Episode 12
As the intensity in Zeke’s gaze shifted, Dexter couldn’t help but grin.
“This kid… finally ready to give it a shot, huh?”
The more he observed, the more peculiar Zeke seemed.
Dexter had never paid attention to any of the countless talents that had come his way over the years. But now, for the first time in a decade, someone had piqued his interest.
“Let’s see what you’ve got…”
But just as Dexter was about to assess Zeke’s skills, Zeke darted towards the exit behind him.
Dexter, who had expected Zeke to charge at him, was taken aback.
“What the… this kid.”
After a brief pause, Dexter moved swiftly, blocking Zeke’s path in an instant.
Zeke gritted his teeth and changed direction again, only for Dexter to intercept him once more, clearly enjoying the game.
Zeke stepped back and addressed Dexter.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
Dexter looked at him incredulously.
“I’ve seen people beg me to teach them, but this is a first.”
Zeke shook his head.
“I have no interest in that. Just let me go.”
“Really? You have no desire to learn from me at all?”
Zeke nodded.
“I barely have time to master what I already know.”
Crack!
A vein bulged on Dexter’s forehead.
In a flash, he vanished and reappeared, tossing a sword to Zeke.
Zeke caught the claymore and asked, “Can I leave now?”
Dexter crossed his arms and looked down at him.
“No, not just yet.”
Now, Dexter was determined.
His body flickered again, and suddenly, a line stretched across the greenhouse between them.
“If you can cross this line, I’ll grant you whatever you want.”
“How can you make such a reckless promise without knowing what I want?”
“Anything! You cheeky brat!”
Zeke sighed, gripping the claymore and readying himself.
“You promised.”
Dexter smirked.
“Come on, then.”
Zeke charged at Dexter, who stood calmly beyond the line.
Whoosh!
Though he ran forward, the world flipped, and the ground rushed up to meet him.
Thud!
The impact was jarring.
Zeke found himself sprawled on the dirt.
“What the…?”
He recalled a similar experience with his master before his regression.
“Damn, it’s been a while since I felt this.”
Zeke sprang to his feet.
Dexter yawned, cleaning his ear.
Zeke charged again.
Boom!
The result was the same.
He lay on the ground, staring at the greenhouse ceiling.
“How about now? Interested yet?” Dexter asked with a grin.
Zeke tightened his grip on the claymore and lunged forward once more.
Again, the same outcome.
Dexter watched Zeke rise, panting, and felt a sense of satisfaction.
“Cheeky brat. After about ten more tries, you’ll be begging at my feet.”
As Dexter predicted, Zeke kept charging and getting thrown back.
But as time passed, Dexter’s expression darkened.
“Wait, how many times has it been?”
Each time, Zeke should have been in agony, yet he kept getting up.
By the time Zeke had been thrown over two hundred times, Dexter sensed something was off.
“Kid, just admit defeat already.”
Zeke staggered, barely able to stand, yet he clutched the claymore and charged again.
The result was the same.
Boom!
This time, the impact was louder, but Zeke still got up, eyes blazing with determination.
Even Dexter flinched at the intensity in Zeke’s eyes.
“What kind of kid has eyes like that…?”
They were the eyes of a seasoned mercenary.
Then, Zeke steadied himself and charged again.
Caught off guard, Dexter tried to counter, but this time was different.
[Skill: Dragon’s Majesty activated.]
A chilling aura of menace and authority emanated from Zeke, causing Dexter to hesitate.
Zeke seized the moment.
[Skill: Dragon’s Eye activated.]
With the skill, Zeke saw Dexter’s movements clearly for the first time.
As Dexter tried to grab and flip the charging sword, Zeke released it and activated another skill.
[Skill: Quick Step activated.]
He rolled low, darting forward.
The line was just ahead.
Then, suddenly—
Swoosh—
Dexter’s body split into multiple forms, blocking Zeke’s path.
“What the…?”
Zeke was airborne again, the world flipping.
Crash!
The impact felt like his spine was shattering.
A system voice echoed in his ears.
[Excessive skill use has exceeded fatigue limits.]
[For user safety, consciousness will be forcibly suspended.]
More messages appeared, but Zeke couldn’t hear them.
“No… not now.”
Just before the line, his vision blurred and went dark.
Zeke awoke in a bedroom on the Platinum Floor.
“Are you awake, sir?”
As he opened his eyes, Decker approached.
Zeke sat up, asking, “What happened?”
“I should be asking you that, sir.”
Adjusting his monocle, Decker continued, “You were found unconscious on the lobby sofa.”
Zeke pieced it together.
“Duke must have brought me here.”
Decker stood, offering, “Shall I call a healer if you’re unwell?”
Zeke waved him off.
“No, it’s fine. I must’ve dozed off on the sofa after training too hard.”
Though it was a flimsy excuse, Decker nodded without question.
“Very well. Call if you need anything, sir.”
Once Decker left, Zeke sat up, recalling the greenhouse incident.
“Damn… I almost had it.”
He knew his strengths well: endurance and recovery.
He’d used his resilience to lull Duke into complacency, exploiting a momentary lapse with Dragon’s Majesty and Dragon’s Eye.
It was a cunning move, but not enough against someone like Duke.
“Duke Draker, the former Black Knight… I should’ve known.”
Zeke knew Duke’s identity thanks to Andrei Draker.
In his past life, Zeke had learned of Andrei and Duke’s connection during a mission.
In the future, Andrei Draker would be known as the Crimson Knight.
Despite not being a pureblood, he became a Red Knight at a young age because he was Duke Draker’s disciple.
“If I could learn from Duke, I’d grow stronger much faster.”
Just then, a message appeared before Zeke.
[You have an unread message. Would you like to check it?]
“An unread message?”
Upon selecting to view it, a new window opened.
[D-rank skill ‘Quick Step’ has evolved into C-rank skill ‘High-Speed Movement.’]
Seeing the message, Zeke nodded.
“A C-rank skill. At least I gained something.”
Another message followed.
[Your strong will has led to soul growth.]
[With soul growth, the administrator’s system functions have been activated. Would you like to check them?]
“System functions?”
Though unsure of the meaning, Zeke decided to check.
[You can activate the following functions with Karma Points: Mini-map Activation (20) / Inventory Activation (20) / Beginner Quest Book Activation (45)]
“What is this?”
Zeke clicked for explanations.
―Mini-map: Allows you to view the layout of the terrain as a map.
―Inventory: Stores items within a certain capacity.
―Beginner Quest Book: Provides tutorials and missions for efficient growth of a junior administrator.
“Hmm… still not clear.”
He understood the inventory function, at least.
“Activating the mini-map and inventory requires 20 Karma Points each.”
With 40 karma points left, Zeke could immediately activate both the inventory and the minimap.
“What does it mean to store items? Does it create some kind of bag?”
Pondering this, Zeke decided to use his points to activate the inventory.
[Inventory function activated.]
Ding!
With a chime, a grid of 25 squares, arranged in five rows and columns, appeared before his eyes.
[Select an item to store, and it will be placed in the inventory.]
Reading the instructions, Zeke tilted his head in curiosity and picked up the claymore leaning against his bed.
“Do I just think about storing it?”
In an instant, the claymore vanished from his hand.
“What?”
The missing claymore now occupied two of the squares in the grid floating before him.
[The space an item occupies in the inventory depends on its size and weight.]
[To expand your storage space, use karma points.]
[To retrieve an item, simply think of its name or form.]
“Name or form?”
Zeke focused on the image of the claymore.
Whoosh!
The claymore reappeared in his hand.
He could hardly believe it.
“This is way better than a spatial box.”
Artifacts that could warp space to reduce the volume of items existed, but they were prohibitively expensive.
In his past life, Zeke had owned a small spatial box due to his profession, but it was nowhere near as cost-effective as this inventory.
“And I can expand this storage space too. What a windfall.”
Though he had failed Duke’s test, he had gained a new power in return.
Zeke marveled at the utility of the administrator system.
“If this is what a low-level administrator can do, what about higher levels?”
The possibilities were endless.
The challenge was acquiring the karma points needed to activate more functions.
“To earn more points, I’ll need to hunt magical beasts…”
Originally, he had planned to leisurely clear dungeons for magical beasts after reaching the rank of a violet knight.
But with the value of karma points being this high, he needed to expedite his dungeon hunts.
“I guess I’ll have to revise my plans.”
Knock, knock!
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Zeke sensed Decker’s presence on the other side.
“Come in.”
Decker entered the room and spoke to Zeke.
“Young master, a message has arrived for you.”
“A message?”
Zeke took the note Decker handed him.
Unfolding it, he saw a single line scrawled in messy handwriting.
<Hey kid, if you want to try again, come find me.>
Zeke grinned at the message.
“So he’s giving me another chance after blocking me with his secret technique at the last moment.”
It wasn’t a complete failure after all. The opportunity to learn Duke’s techniques was still open.
At that moment, Decker spoke again.
“Young master, there’s something else I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve found the blacksmith you mentioned.”
Zeke nodded at Decker’s words.
“When’s the appointment?”
Decker’s expression darkened.
“Well… there’s a problem.”
Adjusting his monocle, Decker continued.
“The blacksmith you mentioned has refused the appointment, saying he no longer makes weapons.”