Breathing Technique Acquired

Breathing Technique Acquired

The Shattered Crimson Moon still hung high in the sky, unchanged by night or day.

But the gray haze blanketing all of Black City had thinned at some point, becoming nearly imperceptible.

The streets, usually empty, now showed a few figures.

It was true!

This day of every month was Black City's safe day. Not only would Undead Creatures not appear, but the miners underground would also receive a brief rest.

"Ha..."

Karl let out a long breath, tightened his grip on what he carried, and headed straight for Laka Market.

Black City's dangers did not come only from Undead Creatures.

There were living people, too!

The one safe day each month brought far more people than usual flooding into the market, and the clamor of voices could be heard from afar.

Karl squeezed through the crowd and stopped before a stall, frowning.

"Where's Kolon?"

This was Kolon's usual stall, but its owner had been replaced by a scrawny youth.

"You know Uncle Kolong?"

The youth looked up, stopped arranging the goods, and rubbed his hands together.

"Uncle had something to do and left for a while, so I'm looking after the stall for him. If there's anything you need, just tell me."

"You?"

Beneath his cloak's hood, Karl's eyes filled with suspicion.

The "stall owner" before him was far too young. Through his tattered clothes, every one of his ribs was visible.

Though the youth looked eager, clearly desperate to prove himself, his appearance made him difficult to trust.

"Karl!"

At that moment, Kolon's voice came from nearby.

"I knew you'd come today."

He hurried over, grabbed Karl by the arm, and pulled him toward an empty corner.

Before Karl could speak, he lowered his voice.

"I found a lead on a Breathing Technique!"

"Oh!"

Karl's eyes lit up. He did not even have time to mind the pungent stench of the man's breath so close to him.

"What do you mean?"

"Hehe..." Kolon chuckled and pulled a thin book from his clothes.

"To get this Breathing Technique, I spent every last bit I'd saved over the past few years. Luckily, that person was in a hurry to gather money and leave Black City. Otherwise, there would've been no way to get my hands on it."

"Of course, we're old acquaintances. The price is negotiable."

Looking at the book in Kolon's hand, Karl felt his heart race. For an instant, he even had the urge to kill him and take it.

A Breathing Technique!

It was a miraculous method that could grant ordinary people supernatural power!

"Perfect."

Steadying himself, he suppressed the impulse and set down what he had brought, one item at a time.

"I brought quite a few good things this time as well."

"Compressed canned beef, thirty-two pounds in total. It can keep for at least a year. There's also high-quality fresh milk, all good things brought in from outside."

"Gulp..." Looking at the goods before him, Kolon's throat bobbed, and his single eye gleamed.

Canned meat that could last a year would sell for an astronomical price in the underground mines.

Fresh milk was even harder currency.

Life in Black City was hard, but newborn babies were still born here. The importance of fresh milk to infants went without saying.

"Well..." Karl pointed at the book.

"Can I take a look first?"

"Of course." Kolon's small eyes flickered as he handed over the book, not forgetting to add, "I still have several pages with me. You can't practice it with only what's written in the book."

"Understood."

Karl nodded, took the book, and hurriedly flipped it open.

It was real!

Though he had never practiced a Breathing Technique, he knew quite a few Knight Squires. He had heard bits and pieces about them and had specifically asked around about Breathing Techniques before.

Naturally, he could tell whether it was genuine.

Poison Wolf Breathing Technique!

The name was ordinary, and its rank was probably not high. Still, as long as it was a Breathing Technique, it was enough for him.

"Hm?"

Running his fingers over the traces of ink on the page, Karl's gaze shifted slightly.

"These words were written not long ago, weren't they?"

"Yes."

Kolon nodded.

"But that doesn't affect anything, does it?"

"It doesn't." Karl looked up and spoke slowly. "It just seems that person didn't sell the Breathing Technique only to you. He probably sold it to others as well."

Kolon's expression changed.

Karl had guessed correctly. The asking price had been too high for any one person to afford alone.

So the man had simply copied several versions of the Breathing Technique and sold them to multiple buyers.

"We're old friends, so I won't hide it from you." Kolon said, "There are indeed other sellers in the market offering the Poison Wolf Breathing Technique just like me. But can you be sure the version you buy from them is complete?"

"Though I've never practiced a Breathing Technique, I know that a single wrong sentence in a method can cost someone their life."

He spoke with absolute certainty.

"Mine hasn't been altered in any way!"

Karl fell silent.

That was true.

His goal was the Breathing Technique. Where he bought it from did not matter, and even the price was not important.

Of course, he could not trust the other man completely either.

"The Breathing Technique is useless to me, so we can discuss the price. Besides, there's something else."

Kolon leaned forward and lowered his voice.

"Do you want to leave Black City?"

"Leave Black City?" Karl raised a brow. "I can't afford Madam Butterfly's two thousand Black Stones."

At 100x magnification, no errors, no mistakes!

"Not Madam Butterfly." Kolon waved a hand. "I know a group of people who can secretly take someone out of here to nearby Vitri City. It only costs three hundred Black Stones."

"A hidden route?" Karl's expression changed. He had heard such rumors before, but had never considered trying it. "If you're caught, people die!"

Several corpses were occasionally hung from the tall wooden frames at the market entrance. Most had belonged to people who had tried to escape the city.

"People die?" Kolon sneered. "In a place like this, what's the difference between living and dying? It's only a matter of sooner or later."

Karl still shook his head.

He had a way out. He was not desperate enough to take such a gamble, so he changed the subject.

"Let's talk about the Breathing Technique instead."

"Fine!"

Kolon sighed.

Not long afterward, the two settled the deal, and Kolon beckoned the youth at the stall over.

"Her name is Aya. If I'm not around, you can find her. Don't let her small, skinny frame fool you. She's very clever."

"Aya?" Karl scrutinized the other person. "A girl?"

"Yes."

Aya rubbed her hands together, her large eyes staring straight at him.

"Uncle, please take care of my business from now on."

*

*

*

Karl touched the book tucked inside his clothes, his heartbeat quickening as he hurried back to his residence after leaving the market.

After waiting so long, he had finally obtained a Breathing Technique. He could hardly wait.

"Hm?"

Bang!

Karl's broad sword, still in its sheath, collided with a wooden stick. He staggered back and steadied himself at the entrance to an alley.

Several dark figures stood in the alley.

Two people also lay on the ground, barely alive.

It seemed to be a murder scene. Had they attacked him because they feared he had seen something while passing by?

A disaster for no reason!

"Everyone."

Karl held his sword and slowly backed away, his voice stern.

"This has nothing to do with me. I didn't see anything."

"Mm..."

Among the group, a burly figure stepped forward. His gaze fell on Karl, lingering especially on the broad sword.

"Boss!"

Someone spoke in a low voice.

"Should we..."

"Forget it."

The big man's voice was muffled as he waved at Karl.

"Go!"

Karl retreated step by step. Once he had put some distance between them, he turned and sprinted away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Boss."

Someone in the alley said, "That man probably hasn't practiced a Breathing Technique. It wouldn't be hard to keep him here."

"No need."

The burly man said, "He held that sword steadily. He may have some tricks up his sleeve. And his sleeves are bulging, so he might be hiding Wrist Darts."

"The key is..."

"He's not carrying any goods. Killing him won't get us any benefits, so there's no need to take pointless risks. Deal with this place first."

"Yes." The subordinate nodded, gripped his blood-dripping longsword, and walked toward one of the people on the ground before thrusting down fiercely.

Pfft!

Blood sprayed.

(End of Chapter)