A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 22

At the mention of the Elder Dragon, Duke’s face hardened.

Arthur slowly opened his mouth.

“Under no circumstances should that relic fall into the hands of the Emperor.”

Duke nodded.

Arthur rose from his seat.

“While I’m away, I need you to keep an eye and ear on the Emperor for me.”

“You sure know how to pick the troublesome tasks.”

“It’s not like you’ll have to get your hands dirty. Stop whining and stay sharp.”

Duke clicked his tongue and shook his head.

Simply being strong was not enough to remain the head of the Draker Household for long.

The man before him was the longest-serving head in the history of the Draker Household.

Though overly calculating, it was that very quality that allowed him to manage countless adversaries.

Duke finished his whiskey and stood.

“Don’t expect any farewells. See yourself out.”

Immediately after, Duke’s figure disappeared.

Left alone, Arthur Draker sipped from his whiskey glass and then abruptly turned his gaze somewhere.

‘I felt something just now. Was it my imagination?’

Arthur couldn’t fathom the existence of something capable of deceiving his senses.

* * *

‘An Elder Dragon’s relic?’

After his meeting with Arthur Draker, Zeke emerged from the principal’s office but did not leave the main building. Instead, he lingered nearby.

Outside, using the Soul-Body Technique’s ability, *“Hearing (聽),”* he eavesdropped on the conversation between Arthur Draker and Duke.

Bzzzzz—

As Zeke withdrew the intent of *“Hearing,”* he felt a strong wave of dizziness.

Since absorbing Bahamut’s heart, he had been able to use the Soul-Body Technique, but its side effects had not completely vanished.

Closing his eyes, Zeke waited until the dizziness subsided before steadying himself.

The Soul-Body Technique, which relied on the power of the soul rather than aura, allowed him to listen in on the conversation between the two Black Knights.

While heading back to the Platinum Floor, Zeke replayed the dialogue between Arthur and Duke in his mind.

As someone who knew the future, Zeke was well aware of how cold and calculating Arthur Draker could be.

He wasn’t a thirteen-year-old boy anymore.

Having experienced countless battles on land, sea, and air, Zeke was far from naive enough to be swayed by a moment of kindness.

He had suspected the head of the household of harboring ulterior motives, which is why he secretly listened in on the conversation with Duke.

Zeke mulled over Arthur’s mention of the *“Elder Dragon’s relic”* and the *“Ice Mountain Range.”*

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed to refer to the black dragon statue he had brought before his death.

The problem was that Zeke had discovered that relic in the Ice Mountain Range 19 years from now.

He had no idea the Emperor of the Rom Empire had already been searching for the relic at this time.

Zeke recalled the moment before his regression when he had found the relic.

‘Even for the head of the Draker Household, it would be impossible to locate the place where the relic is hidden.’

Zeke himself had only found the relic through an extraordinary chain of coincidences.

Thinking back on the circumstances, it was somewhat understandable that the Emperor hadn’t found the relic even after 19 years of searching.

After a brief moment of thought, Zeke opened his status window and read the title displayed above.

[One Blessed by the Ancient Dragon]

It was certain that the relic he discovered was connected to the entity referred to as the Elder Dragon.

However, he couldn’t fathom the connection between the system visible to him and the immortality the Emperor of Rom sought.

It seemed likely that the Emperor had been chasing a mirage.

‘At least I’ve gained a clue about the relic’s true nature.’

As Zeke left the main building, he ruminated on what Arthur Draker had said.

The head of the household had called him trash, unworthy even of aura awakening.

Zeke clenched his fist tightly.

He no longer felt any fear or tension toward Arthur Draker.

He resolved once again to become the strongest, using the Draker Household as a stepping stone to place the entire continent beneath his feet.

Not just the Central Continent, but the Northern, Southern, and Eastern Continents as well. He aspired to become the *Continental Supreme* and the *Absolute Overlord.*

‘The head of the Draker Household, the Emperor—they’ll all kneel before me.’

* * *

After the visit from Arthur Draker, the academy became busy with another matter.

The semester evaluation period was approaching.

As an institution built on a strict competitive system by the Draker Household, the academy was packed with evaluations large and small.

Among them, the semester evaluations held the most significant weight in determining advancement.

Failure to achieve excellent results here would make it impossible to advance to Valhalla.

Graduating from the academy alone was enough to earn respect in most kingdoms, but it paled in comparison to being a Valhalla alumnus.

Simply gaining admission to Valhalla was considered a guarantee of success.

Even the cadets of the special class, who had the best chance of advancing to Valhalla, were busy preparing for the semester evaluation.

Those receiving the support of their household could even summon knights from their family to provide private tutoring.

This was precisely why Reina had proposed the household’s support to Zeke.

Receiving tailored guidance from experienced knights and preparing according to the semester evaluation criteria made it easier to manage grades and exceed Valhalla’s admission cutoff.

However, such matters weren’t an issue for Zeke.

“Damn evaluation exams. I already know all this, but having to take them again is irritating.”

Without having achieved aura awakening, Zeke had suffered relentless harassment from the instructors.

The instructors deliberately gave him more difficult additional exams for his failing grades, applying psychological pressure.

As a direct descendant of the Draker Household, they couldn’t expel him outright, so they used such methods to send an implicit signal for him to withdraw on his own.

Despite the torment from both students and instructors, Zeke held on and endured without ever dropping out.

Nevertheless, in the end, the principal, Howard, personally intervened and expelled him from the academy.

Grinding his teeth at the memory, Zeke muttered, “This time, things will be different.”

In his private training room, Zeke tirelessly practiced swordsmanship with a training claymore.

The swordsmanship he honed was the *Basic Dragonslaying Art,* consisting of eight foundational techniques.

Zeke had persistently trained in the Basic Dragonslaying Art since his past life, making it the swordsmanship he had practiced the longest.

As he performed the Dragonslaying Art, he infused Ether into his technique and layered it with the *Soul-Body Technique.*

Swoosh!

Ether imbued with the intent of *“Sever (切)”* enveloped the blade.

Zeke immediately executed the *Dragonslaying Art, First Chapter, First Verse: Sky Cleave.*

Swoosh!

The moment he performed the Dragonslaying Art, the Ether layered on the blade dissipated.

Zeke stared down at his sword.

“As I thought, it won’t work.”

He had tested whether it was possible to perform the Dragonslaying Art using Ether instead of aura, but it proved to be impossible.

Before he could properly execute the technique, the Ether imbued in the blade dispersed entirely.

Zeke raised his sword again and imbued it with the intent of *“Sever.”*

Swoosh!

When he performed a simple horizontal slash rather than the Dragonslaying Art, the Ether remained stable.

Lowering his sword, Zeke sighed.

He had learned the Soul-Body Technique from a master he encountered in the forbidden *Forbidden Forest of the Forgotten,* but he had violated an oath midway and left the restricted area.

As a result, he hadn’t been able to master the techniques properly.

Because of this, he only possessed an incomplete version of the Soul-Body Technique, which limited his ability to use advanced swordsmanship without the *Sun Blade Gram,* a blade capable of converting Ether into aura.

The problem was the semester evaluation.

Without being able to use aura, Zeke needed Gelion’s Sword to be evaluated, but months had passed, and there was still no news of it.

In his current situation, if he were to take the evaluation, he would undoubtedly fail, just as he had before his regression.

However, to open *Terakan Draker’s Secure Archive*, he had to get to Valhalla.

Since the archive was strictly off-limits to outsiders, the only way to access it was through admission.

“Obstacle after obstacle.”

Zeke abandoned his attempt to execute the *Dragonslaying Art* with the *Soul-Body Technique* and returned to immersing himself in swordsmanship training.

Having mastered the basic principles of the *Swift Wind Technique*, Zeke had already achieved the level of a *Purple Knight.*

In his past life, Zeke had reached the level of a *Red Knight,* and his efforts to quickly regain his former prowess were finally bearing fruit.

After finishing his training, Zeke returned to his floor, where Decker approached him.

“Young Master, a fellow student has come to see you.”

Given that Zeke had no friends at the academy, he couldn’t think of anyone who might fit the description of a fellow student.

Curious, he went to the reception room, only to find an unexpected person waiting for him.

“Liam Stone.”

Liam Stone, the future *Mercenary King,* stood rigidly, his posture tense.

Then, without hesitation, he approached Zeke and knelt before him.

Zeke looked at Liam and said, “What are you doing?”

Liam raised his head and spoke to Zeke.

“Please accept me.”

Startled by the unexpected words, Zeke asked, “Accept you? What are you talking about?”

“If you take me in, I will give you my utmost loyalty.”

“Ha, are you saying you want to become my subordinate?”

“I will serve you as my lord.”

For a boy who was only thirteen, talking about loyalty and a lord was absurd.

Zeke looked at Liam and said, “Do you even understand what a vow of loyalty means?”

“I understand your concerns. Though distant, I am also of Draker blood. I fully comprehend the weight of a loyalty oath.”

Zeke berated his past self for having lectured Liam Stone like some pompous old man.

He never expected Liam would come to him, offering an oath of loyalty.

“Is it because of Leon’s gang? If there’s been continued unfair violence since then…”

“It’s not because of an idiot like Leon Conrad. If they hit me, I endure it. If they humiliate me, I tolerate it.”

“Then there’s no reason for you to do this with me.”

“I want to go to Valhalla.”

In his previous life, Liam had never made it to Valhalla.

The reason was that Jakenn Vardec, who had been supporting him, no longer had his back.

In terms of skill alone, there was no reason Liam couldn’t make it to Valhalla.

He had the ability to break through the barrier of a *Red Knight* without anyone else’s help.

“You must be well aware of how I’m evaluated at the academy. Swearing an oath of loyalty to someone like me and aiming to get into Valhalla is nonsense. Do you have something in mind?”

“It’s my intuition.”

“Your intuition? You’re willing to trust such an uncertain feeling and swear an oath of loyalty to me?”

“I’ve always had a good sense for these things. When I was with Jakenn Vardec, I wasn’t satisfied, but I had a feeling that sticking with him would lead to some kind of benefit.”

“But that intuition was wrong, wasn’t it? Are you sure your sense is reliable?”

“If it hadn’t been for my duel with you, Jakenn wouldn’t have abandoned me.”

Jakenn, despite his facade of boldness, was the most petty among the cousins.

His immediate rejection of Liam after his defeat to Zeke in *Pankration* made that clear.

Zeke continued to deliberate as he looked at Liam, who remained kneeling before him.

‘Should I accept him?’

Zeke carried numerous secrets he couldn’t share with anyone.

If any of these secrets were to leak before he fully secured his strength, he could be killed without a trace.

Given the harsh trials of life Zeke had endured, such caution was natural.

At that moment, Liam looked up at Zeke and spoke.

“If you command me to become mute, I will be mute. If you order me to be blind, I will be blind. If you demand I be deaf, I will be deaf. Please, just take me in.”

Zeke sensed something desperate in Liam.

It didn’t seem likely that the proud *Mercenary King* would cling to him like this based on mere intuition alone.

Zeke spoke to Liam.

“Stand up.”

Liam flinched and looked at Zeke.

“I said, stand up.”

Liam jumped to his feet immediately.

“Follow me.”

Zeke led Liam to the training room and handed him a sword.

“If you can withstand my attacks, I’ll take you in.”

Liam was taken aback by the declaration.

“All I have to do is endure?”

Liam had exceptional talent, having awakened aura and formed his *Lower Ether Hall.*

He had heard that Zeke was receiving individual training from a high-ranking knight, but considering they were of the same age group, he didn’t think the gap in their abilities could be that significant.

Without saying another word, Zeke picked up a claymore.

Then, Zeke used the Draconian Skill, *Dragon’s Majesty.*

Saaaahhhh!

Liam nearly dropped his sword under the suffocating pressure that tightened around his entire body and the lethal intent that pierced his lungs.

Clenching his teeth, he barely managed to grip his sword, struggling against the overwhelming force pressing down on him.

At that moment, Zeke stepped forward with his sword in hand.

Whoosh!

The *High-Speed Movement* skill, infused with the principles of the *Swift Wind Technique,* unfolded.

Simultaneously, a sword imbued with a heavy aura descended toward the crown of Liam’s head.

Liam forced his frozen muscles to move, raising his sword to block Zeke’s strike.

Clang!

However, the moment his sword collided with Zeke’s, Liam couldn’t withstand the pressure and ended up dropping his weapon.

At the same time, the oppressive force that had been crushing him vanished.

“Hah… hah…”

Liam, with his palms completely chafed from the brief clash, broke into a cold sweat and gasped for breath.

He looked up at Zeke, who stood before him, trembling in fear.

Even without using aura, there was an insurmountable wall between them that Liam couldn’t hope to overcome.

It was then that Zeke spoke to Liam.

“Pathetic.”