Translator: CinderTL
"To the millimeter?" Roland frowned, his heart chilled.
The Knight's Breathing Technique demanded an unprecedented level of focus—or rather, mental power—and sensitivity to the subtle internal changes of the body. It was far more challenging than constructing a Trick Rune. This technique required a deep awareness of and synchronization with one's own flesh and blood.
Failure, failure, failure... Each attempt brought a different setback. Sometimes his breath would surge uncontrollably before reaching a node, choking him into a cough. Other times, his consciousness would fail to keep pace during the Residual Infusion, causing his breath to stagnate in a corner of his body, resulting in a brief, sharp pain. More often than not, the faint sense of energy flow would simply fail to coalesce, leaving him exhausted and frustrated.
Sweat had soaked through his back, and his mind, strained by intense concentration, began to feel weary, as if he had just fought a fierce mental battle.
"This won't work. I'm just wasting energy like this..." Roland stopped his blind attempts. He opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as he scanned the scroll again, focusing on the diagram illustrating the Basic Rhythm's path.
This time, Roland abandoned his rigid control and instead tried to sense the strange inner rhythm described in the scroll's text.
He recalled the opening line of the scroll:
"Breath is the key, life is the bell, only those who resonate may enter."
Resonance...
Roland fell into thought.
He stopped trying to force his breath with his powerful consciousness, and instead began to listen as if to an extremely faint, complex chime.
He let his breathing rhythm and the fluctuations of his consciousness attempt to harmonize with the natural pulse inherent in life itself, as depicted in the diagram.
He slowed his breathing, even temporarily abandoning his forced guidance of the breath's path.
Instead, he used the lightest, gentlest touch of his consciousness to perceive the most minute tremors and heat currents naturally generated within his body with each breath.
Like a patient hunter in a silent forest, he sought to capture the faintest rustle.
Time slipped away in his deep focus.
Gradually, as he relinquished deliberate control, an extremely faint but undeniable inner tremor emerged from the depths of his relaxed body.
It wasn't a clear path, but rather a vague, pulsing rhythm that seemed to subtly synchronize with his heartbeat and breathing.
Now!
Roland's mind stirred, and he hesitated no longer.
He resumed the breathing cycle, but this time, his consciousness was no longer a rigid commander but a gentle resonator.
He attuned himself to the vague pulse, attempting to synchronize his inhalation rhythm and the flow of his consciousness with it.
Instead of forcing his consciousness to sink, he yielded to the rhythmic pull, allowing his breath to flow naturally deep into his chest and abdomen.
A wondrous thing happened.
This time, the breath didn't dissipate before reaching the node. Instead, at that critical point, with a feather-light touch, it naturally completed the subtle pause and turn.
It was as if a stream had encountered a natural shallows: the current slowed slightly but continued to flow smoothly downstream.
Node Suspension... succeeded!
Overwhelming joy surged through Roland, but he immediately suppressed his excitement, refusing to let his guard down for a moment.
Guiding the breath that had completed the node's turn, his consciousness shifted to Residual Infusion.
This time, there was no forced conversion. Like water flowing through a channel, his consciousness effortlessly guided the now-tamed energy along the contours of his limbs, spreading gently and evenly.
He could clearly feel a faint but utterly real warmth, like countless tiny currents of heat seeping into his muscle fibers.
It even penetrated deeper into his tissues, bringing an indescribable sense of comfort, as if parched earth had finally been watered.
"Huuu..."
As he exhaled the breath that had completed a full Basic Rhythm cycle, Roland experienced an unprecedented clarity.
It felt as though his body had been cleansed by the purest spring water, leaving his fatigue completely washed away. In its place, a subtle yet resilient vitality, born from the depths of his being, began to quietly blossom.
His mental exhaustion miraculously eased as well. Instead of emptiness after intense concentration, he felt a strange sense of fulfillment and tranquility.
He slowly opened his eyes. Golden sunlight still bathed the scroll, but the world before him seemed sharper, its colors more vibrant.
Looking down at his slightly sweaty palms, he sensed a difference.
It wasn't an increase in strength, but a deeper, more profound internal connection that had been forged.
He could now clearly perceive the subtle tremors of his muscles, the flow of blood beneath his skin, and even the faint, breath-synchronized vibrations resonating deep within his bones.
"So this is... the feeling of the Life Rhythm?" Roland murmured, his eyes filled with awe and ecstasy.
He had succeeded!
Though it was only a single complete cycle of the Basic Rhythm, and he was still far from drawing Life Energy to temper his body and reach the standards of a knight, he had finally touched the first step—the door to the core of knightly power!
At the same moment, a line of golden text slowly materialized in Roland's vision:
[Nameless Knight's Breathing Technique Acquired. Current Level: Lv.1]
"Even the Job Panel can't recognize the name of this breathing technique? Or perhaps..." Roland raised an eyebrow, studying the words before him. "Its creator never gave it a name at all?"
As he pondered this, more text flooded his vision:
[Detection complete. Host has acquired a Knight's Breathing Technique. Apprentice Knight advanced class unlocked.]
[Requirements: Strength 20, Agility 18, Spirit 12, Lv.3 Knight's Breathing Technique (any), 1/1 Max-Level Basic Horsemanship, 5/5 Max-Level Short-Handled Weapon Combat Skills, 5/5 Max-Level Long-Handled Weapon Combat Skills, 1/3 Max-Level Ranged Weapon Combat Skills, 0/1 Max-Level Shield Blocking/Defense Skill, defeat 0/100 hostile creatures using the breathing technique, command a squad (3 or more members) to defeat hostile targets stronger than yourself in combat 0/3 times]
[Host currently does not meet the requirements for this job.]
"Good heavens," Roland muttered, his eyes widening as he scanned the dense, dizzying list of requirements for the Apprentice Knight position.
"The attribute requirements for this job are nearly twice as demanding as those for the warrior or knight's squire, both of which also rely on close combat. There's even a mandatory requirement for mental attribute! But..."
He glanced at the three attributes that had been comprehensively enhanced after just one session of practicing the Knight's Breathing Technique, and let out a small sigh of relief.
"As long as I keep practicing the breathing technique, meeting the attribute requirements is just a matter of time. The same goes for the breathing technique's level requirement."
"Ranged weapon skills and shield skills can be learned later. Killing a hundred hostile creatures shouldn't be too difficult; it's just a matter of spending time hunting demonic beasts. But..."
As his gaze moved further down the list, Roland's brow furrowed.
"Commanding a squad to defeat a superior enemy... that's much trickier..."
First, given his current strength, finding a hostile target significantly stronger than himself wouldn't be easy.
Second, to defeat such an opponent, he would need to find teammates of comparable strength. Otherwise, victory would be out of the question, and he might even lose his life.
"It seems that unlike other combat professions, becoming an Apprentice Knight requires some ability to command troops in battle."
"Ah, well... I'll plan all this out later."
Roland temporarily pushed these scattered thoughts aside. For him, mastering the Knight's Breathing Technique was the immediate priority. Even if he couldn't become an Apprentice Knight right away, consistent practice would eventually lead him to the Transcendent Realm. Therefore, there was no need to rush the demanding requirements for the class.
During this transitional period, he could dedicate a small portion of his energy to honing his daily skills and attempting to trigger resonance with his basic class to gain additional benefits. These improvements to his strength shouldn't be underestimated.
With this in mind, Roland calmed his mind and resumed his practice of the Knight's Breathing Technique.
(End of the Chapter)
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