Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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Chapter 10
Zeke entered the Special Class building after easily defeating Durban the Slasher.
In his past life, he couldn't even awaken his aura, so he was at the bottom of the ordinary class, let alone the Special Class.
The cadets in the ordinary class had to follow a strict schedule.
They had to move according to a tightly packed timetable from morning till late at night.
The instructors' teaching policy was that if you lacked talent, you should make up for it with effort.
Thanks to this, Zeke, who couldn't awaken his aura and had poor stamina, had to struggle to keep up with the classes.
'I really wanted to die back then.'
Zeke recalled his past and headed to the Special Class homeroom.
He gaped at the luxuriously decorated homeroom, something he couldn't have imagined when he was in the ordinary class.
There were even high-quality desks prepared for each student in the spacious room.
Zeke found the desk with his name on it and sat down.
He looked to his side and saw Reina, whom he had met yesterday, sitting upright with a straight back.
Looking around, it seemed like about half of the students were from the Cradle, including Owen, Jakenn, and Leon.
The rest were talented students who had been trained by their respective families.
As Zeke was looking around and assessing the other students, someone entered the homeroom.
At the same time, all the cadets stood up.
It was none other than the academy's headmaster, who entered with their homeroom instructor.
Reina, the representative of their batch, shouted loudly,
"Salute the Headmaster!"
The cadets all saluted the Headmaster in unison.
The Headmaster, with his impressive Kaiser moustache, accepted the cadets' salute with a friendly smile.
All the other cadets were looking at the Headmaster with respect.
Except for one person, Zeke.
'It's been a while, Howard Draker.'
Howard Draker, the war hero who made a contribution by participating in the Eastern Empire invasion war 20 years ago.
Zeke knew his other side.
'A petty man who only engages in conspiracies while wearing the mask of a hero.'
Above all, he was the one who cruelly expelled Zeke from the academy in his past life.
Zeke gritted his teeth as he watched Howard give his speech.
'I will repay you someday.'
While he was grinding his teeth, Howard Draker finished his speech, and the cadets gave him a standing ovation.
The Headmaster left, and the homeroom instructor gave a brief announcement.
Unlike the ordinary class, the Special Class was allowed to create their own schedules by choosing the subjects they wanted.
It was a clear privilege compared to the ordinary class.
But there was still a mandatory class they had to attend.
The Special Class cadets moved to the training ground together for their first common class.
As expected of an academy created by the Draker family, their first class was a practical one, not a theoretical one.
It was time to learn the basics of the 'Dragon Slayer Technique.'
About a hundred new Special Class cadets lined up in the vast training ground.
Just then, someone entered the training ground.
Step! Step!
A knight from the main Draker household, wearing the official uniform embroidered with the Dragon Slayer Emblem, appeared.
The Special Class students had slightly puzzled expressions at the sight of the unexpectedly young knight.
But Zeke gasped when he saw the knight who entered.
'The Red-Eyed Knight...! I never thought I'd see Andrei here.'
Andrei Draker.
He hadn't undergone a pure-blooded awakening, but with his outstanding talent, he graduated early from the academy, graduated from Valhalla with excellent grades, and immediately became a knight of the main family.
In his past life, Andrei attained enlightenment in his early thirties and became a Red Knight.
He earned the title of Red-Eyed Knight because the red aura that formed on his sword resembled an eye.
'To think they're using a knight from the main family as a basic training instructor.'
It showed how much attention the Draker clan was paying to the Special Class.
Andrei spoke as soon as he stood in front of the students.
"Everyone, draw your swords."
His voice was filled with authority, unlike his gentle-looking face.
The students obediently drew their swords.
It was then that Andrei noticed something.
"Cadet. What is that sword?"
Andrei pointed at Zeke's sword.
Zeke twirled his claymore and said,
"As you can see, it's a sword."
Andrei said,
"Step forward."
The atmosphere instantly turned heavy.
Zeke stepped forward with his claymore.
Andrei looked down at Zeke and said,
"Do you not understand what I mean, cadet?"
Zeke was starting to get annoyed by Andrei's condescending tone.
'This bastard, with every word...'
A message suddenly popped up.
[Skill Unyielding Mental Defense activated.]
Perhaps due to the skill's effect, his anger subsided, and his mind calmed down.
'Alright, since things have come to this...'
He looked Andrei straight in the eye and said,
"I said it's a sword, what's wrong with that?"
The cadets in the training ground felt a sudden tingling sensation on their skin.
It was because the faint killing intent of a Blue Knight had spread throughout the training ground.
Zeke clicked his tongue inwardly as he looked at Andrei.
'He still needs more training. To be provoked by a kid's words and use his killing intent like that.'
Provocations from enemies were common in actual battles.
Even a skilled knight could be killed by a lower-ranked knight if they were agitated and couldn't utilize their full potential.
Andrei slowly drew his sword and said to Zeke,
"Cadet, if your sword even grazes my body, I will forgive your disrespect and exempt you from basic training."
Zeke was surprised by those words.
'Exempt me from basic training?'
It was a welcome offer for Zeke.
The basic Dragon Slayer Technique training wasn't very useful to him, as he needed to focus on cultivating his ether hall.
'I've practiced the basic Dragon Slayer Technique for over two years.'
Zeke, who had failed to receive the blessing of aura at the Blessing Ceremony, had to learn the course that others finished in three months for two whole years.
While Zeke was inwardly rejoicing, Andrei took a stance with his sword.
"I won't use aura. Come at me."
Zeke took a stance with his claymore.
'He won't use aura, huh?'
A battle plan instantly unfolded in his mind.
[Skill Combat Senses activated.]
His senses sharpened due to the skill's effect.
"Here I come."
Zeke moved swiftly with Quick Step.
His sword lunged towards Andrei's side.
Clang!
Andrei lightly parried Zeke's sword.
Zeke changed direction and swung his sword again.
Whoosh!
The claymore, imbued with all his strength, clashed against Andrei's sword.
Clang!
Andrei effortlessly deflected the large, heavy claymore with his sword.
Zeke's fierce attacks were all neutralized by Andrei's light swordsmanship.
The Special Class cadets gaped at Andrei's movements.
'As expected of a knight from the main family.'
Among them, only one person,
Reina Draker, thought differently.
'Even if he's not using aura, how can he exchange blows with a knight from the main family for so long?'
Andrei's expression gradually hardened as he blocked Zeke's attacks.
'This guy... who the hell is he?'
Initially, he had intended to make an example of the cadet with the strange sword and establish dominance over the entire Special Class, who were full of spirit.
He thought they would tremble after he unleashed his killing intent a few times, but he was annoyed that Zeke was meeting his aggression head-on.
So he tried to teach him a lesson, but things weren't going as planned.
Whoosh!
Zeke's sword suddenly flew from his blind spot.
Clang!
Andrei swung his sword, blocking and deflecting Zeke's attack.
It was filled with unbelievable strength for a thirteen-year-old.
He had thought that Zeke would tire and collapse after a few exchanges with this level of swordsmanship, but the boy wasn't exhausted at all and was swinging his sword even more vigorously.
'If I don't use aura, I might be the one to tire first.'
Andrei's only weakness, despite having enough talent to receive the Draker name, was his lack of stamina.
He had never had a duel that dragged on because of his exceptional talent, so it wasn't much of a problem.
But in actual combat, stamina was often more important than swordsmanship itself.
Zeke, with his abundant combat experience, saw right through that.
'Those young knights who only practiced swordsmanship diligently in a greenhouse are all the same.'
He didn't know what would happen if Andrei used aura, but since he was kindly only using swordsmanship, it was a golden opportunity for Zeke.
Zeke, with the passive skill Infinite Stamina, swung his sword freely without feeling any fatigue.
Whoosh!
He deliberately swung his sword erratically, left and right, up and down, to exhaust Andrei's stamina.
It would have been more advantageous for stamina conservation if he had simply met Andrei's attacks head-on instead of using advanced techniques like deflecting.
But Andrei's arrogance, in trying to teach a cadet a lesson, had brought about the worst possible outcome.
Clang!
Andrei's deflection of Zeke's sword faltered slightly.
Zeke realized that Andrei's stamina was significantly depleted.
'Taste the bitterness of life, you greenhouse flower.'
Zeke sneered inwardly and used Quick Step to dash towards Andrei.
At the same time, he activated the One-hit Kill skill.
Whoosh!
Zeke's strength, the acceleration of Quick Step, and the power of the Critical Strike skill were all channeled into the claymore.
Andrei sensed the power contained in Zeke's sword.
'That's dangerous.'
He instantly retreated and sheathed his sword.
Then, he took a step forward and drew his sword.
Zeke knew this move.
'Dragon Slayer Technique Chapter 1, Verse 1. Sky Cleave.'
It was the most basic move in the Dragon Slayer Technique, but its power was different when performed by a Blue Knight.
Boom!
The swords clashed, and an explosion-like sound resonated.
The cadets watched with wide eyes to see the result of the clash.
"Ugh..."
Zeke, holding the claymore, stumbled backward.
Blood trickled from his mouth.
On the other hand, Andrei was still holding his sword in the same stance.
It was Zeke's defeat, plain to see.
Then Andrei straightened his posture and sheathed his sword.
Turning around, he said in a low voice,
"Cadet... you are excused from attending this class from tomorrow onwards."
Hearing Andrei's words, Zeke collapsed to the ground.
The healers waiting on the side carried Zeke away on a stretcher.
The other cadets, who had been watching the duel between Andrei and Zeke, gulped nervously.
Andrei looked around at the cadets and said,
"Are there any other cadets who do not wish to attend this class?"
No one raised their hand at Andrei's question.
He continued in an authoritative voice,
"Take up your swords. From today onwards, you will devote yourselves to training to become true Draker knights."
It was the beginning of the Dragon Slayer Technique basic training course.
* * *
The healers carried Zeke to the infirmary on a stretcher.
Just as the healer was about to inject Zeke with a potion mixture,
"That's alright. I don't need a potion."
Zeke, who had fainted from bleeding, woke up perfectly fine and grabbed the healer's hand, refusing the treatment.
The surprised healer tried to lay Zeke down again.
"You must have internal injuries, so lie down. Otherwise, there could be serious side effects later."
Zeke wasn't actually injured, but there was no way to explain it, so he just lay down and obediently received the potion.
Although the top-grade potion was useless to him with his Healing Factor, he decided to just take it since it was the Draker clan's money anyway.
He lay there, recalling the duel from earlier.
'Well, I guess that was a decent performance.'
Andrei ended up using aura at the last moment, even though he had said he wouldn't.
The Draker clan was known for their unique aura training.
They were trained to maintain their aura at all times, regardless of time or place, whether eating or sleeping.
As a result, using aura became as natural as breathing.
Andrei was also consciously trying not to use aura, but when blocking the final blow, he unconsciously used it.
Although Zeke's sword didn't graze Andrei's clothes, he had forced a Blue Knight to use aura, so he had sufficiently demonstrated his skills.
And since Zeke collapsed, Andrei also didn't lose face in front of the cadets.
It was the result of Zeke's staged performance in a duel where neither side had anything to lose.
He started thinking about how to use the free time he had secured.
It was then.
"What a strange kid."
Zeke was startled.
'I didn't sense any presence at all.'
He sat up and looked around cautiously towards the source of the voice.
Gulp, gulp!
A man with a bushy beard was mixing a potion with pure alcohol used for disinfection and then downed it in one gulp.
Then he wiped his mouth with satisfaction.
"Ah... My insides are tingling. As expected, the taste of a top-grade potion is different."
The man drank the remaining potion and spoke to Zeke.
"Hey kid. How did you do that earlier?"
Zeke asked cautiously,
"What do you mean?"
The man lifted the potion bottle and poured the last drop into his mouth.
Then he smacked his lips and said,
"Ah... Trying to play dumb, kid. You were internally injured, you know."
Zeke flinched.
"How did you heal so quickly after taking a direct hit from aura?"
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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