Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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Chapter 19
'Finally, he's taking the bait.'
It was worth all the effort he put into making Duke impatient.
What he desired wasn't some simple teaching, but Duke's ultimate technique, the Gale Force Technique.
Even Andrei, who became the Crimson Knight after receiving Duke's teachings in his previous life, hadn't been taught the Gale Force Technique.
The Red-Eyed Technique was a skill Andrei had developed and mastered on his own.
Knowing this, Zeke had deliberately made a bet with Duke to squeeze out everything he had.
He intended to provoke him further, have another bet, and then have the Gale Force Technique imparted to him, but Duke had already revealed his identity.
Zeke stared at Duke and said,
"Draker's Black Knight... You shouldn't say such things carelessly."
"Ha. This is crazy. I've never seen such an audacious brat in my life."
"The Black Knight is a top secret within the clan, so it's hard to trust you when you speak so easily about it."
"Every word you say reminds me of Arthur when he was young, it's annoying."
Zeke was genuinely surprised by those words.
"Father, no. You mean the head of the clan?"
Duke nodded.
"Yes. The great and mighty head of the Draker clan, Arthur Draker."
Since Duke was also a Black Knight of the family, Zeke knew he would have a close relationship with the head of the clan, but he didn't realize they had known each other since childhood.
'Come to think of it, most of the high-ranking Drakers go from the cradle to the academy, then to Valhalla, and finally to the main house. If they are of similar age, they would have been cadets together.'
Duke looked at Zeke and said,
"I'm stuck in the academy after retiring from knighthood due to certain circumstances, but even now, if I go to the Four Seasons Castle, there are only a few above me, you brat."
Although he spoke playfully, Duke Draker's influence within the Draker clan was indeed substantial.
Even disregarding the fact that he was a Black Knight, he was a close associate of Arthur Draker, the head of the clan, and one of the few people he trusted.
Zeke slowly rose from his seat and bowed to Duke.
"I deeply apologize for my disrespect to the clan elder and the honorable Black Knight."
Duke snorted at Zeke's polite apology.
"What's this? Suddenly acting so formal."
"You could use your authority to pressure the headmaster and have me expelled."
"Hey, even if I'm reckless, why would I do such a tiring thing with no benefit?"
Although he said he wouldn't do it, to Zeke's ears, it sounded like he might do it if there was a benefit.
Just then, Duke sat down on the sofa, picked his ear with his finger, and said to Zeke,
"So, are you finally thinking of learning something from me, you arrogant brat?"
"Does that mean you'll accept me as your formal disciple?"
"This kid is suddenly pushing his luck. That depends on how you perform."
"Then forget it. I'm busy with my personal training."
"Ha, really. Damn brat. Fine. Alright. I can't back down now that I've revealed my identity. I'll take you as my disciple."
Honestly, Zeke was quite surprised.
He hadn't expected to become Duke Draker's disciple so easily.
Before Duke could change his mind, he quickly rose from his seat and knelt on one knee before him.
"To the honorable knight among knights, Duke Draker, Zeke Draker makes the oath of discipleship with due respect. I vow to diligently accumulate the virtues of learning by following Master's orders, and to strive to enhance Master's honor."
Duke's jaw dropped as he heard Zeke's oath.
"Huh? You even know the ancient oath."
"Isn't knowledge a virtue of a knight?"
"You're a smooth talker. A sly one."
"Master. May I ask you one thing?"
"You're quick to call me Master with that thick skin of yours. Fine, ask away."
"Why did you choose me as your disciple?"
He was honestly curious.
Even Andrei, a prodigy among prodigies, couldn't become Duke's formal disciple until the very end.
Why would Duke, with his high standards, take Zeke as his disciple?
Duke looked at Zeke and chuckled.
"Why do you think?"
"I'm asking because I don't know."
"I like your tenacity."
Zeke thought he had misheard.
"I thought you took me as your disciple because I was some kind of unparalleled genius."
"You little brat. If that were the case, I would have taken the girl from the Turunn clan as my disciple."
"Tsk."
Seeing Zeke's reaction, Duke laughed heartily.
"Don't be disappointed, kid. When I was at the academy, I was at the bottom of the regular class, let alone the special class."
"What? But you said you reached the level of a Black Knight."
Zeke was genuinely surprised by this story he was hearing for the first time.
Duke continued,
"Not everyone becomes a Red Knight or a Black Knight just because they are an unparalleled genius. On the contrary, those with too much talent may fail to overcome obstacles and be swallowed by the despair that comes from it."
Zeke agreed with Duke to some extent.
Even among the most talented late bloomers on the continent, only a few actually reached the level of a Blue Knight.
And even fewer among them could become a Red Knight, a hero.
There were countless cases where someone was loudly touted as a brilliant talent who would become the continent's best knight, but ended up remaining a Blue Knight for life.
Duke grinned and said,
"The secret technique I created, the Gale Force Technique, cannot be learned just because someone has talent. Tenacity, perseverance, effort! And beyond that, a relentless spirit! You need those to master it."
Zeke realized why Andrei ultimately couldn't learn the Gale Force Technique.
'It was a technique that didn't suit Andrei, who lacked stamina.'
Duke abruptly stood up.
"Alright! Let's go while we're at it."
"What? Where are we going?"
"Where else but to train?"
"Right now?"
Duke grabbed Zeke without a word and dragged him out of the Platinum Floor towards the greenhouse.
"Why are we coming here when there are good training rooms?"
"Just follow me quietly, you talkative disciple."
He led Zeke down the stairs at the side of the greenhouse.
They came to a basement door secured with a magic lock, and beyond it lay an unexpected space.
"A-a training ground?"
In the basement of the greenhouse was a vast training ground and practice area.
Although the personal training room on the Platinum Floor was good, it was nothing compared to this place.
"Arthur had this prepared so I wouldn't get rusty. Well, I haven't used it much."
He said to Zeke.
"First, run."
"Huh?"
"Don't you understand what 'run' means?"
Hearing Duke's abrupt command, Zeke started running around the training ground.
Duke shouted,
"Faster!"
Zeke increased his speed and ran around the training ground, while Duke watched him closely as he circled.
And when Zeke had run about 50 laps around the training ground, he shouted,
"Stop!"
Zeke stopped running and approached Duke.
"Can I stop running now?"
Duke narrowed his eyes and said to Zeke,
"I've felt something strange about you since before."
His figure disappeared in an instant and reappeared behind Zeke.
Zeke narrowly dodged Duke's attempt to grab his wrist.
Duke stared blankly at his hand grasping at the air.
"Y-you dodged?"
"What was that all of a sudden, Master?"
Duke's dignity as a master was crumbling.
"Ahem. Anyway, fine. Zeke, what are you hiding from me?"
Zeke flinched at Duke's words, but he denied it for now.
"Hiding? I'm not hiding anything."
"It was strange from the first time I saw you. You were moving fine even after being injured by that leech Andrei, and during the test, you kept getting up even when you shouldn't have been able to move."
Zeke feigned ignorance and said,
"I'm just tough."
"Do you think I'm a fool? That's not something you can do just by being tough."
Zeke flinched inwardly.
'Damn, if he finds out that I haven't awakened my Aura, it's all over.'
Zeke had intended to somehow hide that fact, learn the Gale Force Technique, and then use mana converted into Aura after the solar sword Gram was completed.
Just then, Duke spoke.
"Are you perhaps... an Irregular?"
Irregular was a term used to describe those with unique abilities that couldn't be categorized.
However, Irregulars weren't viewed favorably in the Central Continent.
They were often ostracized and driven out of villages, labeled as cursed beings.
In fact, in his past life, there was a case where an Irregular caused the downfall of an entire kingdom and became a public enemy of the continent, so it wasn't entirely without reason.
Although Zeke knew about Irregulars, he feigned ignorance.
"What's an Irregular, Master?"
Duke stroked his beard and pondered.
"Well, you wouldn't know, having just come out of the cradle."
He looked at Zeke and said,
"An Irregular refers to someone like you, who has unique abilities. The problem is..."
Duke swallowed the words he was about to say.
"Never mind. It's nothing to worry about. But don't reveal that you're an Irregular to others."
"Master. Then can't I learn the Gale Force Technique?"
Duke shook his head.
"The Gale Force Technique is different from other Draker secret techniques. It's a technique where drawing out the pure power of the body to its fullest is more important than the power of Aura."
Hearing Duke's words, Zeke realized his judgment was correct.
'Even before returning, I used healing to push my physical strength to the limit. I thought that with the Healing Factor and Infinite Stamina skills, I might be able to learn the Gale Force Technique without Aura, and thankfully, it seems possible.'
Duke looked at Zeke and said,
"Now, watch what I do carefully."
He moved erratically, changing directions and leaving footprints.
He moved as if drawing a circle, then deviated in another direction, then returned to the original circle.
After making those strange movements and leaving footprints, Duke returned to his original position.
"Did you see the footwork I just performed?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure you saw it all?"
"Yes, I saw it all."
"Good. Then try walking along the footprints I made."
Duke grinned and stepped aside.
Zeke stared intently at the footprints Duke had made, then turned to Duke and said,
"Master."
"What is it? You're not going to say you can't do it now, are you?"
"No, it's not that. It's just that your stride and mine are different. Can I try it next to you, adjusting to my stride?"
"What?"
Before Duke could say anything, Zeke started performing the footwork right next to him.
He performed the same movements, drawing a circle, then changing direction to the side, and returning to the circle.
First in the four cardinal directions, then in the eight compass directions, then in the sixty-four directions, returning to the starting point.
It was a perfect display of the Gale Force Technique's essence.
After performing the footwork and returning to his original position, Zeke frowned slightly.
"Ah, I made a mistake here. I should have gone right instead of left."
Seeing Zeke perform the perfect footwork in a single try, Duke was speechless.
"Y-you... how..."
With his constitution changed to Divine body, Zeke's learning speed for martial arts had become faster than anyone else's.
The natural talent to replicate a technique with his body just by seeing it once.
That was the ability of the Divine Body.
Shocked after seeing Zeke perform the basic footwork of the Gale Force Technique in one go, Duke barely managed to collect himself.
"W-wait a minute."
Duke's figure moved swiftly.
Swish!
He moved his feet rapidly, leaving footprints on the training ground.
The range was wider and the changes more complex than before.
Soon, Duke's footprints filled the entire training ground.
Looking at Duke, who had returned to his original position, Zeke asked,
"Do I have to follow this too?"
Zeke asked with a sense of disbelief.
"Yes, try it."
Zeke pondered for a moment, then nodded.
He slowly started to follow the series of Gale Force Technique footwork that Duke had performed.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Zeke's figure flickered in and out of sight.
Even though he was only performing the basic form, the Gale Force Technique was already starting to take root in his body.
'Insane... I've never seen or heard of such talent.'
Having trained his body to its limits in his past life, Zeke could feel the secrets contained within Duke's footwork with his entire being.
As he performed the ever-changing footwork, he instinctively grasped how to move if a hypothetical enemy were in front of him.
Whoosh!
Zeke's movements became noticeably faster than when he started.
As he completed a full circuit of the training ground and returned to his original position, messages appeared before his eyes.
[Special Skill category activated.]
[You have learned the Special Skill Gale Force Technique (A-rank).]
[Some of the Active Skills will be absorbed into the Special Skill.]
[Reward: 50 points awarded for unlocking the Special category.]
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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