Who Says I’m Not a Legitimate Adventurer?

“Goblin ruins specifically refer to the remnants left behind by the Ancient Goblin race that once built a vast mechanical empire.”

“They were a race of extremely high intelligence.”

“In fact, the airship engines, arcane elevators, and even most of the foundations of magitech engineering we use today are all based on excavations and reverse engineering of their ruins.”

“Their civilization was extraordinarily brilliant—at one point, they even touched the domain of the Gods.”

“Unfortunately, their empire was ultimately reduced to ashes in a massive war against the Dragons.”

“As for why the war began, and how they were completely wiped out in such a short time, even the archaeologists haven’t reached a conclusion to this day.”

Lance listened, utterly absorbed.

Then the value of this Breathing Technique likely far exceeded his expectations.

Necros looked at the booklet in Lance’s hands and continued.

“This Breathing Technique was found in the vault at the core of that ruin.”“It was originally inscribed on a metal plate in the Ancient Goblin language. The copy you’re holding is a handwritten version I had translated at great cost by professional scholars in the Royal Capital.”

The old man paused, giving Lance time to process the information.

“Raven, you need to understand.”

“Before your class level steps into the extraordinary tier, the Breathing Technique will be the absolute core of your cultivation.”

“It not only determines the Source Furnace you construct at the common level—”

“But also decides whether you can establish a stable Class Star Orbit after advancing to the excellent tier.”

“Whether your foundation is solid or not depends entirely on how firmly you take this first step.”

Necros recalled the contents of this technique, his gaze turning somewhat complicated.

“I’ve seen countless Breathing Techniques in my life. Some emphasize defense, others emphasize speed.”

“But this one… is the most purely and extremely focused on combat that I’ve ever seen.”

“It discards all mild traits meant for survival or endurance, stacking every enhancement purely onto destructive power.”

“According to scholarly speculation, I suspect this technique was originally created specifically for dragon slaying.”

“It’s extremely extreme—and extremely dangerous.”

The old man’s tone became especially serious.

“Even so, are you certain you want to choose it?”

“I’m certain.”

Lance answered without the slightest hesitation.

Rare. Powerful. Extreme.

When these three words were combined, this was already a ceiling-level resource that he could currently access.

And it was designed for dragon slaying.

The weight of those two words needed no explanation—Dragons were the pinnacle creatures of the material world.

Anything associated with them was bound to stand at the very top.

“I’m ready, Guild Master.”

Lance raised his head, his gaze firm and unwavering.

“This is what I want.”

Looking at the ambition in the young man’s eyes, Necros fell silent for a moment before breaking into a smile.

“Good courage.”

The old man no longer tried to dissuade him.

“Since you’ve made up your mind, conduct your first cultivation here.”

“Don’t worry about losing control.”

“My class trait can dull the surrounding free Aether elements.”

“If the Aether reaction inside your body shows signs of going berserk, I’ll forcibly cut off your energy supply and save your life.”

After retiring, he had chosen to come to Graystone Town precisely to repay his old captain, hoping to nurture more outstanding adventurers in his hometown.

That had been their agreement.

At his age, the ambitions of youth had long faded. Instead, he now looked forward to seeing the younger generation embark on magnificent journeys.

Watching them shine brilliantly felt like making up for some of his own past regrets. That was why he was always especially willing to guide and support those with potential.

The old man did not rush him, instead waiting patiently.

Lance opened the booklet.

Although the text was written in the Common Language of the kingdom, the sentence structures were archaic and obscure, making it difficult to read.

The breathing rhythms recorded were even more peculiar—uneven in length, even requiring unnatural breath-holding at certain points.

As his eyes swept across line after line, those complex descriptions rapidly transformed into clear diagrams of bodily operation within his mind.

This was not merely a knowledge-based book—it was a skill book.

By the time he reached the final page, the entire operational logic of the Breathing Technique had already been deeply imprinted into his mind.

At the same time—

The system panel flickered faintly, and a new skill entry appeared.

【Dragon-Hunting Breathing Technique LV1 (0/400)】

“Dragon-Hunting Breathing Technique…”

Lance felt a slight shock.

So this was the true name of this nameless Breathing Technique?

This also indirectly confirmed that his panel seemed to possess some kind of ability to identify the essence of things.

And in human history, the title “Dragon-Hunting”—

Belonged only to that legendary figure, the First Hunter King.

“I struck gold.”

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Lance did not hesitate and directly invested the reward he had just obtained from the mission settlement.

110 points of Skill Experience.

Although it didn’t level up, as the experience was infused, a flood of insights surged into his mind—how to adjust breathing rhythms, how to draw in Aether.

The previous feeling of not knowing where to begin vanished instantly.

“At the very least, starting it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Lance closed the booklet and placed it on the table, then shut his eyes.

At the side, when Necros saw Lance put down the booklet, he knew the boy had already memorized the contents and was ready to begin.

The old man stood up.

He had seen many people cultivate Breathing Techniques, including himself back then.

Normally, during the first attempt, intense physical exercise was required to awaken the body’s dormant functions.

Only by pushing the heartbeat to its limit and forcing the lungs to pump like bellows could one capture the free Aether in that extreme physiological state.

That would be the moment where Aether was first ignited.

Once it succeeded once, and the body remembered the sensation, one could gradually transition to activating it in a static state.

Necros was just about to instruct Lance to head to the training ground to attempt activation—

“Then go to the training field now—”

But halfway through his sentence, his voice abruptly caught in his throat.

Because he saw a scene that left him completely stunned.

Standing in the center of the carpet, Lance had not moved a single step. He hadn’t even performed any warm-up.

He simply parted his lips slightly, his chest rising and falling in an extremely strange yet rhythmic pattern.

“Hsss—whoo…”

At first, the breathing sound was faint, but in an instant, it became heavy like the pumping of a bellows.

The free Aether elements in the surrounding air seemed to be drawn by some powerful magnet, surging wildly toward the young man’s nose and mouth.

Within Necros’s extraordinary perception—

He could clearly “see” it.

Those violent Aether currents, forcibly drawn into Lance’s lungs, without any prior intense physical stimulation—

Were directly, through that unique breathing rhythm…

Ignited!