Wizard: Starting With the Knights Breathing Method Chapter 1: Practicing for Two and a Half Years [Fully-Levelled Archery]
The year was 1003 of the Holy Calendar, during the biting winds of November.
In Blackwater Valley, located within Lake County of the Black Mountain Province in the Emerald Kingdom.
A blanket of silver snow draped over the river valley plain, where thin trails of smoke drifted into the sky from a few scattered wooden dwellings.
A castle that had seen better days sat perched against the mountainside on higher ground. Its crumbling battlements and ruined towers served as a silent testament to the declining fortunes of its master.
On the icy slopes surrounding the fortress, a rabbit scavenged for food amidst the frozen hay, remaining hyper-aware of potential threats.
Hiding behind a tree seventy meters away was a youth clad in a white leather tunic and a velvet cap. Though his brown boots were sunk deep into the snow, his attire provided excellent camouflage against the winter landscape.
He raised a bow—not a simple tool for hunting, but a heavy weapon designed for the battlefield.
With a sharp whistle of the arrow cutting through the air, the rabbit was struck down instantly. The projectile pierced its skull, staining the white snow a brilliant scarlet.
[Archery Proficiency +1]
[Archery: Level 1 (9999/10000) Level 1 (Max)]
Rabbit meat...
Levi licked his dry lips as he summoned his proficiency panel.
Levi Snyder
Archery: Level 1 (Max)
Riding: Level 1 (Max)
Aristocratic Dance: Level 1 (Max)
Hand-to-hand Combat: Level 1 (Max)
Basic Swordsmanship: Level 1 (Max)
A faint smile touched Levi's lips as he surveyed the mental interface.
“Finally, my Archery has hit the limit. Any target I lock onto is as good as dead. Back in the day, I would have been hailed as a Proficient Archer. It’s hard to believe I was just a regular knight then.”
“Over the last two and a half years, I’ve perfected the five fundamental disciplines required of knights: riding, archery, dancing, brawling, and swordsmanship. I am finally prepared to begin the breathing method.”
Mastering the breathing method was the only path to becoming a true Knight. In a world plagued by constant natural upheavals and human strife, even the powerful fall victim to supernatural entities.
After all, an [Evil Spirit] had been the cause of death for this body’s previous soul.
Levi was a transmigrator.
Three years ago, during the first millennium of the Holy Calendar, he woke up inhabiting the body of a young noble, with the proficiency panel serving as his only lifeline.
According to his inherited memories, the original owner of the body had been fishing in the Blackwater River when he pulled up a female corpse. Dressed in white with matted hair and hollow eye sockets, her water-bloated skin identified her as a legendary evil spirit—a Water Fairy.
The original youth’s consciousness vanished into the dark, allowing Levi to take over.
Knight Fred had discovered him unconscious on the riverbank, soaked and surrounded by rotting vegetation and dead fish. In his delirium, Levi had muttered strange phrases like, “I’m not in the air force,” which made no sense to those listening.
Knight Fred simply assumed the boy was frustrated by his failure to catch any fish.
Levi kept the truth to himself; explaining how he survived an encounter with an evil spirit would be impossible.
However, the trauma of that event lingered, and he now avoided the Blackwater River entirely.
In truth, evil spirits were considered myths by most, and few people ever actually encountered them.
The same applied to the tales of Wizards who could command the elements of wind, lightning, earth, and fire; they were legends that no one had truly seen.
Even the experienced Knight Fred insisted that Wizards were nothing more than folklore.
Wizardry... such a prestigious and enigmatic calling. No matter how powerful a Knight became, they could never hope to rival a Wizard.
Levi felt a deep longing for that power. He knew that legends usually contained a grain of truth. Having faced an evil spirit, he was certain Wizards existed and were not merely characters in a bard’s song.
Still, he was realistic about his current situation. Chasing magic was pointless without a solid foundation.
He had been training in the five knightly arts since he was ten. With the assistance of the panel, he had reached the maximum level in all of them in less than three years.
Levi felt confident that he could surpass most knights now, including Knight Fred, particularly when it came to his marksmanship.
At twelve years old, Levi stood 1.75 meters tall. His muscular frame stood in stark contrast to his youthful features.
In this realm, few men could dream of achieving such physical prowess.
Conventional weaponry ruled the day; a powerful physique was essential for wielding heavy gear and armor in combat.
He was finally ready for the breathing method.
The technique was perilous; attempting it without sufficient strength could result in physical or even mental damage.
This was why the five knightly skills had to be perfected first.
Levi smiled, retrieved his kill, and began the walk home.
At the base of the hill, a silver-haired, middle-aged knight watched Levi with pride. “If the master were still with us, he would be overjoyed to see your progress in archery,” he said warmly.
This was Knight Fred, known to both friends and foes as the Snake Knight. The Baron had once told Levi that Fred was the only person he could truly rely on.
This rang true. Levi knew the Baron had spent more time with Fred than with his own family.
The bond between the master and his loyal servant was, in many ways, deeper than the blood ties of the Snyder family.
“You flatter me, Your Excellency. I haven't accomplished anything significant yet. I want to start the breathing method immediately to become a true Knight. Winter is approaching, and the nights are getting longer. Bandit knights might target our lands soon. I cannot rely on your protection forever. Since my father’s passing, we have lost the Tulip Lands in the South and the mineral-rich Storm Lands in the East. This valley is our final refuge. For the sake of the Snyder bloodline, I must grow stronger!”
As he spoke, Levi clenched his fists, his expression one of grim determination.
The Snyder family crest featured a black snake coiled around a candle, earning them the name "Family of Black Snakes."
His father, Baron Thord Snyder, had been celebrated as one of the Seven Hussars of the North, holding the titles of Earl of the Tulip Lands and Lord of the Storm Lands.
Compared to the bleak Blackwater Valley, those territories had been incredibly wealthy.
Levi had been born in the Flowering City within the Tulip Lands—a place of fertile plains and a mild climate.
The Storm Lands, though harsh, were a treasure trove of minerals.
At their height, the Black Snakes commanded five thousand soldiers, a formidable force.
The Baron himself was a Great Knight, standing above all standard knights.
Only the legendary figures like [Lionheart Knight Ryan], [Golden Knight Greck], [Blood Knight Brad], and [Winter Knight Fryer]—the fabled Legendary Knights—were superior to a Great Knight.
They represented the absolute pinnacle of the martial hierarchy.
That changed three years ago when the Baron was summoned by the Emerald Kingdom and the Holy Church to fight the Tuva Empire in the Millennium War.
He never came back.
Levi only received word that his father had fallen on the battlefield.
Though titles are hereditary and Levi was the rightful heir to all three lands, the transfer required a royal envoy's confirmation.
In name, Levi became the new Baron.
Recognizing the danger of his position, Levi followed Knight Fred’s advice and retreated to Blackwater Valley, the ancestral home where Baron Thord had first risen to power.
The Bloody Earl and the Silver Earl, who lusted after his father’s wealth, seized the Tulip and Storm Lands with the backing of the Duke of Montenegro. The Kingdom chose to ignore this blatant land grab.
Levi had surrendered the territories to the Duke of Montenegro to prevent a direct confrontation. While the Duke was pleased, Levi saw it as a tactical retreat. Remaining in those prosperous lands without the strength of a Great Knight would have been a death sentence.
“With my proficiency panel, it is better to stay safe and play the part of a disgraced noble.”
In truth, he had no interest in ruling. His goal was personal Cultivation—to become a Great Knight, a Legendary Knight, and eventually, a Wizard.
From his research, Wizards could achieve immortality and travel the world without fearing ghosts or demons.
Still, he had to maintain appearances for the sake of his father's legacy.
His path was set: master the breathing method, achieve official knight status, build his resources, and once powerful enough, search the Seven Kingdoms for the path of a Wizard.
Knight Fred, moved by Levi's words, smiled. “Baron Levi, my lord, you are indeed ready. Follow me.”