Dragonslayer’s Class Regression Chapter 142

Chapter 142

He rushed inside.

“So, how did it go?”

“See and confirm for yourself.”

The Mountain Elder checked Iraman’s body lying on the bed.

Seeing that the parasite had cleanly disappeared, he slumped down and grabbed his disciple’s hand.

Zeke spoke while looking at the Mountain Elder.

“Now it’s your turn to keep your promise.”

The Mountain Elder silently stared at Zeke before slowly opening his mouth.

“Let’s talk about the deal tomorrow.”

Zeke nodded at the Mountain Elder’s words.

When Zeke went outside, Boris let out a sigh of relief.

“Did you really heal him?”

“Yes, though it was difficult.”

Boris was newly amazed at Zeke’s endless abilities.

“But will the Mountain Elder keep his promise?”

“Love is a force that surpasses all else.”

Boris tilted his head at Zeke’s words.

“What do you mean by that?”

“The Mountain Elder and his youngest disciple. They’re lovers.”

Boris was at a loss for words at this completely unexpected revelation.

Zeke lightly hit Boris’s chest.

“Get it together, Boris.”

“S-sorry.”

“For someone who used to be an outlaw, why are you so surprised by that?”

“It’s just that the Salmak… ah, nevermind. Whew, following Boss around, I get to see all sorts of things.”

While the two were having this quiet conversation, a guide approached Zeke and Boris.

“The Elder has ordered me to escort you to rest comfortably.”

Judging by the voice, the guide seemed to be a woman.

She led Zeke and Boris to a VIP room.

Boris’s jaw dropped when he saw the room.

“Wow…”

A room appeared that was decorated so luxuriously that even the Empire’s emperor wouldn’t be envious.

It was filled with precious Eastern Empire porcelain, silk, and various artifacts, as well as furniture decorated with gold and silver treasures.

Additionally, beautiful women wearing mesh clothing and elaborate accessories were kneeling respectfully, drawing attention.

The guide bowed to Zeke and asked.

“If you need more attendants, please let us know anytime. If you prefer different genders or specific races…”

“That’s enough. I don’t need any attendants, just prepare some food please.”

At Zeke’s words, the guide nodded to the kneeling beauties.

Like a single person, the beautiful women left the room with controlled and elegant movements.

Watching their movements as they left, Boris realized that these women were also highly trained assassins.

‘This place is full of assassins.’

Boris anxiously walked around the room, checking if there were any hidden assassins.

Zeke, sitting on the sofa, said to Boris.

“Boris, relax. If Salmak wanted to kill us, they would have made their move already.”

“I know that, but it’s not easy to control. What’s strange is how Boss has nerves of steel.”

Soon the guide brought a feast to the room.

It was food prepared by skilled chefs using fresh seafood and vegetables that were hard to obtain in the desert region, as well as high-quality meat.

Though the food looked delicious, Boris hesitated to touch it.

Zeke, who possessed immunity to all poisons, tasted the food and confirmed there was no poison.

Then he said to Boris.

“There’s no poison, so eat without worry. And did you know? Assassins are quite excellent cooks.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard that.”

“Assassins have keen senses and excellent patience. Perhaps that’s why, but most assassins I know are good at cooking.”

“I-I see.”

Unlike Zeke who savored the food, Boris barely nibbled on a few dishes before finishing his meal.

When the meal was over, the guide personally brought tea.

“I heard you like tea, so I brought precious tea from the Eastern Empire.”

“…Thank you.”

Though not as good as Ishtar’s tea, the tea from Salmak was decent in its own way.

Watching Zeke enjoy the tea without suspicion, Boris shook his head as if disgusted.

* * *

The next day, Zeke met with the Mountain Elder again.

“Did you rest well?”

Unlike their first meeting, the Mountain Elder’s attitude toward Zeke had softened.

‘I guess he’s treating me well since I saved his lover.’

Zeke nodded while looking at the Mountain Elder.

“Thanks to you. Shall we talk about the deal now?”

The Mountain Elder grinned as he watched Zeke immediately propose the deal.

Zeke took out a file from his chest and handed it to the Mountain Elder.

“What’s this?”

“See for yourself.”

After looking at the file Zeke handed over, the Mountain Elder gave a hollow laugh.

“A dispatch request, huh.”

“I want to contract for defense against assassination, not assassination itself.”

Among the reasons knights die, assassination accounts for the highest percentage.

In his previous life, over a hundred knights died by Zeke’s hand when he was Mekein’s hitman.

That’s how much assassins, who specialized solely in killing, were natural enemies of knights.

Once one became a Blue Knight or higher, their developed senses made it possible to block assassin attacks, but it was a different story if poison was used stealthily.

While it wasn’t a big problem for Zeke himself, he wanted to hire the Salmak, assassins among assassins, to protect his companions.

The Mountain Elder looked at Zeke after reading through the employment contract he handed over.

“The contract price isn’t written here.”

“A disciple’s life can’t be measured in price.”

The Mountain Elder smiled bitterly at Zeke’s words.

“Did you think I would agree to this contract?”

“Is there any reason not to?”

The Mountain Elder fell silent for a moment at Zeke’s confident words.

Then he snapped his fingers.

Someone appeared from the darkness.

Though dressed entirely in black mask and clothes, Zeke could identify who it was through their energy.

‘It’s the guide who led us to our room yesterday.’

The Mountain Elder spoke while looking at Zeke.

“This is my first disciple.”

He knew they weren’t an ordinary assassin, but didn’t realize they were the Mountain Elder’s direct disciple.

The Mountain Elder grinned at Zeke.

“If you pass the test my disciple sets, we’ll make the deal.”

“The test conditions are set by your disciple, not you?”

“Yes.”

At the Mountain Elder’s eye signal, the disciple stepped forward.

She removed her mask.

This revealed the beautiful features that had been hidden beneath the mask.

Her brown skin characteristic of desert dwellers, deep double eyelids, long eyelashes, and full lips were attractive.

Her beauty was so remarkable that it made one completely forget the beauty of the women who had been in the room yesterday.

She placed two glass bottles in front of Zeke.

The bottles contained clear liquid.

She opened the bottles and said to Zeke.

“One is formless poison I made personally, the other is ordinary water. You just need to choose one and drink it.”

And she added.

“There’s no time limit. Take your time choosing a bottle.”

Zeke stared at the two bottles the Mountain Elder’s disciple had placed.

Then he looked at the disciple and said.

“This is the test?”

“Yes.”

The Mountain Elder’s disciple watched carefully with a smile to see what choice Zeke would make.

There were many traps laid in her test.

She gives this test to people who have much to lose.

The more weight of what they possess, the harder the choice becomes.

Usually people focus all their attention on finding the bottle without poison, but her formless poison has no color or scent.

Since the two liquids are almost indistinguishable, some people couldn’t choose either and just sat there for days.

The problem is that fear of the formless poison grows as time passes.

If they happen to choose the formless poison, they die instantly on the spot.

The moment they imagine themselves dying in agony after drinking the poison, fear binds them.

Because of this, no one had ever passed her test.

Everyone gave up before making a choice.

‘The youngest person to be promoted to Blue Knight, youngest Valhalla graduate. A pure-blooded awakened one of Draker. A young knight with a bright future ahead. He definitely won’t make a choice.’

For an assassin, patience was the most important weapon.

Even if the choice took days or weeks, she could stand there smiling.

Watching Zeke stare intently at the bottles, she anticipated seeing the pure-blooded awakened one of Draker gradually break down.

But then.

Zeke grabbed the bottles and smelled them one by one.

“Hmm.”

Zeke looked up at the Mountain Elder’s disciple.

“They say formless poison has no color, scent, or taste. Is that right?”

The Mountain Elder’s disciple nodded at those words.

Zeke thought for a moment, then grabbed one of the bottles in front and immediately drank its contents.

Both the Mountain Elder and his disciple were shocked.

‘Huh?’

They had naturally thought he would agonize over the decision before falling into self-contradiction and breaking down.

But Zeke chose a bottle too easily and swallowed its contents.

Zeke put down the empty bottle and said to the Mountain Elder’s disciple.

“Is this really the end of the test? There’s really nothing more?”

Seeing Zeke’s unbothered expression, the Mountain Elder’s disciple tried to hide her bewilderment and nodded.

“That’s the end.”

Zeke looked at the Mountain Elder with an unimpressed expression.

Even the Mountain Elder, watching Zeke pass his disciple’s test so easily, uncharacteristically clicked his tongue.

“Though I’m not one to believe in gods, Zeke Draker, you really seem to have divine protection.”

“I don’t particularly believe in gods either, so what protection? Stop the nonsense and let’s talk about the contract.”

The Mountain Elder nodded.

“Fine. Whether you have divine protection or not, making a contract with you seems more profitable. That’s how Salmak has lived until now.”

He pointed to his disciple and said.

“I’ll send ten of our people along with my first disciple. During the contract period, they’ll follow your orders within the scope of protection. However, assassination requests are separate. That would need proper compensation to balance out.”

Zeke stared at the Mountain Elder’s disciple.

‘The first disciple of Salmak.’

In his previous life, among the disciples who attacked the Mountain Elder, they said the one who hated him most was none other than the first disciple.

‘If she harbors hatred for her master, that’ll be even more useful.’

Zeke accepted the Mountain Elder’s conditions and they both signed the contract.

After signing, Zeke asked the Mountain Elder.

“One more thing. Did Abel Draker spread my information to Salmak, the Holy Kingdom, and the Scorpion Clan?”

“I don’t know about the others, but we received a request to track Zeke Draker and report his movements. There were also instructions to kill him and steal whatever he found if he came out of the desert with something.”

“I didn’t know Salmak did errands too.”

“The commission fee was too large to refuse.”

The Mountain Elder said to Zeke.

“So when do you want the dispatch?”

“Tomorrow immediately. We’re going to Death Valley.”

“Death Valley? What for in that cursed place?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

Zeke spoke to the Mountain Elder’s disciple.

“Hey, what should I call you?”

“Please call me Shadia.”

“Alright, Shadia. We’re departing for Death Valley tomorrow, so get ready.”

Zeke got up and left the Mountain Elder’s room.

The Mountain Elder stroked his beard while looking at where Zeke had been sitting.

He said to Shadia.

“They say the desert is land forsaken by god. To survive in a land even god abandoned, you need luck too. Shadia. Watch that man carefully.”

At the Mountain Elder’s words, Shadia nodded and tucked the remaining bottle from the table into her clothes.

‘Luck, huh.’

Shadia’s expression subtly changed.

What Zeke had drunk wasn’t plain water but the formless poison. However, that wasn’t the surprising part.

‘He deliberately chose the formless poison.’

In fact, Shadia gives a fair hint to people taking this test.

The non-poisoned water was the same as the water used in the food served to test subjects.

While her formless poison was colorless, odorless, and tasteless, the water wasn’t.

If they had noticed that hint, they would have chosen the water, not the formless poison.

It was a hint no one had ever noticed, but Zeke Draker seemed to have caught it.

Yet he chose the bottle with formless poison instead of the one with water.

‘Is this a warning not to overthink things since this level of poison can’t kill him?’

Back in her room, Shadia realized her palms were wet with cold sweat.

She looked in the mirror and ran her hand over her face.

A completely different face appeared.

A cold beauty with sharp eyes.

“Zeke Draker. I’ll uncover everything about what kind of person you are.”