The echoes of combat gradually subsided, leaving only the acrid, pungent scent of scorched flesh and strong acid hanging in the stagnant air.

  As the final glimmer of cold Aura flickered and died in the gloom, the Great Knight in black robes let out one last muffled grunt of despair beneath the frantic gnawing of hundreds of Mist-Crows. His Aura shield, originally sturdy enough to withstand heavy crossbow bolts, had long been riddled with holes under the persistent corrosion of the optimized acid.

  Standing at the edge of the shadows, Pierce let out a long, slow breath of relief.

  Though the skirmish appeared as a textbook display of spell dominance to any observer, Pierce alone knew the visceral peril involved. Had it not been for Mistfeather’s shrill warning at that critical instant, the steel arrow now buried in the cobblestones might have transfixed the back of his skull. In the lethal games of Arcanists, once the initiative is lost and four Great Knights close the distance, even a Ring of Protection cannot prevent the tide of battle from sliding into an uncontrollable abyss.

  "Well done, little one," Pierce murmured, stroking Mistfeather’s ruffled black plumage.

  Mistfeather offered a dignified, low trill and began to preen its wings. Though the fight was brief, it had cost the lives of over four hundred Mist-Crows. Fortunately, these shadow entities were not true flesh and blood; given enough time, they would re-condense within the nebulous core of the familiar’s body.

  Now, the harvest.

  Pierce approached the mangled corpse of the cloaked leader and knelt with practiced ease.

  Predators who prowled the fringes of the Black Market often amassed fortunes far surpassing those of ordinary academy mentors. Swiftly, Pierce retrieved a weathered Dimensional Pouch from the man’s tattered belt.

  Such entry-level spatial artifacts required minimal spiritual rank, allowing even Rank 1 Apprentices or powerful Knights to pry them open. Pierce funneled a thread of Spirit into the pouch, and his vision was instantly flooded by a dazzling brilliance of gold.

  A mountain of coins.

  Based on the spatial volume occupied, the count was no less than ten thousand—nearly filling the pouch’s folded capacity. Beside the gold sat dozens of vials—ironically, most were the very Brute Strength Potions the man had just "purchased" from Pierce.

  Pierce moved to loot the remaining corpses. Aside from a relatively valuable composite longbow found on the sniper, the others contributed barely a hundred gold pieces. Clearly, the core assets of this group were concentrated solely on the leader.

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  Before the City Guard could detect the magical fluctuations and descend upon the scene, Pierce swiftly scrubbed his tracks and vanished into the labyrinthine alleys of the slums.

  Back at his apartment, Pierce used a micro-vibration of water energy particles to cleanse the metallic scent of blood from his skin, then changed into a crisp silk shirt and sank into the plush sofa to tally the night’s extraordinary gains.

  Total Gold: 12,400 pieces.

  As the heavy metal piled into a miniature mountain on the thick rug, even the composed Pierce felt his breath hitch slightly. Under the moonlight, every coin radiated a seductive, intoxicating luster.

  With this massive windfall, he could even consider an extravagant upgrade for Mistfeather’s diet—replacing standard high-energy rations with expensive powdered Mana Stones.

  Furthermore, his potion inventory had reached a staggering 80 vials, with a total estimated value nearing ten thousand gold.

  "These fools literally risked their lives just to bring me tribute," Pierce remarked with a flicker of mockery in his eyes. He then turned his attention to the final three yellowed parchment books and the peculiar triangular shield he had found on the leader.

  The covers of the books were inscribed with: Azure Gale Breathing Technique, Storm Slash, and Extreme Flash.

  Pierce flipped through the core manual. In the Arcane Continent, Breathing Techniques were the foundation for the Knight class to commune with life energy and temper the physical form. A Sword Servant honed their body through these unique rhythms, and once a "Life Seed" was condensed, they stepped into the realm of the supernatural Knight.

  The rank of a Breathing Technique was directly judged by the number of companion Battle Arts it possessed. The fact that the Azure Gale technique included two explosive Battle Arts proved its status as a high-tier inheritance.

  For an Official Arcanist, physical tempering might be a waste of time, but for a Rank 2 Apprentice in their vulnerable phase, mastering a high-tier Breathing Technique meant that even in extreme environments where mana was depleted or spells failed, he would still possess the melee capital to turn the tables on his foes.

  Moreover, with his current Physique nearing 12, his efficiency in practicing such a technique would be several times that of an average man.

  "Eye of Omniscience, analyze the Azure Gale Breathing Technique and its companion Battle Arts."

  [Task created. Performing deep analysis of the kinetic module. Estimated time: 12 hours.]

  While waiting for the analysis, Pierce’s gaze locked onto the silver shield, barely larger than two palms and shaped like an inverted triangle.

  It was impossibly light, with a slick, cold texture that felt nothing like a heavy piece of defensive hardware. Pierce pressed his palm against the runic array in the center. As his consciousness slowly sank into the object, a low Arcane verification request echoed in his mind:

  "Unregistered user detected. Please set a new activation command."

  Pierce was momentarily taken aback, his pupils constricting.

  Only high-tier enchanted creations with "pseudo-intelligent" traits required voice or mental commands. This was likely an undervalued masterpiece of alchemical engineering—perhaps even something more.

  He paused, watching the silver light dancing upon the shield, and whispered:

  "Aina."

  The moment the word left his lips, the triangular shield seemed to be imbued with life. It emitted a crisp hum and lunged from Pierce’s palm, hovering in the air and circling his body with ethereal grace.

  This was a rare Animated Shield.