The Devil’s Cage

Guntherson’s teaching was straightforward. There were no rituals or initiation involved like Kieran had imagined.

Guntherson just demonstrated three simple stances.

Sit, Lie, Walk.

Sit was the way one held their lower body in a hollow sitting stance; Lie was lying down and relaxing your body and mind like a baby; and Walk was stepping onto the ground with the whole foot, including your toes.

Guntherson explained every stance and move deliberately. He even explained some details repeatedly.

”It’s only small details, but it is these small details that make the true quintessence of the body tempering art. During the hollow sitting stance, your spine must be straight and still. When you lie down, remember to relax your breathing and prolong it. Your body must relax like a baby’s. When you walk, your toes must touch the ground. Each time your toes touch the ground, there will be a small wave of vibration building up and spreading through your whole body!”

…..

[Guntherson wants to teach you the Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Arts. Do you wish to spend 1 Golden Skill point to learn it?]

”YES!”

Kieran was caught slightly off guard by the system notification mentioning the Golden Skill Point, but it still did not change his mind about learning.

Until then, Kieran had not known what was a Golden Skill Point was, but its name alone seemed to imply its high value. If a precious item could not be used to increase Kieran’s strength though, then it was a worthless item.

Kieran needed to grow strong within a short period of time and there was such an opportunity presented to him now.

[Learned Skill: Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Arts (Basic)]

[Name: Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Arts (Basic)]

[Related Attributes: Strength, Agility, Constitution, Spirit, Intuition]

[Skill Type: Ancillary]

[Effects: You know how to utilize the special stances, movements and breathing techniques, All Attributes +1]

[Consumes: Stamina]

[Prerequisites: Strength F+, Agility F+, Constitution F+, Spirit F+, Intuition F+]

[Remarks: This was the Knights of Dawn entry course, but it will affect other related skills!]

A stream of warm sensation burst out from Kieran’s heart.

It spread throughout his body in an instant, the stream of power cleansed Kieran’s soul.

When he got to his senses back, he could immediately feel his new power.

The [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Arts] had made a new man out of him.

”All Attributes +1!”

As he looked at the effect of the [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Arts], he thought it had totally been worth the Golden Skill Point investment.

[Attributes: Strength E; Agility E; Constitution E; Spirit E-; Intuition D-]

Such rewards in his attributes surpassed all other skills put together.

After all, Kieran did not have a skill that could increase his Spirit.

After a few deep breaths, he calmed down from his excitement and noticed Guntherson’s very puzzled face.

”You… You mastered it?”

The realization had him stuttering.

Although Guntherson had said something along the lines of ”Before you execute your plans, you have to get stronger”, he had never imagined that after one demonstration, Kieran would be able to master the art, let alone become quite skilled at it.

It was beyond his wildest imagination.

Guntherson had already been quite impressed by Altilly’s potential and eagerness to learn, but it had taken her a whole four years before she had mastered the arts.

Although Guntherson considered Kieran’s potential much higher than Altilly’s, it was far beyond anything he had anticipated.

For a moment there, the Last Knight was completely astonished.

”I kind of pick up things faster than others. I’ve been like this ever since I was a kid.”

Kieran needed to come up with an explanation for Guntherson. It was a white lie, but he had no choice. Some words could not leave his mouth.

Since Kieran had entered the underground game, he had a much better understanding of the term ”white lie”.

”Is that so?”

Guntherson was still looking at Kieran, wanting to discover more of his potential.

It was not that he did not believe Kieran’s words. It was just that Kieran’s amazing gift was too much for him. In the records of the Church of Dawn, there were some people who had been called ”The Sons of God”, and only those people could display such an amazing gift.

However, the last recorded Son of God had lived 500 years ago. It was such a long history, even Guntherson could not comprehend it anymore.

One thing was for sure. Kieran had indeed mastered the basics of [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Arts] within an instant.

Guntherson was sure, because he had been practising this set of body tempering arts since he was young. He could know just by looking at Kieran.

The discovery was accompanied by curiosity. It kind of tipped the Last Knight off.

”So you learn things faster than others, huh? Well I have another set of defensive skills for you. Watch carefully!” he said.

Guntherson did not try to hide his curiosity or suppress it. As soon as he finished his words, he started to demonstrate a series of kicks, explaining the moves in detail along with his actions.

[Guntherson wants to teach you the Barsical Kick. Do you wish to spend 1 Skill Point to learn it?]

Kieran was completely stunned. He could not believe that something that good was actually happening.

If his identity had allowed it, he would have given Guntherson a big hug.

”Is it because I triggered some hidden event?” Kieran thought about it silently.

Obviously, Guntherson had demonstrated a second set of skills because Kieran had mastered the [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Arts] in an instant.

Once again, Kieran was very excited about the return of his Golden Skill Point investment. As happiness overflowed his heart, he could not help but smile.

It had totally been worth it.

As for learning the [Barsical Kick]?

It was a no brainer.

”Yes!”

[Learned Skill: Barsical Kick (Basic)]

[Name: Barsical Kick (Basic)]

[Related Attributes: Strength, Agility, Constitution]

[Skill Type: Offensive]

[Effects: Your legs are more nimble than your hands. When you attack with a kick, the second hit will trigger an additional Agility +1 effect]

[Consumes: Stamina]

[Prerequisites: Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Arts]

[Remarks: Please note that the level of the Barsical Kick and other related skills cannot be higher than the Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Arts skill!]

...

The knowledge once again flowed into Kieran’s body and synced with it.

When the process was over, Kieran performed a series of consecutive kicks using both his legs.

A line of shadow swept the air, accompanied by a loud sound.

Currently, Kieran’s Strength and Agility were already at E Rank. Combined with the [Hand-to-hand Combat] and [Barsical Kick]’s enhancement, during the second kick that Kieran tried, his Strength and Agility reached E+ Rank.

Such power was equivalent to a Weightlifting World Champion.

Kieran performed a series of kicks with trailing shadows, a combination of lightning speed and immense strength.

Guntherson was completely in awe of him. His eyes were wide open.

Son of God. It was really the Son of God.

He cheered in his head, ever astonished by Kieran’s skills.

A long overdue excitement rose in Guntherson’s heart, but subsided quickly, only to be replaced by a faint sorrow.

If Kieran had showed up fifty years ago…

Uncontrollable thoughts popped up into his mind, but he pushed them away with a long sigh.

There were no ifs in life. Guntherson watched Kieran as he demonstrated his newly learned [Barsical Kick].

That particular kicking technique had no specific stance. Its essence was how to utilize one’s strength to fully unleash the potential strength of their legs and boost their kicking speed.

Of course if it reached a certain level, it could affect other parts of the body as well, such as the hands.

Although Kieran was not quite there yet, Guntherson believed that he could achieve it very soon. After all, he was the Son of God.

...

Kieran only stopped when he had almost depleted his stamina.

He was hoping that Guntherson would teach him more skills, and he looked at him eagerly, but he did not get what he’d wanted. Guntherson was lost in his own thoughts and did not notice him at all.

Still, Kieran had nothing to complain about. After all, if skills were categorized by Skill Books, the [Barsical Kick] would have been Magical Rank and [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Arts] would have been considered as a Rare Rank.

To Kieran, being able to learn those two skills had been more than enough. Even if he failed the Main Mission, he would still have no regrets. However, he certainly would not give up on the mission intentionally.

Kieran placed his hands on his knee, and his low Stamina started to recover as his body naturally used the methods of the [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Arts] to breathe and relax.

The lukewarm feeling was followed by soothing breathing as it spread throughout his body.

It was amazing.

”The [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Arts] was the basic arts that every Knight of Dawn had to learn when they joined. It served as the foundation for other skills as well. It will take more time to practise it and level up to a higher rank. Once you reach a certain level though, learning other skills will take half the effort!”

Guntherson’s voice lingered in Kieran’s ears. His tone had a very slight change to it, but it soon returned to normal.

Kieran did not notice the small change, but he was very grateful for Guntherson’s reminder and thanked him wholeheartedly, even though the system had given him the same information as him.

”You better not waste your gift, Kieran! Don’t forget my kindness. Now back to our main problem, that Evan guy!”

Guntherson had not warned Kieran in a stern voice. It was just a slightly strict reminder before he switched the topic back to their main problem.

The bastard that was eyeing the millennium treasure.