Dragonslayer’s Class Regression 19

Chapter 19

‘Finally, he’s taking the bait.’

The effort of constantly teasing Duke had paid off.

What he wanted wasn’t just simple teachings, but Duke’s true martial art – the Wind Storm Technique.

Even Andrei, who became the Red-Eyed Knight after receiving Duke’s teachings in his past life, never learned the Wind Storm Technique.

The Red-Eye Technique was a skill that Andrei developed on his own.

Knowing this, Zeke deliberately made a bet with Duke to extract everything he had.

He was planning to make another bet when Duke became more desperate to learn the Wind Storm Technique, but Duke had revealed his identity first.

Zeke stared at Duke and said,

“A Black Knight of the Draker family… That’s not something you should say lightly.”

“Ha. This is insane. In all my life, I’ve never seen such an audacious youngster.”

“The Black Knight is top secret even within the family, so it’s hard to trust someone who speaks of it so easily.”

“Every word you say reminds me of Arthur when he was young, and it’s annoying.”

Zeke was genuinely surprised by those words.

“You mean Father- no, the Head of the Family?”

Duke nodded.

“Yes, the great and mighty Arthur Draker, Head of the Draker family.”

Since Duke was also a Black Knight of the family, he must have had a close relationship with the Head, but Zeke didn’t know they had known each other since childhood.

‘Well, most upper-class Drakers go from cradle to Academy to Valhalla before entering the main house. If they’re around the same age, they must have been cadets together.’

Duke looked at Zeke and said,

“I may be stuck at the Academy after retiring from knighthood for personal reasons, but even now, there are few above me at the Four Seasons Castle, you brat.”

Though he spoke playfully, Duke Draker’s influence in the Draker family was indeed substantial.

Even without considering his role as a Black Knight, he was one of the closest and most trusted confidants of Arthur Draker, the Head of the Family.

Zeke slowly stood up and bowed his head to Duke.

“I deeply apologize for my rudeness to a great elder of the family and honorable Black Knight.”

Duke snorted at Zeke’s polite apology.

“Tch. What’s with you? That’s so out of character.”

“Well, you could pressure the Principal with your authority and have me expelled.”

“Kid, even I wouldn’t do something so troublesome without any benefit.”

Though he said he wouldn’t do it, to Zeke’s ears it sounded like he might if there was something to gain.

Then Duke sat down on the sofa, picking his ear while speaking to Zeke.

“So, are you finally interested in learning from me, you arrogant youngster?”

“Does that mean you’ll accept me as an official disciple?”

“You’re suddenly being very direct. Well, that depends on what I see from you.”

“Then never mind. I’m too busy with my personal training.”

“Ha, really. Damn brat. Fine. Alright. Since I’ve revealed my identity, I might as well follow through. I’ll make you my disciple.”

Zeke was honestly very surprised internally.

He didn’t expect to become Duke Draker’s disciple so easily.

Before Duke could change his mind, he quickly rose and knelt on one knee before him.

“To the most honorable knight among knights, Duke Draker, I, Zeke Draker, solemnly swear my oath as your disciple. I will devote myself to learning under your guidance, upholding my master’s honor, and striving relentlessly to bring further glory to your name.”

Duke’s mouth gaped open at Zeke’s oath.

“Huh? You even know the ancient oath well.”

“Isn’t culture one of a knight’s virtues?”

“You certainly talk well. You sly fox.”

“Master, may I ask one thing?”

“Listen to this guy. You’ve already started calling me ‘Master’ without hesitation. Fine, ask away.”

“Why did you choose me as your disciple?”

He was honestly curious.

Even Andrei, a genius among geniuses, never became Duke’s official disciple until the end.

Why would someone as proud as Duke take Zeke as a disciple?

Duke looked at Zeke and smirked.

“What do you think is the reason?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking.”

“I liked how vicious you are.”

Zeke thought he must have heard wrong.

“I thought it was because I was some once-in-a-millennium genius or something.”

“Kid, if that was the case, I would have taken that girl from the Tourn family as my disciple.”

“Tch.”

Duke laughed heartily at Zeke’s reaction.

“Hey kid, don’t be disappointed. I was in the lower ranks of even the regular class, let alone the special class, when I was at the Academy.”

“What? But you reached the level of Black Knight?”

Zeke was genuinely surprised by this new information.

Duke continued.

“Not everyone with great talent becomes a Red Knight or Black Knight. Rather, those with too much talent may not overcome their limits and could be consumed by the despair that comes from it.”

Zeke nodded somewhat in agreement with Duke’s words.

Among the numerous late-period masters in the continent, only a few actually rose to the rank of Blue Knight.

Even fewer among them could become Red Knights, which was a rank above.

There were countless cases of people who were loudly proclaimed as brilliant talents destined to become the continent’s greatest knight, only to remain Blue Knights their entire lives.

Duke grinned and said.

“My secret technique, ‘the Wind Storm technique’, isn’t something you can learn just because you’re talented. Guts, persistence, effort! And determination that surpasses these! You need these to learn it.”

Zeke realized why Andrei ultimately couldn’t inherit the Wind Storm technique.

‘It was a technique that didn’t suit Andrei at all, with his lack of stamina.’

Duke suddenly stood up.

“Good! Since we’re on the topic, let’s go.”

“What? Where to?”

“Where else? To train.”

“Right now?”

Duke forcefully grabbed Zeke and dragged him out of the Platinum Floor towards the greenhouse.

“Why are we coming here when there are good training rooms?”

“Just follow quietly, you talkative disciple.”

He took Zeke down a staircase at one side of the greenhouse.

They came to an underground door with security magic, and beyond it was an unexpected space.

“A, a training ground?”

There was a massive training ground and practice area under the greenhouse.

While the private training room on the Platinum Floor was good, it couldn’t compare to this place.

“Arthur prepared this place separately so I wouldn’t get rusty. Well, I haven’t used it much though.”

He said to Zeke.

“First, run.”

“What?”

“Don’t you understand when I say run?”

Hearing Duke’s sudden command to run, Zeke started running around the training ground.

Duke shouted.

“Faster!”

Zeke increased his speed as he ran around the training ground, while Duke carefully observed him running in circles.

And when Zeke had run about 50 laps around the training ground, he shouted.

“Stop!”

Zeke stopped running and approached Duke.

“I don’t need to run anymore?”

Duke narrowed his eyes and said to Zeke:

‘I’ve been feeling this for a while now.’

His form vanished instantly and appeared behind Zeke.

Zeke barely managed to dodge the grab at the last second.

Duke stared blankly at his own hand that had grabbed empty air.

“Did, did you just dodge that?”

“What’s this suddenly about, Master?”

Duke was really not maintaining his dignity as a master.

“Hmm. Anyway, good. Zeke, what are you hiding from me?”

Though Zeke flinched at Duke’s words, he tried to deny it.

“Hiding? What am I hiding?”

“Something seemed odd when I first saw you too. Moving fine even after taking internal injuries from that leech Andrei, and during the test, you kept getting up even when you shouldn’t have been able to move.”

Zeke pretended not to know and said:

“I’m just quite tough.”

“Do you take me for a fool? This isn’t possible just from being tough.”

Zeke inwardly flinched.

‘Damn, it’ll be all over if he finds out I haven’t awakened my aura.’

Zeke had planned to hide this fact and receive the Wind Storm technique, then convert mana to aura once the sun sword Gram was completed.

That’s when Duke spoke:

“Are you … .an Irregular?”

Irregular was a term referring to those with unique abilities that couldn’t be specified.

However, Irregulars weren’t viewed very favorably in the Central Continent.

People would often drive them out of villages or ostracize them, calling them cursed beings.

In fact, in his past life, there was a case where one Irregular brought down an entire kingdom and became the continent’s public enemy, so it wasn’t entirely without reason.

Though Zeke knew well about Irregulars, he pretended not to:

“What’s an Irregular, Master?”

Duke stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“Well, having just come out of the cradle, you might not know.”

He said while looking at Zeke.

“Irregulars refer to those with unusual abilities like you. The problem is…”

Duke swallowed the rest of what he was going to say.

“Never mind. It’s nothing to worry about. But don’t reveal that you’re an Irregular elsewhere.”

“Master, does this mean I cannot learn the Wind Storm technique?”

Duke shook his head in response.

“The Wind Storm technique is different from other Drake techniques. It’s more about maximizing pure physical strength rather than Aura power.”

Listening to Duke’s words, Zeke realized his judgment had been correct.

‘Even before regression, I used healing to push my physical strength to the limit. With healing factor and infinite stamina skills now, I thought I might be able to learn the Wind Storm technique without Aura, which is fortunate.’

Duke looked at Zeke and said.

“Now, watch carefully what I do.”

He moved erratically in different directions, leaving footprints.

His movement pattern formed circles, then deviated, then returned to the original circular path.

After making footprints with these peculiar movements, Duke returned to his original position.

“Did you observe the footwork I just demonstrated?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure you saw everything?”

“Yes, I saw it all.”

“Good. Then try walking in my footsteps.”

Duke grinned and stepped aside.

Zeke stared at Duke’s footprints for a moment, 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, that’s not it. Since our stride lengths are different, may I try it beside your footprints to match my stride?”

“What?”

Before Duke could respond, Zeke began executing the footwork pattern beside the original prints.

He perfectly replicated the movement pattern – making circles, changing direction sideways, and returning to the circle – exactly matching the essential principles of the Wind Storm technique through four directions, then eight, then sixty-four, before returning to the starting point.

After completing the footwork and returning to his original position, Zeke slightly furrowed his brow.

“Ah, I made one mistake here. I should have gone right instead of left.”

Duke was speechless seeing Zeke perform the perfect footwork pattern in just one attempt.

“How… how did you…?”

Zeke’s aptitude for martial technique had become incredibly fast after his body changed to the Heavenly Bone Body constitution.

This was the power of the Heavenly Bone Body – a heaven-sent talent to perfectly replicate any technique after seeing it just once.

Duke, shocked by Zeke mastering the basic Wind Storm footwork in one try, finally regained his composure.

“W-wait.”

Duke’s form moved quickly.

SWOOSH!

He began rapidly making footprints across the training ground.

The pattern was much more extensive and complex than before.

Soon, Duke’s footprints covered the entire training ground.

Returning to his original position, Zeke asked Duke.

“Do I need to copy this too?”

Zeke asked, hardly believing it.

“Yes, give it a try.”

Zeke thought carefully before nodding.

He slowly began following Duke’s advanced Wind Storm combination footwork pattern.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Zeke’s form flickered momentarily.

Even though he was only performing the basic form, the Wind Storm technique was already becoming ingrained in his body.

‘Insane… I’ve never seen anything like this.’

Having trained his body to the extreme in his previous life, Zeke could physically sense the profound principles contained in Duke’s footwork.

As he executed the constantly changing footwork pattern, he naturally understood how to move against imaginary opponents.

WHOOSH!

Zeke’s movements became noticeably faster than when he started.

As he completed the circuit around the training ground and returned to his starting position, text appeared before his eyes.

[Special Skill Category has been activated.]

[Learned Special Skill Wind Storm Technique (A-Rank).]

[Some Active Skills will be absorbed into Special Skills.]

[Received 50 points as reward for unlocking Special Category.]