Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Awakening Ceremony (4)
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Hatchling.
The term usually referred to a newly hatched baby dragon, but at some point it had come to denote the offspring of higher dragon species.
The ‘Hatchling’s Lair’ discovered by Black Snow was precisely the dwelling place of one such hatchling.
But that didn’t mean a hatchling was weak just because it was a ‘baby.’
A baby was still a dragon.
What’s more, it was the offspring of a higher dragon species, renowned for their superior intellect and magical prowess.
Their strength was far beyond what a single human could contend with.
And considering the tendencies of higher dragons, who cherished their young above all else.
Hunting a hatchling was tantamount to taking on an entire ‘pack’ of higher dragons.
They were difficult to find to begin with, and even if one was spotted, the odds of survival were slim.
For the Ragnars, no less, who were said to carry dragon blood in their veins according to legend.
They had every reason to revere such hatchlings, which made them all the more cautious.
‘But strangely, the Hatchling’s Lair had no adult specimens.’
Black Snow had been on high alert when he first stumbled upon it, fearing he’d encroached on some uncharted territory.
Yet even after a thorough search, no other individuals turned up besides the hatchling.
That was when Black Snow’s greed began to stir.
-Dragons love treasure.
The age-old legend rang true even here.
Deep within the lair lay a substantial hoard of gold and jewels.
Alongside various records long thought lost to history.
‘But the treasure that truly caught Black Snow’s eye was something else.’
-Magic Tome: Amon.
No one knew why a tome tied to demons—sworn enemies of dragonkind—was stored in such a place.
But that alone was enough to send Black Snow into a frenzy.
Amon in particular bore the moniker ‘King of the Ancient Gods,’ marking it as an extraordinary entity.
Black Snow judged that a magic tome named after such a being would vastly bolster the Ragnar family’s strength.
And so, Ragnar swiftly slew the hatchling and claimed the tome.
What happened afterward, however, was unknown even to Theo.
Word was it had fallen into the hands of some successor candidate, but it had never surfaced publicly.
All he could do was speculate that someone in league with Black Snow had gotten hold of it.
‘But what if that magic tome isn’t what people think—what if it’s actually an ancient dragon relic, guarded by the hatchling…?’
From his talks with Kirson, the circumstances made it clear Black Snow knew of the relic’s existence.
He likely already possessed a fair number of them.
The retrieval of the magic tome had undoubtedly been part of that effort.
‘It’s not just Black Snow. Axion and Anti-Dragon are collecting relics too, no doubt.’
Which was why Theo intended to secure the magic tome before they caught wind of it and made a move.
Just like the Moon White Sword, it was bound to become a tremendous source of power for him.
‘The problem is figuring out how to get down there…’
Theo narrowed his eyes to slits.
The blue glow peeking between the sheer cliffs was too distant for a reckless descent.
Not with the blizzard whipping around so viciously.
Visibility was shot, and keeping one’s balance would be a nightmare.
‘I need to find another way.’
Theo racked his brain, recalling how Black Snow had made the descent in his previous life, then reached back toward his back.
Toward the zweihander, still rattling faintly in response to the blue light.
“But first, I need to swat these flies.”
With that quiet mutter, he whipped his head around.
Whoooosh…!
The wind howled fiercely across the white snowfield, but nothing was visible.
Yet his senses, sharpened to the extreme by the Dragon’s Heart, whispered otherwise.
Three.
The number of eyes that had been fixed on him for a little while now.
Paaah—
Theo twisted his body sharply to the side and yanked out the zweihander.
Mana surged into it of its own accord, setting his Dragon’s Heart and dantian ablaze with heat.
-Mana Resonance!
A blinding flash erupted.
[Dragon’s Claw]
Shraaaak!
Boom—
The flash carved across the ground, shattering a distant boulder in one go.
Friction heat melted the snowfield in an instant, disrupting the blizzard’s flow and sending it into chaos.
Amid the debris of the pulverized rock, three swordsmen landed spread out in different spots.
“Wh-what kind of power…?”
“What the hell is this! Three days ago, he wasn’t anywhere near this strong!”
“This… our calculations might’ve gone a bit wrong.”
They stared in shock at Theo, whose power dwarfed what he’d shown during the first Awakening Ceremony.
But.
Theo could tell the look on their faces wasn’t ‘fear’—it was ‘bloodlust.’
Or more precisely, something closer to ‘excitement.’
The grin of hunters who’d stumbled upon worthy prey.
“Hyde, Kao, Rune. What are you doing here?”
Theo swept his gaze over their faces and furrowed his brow.
“Whoa, talk about a surprise! Hey! Kao, Rune! Our mighty top rank remembers the names of lowly scum like us. I’m so honored, what ever shall I do?”
The ringleader, Hyde, erupted into boisterous laughter.
The other two snickered right along with him.
With every laugh, Theo’s eyes darkened further.
Hyde and his crew.
Guys Theo knew all too well.
‘The Buk Mountain Trio.’
The biggest flaw in Ragnar’s law-of-the-jungle ethos was the sheer number of human trash it bred.
These three were prime examples.
Even against civilians, if they labeled them ‘enemies,’ they’d pillage and burn without a second thought.
Their massacre at Buk Mountain village was so gruesome it drew widespread condemnation even within Ragnar.
‘Official death toll: 761. Missing: over 220. One whole mountain village reduced to rubble. The backlash was intense.’
Theo had handled the cleanup himself, so he knew the horrors better than anyone.
Among his peers, they were the worst of the worst—ones he’d planned to eliminate at the first opportunity.
And now they’d tracked him here…?
Something didn’t smell right.
“Axion?”
“Huh? Why bring up that guy?”
Hyde cocked his head, then let out a casual chuckle.
“Oh, you think Axion sent us? Come on, we’ve got pride—even if it’s just among classmates, who wants to be ordered around? Those Dragon Society morons strutting around already had us fuming.”
Theo recalled Axion’s glare boring into him the entire trek to the Winter Mountains.
He’d figured the guy would pull some scheme during this Awakening Ceremony.
Not him?
“Then who?”
“Someone way above a bastard like you. Obviously.”
Theo’s eyes sank into shadow.
“The Elder Council Leader.”
“…What?”
Hyde flinched.
“Looks like I hit the mark.”
“Hey, what the hell? How…!”
“Just a guess. You wear it on your sleeve.”
“You little shit?”
Only then did Hyde realize he’d been played by the illegitimate son he’d always dismissed, his face flushing red.
“The Elder Council Leader’s always had it in for me. As a purebloodist, he hates seeing a lowborn snag the top spot.”
Purebloodists.
Bigots who insisted only those of legitimate blood could bear the Ragnar name.
The faction centered around Elder Council Leader Wolfgang had long been a cancer gnawing at the family.
An obstacle Theo hadn’t overcome even in his previous life.
And apparently, nothing had changed this time around.
“No examiners tailing you means some of them are in on it too.”
“Hah, check you out—sharper than you look. Yeah, you’ve got some thick shit going on, punk.”
“No point hiding it now, huh?”
“Why bother? You’re dead meat anyway.”
Hyde talked tough, but with their backer exposed, he knew they had to kill Theo here or they were done for.
‘They got off scot-free after their Buk Mountain rampage. Wolfgang’s orders. Looks like they’ve been connected since back then.’
The Buk Mountain Trio were the Elder Council’s attack dogs.
How many more like them were out there?
Something for Theo to mull over deeply.
‘Gathering relics means I’ll clash with Black Snow eventually… Anti-Dragon, Black Snow, and now the purebloodists. So many headaches.’
Naturally, he had no intention of backing down.
They were mountains he’d have to climb anyway to seize control of Ragnar.
“Stinks having lowly blood staining the noble Winter Mountains.”
Srring—
Hyde slowly drew his sword.
“But shove you off that cliff, and the snow’ll bury you quick. Who’s gonna know?”
The other two, Kao and Rune, circled slowly to box in Theo’s blind spots.
“Yeah, bastard. Know your place and stay down. You’d have lasted longer that way. Heh.”
“Strutted plenty for a fluke top rank, huh? Not content with that, cozying up to the Plum Palace Lord for sword lessons. Pathetic.”
“Ease up, guys. Before he croaks, he’s gonna do us a solid and donate something nice.”
Hyde’s greedy eyes locked onto the zweihander in Theo’s grip.
Dochoemun’s prized blade.
The rumor that Magic Knight Kirson had personally forged and gifted him the greatsword had already spread like wildfire through Winterer.
Kao and Rune licked their lips hungrily, tongues red with anticipation.
“Yeah, good point. Let’s kill him quick and painless.”
“Nah, that won’t do. He’s thanking us—make him suffer an extra minute.”
“Ehehe! Pervert, you wanna torture him again?”
“Ah, busted? Ehihi.”
They chattered away like Theo’s life was already theirs for the taking.
A sign they’d done this sort of thing plenty of times before.
And they weren’t even fifteen yet.
‘Definitely not worth sparing.’
Theo had heard enough.
He slowly drew the zweihander from his back.
+
[Drake’s Edge]
· Type: Zweihander, Relic Component
· Attack Power: 30~50 – 80~115
· Requirements: Strength 90, Agility 30
· Effects
- Chance for critical damage on hit
- Reduces target’s defense by 30 on hit
- 50% chance for wounds to worsen
- Indestructible
+
Forged primarily from lesser drake claws and fangs, blended with adamantium and other premium materials, the greatsword’s description was impressive from the top.
Not only did it boost destructive power on a chance basis, it even nullified part of the enemy’s defense on contact.
In other words, there was no finer weapon for combat against humans.
But.
The effect that caught Theo’s eye was something else entirely.
-Wound worsening chance: 50%.
Lesser drakes were tough not just because of their brute strength from sheer mass.
It was the vicious toxin coating their fangs and claws.
A mere graze was enough to rot flesh—a biological poison.
And that same property had been replicated perfectly in this zweihander.
-I’m not even sure what I made here, but this much I can say.
Kirson had puffed on her pipe as she handed him the sword.
-Giving something this absurd to a kid who can barely walk straight.
To her, Theo was still a green chick, so it was only natural.
It meant even her expert eyes saw the danger in it.
“Hey, can you even lift that thing properly?”
Hyde snickered, his eyes dripping with greed at the sight of Theo’s slender frame hefting the zweihander.
“It’s heavy, yeah. But.”
[Strength: 101]
“Seems manageable for grabbing you lot.”
Crunch—
Theo’s body began to change, bit by bit.
Over the past three days, he’d dumped every additional stat point from hitting level 17 straight into [Strength].
[Strength coefficient has surpassed 100.]
[Hidden function unlocked. From now on, your strength is infused with monstrous power.]
+
[Monstrous Strength]
· Type: Special Ability
· Effect: Boosts the destructive power of your held weapon. On hit, increases attack power by 5% for 5 seconds.
+
For a split second, Theo felt the Drake’s Edge lighten in his grasp.
Just as expected—hitting three digits in [Strength] had triggered a major shift.
And a ferocious aura exploded outward from him.
Fwoooosh—
[Skill: Lesser Drake Fear invades the battlefield!]
Thump-thump-thump-thump—!
His heart pounded wildly.
The ground trembled hard enough for Hyde’s crew to feel it.
“What the—how did this…?”
Hyde’s face drained of color as he sensed something ominous.
“Too late.”
Theo shot forward like a bolt, denying them any deeper thought.
Shrieeeeeek—