charged towards the rock monster.
Seeing the 'little guy' attack again, the monster immediately focused its attention on Hamilton and swung its over two-meter-long giant stone mace at him with great force.
Since there was no need to save anyone this time, Hamilton dealt with the rock monster's mace attack in a completely different way.
Instead of backing away, Hamilton stepped towards the rock monster to face the incoming mace, avoiding the most powerful part of the mace head and, with a loud 'bang', blocked it with his shield at the center of the mace handle.
He took the rock monster's strike squarely!
At the same time, Hamilton roared with anger, and after deflecting the monster's mace with his shield, his longsword in his right hand delivered a horizontal slash at the monster's thick neck.
"Clang!"
Sparks flew everywhere!
But Hamilton had Knight-level strength, far surpassing that of the three Bounty Hunters.
Although he did not break through the rock monster's stony exterior with one strike, he shattered several blocky stones at its neck and left a sword mark several centimeters deep.
The monster roared in pain right away!
It became visibly more enraged, lifting its right foot high, ready to unleash that powerful stomp it had used before.
Hamilton's pupils constricted. He struck the monster's belly with a Shield Strike and, using the recoil from the shield, he rapidly retreated.
"Boom!!"
The rock monster stomped down heavily.
"Boulder Trample!"
A circle with a radius of about three meters centered on the monster's foot collapsed more than ten centimeters into the ground, and all sorts of crushed rocks and clods of dirt were blasted over a meter high into the air.
Even those standing seven or eight meters away were having trouble keeping their balance.
After evading the monster's strike, Hamilton pushed off with his right leg and quickly returned, wielding his sword and shield, to engage the monster in combat once again.
"Bang!"
"Ding!"
Hamilton was sent flying once more.
This time, Hamilton seemed a bit overwhelmed, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth!
But he also successfully deepened the original sword mark on the monster's neck, exposing a different shade of gray-white beneath the rocky exterior.
This sight made Rein's eyes light up!
Before, the plan in his mind wasn't very certain, but now, it instantly came together with the last piece of the puzzle.
And seeing their superior demonstrate such power greatly boosted the morale of the elite Night Watchmen.
"Huh! Didn't expect the sheriff of Flashgold Town to be so strong," Endri couldn't help but show a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"If that's the case, then there might still be a chance to kill this Burrower Beast."
After murmuring to himself for a few moments, he took out a pale yellow Beastskin Scroll from his bosom.
From its appearance, it didn't seem much different from an ordinary parchment scroll.
However, as he chanted a strangely intoned spell, the next second, the Beastskin Scroll suddenly emitted a pale green light and then instantly turned to powder.
In front of Endri, a large mass of foul-smelling, pale green liquid abruptly appeared.
This caused Rein, who was nearby, to have a contraction of his pupils.
"Is this... a power from the mysterious aspect?"
"But why is this fellow only making a move now?"
"If he had acted earlier, the entire situation would have been completely different!"
But soon, Rein figured it out. The opponent must have judged that the scales of victory were tipping in favor of the Night Watchman and thus, the original plan to escape swiftly changed to 'adding flowers to the brocade' with a wave of their hand.
Moreover, judging by the pained expression on the opponent's face, this scroll must be extremely valuable.
Got it! The opponent wants to gain the rights to divide the spoils of war!
.....
In an instant, many questions and speculations flashed through Rein's mind.
"Acid Missile Scroll?" Hamilton, who was in the midst of battle, also noticed the anomaly and looked at Endri with surprise.
He recognized at a glance that the object used by the opponent was a Sorcery Scroll 'Acid Missile'.
Almost simultaneously, Hamilton understood why the other had been reluctant to use it until now.
Immediately, Hamilton cursed in a low voice, "A Wizard Apprentice disguised as a Wandering Bard, huh? A bunch of delicate egoists!"
"Casting such a precious sorcery scroll without giving notice in advance so others could coordinate! What a pain in the ass!"
By the time Hamilton wanted to coordinate, it was already too late, and instead, he had to quickly move away from the vicinity of the Burrower Beast to avoid being splashed by the acid.
"Go!"
Endri's face almost contorted in a spasm, seemingly exerting a great deal of effort to control the stinky liquid, which he directed straight at the Burrower Beast.
It seemed the creature had sensed the special energy fluctuation early on, periodically glancing in Endri's direction.
So, when it saw the approaching mass of pale green liquid, it suddenly darted to the side with a flicker, narrowly evading the attack by a hair's breadth.
The mass of pale green liquid, upon striking the tunnel wall, sizzled with intense corrosion.
Quickly, it melted a basin-sized hole in the rock.
The potency of this attack made even Rein take notice.
But unfortunately, the attack missed, otherwise the Burrower Beast would have been grievously wounded.
This made Endri so furious he was nearly pounding his chest and stamping his feet on the spot!
Rein thought for a moment and did not immediately draw the Fine Steel Greatsword from his back. Instead, he adjusted his position to circle behind the Burrower Beast, seized the opportunity, and quickly started charging.
Rein's footsteps seemed slow but were actually quick. He continually adjusted his steps so as to always stay directly behind the constantly moving Burrower Beast.
As he was about to close in, Rein suddenly pushed off the ground, and the hard earthen floor of the mine showed a small depression.
At that moment, like a cannonball, he surged towards the back of the Burrower Beast's head.
Rein silently invoked "Strength Burst" in mid-air, tensed his abdomen, brought his legs together, and stretched them out straight, aiming a vicious double-footed kick at the back of the Boulder Trample Beast's head.
A 22-point Strength flying kick had already surpassed that of Hamilton, the official Knight, even exceeding the full-strength blow of a ferociously transformed jackal-man.
And the point of attack was the back of the Boulder Trample Beast's head.
With that kick, Rein sent the beast stumbling forward, nearly causing its massive body to fall to the ground.
But the stone beast, true to its rock-hard defense, took Rein's kick head-on, and with a shaky, slightly dazed head, used its hands to prop itself up, adamantly refusing to fall completely.
Rein then used the recoil to execute a 360-degree spin in the air and landed firmly on the ground.
Immediately after, he sprinted quickly to the side.
This move left Hamilton, Endri, and the other Night Watchmen bewildered for a moment.
All eyes focused on Rein, waiting to see how he would deal with the thick-skinned, immensely strong Boulder Trample Beast.
After all, knocking down and killing were two different concepts.
However, it seemed Hamilton vaguely understood Rein's plan and immediately shouted, "Continue to throw the nets, pull the ropes!"
Thus, the group of red-faced Night Watchmen strained to pull the ropes together, attempting to disrupt the Boulder Trample Beast's movements and delay its actions.
After shaking its head, the stone beast realized that it had placed its hands on the ground, causing its gigantic stone-headed maul to roll to the side. Just as it extended a finger to grab its weapon,
Rein was already swiftly sprinting in from behind.
"Leap Slash!"
He chopped down heavily on the Boulder Trample Beast's right hand fingers.
Empowered by the immense strength of the core skill "Strength Burst," Rein targeted the 'delicate' fingers.
"Crack!"
Rein severed four fingers in an instant!
The Boulder Trample Beast roared in fury, clearly in deep pain.
It appeared that even stone beasts felt pain in each finger!
Nevertheless, Rein's strike further enraged the creature, which with a violent yank, toppled all the elite Night Watchmen who had been pulling the hemp rope nets.
The next second, several hemp rope nets were abruptly torn apart by the Boulder Trample Beast.
But just as the Night Watchmen were exclaiming in shock,
The Boulder Trample Beast suddenly saw its own large stone-headed maul hurtling towards it.
It paused, puzzled, for it had not even reached its hammer.
A muscular 'little fellow' was brandishing a gigantic stone-headed maul that was even taller than himself, striking the Boulder Trample Beast's head fiercely.
"Boom!"
The beast, caught off guard, was sent staggering back three steps by the forceful blow.
Each step shattered the mine's long-compacted ground, demonstrating how heavy and powerful the Boulder Trample Beast was!
But it also showed the incredible strength of Rein's hammer strike!
Perhaps due to some specialization with hammers, Rein clasped the handle with both hands, still barely managing to grip the large stone-headed maul, yet he swung it as if it were strangely familiar.
He wielded this massive hammer with ease that belied the effort expected, yet its power was undiminished!
This spectacle instantly made all the Night Watchmen's faces flush with excitement, they were thrilled to the point of nearly breaking into applause.
Let's not forget, Rein was one of their own.
Hamilton watched with continuous admiration.
He had tested Rein's strength and knew that Rein was not an official Knight.
But at the moment, Rein's strength seemed even greater than his!
Could it be some inherent talent?
He would need to have a good talk with the young man Rein later!
"Boom!"
While the beast was dazed by the impact, Rein delivered another hammer blow right to the Boulder Trample Beast's head, instantly stunning it.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
After several more blows, the Boulder Trample Beast finally fell, collapsing onto its back.
"Bang"
A cloud of dust rose from the ground.
But Rein knew that the beast had merely fainted, not died.
He dropped the stone-headed maul and turned to pull out the Dual-Handed Greatsword planted in the ground nearby, charging straight for the beast's head.
"Leap Slash!"
Rein leaped high, exerting all his strength, aimed for the deep sword mark left by Hamilton on the neck, and chopped down hard!
"Crack!"
The beheading was a success!
The Boulder Trample Beast's body and head were severed!
Rein was also drenched in sweat, his muscles returned to normal, gasping for air, looking completely drained.
No wonder, this was the side effect of using 'Strength Burst' with full force, and now Rein's muscles ached and his combat ability was significantly weakened.
However, it was then that Rein realized this Boulder Trample Beast seemed not an ordinary creature, but more like a silicon-based lifeform or perhaps an elemental creature.
The cut surface oozed no blood or anything like that, its body seemingly composed of different types of rock material from the inside out.
Then, the three-meter tall Boulder Trample Beast suddenly began to transform, a dull yellow glow gradually spreading over its body, then converging toward the chest.
The dull yellow glow started to cover the whole body of the stone beast and gradually thickened on the upper body, then concentrated on the chest.
The glow shifted from pale yellow to a dense yellow, and the luminosity intensified, eventually surpassing even the brilliance of gold.
"This... I didn't expect it to actually appear!" Wandering Bard Endri's eyes shone with blatant greed.
Endri also saw the appearance of a Transcendent oddity, the 'Stone Monster's Heart,' for the first time.
No, to be precise, there should be very few people in the world who have witnessed the appearance of a 'Stone Monster's Heart.'
After all, creatures like the digging stone monster haven't appeared in the imperial territory for many years.
The majority of 'Stone Monster's Hearts' come from outside the imperial territory, in places like primeval forests and hills.
Therefore, almost every 'Stone Monster's Heart' can fetch a sky-high price at auctions, naturally much higher than a thousand imperial gold coins.
This isn't even at an auction in a place like Meister County, but at the provincial-level auctions held by the major provinces.
The 'worth a fortune' he had previously mentioned was, of course, just a way to encourage everyone to fight.
Especially for those in need, its value is actually difficult to estimate.
Like the other Night Watchmen, Rein was staring wide-eyed at the miraculous scene before him.
It was Hamilton who reacted first, laughing and saying to Rein, "It seems we're in luck!"
"Rein, as the 'prime contributor,' you go and collect the Stone Monster's Heart. We should retreat first!"
Now with heavy losses on our side, lingering in Elim Mine is definitely not a good idea.
Who knows if there's another digging stone monster lurking in this mine!
"Yes, Lord Hamilton!" Rein replied with a smile and a nod.
Facing such a rare treasure, Rein naturally wanted to feel it up close as well.
Immediately, he stepped forward quickly and swung his fine steel greatsword at the chest of the digging stone monster.
Perhaps because the digging stone monster was already dead, when Rein's fine steel greatsword hacked down, the thick layer of hard rock at the monster's chest actually crumbled away like debris.
This made it easy for Rein to carve open the monster's chest.
Soon, a heart about the size of an infant's head, emitting a gentle yellow glow, appeared before Rein's eyes.
This was also Rein's first encounter with a so-called Transcendent oddity. He hesitantly set down his fine steel greatsword and took the 'Stone Monster's Heart' out with both hands.
A warm sensation with a special rhythm came from his fingertips and palms.
It was a strange feeling, and Rein had never experienced anything quite like it before.
[Ding! Host has come into contact with the Transcendent oddity 'Stone Monster's Heart,' triggering the special advancement profession—Giant Stone Guardian (Transcendent)!]
[Prerequisites for advancing to Giant Stone Guardian are: ???....Current conditions not met, advancement to Giant Stone Guardian failed!]
Rein was immediately taken aback!
"Eh! It's a special Transcendent combat profession!"
"But what the hell does the three question marks for prerequisites mean?"
"Does it mean the gap between me and this special advancement profession is too great?"
"Or is it because there's some element of uncertainty between me and this profession?"
After being stunned for a few seconds, Rein came to his senses, realizing that this Transcendent oddity seemed to be of great use to him.
Without delay, Rein turned eagerly to Hamilton and said, "Lord Hamilton, may I directly purchase the 'Stone Monster's Heart'?"
Hamilton, supported by Weilun, approached and examined the 'Stone Monster's Heart' emitting a gentle yellow glow, laughing, "I, too, am seeing the legendary 'Stone Monster's Heart' for the first time."
"Rein, what made you think of wanting this? The price isn't cheap, you know?"
"Even if valued at a thousand imperial gold coins, you need to pay three-tenths of the spoils to the empire, which means you need to fork out 300 gold coins."
"Then, out of the remaining seven-tenths of the spoils, you still need to distribute at least 200 imperial gold coins to others, including myself."
Although Hamilton did not know why Rein suddenly took a liking to this, he did not object, merely stating that Rein needed to pay a considerable sum of money.
Rein had already anticipated this point.
Since the last time he had robbed 'Hound King' Kol, he could immediately come up with three hundred gold coins.
As for the remaining two hundred gold, scraping them together by hook or by crook was estimated to be not a big problem either.
"Of course! It's only fair." Seeing that Hamilton was not opposed, Rein couldn't help but express his elation.
Hamilton looked at Rein with surprise again. He had not expected Rein to want it so badly—five hundred imperial gold coins was no small amount.
At that moment, Endri whispered something to Schmidt at the side.
Then, the butler named Schmidt suddenly interjected, "Wait a moment!"
"According to the Night Watchman's Empire spoils distribution regulations, this 'Stone Monster's Heart' should have three-tenths belonging to the empire, and only the remaining seven-tenths can be distributed as spoils. Lord Hamilton, is this correct?"
Upon hearing Schmidt speak, Rein's heart sank.
Remembering some of Endri's previous actions, he already had a vague idea of what they were up to.
"Damn shameless, both Endri and Schmidt, thinking of running away when the battle situation seemed unfavorable, and then wanting a share when the tides turned."
"And now, do they want to meddle in the distribution of the spoils?"
Hamilton's face also darkened, well aware of the noble's schemes. He quickly understood their intention.
However, their question was straightforward and fair, and though they hadn't been much help during the fight, they were representatives of the county town, the Earl, and the Viscount, so he obviously could not ignore them.
After some consideration, Hamilton had no choice but to nod and say, "Yes, Butler Schmidt, that's indeed the case."
As soon as Hamilton nodded in agreement, the butler named Schmidt immediately became animated and said:
"As a representative of Count Habs and Viscount Hamadi of the county town, I have the right to take custody of and appraise this 'Stone Monster's Heart.'"
"Of course, the distribution of the seven-tenths of the spoils of war to the valiant warriors will not change!"
Schmidt seemed to enter a realm he was familiar with when it came to the distribution of spoils, a complete contrast from his previous state of utter panic caused by the mountain monster. It was like seeing two different faces!
This made Hamilton, Rein, and the rest of the Night Watchmen feel as nauseated as if they had swallowed a fly.
Indeed, it was the typical noble countenance. With minor interests at stake, one could afford to be magnanimous and give Hamilton face, just like with the crystal lizard incident earlier.
But when the interests involved were substantial, Hamilton's face obviously didn't carry the same weight.
Rein knew that all of this seemed to be instigated by the so-called Wandering Bard, Endri.
"You'll be in charge of keeping and appraising?"
"After you return to County Town, whatever the appraised value, isn't it entirely up to you?"
Besides, Rein knew from the moment Endri had seen the mountain stone creature and exclaimed "extinct" that even an auction house couldn't immediately come up with an accurate price.
After all, it's hardest to appraise something that's out of print.
For a moment, the spacious minecart transfer station was silent.
The elite members of the Night Watchmen, although injured, glared at this steward Schmidt with fury.
Rein felt he had to do something. After all, if he left it to the other party for safekeeping and valuation, he—the 'primary hero'—stood to lose the most!
Suddenly, a stroke of inspiration flashed across Rein's mind.
He suddenly thought of why those three Bounty Hunters had rushed to attack the mountain stone creature so frantically?
Would the steward Schmidt be able to get involved if they had succeeded in killing it then?
Of course not!
Bounty Hunters abide by the most primitive rules of spoils distribution: whoever makes the kill gets the right to distribute, everyone else who assisted can only claim a small share.
That's why, under these rules, Bounty Hunters are reckless and fearless!
Bounty Hunters, as the name implies, everything for the bounty!
Bounty is above all!
This is inscribed in the Empire's code of law.
"Don't forget, you yourself are a Bounty Hunter!"
With this in mind, a sly smile crept across Rein's lips.
Immediately, Rein quickly fastened his Bounty Hunter badge to the front of his left chest and said, "That Schmidt... Lord Schmidt. I am actually a Bounty Hunter."
"Therefore, according to the Empire's laws, the Bounty Hunter who makes the final kill naturally obtains the right to distribute the spoils."
"So, I'm sorry, but this 'Heart of the Stone Creature' cannot be entrusted to you for safekeeping."
"Because, it is inherently my battle trophy!"
"How could that be!!!" Schmidt, red-faced and flustered like a duck whose neck had been squeezed, exclaimed.
"How... how could you possibly be a Bounty Hunter? Aren't you a Night Watchman!!"
At this moment, even Endri was looking at Rein dumbfounded.
Rein's cunning move had virtually dazzled the two men.
Rein smiled slightly.
He took off his junior Bounty Hunter badge from his chest, showed it to the two men briefly, and said, "This is a genuine Bounty Hunter badge, applied for by Lord Hamilton himself, and I just received it a few days ago."
Rein's statement also caught Hamilton and the other Night Watchmen nearby off guard.
Hamilton, however, had a sudden realization, with an air of 'you sly dog, you got me monologuing,' as if he had just thought of such a scheme himself.
Plus, seeing Rein making meaningful eye contact, how could Hamilton not know what to do?
After all, it's better to have the spoils stew in one's own pot, where anyone can eat.
But if even the pot is taken away by someone else, then there's nothing left for anyone!
This logic was instantly clear to everyone.
"Right, I had completely forgotten, this mission, I invited Rein to help as a Bounty Hunter," Hamilton smacked his forehead, and decisively affirmed.
When even the leader of the Night Watchmen in Flashgold Town acknowledged Rein as a Bounty Hunter for this investigation, what was there left to dispute!
This turn of events whitened Endri's face with fury, his body trembling.
So, in full view of everyone, Rein cheerfully stowed the softly glowing yellow 'Heart of the Stone Creature' into his waist pouch.
Worried about offending the representative of the County Town, aren't you?
Having the Transcendent treasure in hand, even if he couldn't use it immediately, at worst he could trade it with Hamilton for a superior potion of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique, right?
Then, once he became a formal Knight, would he need to fear a representative?
Don't forget, a representative is ultimately just that, a representative.
"As for the distribution of interests between myself, Hamilton, and the other Night Watchmen, that can naturally be negotiated with Hamilton after returning."
"At least, the spoils cannot fall into the hands of outsiders."
"On this point, my interests align with Hamilton's!"
Having pocketed the 'Heart of the Stone Creature', it was only then that Rein remembered to check the system notifications.
[Your skill, Giant Bear Sword Technique, has been upgraded, Experience +267]
[You have experienced a battle, Night Watchman Professional Experience Points +258]
Before the battle with the quarry stone monster, Rein had spent a long time observing his opponent, contemplating numerous combat plans.
In the end, the situation was changed by the two strikes from Hamilton, making all the hard work worthwhile.
After defeating the stone monster, Rein had reaped a rich reward of Night Watchman professional experience, and the Night Watchman had been leveled up from level 3 to level 4.
However, this time the experience gained for the Giant Bear Sword Technique was less.
This was also quite understandable.
Rein had been swinging a hammer for a long time, naturally resulting in less improvement in his swordsmanship.
Nevertheless, even so, after two consecutive battles, Rein's Giant Bear Sword Technique level 4 was about to be maxed out, currently at Giant Bear Sword Technique lv4 (967/1000).
Rein once again flipped to the homepage of the system panel—'Attributes Page'
Name: Rein Carlan
Profession: Blacksmith lv2 (0/300) / Night Watchman lv4 (32/1000) / Dog Trainer lv2 (223/300)
Constitution: 10
Strength: 11
Agility: 11
Spirit: 11
Remaining Attribute Points: 1
Remaining Skill Points: 1
Just as Rein was hesitating about how to allocate the points, a deep voice suddenly came from behind him.
He recognized the voice—it should have been Endri's voice.
But this time the tone was bizarre, seeming to be filled with resentment and dissatisfaction, making Rein suddenly unsure.
"You ignorant common folks, how do you know the value of the 'Heart of the Stone Monster.'"
"Why must you force me?"
"You bunch of idiots!"
"Ah!!" Only a scream was heard from behind.
Those who were cleaning up the battlefield immediately turned to look.
What they saw next was a shocking scene.
Endri was holding a rapier, and at that moment, the rapier had pierced through the chest of the County Town representative—Schmidt, the butler.
The location was the middle-left part of the thorax, clearly where the heart was located.
Schmidt shook like a sieve, one hand holding the rapier, the other pointing at Endri, his face showing disbelief, his mouth muttered twice, but in the end, he did not manage to speak, and his body slowly slumped down.
This scene evidently astounded everyone.
"So you kill a companion just because you couldn't get the treasure?"
"What's the meaning of this?"
Rein was also staring dumbfounded at the scene before him.
"Has Endri gone mad?"
"To actually dare to directly kill Schmidt, the representative of Earl Harris and Viscount Hamadi?"
With a calm face, Endri glanced at Schmidt, who was still twitching on the ground, and said:
"Since I can't get it, there's no use keeping you."
"Then you all can die!"
"Swoosh!"
Endri struck again with a rapier, slashing the neck of the petrified gold mine supervisor standing next to him.
The gold mine supervisor clutched his neck tightly and with a 'thud', he fell to the ground, his body incessantly twitching!
Afterward, Endri raised his head, surveyed the surroundings, looking at everyone with the eyes of someone watching dead men. Soon, his gaze focused on Rein.
Supported by Weilun, the severely wounded Hamilton, with a serious expression, looked at Endri and said, "Endri, are you trying to commit murder for treasure?"
"You are overestimating yourself! There are so many of us here, you are just seeking your own death!"
Endri scoffed and said, "Oh, you guessed it? I just observed that you are strong, indeed, Hamilton, your identity must be more than just a small town's sheriff, right?"
"But... that no longer matters!"
"Hamilton, if you weren't injured, I might still fear you a bit. Unfortunately, in this state, how much strength can you really use?"
"A knight severely wounded, an almost knight exhausted but with some brute strength, besides, a few ordinary Night Watchmen..." Endri looked around at the people, giving a gentlemanly review one by one.
Rein was taken aback.
"'Exhausted' 'brute strength' is he talking about me?"
Moreover, Rein also didn't expect Endri to be so bold as to plan to kill everyone present.
Was that even possible?
"Though I am severely injured, to kill an apprentice wizard like you would probably still be no problem." Hamilton pushed Weilun aside and drew his knight's longsword to go forward.
But he had only taken one step when Hamilton's figure swayed slightly, and his expression suddenly changed.
"You poisoned me?"
"Smart! Hallucinogenic poison gas, this is something that can affect even a knight like you, especially now that you are severely injured, you definitely cannot resist." Endri slightly proudly displayed a ring on the ring finger of his right hand.
"Hmm, hallucinogenic poison gas?"
Rein immediately realizes something is wrong!
The scenery before his eyes suddenly blurs, and he feels a bit unstable on his feet!
The other elite Night Watchmen fared even worse, already falling to the ground like drunken strongmen, unable to stand up after several attempts, speaking utter nonsense.
Clearly, for ordinary people, the onset of hallucinogenic poison gas is rapid and effective.
In this state, even a child with a knife could finish off the elite Night Watchmen.
Not to mention, switching to the ruthless Endri.
No wonder this guy looked determined to win!
So he had a trump card!
"Luckily, I had accumulated quite some experience before coming here and had killed the Crystal Lizard and the Mountain Stone Monster, just in time for a level up!"
"Next time, I must always keep some attribute points in reserve!"
"It seems I've been advancing too quickly recently, getting a bit carried away!"
Rein reflected, then quietly added that one attribute point to his Constitution.
Instantly, a warm current pumped out from his heart and spread rapidly to his limbs, filling Rein with renewed strength and erasing the muscle soreness from his earlier use of Strength Burst.
All issues with blurred vision and dizziness were gone as well.
However, Rein knew he had to act quickly.
Allocating points could not detoxify him, it was more like a reset of his body's current state of poisoning, just like the last time.
The air was still filled with toxic gas, so he had to finish Endri quickly.
Conveniently, Endri's first choice was also Rein.
The reason was simple; the treasure 'Heart of the Stone Monster' was with Rein.
Killing for treasure was most essential, wasn't it?
Endri walked up to Rein, looked down at him with a smirk, and said, "Boy, you've got good talent, too bad!"
After speaking, he pointed the tip of his rapier at Rein's heart.
"Oh, do you have any last words for your loved ones? Maybe, if I'm in a good mood someday, I could pass them on." Endri teased Rein.
Rein gave Endri a slight smile.
The next second, he rolled up to his feet, his neck veins bulging as he roared!
"Ha!!!"
Rein's mouth opened wide, and a roaring gust of air blasted out like a cannonball!
At such close range, even though Rein didn't deliberately gather strength for the Roaring Strike, the massive sound wave swept towards Endri like a tsunami.
As Endri's face showed a startled expression, his face skin was violently distorted by the blast, trembling!
Simultaneously, his eardrums burst instantly, causing a buzzing in his head!
The man stood frozen on the spot.
"Whoosh!"
A beautiful silver arc appeared before Endri.
Rein, holding his greatsword, remained in his Furious Slash pose, motionless.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
The next second, a line of blood appeared on Endri's forehead, running from top to bottom!
"Pfft!"
Two halves of a body fell to the left and to the right respectively.
Endri was directly cut in half by Rein's greatsword.
"Too much talking, really isn't good!"
Nevertheless, the poison was still unresolved.
So, Rein quickly started searching Endri's body.
But he was now slightly regretting splitting Endri in half as it meant he had to search the two parts of the body separately.
Quickly, Rein found a palm-sized leather wallet, a rapier hidden inside a wooden staff, a worn sheepskin covered diary, and three differently shaped bottles.
After some thought, Rein also took off an emerald ring from Endri's right ring finger that looked like it harbored vast properties, a poison ring indeed.
Although he found bottles that looked like antidotes, Rein wasn't sure which one was the antidote.
Considering Endri didn't succumb to this hallucinogenic poision, there was a high probability that there was an antidote.
Endri didn't possess the physical strength of a formal knight, it didn't make sense that Hamilton could not resist it, but he could.
After the previous assassin poisoning event, Rein was not completely clueless about poisons and antidotes.
Using the process of elimination, Rein held the most likely bottle and walked over to the staggering 'Cookie'.
Rein muttered, "'Cookie', you've eaten so many good things, testing a drug for your owner isn't too much, right?"
"If this bottle isn't the antidote, then it's likely the hallucinogenic poison itself."
"Given that it's a hallucinogenic poison, it shouldn't be lethal, letting you sniff it might just make the madness last a bit longer."
Rein opened the bottle, held his breath, fanned the wind with his hand, and a light green stench wafted towards 'Cookie'."
'Cookie' immediately showed a nauseous expression after sniffing the stench, and in less than two seconds, began retching.
This made Rein's heart suddenly drop!
Just as Rein thought he had made a mistake, 'Cookie's eyes quickly cleared up, and he slowly stood up, soon walking normally again.
Rein was delighted, clearly this was the antidote.
Rein also took a light sniff himself, and instantly, his face turned green!
"It really stinks!"
However, the effect was indeed excellent as Rein's vision cleared up immediately.
Without delay, Rein administered the antidote to everyone present.
Soon, everyone recovered one by one.
Seeing the split body of Endri, no one had any doubts that Rein had saved them.
Hamilton patted Rein on the shoulder and said, "Good lad, if it weren't for you, we would have been victimized by that despicable Wizard Apprentice today."
"Wizard Apprentice? Wasn't he a Wandering Bard?" Rein was startled.
"Only his outward appearance. In fact, Endri was a Wizard Apprentice."
"Judging by his recent need for a Sorcery Scroll to successfully cast 'Acid Missile', I reckon he was just a Level 1 Wizard Apprentice."
Hamilton shared his speculation.
Wizard Apprentice?
Listening by the side, Rein was deep in thought.
Clearly, what the opponent had used was witchcraft; the pale green corrosive liquid sphere was called 'acid missile,' and its power was quite remarkable.
Seeing the look of yearning on Rein's face, Hamilton immediately understood something and said,
"These wizard apprentices vary in strength."
"However, Rein, you are one of the most talented knights I've come across. Don't get distracted, stick to the path of the knight."
"Only knights are orthodox. Many of these wizard apprentices end up neither human nor ghost."
"Uh... Thank you for the reminder, sir."
Rein nodded initially, but his eyes flickered.
"Clearly, Hamilton is a resolute supporter of transcendental knights."
"Asking him more about wizard apprentices would only displease him."
"I'll look for a better opportunity next time."
The crystal lizard was loaded onto the mining cart; the elite Night Watchman pushed it out slowly.
The body of the rock beast, following the appearance of the 'Heart of the Stone Beast,' seemed to have had its essence drained, leaving behind only a carcass of ordinary granite, which was essentially worthless.
And heavy as well.
So, it was simply abandoned inside the mine.
Upon exiting the gold mine, the gathering of miners saw the body of the crystal lizard on the mining cart and couldn't help cheering warmly for Hamilton and Rein's group.
After whispering a few words to Weilun, Hamilton stepped forward and loudly said,
"Your foreman has tragically died in battle. Now, choose a temporary foreman to oversee the gold mine."
The miners looked at each other, their faces showing no hint of sadness.
Apparently, the gold mine foreman, killed by Endri, was not well-liked at all.
Suddenly, there was some movement in the crowd, and a middle-aged man with a face full of wrinkles and dark skin was pushed forward as the temporary foreman.
Once everything at the gold mine was arranged, the group quickly returned to Flashgold Town.
Since the gold mine was located southwest of Flashgold Town, and Rein's home was on the south side of the town,
Rein then broke off from the main group, stopped by his house, and soon after, he arrived at Hamilton's office, handing over three hundred imperial gold coins directly to Hamilton.
"Sir, here are three hundred gold coins. I might need some time to give you the remaining two hundred," Rein said.
Even though the rules for bounty hunters' loot distribution did not require him to give so much,
Rein knew very well that without Hamilton holding off and injuring the monster first, his chances of achieving a successful kill would have been slim.
Moreover, this mission at Elim Gold Mine was actually an internal task of the Night Watchman. Had it not been for Endri's appearance, Rein wouldn't have claimed the 'Heart of the Stone Beast' as a bounty hunter.
If it had been in the name of the Night Watchman, Rein would have had to pay far more than this.
Thus, Rein actually got quite a bargain.
"Okay!" Hamilton looked at Rein with relief, although he was a bit surprised that Rein could bring out so much money at once.
He didn't say much and simply accepted it.
After thinking it over, Hamilton said with a frown, "By the way, Rein, I have a suggestion that you might want to consider."
"Please, tell me, sir," Rein said, curious, watching Hamilton's slightly troubled expression.
"With your rate of progress, you could choose to sell the 'Heart of the Stone Beast' to the imperial army in exchange for a high-quality advancement magic potion."
"Although the advancement magic potion suitable for your breathing technique can be obtained using Merit Points, those exchanged are just of ordinary quality."
"High-quality 'Giant Bear's Paw' is rare, and even if it's available, the competition among nobles is fierce! So, the imperial army is the best choice."
Rein immediately understood Hamilton's point, nodded, and began to seriously consider it.
This investigation mission in the Elim Gold Mine was initially intended to earn more Merit Points to exchange for advancement magic potions.
Now, just by selling the 'Heart of the Stone Beast' to the imperial army, he could achieve this goal, no, exceed it.
Because, according to Hamilton, high-quality advancement magic potions might trigger two transcendent features.
During his pondering, Rein inadvertently caught a glimpse of the 'investigative report' Hamilton was drafting himself, noticing he had written up to the part about the rock beast and stopped abruptly.
Instantly, Rein understood.
"It seems Hamilton also encountered a dilemma! If the 'Heart of the Stone Beast' were to be included in the report, the news would inevitably spread among the nobility, and countless powerful entities might come looking for me."
"Hamilton was considering this, which is why he subtly made this suggestion to me."
"In the short term, I will not be able to successfully transfer jobs with the 'Heart of the Stone Beast' on hand!"
He who carries the jade is guilty, that much Rein understood.
"What's most crucial for me at present is to step into the transcendent as soon as possible. The world is so vast, and the amount of treasures isn't limited to just the 'Heart of the Stone Beast'."
"As my strength improves, the opportunities to obtain treasures will also increase."
"What's more important, however, is to smoothly get through this period of being weak!"
"Besides, I've already gotten on the bad side of the Norman family, Baron Alonso, and who knows if the Brotherhood of the Wilderness will trace anything back to me..."
After such contemplation, Rein was suddenly enlightened!
"I was blinded by the system notification of the special promotion to 'Giant Stone Guard'!"
"Greed is indeed the original sin!"
Having figured it all out, Rein smiled slightly and bowed slightly, saying,
"Of course, that's a great suggestion, Lord Hamilton. I'll leave this matter to you then!"
"Good! Good!" the more Hamilton looked at Rein, the more he liked him, and he repeatedly said the word 'good' twice.
At the same time, the investigation report he was writing no longer had any obstacles.
Hamilton's quill flew swiftly between his fingers. With a few swift strokes, he completed the report on the Elim Mine.
Meanwhile, Rein took out the 'Stone Monster's Heart', emitting a soft yellow glow from his waist pouch, and diligently handed it to Lord Hamilton.
...
After returning home, Anna and Bo He were taking care of 'Cookie'. Rein greeted them and went back to his room.
After quietly thinking to himself, Rein decided to add that newly gained skill point to his Giant Bear Breathing Technique lv4.
As the Giant Bear Breathing Technique advanced to lv5.
Instantly, a surge of memories about the practice of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique came flooding into Rein's mind.
These fragmented breathing technique memories passed one by one through Rein's mind and awakened instinctively within the muscle and fascia memory of his body.
When Rein opened his eyes again, it was as if he had undergone months of rigorous training in the Giant Bear Breathing Technique.
At this moment, he distinctly felt a warmth throughout his body, his muscles somewhat swollen, and the fascia within seemed tougher, like a web of sinew, linking all his bones and muscles together.
With this, the Giant Bear Breathing Technique finally advanced to lv5, fulfilling the breathing technique requirement for the Knight (Transcendent) job advancement.
Rein thought briefly and decided to strike while the iron was hot. He quickly applied black tung oil on a few special points and began practicing the fourth stance of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique.
The movement of the fourth stance required him to do a one-handed handstand, then touch his feet to his head, forming a circle with his body.
This movement differed significantly from the previous three stances in that while the initial ones focused on upper body muscle and fascia training, the fourth stance began to aggressively train the body's flexibility, stretching the fascia.
The previously initiated changes in his bodily fascia intensified, the threads of fascia fibers thickening, and their connection to Rein's skeletal and muscle fibers growing stronger.
Suddenly, Rein's eyes snapped open!
It seemed as if he had broken through some kind of barrier.
It was like the sensation of a bow stretched to its limit before being drawn tighter and then snapping.
At that moment, three system notifications quietly arrived:
[Congratulations! Your Constitution attribute has increased!]
[Congratulations! Your Strength attribute has increased!]
[Congratulations! Your agility attribute has increased!]
This....
Rein couldn't help but laugh loudly!
It had been a long time since he had last gained an attribute increase while practicing a breathing technique.
It was about time.
But what Rein had not expected was that he would receive three system notifications at once!
This went to show that the Giant Bear Breathing Technique did indeed enhance agility, but only through the practice of the later stances.
That made sense; otherwise, Knights practicing the Giant Bear Breathing Technique wouldn't be prevalent if they couldn't hit anyone despite their great strength.
It could only be said that, comparatively, the Giant Bear Breathing Technique primarily enhanced Strength and Constitution.
Feeling the great power surging through his body, Rein realized he had now satisfied the first prerequisite for advancing to Knight (Transcendent): any Knight Breathing Technique above lv5.
And the second requirement, with Strength above 12 points, agility above 12 points, and Constitution above 12 points, he had also just met.
The only things left were horseback riding, shield defense, and archery skills to train above lv3; then he would be all set.
Riding and archery were easy to talk about.
It was only shield defense that meant he still had to find Lord Hamilton or the quartermaster to exchange a related Combat Skill.
"Also, once the Giant Bear Sword Technique steps into lv5, I should be able to unlock the roaring strike lv2," Rein thought.
Thinking of the roaring strike, Rein quickly opened the Night Watchman panel.
He focused his mind on an icon located above the Giant Bear Breathing Technique and Giant Bear Sword Technique. The icon depicted a 'profile picture' of a roaring giant bear!
That was the roaring strike icon.
He looked again at the small text below it:
Roaring strike lv2 requires the following criteria: One, Giant Bear Breathing Technique lv5 or above, Giant Bear Sword Technique lv5 or above; two, Strength 12 points, Constitution 12 or above.
(Note: roaring strike is a secret technique and cannot be directly enhanced with skill points.)
Rein nodded, remembering correctly that once his Giant Bear Sword Technique reached lv5, he could unlock roaring strike lv2.
This made Rein quite anticipatory!
The power of roaring strike lv1 was already so impressive; he wondered what lv2 would be like!