Sequence adventurers roaming between two worlds

Chapter 86 The Legendary Breathing Technique, Mastered! (4k words)

The slightly dark gold-colored skill lay quietly in the skill bar, highlighting its difference from other skills.

Leo eagerly looked at the detailed introduction.

[Wolf Hunting Breathing Technique Iv.5]: A legendary breathing technique that emphasizes the ultimate enhancement of agility, perception, and endurance. The summonable class spirit is [??? (Sleeping)]. By simulating the breathing rhythm of the moon wolf, it plunders the surrounding free-floating ethereal particles to nourish itself, greatly slowing down the consumption of mental and physical energy. After mastering it, it also possesses the effect of "Weakness Insight".

Skill Effect 1 - Wolf Hunter: When activated, increases stamina consumption by 150-600% (can be controlled manually; the lower the stamina consumption, the lower the bonus). Simultaneously, increases Strength by 5 (minimum 2.5, other attributes proportionally), Stamina by 5, Agility by 10, Spirit by 5, and Perception by 10.

Skill Effect 2 - Deadly Wolf: When activated, there is a 10% chance to discover the enemy's "weakness" in battle. Hitting the weakness will deal critical damage that ignores defense.

Skill Effect 3 - Plundering Wolf: By hunting dragon beasts, you can gain True Attribute Points. True Attribute Points can break through the rank cap. Current True Attribute Points: 0 (Based on Breathing Technique level, maximum ten points currently obtainable).

Mastery Bonus: The effects of three skills are doubled (already reflected in the numerical values). All damage you deal will inflict the "Grievous" status on the target, suppressing healing effects by 70%.

Current experience: 0/16000

It's really worth it!

Leo was shocked.

He had thought that mastering the legendary breathing technique might bring about a qualitative change, but he never expected that the effect of this qualitative change would be so exaggerated.

All three skill effects have their values ​​doubled.

Effect 1: The Wolf of the Hunt. According to the original growth pattern, the minimum increase to the Strength attribute should be 2.5. However, now, by increasing the consumption of energy, he can amplify this value to 5.

The highest bonuses to Agility and Perception can even be amplified to 10!

This means that, at the maximum power level of the Wolf Hunting Breathing Technique, his strength increased by more than three times!

But the cost is also significant.

The extremely high energy consumption means that even with Leo's significant improvement in his base stamina, he won't be able to maintain this level of power for long.

But in a life-or-death situation, this will be Leo's greatest trump card.

Skill Effect Two - Deadly Wolf: Originally, it only had a 1% chance of a critical hit, essentially relying on luck. Now it has...

To date, Leo has not triggered this effect in battle.

With the current mastery of breathing techniques, the trigger probability has doubled, reaching a considerable 10%.

Skill Effect 3 - Plundering Wolf: The change in this skill effect is also quite significant. Once obtained, the 10 points of true attribute are equivalent to a qualitative change.

Unfortunately, Leo still didn't know where to find this so-called dragon beast.

He speculated that there might be remnants inside the Silvermoon Maze, after all, the old Wolf Knight had hunted down the dragon beast in the Silvermoon Forest.

"That's fine."

Leo activated the Wolf Hunting Breathing Technique, feeling the immense power surging within him, and couldn't help but nod.

With this level of power, combined with the thief's three special abilities, even if his potion digestion rate is relatively low, a typical Sequence 9 should still be no match for him.

In this way, his journey to the Western Extremities to find a way to digest the magic potion would be more secure.

"Well then, it's time to set off."

Unsure how long he would stay in the far west, Leo wrote a letter before leaving and placed it on the table in the tavern room.

The letter mentioned that he might have something to do and would need to leave for a while.

With everything in place, Leo no longer hesitated and took a deep breath.

Primordial Mirror, activated!

"Buzz"

A sudden darkness followed by a flash of light—and then the world had changed.

Leo stood in the shadows under the eaves of the alley, gazing at the scorching sunlight that burned the edges of the shadows.

At this time, it was dusk in the western part of the world, but even at this time when the sun was about to set, the heat of the sun was still intense.

It even felt stronger to him than it did at noon last time.

"No, it's not that the light is more intense. If it were, ordinary people in Falling Star Harbor and even the entire Western Pole would be burned to death."

"It's inspiration!"

"My basic attributes are higher than last time, which indirectly enhances my inspiration, allowing me to perceive the true appearance of the world that is invisible to ordinary people."

"Governing, [Great Sun]"

Leo pondered to himself.

In such scorching sunlight, it would be difficult for anything to hide.

Apart from----

He looked at the [Blind Spot] skill bar.

After the Miracle buff, once he uses [Blind Spot], he and his designated targets will be completely undetectable unless the [Great Sun] ruler personally sends his gaze upon them.

Leo casually created a "blind spot" for himself, stepped out of the shadows, and walked on the street outside.

After a moment, he seemed to be deep in thought.

"The effect of the 'blind spot' is to guide external observations in a way that is favorable to me."

"My idea is to prevent outsiders from seeing me, so passersby almost completely ignore me, making me practically invisible. No! It's a more sophisticated method than invisibility, since invisibility still involves the worry of revealing one's voice and presence, but [Blind Spot] doesn't have that problem at all."

Having experienced the specific effects of this trait skill, Leo couldn't help but take a deep breath.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a trait skill on par with [Low-Tier Shadow Mastery] and [Hand of Thieves].

Leo hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now that he's experienced it firsthand, he realizes how powerful this trait skill is, no less so than the previous two.

It is also the core of the Shadow Sequence 9 Thief.

As he strolled along, Leo returned to the dilapidated hut deep in the alley.

He came here purely to try his luck and see if his cheap older brother was there, or if he had left anything behind.

He hadn't had high hopes to begin with.

But when he pushed the door open, he unexpectedly sensed a subtle fluctuation in the corner of the wall.

The next moment, the air distorted into a door, and a figure wearing a pure white mask on his face and a clown mask tied around his waist walked out from it.

"Cheap—cough cough, Mr. Clown, is there something you need from me?"

In this situation, how could Leo not know what had happened?

The subtle fluctuations emanating from the corner of the wall were clearly some kind of reconnaissance or sensing technique.

When Leo enters the house and triggers the event, this method transmits the information of his arrival to the Joker, allowing the Joker to teleport through...

Come.

This wasn't available before.

In other words, his cheap older brother used this method because he needed to contact him for something.

The clown, who emerged from the portal, suddenly froze the moment his gaze fell upon Leo.

"This feeling—you ingested a magic potion? And you succeeded?"

His voice was filled with astonishment.

The clown strode forward and stood in front of Leo, carefully examining him from all angles to make sure that Leo had no physical deformities or mental impairments before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

"Why didn't you tell me you took the potion? With me here, we'd have a backup plan in case something went wrong."

In his haste, he even forgot that, given their current public identities, he shouldn't have expressed such concern.

Leo smiled. This heartfelt concern made him feel somewhat uncomfortable, and even a strange sense of guilt.

"I gathered all the materials, and luckily I met a skilled potion brewer. After brewing the potion, I took it and, by sheer luck, I successfully advanced in rank."

He gave a brief explanation, then asked again, "Mr. Clown, is there something urgent that you wanted to see me about?"

Hearing this, the clown's agitated heart gradually calmed down. Realizing his loss of composure, he coughed lightly, took two steps back, and created some distance.

"Ahem, there's something I need to do."

"This morning, the head of the black market exchange contacted me, saying they wanted to cooperate with us on something."

Cooperation? Bird-beak masked man?

Could it be because of Leona's death? No, it shouldn't be.

Although Leona has some connections, she shouldn't be on the same side as the black market, otherwise she wouldn't have needed to negotiate a meeting with the black market leader.

If this is unrelated, what connection do I have with the black market?

Extraordinary materials with the attribute of Shadow?

While pondering, Leo looked at the Joker: "Did they specify what kind of collaboration it was?"

The clown shook his head: "It wasn't explicitly stated, but they said that if this cooperation is successful, they can offer you extremely generous rewards, whether it's money or extraordinary items, anything they have."

So generous?

Leo narrowed his eyes slightly.

He instinctively wanted to reject such uncertainties.

But before he could finish speaking, he paused.

Leo suddenly realized that his purpose in returning to the Western Pole was to systematically learn about the potion sequence system.

As for matters involving the extraordinary, given the channels he currently possesses, he cannot do without the help of the black market.

He used to be very wary of the black market, but now that he's a Sequence 9, he can start other collaborations.

Leo looked at the clown in front of him: "You seem to be in such a hurry, surely they can provide you with something you desperately need?"

Given how much his brother cared for him, he would never involve himself in this unless absolutely necessary.

The clown paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes."

"I never expected they would have that thing on hand."

"I absolutely cannot miss this opportunity. If the cooperation fails, even if it means taking it by force, I will still take it."

Leo's teeth felt a little sore.

My older brother, whom I've taken advantage of, is quite short-tempered.

The power of the black market extends far beyond what is visible on the surface.

The bird-beak masked man at Sequence 9 alone couldn't control such a large underground organization.

"Don't be impulsive. Let's listen to what their so-called cooperation is."

Leo said in a deep voice.

The clown paused, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

If Leo were still an ordinary person, he would most likely end up deciding to rob the black market.

But during this meeting, Leo unexpectedly became a true Sequence Nine. As fellow practitioners of the Hidden Sequence, he was well aware of the thief's abilities and understood that he no longer needed to worry about his younger brother's safety.

"By the way, Mr. Clown."

Leo suddenly spoke up: "Regarding the Thief's Potion, do you know how to completely digest it after ingesting it?"

Upon hearing this, the clown fell silent, then shook his head with some difficulty: "—I'm not quite sure either."

"But I've heard people say that potion names are often suggestive. Since it's a thief's potion, wouldn't doing things that only 'thieves' would increase its digestibility?"

Is that all?

Leo had some doubts.

According to the older brother, it's a summary that's a mix of speculation and various hearsay.

"Just as I suspected, my cheap brother is a self-taught amateur."

Leo sighed silently to himself.

"It seems that to obtain complete knowledge of the extraordinary system, contact with the mystical organizations of the West is unavoidable—"

He shook his head, said no more, and instead slightly raised his chin, indicating that he was about to depart.

And so, as the night completely swallowed the last ray of sunlight.

Leo and the clown arrived at the Seagull Tavern.

After the same guided tour as before, Leo met the man with the bird-beak mask again in the secret underground room of the Seagull Tavern.

The difference this time is that the meeting place is no longer the trading room, but a small living room with rather luxurious decorations.

"Distinguished guests, please have a seat."

The man in the bird-beak mask clapped his hands lightly, and immediately, a waiter brought over expensive red wine and dishes.

Unfortunately, neither Leo nor the Joker had the habit of eating on other people's turf.

Does anyone know if there are any added ingredients?

Regardless of whether the other party is good or bad, there's no need to gamble.

The man in the bird-beak mask smiled at their cautious behavior, unconcerned: "I am deeply honored that you two distinguished guests have accepted my invitation."

"In that case, I will speak frankly."

"I apologize for inviting you two distinguished guests here, but there is something I would like to ask you to do."

The clown didn't speak, like a silent bodyguard.

Leo, wearing a silver mask, said calmly, "Tell me about it."

"This shouldn't be difficult for either of you." The man in the bird-beak mask waved his hand, dismissing all the waiters in the room, before speaking, "Seven days from now, the White Swan Grand Theatre in Falling Star Harbor will be hosting a performance by the nationally renowned Crystal Ballet."

"Of course, that's not the point. The point is that at midnight after the performance, the Grand Theatre will hold a massive, secret auction."

"I need you to steal one of the final items before the auction begins."

"This kind of thing shouldn't be too difficult for a 'thief,' right?"

As he spoke, the man in the bird-beak mask turned his gaze to the clown who had been silent all along. After a few seconds, he turned his gaze to Leo, his eyes filled with amazement: "It's only been a few days, but I didn't expect that you would have already embarked on the path of sequence."

"If I'm not mistaken, you two are both 'thieves' in the Shadow Sequence, right?"

Sensing the clown's increasingly dangerous gaze, he quickly explained, "Relax. If I were truly hostile, I wouldn't be sitting here discussing cooperation with you."

"To show my sincerity, please allow me to introduce myself."

He stood up, placed his hand on his chest, and bowed, like an elegant dancer.

"I am a wanderer in the realm of 'return to silence,' and like you, I am a secret blasphemer condemned as a heretic by the seven major churches of today. You may call me the Bird-faced Man."

The clown narrowed his eyes, his tone filled with surprise and doubt: "The black market of Falling Star Harbor actually has something to do with you guys who pursue extreme peace?"

close?"

The bird-faced man smiled but said nothing.

After a brief silence, Leo spoke up: "Tell me, what are you trying to steal?"