Chapter 283
Rudra read the prompt. The rhythm was simple enough for an elderly citizen to learn for basic stamina regeneration, but getting the 50% cooldown reduction in battle would require extreme, master-level concentration.
He swiped his hand, projecting the skill window over the center of the oak table to the guild members.
Current leaned forward, squinting at the floating blue text. The water magician sucked in a sharp breath.
"Zero resource consumption," Current whispered. "Boss. A hundred percent regen and fifty percent cooldown reduction for... breathing? And no resource consumption. What kind of broken class do you have?."
Haster, sitting near the back, rubbed his chin. "Boss, what does it mean by 'reminiscent of a Titan’s Heart'? What's a Titan?"
"An ancient race that is extinct now," Rudra said casually, leaning against the table. "They fought against the gods a long time ago. It's what my [Mana Heart] skill is based on."
Before Haster could ask another question, Rudra pulled up his own skill list and shared the description of [Mana Heart] directly to the guild's party interface.
[Mana Heart (Lv. 5)]
[Rating: Legendary]
[An ancient, forbidden technique developed by a forgotten tribe of Barbarians. Realizing their human bodies could never match the mythical Titans who once fought the Gods without being at a disadvantage, they created an artificial method to force their own mana to act as a secondary circulatory system, constantly reinforcing their bones and muscle fibers from the inside out.
- Passive Effect: [Titan's Constitution] - Your physical density is fundamentally altered. Maximum Health and Stamina permanently increase by 50%. When clashing with overwhelmingly strong physical attacks, the recoil and shock damage are absorbed by your mana pool instead of your physical body.
- Active Effect: [Targeted Manifestation] - You can actively direct the immense, surging flow of the Mana Heart into a specific body part for a 350% localized enhancement.
- Resource Consumption: 1% of Max Mana per second.]
The council room went dead silent.
Colt’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "Fifty percent permanent health and stamina increase? Absorbs recoil damage into mana?"
"Three hundred and fifty percent localized enhancement?!" Viper choked out, gripping the edge of the table. "Boss, that is completely broken! It can even be useful for production class."
"I can teach it to you," Rudra said, a sly smile crossing his face. "Through my class. But it'll cost you. Let's say... two million gold. Friends and family discount."
"2 million?!" Red yelled.
"If you don't have the gold," Rudra added, waving a hand dismissively, "I'll accept equivalent value. Bring me high-tier skillbooks, spellbooks, rare architectural or weapon blueprints, unique crafting recipes. Find me things that actually help the territory grow, and I'll give you a Legendary skill."
The players instantly exchanged wild, desperate looks. Colt immediately started calculating how many dungeons he needed to run. Viper looked like he was about to go rob a royal treasury.
Seeing their reactions, Rudra said the final thing to make sure that the guild members would never betray him, “And this is not even my strongest technique that I can share with you all.”
Rudra then turned his attention back to his NPCs, who had been watching the players react to thin air.
He walked over to Piaro, Mumud, Winfred, Dante and Elysia.
"Impart Knowledge," Rudra said, tapping the farmer's shoulder, then the mage's.
Piaro closed his eyes as the knowledge of [Genesis Breath] settled into his mind. The farmer took a slow, measured breath, testing the internal pressure.
"It lacks the overwhelming surge of the Mana Heart," Piaro grunted, opening his eyes. "But it does not threaten to shatter a mortal's ribs. A fine compromise, My Liege. It is safe."
Mumud nodded in agreement, adjusting his silver sleeves. "It breathes well. It's practical. We won't have to sweep up the soldiers now. The physical foundation holds the mana perfectly."
"Good," Rudra said. He turned to the rest of the room to issue deployment orders. "Piaro, Winfred, Dante, Elysia—you four are the drill instructors. Teach this rhythm to the knights and soldiers first, then spread out and teach the public."
He looked at the specialists. "Mumud, drill the magicians. Alex, handle the blacksmiths. Neria, teach the healers. Elara, the alchemists. We need the entire city breathing like this by nightfall."
As the council began to file out of the ruined room, Rudra caught Piaro's eye and gestured subtly to Mumud and Winfred. "You three, meet me in my office tonight. We need to decide what other skills that I have that can be safely passed down to the others."
Piaro nodded respectfully and headed for the doors.
An hour later, the ruined central plaza was packed.
Thousands of citizens, Beastmen, farmers and off-duty soldiers stood in the dirt. They held pickaxes, shovels, and heavy woven baskets, looking completely exhausted.
Piaro, Winfred, Dante, and Elysia stood on overturned wooden wagons.
Piaro stripped off his shirt. He grabbed a massive, shattered stone block from the ruined fountain.
"Watch my chest!" Piaro yelled.
The farmer kept his spine perfectly straight. He inhaled deeply. He hoisted the heavy stone block over his head. He exhaled forcefully with a sharp grunt, tossing the stone aside.
"Inhale!" Dante barked, his raspy voice echoing over the crowd. "Hold! Exhale! Keep your backs straight!"
The crowd mimicked the movement. Nearly three thousand people inhaled at the exact same time. The sound was incredibly loud.
"Again!" Winfred commanded.
They fell into a synchronized rhythm. It sounded like a military marching cadence. As the citizens grasped the breathing pattern, faint green auras began to pulse across the crowd. The exhaustion vanished from their faces. The heavy stones suddenly felt lighter. The builders picked up massive chunks of rubble and marched back toward the walls with twice their normal speed.
Red slouched in the back of the crowd, panting heavily.
"I'm getting dizzy," Red complained loudly, leaning on his rapiers. "I feel like a human bellows. If I pass out from hyperventilating, do I get workers' comp?"
Gold stepped up behind him. She smacked the back of his head hard.
Smack.
"Breathe from your diaphragm, idiot!" Gold hissed.
Over by the ruined Alchemy Tower, Tara ignored the commotion.
The 5th-ranked Blacksmith wiped soot from her forehead. She was gathering the magic-infused rubble of the destroyed tower. She threw the glowing stones into a makeshift forge.
Clang. Clang.
She hammered the glowing stones, shaping them with steady, rhythmic breaths of her own. She forged a set of highly durable masonry tools for the builders.
[Your [Advanced Blacksmith Mastery] skill has leveled up.]
Tara smiled and handed a fresh chisel to a passing Beastman. "Keep the edges clean."