Chapter 73: Only the Stars Bear Witness
Looking at these incredible stats, Lance couldn’t help but clench his fist.
The efficiency was just too astounding.
In just one night, two of his core Skills had broken through directly to Master Level.
What was even more incredible was the rate at which his Ethereal Energy Pool expanded.
It had skyrocketed from a nearly negligible 0.1 to 3.4 units.
An ordinary Adventurer would need at least half a month, if not longer, of arduous training—and a variety of expensive support Potions—to reach this value.
This was nearly twenty times the normal training efficiency.
Moreover, the effects of this high-intensity training on his Constitution were immediate. His Constitution Attribute had jumped by a full point.
’But this isn’t even the limit...’
Lance rubbed his stomach, which still felt completely empty.
Over the past four and a half hours, he had been forced to stop to eat and drink no fewer than ten times.
While the black bread was filling, its energy conversion rate was abysmal, which seriously slowed his training pace.
’If I could get my hands on some high-nutrition, edible Demon Flesh jerky, or even some nutritional Alchemy Potions...’
’I could definitely push this efficiency even higher.’
Lance silently calculated in his mind.
’At this rate, it might not even take half a year.’
’Just one month.’
’I’m confident I can grind all my current Combat Skills to the Level 5 Expert Level, and my Constitution Attribute will definitely be the first to hit the Attribute Lock’s ceiling.’
"Looks like my previous plan was too conservative."
Lance stood up, a sharp glint in his eyes.
’I have to increase the frequency of my Demon hunts and speed up my Biological Research to acquire Racial Specializations.’
He rested for a moment as his body temperature gradually returned to normal.
Lance looked down at himself.
He was filthy beyond belief.
Dried sweat formed a white, salty crust on his skin, mixed with the dust he had picked up from rolling around in the courtyard earlier. He looked as if he had just crawled out of a mud pit.
It was sticky and incredibly uncomfortable.
Normally, he would have had to go to the trouble of boiling water for a bath.
But now...
Lance raised his right hand, his gaze falling upon the simple, antique Silver Ring on his index finger.
With a flicker of his will, the Ether Energy in his body flowed down his arm and into the ring.
’Cleaning Skill.’
As he repeated the name in his mind, the engravings on the ring glowed faintly.
An invisible wave instantly swept over his entire body.
The sensation was magical, like a cool breeze carrying away all the filth.
In the blink of an eye,
the sweat stains on his skin, the dust on his clothes, and even the grease in his hair all vanished.
He was completely dry and clean, and his clothes even gave off a faint, fresh scent.
This was the convenience of Spells.
Lance glanced at his system panel.
[Ethereal Energy Pool: 3.4 units → 2.9 units]
This Trick Level Spell had consumed about 0.5 units of Energy.
"The energy consumption is lower than I thought."
Lance nodded in satisfaction.
This meant that with his current Energy reserves, even without regeneration, he could cast six or seven such Spells in a row.
And this was merely the result of a single night of training.
It was only at this moment...
that Lance truly understood the terrifying potential of his Talent.
As long as he was given enough time and resources,
he could use an utterly unreasonable, brute-force method to crush every genius in this world.
Lance sat quietly on the steps of the entryway, closed his eyes, and sank his consciousness into his body, carefully sensing the rhythm of his newly formed Energy Pool.
In this world, every different Breathing Combat Technique opened an Ethereal Energy Pool in a different location.
That location was the core where Energy gathered, and it would also serve as the foundation for constructing a "Source Melting Furnace" upon future advancement.
And the pool opened by the Dragon Hunting Breathing Combat Technique was located right in the center of his solar plexus.
In ancient texts, this location was named the "Sun Wheel," symbolizing the origin of human will and the spark of life.
Right now, in Lance’s Perception, the energy vortex at his Sun Wheel was slowly spinning, automatically drawing in the stray Ether Elements from the surrounding air.
Trickles of cool Energy were drawn into his body, flowing into the depleted pool.
After some time,
Lance opened his eyes, his brow furrowed slightly.
’It’s too slow.’
’Based on the current flow rate, it would take at least an hour to naturally recover 0.5 units of Energy.’
’This turtle-like recovery speed is probably because I lack any relevant Caster Talents, and I haven’t mastered any Specialties or Skills that can speed up my Energy regeneration.’
’The recovery speed would probably be much faster if I actively circulated the Breathing Technique while in the Ether Resonance State.’
"What a shame."
Lance sighed with a hint of regret.
His red Talent, [Hevagmir’s Boiling], was powerful, but it could only rapidly restore his stamina, not instantly refill his Ethereal Energy Pool.
This meant he still had a weakness when it came to Energy sustainability.
But then, he couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head in resignation.
"Lance, oh Lance, you’re being far too greedy."
Everything he now possessed—the system panel, the Talents that defied common sense, and this rare Breathing Combat Technique—
already put him far beyond most people.
However, as his understanding of himself deepened and his knowledge of this world expanded...
Sitting on the threshold, Lance looked up, his gaze passing through the treetops to the deep, boundless night sky.
On this quiet night, the ambitions hidden in the depths of his heart began to quietly grow, undergoing a world-altering transformation.
’I don’t want to be just a passerby anymore.’
He wanted to be like the First Hunter King, who pioneered the Breathing Technique, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with gods in a mortal body.
Or like the Karen Valcius from the stories, creating a one-of-a-kind Rare Profession for a loved one and leaving behind a heart-stirring Legend.
He even wanted to emulate the Star Night Witch, Elisya,
leaving countless Easter Eggs and puzzles in every corner of the world that only those "in the know" would understand, hoping that one day in the future, a successor would experience that moment of silent, smiling understanding upon solving them.
He wanted to create his own great legacy.
He wanted to forge his own path outside of this rigid Profession System.
He wanted to travel the world, to see with his own eyes the yet-unlocked Sub-human Species girls in the Illustrated Guide, to experience the different cultures of every race.
He also wanted to challenge an Evil Dragon.
And if possible, he wanted to claim the cool-sounding title of "Hunter King" for himself.
Oh, right.
He never got the chance as a materialist in his past life, but this time, he really wanted to meet a true god.
And after he had experienced all of it, after he had lived a brilliant and epic life of adventure...
he would return to this small town, to this very tavern.
He would sit with his old friends, drinking the strongest rye ale, and tell them his magnificent, sweeping stories.
And all of this...
would be witnessed by the vast sea of stars above.
No matter how the world might change, only the stars remained eternal, silently watching over every dreamer on the land below.