Chapter 26: Breathing Method (2)

With the help of HeavenlyDemon and SwordTasteMaster, I somehow managed to feel mana.

I simply tried to repeat the sensation I had experienced the first time, and it worked quite well.

But the problem appeared afterward.

Every time the mana that started from the lower abdomen completed one full cycle, my stomach hurt.

If it had happened once or twice I would understand it, but exactly at the moment when the mana completed a cycle, the stomach pain was so strong that I could not endure it.

To the point of thinking whether I should build a separate bathroom.

I cannot even go very far.

‘And why am I sweating so much?’

I did not feel like I was making a big effort, but sweat was running all over my body.

And it was not normal sweat.

It was completely black sweat.

It literally looked like the filth of the body coming out.

Just seeing it was disgusting.

“Ugh!”

The smell was also horrible.

I almost vomited.

It seemed like all the waste in my body had gathered there.

“Kyueeek! Kyueeek!”

Wonmo, whose sense of smell is much better than mine, was having an attack.

As soon as he smelled the odor, he moved away from me.

He went into a corner of the cave growling, so it must be truly unbearable.

It seems I will have to bathe again.

Otherwise Wonmo might kick me out of the cave.

Even though it was already getting dark, if I slept like this I might get sick.

‘What the hell is happening?’

I filled the container with water and lit a fire underneath.

Waiting for it to boil completely would be too slow, so I put my body directly into it.

As soon as my body touched the water, the characteristic freshness of the stream water spread throughout my body.

I let out a sigh of relief and decided to ask for help in the gallery.

Title) Is mana circulation normally like this?

WildGrills

Following your advice I am circulating mana, but every time it makes a cycle I feel like taking a shit. Is this normal?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) It is the first time I have heard of someone wanting to defecate every time they do energy circulation.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Me too. Could it be that you have some intestinal problem?

ㄴWildGrills) I have not eaten anything;; it is not even diarrhea.

ㄴUgh. That is disgusting.

ㄴDamn it, I am eating curry and you are talking about shit.

ㄴActually you are eating shit flavored curry.

ㄴSeriously…

Even though the topic was quite unpleasant, I was speaking seriously.

If it had been diarrhea, I would have understood it to some extent.

It would mean I am sick.

But it is not even that, so I cannot help but be suspicious.

Until now the only thing I have eaten are the fasting pills.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) The only thing I can think of is that your body is expelling impurities do you have any physical problem?

ㄴWildGrills) At least I am not a pig.

My body, to be honest, is close to overweight.

I am not thin, but I am not noticeably fat either.

But since I used to eat only ramen to save money, I probably have visceral fat accumulated.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) After consuming the fasting pills, that is the only thing I can think of.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) It could also simply be your constitution.

ㄴWildGrills) Do fat people experience the same thing when learning a breathing method?

ㄴIf that were true I would have learned it already hahaha

ㄴBecoming healthy just by breathing? I would do it right now hahaha

Learning a breathing method does not change the body.

Changing the body belongs to external training, while the breathing method belongs to internal cultivation.

Although both complement each other, so it is recommended to take care of the body.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Do you have any other symptoms?

ㄴWildGrills) I am sweating black sweat and the smell is horrible.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Then it seems that impurities are coming out of your body.

ㄴWildGrills) Is that good?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) More than good, it is an abnormal level. Normally that only happens when reaching an extremely high level.

ㄴWildGrills) Then it is not bad?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) It is not bad, but just in case it would be better if for now you focus only on energy circulation.

In the end the breathing method stopped at the energy circulation part.

They said they would teach me the verses of the method later.

I had no intention of refusing either, so I accepted without any problem.

Every time the mana makes a cycle my stomach hurts, so there is not much I can do.

‘Are you sure what is coming out are impurities and not nutrients?’

Out of worry I feel like eating more fasting pills.

But if I do that my Johnson might explode, so it is better to hold back.

“Ugh.”

Why does nothing turn out the way I planned?

Although from the beginning falling into this damned forest was already a problem.

While complaining about my luck, I lifted my head and looked at the sky.

The night sky was full of stars and it was truly beautiful.

‘…Yes. There is no need to rush.’

The water was already heating up.

I washed my entire body with soap until it was completely clean.

The water left in the container I will throw away the next day.

It is too dark to do it now.

After drying myself with a towel, I checked the gallery while my hair dried.

Even though it was late at night, the gallery was still very active.

Most of the posts were completely useless.

[A gallery user is screwed right now]

[I want to quit my job]

[Is this what they call a blue ocean?]

[Lately the river water is warm]

[Damn elves planting trees again]

[Emergencyyyyy]

Things like that.

I had already become so used to it that it even felt familiar.

After checking the gallery for a while, I posted a short message.

As always, a post to mark the end of the day.

Many comments appeared, but I only skimmed them and closed the page.

Maybe because today I learned the breathing method, I was getting sleepy.

‘Where will I go tomorrow? Repairs? Breathing? Exploring?’

Whatever it is, it will surely be hard.

Before closing my eyes, I checked on Wonmo.

He was lying beside me trying to sleep.

At least thanks to him I do not feel so alone.

‘I will have to cut many trees to earn money.’

I slowly closed my eyes.

Sleep was overcoming me and I could no longer think clearly.

I worked hard today, so tomorrow I will rest well and continue forward.

‘Will I be able to… get out?’

I kept that small hope while falling asleep.

***

Sleep is very important for any animal.

And humans are no exception.

In fact, the desire to sleep far surpasses appetite and sexual desire.

If you do not sleep well, you can consider that day already ruined.

On the contrary, if you rest deeply, you can greet the morning with incomparable freshness.

Title) Another morning full of energy and determination!

WildGrills

If someone asks who I am, I am WildGrills!

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) You are already awake. Do you feel any discomfort in your body?

ㄴWildGrills) Not at all. In fact I feel much fresher than other days.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) It must be because of the breathing. If you do it right after waking up it will be even more effective.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) It is probably because of the breathing. It would be good to do it once before sleeping and once after waking up.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) How insolent. I was going to say that first.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) You are quite slow.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Not everything fast is good. Precision is what matters.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) I agree with that, but speed is more important.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) If you pursue only speed you will end up falling into demonic deviation.

ㄴStarlightLady) You are already awake. Do you not have any pain?

ㄴWildGrills) No, nothing. Are you really completely well now?

ㄴStarlightLady) Yes. As soon as I woke up I went running outside the mansion.

ㄴWildGrills) You really are much healthier.

ㄴSo now only Grills is left, right?

ㄴWill Grills not feel lonely? hahaha

ㄴWill he beat the lady’s record?

ㄴStarlightLady) You all are very cruel. I will make sure not to beat that record, so do not worry too much.

HeavenlyDemon and SwordTasteMaster started arguing since the morning.

The comment from StarlightLady also appeared, now completely recovered.

I tried to remember how many posts I had published wishing for her to recover.

As far as I remember, it had been around 110 days.

Approximately between three and four months.

Will I be able to get out of here by then?

‘By that point it would not be adaptation anymore, it would literally be living here.’

After checking the gallery for a while, I first looked at Wonmo.

Since he is still a cub, he was still sleeping deeply even though I was already awake.

If I moved too much I might wake him up, so I first checked the auction house.

‘Let’s see… what I uploaded yesterday…’

The items I uploaded yesterday were the owlbear corpse and wood.

Both were placed in auction.

Because of the brutal commissions, the auction system actually harms the person who registers the item.

But for me the important thing was selling them, so I was curious.

[Owlbear corpse: 200 liang of silver]

[Wood from the Forest of the Four Seasons: 10 gold]

“Oh?”

The prices were quite high.

The wood was already valuable, but the owlbear had a really high price.

Silver is the currency of Zhongyuan, and I heard that 1 liang is approximately equal to 10 gold.

So the owlbear corpse is worth more or less 2,000 gold.

‘Why is it so expensive? Could it be because of the bear bile?’

The owlbear is basically a type of bear, so its bile must be valuable.

Even if it is not that, if it sells for a high price that is fine.

‘The wood is also quite expensive.’

Earning 10 gold every time I cut down a tree?

I could become an environmental criminal without any problem.

‘Although my body would be destroyed first.’

At the very least I would have to reach the point of being able to knock down a tree with a single swing of the axe.

Until then I plan to avoid cutting trees just for money.

‘Anyway I need wood for the wall.’

After organizing my tasks more or less, I sat in the lotus position.

Following the advice of HeavenlyDemon and SwordTasteMaster, I began breathing.

Once in the morning, at noon, at night, and before sleeping.

Four times a day is the norm.

But there is an exception.

When you consume a spiritual pill.

In that case it is mandatory in order to absorb its energy.

‘Then I should do it every time I eat?’

Since the fasting pills are basically a spiritual pill, it must be mandatory.

I closed my eyes and began practicing the breathing as I had learned yesterday.

‘Start from the lower abdomen and make a full cycle through the body…’

At first I could not even control it, but afterward it became easy.

The problem is that every time it completes a cycle my stomach hurts.

I was worried that the same thing might happen today.

‘It passes through the heart and the head and returns to the abdomen.’

HeavenlyDemon said that for a beginner it is dangerous to pass through the heart and the head.

Normally it can only be done after reaching a certain level.

But I opened it from the beginning.

That is why I bled from the nose, although I never actually reached danger.

‘Back to the abdomen.’

The mana that had traveled throughout the whole body returned to the abdomen.

Unlike yesterday, I did not feel stomach pain or anything similar.

Maybe I had already expelled everything that needed to come out.

After making several more cycles, I slowly stopped the breathing.

“Fuu.”

I released the air and slowly opened my eyes.

The first thing I saw were bright golden eyes.

When I stared at them, the ball of fur tilted its head.

“Kyuu?”

It was Wonmo.

It seems he had been watching me while I practiced breathing.

At least he had the consideration not to interrupt me.

I stared at him and smiled slightly.

“Are you hungry?”

“Kyuu!”

“How is it that it seems like you understand everything I say?”

“Kyuu?”

“You do not?”

Well, it does not matter.

I bought a piece of meat from the auction house.

When I gave it to Wonmo, he ate it with great enthusiasm.

I should also give him water in case he is thirsty.

Trickle, trickle.

“Hm?”

But the water was not flowing properly.

It was coming out, but the pressure was too weak.

Probably the hose had some problem during the night or something happened in the river.

“What a hassle.”

I will not go up there right now.

At least some water is still coming out.

I gave water to Wonmo and ate a fasting pill for breakfast.

Now I no longer eat three per meal.

Only one.

Even if I eat just one, the bitter taste is still the same.

Maybe one is better.

‘Can I try it right now?’

I activated the cultivation method immediately and something different happened.

Something that was accumulated inside broke down and mixed with the mana.

That was probably the energy from the fasting pill.

In that state I circulated the mana.

There were no big changes.

My stomach did not hurt and everything was normal.

‘Could it be that my body already got used to it because I ate too many?’

Maybe.

In any case, I had already finished eating.

It was time to go fix the hose.

I took the sword and the shield and looked at Wonmo.

Wonmo was staring at me, as if he knew I was leaving.

“You have to stay here. Understood?”

“Kyuu.”

“Ah, and if your stomach hurts, do it outside. Not inside the cave.”

“Kyuu.”

Wonmo answered adorably.

It seemed like he had understood.

Well, even if he does not understand, toilet training can be done calmly.

There is no rush.

I patted Wonmo several times and left the cave.

‘Do my sword and shield feel lighter? Is it my imagination?’

Maybe because I slept well, the weight of the sword and shield felt much lighter.

Not only that.

The condition of my whole body was excellent.

The change was so sudden that I could not help thinking about the internal method I learned yesterday.

Although it could also just be today.

Better not to have expectations that are too high.

‘I wish I felt like this every day.’

Thinking that, I headed toward the river.

When I arrived at the place where I had worked with the hose, what I saw was…

Splash! Splash!

“…And now what is this?”

A red fish completely blocking the outlet.

‘It looks like the Carp King.’

More or less that is what it looked like.