Born In Ashes: The Enigma

(You have reached the entry level of the Breathing Method)

Azrael ignored the notification in front of him and focused on the changes taking place within his body.

As the first pathway for cosmic energy was fully completed by refining twenty primary energy veins, Azrael felt as if his body was changing on a fundamental level.

It became easier for him to circulate and control the cosmic energy, and even his senses were sharper than before.

He observed the changes in himself for a few seconds before opening his status window to take a look at it.

Now that he had reached the entry level of the Breathing Method, it appeared in his status window, and he could finally see its information.

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---) Cosmic Energy Breathing Method (Entry Level):

1. Increases the amount of cosmic energy within the user's body by 20%

2. Increases the recovery rate of cosmic energy by 30%

3. Increases the power of the user's cosmic energy by 5%

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The entry-level Breathing Method granted three effects, and all three were very powerful.

The first effect directly increased the amount of cosmic energy in his body by 20%.

For now, it might not seem like much since it only increased his energy by 22 points.

But in the future, when he would have thousands of points in cosmic energy, a twenty percent increase would be terrifying.

The second effect increased the recovery speed of cosmic energy by 30%, giving him great endurance in battle.

As for the third effect, which increased the power of his cosmic energy by 5%, it was also extremely practical.

With this effect, the power of every move he used would be five percent stronger than others even if they used the same amount of cosmic energy to cast a skill.

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---) Strength: 7.6 —> 8.5

---) Agility: 7.3 —> 8.4

---) Stamina: 8 —> 9.1

---) Cosmic Energy: 110 (+22) —> 132

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His stats had increased again—especially his cosmic energy, which rose by a full 20%.

"It was worth it to work like a donkey for two months just to reach the entry level," Azrael said, putting away the mind stone and stretching his body.

"The next thing is to reach mid-level and get the Despair-level token of Eonrift."

Currently, Azrael had refined 20 primary energy veins.

In addition to those, he also knew the locations of five more energy veins.

Now, he needed to search for fifteen more. Once he refined them along with the five he already knew, he would reach the mid-level.

"Even if I ignore for a moment that it's getting harder and harder to find new primary energy veins, the process of refining them is also becoming more difficult as I progress."

After refining an energy vein, it would be naturally drawn toward the other already refined veins.

In order to create a perfect pathway for the cosmic energy to circulate, Azrael needed to connect each newly refined vein to all the previously refined ones.

But with his current limited spiritual power and cosmic energy, it wasn't easy to establish those connections.

The more energy veins he refined, the harder it became to integrate them into the existing network.

"It'll probably take me a few months just to discover the remaining fifteen energy veins. And as for refining and connecting them…" Azrael shook his head and sighed.

"I'll be lucky if I manage to complete everything before my sixteenth birthday."

Azrael opened the door of the training room and stepped out into the open field.

The moment he did, he heard the sound of fighting.

He turned his head to the other end of the field and saw Lia and Kael sparring with each other.

Azrael watched Kael train seriously while getting hit by Lia every few seconds and sighed sympathetically.

Previously, Kael had trained, but never with seriousness.

That changed completely two months ago when they all went out for dinner.

That night, Ashara had forcefully made Kael wear clothes she had bought for him.

Just remembering the looks he received from people that day made Kael feel as if he had died socially.

As someone who read a lot of hot-blooded novels, Kael had the mentality of—A man can be killed, but not humiliated.

As a result, from that day forward, he began training seriously to become stronger and take revenge on the woman who had publicly executed his dignity.

Azrael decided not to disturb them and went to take a shower.

After changing his clothes, he left the training ground and headed to the living room.

"You have finished earlier to—" Ashara, who was reading a book, raised her head.

But the moment her eyes landed on Azrael, she froze and stared in disbelief.

"You… have you already refined 20 primary energy veins?" She asked in a shocked voice.

"Hmmm…" Azrael nodded lightly and sat down in front of her.

A maid standing nearby stepped forward and placed a cup of glazed honey tea in front of him—a tea Azrael had come to love after tasting it last month.

"Thanks, Anna," Azrael said as the maid bowed and left.

He took a sip of the tea and leaned back on the sofa with a contented expression.

"My honey-tea-addicted son, you never told me you were about to reach the entry level of the Breathing Method," Ashara said, sipping her own cup of the same tea with an equally satisfied look.

With her level, it would have been easy for Ashara to check on Azrael's progress in the Breathing Method.

But after confirming two months ago that nothing was wrong with him, she chose not to use her power again to monitor him, respecting his privacy.

The only reason she found out now was due to the sudden surge in his cosmic energy, which she could feel without even trying.

"There wasn't much to talk about," Azrael shrugged. "It's just the entry level of the Breathing Method—not really worth mentioning."

Ashara's expression turned strange upon hearing his nonchalant tone.

"I say, Azu… do you know how many people I know—other than you—who have reached the entry level of the Breathing Method before awakening?"

Azrael raised an eyebrow, curiosity flickering in his eyes.

Seeing his reaction, Ashara took another sip of tea and finally spoke.

"The answer is zero."