Episode 41
Cliff was taken aback by Zeke’s request.
“Employment…? Are you saying you want to work for our trading company?”
Zeke explained to Cliff, “If you’ve managed to strike a deal with the first princess, you must have a branch on the southern continent. I need a cover identity to travel back and forth.”
Cliff, meticulous by nature, pondered whether Zeke’s request violated any terms of their agreement.
“So, you just need a cover identity?”
“I’d also appreciate it if you could provide regular transport to the south and set up a safe house like this one, with a warehouse spacious enough to store cargo.”
It wasn’t a simple task, but it was within the capabilities of the Reinhardt Trading Company.
Cliff nodded. “Understood.”
“Good. We’ll discuss the other two requests later. There’s no time limit on these favors, after all.”
With that, Zeke picked up one of the papers Cliff had brought and scribbled something on it before handing it over.
“With this medicine, the princess should recover in about two months. Given her youth, she might even heal faster.”
Cliff reached for the document with trembling hands, but Zeke held it firmly.
“Remember, as stated in the contract, this treatment is exclusively for Princess Melissa. If you give it to anyone else, there will be consequences.”
Cliff nodded solemnly. “Understood.”
Only then did Zeke release the document to him. Cliff quickly stood up.
“I apologize for today’s events. I’ll formally invite you soon to make amends.”
“Forget about that. Just make sure to handle my requests properly. And give me a horse to ride back.”
Cliff nodded again and left first.
After he was gone, Zeke turned to the Gorka Ranger standing guard.
Speaking in Gorka, he said, “You’re quite skilled. When does your contract with Cliff end? If it’s soon, I’d like to make an offer myself.”
The Ranger was startled to hear Zeke speak Gorka. “Where did you learn Gorka?”
“I picked it up here and there.”
“Does Draker teach such things?”
“Not really… just a hobby of mine.”
In his previous life, Zeke had traveled extensively across the continent, picking up various languages whether he wanted to or not.
Just then, another Gorka Ranger entered and gestured for Zeke to follow. Zeke went outside with them.
The Ranger handed him a horse. “Take this.”
Zeke swiftly mounted the horse and looked at the Rangers.
“Hey!”
From atop the horse, Zeke tossed something to the Rangers.
“Consider this a token for kidnapping me.”
The Rangers instinctively caught it, only to realize it was the kukri knives they had been wearing. Zeke had taken them without their notice, demonstrating his ability to overpower them at any time.
Seeing the Rangers’ shock, Zeke grinned. “I meant what I said earlier. Feel free to reach out anytime. Hyah!”
With that, Zeke spurred the horse and rode back to the estate.
After meeting with Cliff, Zeke took some time to quietly adjust to life in Valhalla.
Unlike the academy, Valhalla allowed students to attend classes at their convenience, as long as they completed the mandatory core courses. The rest was left to the students’ discretion.
More interested in gathering talent than attending classes, Zeke sought out courses where the other Five Star Knights, aside from Diego, might be.
However, timing was not on his side. Jeffrick Solma, the Knight of Martial Arts, was on a field training mission as a senior. Bishop Castick, the Knight of Silence, had already graduated and joined the Thebea Kingdom’s knight order.
Only Aster Aladov, the Knight of Illusion, was still a student, but he never showed up for the classes he registered for.
Left with no choice, Zeke decided to recruit Diego Villa, the Knight of Rhythm, whom he was somewhat acquainted with.
“Yo! Bro. Welcome to our club.”
Thus, Zeke found himself visiting the Southern Fusion New Age Music Club, where Diego was the president.
“Wow, it’s really Zeke Draker.”
“Amazing!”
Rumors about Zeke had already spread throughout Valhalla, and the club members looked at him with awe.
After calming the members, Diego offered to play some music they had composed for Zeke.
Though Zeke had no musical expertise, he listened intently to Diego and the club members’ performance.
‘What is this?’
Having been a hitman from the south, Zeke had been forced to listen to southern music daily due to his boss, Don Juan. As a result, he knew more about southern music than he cared to.
To Zeke’s ears, trained in traditional southern music, Diego’s rhythm was far from impressive.
“Cha!”
After the performance, Diego approached Zeke with a grin. “Hey, bro, how was our performance?”
Zeke clicked his tongue at Diego. “Diego, have you ever really listened to southern music?”
“What? Hey, bro, I’m from the south. I’ve got the South Soul!”
“South Soul, my foot. Southern rhythm is fundamentally… Ah, move aside.”
Shaking his head, Zeke stood up and took a seat in front of the southern-style instrument Diego had been using. He picked up the sticks and began to beat the drum.
Dudududu!
With the sticks in hand, Zeke created a simple yet passionate rhythm.
Dum! Dududu! Dududum!
“Wow! What a rhythm!”
The other members picked up their instruments and added melodies to Zeke’s southern rhythm.
The infectious beat got everyone moving, and Diego improvised lyrics on the spot.
“Yo! I’m a southern blade! You guys are central fools! Northern guys are just dumb!”
Before they knew it, a fusion of southern rhythm and central continent melody had been created.
Dudududum!
Zeke ended the rhythm.
The other members were entranced by the rhythm and their melodies.
Diego was moved by the new sensation. “What the…! Zeke, bro! You’re a genius not just in swordsmanship but in music too, yo!”
The other club members also looked at Zeke with admiration.
“He’s the god of rhythm.”
“This is going to be big. Definitely big.”
Zeke had only played something simple because Diego’s rhythm was so off, but the reaction left him flustered.
‘Seems like I did something unnecessary.’
Feeling he might get roped into something, Zeke quickly stood up.
Diego clung to his leg. “No, bro! A talent like yours not doing music is a disaster for the continent! You must do music!”
“Diego, why did you even come to Valhalla?”
“Bro, to bring the South Soul to the barren Valhalla!”
”…”
After fending off Diego and the club members trying to keep him, Zeke returned to the estate.
“Phew, almost got caught up in something weird.”
Having too many talents could be a problem.
Amused by the situation where he almost got ensnared while trying to recruit Diego, Zeke chuckled and decided to focus on his personal training.
He opened the secure library of Terracan and began reading the True Dragon Sword Technique manual.
“Hmm… No matter how many times I read it, it’s really complex.”
The Elemental Sword was also difficult, but with Kaishir’s guidance, there were no parts he couldn’t eventually understand.
However, the True Dragon Sword Technique was filled with expressions that were hard to grasp.
“Channel the aura through the microcosmic orbit to open the meridians, progressing from the small to the large cosmic orbit… What does this even mean?”
Even though the system translated the ancient Chronos language into the common tongue, the expressions were outdated, making comprehension challenging.
Zeke decided to set aside what he didn’t understand and focus on mastering the sword forms.
Since Terracan Draker had based the Dragon Slayer Technique on the True Dragon Sword Technique, the fundamentals were the same.
“The True Dragon Sword Technique has many more complex forms. He must have had a hard time simplifying it into the Dragon Slayer Technique.”
Zeke practiced each form of the True Dragon Sword Technique, using the Dragon Slayer Technique as a reference.
The Dragon Slayer Technique, though involving large movements, was designed for combat against humans, making it practical for real battles.
In contrast, the True Dragon Sword Technique was clearly crafted to combat dragons, requiring each strike to be delivered with full force.
Whoosh!
Zeke quickly grasped the sword forms of the True Dragon Sword Technique, which even Terracan Draker had given up on, and began to incorporate them into his movements.
“From here… move like this. Turn and slash. Jump… and slash again.”
Zeke practiced the forms, even channeling aura blades.
There was one crucial aspect Zeke overlooked.
The True Dragon Sword Technique was designed to channel aura from the lower dantian, opening the body’s meridians to unleash powerful strikes.
However, lacking a lower dantian, Zeke used Bahamut’s heart to convert mana from his middle dantian into aura for the sword technique.
From the start, the incantations of the True Dragon Sword Technique were irrelevant to Zeke, who didn’t rely on his lower dantian or meridians to channel his aura.
Vroom!
Thanks to the exceptional senses of his celestial bone structure, Zeke instinctively adjusted the flow of his sword, knowing exactly where it needed to go.
Before he knew it, Zeke had not only mastered the sword forms of the True Dragon Sword Technique but had also grasped its application on his own.
Whoosh!
With each repetition of the technique, his sword grew sharper and more precise.
As Zeke wielded the True Dragon Sword Technique, he felt himself becoming more adept, yet there was an elusive barrier he couldn’t quite breach.
“Could it be that I’m already sensing the Black Knight’s wall? It’s too soon.”
He found it hard to believe that he had grown enough to sense the Black Knight’s barrier so soon after surpassing the Red Knight’s.
With a calm mind, Zeke continued to swing his sword.
Gradually, the mana flowing from his middle dantian became more focused on Bahamut.
Boom!
Simultaneously, the heart of Bahamut, sealed within Zeke’s middle dantian, began to throb.
It beat in sync with Zeke’s execution of the True Dragon Sword Technique.
“What is this?”
The more he swung his sword, the stranger the sensation became.
His chest pounded, and a part of his brain tingled.
Yet he couldn’t stop. He felt he mustn’t let this sensation slip away.
Boom, boom, boom!
Bahamut’s heart pounded even harder.
Then, suddenly, the mark on Zeke’s chest began to glow.
“What… what’s happening?”
In an instant, Zeke’s vision turned completely black.
He had experienced this before.
Though it couldn’t be real, it felt as vivid as reality.
Zeke’s perspective shifted.
He found himself crouched in a vast, cavernous space, asleep in a world of abyss.
He sensed someone approaching.
Slowly, Zeke emerged from the depths of the abyss and opened his eyes.
A human, appearing as small as an ant.
A man with his face obscured by a deeply pulled hood spoke to Zeke.
“Ruler of the Dusk. Bahamut.”
Only then did Zeke realize he had become a dragon.
And as a dragon, he opened his mouth to speak to the human.
“Shaton Draker. How audacious. What brings you here?”
Astonishingly, the human before him was Shaton Draker, the King of Chronos and the Sword Saint. He addressed Bahamut.
“Ruler of the Dusk, I have a request for you.”
Bahamut lowered his head toward Shaton.
The dragon’s majesty and an overwhelming, intense killing intent poured over Shaton.
“You dare to make a request of me? Damn human. If it weren’t for Chronos, I’d have wiped you all out by now.”
Shaton replied to Bahamut.
“Ruler of the Dusk, I understand your anger. That’s why I must ask this of you.”
He pulled something from his cloak.
“The True Dragon Sword Technique, my creation. I want you to take it.”