After leaving Roland with a warning that sounded half like concern and half like a test, Gundar turned and left.

The door clicked shut behind him. Roland did not reach for the [Crescent Moon Draw] scroll on the table. His mind was still caught on the offer Gundar had made.

For a while, he said nothing. Then he shook his head.

Beyond every advantage and risk he had already weighed, the road toward a knight breathing method still had one fatal barrier.

Age.

Baron Forsling was proof enough.

In casual conversations with John, Roland had learned why Baron Forsling had never cultivated a knight breathing method. By the time he had the chance, he was already approaching middle age.

According to John, cultivating a knight breathing method was like raising a sapling.

A young shoot could take root with ease. Asking an old stump to sprout again was another matter entirely.

The older a person became, the weaker the results. Worse, the secret art itself might recoil on the cultivator.

Roland had the occupation panel, but without understanding the actual rules behind breathing methods, he would not gamble on his golden finger ignoring an age restriction.

"Forget it..."

His thoughts tangled together until the exhaustion from the duel surged up and swallowed them.

Roland dropped onto the soft bed and stared at the wood grain overhead.

"At least I've found one way to reach a breathing method. Whether I should serve at the border..."

His eyelids sank under their own weight.

"I'll think it through later."

He was on the edge of sleep when a crisp knock snapped him awake.

"Mr. Roland, are you resting?"

The voice at the door was familiar.

Roland shook off the fog in his head, got up, and opened the door.

"Sorry, Mr. Colin."

He rubbed his aching temples and gave him an apologetic smile.

"I had just lain down, so I was late answering."

"No matter."

Colin took in the fatigue on the young man's face and nodded with practiced understanding. His smile held just the right amount of warmth.

"If you are tired, I can come another day..."

"Please wait."

Roland stopped him before he could turn away.

This was not a man he could afford to brush off.

"If it is important, why not come in and discuss it?"

"Very well."

Colin stepped inside without further ceremony.

Roland closed the door, forced himself alert, poured a cup of clean water, and handed it over.

"Thank you."

Colin accepted the cup, took a sip, and smiled. "I heard from Mr. Darco that you are a blacksmith apprentice under Baron Forsling of Blackwater Territory?"

"That is correct."

Roland nodded without hesitation.

He was not surprised Colin had asked Darco about him.

After his duel with Gundar, every curious noble in Far Harbor would be digging into his origins. That could not be stopped.

And Darco revealing information to Colin?

In front of a man with Colin's status and influence in Far Harbor, how could a minor noble refuse?

Even if Darco had kept silent, Colin had plenty of ways to investigate. It would only take more effort.

Seeing Roland answer so readily, Colin's smile deepened. "I heard you only used three months to..."

As the conversation went on, the questions brushed closer to private matters.

Roland, naturally, did not tell him everything. He answered with the plainest words he could.

Even so, Colin looked more satisfied the longer they spoke. The way he studied Roland grew sharper, like a merchant assessing a treasure he had almost missed.

Like the nobles of the Golden Valley Kingdom, Colin wanted a talent like Roland under his banner.

But Colin was a merchant of the River Kingdoms. That identity put him at a disadvantage when competing for a gifted youth born in the Golden Valley Kingdom.

He had nearly given up on the idea. Then, after the martial display, King Morne had asked about Roland's background, and that single question rekindled Colin's hopes.

This young man was a commoner.

As a major figure of the River Kingdoms, a nation that had maintained diplomatic ties with the Golden Valley Kingdom for decades, Colin knew plenty about his neighbor. He understood the iron rule left behind by the Blood Moon Rebellion, which had erupted more than ten years ago, more clearly than most.

For a commoner like Roland to obtain a knight breathing method in the Golden Valley Kingdom, he had only one road: win military merit, rise in status, and gain a noble title.

How long would that take? How dangerous would it be?

The path was full of unknowns. With Roland's talent, would he really be willing to lose years waiting for permission to grow?

Sunlight fell across Colin's face as his eyes narrowed.

He was not looking at Roland like an ordinary person. He was appraising a rare gem.

Years in commerce had taught him one lesson.

True geniuses were like precious stones. They would never let their own brilliance be buried by a long wait.

"Mr. Roland."

Colin stopped circling the topic and went straight to the heart of it.

"Do you... want to obtain a knight breathing method?"

The sudden question caught Roland off guard.

Then he understood what Colin was offering.

He drew a steady breath, pressed down the excitement rising in his chest, and bowed his head slightly.

"Mr. Colin, you mean..."

"Mr. Roland, you are a smart man. And I..."

Colin emptied the cup, wearing the shrewd smile of a merchant who had found the right price.

"I prefer dealing with smart people."

"Just as you guessed, the River Kingdoms I belong to are similar to the Golden Valley Kingdom. A person can enter Knight Academy for advanced study and obtain a knight breathing method. The difference is..."

He paused on purpose.

Roland remained steady, so Colin gave a helpless little smile and continued.

"In the River Kingdoms, commoners are not forbidden from cultivating knight breathing methods."

As expected.

Roland had already guessed, but hearing it from Colin still made his breathing quicken.

"Of course..."

Colin was not done.

"The several knight breathing methods circulating in our River Kingdoms are indeed somewhat inferior to the Golden Valley Kingdom's top inheritances in raw power. But I believe..."

His long fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop, each sound crisp in the quiet room. His tone carried the confidence of a man used to closing difficult deals.

"For a genius like you, that small difference in the breathing method itself should not be a problem, should it?"

Silence settled after that.

Only the distant noise of the Sea God Festival seeped in from outside.

When Roland did not answer at once, Colin clearly understood this was not a decision to be forced in a few breaths.

He rose from the wooden chair and bowed with polished courtesy.

"You may take your time considering it."

As he spoke, he made a gesture much like Gundar's and drew a badge from inside his coat.

This one was not metal. It was carved from transparent crystal, blue at its base with a pale reddish tint.

Its pattern was a shell shaped like a coin.

"Once you have decided, come directly to Sea Pearl Hall and find me. Until then, I will be waiting here."

Colin straightened, his smile proper and measured.

"Also... tonight, it would be best to lock your door. I will arrange for guards to stand outside. If any... unexpected situation occurs..."

His gaze shifted to the bell he had pointed out when Roland first entered the room.

"Ring that bell. Someone will handle it for you."

The heavy wooden door closed again, leaving the room in silence.

Colin's words struck harder than any shout. Every bit of sleepiness and fatigue in Roland vanished.

He drew a deep breath, sat in the wooden chair, and drummed his fingers against the table in a steady rhythm.

His mind started working at full speed.

"Judging from what Colin said, as long as I nod and agree, I can enter the Knight Academy of the River Kingdoms for advanced study."

"Compared to earning a noble title through military merit in Golden Valley Kingdom, this path is easier and faster, but..."

Roland's expression tightened.

He knew there was no free lunch.

If all he had to give up was his status as a freeman of the Golden Valley Kingdom, he would not care much.

He had been in this world for less than a year. This land had not given him any deep sense of belonging.

He had made friends here, yes, but the Golden Valley Kingdom and the River Kingdoms had maintained diplomatic relations for decades and had always been friendly. Presumably, they would not come to blows.

But going to the River Kingdoms still meant unfamiliar customs and a different social system.

And Colin had certainly left some requirements unspoken.

Roland weighed the gains and losses again. At last, his gaze hardened.

"I'll go to the River Kingdoms! Whatever conditions Colin still has, I can ask about them when the time comes. Compared to how hard it is to obtain a knight breathing method in the Golden Valley Kingdom, the River Kingdoms' route is clearly more direct and more efficient."

"Besides, would serving at the border really come with no extra conditions? And..."

Remembering the rumors he had heard about the River Kingdoms during this period, Roland stopped tapping the table.

"Compared to the Golden Valley Kingdom's deeply rooted noble system, the River Kingdoms' model of joint governance might give me more room to develop."

"Even if I become a Transcendent Professional, I'll probably be restricted everywhere in the Golden Valley Kingdom. I might as well go to the River Kingdoms and carve out a place there."

With his decision made, Roland used what clarity he still had to pick up the scroll for the Combat Technique [Crescent Moon Draw] and spread it across the wooden table.

Then he leaned in and studied it.

Before long, the corner of his mouth lifted in satisfaction.

This Combat Technique called [Crescent Moon Draw] was exactly what he had expected. Once cultivated to its limit, it could achieve the effect of using four ounces to move a thousand pounds.

The essence of [Crescent Moon Draw] was difficult, yet simple.

The difficulty lay in timing. The simplicity lay in the principle itself.

Its key points were "reading momentum" and "borrowing force."

"Reading momentum" meant using hawk-sharp insight to catch the flow of the enemy's strength the instant an attack appeared, then find the weakest point within it.

"Borrowing force" relied on nimble wrist turns and shifts. Instead of meeting strength head-on, the user followed the opponent's force and nudged it aside, making the attack veer off course.

It was like water meeting stone. It did not fight the edge. It flowed around it, then guided it elsewhere.

With precise timing, even the lightest touch of a fingertip could break an opponent's balance.

After that, a small pull would make them lose their footing and expose a fatal opening.

An ordinary person trying to learn this Combat Technique would run into one obstacle after another.

Both "reading momentum" and "borrowing force" demanded extensive combat experience and long, grueling practice.

For Roland, however, those barriers were almost made for his strengths.

When it came to "reading momentum," he only needed to activate [Focus] and let his thoughts enter high-speed operation. He could then see through changes in a battle situation with ease.

As for the complex wrist movements required for "borrowing force," [Twin Martial Performance] made them even less of a problem.

The extraordinary flexibility granted by that extra buff allowed him to reproduce the technical movements recorded on the scroll, even the ones ordinary people would find nearly impossible.

Roland drew his Mithril longsword at once and began practicing.

The blade cut through the air with soft whistles. In only a short while, he had mastered most of the wrist techniques written on the scroll.

But when he sheathed the sword, Roland frowned.

The [Crescent Moon Draw] he had just performed had not produced the vortex-like pull Gundar had created in battle, the pull that dragged at weapons the moment they moved.

By comparison, Roland's version was still an exquisite blocking technique. It was nowhere near Gundar's level, where a strike could be fully deflected, much less borrowed to send the opponent flying sideways.

"Maybe I just haven't mastered it well enough yet..."

Roland murmured to himself and set the doubt aside for now.

The moment his mind loosened, the post-battle exhaustion rushed back.

He exhaled and collapsed onto the soft bed. Colin's earlier words returned to him again.

"Mr. Colin seemed to mention... more than one knight breathing method is circulated in the River Kingdoms, and there are differences between them..."

"Then what exactly separates one breathing method from another? Right..."

Roland recalled the meaningful tones Gundar and Colin had used before leaving, and his brow creased.

"Tonight... could something happen?"

"Why did Lord Gundar and Mr. Colin both warn me not to go outside, almost by prior agreement?"

Doubts crowded his mind. Still, when Roland thought of the elite soldiers guarding Sea Pearl Hall, then of the terrifying strength Gundar had displayed as a Transcendent Professional, his tense nerves eased.

Before long, his breathing settled into a deep, even rhythm, and he fell asleep.

Some time later, Roland's eyes opened on the bed.

He yawned, then stood and moved his limbs.

"My strength should be about eighty percent recovered."

Feeling power move through his body again, Roland thought to himself.

"Looks like after activating [Fighting Spirit], as long as I don't exceed my body's limits, my recovery speed is much faster than I expected."

Just then, hunger clawed up from his stomach.

"Better deal with food first."

He glanced at the dim sky beyond the window, shook his head, and walked toward the door.

His footsteps brushed over the silky carpet with a soft rustle.

After only a few breaths, the sound stopped.

Roland halted, his brow locked, and listened.

The room stayed silent.

He drew the Mithril longsword at his waist. His vigilance rose to its peak.

The reason was simple.

It was too quiet.

If only Sea Pearl Hall had fallen silent, that would have made sense. This was King Morne's lodging, after all.

But the whole of Far Harbor had gone dead quiet. That was wrong.

Darco had told him the Sea God Festival was Far Harbor's most important annual celebration. The locals usually kept celebrating until late into the night.

Right now, the sky outside had not even fully darkened. It was far from midnight.

Roland lightened his steps and moved to the window, then looked out with care.

The sight froze him in place.

The entire street looked like it had been caught in an instant by an invisible force.

Festival banners still stirred in the breeze. Lanterns that had not yet gone out cast warm light through the dusk. Yet the street, which should have been packed with revelers, stood empty.

Food at the stalls still sent up wisps of steam. Wine cups lay overturned, liquor dripping from wooden tables. A heartbeat ago, someone might have been raising a toast there.

Ribbons and masks lay scattered across the ground, like the celebrating crowd had been snatched away all at once.

Stranger still, some places retained the shape of interrupted motion.

The curtain of a puppet stage hung half open. On the stage, a puppet's arm remained lifted in mid-performance. Fish skewers on a roadside grill had burned half black, and no one had turned them. A chair still rocked by itself, left behind by someone who had just stood in haste.

The city felt paused, leaving only Roland at the window, staring into the sudden silence.

A chill crawled up his spine and settled at the back of his neck.

Roland's gaze shifted to the pull cord by the wall.

There hung a brass bell, gleaming strangely in the gloom.