“`
However, Rein also noticed a point where the third new profession ‘Dog Trainer’ differed from that of a Blacksmith and a Night Watchman.
That was the lack of a core skill.
In this respect, Dog Trainer was similar to the entry-level profession of Militia.
Therefore, Rein surmised that he probably had to wait until Dog Trainer advanced to a subsequent profession to acquire a core skill.
Additionally, over these three days, the Giant Bear Breathing Technique smoothly increased from lv2 to lv3 (0/500).
Just the day before yesterday, the training in the Giant Bear Breathing Technique rewarded Rein with a +1 increase in Strength.
This once again proved the foundational role of the Knight Breathing Method on the Transcendent path of becoming a Knight.
At the same time, the improvement in the breathing technique brought an important change for Rein, as his control over his body’s muscles seemed to be even higher.
Specifically, Rein could now easily control the intensity of ‘Strength Burst.’
Previously, once Rein used the core skill ‘Strength Burst,’ he would double his strength without regard.
But now, Rein could gradually control the degree of this burst, such as increasing his strength by fifty or seventy percent.
This change not only proved that Rein’s control over his own strength was more refined, but it also indirectly increased the duration of the burst.
Basically, if Rein kept the Strength Burst to about fifty percent, he could maintain the effect for almost two minutes.
If he went all out, it would be around fifty seconds, slightly better than the previous forty-five seconds.
Besides, the ‘side effect’ of sore muscles throughout the body would be greatly mitigated in proportion to the intensity of Rein’s burst.
This delighted Rein.
Refining his control over his own strength was, after all, tantamount to an increase in power!
Name: Rein Carlan
Profession: Blacksmith lv2 (0/300)/Night Watchman lv3 (30/500)/Dog Trainer lv2(31/300)
Constitution: 10
Strength: 11
Agility: 9
Spirit: 11
Remaining attribute points: 2
Remaining Skill Points: 1
Rein saw on the attribute panel that, besides Agility, the other attributes had already crossed the threshold of 10 points.
Suddenly, Rein remembered that a long time ago, the system had once notified him of the prerequisite conditions for the ‘Knight Attendant’ profession, which required a minimum of 8 points in Strength, Agility, and Constitution to advance to Knight Attendant.
This presumably represented the physical attribute threshold for a level one Knight Attendant.
“So, if Strength, Agility, and Constitution all exceed 10 points, does that mean the strength of a level two Knight Attendant?”
“That should be about right! If there’s a difference of 2 points in Strength, Agility, and Constitution, such a power gap is very noticeable.”
Putting other things aside, Rein thought back to his swordsmanship practice with Humbert the instructor two days ago, and quickly understood why Humbert had that expression at the time.
It wasn’t that Instructor Humbert was holding back, it was that he had become stronger!
“Reasonably assuming, once all three attributes exceed 12, it’s very likely that one becomes a level three Knight Attendant.”
“Which means, if I add 1 point to Agility, making it 10 points, I should be considered to have the strength level of a level two Knight Attendant.”
“Hmm… just over a month’s time, from a skinny youth to becoming a level two Knight Attendant, this level of progress is quite something, isn’t it!”
“`
Regarding these two attribute points, apart from keeping one as a standby, Rein was momentarily hesitant to use the other between Constitution and agility.
Constitution could lessen the “aftereffects” of the core skill “Strength Burst” and increase the duration of his practice.
But agility was equally important, especially since his Giant Bear Breathing Technique wasn’t one that primarily enhanced agility.
Using strength to overpower finesse is all well and good, but great strength is useless if you can’t hit your opponent.
After pondering for a moment, Rein still couldn’t decide.
The allocation of Skill Points posed a similar dilemma.
The core skill “danger perception” was currently at lv2, which was fundamentally sufficient.
So, Rein wondered if he should invest a point into the Giant Bear Breathing Technique, directly taking it from lv3 to lv4, which should bring a further increase in strength and Constitution benefits in the short term.
On the other hand, danger perception was a core skill that could only be upgraded with Skill Points, whereas the Giant Bear Breathing Technique could be improved through practice.
But upon careful thought, Rein realized that “danger perception” was a sense for danger. When danger was unavoidable, it was ultimately his own strength that determined victory or defeat.
The Knight Breathing Method was crucial to rapidly consolidating and enhancing his own strength, the key to deciding said victories!
Consequently, after slight deliberation, Rein eventually decided to invest a Skill Point into the Giant Bear Breathing Technique.
With the Giant Bear Breathing Technique promoted to lv4.
Instantly, fragmented memories of practicing the Giant Bear Breathing Technique flooded Rein’s mind.
These memories were disjointed fragments of breathing exercises; a series of images flashed through Rein’s mind and quickly implanted into the memory of his muscles and fascia.
When Rein opened his eyes again, it was as if he had undergone a month or two of intensive practice of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique. At this moment, he could distinctly feel a certain odd sensation throughout his body, as if there was an itchy feeling coming from deep within his fascia.
An instinct from within his body urged him to apply the black tung oil again and start practicing the third form of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique.
Indeed, the itchy feeling grew stronger, and Rein felt the fascia in his body start to mutate; it was as if fine, incredibly resilient fascial fibers were extending, rooting deeply into his bones and muscle fibers.
This change noticeably enhanced Rein’s explosive strength and resistance to blows; even his skin became tougher, resembling oil-soaked cowhide.
Beyond that, Rein felt an itchy and hot sensation in his chest, as if he wouldn’t be comfortable without letting out a roar.
At that moment, a system notification arrived quietly:
[Congratulations, you have unlocked the exclusive secret technique that combines Giant Bear Breathing Technique with Giant Bear Sword Technique: roaring strike!]
Following that, an elated Rein saw a brand-new icon located above the Giant Bear Breathing Technique and Giant Bear Sword Technique on the Night Watchman panel.
The icon depicted the head of a roaring giant bear, its mouth wide open, fangs sharp, appearing lifelike and ferocious.
roaring strike lv1 (Secret Technique) Effect: Uses powerful lung capacity to simulate the sonic impact of a giant bear’s attack, combined with the execution of Whirlwind Slash.
(Note: roaring strike is a secret technique and cannot be directly upgraded with Skill Points.)
(roaring strike lv2 requires the following conditions: Giant Bear Breathing Technique lv5 or above, Giant Bear Sword Technique lv5 or above; Strength 12 points, Constitution 12 or above.)
So that’s how it is!
It seems that the sensation of discomfort without a big roar must be due to the Giant Bear Breathing Technique’s exercise of the lungs.
If it weren’t already nighttime, Rein would certainly have let out a few loud roars.
But the memory of Cleya’s demonstration made him shake his head.
With one shout from him, the residents of Flashgold Town nearby would probably all be woken up!
With no other choice, Rein had to restrain himself!
The last point was that Rein discovered he had easily surpassed the requirement of maintaining the third form of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique for half an hour without realizing it.
This meant that he was now ready to practice the fourth form of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique!