A Dragonslayer's Peerless Regression

[Translator - Peptobismal]

[Proofreader - Max]

Chapter 26

"King Kaisir's secret swordsmanship manual and an upgrade to administrator privileges..."

There was so much to gain from a single quest.

Zeke pondered as he looked at the location of Kaisir's ruins marked on the map.

Although the barbarians were a concern, it wasn't a place he couldn't go at all.

If it was the secret swordsmanship of King Kaisir, it was worth the risk.

When asked about the most famous hero before the Dragon Slayer Terakan Draker, everyone would name King Kaisir first.

However, he was more of a legend than a historical figure, with feats bordering on the mythical, so there were many opinions on whether he was a real person.

There wasn't much known about the King, to the point that his existence was debated, and no ruins related to him had ever been discovered. Therefore, the King's ruins were sure to be filled with artifacts of immense value, not just a secret swordsmanship manual.

Zeke memorized the location of Kaisir's ruins and closed the map.

Looking at his remaining 730 points, he spent 50 points to unlock Level 2 Draconian Skills.

―Draconian Skill Level 2―

Dragon Scale Armor (Locked) / Dragon Claws (Locked)

300 Karma Points required to unlock Skill Level 3

Zeke read the descriptions of the unlocked Dragonian Skills.

―Introduction to Draconian Skill Level 2―

Dragon Scale Armor: Dragon scales sprout on the skin, hardening it. Excellent effect against magic resistance. (80 points required to unlock)

Dragon Claws: Summons powerful dragon claws to strike down enemies in a single blow. (80 points required to unlock)

Following Level 1, Level 2 skills also had many useful abilities.

Zeke decided to unlock Dragon Scale Armor and Dragon Claws first, as they were necessary for combat.

Draconian Skills (Level 2 unlocked): Dragon Eyes (Expert) / Dragon's Majesty (Expert) / Gluttony (Beginner) / Dragon Speech (Locked) / Dragon Scale Armor (Beginner) / Dragon Claws (Beginner)

Dragon Speech, obtained by absorbing Bahamut's heart, was still locked.

It seemed he would be able to use it once his Draconian Skill level increased further.

Zeke purchased 120 points worth of necessary Enhancement Potions and decided to keep the remaining 400 points for now.

He planned to use them as unlock points if the system functions were upgraded.

Zeke immediately started training, using the unlocked Dragon Scale Armor and Dragon Claws skills to master them for use in combat.

In this way, he was growing into a master unmatched by any of his peers.

* * *

"We will now begin the Aura Practical Evaluation!"

All the members of the special class gathered at the central training ground.

The instructor in charge shouted to the special class cadets once again,

"As you know, the most important part of the semester evaluation is the Aura Practical Evaluation! If you don't get properly evaluated, you won't be promoted, so do your best!"

The cadets tensed up at the instructor's stern words.

The exam was conducted by having the students called one by one by the instructor to take the practical evaluation.

To determine the degree of aura awakening, they first underwent a physical activation evaluation, and then they had to measure how long they could maintain aura imbued in their swords.

The first cadet followed the instructor's instructions and underwent various tests, such as a vertical jump and a long jump to test agility, and various strength measurement tests.

The instructor recorded the cadet's results with a sharp eye.

"Take your sword and focus your aura."

The cadet, breathing heavily, took his sword and drew up as much aura as possible from his Ether hall.

Brrr!

The sword shook a little, then soon lost its strength and went limp.

The instructor recorded the duration of the aura.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Watching the other cadets being evaluated, Zeke recalled old memories.

'Perhaps because it's a special class, it's definitely different from the regular class.'

When he was in the regular class, not many cadets had opened their Ether hall, so it was rare to see them properly focus aura into their swords.

However, all the special class cadets, even if they couldn't maintain it for long, showed that they had opened their ether hall and could focus aura into their swords.

The difference in level was already starting to widen here.

Even among the special class cadets, who were all talented, there were differences in ability.

The cadets who couldn't properly draw out their aura due to nervousness received low scores and turned pale as if the world had ended.

"Next! Owen Siemens."

Owen Siemens stepped forward from among the other cadets.

As the second son of the influential Siemens clan appeared, everyone quietly focused their attention.

Owen Siemens clad his entire body in aura.

Whoosh!

With fluid, natural movements, he leaped into the air.

His records for the long jump and strength measurement were also much higher than any previous records.

"Whew..."

Owen looked at his records with a satisfied expression.

The Siemens clan was particularly skilled in aura control, even among the influential families of the Draker.

It was the Siemens Clan that created the aura training curriculum for the academy's senior students.

As such, all members of the Siemens bloodline had a talent for delicate aura control.

Owen took his sword and focused his aura.

Soon, the sword, infused with aura, trembled.

Owen concentrated his aura into the sword for a noticeably longer time than the other cadets.

Then, at some point, his sword began to vibrate differently than before.

Wooong!

As a clear sword cry rang out, the surrounding cadets were awestruck.

"Oh my, it's already at the stage where the sword cries."

"That's right before the Purple Knight stage."

The instructors were just as surprised.

This level of aura control, which would be considered genius-level even for an adult in a typical Clan, was displayed by a thirteen-year-old.

Owen Siemens, with a satisfied expression, returned to his seat.

Perhaps due to Owen's surprising level, the other cadets were intimidated and couldn't properly demonstrate their skills.

After a few more took the test, it was Reina Draker's turn.

Reina said to the instructor,

"Can I be evaluated with the Dragon Slayer Technique?"

The instructor replied in a slightly flustered voice,

"That's the evaluation standard for senior students. If you can't perform it properly, you might get a bad score."

"I don't mind."

The instructor in charge pondered for a moment, then nodded.

With the instructor's permission, Reina took her sword and raised her aura.

Wooong!

As soon as she started, her sword let out a cry.

"Huh...?"

The instructor in charge, watching Reina, let out an exclamation without realizing it.

He couldn't believe how naturally she handled the aura at that age.

Soon, Reina held her sword and performed the Dragon Slayer Technique forms.

Whoosh!

Not only her sword, but her entire body was appropriately imbued with aura as she moved.

The instructor's jaw dropped at the sight of her movements, cleaner and more precise than even senior students.

It wasn't just using aura to jump or increase strength, but a level where she could apply it to swordsmanship.

Whoosh!

Reina finished all the basic forms of the Dragon Slayer Technique.

Her movements were perfect, like a textbook example of the forms.

The instructor in charge clapped his hands without realizing it.

"Unbelievable."

Even among the senior students, few could perform the basic Dragon Slayer Technique forms so perfectly.

Reina caught her breath and returned to her seat.

The other cadets looked at her as if she were an unreachable being.

Only one person, Owen Siemens, gritted his teeth and glared at Reina.

'Damn it.'

He had thought that he would be ahead of Reina, a Pureblood Awakener, in terms of aura control.

But the result only confirmed the difference in their skills.

Owen glared at the gloves on Reina's hands.

'If I were a Pureblood Awakener, I would be better than you.'

Reina, however, didn't care about Owen's gaze.

There was only one person she cared about.

"Zeke Draker. Come forward."

At the instructor's call, Zeke slowly rose from his seat.

He said to the instructor,

"I also want to be evaluated with the Dragon Slayer Technique forms."

The instructor frowned at Zeke's words.

"Do you think the semester evaluation is a joke?"

"You didn't say that to Reina Draker."

The instructor looked displeased at Zeke's words.

He had let it slide for Reina, the daughter of the Turunn Clan, because she was known for being diligent and a genius.

But Zeke had been consistently insincere, skipping aura practice classes as he pleased, so his request only seemed arrogant.

The instructor said in an irritated voice,

"If you can't perform it properly, you'll immediately fail, so be prepared."

Zeke nodded and drew Bahamut from the scabbard hanging on his back.

Bahamut was undoubtedly a legendary sword, but on the outside, it looked like a piece of junk.

The other cadets sneered at Zeke holding Bahamut.

"Ha, he thinks he can do it like Reina Draker just because he's a Pureblood Awakener too."

"Let's see if he can even perform the Dragon Slayer Technique properly."

Zeke ignored the voices around him.

"Whew..."

He slowly drew up his mana and infused it into Bahamut.

Then he converted the mana into aura.

Tsssss!

As his aura was about to be revealed, Zeke quickly scattered his mana.

'It's harder to hold back my power.'

Zeke immediately performed the Dragon Slayer Technique.

Whoosh!

During his two years at the academy before his regression, the basic forms of the Dragon Slayer Technique were all he had practiced.

His body and hands moved before he could even think.

Whoosh!

He leaped into the air and slashed at the empty space with his sword.

Because the movements were so familiar, Zeke simply moved his sword without thinking.

Whee!

He carefully performed the forms, holding back, as he couldn't reveal his full power yet.

After completing all the basic forms, he returned to his original position.

He looked at the instructor in charge.

The instructor was looking at Zeke with disbelief.

"P-Purple Knight?"

Zeke looked down at the spot where he had performed the forms.

He had tried to hold back his power, but it seemed he had unconsciously released more aura.

The floor of the training ground was cracked in the shape of the forms he had performed.

'I tried to match Reina's level... Oh well.'

Zeke smirked as he saw the cadets staring at him in awe, Owen with a dumbfounded expression, and Reina burning with a sense of Jealousy towards him.

Unlike his previous life, it seemed he wouldn't have to struggle with the aura practical exam.

* * *

The problem arose the next day.

Headmaster Howard Draker suddenly summoned Zeke.

Zeke, who didn't have good feelings towards Howard, went to the headmaster's office with a hardened expression.

"Welcome, Zeke."

Howard Draker greeted Zeke with a friendly smile.

"Have a seat."

Zeke, wary of the headmaster's excessive kindness, sat on the sofa.

The headmaster even poured tea for Zeke and placed it in front of him.

"Thank you."

Although he wasn't grateful at all, Zeke gave his thanks superficially and left the tea untouched.

Honestly, he wanted to throw the hot tea at Howard's smug face.

Howard looked at Zeke and began,

"I received a report about yesterday's practical evaluation. You achieved amazing results."

"I was just lucky."

"No, not luck. Awakening the aura of a Purple Knight at the age of thirteen is impossible with just luck."

Despite the amicable atmosphere, Zeke saw the current Howard overlapping with the Howard who had expelled him from the academy before his regression.

'It's a disgrace to have an unawakened person like you in this academy. As of today, you are no longer an academy cadet. Leave all your belongings, including your cadet ID, and leave immediately.'

'H-Headmaster, please... Please give me one more chance. I will definitely awaken my aura next semester!'

In his past life, Zeke had begged Howard tearfully.

But Howard had mercilessly expelled Zeke.

And so, Zeke had to wander the continent with nothing, driven out from here.

He had to live a life worse than death, erasing the name Draker.

Zeke forcibly suppressed the murderous intent that surged within him.

Just then, Howard brought up the main topic to Zeke.

"So, Zeke. How about taking the grade skip exam?"

[Translator - Peptobismal]

[Proofreader - Max]