Knight: from Apprentice to the Almighty

’It has to be precise down to a hair’s breadth?’

Roland frowned, a solemn feeling washing over him.

The demands the Knight’s Breathing Technique placed on one’s consciousness—or more accurately, on the Concentration of one’s Spiritual Power—and the Perception Power needed to sense subtle internal changes were simply beyond imagination.

This was far more difficult than constructing a Trick Rune.

It required a deep perception of and synchronization with his own flesh and blood.

Failure, failure, and more failure...

Every attempt was accompanied by a different kind of setback.

Sometimes, the breath would surge out of control before reaching the node, making him choke and cough.

Sometimes, his consciousness couldn’t keep up during the transition to the aftershock. His breath would stagnate in some corner of his body, causing a brief, sharp pain.

Most of the time, the faint sensation of flowing Energy couldn’t coalesce at all, rendering his efforts futile.

Sweat had long since drenched his back, and his Spirit began to feel weary from the intense Concentration. It was as if he had just endured a fierce mental struggle.

’This isn’t working. I’m just wasting my strength...’

Roland stopped his mindless attempts.

He opened his eyes, his sharp gaze once again sweeping over the Scroll, especially the diagram illustrating the path of the Basic Rhythm.

This time, he no longer fixated on forcing control. Instead, he tried to feel the strange, internal rhythm described in the Scroll’s text.

He recalled a sentence from the beginning of the Scroll.

"Breath is the key, life the bell. Only one who resonates may find the door."

’Resonance...’

Roland was lost in thought.

He stopped trying to drag his breath along with his powerful consciousness. Instead, he acted as if he were listening for the faint, complex chime of a distant bell.

He tried to align the rhythm of his breathing and the fluctuations of his consciousness with the natural cadence hidden within the diagram—a cadence that existed within life itself. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He slowed his breathing, even temporarily giving up on forcefully guiding the path of his breath.

Using only the lightest, gentlest touch of his consciousness, he sought to perceive the most minuscule tremors and warmth that naturally arose within his body as he breathed.

Like a patient hunter, capturing the slightest movement in the silent, dense forest.

Time flowed by amidst his Concentration.

Gradually, after he abandoned deliberate control, an extremely faint but tangible internal vibration emerged from deep within his relaxed body.

It was not a clear path, more like a vague pulsation that was faintly in sync with his heartbeat and breathing.

’Now!’

With a shift in his thoughts, Roland no longer hesitated.

He began the breathing cycle anew. But this time, his consciousness was not a stern commander, but a gentle resonator.

He latched onto that vague pulse, trying to align the rhythm of his inhales and the flow of his consciousness with it.

His consciousness no longer sank forcefully, but followed the pull of that rhythm, and the breath seemed to flow naturally toward the depths of his chest and abdomen.

Something wonderful happened.

This time, his breath didn’t dissipate before the node. At that crucial, subtle point, with an incredibly light touch, it naturally completed the tiny pause and turn.

Like a stream encountering a natural sandbar, the water’s momentum slows slightly, yet it still flows smoothly downstream.

’Pausing at the node... It worked!’

Immense joy surged through Roland, but he instantly suppressed the turbulent emotion, not daring to relax in the slightest.

Guiding the breath past the node’s turn, his consciousness shifted to Aftershock Infiltration.

This time, it wasn’t a forced conversion. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, his consciousness guided the now-tamed Energy, spreading it gently and evenly along the contours of his limbs.

He could clearly perceive faint yet incredibly real streams of heat, like countless tiny, warm currents, infiltrating his muscle fibers.

It even penetrated into deeper tissues, bringing an indescribable feeling of relief, as if a parched land had been blessed with rain.

"Huuuuuh..."

As he slowly exhaled the breath that had completed a full cycle of the Basic Rhythm, Roland felt an unprecedented sense of clarity.

His body felt as if it had been rinsed with the purest spring water. His fatigue vanished, replaced by a subtle yet tenacious vitality quietly budding from the very depths of his being.

His Spiritual fatigue also miraculously lessened. What followed the intense Concentration was not emptiness, but a strange satisfaction and tranquility.

He slowly opened his eyes. Golden sunlight still shone upon the Scroll, but the world before him now seemed sharper, its colors more vibrant.

Looking down at his slightly sweaty palms, he could feel a difference.

It wasn’t a growth in Power, but the establishment of a deeper, internal connection.

He could perceive with greater clarity the subtle twitching of his muscles, the rush of blood beneath his skin, and even the faint vibrations deep in his bones, all in sync with his breath.

"So this is... the feeling of the Life Rhythm?"

Roland murmured in amazement, his eyes filled with shock and ecstasy.

He had succeeded!

Although it was only a single, complete cycle of the Basic Rhythm—and he was still a long way from drawing upon Life Energy to temper his body and reach the standard of a Knight—he had finally taken the first step. He had touched the very gate leading to the core of a Knight’s Power!

At the same time, a line of golden text slowly materialized in Roland’s field of vision.

[You have learned the Nameless Knight’s Breathing Technique. Current Level: Level 1]

’Even the Professional Panel can’t identify the name of this Breathing Technique? Or maybe...’

Staring at the text before him, Roland raised an eyebrow slightly.

’Its creator simply never gave it a name?’

Just as he was pondering this, more lines of text appeared before his eyes.

[Detected: Host has learned a Knight’s Breathing Technique. The High Tier Profession, Apprentice Knight, is now unlockable.]

[Requirements: Power 20, Agility 18, Spirit 12; Level 3 in any Knight’s Breathing Technique; 1/1 Full Level Basic Riding Skill; 5/5 Full Level Short-Handled Weapon Combat Skills; 5/5 Full Level Long-Handled Weapon Combat Skills; 1/3 Full Level Ranged Weapon Combat Skills; 0/1 Full Level Shield Block/Defense Skills; defeat 0/100 hostile creatures using a Breathing Technique; command a squad (3+ members) to defeat a hostile target of superior strength 0/3 times.]

[Host does not currently meet the conditions for this Profession.]

"Good heavens..."

Looking at the dense, dizzying list of requirements for the Profession, Roland couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed.

’The [Apprentice Knight]’s Attribute requirements are almost double those of the [Warrior] and [Knight’s Attendant], which also rely on melee combat. It even has a hard requirement for the Spiritual Attribute! However...’

He glanced at his three Attributes, which had all been strengthened after practicing the Knight’s Breathing Technique just once, and breathed a slight 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. The requirement to kill a hundred hostile creatures isn’t too difficult, either. It just means spending some time hunting Demons. However...’

His gaze continued downward, and Roland’s brow gradually furrowed.

’Commanding a squad to defeat a powerful enemy... now that condition is much trickier...’

First of all, with his current strength, it wouldn’t be easy to find a hostile target far stronger than himself.

Secondly, to defeat such an opponent, he would have to find teammates of comparable strength.

Otherwise, forget victory; he might even get himself killed in the attempt.

’It seems that unlike the solo fighting style of other combat Professions, becoming an [Apprentice Knight] also requires some ability to command troops in battle.’

’Whatever... I’ll plan these things out carefully later.’

Roland temporarily pushed these chaotic thoughts to the back of his mind.

For him, the key right now was having mastered the Knight’s Breathing Technique.

Even if he couldn’t become an [Apprentice Knight] right away, as long as he practiced persistently, he would eventually step into the Extraordinary Domain.

So, there was no need to be in a rush to meet those demanding Profession requirements.

During this transitional period, he could devote some energy to delving deeper into his daily Skills, trying to trigger the resonance of his Basic Professions to gain an Extra Benefit.

The boost to his strength from these things should not be underestimated.

With that, Roland calmed his mind and immersed himself once again in the practice of the Knight’s Breathing Technique.