Episode 6
A striking man with long red hair savored the aroma of his tea before taking a sip. He wore black leather gloves adorned with strange patterns, and his attire was far from typical for a knight. Clad in a black uniform and leather coat, with a sword slung at his side, his appearance signified one thing: he was a knight of the Draker family.
More than that, he was a pureblood dragon slayer, the most noble of ranks. Abel Draker, the second of the five direct descendants of the Draker family, set his teacup down with a satisfied expression.
“The tea has a lovely fragrance.”
His red hair, reminiscent of a lion’s mane, had earned him the nickname “Lion Sword” on the battlefield. Across from him, his cousin William Siemens sighed lightly.
“How can you be so relaxed, drinking tea at a time like this, Abel?”
William’s expression was grave as he read the news his brother Owen had sent from the cradle.
“You’re not concerned at all that Zeke defeated Reina Thurn?”
Abel chuckled, setting his teacup aside. “William, you always take things too seriously.”
With a calm demeanor, Abel asked, “The blessing ceremony is soon, isn’t it?”
William nodded. “Yes, it’s in a month.”
Abel grinned as he rose from his seat, moving to the window to gaze outside. The scene beyond was a stark contrast to the tranquility of the room. Everything was ablaze, and screams filled the air. Knights were capturing prisoners, beheading them, and tossing the bodies into pits. Yet Abel’s face remained serene.
He spoke slowly, “I suppose it’s time I visit the family estate.”
Abel continued, “I’m curious to see what kind of awakening our youngest will have.”
Swish! Swish!
In a private training room, Zeke swung his claymore, practicing horizontal and vertical strikes. For a month after the year-end evaluations, he focused solely on basic sword techniques, to the point of monotony. Despite the shockwaves his victory over Reina had sent through the cradle, Zeke had secluded himself in the training room, dedicating himself to honing his skills.
“Hoo…”
After completing ten thousand swings, Zeke wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel. Over the month, his body had transformed remarkably. He had grown over five centimeters taller, and his muscles had become as hard as rocks. This was the result of grueling training, pushing his body to the limit and then healing it.
“Hoo.”
Zeke exhaled and spoke, “Status window, open.”
Active Skills: Vital Strike [E Rank (Expert)] / Consecutive Slash [D Rank (Novice)] / One-Hit Kill [D Rank (Adept)] / Quick Step [D Rank (Adept)]
“Hmm…”
While training, his skill in slashing had surpassed expert level, evolving into Consecutive Slash, a higher-level skill with greater precision.
‘I still don’t know why I’m the only one who can see this.’
Zeke shook his head at the thought. He could only speculate that it might be related to an ancient artifact he had discovered in a past life. To reach the ice mountain where the artifact was hidden, he needed to be at least a Blue Knight level, so for now, he had no way to gather more information about this status window.
Zeke focused on his Karma Points. By defeating magical beasts and earning points, he hoped to learn more about the system.
‘First, I need to regain my original strength.’
Knock, knock!
Someone knocked on the door of the private training room.
“Come in.”
Decker entered. “Young master, we depart in two hours.”
Zeke nodded. “Understood. I’ll be ready soon.”
Thud, thud, thud!
Carriages carrying the cradle’s trainees began their journey, escorted by knights of the Draker family. The carriages bore the family crest. The cradle was located within the “Dragon’s Nest” territory, where the Draker family estate was situated. The Dragon’s Nest held great symbolic significance as the birthplace of the Draker family. However, the family’s main stronghold, the Four Seasons Castle, was in Midland, the continent’s center, as the estate was in the western duchy of Troy.
The Draker family estate was crucial for one reason: the “Blessing Ceremony.” The carriages, filled with trainees, sped toward the dragon slayers’ ancestral home for this ceremony.
Thud!
The trainees disembarked from the carriages, all wearing black uniforms emblazoned with the Draker family crest. Zeke stepped out as well.
‘It’s been a while.’
He surveyed the central building of the estate, known as the “Lair,” which had been preserved for a thousand years. This was where the legend of the dragon slayers began, with the birth and upbringing of the founder, Terracan.
The trainees moved to the hall where the blessing ceremony would take place.
Rumble!
The doors opened to reveal a vast hall. On the central wall was a depiction of the founder, Terracan Draker, chaining the neck of the evil dragon Bahamut and striking it with a sword. The hall was already filled with knights and retainers of the family, all in uniform, waiting for the trainees. They were parents of the trainees or family associates who had come to witness the blessing ceremony.
Zeke stood at the back, observing the crowd.
‘More unfamiliar faces than familiar ones.’
In his previous life, he had been expelled from the family at fifteen, so he had little opportunity to see the Draker knights in person. He had learned more about the family through news while wandering the continent. Among those present, some were likely informants for the direct descendants competing for the position of family head.
‘Well, once they realize I can’t awaken, they’ll lose interest soon enough.’
Then, Zeke noticed someone who stood out. A man with red hair, wearing a different style of uniform and leather gloves. Seeing him made Zeke’s heart pound.
‘Why is he here…?’
It was Abel Draker, the second of the direct Draker bloodline. Abel seemed to sense Zeke’s gaze and turned to look at him, a sly smile on his face.
A prodigy who had become the youngest Blue Knight at the age of twenty, Abel was now a rising star known as the “Lion Sword,” shaking the continent. Zeke swallowed hard as he looked at Abel.
‘The Lion Sword. Or rather, the Knight of Massacre…’
In his past life, Abel Draker had been a figure who brought great upheaval to both the Draker family and the continent. Zeke felt a surge of tension as he watched Abel.
‘In my previous life, Abel never came here. So… my actions have changed the future.’
It was a small change, but things were definitely shifting from his previous life.
At that moment, Pan Mark, wearing the family uniform, appeared.
“The blessing ceremony will begin shortly!”
At Pan’s announcement, everyone in the hall stepped back toward the walls. Then, attendants brought something to the center of the hall.
Rumble!
A large object covered in cloth was placed in the center. At Pan’s signal, the attendants removed the cloth. Even though Zeke knew what it was, seeing it again made his eyes waver.
‘To see that cursed thing again…’
In the center of the hall stood a massive bronze statue of a man in armor holding a sword. It was the sword deity statue used in the Draker family’s blessing ceremony.
Pan called out in front of the statue.
“Aaron, step forward.”
A tall boy at the front of the group approached the statue. Aaron looked up at the statue, visibly nervous, then knelt and placed his hand in the bowl beneath the statue.
A sharp needle at the bottom of the bowl pricked his palm.
Wooong!
As his blood spread in the water, the surface rippled, and the bowl began to glow. The statue trembled.
Rumble!
A bluish light rose from the sword, enveloping Aaron’s body. It was a sign that the blessing ceremony had succeeded and he had awakened his aura.
The Draker bloodline awakened their aura at the age of twelve through this blessing. Compared to knights from other families, who typically awakened after reaching adulthood, this was incredibly fast.
This aura blessing allowed the Draker family to raise powerful knights more quickly than any other family on the continent.
Following Aaron, the other trainees also received the aura blessing in front of the statue.
“Next, Reina. Step forward.”
It was Reina’s turn. She approached the statue and placed her hand in the bowl.
Rumble!
The sword of the statue emitted a blue light. Reina had already awakened her aura and opened her lower dantian, so this was expected.
Then it happened.
Wooong!
The blue light flared more intensely, then shifted to red. Gasps of awe erupted from the onlookers.
“A red light! A pureblood awakening!”
Reina’s body was enveloped in a red glow. A pureblood awakening, which appeared in only a few among the Draker bloodline, was a guarantee of growth beyond a Blue Knight. Additionally, pureblood awakeners were granted special abilities.
Crackle!
With Reina’s awakening, the magical lights in the hall flickered. It was due to the “magic disruption” trait of the pureblood dragon slayer lineage.
“Bring the gloves!”
At Pan’s command, attendants brought temporary gloves for Reina. Once she donned them, the flickering ceased.
Everyone in the hall, both onlookers and trainees, gazed at Reina with reverence. Reina Thurn could now use the name Reina Draker, having proven herself a pureblood of the Draker family.
As Reina completed her awakening and stepped back from the statue, Pan called out.
“Next! Zeke!”
Finally, it was Zeke’s turn.
Every eye in the hall turned to him.
The youngest son of Arthur Draker, the current head of the family and one of the continent’s strongest warriors.
Statistically, pureblood awakenings were more likely to occur among the direct descendants of the Draker family.
All the observers focused intently on Zeke as he stood before the Sword Deity statue.
“To think I’d be standing here again.”
Memories of his previous life’s horrific experiences clawed their way to the surface.
Zeke knelt and slowly dipped his hand into the bowl of water.
A sharp needle pricked his palm.
Blood spread through the water.
“Here goes…”
Everyone in the hall held their breath, eyes fixed on the statue.
Rumble!
The statue began to vibrate.
If the blessing ceremony succeeded, the sword would emit a blue light.
But then, something unbelievable happened.
Thud!
The vibration stopped, and no light emerged from the statue.
“Damn it…”
Every Draker was supposed to receive the aura’s blessing. The absence of the expected reaction left the observers puzzled, watching the statue for any sign.
But Zeke had been through this before in his past life.
He had tried switching hands, but still, no blue light had appeared.
“So, this life is the same after all.”
He had harbored a faint hope that things might be different this time.
Yet, once again, the statue refused to acknowledge him.
“To hell with it. Who needs aura awakening? There are plenty of other ways to become strong.”
Just as Zeke was about to withdraw his hand from the bowl, something unexpected happened.
Wooooong!
The statue began to vibrate again, but this time with a different energy.
Simultaneously, words appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[Detected loss of class identification data in the terminal.]
[Inputting class information into the terminal under system authority.]
“What is this?”
A system, visible only to Zeke and the statue, was synchronizing.
Wooooong!
The entire statue shook more violently.
[Class identification data input complete.]
Suddenly, light shone from the statue’s eyes.
The observers, witnessing yet another unprecedented phenomenon, looked on in bewilderment.
[The terminal has identified the user’s talent as that of a ‘Healer.’]
[Confirmed that the class has already been unlocked.]
[Classified the acquired class as a rare class.]
Fwoosh!
A red light flickered from the statue’s sword.
“Red light?”
A red light from the Draker family’s statue signified a pureblood awakening.
Typically, it would start as blue and turn red, but this was the first time it had been red from the start.
The observers murmured in astonishment at the sight of the red light.
And at that moment, new words appeared before Zeke’s eyes.