The next day.
In the basement, by evening.
Colin, bare-chested, finished his practice and stood quietly, exhaling a long breath of turbid air.
If he had to say, working for the Patrol Team was somewhat easier than his original night shifts in West City.
According to the duty roster, Mondays and Tuesdays were his office days, while Friday nights were his to keep watch.
This meant that after completing his night shift yesterday, he wouldn't have to work until the day after tomorrow, Monday.
He silently summoned the Golden Paper.
Today, he had finally pushed the progress of the Limit Breaking Sunlight Breathing Method to its maximum once again.
But the upwards arrow symbol behind it was, for now, just a dim black without an outline glow due to the lack of sufficient Limit Breaking Points.
Without any hesitation, Colin took out a Magic Stone and concentrated on converting them into Limit Breaking Points.
The black characters at the bottom of the Golden Paper kept jumping.
0...1...2...5...10.
Colin paused slightly and looked again at the Sunlight Breathing Method.
The arrow behind it was still black, unchanged... which meant there were not enough Limit Breaking Points.
Colin frowned. Based on his previous experience with enhancing the Ignition Technique, logically, it should have increased tenfold.
But then he considered that the Ignition Technique and the Sunlight Breathing Method were completely different at their limits, so why would the required Limit Breaking Points grow according to the same pattern?
It seemed, then, that the amount by which Limit Breaking Points needed to multiply might vary for each witchcraft, Meditation Method, Breathing Skill, and Talent when reaching their respective limits.
He continued to absorb the Magic Stone.
...10...11...12...
Not until reaching 50 points, with nearly half of his Magic Stone pouch depleted, did the purple outline glow start to faintly emerge behind the Sunlight Breathing Method I.
Colin let out a gentle breath, put down his pouch, and then, without hesitation,
he focused his thoughts and emphatically pressed a point behind the Sunlight Breathing Method!
Boom!
His heartbeat abruptly quickened, and his blood began to rush and circulate rapidly.
Sweat gradually emerged from his forehead, nose tip, back, and neck, eventually steaming up as hot vapor.
After an unknown stretch of time, Colin finally opened his eyes and exhaled deeply.
He looked at the Golden Paper.
Sunlight Breathing Method I (100/100) had now transformed into Sunlight Breathing Method II (0/100).
He closed his eyes again, contemplating the Limit Breaking Sunlight Breathing Method.
Ordinarily, becoming a Great Knight was seen as the pinnacle for a Knight.
But the new Sunlight Breathing Method took it a step further, using the innate Blood Energy of the Great Knight to further develop the body.
According to the new Sunlight Breathing Method, after the Great Knight, there was another breakthrough... perhaps it could be called the Ultimate Knight.
This level was only marginally better than the Great Knight in terms of physical quality, with no substantial gap.
However, in terms of speed, especially reaction speed, it greatly enhanced the transmission speed of nerve signals by optimizing the nerves through Blood Energy.
Simply put, it reduced the body's delay.
The lower the delay, the more reactions one could make in the same amount of time.
Such an improvement, although seemingly merely shaving off a few milliseconds in reaction time, could often make the difference between life and death in actual combat.
This was undoubtedly a significant enhancement... It's just a pity that it couldn't break the boundary of the Great Knight.
'Wonder if the Sunlight Breathing Method can still be improved,' Colin thought ambiguously.
He stood up and slowly started practicing the second stage of the Limit Breaking Sunlight Breathing Method.
After a while, as he finished his practice and stood quietly, he looked at the Golden Paper.
As usual, the blinking upwards arrow symbol appeared behind the Sunlight Breathing Method II.
Colin carefully observed the outline glow around the arrow symbol.
'Not gold... but red. It seems like there is still room for improvement,' Colin realized.
As long as it's not gold, it means it hasn't reached the true limit yet, and improvement could still be made.
He looked again at his Intermediate Strong Life Talent, which remained stagnant at 95/100.
But from a feeling perspective, a second Limit Breaking in the Sunlight Breathing Method should have increased the efficiency of the Intermediate Strong Life.
It was just uncertain how much it could increase...
While thinking, he got dressed and walked upstairs.
He stood on the balcony of the master bedroom, leaning on the railing and looking into the distance.
Suddenly he saw a carriage stop at his doorstep, and a familiar figure stepped down using the coachman as a human cushion.
After the figure alighted, the black coachman immediately got up and hastened to the door, knocking vigorously.
"Barney, what is he doing here?" Colin furrowed his brows.
He pondered for a moment, then turned and walked downstairs to the door.
At that moment, Arthur, who lived in the side house, heard the knocking and just opened the main door.
"Colin."
Barney, stepping past Arthur's figure, saw Colin and greeted him with a smile.
The black slave in front of him and Arthur both respectfully stepped aside,
Allowing the two men to face each other.
"Barney," Colin responded.
Since the last time Barney had been humiliated by Regina in his presence, he had never come to see him... It was unknown what he wanted now.
"... Are you still getting used to working at the Patrol Department?" Barney, hearing how Colin addressed him, slightly knitted his eyebrows but quickly forced a feeble smile, asking in a condescending, faux-affable tone.
Colin didn't speak, just calmly stared at Barney.
Barney's smile gradually solidified, and he retracted his smile, frowning slightly as he said,
"I'm here to assign you a task, Colin."
"Tonight, you have to go on night duty again."
Colin, with a slight frown, asked softly, "Is this Captain Flower's arrangement?"
Barney paused, his expression growing colder, "Why so many questions? Just follow orders, don't forget I'm your deputy captain!"
He looked at Colin, feeling inexplicably angry as if he saw Regina's shadow on him.
This shadow, like fuel to fire, only intensified his anger!
Although he had complemented Colin's strength at their first meeting, it was merely a courtesy. If he couldn't handle Regina, could he not handle a mere Colin?
That day, he hadn't gone far and had overheard Regina's conversation with Colin afterward.
Colin had only been advanced for a few months; what did he have to be so arrogant about?
In his eyes, Colin was clearly influenced by Regina, failing to see his own place.
He was about to explode, but then thought of something and pulled out a pocket watch from his chest, checking the time.
It was getting late... If he went any later, there wouldn't be a choice anymore.
In fact, if it weren't for Lord Flower emphasizing the importance of night duty, he wouldn't have spent the time coming to find Colin to cover for him.
Based on past habits, he would have just not shown up.
He suppressed his anger, speaking impatiently,
"In any case, just go if I tell you to go!" Barney paused, then added, "From now on, every Saturday night duty is yours! Sort yourself out!"
After speaking, he definitively left without giving Colin any chance to interject.
"Drive!"
The black coachman cracked his whip and drove off.
Colin, standing behind, furrowed his brows tightly but soon relaxed them.
He felt somewhat amused.
'Barney truly is a cowardly and petty man... Does he really think I can be easily manipulated?'
'... Orders, going to night duty tonight... As if I would go!'
He shook his head, closed the door, and went inside.