Episode 10
After effortlessly dispatching the slash of Dervan, Zeke entered the Special Class building.
In his previous life, he hadn’t been blessed with aura, and thus, he was relegated to the lower ranks of even the General Class, let alone the Special Class.
Cadets in the General Class had to adhere to a strictly regimented schedule.
From early morning until late at night, they moved through a suffocatingly tight timetable.
The instructors’ philosophy was that if you lacked talent, you should at least overcome it with effort.
As a result, Zeke, who couldn’t awaken his aura and had weak stamina, had to push himself to the brink just to keep up with the classes.
“I really wanted to die back then,” he recalled, heading towards the homeroom of the Special Class.
The lavishly decorated homeroom was something Zeke couldn’t have imagined when he was in the General Class, and he gaped in awe.
Each student in the Special Class even had a luxurious desk assigned to them.
Zeke found the desk with his name on it and sat down. Next to him, Reina, whom he had met the day before, sat with perfect posture, her back straight.
Looking around, he noticed that about half of the students were from the Cradle, including Owen, Jaken, and Leon. The rest were prodigies trained by various noble families.
As Zeke was assessing the other students, someone entered the homeroom.
All the cadets stood up simultaneously.
It was none other than the Academy’s Chancellor, accompanied by their homeroom instructor.
Reina, the class representative, shouted loudly, “Salute the Chancellor!”
The cadets snapped to attention and saluted the Chancellor in unison.
The Chancellor, with his distinguished Kaiser mustache, returned their salute with a warm smile.
All the cadets looked at the Chancellor with eyes full of respect.
All except one—Zeke.
“It’s been a while, Howard Draker.”
Howard Draker, a war hero who had distinguished himself in the Eastern Empire Invasion War 20 years ago.
Zeke knew another side of him.
“A petty schemer hiding behind the facade of a hero.”
Moreover, he was the one who had cruelly expelled Zeke from the Academy in his past life.
Zeke ground his teeth as he watched Howard deliver his speech.
“I’ll repay this debt someday.”
While Zeke seethed, Howard Draker’s speech concluded, and the cadets gave a standing ovation.
After the Chancellor left, the homeroom instructor delivered some brief announcements.
Unlike the General Class, the Special Class allowed students to choose their subjects and create their own schedules.
It was a privilege that starkly contrasted with the General Class.
However, there were mandatory courses that all Special Class cadets had to take.
The Special Class cadets moved together to the training grounds for their first mandatory class.
True to the Draker family’s reputation, the Academy prioritized practical lessons over theoretical ones.
It was time to learn the basics of “Dragon Slaying Techniques.”
Over a hundred new Special Class cadets lined up in the vast training grounds.
Then, someone entered the training grounds.
Step! Step!
A knight from the Draker family, wearing a uniform adorned with the Dragon Slayer insignia, appeared.
The young knight’s appearance puzzled the Special Class students.
But Zeke, upon seeing the knight, held his breath.
“The Red-Eyed Knight… I never thought I’d see Andre here.”
Andre Draker.
Though he hadn’t awakened pure blood, he graduated early from the Academy due to his exceptional talent, then graduated with honors from Valhalla, and quickly became a knight of the main family.
In his past life, Andre had become a Red Knight in his early thirties after achieving enlightenment.
His red aura, which looked like eyes on his sword, earned him the nickname “Red-Eyed Knight.”
“Using a main family knight as a basic training instructor shows how much the Draker family values the Special Class.”
As soon as Andre stood before the students, he spoke.
“Draw your swords.”
Despite his gentle appearance, his voice carried an intimidating weight.
The students obediently drew their swords.
Then, something caught Andre’s eye.
“Cadet, what is that sword?”
Andre pointed at Zeke’s sword.
Zeke twirled his claymore and replied, “As you can see, it’s a sword.”
Andre then said, “Step forward.”
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Zeke stepped forward, holding his claymore.
Andre looked down at Zeke and said, “Cadet, do you not understand what I meant?”
Zeke felt his anger rising at Andre’s overbearing tone.
“This guy, with his every word…”
Suddenly, a message appeared.
[Skill: Steadfast Mental Defense activated.]
Thanks to the skill, his anger subsided, and his mind cleared.
“Alright, since it’s come to this…”
He looked Andre straight in the eye and said, “I called a sword a sword. What’s wrong with that?”
The cadets in the training grounds felt a prickling sensation on their skin.
Though faint, the killing intent of a Blue Knight spread throughout the training grounds.
Zeke clicked his tongue inwardly as he watched Andre.
“Still not fully trained. Getting provoked by a kid’s words like this.”
In real combat, enemy provocations were common.
No matter how skilled a knight was, if they got agitated and couldn’t perform at their best, even a lower-ranked knight could take their head.
Andre slowly drew his sword and spoke to Zeke.
“Cadet, if your sword even grazes me, I’ll forgive your rudeness and exempt you from the basic course.”
Zeke was taken aback by the offer.
“Exempt me from the course?”
It was a welcome proposal for Zeke.
The basic course on Dragon Slaying Techniques was of little use to him, as he urgently needed to train his middle dantian.
“I spent over two years on the basic course alone.”
Since Zeke hadn’t received the aura blessing during the blessing ceremony, he had to spend two years on a course others completed in three months.
While Zeke was inwardly pleased, Andre took his stance with his sword.
“I won’t use aura. Come at me.”
Zeke took his stance with the claymore.
“So, he won’t use aura.”
A battle plan quickly formed in his mind.
[Skill: Combat Sense activated.]
The skill honed his senses even further.
“Here I come.”
Zeke moved swiftly, closing the distance.
His sword aimed for Andre’s side.
Clang!
Andre easily deflected Zeke’s sword.
Zeke spun around and swung his sword again.
Whoosh!
The claymore, carrying the full force of his body, clashed with Andre’s sword.
Clang!
Andre effortlessly parried the heavy claymore with his sword.
Zeke’s fierce attacks were all neutralized by Andre’s light swordplay.
The Special Class cadets watched Andre’s movements with their mouths agape.
“As expected, a knight of the main family is different.”
Except for one.
Reina Draker thought differently.
“Even without using aura, how can he exchange so many blows with a knight of the main family?”
Andre’s expression gradually hardened as he defended against Zeke’s sword.
“This kid… what is he?”
Initially, he intended to use the cadet with the strange sword as an example to discipline the entire Special Class.
He thought a few bursts of killing intent would make them tremble, but instead, this cadet was matching his intensity, which was infuriating.
He planned to teach him a lesson, but things were taking an unexpected turn.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Zeke’s sword came from a blind spot.
Clang!
Andre swung his sword to block and deflect Zeke’s attack.
The strength behind it was unbelievable for a thirteen-year-old.
He thought the boy would tire after a few exchanges, but Zeke showed no signs of fatigue and was swinging his sword with even more vigor.
“If I don’t use aura, I might tire first.”
Andre, despite his exceptional talent worthy of the Draker name, had one flaw: weak stamina.
His talent was so great that he had never been in a prolonged duel, so it hadn’t been an issue.
But in real combat, stamina was often more crucial than swordsmanship.
With his extensive combat experience, Zeke saw right through this.
“These young knights, raised in a greenhouse, are so predictable.”
If Andre used aura, it would be different, but since he kindly offered to use only swordsmanship, it was a golden opportunity for Zeke.
With his passive skill of Infinite Stamina, Zeke felt no fatigue and swung his sword freely.
Whoosh!
He deliberately swung his sword in unpredictable patterns, depleting Andre’s stamina.
If Andre had used direct parries instead of advanced techniques like deflecting, he would have conserved his energy better.
But his arrogance in trying to discipline a cadet led to the worst outcome.
Clang!
In a moment, Andre’s deflection of Zeke’s sword faltered slightly.
Zeke realized Andre’s stamina was waning.
“Taste the bitterness of life, you sheltered flower.”
With an inward sneer, Zeke used a quick step to close in on Andre. At the same time, he activated the skill One-Hit Kill.
Whoosh!
The combined force of Zeke’s strength, the acceleration from his quick step, and the One-Hit Kill skill powered the claymore.
Andre sensed the danger in Zeke’s sword.
“That’s dangerous.”
He quickly stepped back, sheathing his sword. At the same time, he took a step forward and drew his sword.
Zeke recognized the move.
“Dragon Slaying Technique, Chapter 1, Verse 1. Sky Slash.”
Though it was the most basic move of the Dragon Slaying Techniques, in the hands of a Blue Knight, its power was on a different level.
Boom!
When the swords clashed, a thunderous explosion echoed.
The cadets watched with wide eyes, eager to see the outcome of the duel.
“Ugh…”
Zeke, clutching his claymore, staggered backward, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
In contrast, Andrei stood firm, his sword still in hand. It was clear to everyone that Zeke had lost.
Andrei sheathed his sword and turned, speaking in a low voice, “Cadet, you need not attend this class from tomorrow.”
Upon hearing Andrei’s words, Zeke collapsed to the ground. Medics, who had been on standby, quickly placed him on a stretcher and carried him away.
The other cadets, who had been watching the duel, swallowed nervously. Andrei surveyed them and asked, “Is there anyone else who doesn’t wish to attend this class?”
No one raised their hand. His voice carried a weight that demanded attention. “Pick up your swords. From today, you will dedicate yourselves to becoming true knights of Draker.”
Thus began the introductory course in dragon-slaying techniques.
The medics transported Zeke to the infirmary. As they prepared a concoction of healing potions and attempted to insert an IV into his hand, Zeke, who had been unconscious, suddenly sat up and stopped them.
“No need. I don’t need the potion.”
The medic, startled, tried to lay him back down. “You must have internal injuries. Lie down, or you might suffer serious side effects later.”
Though Zeke was uninjured, he couldn’t explain it, so he complied and accepted the potion. With his healing factor, the high-grade potion was unnecessary, but since it was on the Draker family’s dime, he didn’t mind.
Lying there, he replayed the duel in his mind. “Well, that was a decent performance.”
In the final moments, Andrei had used the aura he had vowed not to. The Draker family’s aura training was notoriously rigorous, requiring constant maintenance of aura, whether eating or sleeping, until it became as natural as breathing.
Andrei had been consciously avoiding using his aura, but in the heat of the moment, it had slipped out. Though Zeke hadn’t managed to touch Andrei’s collar, forcing a Blue Knight to use his aura was proof enough of his skill, and his fall spared him from embarrassment in front of the cadets.
It was a duel where neither lost face, orchestrated by Zeke. He began to ponder how to spend his newfound free time.
Just then, a voice interrupted his thoughts. “Well, aren’t you an interesting one.”
Zeke flinched, surprised. “I didn’t sense anyone approaching.”
He sat up, scanning the direction of the voice warily.
A bearded man was mixing a potion with pure alcohol, typically used for sterilization, and downed it in one gulp. He wiped his mouth with satisfaction. “Ah… that hits the spot. High-grade potions do taste different.”
The man, still sipping the remaining potion-alcohol mix, addressed Zeke. “Kid, how’d you pull that off earlier?”
Zeke eyed the man cautiously. “What do you mean?”
The man drained the last drop from the bottle, smacking his lips in disappointment. “Ah… playing dumb, are we? You took a direct hit from an aura and healed in no time. How’d you manage that?”