Rise of the Blood Prince: From Slave to Emperor

"Huh? Oh! Right."

"Tell Chira to relax his strength a bit more."

"His strength?"

"Yeah. He's holding a weapon, right? Taking out too much strength is a problem, but having too much tension is also a problem."

Aslan got up again and demonstrated. Smoothly connected swordsmanship.

In a way, it looked like dancing.

But it wasn't dancing. When necessary, he definitely acted with impact. Anyone who knew about combat and saw this demonstration from Aslan might have been shocked.

That's how much meaning was packed into that simple movement he'd just performed.

Seeing this, Oben and Isaac were convinced. Aslan was a higher-level fighter than they'd thought.

And they had encountered incredible luck.

So Isaac and Oben tried to learn even a little bit more. That's why Aslan tried to teach more even though his body wasn't intact.

"Huff huff..."

Isaac was panting and collapsed on the ground with a thud. It would be dinner time soon. You'd think gladiator slaves would train desperately, but that wasn't the case. They never knew when or how they'd be called out to fight.

If they ended up bedridden for days from overexertion, that could cost them their lives. So they exercised appropriately. They also made fairly thorough efforts to prevent injury.

"We overdid it."

"We overdid it."

Isaac and Oben said this while looking at each other. Chira had already been sprawled out for a while.

"We'll be shaky for days."

Even while saying this, both their expressions looked very relieved. Like people who had crossed over a barrier.

"If you could escape this place, what would you two want to do?"

"Get sold to another arena..."

"No. I mean if you shed your gladiator slave status."

"I've never thought about that. It's not easy to live in the Empire as a foreigner."

Oben said.

"Mercenary."

Isaac, on the other hand, just spat out one short word.

"Mercenary?"

"If I quit being a gladiator slave, that's all there is to make a living. That's what I learned. Since I know how to fight somewhat, there's also the option of living as a criminal, but living like that in the Empire is too dangerous. You'd have to risk your life. Though I guess I'm already risking my life now."

"Criminal..."

"Right. Being a mercenary is better than being a criminal."

"Is that your dream?"

"Dream? That's not it. The best would be becoming a noble mercenary. Uh... noble mercenary, that's impossible from the start."

The Empire was a class-based society. Even among mercenaries, the treatment you received differed based on your background. Noble-born mercenaries commanded high prices and were mostly former knights.

"If that's the case, being a retainer would be better than a noble mercenary. Entering a decent family as a retainer, getting a house, and if you're lucky, even getting married."

Oben laughed as he spoke. He seemed to enjoy just imagining it.

"But that's too much of a dream. Just being a mercenary would be good. But why are you suddenly asking?"

"Because I'm not staying here."

Isaac and Oben grinned at that. They weren't mocking him.

"Right. You'll make it. Your popularity is already no joke. Don't spend too much money and save up well. There have been cases of people escaping slave status here, though not many."

"How many?"

"One in a thousand? No, maybe more? Isaac, how many?"

"Few. Very few. First you have to survive. And you can't just survive. You have to survive intact. If you end up like me, that's already a defect. It would be difficult to find mercenary work."

Isaac showed his severed arm and grinned. It felt more bitter because it was such a bright smile.

"Even that much is success. No problem living outside."

"Is it that difficult to pay your own ransom?"

"You have to pay five times the price you were sold for. That's Airs' rule. If you keep winning, it's not impossible to save that much money. But it doesn't accumulate. As you can see, everything here costs money. You need money to eat properly and get proper treatment. So it's not easy to save. That's why everyone aims for that."

"Aims for what?"

"Big matches. Really big matches. If you become popular enough to appear in the final match on special days, that's it. The money that pours in there is enormous. I heard even gold coins get thrown around carelessly."

"That would be dangerous. Your opponent would be desperate too."

"And they'd be dangerous opponents. But Aslan, you don't have to do that. Start saving money steadily from now. Save up and buy yourself out. Since you're in youth division, you only need to box, so you can save plenty of money. What do you need to do for that?"

"Are you telling me to cut back on drinking?"

"It'd be even better if you didn't drink at all."

Isaac smiled innocently.

Aslan added a comment to the two who were resting and chatting.

He'd met countless people in the Martial World. So his eye for people was very keen. At least Isaac and Oben weren't people who would easily betray him if he formed bonds with them.

Even if it was a matter of life and death.

So Aslan decided to give them a bit more of a gift.

"How do you breathe when fighting?"

The two's eyes widened greatly.

"Breathing?"

"Yes. Breathing."

"Is there such a thing? Breathing techniques are something only knights and their level play around with."

"I know a few things."

"You're going to teach that? Breathing techniques?"

"It's nothing fancy, so it's fine."

"Really?"

The breathing technique Aslan taught Isaac and Oben was the Innate Mind Method. One of the exclusive martial arts of the Drunken Immortal Method.

Though it was called an exclusive martial art, anyone could learn it very easily.

The reason was that, above all, it wasn't aimed at the direction ordinary martial arts should go—energy accumulation, that is, building and using internal energy.

The Innate Mind Method wasn't a martial art that used energy accumulated in the dantian.

The energy humans are born with.

That energy, also called innate true energy or primordial true energy. It was a technique for drawing on and using that energy.

Usually, if you said you were using innate true energy, many martial artists would be horrified.

For martial artists, innate true energy was a secret reserve used only as a last resort. If used incorrectly, there was a high possibility of becoming a cripple after using your innate energy.

In other words, energy used with the resolve to die.

That was innate true energy.

However, the Innate Mind Method doesn't use innate true energy in that direction. It draws on and uses a portion of the innate true energy you've had since birth.

Therefore, its effectiveness was incomparably weak compared to martial arts. Since you only draw on a little bit of the innate true energy you possess. So it was a martial art with clear limitations from birth.

If you were born with abundant energy, the effectiveness when using the Innate Mind Method was great. According to records, there were cases of producing strength several times your physical abilities.

On the other hand, if you were born with weak energy, you wouldn't see much effect even using the Innate Mind Method.

Moreover, the Innate Mind Method was a martial art that couldn't be sustained for long. Since it temporarily draws on the energy you possess, it's a martial art that can be used for about 10-second intervals at most.

Even that couldn't be used frequently. Since it draws on innate true energy slightly, using it often naturally increases stamina consumption. Literally a method of expending stamina to produce greater strength than usual.

That was the Innate Mind Method.

So anyone who starts properly learning martial arts doesn't delve deeper into the Innate Mind Method. There was no need to. Also, its limitations were clear.

However, this Innate Mind Method definitely had advantages.

First, it was very easy.

If you knew the breathing method and grasped the technique, you could use it quickly.

Second, there was no burden of energy (qi) deviation. Since it didn't go through the process of energy accumulation, naturally there was no reason for energy to flow backward.

Though it was said to draw on innate true energy, it wasn't the type that exploded potential, but literally just the act of drawing on part of the energy in your body. So it was very stable.

That's why Aslan taught Isaac and Oben this Innate Mind Method. Not calling it the Innate Mind Method, but saying it was a breathing technique passed down in the Maran Kingdom.

Fortunately, Oben and Isaac seemed to quickly realize the effects that the Innate Mind Method's breathing provided.

'They understand faster than I thought. Both are smarter than expected. They also know how to use their bodies properly.'

"This is strange... why is more strength going in?"

"That's the power of breathing."

Isaac and Oben had expressions that said they couldn't understand at all. They'd only changed a few breathing methods, but their strength had increased.

"When you get more familiar with it, you'll be able to produce more strength. The downside is you get tired quickly. So you have to use it appropriately."

"Aslan... is this perhaps..."

Oben trailed off. His one eye glinted slightly.

"Perhaps what?"

"Something like mana breathing?"

"No. If it were mana breathing, strange light should have flowed from your eyes."

Isaac rebutted.

"Ah... that's right."

"Right. This isn't mana breathing. They said if you learn mana breathing, you can feel mana. Like wizards."

Mana breathing referred to methods of enhancing physical abilities using mana. Usually skilled knights used this. However, using it was prohibited in arenas.

If mana breathing was used, proper betting couldn't be established. Moreover, if those who used mana breathing fought, ordinary arenas couldn't handle it.

It meant the spectators could become too dangerous.

"Right. Then if it's not mana breathing either, how does strength increase?"

"It's simple, Oben. Say you ran ten laps around the training ground at full speed."

"Around the training ground?"

"Yes. Ten laps would be very tiring, right?"

"If you ran at full speed, yes."

"Try swinging a sword in that state. Could you use your strength properly?"

"?"

At that question, Isaac and Oben looked at each other's faces. Then instead of answering immediately, they thought for a moment. What picture would be drawn if they were actually in that situation.

The two quickly reached a conclusion. When you're out of breath, strength doesn't go in. They'd already experienced this countless times.

"Could you?"

Aslan asked again.

"No. I couldn't do it."

"Then think the opposite."

"The opposite? Ah. The opposite of being out of breath?"

"That's it. If strength weakens when you're out of breath, then if your breathing gets stronger, your strength could get stronger too. That breathing method isn't magic or mana breathing. It's just a way to transmit more of the breath you have into strength. Instead, you get tired quickly."

"Ah... so it's breathing out more, that kind of thing?"

"Right."

"Then if you run using this breathing method?"

"You could run faster."

"..."

"..."

After hearing the explanation, Oben and Isaac looked at each other's faces. And both fell into deep silence.

"This... isn't an ordinary gift. This is really a secret technique you couldn't get even with money. Is it okay to teach something like this?"

"Right. This is..."

"I've already taught it, so should I take it back? I told you, right? That I'm getting out of here. So you two don't give up either. When I leave, you're coming with me."

A youth division boxer who'd only fought three matches.

A lowly gladiator slave who couldn't even touch the toes of Oben and Isaac in terms of experience.

But strangely, Aslan's words had power. Isaac and Oben's eyes also became serious.

The goal they'd given up long ago began to stir again in their hearts.