Who Says I’m Not a Legitimate Adventurer?

Yet even to this day, no one had been able to achieve this Legacy.

Because the dual barriers of physical strain and mental collapse had firmly blocked every genius throughout history.

The person who had come closest in recorded history was a genius from Northwind Province.

That individual possessed an extremely powerful Constitution-type talent, with an Attribute Lock cap reaching as high as eighteen points.

To reduce risk, that genius had deliberately chosen the Gale March Breathing Technique—the one with the lowest physical consumption—to attempt this Legacy challenge.

But no one had expected that when the challenge had barely persisted to the twenty-third day, that genius completely broke down.

Because the accumulated mental pressure had grown unbearably heavy, the mind was constantly resisting the body’s instinct to survive, eventually giving rise to extreme despair and nihilistic emotions.

That once highly anticipated genius ultimately took their own life one night after failing, leaving all who witnessed it in profound grief.

Since then, adventurers who knew of this Legacy legend had reached a consensus—

Aside from the supreme glory of achieving a Legacy, the other major benefit of maintaining a constant Breathing Technique actually manifested after advancing to the Professional Rank.

Every adventurer, upon completing their advancement ritual, would receive a precious opportunity to solidify a skill.

It was akin to a divine blessing, greatly optimizing the chosen skill.

Almost all melee professionals would, without hesitation, choose state-type skills in an attempt to achieve a permanent effect.

And since Breathing Techniques provided the greatest attribute bonuses for melee classes, they naturally became the top choice.

If one had already forced a constant Breathing Technique through sheer physical means before advancement,

then it was equivalent to gaining an extra slot during advancement to solidify another powerful state-type skill.

In battles at the same level, this was effectively having an additional permanent buff compared to one’s opponent.

However, Valeria shook her head forcefully, casting aside that crazy thought.

Upon reconsideration, it was far more likely that the man was simply practicing skill proficiency by integrating the Breathing Technique into his daily actions.

Many geniuses would also maintain low-intensity breathing practice for several hours a day to accelerate the accumulation of their Aether Energy Pool.

After all, in this world, aside from the legendary Lott Family—known for producing reckless lunatics obsessed with pursuing Legacies—normal people would never actively seek death.

But even if it was merely routine practice,

such willpower still made her feel a sense of respect toward the adventurer before her.

Meanwhile, Lance had no idea that his everyday breathing training had deeply shocked the woman behind him.

At this moment, all his attention was on the counter.

The rough coin pouch was pushed toward him by the clerk.

Holding it in his hand, it had a satisfyingly heavy weight.

This could be said to be the largest sum of wealth he had gained since officially registering as an adventurer.

Of course, the illicit money from robbing the Ghoulhound gang didn’t count as legitimate income.

No wonder everyone said that adventuring was a high-risk, high-reward profession.

Just for this single afternoon of hard work, they had earned a total of 38 silver coins and 40 copper coins.

In addition to the cash reward, he had also gained 20 Guild Merit Points under his name.

Since Cecilia was currently only an unregistered academy intern,

these valuable merit points naturally all went into Lance’s pocket during settlement.

With a simple calculation, it was easy to understand—

this Goblin extermination commission would normally require a full party of five to barely complete.

Not to mention that there had been a tough Hobgoblin hidden within the camp.

After dividing the costs of casualties, weapon maintenance, and various alchemical supplies among five people,

the actual net profit each ordinary member received would not be much.

But Lance possessed a monstrous rate of stamina recovery.

He alone, together with a supporting mage, had forcefully completed the workload meant for an entire party.

Without the heavy reduction from splitting profits among multiple members, this single-day income appeared extraordinarily high.

Lance quietly sorted the coins in the pouch, carefully stowed them inside his clothing, and turned around in satisfaction.

The moment he turned, he met Valeria’s gaze—filled with admiration.

The intensity of that look left Lance completely confused.

“Hello, my name is Raven.”

Out of courtesy, Lance spoke first to break the silence.

He casually patted the half-elf girl standing beside him.

“I’m her internship mentor.”

“Hello, I’m Valeria, Yuna’s internship mentor.”

The tall female swordsman stepped forward and extended her right hand.

“At the same time, I’m also a greatsword user of the Steel Edge Party. I’ve just finished a dungeon expedition and am currently in a rare rest period, so I took on a guild commission to guide Yuna through her internship.”

This tall swordswoman politely shook Lance’s hand firmly.

The moment their palms touched, Lance immediately felt the thick calluses on her hand.

The strength conveyed through her grip made it clear that this woman was extremely powerful.

“Mr. Raven, I’m quite curious—may I ask which adventurer party you currently belong to?”

Valeria’s words openly carried a strong intention of recruitment.

However, before she could finish—

a crisp voice abruptly interrupted her.

“Senior is currently serving as my exclusive internship mentor.”

“During this period, he absolutely will not consider joining any other adventurer party.”

Cecilia, who usually spoke softly, suddenly stepped forward and positioned herself slightly in front of Lance.

What a strong sense of possessiveness.

Valeria looked down in surprise at the girl wrapped tightly in her cloak.

At this moment, the aura emitted by this petite girl was not at all weaker than that of a professional like herself.

She had almost instantly perceived Valeria’s intent to recruit Raven.

Like a protective lion cub guarding its prey, the half-elf girl stepped forward to declare her claim.

However, this statement also indirectly revealed a key piece of information to Valeria.

The seemingly unassuming Raven before her did not belong to any guild faction.

He was a free, independent adventurer.

And that made things even easier.

There was plenty of time ahead.

Since he had not yet formally advanced, once he truly stepped onto the path of progression and ventured into dungeons, he would definitely need a fully equipped party as support.

At that time, she could extend an invitation again.

For now, there was no need to compete with a young girl over this brief period of companionship.