Dragonslayer’s Class Regression 20

Chapter 20

After acquiring the Wind Storm technique, a special skills category appeared.

‘Special skills? Does this mean secret techniques?’

Zeke closed the message window as Duke approached.

“I can hardly believe what I’m seeing.”

Duke was genuinely surprised.

It had been over ten years since he retired from the Black Knights and secluded himself at the academy.

While he stayed to find a successor, it was now just a nominal reason, as he too had half given up.

His Wind Storm technique had too many restrictions to pass on to later generations.

It was a secret technique that Duke, with average Aura talent, obtained through extreme physical training to overcome his limitations.

However, the talented individuals who came to the academy focused on training their Aura power rather than physical strength.

He tested several talented students, but they couldn’t keep up and quickly dropped out.

Naturally, he had almost given up on finding a successor when he unexpectedly discovered potential in Zeke for inheriting the Wind Storm technique.

Incredible recovery ability, stamina, and unwavering determination.

He matched exactly the type of talent Duke had been searching for.

“And on top of that, he’s a once-in-a-lifetime genius? Damn, I must be blessed in my old age.”

Zeke spoke up as Duke stared at him intently.

“What is it, Master?”

“……”

His disciple was perfect except for some personality issues.

Still, Duke was satisfied that he could pass on the Wind Storm technique.

He grinned.

“Hehe. My beloved disciple. Let’s work well together from now on.”

Zeke got goosebumps from the sudden display of affection.

And from that day, the hellish training truly began.

Overjoyed at finding a true successor, Duke generously shared all his knowledge.

The training intensity was so high that if it were any other talented student, they would have quit and run away within a day.

“During the training period, using Aura is forbidden.”

This actually worked well for Zeke, who hadn’t awakened his Aura yet.

Since the foundation of Wind Storm technique was drawing out pure physical strength, Zeke kept up with Duke’s training using his healing factor and infinite stamina.

Actually, Zeke had briefly worked as a sword instructor in the North before his regression.

Based on that experience, Duke’s teaching method was completely rough and unstructured.

‘This is total overwork. I can handle it, but this training method would be perfect for ruining someone else’s body.’

Having become a Black Knight through his efforts alone, Duke had a strong tendency to push hard with a ‘just do it’ attitude.

Zeke modified Duke’s flawed endurance training method on his own to fill in the gaps.

Thus, except for special class common lessons, Zeke received private training from Duke in the greenhouse training ground all day.

About a month into intensive training with Duke, rumors began spreading through the academy.

The rumor was that Zeke was receiving private training from a high-ranking knight of the family.

Zeke, who had no intention of making friends at the academy, didn’t even know such rumors were circulating.

Moreover, he was too busy just handling Duke’s brutally intense training to pay attention to rumors.

With his food intake increasing significantly since starting the Wind Storm technique training, Zeke was again wolfing down about three times the normal portion in the student cafeteria.

That’s when someone approached and sat across from him.

Zeke focused on eating, not caring who it was.

“Zeke Draker.”

Only when the person called his name did Zeke look up.

‘Andrei?’

A young man with delicate features more suited to a mage than a knight.

Andrei Draker spoke in a low voice.

“Could you spare some time?”

Zeke hadn’t seen Andrei since being exempted from basic dragon-slaying technique class.

He could sense the anxiety hidden behind Andrei’s stern expression.

‘He must have found out I became Duke’s disciple.’

Zeke stood up with his food tray.

“Let’s have some tea.”

Zeke went up to the Platinum Floor lounge with Andrei.

After they settled in the sky lounge overlooking the entire academy, servants quickly brought tea.

Zeke, who had enjoyed tea in his previous life as well, savored the aroma of the premium tea that was hard to find outside.

Unlike the relaxed Zeke, Andrei didn’t touch his tea.

“How did you persuade him?”

Zeke took a sip of tea and said.

“What do you mean?”

Andrei’s eyebrow twitched.

“Are you going to pretend you don’t know?”

Andrei, a knight of the main family, came to ask Zeke, his junior by far – this showed just how desperate he was.

Looking at Andrei, Zeke shook his head.

“I never persuaded the master.”

At the word ‘master’, Andrei bit his lip.

“Are you saying you didn’t persuade Duke to become his disciple?”

“No. Rather, I was the one who got persuaded.”

That wasn’t wrong.

Although Duke had fallen for Zeke’s scheme, he himself had thought Zeke was talented enough to inherit the Wind Storm technique and had kept hovering around.

Surprised by the unexpected answer, Andrei was lost for words.

Though Andrei became a knight of the main family through his outstanding talent, he could feel his limitations at the Four Seasons Castle.

While none among his peers could match him, the continent was vast, and the Four Seasons Castle was crawling with unbelievable monsters.

That’s why Andrei volunteered for the unpopular position of Academy instructor instead of knight missions that could improve his skills.

It was because the secret rumor that Duke, a Black Knight, was living in seclusion at the Academy had spread throughout the Four Seasons Castle.

Duke Draker, who became a Black Knight despite being a commoner and ordinary awakened one, was a legendary figure in the Four Seasons Castle.

Andrei thought that inheriting Duke Draker’s ‘Wind Storm Technique’ Was the only way to overcome the wall of pure-blood awakening.

He constantly followed Duke around asking to be taken as a disciple but wasn’t permitted.

Then suddenly, he heard the news that Duke had taken a freshman student as his disciple.

He looked at Zeke with mixed feelings of devastation, jealousy, and curiosity.

Of all people, it had to be a pure-blood awakened one who had gotten on his nerves since the first day of basic dragon-slaying class.

He gritted his molars.

Then Zeke opened his mouth.

“Why do you want to learn the master’s Wind-Storm technique?”

Andrei slowly opened his mouth with an even stiffer expression.

“It’s natural for a knight to want to become stronger. Is there something wrong with that?”

Zeke shook his head at those words.

“No. You’re right. However…”

Zeke looked at Andrei and said.

“I think your approach is wrong.”

Receiving what felt like a lecture from Zeke, who was much younger than him, made Andrei’s blood boil.

‘These damn natural awakeners…’

Forcing down his anger, he asked Zeke.

“What do you mean by that?”

“The Wind-Storm technique doesn’t suit you. If you want to become stronger, it would be better to learn other techniques.”

Hearing Zeke’s words, Andrei jumped up from his seat.

“I won’t tolerate any more insults.”

Then Zeke looked at him steadily and said,

“I haven’t insulted you. If you felt that way, it’s because of your inferiority complex about pure-blood awakened ones.”

Zeke’s words didn’t just hit the bone but broke it, making Andrei’s face turn red.

Zeke was the first person to so openly speak about his complex.

“Are you done talking, student?”

“No. I’m not finished yet.”

“Go on then. Let’s see how far you’ll push your impudence.”

“Tell the master you’d be satisfied just staying by his side rather than being his disciple.”

Andrei’s expression twisted at the completely unexpected words.

“Are you telling me to become an apprentice knight?”

“No. You think too highly of yourself. I was thinking more along the lines of a servant.”

His blood was boiling.

Feeling he didn’t need to hear any more, Andrei ground his teeth and left his seat.

Then Zeke called out to Andrei from behind.

“Does that damn pride of yours help you build skill? Instead of stubbornly wearing clothes that don’t fit, think about what you really need!”

At those words, Andrei stopped briefly.

He turned his head to look at Zeke.

After silently looking at Zeke, he soon turned his head again and went outside the lounge.

Zeke shook his head as he watched Andrei leave the lounge without a word.

‘Sigh!, I did what I could.’

In his previous life, Andrei received teachings from Duke and earned the title of Red eyed Knight.

It was advice given out of a bit of conscience about Andrei whose future had changed because of him, but it was useless if he wouldn’t accept it himself.

Zeke downed his remaining tea and got up from his seat.

And the next day, when Zeke went to the greenhouse for training, he gaped at the scene before him.

“Huff… huff…”

Andrei was running around the greenhouse training ground, sweating profusely.

Zeke looked at Duke with a dumbfounded expression.

“What, what’s going on, Master?”

Duke picked his ear with an annoyed expression and said.

“That leech wouldn’t stop pestering me. Said he didn’t care if he was just a servant—he just wanted to stay by my side. So I told him I’d take him in if he could run 300 laps without using aura.”

Telling the Draker family knights not to use aura was like telling them not to breathe.

Andrei, who already had weak stamina, was running with a pale white face.

“How many laps has he done?”

“Two hundred and ninety-eight laps. Ha, that guy is truly stubborn.”

Andrei, with his face turned pale blue, desperately tried to block his aura and complete the run using pure physical strength.

“Huff… huff…”

With one lap remaining and his stamina completely depleted, he stumbled and practically crawled around the training ground.

Watching Andrei, Zeke realized he had misjudged him.

‘I thought he was just a pampered noble, but he has his own kind of spirit.’

Andrei crawled in front of Duke in an almost half-dead state after completing the final lap.

He spoke while gasping for breath.

“I… I finished… running.”

Looking at Andrei, Duke clicked his tongue.

“And you call yourself a knight of the Draker family? Pathetic. The Four Season Castle must be going soft. Back in my day, we ran five hundred laps around the central training ground every morning without aura!”

Andrei spoke with a dying expression.

“You… must keep… your promise.”

Duke nodded reluctantly at those words.

“Ah, what a troublesome guy. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but do as you please.”

Only after hearing those words did Andrei lose consciousness and collapse.

Looking at Andrei, Duke clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Young knights these days, really. Back in my day…”

“Enough of that. What are we learning today? We already finished all the advanced moves last time.”

“You disrespectful disciple. The Wind-Storm Technique has infinite variations, so there’s no end to its applications. You’ve barely taken your first steps and you’re acting arrogant.”

Duke was deliberately criticizing more because Zeke’s learning speed was so fast.

The basic skills needed for the Wind Storm Technique were transmitted in less than a week.

Caught off guard, Duke brought out application moves, but Zeke absorbed everything taught like a sponge absorbing water.

Worried that he might run out of things to teach within a month, Duke was teaching as slowly as possible.

“So what are we doing today?”

Duke clicked his tongue looking at Zeke.

“You impatient brat. Today, review what you’ve learned.”

“What? Why suddenly review?”

“Something came up and I need to go somewhere briefly.”

“Did you have work to attend to here, Master?”

When Duke tried to give him a light knock on the head for the cheeky comment, Zeke quickly dodged using footwork.

“This guy, only getting better at cheap tricks!”

Watching Zeke prancing around with footwork like a fox, Duke said with a disapproving expression.

“A troublesome person is coming tomorrow. How annoying.”

“Who’s coming that even requires Master’s attention?”

Duke roughly picked his ear while speaking.

“Who else could it be? The great head of the Draker family, Lord Arthur Draker himself.”