Isekai Adventure in the Dimensional Cube

"A sword technique that turns a man into a dragon?"

At that moment, Reiger was astounded.

He had not expected that the top-grade sword technique he had found here would be such an extraordinary one.

To turn a man into a dragon?

What did that entail?

Initially, Reiger's first impression was disbelief, followed by a surge of excitement.

It was mainly because the requirements to learn this sword technique matched Reiger's capabilities—requiring one born with immense Magic Power. Ordinary people could hardly succeed in mastering it.

"Could it be that Yuri had specifically chosen this sword technique for me?"

Reiger could not help but think so.

That was something he could inquire about later.

For now, Reiger was eager to delve into this sword technique and master it.

As for the warnings of high difficulty in learning, mentioned in the annotations, Reiger ignored them.

With the skill 'Fool's Obsession' at his disposal, whether it was speeding up his growth or enhancing his limits, Reiger greatly surpassed others. If even he could not master this sword technique, then probably no one could.

Embracing this thought, Reiger began to read through the "Holy Dragon Sword Skill."

However, as he read on, Reiger's brows furrowed, and his initial excitement gradually faded.

It couldn't be helped.

"This sword technique, it's actually missing the most crucial breathing technique?"

Indeed, there was something missing in this sword technique.

A sword technique typically consists of two parts.

One is the sword technique itself.

The other is the breathing method.

All sword techniques in the world involve practicing the moves of the sword technique while simultaneously using a special breathing method. This stimulates Magic Power, activating it, allowing the body to also become invigorated, gradually absorbing the activated Magic Power, and enhancing strength, bit by bit refining oneself.

In other words, the breathing method in the sword technique is the key to transcending the mundane for those who practice it.

Without the breathing method, any sword technique is just ordinary swordsmanship, a set of moves, a skill—perhaps practicing it could strengthen the body, but it would lack the effect of stimulating Magic Power and refining the body.

Naturally, without the breathing method, even if one practiced a top-grade sword technique, it would be impossible to develop special abilities, let alone achieve astounding growth rates.

The "Holy Dragon Sword Skill" in Reiger's hands was missing the crucial breathing technique, leaving only the sword moves and swordsmanship.

Such a top-grade sword technique, let alone being stronger than advanced sword techniques, could not even compare to lower-grade sword techniques.

In short, the "Holy Dragon Sword Skill" that Reiger held was nothing more than a useless addition.

"Why is it missing the most important breathing technique?"

Reiger was utterly baffled.

"Could it be intentionally separated and stored elsewhere?"

If that were the case, did Yuri really intend for Reiger to learn this top-grade sword technique by sending him here?

Reiger was somewhat confused.

"I'll go ask about it."

Reiger did not dwell on it, as he had questions, it was straightforward to just go and ask Yuri.

However, Reiger first memorized the sword technique itself from the "Holy Dragon Sword Skill."

His memory was exceptional, and even without taking the book with him, spending some time memorizing all its contents was equally feasible.

"Good."

About half an hour later, Reiger closed his eyes, recalled the things he had memorized to make sure they were correct, then placed the "Holy Dragon Sword Skill" back on the shelf and turned to leave.

...

It was still early.

After leaving the library, Reiger intended to go directly to find Yuri. However, considering that Yuri could likely be hosting important guests, he abandoned that plan and walked towards the courtyard instead.

He wanted to practice swordsmanship in the courtyard for a while to see if this top-grade sword technique, missing the most important breathing method, had anything special about it.

With nothing else to do in this world and no underground city to challenge, Reiger could only use this method for some exercise and verification while casually passing the time.

But as Reiger was descending the stairs, preparing to go to the first floor, he was blocked by someone.

"Hello."

A middle-aged man with a beard, dressed like a butler but with a look that somewhat resembled a shady merchant, stopped Reiger.

"Who are you?"

Reiger stopped in his tracks, eyeing the merchant-looking man.

"I am the butler of the Basolo family."

The shady merchant-like man bowed to Reiger, his face full of smiles, yet his tone brimmed with an arrogance that others might not perceive.

"The Basolo family?"

Reiger raised an eyebrow.

Wasn't that the family of the young master whom Yuri somewhat disdained?

This man was his butler?

"Do you need something?"

Reiger asked bluntly, his demeanor not rude but certainly not overly humble either.

"There is a bit of a matter." The crooked merchant saw that Reiger's expression was calm, and even though his own expression turned slightly bitter, he still smiled and said, "Young master, since you can freely move about here, your status must be quite significant, right?"

"I am merely a guest here, temporarily living under someone else's roof, nothing to speak of regarding status," Reiger responded indifferently. "If you have something to say, just say it straight, no need to beat around the bush."

"Since that's the case, I'll just speak frankly." The crooked merchant immediately smiled and moved closer, handing a heavy pouch to Reiger, "Please accept this for now, young master."

Upon hearing this, Reiger was slightly stirred.

Though he hadn't seen what was inside the heavy pouch in his hand, from the feel of it, it most likely contained coins.

The currency circulating in Eulare was also in the form of coins, and Reiger had carried money before, naturally able to judge from the feel what it was.

However...

"What is this about?" he asked.

Raising the heavy pouch in his hand, Reiger looked at the crooked merchant with an expression that became intriguing.

The merchant seemed not to notice, touched his beard, and smiled.

"This is just a small deposit, for you to manage for now," said the crooked merchant, his smile resembling an apology. "If young master feels this is not enough, then if you provide a little bit of information to me, I definitely won't hesitate to add a bit more."

"Little bits of information?" Reiger kept his calm and inquired, "Such as?"

"For example, some tidbits concerning Duke Franzel," the merchant blinked, giving a 'you know what I mean' look, and said, "Any kind of information, from personal tastes to private secrets, as long as you're willing to disclose them to the Basolo Family, my young master will definitely reward you handsomely."

Hearing this, how could Reiger not know what this so-called Basolo Family's steward's purpose was?

He wanted to spy on Yuri's intelligence.

Whether it was personal preferences or family secrets, they were all of interest to them.

As for the purpose of gathering this intelligence, one could easily guess; it wasn't for anything good.

Remembering Yuri's displeasure when someone came to visit, Reiger suddenly understood her a bit better.

Most likely, this so-called Basolo Family had often engaged in such activities, hadn't they?

"Alright then," Reiger smirked, pocketing the heavy money pouch, and said, "Though I don't know any private secrets, if it's about personal tastes, I do indeed know of one big hobby of Duke Franzel... Yuri..."

"What?" The man perked up immediately.

"Duke Franzel seems to really enjoy uniquely flavored teas," Reiger said expressionlessly. "Such as very bitter red tea; he seems quite fond of it."

"Bitter red tea?" The merchant was slightly stunned, and asked, "Are there really people who enjoy bitter red tea?"

"That's why it's called a unique taste," Reiger smiled, and said, "If someone could join Duke Franzel for her favored afternoon tea, the duke's mood would certainly be very good."

"I see," the merchant nodded as if he had come to a realization, then smiled and said, "Thank you for your bit of information, young master. I'll come to you again when there's another opportunity."

With that, the merchant left enthusiastically.

Only Reiger was left behind, watching the back of the departing man, and after a long while, he muttered a sentence.

"Such is the nobility."

In Reiger's tone lay irritation and irony.

The merchant's demeanor and behavior once again reminded Reiger of some unpleasant experiences from his past life.

"Forget it, it's none of my business."

Reiger turned and walked away.

He now felt even more inclined to practice swordsmanship, hoping to alleviate the slight irritation building inside him.

...

"Swoosh!"

In the courtyard, beside a pavilion, Reiger was brandishing a wooden sword, practicing lively.

He started with a downward chop, followed by a swipe, made a diagonal slash, and then quickly retracted for a fierce thrust, creating a whooshing sound in the air.

When wielding the sword, Reiger's speed was not only incredibly fast but also had a powerful and heavy feel to it; whether chopping or thrusting, it felt as if bursting with tremendous power.

When Reiger stopped, he realized that practicing swordsmanship in this manner resulted in him sweating profusely after just one round.

"This Holy Dragon Sword Skill is really something," he remarked.

Reiger felt surprised, feeling the unique way the technique utilized almost every muscle in his body and its marvelous power techniques. "No wonder it's a grand-level sword skill."

He found that training with the tricks of the Holy Dragon Sword Skill could greatly benefit his physical conditioning.

This type of training, much more efficient than the way Ais practiced swordsmanship, might really produce some extraordinary effects if continued over time.

"If I keep training like this, even at my level, it should make a difference, right?" Reiger both marveled and felt regret.

"It's a pity, though, the most important breathing techniques are gone; otherwise, this sword skill would definitely be powerful."

Even without the breathing techniques, the sword skill had brought Reiger some benefits, let alone if augmented with those techniques.

"Was the breathing technique really lost, or was it intentionally removed?" Reiger wondered casually while practicing.

After a while, Reiger suddenly noticed a disturbance.

"I will not give up, Miss Yuri!"

A young man dressed as a noble had appeared at the mansion's gate, yelling towards the inside, and the scheming merchant was there helping him shout.

Reiger paused his movements and looked toward the nobly dressed young man.

The man kept shouting, causing a commotion with his attendants' help.

It wasn't long before Yuri came out.

Her expression was not very pleasant.