Techniques

Cedric was in a really, really good mood.

The rich rewards he got from his hard work were the main reason behind it, but there's also the fact that, for the first time in a while, he truly felt strong.

Clearing his nigh-impossible Mandatory Task was the proof of this. And while he knows that things will only get harder from this point on, he still feels really good about himself.

He welcomed a new day with a smile on his face. He didn't get any sleep at all, but he still felt refreshed from an entire night's worth of Meditation. At this point, he's close to accepting that sleep was slipping out of his grasp. His skills made his body way too active and energized. Thankfully, he could distract himself with other things.

As the sun started rising from the horizon, letting out the first few rays of sunlight to grace the land, Cedric got off from his bed to sit on his table.

He checked his inventory and saw that he received a new package just now. Taking it out, he opened it and saw its contents. It was a full-course meal, still fresh and piping hot. It also includes beverages and supplements that nourish his body.

This package came from a meal service business he checked out yesterday. They offer good deals on their subscription plan and Cedric registered himself to it. His timing was great too since they're offering the first 3 months free of charge to new subscribers.

They charge 1000 Demon Souls per month, which was on the more expensive side. That being said, the reviews on their page were good. Of course, that could be faked but Cedric decided to try it out anyway.

Cedric at his meals and was deeply satisfied with it. It seems that the reviews they got weren't faked since this was some good stuff. And to think that he could eat meals of this quality three times a day every day was something he could really get used to.

After taking the supplements, Cedric finished his morning routine. Getting out of the shower, he sat on the edge of his bed to think about his plans moving on.

'...right, I still have that box.' Cedric mused as he yet again opened his Inventory.

He took out the Rainbow-colored Treasure Box and inspected it closely in his hands. His senses tried their best to analyze the thing but he didn't get much out of it. All he could tell was that the box couldn't be opened through normal means, and it would only react to his DNA. Everything else about the box was an enigma to him.

Cedric didn't concern himself too much about it. He didn't need to know much about the composition of the box anyway. All he needed from it was the item it would give to him upon opening it.

Raising his thumb, he pressed on the sensor in the middle of the box. It then released a brilliant rainbow-colored light, which then converged into a foreign shape that landed on his hand.

When the curtain of light faded, Cedric was astonished to see what he got.

"It's a Restriction Stamp!" He exclaimed.

The 'Restriction Stamp' was a Tier 1 item. Its purpose was to restrict the target's movement. It even increases the target's personal gravity as well to truly make it more difficult for them to move.

This stamp was commonly used to arrest criminals but it could also be used as a training tool. And even though it's only a Tier 1 item, it is very rare for only people with authority could purchase them.

Cedric admired the stamp on his hand, still somewhat in disbelief that he got something like this from the treasure box. This thing would fetch at least 15-20,000 Demon Souls in the shop.

The stamp's value was of course lower than the treasure box itself. After all, the box provides its owners with immediate needs. Still, Cedric wasn't too concerned about that since he really did get what he needed from it.

Brushing his thumb over its interface, the stamp displayed its functions to him. Basically, the Stamp leaves the Restriction Seal on the skin of the target. The user only needs to think about the level of restriction they want before pressing the stamp.

Cedric tried it on himself, thinking about adding 0.5 restrictions to his current one. The moment he released the stamp, he immediately felt the difference.

He felt a heavy burden pressing on him, permeating deep into his bones. Also, it's like he's bound by ropes. Even the act of raising his hand became a little challenging for him.

Cedric clenched his hand and nodded to himself. This is exactly what he needed, more pressure which he could use to squeeze out his body's potential.

Even though he was now an A-Rank Superhuman by all means, Cedric was no longer satisfied with just that. He has to aim higher if he wants to be stronger than most. An A Rating for his Body and Energy might be good but Cedric was determined to strive for a great rating.

His aim was at least S Rating for his Overall Aptitude. But with the momentum he had, he knew he had a chance to reach the fabled EX Rating.

If people were to know of his desires, they'd probably mock him for swallowing more than he could chew. Aiming for an EX Rating was simply a Myth. For most people, such a rating could only be something that you're born with. No amount of effort or money will get you there.

But see, Cedric isn't exactly normal. The moment he received these eyes, he had long surpassed that realm. It's also these eyes that pointed him in this direction. The path he's walking on might be uncertain but it allowed him to transcend a nigh-impossible challenge, did it not?

It only brought immense benefits to him so far, so why doubt it? He already had to tools to make it, only his efforts were missing and he got that in spades.

This is the main reason why Cedric still refused to increase his level. He wanted to squeeze as much benefit from his Aptitude Ratings as he could to create a firm foundation for his strength.

Every Superhuman knows that the Aptitude Rating represents the rate at which the stat grows each time it levels up or advances its class. The higher one's Aptitude Rating was, the more power they get each time they increase their strength.

Aiming for an EX Overall Rating might seem impossible, but Cedric's going to try anyway.

Back to his training grounds, Cedric held the Training Sword, swinging it here and there, getting used to it while being restricted.

'Even my Internal Breath flow got affected by the restriction.' Cedric inwardly mused as parts of his consciousness observed his body.

Still, he's already nearly used to 1.5 levels of restriction. Taking up a stance, Cedric cycled through his moves, his body darting across the training ground, leaving sharp gleams of steel in his wake.

Cedric could tell that his form was off thanks to the restriction but he didn't stop. He didn't even need to focus on it since his body was already correcting itself before he could do so.

He paid attention to the flow of his Inner Breath as he moved. Thanks to his sharp senses, he could sense the thin thread of mystical energy coursing through his body. It brought inexplicable warmth and comfort to everything it touched.

Cedric's regular breath causes his Inner Breath to move. From his observations, it seems to have a pre-determined path already.

That thought got Cedric thinking...

'A path for the Inner Breath...wait!'

Cedric's eyes widened. Gone was his desire to practice with his sword some more. He even forgot about the restrictions he placed on his body.

His multiple thought compartments, born out of the 『Multitasking』 skill, all worked to recall the memories he possessed so far.

Cedric doesn't recall anything about the 『Breathing』 skill on the forums, much less about Inner Breath. There might be some on upper-tier forums but he has no access to that since his authority wasn't high enough just yet.

What he had though, was memories of the Godking who was the previous owner of his current eyes. And with all of his skills working in wonders, he remembers all of it with crisp clarity,

The fundamental laws of his world and Godking's world might be different but when it comes to things like 'Breath' they bear uncanny similarities. Which made him wonder if his theory works here...

In the memories he inherited, the Godking came across numerous Breathing Techniques. He amassed so many that they could fill an entire country's library with it.

The majority of those Breathing Techniques were blurry not just in his memories but for the Godking as well, that is because he didn't put too much importance on them since he had seen better.

But amongst the mountains of Breathing Techniques that the Godking came across, there were five that left a deep impression on him and one that he used to reach the peak...