Chapter 109

Chapter 109: Maritime Blockade. (3)

A web-shaped shimmer of light rose on Hardin’s body.

Respiro.

A technique that extended mana outside the body, allowing one to breathe through the skin. It materialized external gills with mana, similar to those used by lungfish or salamanders to breathe underwater.

It was one of the secret techniques developed during Varlach’s time to launch surprise attacks against enemies at sea.

With this...

‘I can dramatically increase my diving time.’

Man, doing this again… really brings back memories.

Hardin curled his lips into a faint smile and began to move forward slowly.

Splash, splash!

He first dipped his feet into the sea, and before long, the water was up to his waist.

“Young Master, what are you doing?”

“Why are you going into the sea…?”

The knights asked, puzzled, and Hardin turned his head slightly to respond.

“I’ll be right back, so wait.”

“What?”

Right after he said that—

Splash!

Hardin leapt straight into the sea.

Bubbles rose to the surface, and then he completely disappeared from sight.

“What the heck…?”

“That’s supposed to be training?”

What is he even trying to do?

The knights looked at each other in confusion.

I mean, he called it special training, but now he’s suddenly diving into the sea?

But that wasn’t the real issue.

As they stood there dumbfounded, staring blankly at the water, one minute passed, then two, and soon it was well past three minutes.

One knight finally spoke up.

“Hey, Captain Manton… hasn’t it been a while since he went in?”

“…Yeah, it has.”

“Are you sure he’s okay?”

“I don’t know either…”

An air of unease and restlessness began to spread across everyone’s faces.

As more time passed—

“Brother Beryl, don’t you think something might have happened?”

“…D-Do you think so?”

By the time over five full minutes had passed since Hardin vanished, the knights’ expressions had turned visibly anxious.

Unable to take it anymore, Manton threw off his top and shouted,

“E-Everyone, get in the water! We have to find the Young Master!”

“Yes, sir!”

Splash! Splash! Plunge!

All of them, without hesitation, jumped into the sea.

However…

“Puhahhh! I—I can’t breathe!”

“Damn it! I can’t see anything!”

“Hahh, hahh…”

None of them could last even a few minutes underwater before resurfacing.

Even if they were knights, they were still just stronger humans—not fish.

“Young Master! Damn it!”

“W-What do we do now?!”

While everyone flailed about in confusion, unsure of what to do—

Whooosh!

A pillar of water suddenly shot up into the air.

“Puhahhh! Man, that was rough.”

And there, right where the water settled, Hardin was floating effortlessly.

Manton’s eyes widened in disbelief as he asked,

“W-What the…? Young Master?”

“Huh? What are you guys doing over there?”

“Well, since you didn’t come back, Young Master, we were searching…”

“Searching? I wasn’t even gone that long, and you already lost your patience?”

“That may be so… but you were underwater for over five minutes.”

“Whatever, get out of the water. I’ll keep explaining.”

“Ah… Yes, sir.”

As Hardin swam back toward the shore—

‘What kind of man is he?’

‘How did he even hold out that long?’

The knights who followed behind had faces full of questions.

A short while later, on the sandy beach, Hardin stretched out one arm in front of the thoroughly soaked knights and said,

“You just need to go underwater and bring this back.”

“What is that…?”

The knights blinked and asked.

What Hardin held in his hand was a fish.

It had a long, black body like a snake, with a grotesque face that looked more like a monster, catching everyone’s attention at once.

As the creature flailed non-stop, Hardin smirked.

“This thing’s called a Black Dragon Fish.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said it’s called a Black Dragon Fish. It might look nasty, but once it’s grilled, it tastes absolutely amazing.”

“R-Really? I’ve never seen anything like that in my life… Ha ha…”

It didn’t look anything like something that would taste good...

As Mikkelsen scratched the back of his head and asked again, Hardin scoffed.

“Of course you haven’t seen it. These guys only live in deep waters. Fishermen can’t catch them with nets.”

“…What?”

The knights’ mouths dropped open slightly.

If Hardin had brought that up himself, it meant he swam all the way into deep waters.

‘What kind of guy is he?’

‘Is that… even possible?’

Just as they were baffled by Hardin’s almost superhuman ability—

Skreee! Screeeeech!

Flap! Flap flap!

The Black Dragon Fish in his hand began thrashing wildly and let out strange noises.

“Settle down.”

Whap!

Hardin struck the top of its head with the edge of his hand, and it instantly lost all strength, going limp.

With the fish slung over his shoulder, Hardin spoke.

“Your training is simple. I’ll give you three days. Within that time, each of you must dive into the sea and catch one of these Black Dragon Fish.”

“…What?”

What did he just say?

The knights’ eyes widened like lanterns.

Mikkelsen asked, unable to grasp it.

“Y-Young Master, just now… were you being serious?”

“Of course. Obviously.”

“But didn’t you just say it yourself? That Black Dragon Fish only lives in deep waters.”

“Yeah. You’ll need to go down at least 100 meters to find one.”

“100 meters?”

Their already gaping mouths opened even wider.

‘So you're telling me… he just dove down 100 meters and caught that thing?’

‘Unbelievable…’

At that moment, Beryl scratched his head with a finger and said in a pitiful voice,

“That’s impossible, Young Master. We’ll pass out from lack of oxygen before we even reach 100 meters.”

“M-Me too!”

“There’s no way!”

We’re not fish or anything—how are we supposed to do that?

No, more importantly… what does this have to do with driving out those Tread bastards?

Just as everyone was starting to get filled with confusion—

“Tsk…”

Hardin grabbed the Black Dragon Fish slung over his shoulder like a whip, ready to swing it, and everyone flinched, stepping back in unison.

With an angry expression, Hardin huffed and spoke.

“What’s with all the whining before even starting? Just now, you all said you’d do anything if it meant kicking out the Tread family.”

At that, Mikkelsen and Manton glanced at each other nervously before replying.

“B-But… we didn’t expect it to be something like this.”

“I have the will too, but isn’t this a bit too dangerous?”

Watching from the side, Beryl subtly added,

“Ahem, I never said any such thing.”

These guys…

With a look of disappointment, Hardin let out a deep sigh and said,

“Who said you’re just supposed to go in like that?”

“Excuse me? Then…”

“Hoooooo…”

Hardin closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He repeated this three or four more times.

Wuuuuuung!

A blue light rose from his body, like the roots of a plant spreading out.

It was the same phenomenon he had briefly shown before diving into the sea.

Hardin opened his eyes again and spoke.

“This is a technique called Respiro.”

“Res…piro?”

“Yeah. When activated, it increases the time you can breathe and helps you withstand the pressure underwater.”

“Huh? That was the trick?”

“That’s right.”

At Hardin’s firm reply, the Daphne knights were left speechless.

‘That’s not magic, and there’s no way a mere knight could pull that off… right?’

In truth, what Hardin demonstrated wasn’t something completely out of reach.

Among mages—especially those who used water or wind magic—there were a rare few who could use composite spells that allowed them to act underwater as if on land. Among knights, those called “Sword Saints,” who stood at the pinnacle of power, were said to be able to wrap themselves in aura to achieve similar effects.

The problem was…

‘But the Young Master is neither a mage nor a Sword Saint, is he?’

Hardin was undoubtedly strong, but that was only within the context of the Daphne Viscounty.

To the knights, his mana level seemed to be only at the edge of the 2-star class...

‘So how is that even possible?’

Seeing the skeptical expressions on their faces, Hardin crossed his arms and said,

“Well, it’s not anything that amazing. Using this doesn’t make you a fish or anything. But… this technique is absolutely necessary to carry out our operation.”

Operation… huh.

Gulp.

Everyone swallowed dryly with tense expressions. Manton raised his hand slightly and asked,

“Are you saying we can master that technique in just three days?”

“That depends on how hard you try.”

So, if they did well… it might be possible?

A few of the knights had serious looks appear on their faces.

Seeing this, Hardin shifted the mood and spoke,

“I’ll show you how it’s done from now on. Just follow closely.”

“Yes, sir!”

As the knights answered with firm voices, Hardin nodded and continued in a serious tone.

“First, focus on the mana within your body and then draw it upward.”

“...Ah, yes.”

“When you inhale, imagine pushing the mana toward the lungs where the air flows in. Slowly and deeply.”

“Hoooop. Haaah…”

Several knights began taking deep breaths, trying to move their mana just as Hardin had instructed.

Hardin nodded slightly and went on.

“Next, think of sending the mana gathered in your lungs outward to your skin. Imagine pulling the mana out into thin, fine strands, spreading it like a net across your skin… Like this.”

As soon as Hardin finished speaking—

Wuuuung!

The blue net shimmered once again across his skin.

At that—

“Grrrrrrrgh…”

The knights groaned, attempting to do exactly what Hardin told them.

Their bodies trembled, veins popped on their foreheads, and their teeth clenched.

But…

“Puhahhh!”

“I-It’s not working, Young Master!”

Not a single one succeeded, each of them gasping for breath.

Instead, having drawn out so much mana, they were now drenched in sweat.

Watching them, Hardin clicked his tongue.

‘These guys… not much talent here.’

Back in the days of the Grand Blue Knights—

Didn’t at least one or two manage to pull it off, however roughly, on the first try?

‘Well, those guys were exceptional.’

Hardin was scratching his head at the thought when—

“Oooooh! I-I think it’s working!”

“Huh?”

Hearing the voice from the front, he lifted his head and saw Beryl and Manton gritting their teeth and concentrating with all their might.

Tiny blue dots of light had appeared on Beryl’s skin.

In Manton’s case, faint light shimmered locally from his hands, elbows, and so on.

Hardin let out a faint snort.

‘Well, looks like there are a few usable ones, at least.’

Of course, this wasn’t anywhere near a complete manifestation of Respiro.

The form was still incomplete, and with their current capabilities…

“Puhahhh! H-Haah, haah… This is exhausting…”

“How is this even supposed to work!”

As expected, they couldn’t maintain it.

Hardin smirked and curled his finger.

“Mikkelsen.”

“Y-Yes? Me?”

“Yeah, you. Step forward.”

“…Ahem, yes.”

Mikkelsen let out a nervous cough and slowly approached Hardin.

“Sit here.”

“…”

What is he going to do?

Thump!

With an uneasy expression, Mikkelsen sat down on the sand. Hardin then sat behind him and gripped one of his shoulders tightly with an arm.

“Don’t move and follow my lead as best as you can.”

“What do you mean by lead?”

“Showing you once is faster than explaining a hundred times.”

Wuuuuung!

At that moment, blue energy rose from Hardin’s fingertips.

“Ugh!”

Mikkelsen’s face contorted instantly.

It felt like bugs were crawling and digging through every inch of his body—a jolt of sharp pain.

Hardin gripped his shoulder even tighter and said firmly,

“Stay focused. Sense your mana.”

“Excuse me?”

“Sense the flow of mana inside your body.”

“A-All right.”

Despite the pain, Mikkelsen shut his eyes tight and turned his awareness inward.

Then his eyebrows twitched.

‘This is…’

Wuuuuung!

Mana stored in circuits throughout his body began to flow in one direction.

It was as if it were being pulled by telekinesis, like the kind mages used.

‘He’s drawing in my mana.’

Mikkelsen sharpened his concentration and began to move his mana.

He let it flow naturally in the direction it was being pulled.

Even by pushing slightly, the mana was quickly drawn toward his lungs.

How long had it been?

‘So much mana…’

Mikkelsen’s heart pounded.

He could feel the mana near his lungs now, several times more abundant than just moments ago.

Then, Hardin’s voice came from behind.

“Never forget this sensation. I’m only showing it to you this once.”

“…Y-Yes, sir.”

Still with his eyes shut, Mikkelsen nodded.

Then…

“Grrrrgh…!”

“Now follow along.”

The mana that had gathered in his lungs began to be drawn outward again.

The tremor was several times more intense than the sharp pain he’d felt at the start.

His mind began to blur, but Mikkelsen clenched his teeth and pushed the mana along the path it was being drawn.

Wung! Wuuung! Wung! Wuuung!

Mana spread in all directions in near-uniform sizes, expanding outward in a steady rhythm.

There wasn’t a hint of excess, not a single deviation—it felt flawlessly precise.

It was just mana flowing throughout his body, yet the movement itself resembled a masterfully crafted piece of art.

‘How in the world is this even possible?’

The fluidity alone was awe-inspiring.

When hundreds of strands of mana had fully expanded in every direction—

“T-That’s…”

“Holy…”

Gasps of astonishment escaped from the nearby knights watching.

‘Was it supposed to be that easy?’

‘Unbelievable…’

A net of light had emerged over Mikkelsen’s skin, almost identical to what Hardin had displayed.

Of course…

“Grrrgh… I’m gonna die…”

Mikkelsen’s body, now maintaining Respiro, was drenched in sweat.

At that moment, Hardin spoke in a low voice.

“Etch this sensation into your body.”

“Yes, sir!”

As soon as Mikkelsen responded, Hardin lifted his hand from his shoulder.

Wuuuuung!

In an instant, the light on Mikkelsen’s skin vanished—

“Cough! Cough! Coughhaaack!”

A violent fit of coughing burst from his mouth.

Hardin, slowly rising to his feet, watched it all and let out a snort.

‘Well, trying something unfamiliar like this… his body just couldn’t keep up.’

He knew full well that asking them to pull this off in such a short time was absurd.

But…

‘To beat an absurd enemy, you have to do absurd things.’

And now was the perfect time for that.

Hardin curled his lips into a grin and extended his hand again.

“Next. You there, come forward.”

“M-Me?”

“Yeah, we’re doing everyone, so hurry up.”

“Ah! Yes, sir.”

The knight Hardin pointed at quickly ran up and sat cautiously before him.

Gulp.

‘Can we really… do that too?’

Was it truly possible?

The knights watching, one by one, began to show a mix of hope and worry on their faces.

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