Knight: from Apprentice to the Almighty

But a moment later, Roland frowned.

It wasn’t because quests to exterminate Demons were rare.

In fact, compared to the two Adventurer’s Guilds in Black Water Territory, this guild in the Royal Capital of the River Domain had a considerable number of Demon extermination quests—they made up almost half of all available jobs.

However, the types of target Demons specified on the quest forms were unusually diverse.

This was a stark contrast to Black Water Territory, where the targets were mainly just Kobolds and goblins.

Not only were there the relatively familiar Lizardmen and Fishmen that Roland had read about, but also some he was less familiar with, like Water Ghosts, Mud Monsters, and Snake-men.

They even included Supernatural Creatures.

’Ghost Fire... Ghosts... Zombies?’

As his gaze swept over the descriptions on the quest forms, Roland subconsciously reached up and rubbed his smooth chin.

’It seems the Demon infestation in the River Domain is much more severe than in Black Water Territory...’

He carefully reviewed the quest details in his mind, not rushing to accept any of them.

It wasn’t that he feared the strength of these Demons.

After all, these were just quests posted in the Adventurer’s Guild. They hadn’t drawn the attention of the River Domain’s regular army, which meant their threat level hadn’t reached the point of requiring official intervention.

With his current physical constitution as an Extraordinary, plus the boost from his various Traits and Extra Benefits, exterminating these Demons shouldn’t be a problem as long as he was careful enough.

But...

As this thought crossed his mind, Roland’s gaze returned to the quest form that mentioned "Bear Goblins."

It was clear to the naked eye that "Exterminate goblin camp" was the original text on the quest form, while the warning about the Bear Goblins had obviously been added later.

This meant that the information about the Bear Goblins had been brought back by survivors of the expedition to clear out the goblin camp.

This also suggested that the information on these seemingly ordinary extermination quests on the wall was likely incomplete.

There were some details that even the Adventurer’s Guild itself hadn’t fully investigated; otherwise, an unexpected encounter like the one with the Bear Goblins wouldn’t have happened.

’So, could these seemingly unremarkable quests also be hiding powerful Demons, similar to the Bear Goblins?’

Otherwise, how else could he explain it? This guild was full of Mercenaries and Adventurers who seemed quite capable, yet the Demon extermination quests were piled up high. A few of the notices had even yellowed with age, clearly having been shelved for a long time.

Presumably, after the cautionary tale of the Bear Goblins, the Mercenaries and Adventurers here shared his reservations.

’Looks like I need to be more cautious about accepting Demon extermination quests.’

’At the very least, I need to increase my strength, gather more detailed intelligence, and form a reliable, equally strong team to fight alongside me. Only then can I ensure it’s foolproof... ’

With that in mind, Roland gave the quests on the wall another careful look, then turned and walked out of the Adventurer’s Guild.

After a smooth boat ride home, Roland briefly greeted Galvis and Bronson, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then disappeared into his room.

He closed the door, sat down in a chair, and began to weigh his options.

’For me right now, the fastest way to increase my strength is undoubtedly through the Professional Panel—triggering more new Professions to gain various Extra Benefits. But besides that, there’s another method that can significantly increase my strength, and that is... ’

Roland’s gaze sharpened.

’Mastering the Knight’s Breathing Technique!’

In fact, over the past two days of daily training, Roland had already gotten a general sense of how the Knight’s Breathing Technique worked. It bore some similarities to the Meditation Technique he knew was used by Wizards.

The Meditation Technique was designed to enhance Spiritual Power, which in turn could awaken the Deep Sea of Consciousness.

The practice of the Knight’s Breathing Technique, however, focused on strengthening the body’s various physical Attributes.

But beyond that, what truly intrigued Roland was the description for the [Apprentice Knight] Profession requirements.

[Slay one hundred hostile creatures while using the Knight’s Breathing Technique]

This clearly revealed that the Knight’s Breathing Technique was not merely a Secret Technique for strengthening the body; it was meant to be used in the midst of intense combat.

Moreover, while practicing the Knight’s Breathing Technique, Roland could clearly feel a significant enhancement in his abilities whenever the "Qi Sensitivity" flowed through his body.

But...

’To maintain the Knight’s Breathing Technique while simultaneously fighting for my life... the difficulty is...’

At this thought, Roland shook his head in resignation.

With his current mastery of the Breathing Technique, he couldn’t even dream of using it freely in the heat of battle. Even when sitting quietly on a chair or bed, focused entirely on his training with no distractions, he would still fail four or five times out of ten.

After all, guiding that subtle "Qi Sensitivity" and strictly maintaining the training state according to a specific rhythm couldn’t afford even the slightest lapse in concentration.

The slightest mistake meant complete failure and could even trigger a backlash.

’I’ll focus on increasing my success rate with the Knight’s Breathing Technique while stationary for now. As for using it in combat... I can worry about that later.’

Having made up his mind, Roland sat down on the chair and began to practice the Knight’s Breathing Technique.

In the days that followed, Roland’s life fell into a rhythm as disciplined as his time at the noble estate in Black Water Territory.

In the morning, he went to the Blacksmith Guild to forge items, increasing his [Basic Forging Skill] experience.

In the afternoon, he would head to the Knight Academy’s training grounds to hone his own skills while instructing Hobbit, the Half-Elf, in combat techniques.

At night, he would study ancient texts to increase his [Basic Magic Theory] experience while concentrating on his Knight’s Breathing Technique practice.

Every few days, he would also find time to visit the Adventurer’s Guild and look over the vast array of quests.

Just as he’d expected, the number of Demon extermination quests hadn’t decreased; on the contrary, it was growing by the day.

This meant the resurgence of Magic Elements was accelerating at an astonishing rate.

This only deepened Roland’s sense of urgency to increase his strength. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Amidst this busy schedule, Roland’s mastery of the Knight’s Breathing Technique grew increasingly proficient.

Aside from his Spiritual Attribute, both his Power and Agility had broken past the 20-point mark.

However, just as with his previous training in the Secret Silver Body Tempering Technique, as his Attributes rose, the benefits from the Knight’s Breathing Technique began to diminish.

However, this was no longer Roland’s main concern.

His continuous practice had greatly increased his success rate with the Breathing Technique while stationary.

The only downside was that he had too much to do, which severely squeezed his daily schedule. As a result, he had to temporarily shelve his goal of triggering other Basic Professions.

Only his [Basic Culinary Skill] experience continued to grow slowly, thanks to his need to cook for himself occasionally.

In the blink of an eye, half a month flew by.

"Haaaah..."

Letting out a long breath, Roland opened his eyes and looked at his Professional Panel.

[Lv.MAX Basic Crossbow Skill]

[Lv.MAX Basic Throwing]

[Lv.MAX Basic Shield Skills]

’The three skills I just mastered are already at max level, and...’

Looking at the information on the panel, Roland’s lips curved into a slight smile.

[Lv.2 Nameless Knight’s Breathing Technique (1/200)]

’The Knight’s Breathing Technique has reached Level Two!’

Feeling the "Qi Sensitivity" flowing through his body like a ceaseless stream, Roland breathed another sigh of relief.

’My success rate for practicing the Knight’s Breathing Technique while stationary is close to ninety percent now!’

’Maybe now I can start trying to integrate the Breathing Technique into my daily training, and from there... ’

As he was lost in thought, Hobbit, the Half-Elf, stopped swinging his weapon not far away.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked slowly toward Roland.