As Lance’s chest rose and fell in that strange rhythm, the originally calm, free-floating energy in the air seed to be pulled by an intense force.
“Hsss… whoo…”
Accompanied by heavy breathing, those Aether elents—imperceptible to the naked eye—were forcibly drawn into his lungs, only to be instantly ignited by that unique cadence.
A scorching current of heat exploded from his chest, surging wildly through his vascular network toward every limb and extremity.
Beneath Lance’s skin, faint strands of extrely subtle light began to appear, darting rapidly like fish swimming under the surface.
This was because, as it was his first activation, the burning Aether was still too thin, insufficient to form the intricate mana patterns on the surface of his body.
“Hu…”
Lance parted his lips slightly and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
The mont it left his mouth, it turned into a visible stream of straight steam.
Even standing several ters away, Necros could clearly feel the temperature of the air around Lance rising sharply within just a few breaths.
Seeing this scene, even this seasoned Guild Master—who had witnessed countless storms—was montarily stunned.
How was this possible?
As a veteran professional, his perception could not be wrong.
Before Lance had opened that booklet, the boy’s lungs had been as clean as a blank sheet—untouched by any Aether.
This ant that Lance had truly been a complete novice, soone who had never co into contact with any Breathing Technique.
In this world, the cultivation of Breathing Techniques had never been an easy path.
Even those extraordinary figures who would later shake the continent—even including the few living legends Necros personally knew—
When they first encountered Breathing Techniques, every single one of them had to rely on near-exhaustion-level extre exercise to squeeze out their potential, barely managing to capture and ignite the free Aether.
So even needed months to complete this first step.
And yet—
Activating it instantly, from zero foundation, while standing still?
This completely defied the common sense of the professional system.
A flicker of confusion passed through Necros’s eyes as fragnts of distant mories surged in his mind.
In history… had there really never been soone like this?
No—there had been.
In the long chronicles of humanity, there was indeed one such monstrous prodigy.
It was during the era when the Second Generation Heroes were active, when humanity sounded the horn of counterattack against mythological species.
And the one later revered as the “Third Hunter King,” Valerian, was precisely such a rule-breaking existence.
Historical records stated that Valerian, before a crowd of witnesses, had mastered a profound Breathing Technique with just a single glance—and completed its activation in an instant.
That mont had been passed down by bards to this day, becoming a myth admired by countless later generations.
And the reason Valerian bore the glory of “Hunter King”—
Was because he had accomplished the feat of slaying a dragon alone.
What he hunted was not an ordinary draconic beast, but the Primordial Lava Black Dragon “Abyssal Fla Calamity” Kalgalos, which had participated in the war that destroyed the Ancient Goblin Empire.
That evil dragon had caused the infamous “Molten Sea Incident,” boiling the kingdom’s largest inland lake and resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of lives.
Although Valerian ultimately severed the dragon’s head, he suffered irreparable injuries in that battle and died not long after returning.
Even today, in the city by that inland lake, a massive statue of that hero still stands, having beco one of the Empire’s most renowned tourist attractions.
“Could it be… that I’ve truly encountered a monster comparable to Valerian?”
Necros murmured, his gaze fixed on Lance, filled with disbelief—and a hint of expectation.
At this mont, however, Lance had no idea what kind of shock he had caused.
He was completely imrsed in the earth-shaking transformation happening within his body.
As the Breathing Technique circulated, he felt his blood boiling, every cell in his body cheering as it greedily devoured the activated energy.
That sensation—
Was like sprinting at full speed every second.
His heart pounded like thunder, his lungs burned, and his stamina was draining at an alarming rate.
Even though he hadn’t moved, his body was enduring the load equivalent to high-intensity anaerobic exertion.
At the sa ti, the familiar pale-blue interface refreshed rapidly across his vision.
【Dragon-Hunting Breathing Technique successfully activated】
【Entered Aether Resonance State (Phase One)】
【Strength 4.2, Agility 3.6, Perception 3】
【Warning: Constitution attribute is undergoing high-pressure erosion… temporary reduction expected…】
【Talent “Hvergelmir’s Surge” activated, abnormal status immunity in effect… Constitution reduction negated】
【Current stamina depletion rate: 1000%】
Looking at that line of glaring red numbers, even Lance couldn’t help but feel his eyelids twitch.
One thousand percent!
Ten tis the consumption rate!
It should be known that the ordinary Breathing Techniques circulating on the market typically only increased stamina consumption by two to three tis when activated.
Even so, most professionals of the sa tier couldn’t sustain prolonged combat.
But this Dragon-Hunting Breathing Technique was like a stamina-devouring beast that consud energy as easily as drinking water.
If activated under normal conditions, perhaps an ordinary person could barely endure it.
But once entering high-intensity real combat, with the body’s natural consumption stacked on top of this tenfold drain—
The rate of depletion would beco astronomical.
For any normal person, they would likely collapse from exhaustion within seconds, or even suffer cardiac arrest.
“No wonder this thing was left to gather dust in storage.”
Lance clicked his tongue inwardly.
This wasn’t ant for normal people at all—this was practically a suicide manual.
It must have been intended for geniuses with corresponding talents.
But when his gaze fell upon those increased attribute values, the shock in his eyes instantly turned into ecstasy.
Strength 4.2, Agility 3.6.
What did that an?
His current base Strength was 6.
With this 4.2 boost, it would instantly surge to 10.2.
That ant he had broken through the limits of mortals, even surpassing the so-called “Attribute Lock” ceiling of 10 points!
Although it was only temporary, this terrifying explosive power was enough to give him the capital to crush those of the sa level—or even challenge opponents beyond his tier.
This was the fang he had always dread of.
“How do you feel right now?”
Necros looked at him, his expression indescribably complex—like he was looking at a monster, yet also like he was looking at an unpolished gem.
Hearing the old man’s concerned question, Lance did not answer imdiately.
He first closed his eyes, sensing the molten torrent surging within his body, before slowly opening his mouth.
“Hu…”
A stream of scorching white vapor escaped between his lips, leaving a visible trail in the air.
“It feels like I swallowed a piece of red-hot charcoal.”
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