Lord: I can see loyalty.

The night was still deep, and the only sounds in the Cooper camp were the occasional chirping of birds and the distant roars of wild beasts.

Before the sun had even risen, Vio slowly opened his eyes and sat up.

The feeling of his battle with Albright last night was still lingering in his mind; the strange sense of control he felt while practicing the breathing technique was still nagging at his heart like a hook.

Vio could sense that a breakthrough in the sand breathing technique was just around the corner, only one step away.

He decided not to go back to sleep, stood up, put on his outer robe, and quietly walked down from the treehouse.

The camp was still asleep, with only the faint footsteps of patrolling soldiers.

He avoided the main road and came back to the clearing at the edge of the camp, where it was quieter, with only the sound of the cold wind whistling through the rocks.

This time, Vio did not repeat the complex knightly swordsmanship. He simply stood quietly, facing the faint light in the east, with his eyes closed.

Consciousness sank into the body.

As a knight's breathing technique, the gravel breathing method is naturally not an ordinary breathing exercise. Breathing is no longer a simple exchange of gases, but rather a way to draw upon the power within the body.

Every detail of yesterday's match against Albright is now being replayed.

The trajectory of the opponent's spear, the subtle changes in my muscles as I sidestepped to draw my sword, the almost instinctive synchronization between my breathing and my movements...

Especially his final, explosive sword strike, his breathing suddenly deepened, his blood and qi surged like a sandstorm, and the resulting increase in speed and power was clearly perceptible.

"That's the feeling...!"

Vio adjusted his breathing rhythm and began to try to replicate that move, sensing more changes.

With each breath, imagine the unseen magic in the air being absorbed from all parts of your body and surging to the surface.

However, this step did not go smoothly. The new rhythm disrupted his previous running habits and even brought some slight swelling and pain to his body.

Vio frowned slightly, enduring the pain, and tried to adjust his breathing, clearing his mind of all distractions, focusing his entire being on synchronizing his breath with the magic within his body.

Time slips away quietly.

The campfire had been completely extinguished, and white light began to appear high in the sky. At the same time, the temperature dropped to its lowest point, and every breath turned into mist and frost.

But Vio only felt his body getting hotter and hotter inside, and the magic that flowed with his breath was no longer erratic and began to become controllable.

It circulates within the body along some kind of bodily pathway, and with each cycle, it seems to strengthen everything it passes through.

And in one of those seemingly ordinary breaths...

call!

It felt like something inside my body had been opened up.

Vio felt a slight tremor throughout his body, and then he felt the speed of the cycle suddenly increase, and its nature also changed!

Wherever it passed, every muscle seemed to be constantly being hammered by an invisible force, and a slight crackling sound came from the body.

But more significant changes appear on the body surface.

Vio slightly opened his eyes and subconsciously looked down. In the dim light of dawn, he saw that the skin on the back of his bare hand was changing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His originally normal skin tone began to rapidly turn into a dark, almost stone-like color, as if he were covered with a layer of armor!

On a whim, he tried to tense his arm muscles.

The gray-black color on his skin became more pronounced, even faintly revealing a matte, metallic sheen.

Vio's heart pounded, suppressing his intense excitement.

He immediately conducted a more direct test, pulling out a sharp dagger he carried with him from the side of his clothing. This was not a training tool, but a real, sharpened dagger.

Without much hesitation, he first used a small amount of force to swipe along the outside of his forearm, which was covered with grayish-black skin.

squeak-

A strange scraping sound rang out, and the blade of the dagger failed to cut through the skin easily. Instead, it left only a shallow white mark, as if it were scraping against a stone, without even breaking the skin!

Vio took a deep breath and circulated his breathing. The gray-black color on his skin seemed to have intensified. This time, he increased the force and thrust the tip of his dagger sharply!

puff!

This time, the tip barely pierced through. When the dagger was pulled out, only a few tiny beads of blood seeped from the wound, which was probably less than one-tenth the depth of an ordinary flesh wound.

In actual combat, this is almost negligible.

"It's a success..." Vio murmured, not caring about the minor injury, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

He slowly exhaled and dispersed the breathing technique, and the grayish-black color on his arm skin quickly faded away like a tide, returning to its normal skin color in just a few breaths.

Vio didn't stop; he walked to the edge of the cliff and found a huge rock about half a person's height.

Concentrate, inhale, and circulate the breathing technique again; the gray-black color instantly covers the fist.

He didn't use any of the knight warrior's power techniques; he simply threw a straight punch at the rock!

Bang! ! !

A loud bang rang out, and then the stone shattered, the effect being as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer.

The boulder cracked outwards from the point where the fist struck it, and finally collapsed into a pile of rubble!

The force of the recoil came immediately, but Vio only felt a slight numbness in his fist, without any pain.

The increase in this power far exceeded the physical enhancement brought about by the advanced knight swordsmanship at that time!

He then tried to dash forward in place, then quickly turned back, changing direction along the way. Clearly, the increase in speed was even more exaggerated!

Vio's figure cast a faint afterimage in the morning light, his footsteps light and swift as he brushed past pebbles and trees.

Vio finally stopped the test, stood still, and slowly calmed his breathing.

The discoloration on his skin faded again, and the heat in his body gradually subsided, but it did not completely dissipate as before; instead, it lingered in his body.

After recovering his condition through breathing techniques, he raised an eyebrow and brought up the control panel:

Name: Vio Rose

Race: Human

【Features: Peak Advanced Basic Swordsmanship, Peak Advanced Dune Swordsmanship, Level 1 Sand Breathing Technique】

[Status: Full of energy and high spirits]

"First tier...!" Vio repeated the word, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement.

Although this was just the beginning, the improvement it brought was real. More importantly, the breakthrough in breathing techniques also meant that he had truly crossed the threshold of becoming a "Great Knight".

He is now the first Grand Knight in the Southern Territory!

Vio slowly looked up; the sunlight had pierced through the clouds, illuminating the entire Loba Mountains.

Vio gazed at the distant mountains, his eyes now filled with anticipation and confidence. He was no longer afraid of facing the group of Haro barbarians.

Turning around, he walked steadily back to the camp that was beginning to awaken... It was time to make the final preparations for the expedition.

As they approached the camp, several knights who had just gotten up and were washing up together noticed the spirited count.

"Is that...the Earl?" A young knight rubbed his eyes, somewhat puzzled. Why was the Earl up so early, just like them?

"Greetings, Your Excellency!" Another knight quickly nudged him and spoke first.

He finally realized what was happening and quickly bowed in respect.

Vio simply waved his hand and reminded them, "You all should prepare yourselves well, as we will be heading deep into the forest today."

"Yes, sir!"

The knights quickly grabbed their toiletries and left, while the young knight couldn't help but wonder, "Why do I feel... the Earl seems much stronger than before?"