The next morning arrived right at 6:00 AM.
The sky was still soft with early light, the air cool and slightly damp, carrying the faint scent of earth and wood. A gentle breeze moved lazily through the trees, brushing against leaves that whispered quietly among themselves.
The world felt half-awake, suspended between night and day. Sowhere in the distance, birds chirped in uneven rhythm, breaking the silence just enough to make it feel alive.
Yuna walked toward the training ground in the backyard.
She wore her usual training outfit—a fitted, sleeveless Chinese-style martial dress with high slits along the sides, allowing free movent. The fabric hugged her figure perfectly, outlining her curves while still looking elegant and practical.
Her long pink hair was tied loosely, a few strands falling over her face as she walked, swaying gently with each step. The faint morning light reflected softly off her hair, giving it a subtle glow.
Her eyes held a hint of curiosity.
’Let’s see...’
’After losing twice... how is he holding up?’
’Is he sulking... or reflecting?’
’Disappointed... or determined?’
She stepped into the training ground.
And then—
She paused.
Arthur was already there.
Sitting cross-legged on the sand.
Eyes closed.
Breathing steady.
Inhale—
Hold—
Release—
TSH.
Dozens of broken reinforced statues lay scattered around him, silent proof of the past days of brutal training. Fine cracks ran across the remaining pieces, and the sand beneath him was uneven, disturbed by repeated impact and movent.
Yuna’s eyes narrowed slightly.
’...He’s already training?’
At that mont—
Arthur’s eyes slowly opened.
His gaze t hers.
A smile appeared on his face.
"I was just waiting for you, Master."
Yuna raised a brow.
"Is that so?" she said, crossing her arms. "I thought you’d be crying inside that tent after losing to her again."
Arthur chuckled lightly.
"Well, you thought wrong," he said. "If you think losing is sothing new to ... then you don’t know anything about ."
He stretched his neck slightly, the faint sound of tension releasing audible in the quiet morning.
"Up until now... I’ve probably lost more fights than you could count."
Yuna tilted her head slightly.
That answer—
Interested her.
"I see..." she said, her gaze sharpening. "That just makes more curious about your background."
She stepped closer.
"I rember you said you were an orphan."
Arthur nodded.
"I am."
Yuna’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Then why do I get the feeling you’re not telling everything?" she said. "Most orphans don’t casually stay in five-star hotels... especially the one I own in Arcania."
Arthur smiled.
A relaxed, almost shaless smile.
"You could say this orphan is self-made," he replied. "So you should be proud... soone like is your student."
Yuna clicked her tongue.
"Tch."
"If you don’t want to tell , just say so," she said, looking away slightly. "And here I thought we were getting close."
For a second—
Silence.
The breeze passed between them again, lifting a few strands of her hair.
Then—
Arthur burst out laughing.
"You know... you’re actually kind of cute sotis, Master."
Yuna froze.
Then imdiately looked away.
A faint red tint appeared on her face.
Arthur chuckled.
"Don’t worry," he said more softly. "I’ll tell you soday."
His expression changed slightly.
Not joking anymore.
"There are just so things from my past..." he paused, "...that I don’t want to rember yet."
His gaze lowered for a mont.
"They still show up in my dreams."
A brief silence followed.
Then he looked back at her.
"But when the ti cos... when those dreams stop..." he said, "I promise—you’ll be the first person I tell."
Yuna looked at him quietly.
Then—
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"I’ll hold you to that."
Arthur grinned again.
"Of course you can," he said. "You’ll never find a guy as honest as ."
Yuna snorted lightly.
"Yeah, yeah... I’m sure of it."
Then her expression shifted.
Back to serious.
"Now then," she said, stepping forward. "Let’s get back to training."
Her eyes locked onto him.
"Tell ... why did you lose to her again?"
Arthur’s expression sharpened.
He thought for a mont.
"Well... in my opinion, I almost had her," he said. "But at the last mont..."
Yuna’s eyes narrowed.
"What happened?"
Arthur exhaled slowly.
"The exact thing you warned about," he said.
Yuna didn’t interrupt.
"She changed her breathing technique," Arthur continued. "I rember her saying sothing like... Lightning Breath... and Phoenix Breathing."
He frowned slightly.
"And she used so kind of move... I couldn’t move my body at all."
His jaw tightened.
"And then... she finished ."
A brief silence followed.
Then—
Yuna smiled.
A sharp, satisfied smile.
"Well, well... looks like you do have so intelligence," she said. "Aside from being a pervert."
A vein popped on Arthur’s forehead.
Yuna laughed.
"Relax," she said. "I’ll explain what happened. Also there is one more breathing technique that you will learn it’s called River breathing it’s used to maintain your stamina in a prolonged fight."
She stepped closer.
Her tone turned serious.
"But listen carefully."
A pause.
"Because this..."
Her eyes glead slightly.
"...is what you’re going to learn next."
Yuna stood a few steps behind him, calm and composed.
The morning air felt still, as if even the surroundings were listening. Even the faint sounds of nature seed to quiet down, leaving only their voices to fill the space.
"Phoenix Breathing," Yuna said, her voice steady, "is the breathing technique I ntioned earlier... the one that allows the body to recover."
Arthur didn’t interrupt.
His full attention was on her.
"When she was about to be knocked out," Yuna continued, "the real danger wasn’t just her injuries... it was her brain losing stability."
Arthur’s brows furrowed slightly.
Yuna stepped forward slowly.
"When the body is pushed beyond its limits, oxygen flow to the brain becos unstable," she explained. "Vision starts to blur... thoughts slow down... and then... consciousness fades."
Arthur exhaled quietly.
"Yeah... that’s exactly what I saw," he said.
"She corrected it," Yuna replied calmly.
Arthur leaned forward slightly.
"At the exact second she switched her breathing," Yuna continued, "she increased oxygen intake and stabilized blood flow to her brain. That alone was enough to stop her from blacking out."
Arthur went silent.
Processing it.
"Her awareness returned first," Yuna added. "The dizziness faded, her vision cleared, and her mind regained control."
Arthur asked quietly, "And her body?"
"Followed," Yuna said. "Not fully recovered... just stabilized."
She stepped closer and tapped his shoulder lightly.
"Her muscles regained basic function. The trembling stopped. Fatigue eased slightly. What normally takes minutes... she forced into seconds."
Arthur clenched his fist.
"So she wasn’t fine..."
"No," Yuna shook her head. "She was still exhausted. Just no longer collapsing."
She crossed her arms.
"The downside is simple," she added. "It consus more stamina and energy than natural recovery. The body is pushed harder than it should be."
Arthur nodded slowly.
"So it buys ti... but at a cost."
"Exactly."
A brief pause followed.
Then Arthur spoke again.
"And then... her speed changed."
Yuna’s gaze sharpened.
"Lightning Breathing," she said. "That’s where the fight turned... and where you got your ass kicked."
Arthur’s eye twitched slightly.
’She really doesn’t miss a chance to insult ...’
But he stayed focused.
"When she used it," Yuna continued, "her breathing shifted—short inhales, sharp exhales. That rhythm stimulates the nervous system."
Arthur frowned.
"aning?"
Yuna stepped closer.
"The brain sends signals to the body through nerves," she explained. "Normally, there is a slight delay between thought and movent."
She raised a finger.
"Lightning Breathing reduces that delay."
Arthur’s eyes narrowed.
"Her brain processed faster," Yuna said. "Her reactions sharpened. The mont she decided to move... her body had already started moving."
Arthur’s grip tightened.
"That’s why I couldn’t react to the last move..."
Yuna nodded.
"You were still thinking," she said. "She had already acted."
Arthur went quiet.
Yuna continued,
"It also refines coordination. Her movents beca more direct. No wasted motion. No hesitation."
She looked him straight in the eyes.
"Not just faster... but cleaner."
Arthur exhaled slowly.
"So she stabilized her mind... then sharpened it."
"Exactly."
Yuna paused briefly.
"But it depends on control," she added. "If her breathing rhythm breaks, that sharpness fades. Her movents lose precision."
Arthur lowered his gaze slightly.
"So she wasn’t fully recovered... just clear enough to act."
Yuna gave a small nod.
"She didn’t need full strength."
She turned slightly, looking toward the training ground.
"She only needed one mont where her body and mind worked better than yours."
Silence.
Then—
Yuna glanced back at him.
"A fight isn’t decided by who is stronger overall," she said calmly.
Her voice carried weight.
"Only by who is better... in the one mont that actually decides the outco."
Arthur blinked.
Then quietly muttered under his breath,
"...Wow... that actually sounded ridiculously cool, Master."
Yuna looked at him flatly.
"Is that the only thing you understood from all of that?"
Arthur smiled, "Don’t worry I have a good mory so you don’t have to worry about forgetting anything."
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