Chapter 69 - 67: Tier Seven Ghost Leopard

Chapter 69: Chapter 67: Tier Seven Ghost Leopard

Not long after daybreak.

News quickly reached Redwood City: over a dozen Bounty Hunters had attacked Ice Wolf Castle but were stopped by the Dark Night Knight. The Dark Night Knight had then single-handedly annihilated the Knight Clan and the Sheen Clan. Furthermore, he had advanced to the rank of Black Iron Great Knight.

As expected, the news caused a massive uproar in the city.

Everyone, from nobles and wealthy merchants to the common folk, was abuzz with discussion.

This news once again thrust the Dark Night Knight into the public spotlight.

This time, however, no one entertained the thought of trading him for a bounty.

Offending a Peak Knight was one thing, but offending a Black Iron Great Knight was something else entirely.

Due to Count Rock Lion’s hefty bounty and the Dark Night Knight’s long absence, many had assumed he had left Yorkshire long ago.

However, it turned out they were all wrong.

As the news spread through Redwood City, people grew curious about one thing: the exact nature of the relationship between the Dark Night Knight and the Wesley Clan.

Setting aside the fact that the Dark Night Knight had annihilated the Knight Clan and the Sheen Clan...

The mere fact that he had stopped the Bounty Hunters from attacking Ice Wolf Castle was enough to show that his relationship with the Wesley Clan was a good one.

Otherwise, as a Bounty Hunter himself, he would have had no reason to slaughter his peers.

Although no one knew the specifics of his relationship with the Wesley Clan, they were certain of one thing: the Knight Clan and the Sheen Clan were undeniably connected to the previous night’s attack on Ice Wolf Castle.

The Dark Night Knight’s immediate march to the Red Eagle Domain and Giant Dog Domain to annihilate the Knight and Sheen Clans was the best proof.

Putting all the pieces together, the people came to one conclusion.

The annihilation of the Knight and Sheen Clans was a fate they had brought upon themselves.

If they hadn’t hired Bounty Hunters to attack Ice Wolf Castle, the long-absent Dark Night Knight would never have hunted them down to the last man.

After all, the Dark Night Knight hadn’t completely annihilated them during his previous two attacks.

Beyond their curiosity about the Dark Night Knight’s ties to the Wesley Clan, people were also intrigued by another question.

Namely, how would the feud between Count Rock Lion and the Dark Night Knight ultimately conclude?

Would Count Rock Lion kill the Dark Night Knight, avenging his son’s death?

Or would the Dark Night Knight kill Count Rock Lion and slaughter the entire Beluns Clan?

Or perhaps they would both perish, reporting to the Netherworld together?

Previously, people would have put their money on Count Rock Lion.

Although the Count was older, he was still a Black Iron Great Knight—a full rank higher than the Dark Night Knight had been before.

Furthermore, Count Rock Lion had numerous subordinates.

But now that they knew the Dark Night Knight was also a Black Iron Great Knight, most people favored him.

In their view, if the Dark Night Knight wasn’t confident in his ability to deal with Count Rock Lion, he wouldn’t have revealed himself so brazenly the night before.

...

「Chaos Square.」

Roy had originally planned to practice the Ghost Leopard Breathing Technique for three or four hours before switching to the Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method to recover his mental energy.

But when he saw that his Ghost Leopard Breathing Technique was only a few hundred Skill Level points away from reaching Tier Seven, he changed his mind.

’Since I’m this close, I might as well push through to Tier Seven in one go!’

Although he hadn’t left Chaos Square, he knew exactly what was happening outside.

When he entered Ice Wolf Castle as the Dark Night Knight the previous night, he had already anticipated the reaction the news would provoke.

In fact, it was precisely because he had considered these outcomes that he chose to use his Dark Night Knight identity, rather than a different disguise, and publicly display the power of a Great Knight.

The reason why was simple.

Once news of the four Dukes’ rebellion arrived, the situation in Yorkshire would descend into chaos.

To prevent other nobles from targeting the Ice Wolf Domain, the best method—without revealing his own true strength—was to make them believe the Wesley Clan had a deep connection with the Dark Night Knight.

Unless they were absolutely confident they could defeat a Black Iron Great Knight, or were simply out of their minds...

...they wouldn’t dare make a move on the Wesley Clan, not even if they were twice as bold.

As for how Count Rock Lion would react to the news, Roy couldn’t care less.

If Count Rock Lion hadn’t personally led his men to Ice Wind City to answer the Ironblood Duke’s summons, he would have died even faster than Edel Knight and Henry Sheen. Roy would have killed him yesterday afternoon and cashed him in for Contribution Points.

Time trickled by.

After nearly ten hours of continuously practicing the Ghost Leopard Breathing Technique, a notification that only he could see appeared in his vision.

[Ghost Leopard Breathing Technique has been upgraded!]

[Ghost Leopard Breathing Technique: Tier Seven (5/30,000), Special Effect: Middle Level Speed]

’I finally reached Tier Seven!’

Roy thought with a sense of accomplishment as he looked at the notification.

He closed the Skill Proficiency Panel and did a quick calculation.

’250 Skill Level points per hour... that means 30,000 points would take 120 hours.’

’If I practice for ten hours a day, I’ll reach the Tier Seven Limit in twelve days.’

’Then, I can use the Ghost Leopard Breathing Technique as upgrade material for the Ice Wolf King Breathing Method, raising it to Tier Eight and breaking through to become a Silver Great Knight.’

’If I really grind it out and practice for twenty hours a day, I could become a Silver Great Knight in just six days!’

After a moment’s thought, Roy made his decision.

’I’ll practice the Ghost Leopard Breathing Technique for twelve hours a day. In ten days, I’ll advance to Silver Great Knight!’

It was still a grind, but practicing for only twelve hours a day would leave him time to work on his Secret Techniques and Life Skills.

Having made his decision, Roy stretched his limbs.

His gaze then pierced through the gray mist of Chaos Square to check on his room.

Confirming the room was empty, he returned from Chaos Square with a single thought.

Without hesitation, he went to the window and climbed out of the room.

Practicing the Breathing Technique all night hadn’t left him feeling particularly tired or hungry.

Still, to recover his mental and physical stamina, he decided to go out for a good meal.

In the days since leaving the barracks, he hadn’t eaten a single proper meal.

He had been surviving on dry rations stored in Chaos Square or drinking Basic Vitality Potions.

The crisis at Ice Wolf Castle was resolved, and his Ghost Leopard Breathing Technique had successfully reached Tier Seven.

If he didn’t reward himself after all that, he’d start to wonder if he was becoming a masochist, needlessly forcing himself to suffer.

He soon left the Red Salmon and Cherry Pie tavern.

After leaving the tavern, he followed his memory toward the commercial street in the West District, intending to find a decent restaurant for a satisfying meal.

However, not long after leaving the tavern, he spotted a young Knight on a black Warhorse. The man wore Silver Armor, his face bore a striking resemblance to Roy’s, and he was followed by several other cavalrymen.

’Tony!’

The person Roy saw was none other than Tony.

’What’s he doing in Redwood City?’

’Don’t tell me he’s here looking for the Dark Night Knight?’

Seeing Tony, Roy immediately frowned and ducked into a nearby alley.

He wasn’t wearing his mask, and being seen by Tony would lead to a lot of unnecessary trouble.

As Roy watched, Tony, still on his black Warhorse, led the cavalrymen straight toward the Red Salmon and Cherry Pie tavern.

Roy, who had been planning to find a restaurant for a good meal, changed his mind. He immediately took out his mask and put it on. Channeling his Fighting Qi, he pushed off with his legs, soaring into the air and landing on a rooftop before heading back toward the tavern.

By traveling across the rooftops, he arrived at the tavern before Tony.

...