Chapter 9: Fire-Breathing Talent

Chapter 9: Fire-Breathing Talent

More than a month later, the circus arrived at the third stop of its tour.

It was a city slightly inferior to Rosack, smaller in scale with lower walls, yet it possessed a full range of shops within its urban area. At the center of the city, there was, as always, a fountain square.

Xavier had developed a rapport with the other members, working alongside Popeye the strongman to haul props and set up the peaked tents in the square. After completing his grip-strength training with the micro-elastic ball, he had gained 1 point in Strength. He found moving things easier now, though he remained cautious at all times. Whether it was the tent stakes or the guy ropes, the stage cushions or the wooden weapons, he handled everything with care to avoid the cost of repairs. The Boss Lady was strict about such things; if anyone damaged a prop, they had to pay for a replacement or hire a craftsman out of their own pocket.

Fortunately, the leather case containing Fals’s fire-breathing potions was carried by Fals himself, requiring no assistance from Xavier or any other member. While Fals was fussing over his potion bottles, Xavier stole a few glances into the case. Inside were a set of simple alchemical instruments, a small bottle of ready-to-use fire-breathing potion, and several boxes of vials.

He cast his "Perception" spell and received an alarming piece of information.

"Fals-style Intermediate Fire-Breathing Potion: Drinking it will cause bodily damage, estimated at 180 points of health depletion within 60 minutes. When held in the mouth, it depletes 10 health points per hour. Successfully drinking or using this potion to breathe fire grants experience points."

180 points of damage in 60 minutes...

Xavier checked his character template.

[Health]: 20/20 (Healthy)

20 health points would only last about seven minutes. For Xavier, this tiny bottle was essentially a death sentence if ingested. Fortunately, the potion wasn't meant for drinking; it was a prop for the fire-breathing performance, intended to be held in the mouth and expelled.

Among the ingredient vials were a few red potions as thick as a little finger. They had a pungent odor that made one’s nostrils sting and eyes water with just a single whiff. These seemed to be vital materials that determined the power of the flames. "Perception" returned a series of question marks, failing to even predict the negative effects—clearly due to his low Perception and lack of alchemical knowledge. Whenever Fals prepared the potion, he used only two or three drops of the red liquid, adding more only if he wanted a stronger blaze.

Before the dress rehearsal that evening, Fals did something unprecedented: he put on his stage costume. Audrey gathered the members: "Everyone, Fals wants to try a new fire-breathing act. Popeye, you and the clown siblings will go on later. Snake and Xavier, go prepare the five fire hoops and the stands."

In the days without a fire-breather, the clown siblings performed by jumping through fire hoops, so the props were already on hand. Following Fals's instructions, Xavier arranged the hoops in a circle, and Snake coated them with a flammable agent.

In previous performances, Fals had always breathed fire in a straight line, standing motionless with his feet planted, never turning his body or head. This time, however, the process was very different. Fals stood in the center of the hoops, exhaling a long stream of fire to ignite the first hoop before slowly rotating his body.

Seeing this, Xavier instinctively clenched his hands, his palms sweating. Fals was being far too reckless. Staying stationary during fire-breathing was meant to keep the breath steady, allowing the performer to focus on expelling the airflow and keeping the potion in their mouth stable. If even the slightest accident occurred—a tickle in the throat, a loss of balance—the act of exhaling could subconsciously turn into an inhalation. The flames would instantly recoil, burning the performer severely.

As it turned out, Fals’s control was even greater than anticipated. The stream of liquid from his mouth suddenly intensified, and the flames roared to life. Fals spun around quickly, igniting the remaining four hoops in an instant. He stood within the blazing circle, arms raised high, celebrating a major breakthrough in his performance.

At that moment, something peculiar seemed to emanate from the body of the bald man surrounded by fire. A charm unique to fire-breathers took root in Xavier’s heart.

He widened his eyes, the image of the raging fire reflected within them. He imagined himself surrounded by the hoops, enjoying the pleasure of creating a conflagration amidst the heatwaves.

"I’ve decided. I want to become a fire-breather," Xavier resolved silently.

With the [Undying Body] trait to help him, even if he were burned by the flames, it wouldn't matter; as long as he restored his health, his body would be completely repaired. Not only would burned hair or eyebrows be a non-issue, but even throat damage wouldn't be a problem. Instead of wasting time and energy on less profitable acrobatics, it would be better to utilize [Undying Body], endure the hardship, and master the true art of fire-breathing.

Well... the training process would be painful, but compared to the copper coins and experience points he would gain, it would be worth it.

The flames in Xavier’s eyes slowly dimmed, but his expression grew increasingly firm.

Only after the fire hoops had naturally extinguished did Audrey walk up to Fals and ask, "How does it feel? Are you certain it’s safe?"

Fals nodded heavily, gesturing with an affirmative sign.

"Do you want to use this act to replace the Roast Chicken, or add it after?" Audrey asked, signaling Snake to clear the hoops.

Fals held up two fists and pressed them together.

"Counting the warm-up act, that makes three performances. How about we set the ticket price for the fire-breathing act at 12 copper coins?" Audrey calculated on her fingers.

Fals signaled that it was fine and left the backstage area.

"Xavier, go update the price list," Audrey said, looking at the boy who had just snapped back to reality.

"Understood, Boss Lady."

As Xavier stepped out of the small tent, his heart was filled not only with a yearning for fire-breathing but also with anticipation for the income from this performance. Fire-breathing tickets were the easiest to sell; many people came specifically for Fals, so there was no fear that a price hike would hurt sales. The original ticket price had been 8 copper coins; a 50% increase to 12 coins meant both the circus's revenue and his own experience gains would increase significantly.

...

The next morning, Xavier hung the new price list on the wagon. After updating the prices, he drew a simple illustration to promote the new act: a bald man with his arms raised high, standing inside a ring of fire. It was inspiration he’d gathered from the previous night’s rehearsal.

Perhaps the promotional drawing worked, or perhaps the residents were already bored with the old fire-breathing act, but the tickets sold even faster after the price hike! By evening, even with plenty of tickets left for the first three shows, the fire-breathing performance was sold out early. Xavier had to hang up a "Temporarily Away" sign and run backstage to consult the Boss Lady.

As he pulled back the curtain, he saw Fals drinking a pale blue potion, while Snake, who was about to go on stage, was whispering to his green snake. Xavier greeted them and headed straight to the dressing room to speak with Audrey through the curtain.

A minute later, Audrey, now in her performance attire, stood before the fire-breather. "Fals, your act is very popular; the tickets have already sold out. Do you want to add extra, solo performances? I’ll have the clown sister warm up the crowd for you."

Fals pondered for a few seconds and gestured for two additional shows.

"Xavier, use the spare blank wooden chips as tickets for the extra shows. Go on now."

"Right away, Boss Lady."

...

2,000 copper coins! That was today’s ticket revenue, as much as the first day in Rosack. Fals’s personal cut was nearly 1,000 coins, with over 400 coming from those two solo performances.

Xavier handed his earnings to Audrey for safekeeping as usual. After everyone else had left, he confessed his desire to learn fire-breathing to her.

Audrey had long since noticed the boy’s interest. She cupped his face in her hands and rubbed it vigorously. "Little one, fire-breathing requires talent."

"Uh? Talent?" Xavier blinked.

Audrey brought over two leather bags of the same size, filling one with air. "Start by inhaling from this bag."

Xavier pressed his mouth to the bulging bag, expanding his chest as much as he could, but ultimately only managed to inhale a little over half of the air inside; he couldn't finish it all. Audrey flattened the other bag, expelled all the air, and held it to the boy’s mouth, using her hands to seal the gap between the bag and his lips. "Blow hard. Push all the air from your body into it."

"Hooo~~~" Xavier’s face turned bright red as he pushed with all his might to compress his lungs. The airflow from his mouth actually inflated the empty bag until it was taut!

"Hahahaha! I never expected you to have a talent for fire-breathing!!" Audrey laughed happily, opening her arms to pull the boy into an embrace and spinning him around.

Having just finished blowing, Xavier hadn't had a chance to catch his breath before his face was buried in her soft bosom. He broke free, leaning forward with his arms on his knees, panting heavily. "Boss Lady... *huff*... *huff*... why... *huff*... do you say I have... *huff*... fire-breathing talent?"

Audrey’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she filled the bag with air again. "Let’s try one more time to be sure."

After resting for half a minute, the dizziness from the intense exhaling had mostly faded. Xavier cooperated with the Boss Lady and tested it again, yielding the same result: even though he only inhaled about half a bag of air, he could exhale a full bag!

Even Xavier, who hadn't understood at first, began to feel excited. No elemental affinity, but the potential to become a fire-breather! How wonderful! Not everything was going poorly after all.

Audrey stared at the boy with glowing eyes, as if looking at a shimmering treasure, her voice trembling with excitement: "When people breathe, they unconsciously store a small amount of air in their bodies. Only a very rare few can expel that stored air. Most people, no matter how hard they try, cannot force that air out. Whether one has the talent for fire-breathing depends entirely on whether they can utilize that stored air! Little one, you truly surprised me..."

No one understood better than she did how important it was for a circus to cultivate its own fire-breather. Furthermore, Xavier was diligent and sensible. He sold tickets, kept the accounts, hauled props, and cooked meals—he did everything without complaint, working harder than anyone else. He was agile and learned quickly. In his spare time, unlike other children who ran off to play in the streets, he stayed at the inn and studied books tirelessly.

Deep down, Audrey felt that the boy before her was a gift from fate to the circus; otherwise, how could they have met on that forest path?

"Xavier."

Audrey hugged the boy again and kissed him firmly on the forehead.

"Are you willing to learn fire-breathing? I swear, whenever you train, I will be right there beside you. I will never let you get hurt like Fals. I can also help you trade for the tutorials and tools at the Warrior’s Guild." Audrey gazed into the boy’s black eyes. "As long as you remain a member of this circus, those tutorials and tools will always be yours."

"I am willing to learn fire-breathing. I love life in the circus and want to make a living with everyone. But, Boss Lady, why shouldn't I learn from Fals?" Xavier asked, still pressed against her soft embrace.

Audrey affectionately stroked the boy’s black hair. "Fals also traded for his training from the Warrior’s Guild. Since he cannot speak, it would certainly be inconvenient for him to teach you. It would be better for me to prepare the materials and teach you myself."

Xavier breathed a secret sigh of relief. The conflicting feelings of yearning and discomfort he had felt about learning fire-breathing were now completely dispelled. After all, the mental pressure of learning a craft from someone with a habit of stealing would have been immense. Now, with that worry gone, the process of learning would be much easier.