Chương 111: World Breathing

"Oh! This medicine works very well. The wound has already closed. The Insect Hashira's Skill really is impressive."

"Of course. Skills are part of a god's blessing. Ordinary medicine simply cannot compare." After the tent was set up, Kyojuro and Tengen sat near the camp and treated their scrapes with medicine. They had not suffered any serious injuries on the way here, but scratches and shallow cuts were unavoidable in the Great Tree Labyrinth. Lili was cooking beside the pot. Aside from the dried meat, rice, and flour they had brought with them, she also used fruit and edible plants gathered nearby.

In the Great Tree Labyrinth, food was not usually the greatest concern. Still, not every wild fruit could be eaten. Dian Cecht Familia had compiled illustrated guides for edible plants in the Great Tree Labyrinth, but survival manuals for the Middle Floors and below were always expensive. They were built from hard-earned experience, and experience that could save a life was never cheap. Giyu had volunteered to look for edible plants.

Cael, meanwhile, sat on a thick branch not far from the camp, his back against the trunk as he watched for sudden danger. This was still the Dungeon. Even a place marked as a temporary rest point was not absolutely safe. It was only safer than the surrounding forest.

"Haa..." His breathing settled into an even rhythm. Warmth flowed through his body, spreading through his limbs and bloodstream. His heart rate rose, and his entire body entered a steady, long-lasting state of reinforcement. Total Concentration Breathing. This was the breathing method Cael had pieced together by watching the Hashira fight. It belonged only to him for now. It had no formal style, no techniques, and no complete system. The Hashira were geniuses who had mastered Breathing Styles.

Their constant sword training had also given them the powerful general Skill called Swordsmanship Master. Perhaps Cael could gain a similar Skill through his own breathing method one day. No one would complain about having more Skills. He still did not know what kind of Breathing Style his was. Every breath made him feel as if he were connecting with the world itself. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. It resembled Sword Saint's Blessing.

If he wanted, he could almost draw the natural force of the world into his sword with every movement. In practice, however, it only strengthened his slashes by a noticeable amount. There was no special effect beyond that. Maybe his understanding was still too shallow.

"In that case," Cael murmured, "I will call it World Breathing for now."

"Excuse me. Are you asleep? Excuse me, are you asleep?" A familiar, gentle voice sounded beside his ear. Cael's eyes opened at once. When he turned, Shinobu's delicate face and clear violet eyes filled his vision. She was less than ten centimeters away. His heart skipped.

"Shinobu? That was sudden. What happened? Are monsters attacking?"

"Fufu. Captain works so hard to become stronger." Shinobu laughed softly at his startled reaction, then sat beside him without hesitation.

"That was a breathing method just now, was it not? It looked powerful. You never asked any of us for guidance, so did you create it yourself?"

"Yes. A self-created breathing method. Only the breathing, though. It has no techniques." He had Transparent World and sword-related Skills, but creating sword techniques was not something that happened just by opening his eyes and wishing for it. Inspiration needed the right moment.

"Shinobu, did you need something? You should be resting too."

"Not exactly." Shinobu's smile remained gentle, as if it never changed.

"I only wanted to talk with Captain for a while."

"About what?"

"I have not thanked you properly in private." Shinobu looked straight at him.

"Everyone has been busy, so this is the first quiet moment I found."

"Thanked me?"

"Yes. Thank you for letting me become part of a god's family. Thank you for showing me a hope I thought could exist only in dreams." Her violet eyes held gratitude, sadness, expectation, and a faint fear that she tried to hide.

"I used to think everything lost in the past could never return. I lived inside grief, anger, and hatred. When my gentle, beloved sister was killed by a demon, all I wanted was revenge. I almost let hatred swallow me. Only dreams of my sister helped me remain myself." Cael listened quietly. At moments like this, the correct choice was not to interrupt.

"But then you appeared. Lady Hestia appeared. And I began to imagine something impossible." Shinobu leaned closer again.

"Captain once told Tanjiro that the dead might return to the world of the living. That miracle exists in Orario, correct?" Her eyes were close enough that Cael could smell a faint floral scent around her. If he were shameless enough, he might have been able to kiss her by leaning forward.

"Returning the dead to the living world," Cael said, turning his gaze aside before the mood became too dangerous.

"Yes, I did say that. Orario has that possibility." The Development Ability called Mystery explored the divine miracles of the gods. Among those miracles was the secret of life and death. There was someone in Orario who had reached that secret. Fels, the ancient sage. A mage who had pushed Mystery to its limit and created the resurrection spell Dia Orpheus. The success rate was extremely low, but hope existed. For people who had lost someone, the problem was not that the chance was small.

The true despair was having no chance at all.

"Shinobu, you want to revive your sister, correct?"

"Yes." Shinobu clenched her hand.

"I want my sister to return to the world. Does that sound foolish? Even if it is only a foolish dream, I still want to try."

"There is nothing wrong with seeking a miracle," Cael said.

"If you want to find Fels, then look for monsters who can speak like humans and possess human intelligence. If we make contact with them, Fels may appear." Shinobu fell silent. Then she nodded, memorizing every word.