Episode 50
Vroooom!
A resonant hum emanated from the sword held by the hunting dog, a clear sign of a warrior of at least yellow rank.
In a straightforward fight, a Southern hitman could never hope to defeat a knight from the Central Continent. The very methods of their training were worlds apart.
But Zeke was no ordinary Southern hitman.
He infused his dagger with the power of the wind and hurled it at the leading hunting dog.
Clang!
The hunting dog deflected Zeke’s dagger with a swing of his aura-infused sword and immediately shouted to his comrades.
“He’s got an artifact! The dagger’s imbued with magic, be careful!”
They mistook elemental power for magic.
Zeke drew more daggers, one in each hand, and dashed forward.
Whoosh!
Moving with the agility of a Southern hitman, Zeke targeted the knights’ weak spots and vital areas.
Thunk!
But the hunting dogs wore sturdy armor beneath their clothes. Zeke realized his cheap daggers wouldn’t suffice.
“Hmm. Looks like I’ll have to kill them all.”
Quickly deciding, Zeke discarded his daggers and drew Bahamut from his back.
Vroooom!
A powerful hum resonated from Bahamut, catching the hunting dogs off guard.
“He’s not a Southern hitman. He’s a knight.”
Zeke shifted his focus to the hunting dog who had been relaying information to the others. His sword was charged with the power of the wind.
Whoosh!
The hunting dog trusted in the strength of his armor, believing it could deflect an ordinary strike.
But he was gravely mistaken.
Slash!
Zeke’s sword cut through both the armor and the hunting dog’s waist.
Thud!
Seeing their comrade fall in two, the other hunting dogs tensed and became wary. Some tried to retreat, but they soon sensed something was amiss.
Clang!
An invisible barrier blocked the passage. Zeke had already torn a scroll to cast a magical veil when he drew Bahamut.
With a sly grin, Zeke looked at the hunting dogs.
“Time to test the fruits of my training.”
Vroooom!
The vibration from Bahamut intensified, and an aura blade surged forth.
The hunting dogs were taken aback by Zeke’s aura blade.
“A blue knight!”
Zeke raised his sword and assumed the stance of the Dragon Slayer technique.
Dragon Slayer Sword Technique
Chapter 1, Verse 1
Sky Slash
Though the form was basic, it was imbued with the profound essence of the Dragon Slayer Sword Technique.
Zeke’s sword moved in a wide arc.
Boom!
The energy from Zeke’s aura blade spread in all directions. The hunting dogs tried to resist with their swords, but it was futile.
“Aaargh!”
The aura blade sliced through swords, armor, and the hunting dogs’ bodies alike.
Thud!
In an instant, a dozen knights were reduced to scattered pieces of flesh. Those outside the aura blade’s reach lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.
Zeke methodically checked each survivor with Bahamut, ensuring they were dead.
Finally, he approached the last living one and asked, “Why are the Empire’s hunting dogs here?”
The hunting dog remained silent.
Zeke clicked his tongue and spoke again, “You’re here on the Emperor’s orders to find ancient relics, aren’t you?”
The hunting dog’s startled expression confirmed it. Zeke swung Bahamut, severing the last one’s head.
He summoned the power of fire to incinerate the scattered corpses.
Fwoosh!
The pure flames consumed the hunting dogs’ bodies entirely.
“This should leave traces of a raid by blue knights and mages.”
Hoping the Pavela Cartel would see the evidence and launch a stronger counterattack against the McCain Cartel, Zeke left signs of a large force of knights and mages.
Having cleaned up the scene, Zeke turned his attention deeper into the tunnel.
‘The Empire’s hunting dogs were working with the Pavela Cartel. I didn’t know that in my past life.’
In this life, Zeke had arrived at the camp at sixteen, whereas in his past life, he had come after turning eighteen, a difference of about three years.
By the time he had arrived in his past life, the hunting dogs might have already found what they were looking for and withdrawn.
Zeke decided to investigate what the hunting dogs had been searching for.
He opened the map to find the connected area and swiftly moved towards it using his shadow step. It seemed to be an underground ruin.
After some running, familiar dungeon scenery appeared.
‘So there are dungeons in the South too.’
Most ordinary people believed dungeons only existed in the Giant Mountain Range, but they were scattered across the continent.
Using his Dragon Eyes skill, Zeke freely explored the dark dungeon, searching for traces of the hunting dogs.
The dungeon’s paths were a complex maze, but with the map, it posed no problem for Zeke.
Then, he sensed something ahead.
Zeke concealed his presence and focused his hearing.
“Contact with Patrol Team 3 has been lost?”
It seemed the ones Zeke had dealt with were Patrol Team 3.
With that, the other hunting dogs began moving busily.
They spread out to search for the missing team, leaving the camp in the dungeon almost empty.
‘Perfect. Time to gather some intel.’
Zeke stealthily infiltrated the camp.
It was much larger than the camp he had seen in the Barbarian territory.
Zeke examined the map of the Southern Continent on the situation room wall. It marked the location of the Pavela Camp and other deployment points in the jungle.
This seemed to be the headquarters managing the hunting dogs searching for ancient ruins in the Southern Continent.
Confirming that the Empire was extending its reach into the Southern Continent, Zeke shook his head.
‘What is that mad Emperor trying to find with all this chaos? Surely he doesn’t believe in immortality.’
Zeke memorized the locations where the hunting dogs were deployed.
[Recording the locations on the map.]
Surprisingly, the system automatically mapped the information.
‘Convenient.’
Having secured the map, Zeke gathered important documents from the situation room and stored them in his inventory.
With everything he needed, he drew his sword.
“Time to leave some traces here too.”
Flames erupted from Zeke’s sword.
Fwoosh!
The fire spread rapidly, engulfing the situation room and the entire camp.
As the flames roared, the remaining hunting dogs rushed out in panic.
“Fire!”
Zeke dashed out, stabbing the bewildered hunting dogs with his sword.
He left different marks on each to suggest multiple knights had been involved.
“Aaargh!”
The panicked hunting dogs fell helplessly to Zeke’s blade.
After dealing with the remaining hunting dogs, Zeke prepared to leave the camp.
But then, he sensed something strange behind him.
‘What is it?’
The map showed nothing, yet he felt an unmistakably strong presence behind him.
Slowly, he turned his head.
Thud!
A young knight with long red hair, clad in the Empire’s distinctive magical armor, Hershion, stood facing Zeke.
Zeke immediately raised Bahamut.
‘Hershion? Why is an Empire’s red knight here?’
The full plate armor left no gaps, inscribed with various support spells, lightweight enchantments, and automatic repair magic, making it a masterpiece that restored itself when damaged.
It was so costly to produce that fewer than a hundred people in the entire Empire owned one.
Zeke wondered about the Empire’s knight approaching him.
‘Who is he?’
He should have known the appearance and name of any knight with Hershion.
But the young knight approaching him was unknown in his past life.
Moreover, the Hershion he wore seemed different from the usual Empire’s design.
The Empire’s knight stopped before Zeke and spoke.
“I thought several squads of mages and knights had attacked, but it was just one person causing all this.”
His accent confirmed he was an Empire noble.
Zeke, holding Bahamut, asked him, “Who are you?”
The Empire’s knight drew his sword and replied, “You may be young, but a knight of your caliber deserves to know my name.”
He raised his sword and declared, “My name is Cain.”
In an instant, Cain charged forward with his sword raised.
Boom!
Whoosh!
Combining the weight of his full plate armor with the power of his aura, Cain’s heavy charge struck Zeke.
Crash!
The force pushed Zeke back.
It was far stronger than expected, suggesting the armor also enhanced physical strength.
Cain looked surprised that Zeke had blocked his attack.
“You blocked my attack. Impressive.”
He seemed to have found an intriguing toy.
Seeing this, Zeke steadied his stance.
He opened his aura with Bahamut.
A vivid aura blade surged forth.
Cain smiled at Zeke.
“To meet a true knight like you in such a remote place! It’s a delight.”
Without a word, Zeke used his phantom step to charge at Cain.
Swish, swish, swish!
Zeke’s sword struck at Cain’s vital points with precision.
However, the attack was deflected by the Herseon, bouncing off harmlessly.
Cain flashed a sly grin at Zeke.
“The Herseon I possess is quite special. It can even block an Aura Blade.”
Zeke, watching Cain’s confident smile, tightened his grip on his sword once more. He took a deep breath and activated his skill, Magic Reflection.
Swoosh!
A shimmering field of magic spread out from Zeke’s body.
Crackle!
Fortunately, Cain’s Herseon seemed to be affected by the magic reflection, as small sparks danced across its surface. His expression shifted.
“What have you done?”
But Zeke wasn’t finished yet. He activated the Dissonance skill stored in his quick slot.
Screech!
A jarring, discordant sound filled the air, grating on the nerves. Cain winced.
“So, you’re just full of cheap tricks, aren’t you?”
Instead of responding, Zeke charged at Cain, using his Flashbang skill.
Flash!
A blinding light exploded right in front of Cain.
“Ugh!”
Cain squinted, unable to open his eyes properly. Zeke seized the moment, swinging his sword at Cain.
Clang!
Even in that state, Cain managed to parry Zeke’s attack. With his eyes still closed, he swung his sword back at Zeke.
Clang!
Amazingly, Zeke deflected Cain’s sword with his bare body, having fortified himself with the Dragon Scale Armor skill. He immediately closed the distance between them, attempting to grab Cain’s leg with a technique he learned during his cradle days in Pankration.
But just then, a menacing aura erupted from Cain’s body. Razor-sharp energy shot out in all directions like a porcupine’s quills.
Snap!
Instinctively, Zeke rolled to the side, dodging the attack, and used Shadow Step to widen the gap between them.
Cain, his eyes now calm and focused, looked at Zeke. “You’ve got quite a few interesting tricks up your sleeve.”
Zeke, equally serious, adjusted his grip on his sword and aimed it at Cain. ‘A warrior of this caliber without a title?’
There was only one explanation.
‘A secret weapon of the Empire.’
One reason the Rom Empire hadn’t engaged in full-scale war with the Draker was the disparity in the number of Black Knights each side possessed. The Draker, as a single family, had five Black Knights. Including allied families and nations, they could muster up to ten.
Officially, the Rom Empire had only three Black Knights. No matter how many regular knights they had, a Black Knight, known as a one-man army, could render them useless.
If a young knight of the Empire had such skill and yet remained untitled, it was likely he was being groomed in secret as a Black Knight.
Zeke decided to probe Cain further. “The Rom Empire is laughable. Treating a secret weapon like you as a mere hunting dog to dig up ancient relics.”
Cain shook his head with a smile. “You know how to provoke, I’ll give you that.”
He took a step toward Zeke, the sparks from the Herseon having subsided as the magic reflection wore off. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
“A knight of your caliber deserves to know my name.”
Cain raised his sword in a formal salute. “My name is Cain. Cain Siemens Constantinus.”
Zeke was taken aback.
‘What?’
The name was completely unexpected.