Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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Chapter 6
A handsome man with red hair took a sip of his black tea, savoring the aroma.
He wore black leather gloves with strange patterns etched into them.
Unlike typical knights, he was dressed in a black uniform and a leather coat, with his sword slung across his back.
This attire signified only one thing.
A full-fledged knight of the Draker Clan.
And among them, the most noble status, a pure-blooded Dragon slayer.
Abel Draker, the second of the five direct descendants of the Draker Clan, set down his teacup with a satisfied expression.
"The tea smells wonderful."
With his red hair flowing like a mane, he was a knight who had roamed the battlefields and earned the title of "Lion Sword."
Seeing Abel Draker's relaxed demeanor, his cousin William Siemens, sitting opposite him, let out a sigh.
"Do you really have the leisure to enjoy tea now, Abel?"
He had a serious expression as he looked at the news from the Cradle that his younger brother Owen had sent.
"You're not bothered even after hearing that Zeke, that boy, defeated Reina Turunn?"
Abel set down his teacup and laughed.
"You're always so serious, William."
With a relaxed expression, Abel asked William,
"The Blessing Ceremony isn't far off, is it?"
William nodded.
"Yes, it's in a month."
Abel grinned and stood up.
He walked to the window and looked out at the scenery.
The scene outside was completely different from the peaceful room.
Everything was on fire, and people were screaming.
Amidst the chaos, knights were capturing prisoners, beheading them, and throwing their bodies into a pit.
Despite witnessing this scene of pandemonium, Abel's expression remained calm.
He slowly opened his mouth.
"I think it's time I paid a visit to the main house."
Abel continued,
"I've become curious about what kind of awakening our youngest will have."
* * *
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Zeke was swinging his claymore in the private training room.
Horizontally, vertically.
For a month after the year-end evaluation, Zeke had focused solely on basic swings, to the point of boredom.
After defeating Reina and shocking the entire Cradle, he had shut himself in the training room and devoted himself to swordsmanship practice.
"Whew..."
After finishing ten thousand swings, Zeke wiped his sweat with a towel.
His body had grown remarkably in a month.
He had grown over 5 centimeters taller, and his muscles were now firm and defined.
It was the result of repeating the hellish training of pushing his body to its limits and then healing it with Healing.
"Whew."
Zeke exhaled and said,
"Status window open."
Active Skills: Precise Stab [E-rank (Expert)] / Continuous Slash [D-rank (Beginner)] / Critical Strike [D-rank (Expert)] / Quick Step [D-rank (Expert)]
"Hmm..."
While practicing his swordsmanship, the Mutilate skill had changed to Continuous Slash after surpassing the expert level.
Continuous Slash was a higher-level skill with greater accuracy than Mutilate.
'I still don't understand why only I can see this.'
Zeke shook his head at the thought that came to mind while looking at the status window.
For now, he could only guess that it was related to the ancient artifact he found in his past life.
To reach the Ice Mountains where the ancient artifact was hidden, one needed to be at least a Blue Knight, so in his current situation, there was no information he could get about this status window.
Zeke focused on the Karma Points.
Perhaps he could learn more about the system if he eliminated magical beasts with mana and earned points.
'First, I need to regain my original skills.'
Knock!, knock!
Someone knocked on the door of the private training room.
"Come in."
Decker entered.
"Young master, they say we depart in two hours."
Zeke nodded and said,
"Alright, I'll be out soon, so get ready."
* * *
Rumble!
The carriages carrying the Cradle trainees began to move, escorted by the Draker Clan knights.
The carriages were emblazoned with the family crest.
The Cradle was located within the 'Dragon's Nest' territory, where the main Draker household was located.
The Dragon's Nest was where the Draker Clan originated, and it held great symbolic significance.
However, since the Duchy of Troy, where the main estate was located, was situated in the western part of the continent, the actual center of the family, the Four Seasons Castle, was located in Midland, the center of the continent.
One of the reasons why the main house of the Draker Clan held such important symbolism was because of the 'Blessing Ceremony.'
And the carriages carrying the trainees were heading towards the main house of the Dragon slayers for this 'Blessing Ceremony.'
Thud!
The trainees who got off the carriages were all wearing black ceremonial robes with the Draker Clan crest.
Zeke also got off the carriage.
'It's been a while.'
Zeke looked around the main building of the Draker Clan, commonly known as the 'Lair,' which had been preserved for over a thousand years.
It was in this place, where the founder Terakan was said to have been born and raised, that the legend of the Dragon Slayers began.
The trainees moved to the hall where the Blessing Ceremony would be held.
Creak!
The door opened, revealing a massive hall.
On the central wall of the hall was a depiction of the founder, Terakan Draker, striking down the evil Dragon Bahamut with his sword, its neck wrapped in chains.
The hall was already filled with the clan's knights and retainers in uniform, waiting for the trainees.
They were the parents and family members of the trainees who had come to witness the Blessing Ceremony.
Zeke stood at the very back and looked around at the people in the hall.
'There are more faces I don't recognize than those I do.'
Since he had been expelled from the clan at the age of fifteen in his previous life, he hadn't had the chance to see the Draker knights directly.
He had actually learned more about the Draker Clan through news articles while wandering the continent.
Perhaps among them were those who served as informants for the direct Draker descendants competing for the position of the next family head.
'Well, they'll soon lose interest once they realize I can't awaken my aura.'
It was then that Zeke noticed someone.
A red-haired man wearing a different uniform than the others and leather gloves.
Zeke's heart pounded as if it were about to leap out of his chest.
'Why is he here...?'
It was Abel Draker, the second son of the Draker Clan's direct descendants.
As if sensing Zeke's gaze, Abel turned his head, looked at him, and grinned.
A genius among geniuses who had been promoted to Blue Knight at the young age of twenty, ten years ago.
The supernova who was shaking the continent with the title of Lion Sword had come here in person.
Zeke gulped as he looked at Abel.
'Lion Sword. No, the Knight of Slaughter...'
The Abel Draker he had seen in his past life was a figure who caused great upheaval not only in the Draker Clan but also on the continent.
Zeke was nervous as he looked at Abel.
'Abel definitely didn't come here in my past life. Then... this means the future has changed because of me.'
It was a small change, but things were definitely changing little by little compared to his past life.
Just then, Pan Mark appeared, dressed in the family uniform.
"The Blessing Ceremony will begin shortly!"
At Pan's shout, everyone in the hall moved towards the wall.
Then the servants behind them brought something to the center of the hall.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A large object covered in cloth was placed in the center.
At Pan's gesture, the servants removed the cloth.
Even though Zeke knew what it was, his eyes wavered when he actually saw it.
'To think I'd see that damn thing again.'
What was placed in the center of the hall was a giant bronze statue of a man in armor holding a sword.
It was the Sword God Statue used in the Draker Clan's Blessing Ceremony.
Pan stood before the Sword God Statue and called out a name.
"Aaron, step forward."
The tall boy who was standing at the front of the children stepped forward.
Aaron looked up at the Sword God Statue nervously.
Then he slowly knelt on one knee and placed his hand in the bowl of water placed beneath the Sword God Statue.
A sharp needle hidden under the bowl of water touched his palm.
Woooong!
The blood that flowed from the needle prick spread faintly, and the surface of the water rippled.
At the same time, the bowl began to glow, and the Sword God Statue trembled.
Rumble!
Soon, a bluish light emanated from the sword.
Aaron's body was also enveloped in a blue aura.
It was a sign that the Blessing Ceremony was successful and he had awakened his aura.
The descendants of the Draker Clan awakened their aura at the age of twelve through this blessing of aura.
The aura awakening of the Draker Clan members was incredibly fast, considering that knights from ordinary families usually awakened their aura in their twenties.
Thanks to this blessing of aura, the Draker Clan was able to raise strong knights faster than any other family on the continent.
Following Aaron, other trainees also received the blessing of aura in front of the Sword God Statue.
"Next, Reina. Step forward."
It was Reina's Turunn, and she also stepped forward and placed her hand in the bowl of water.
Rumble!
A blue light emanated from the sword of the Sword God Statue, as expected.
It was a natural result for Reina, who had already awakened her aura and opened her lower dantian.
It was then.
Woooong!
The blue light flared even stronger.
Then it quickly turned red.
Gasps erupted from the observers.
"Red light! A pure-blooded awakening!"
Reina's body was enveloped in a red light.
The pure-blooded awakening, which only appeared in a select few among the Draker bloodline, was like a guarantee that they would grow to be stronger than a Blue Knight.
Moreover, those with a pure-blooded awakening were granted special abilities.
Crackle!
With Reina's awakening, the magic lamps in the hall flickered.
It was due to the influence of 'Mana Interference,' a characteristic of the pure-blooded Dragon slayer lineage.
"Bring the gloves!"
At Pan's command, the servants brought temporary gloves to Reina.
As Reina put on the gloves, the flickering stopped.
Everyone in the hall, both observers and trainees, looked at Reina with awe.
Reina Turunn was now able to use the name Reina Draker.
Because she had proven herself to be a pure-blooded Draker.
As Reina finished her awakening and stepped back from the Sword God Statue, Pan shouted,
"Next! Zeke!"
It was finally Zeke's turn.
Everyone in the hall focused their attention on Zeke.
The youngest son of Arthur Draker, the current head of the clan and one of the strongest on the continent.
Statistically, the pure-blooded awakening was more likely to appear in the direct descendants of the clan head who used the Draker name.
Everyone watched Zeke standing before the Sword God Statue.
'To think I'd be standing here again.'
The terrible memories of his past life crept up on him.
Zeke knelt and slowly placed his hand in the bowl of water.
The sharp needle pricked his palm.
Blood spread through the bowl of water.
'Whew...'
Everyone in the hall held their breath and focused on the Sword God Statue.
Rumble!
The Sword God Statue vibrated.
If the Blessing Ceremony was successful, a blue light would emanate from the sword.
But then, something unbelievable happened.
Thud!
The Sword God Statue stopped vibrating without emitting any light.
'Damn it...'
Any descendant of the Draker Clan should receive the blessing of aura.
The observers, witnessing this unprecedented phenomenon of the vibration stopping without the expected reaction, simply tilted their heads and watched the Sword God Statue.
However, Zeke had experienced this situation in his past life.
He had tried the ritual again with his other hand, but the blue light still didn't appear.
'Is this life the same as well?'
He had a glimmer of hope that this life might be different from his past life.
But the Sword God Statue didn't accept him this time either.
'Damn it. Well, it doesn't matter. There are plenty of ways to become stronger without awakening my aura.'
Just as Zeke was about to pull his hand out of the bowl, suppressing his bitterness,
Woooong!
Suddenly, the Sword God Statue began to vibrate differently than usual.
At the same time, letters appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[The Appraisal Terminal has detected missing information required for class appraisal.]
[Entering class information into the terminal with system authority.]
'What's this?'
The administration system, visible only to the Sword God Statue and Zeke, was interacting.
Woooong!
The entire Sword God Statue vibrated even more violently.
[Class appraisal information entry complete.]
Suddenly, light emanated from the eyes of the Sword God Statue.
The observers, witnessing this unprecedented phenomenon, looked bewildered.
[The terminal has appraised the user's talent as a 'Healer.']
[Confirmed that the class has already been opened.]
[Determining the acquired class as a Rare grade.]
Whoosh!
A red light flickered from the sword of the Sword God Statue.
'Red light?'
A red light flickering from the Draker Clan's Sword God Statue signified a pure-blooded awakening.
Usually, a blue light appeared and then changed to red, but it was the first time a red light appeared from the start.
The observers murmured at the sight of the red light from the Sword God Statue.
And at that moment, new letters appeared before Zeke's eyes.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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