Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Overwhelming Gap (5)
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[Tutorial Quest #17]
Receive the recognition of the Dragon Slayer.
· Difficulty: S-
· Reward: 1 Coin
· On Failure: ■■
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‘Dragon Slayer? And the difficulty is S-?’
Theo felt a surge of intense unease he couldn’t put into words.
Dragon Slayer.
That was the literal meaning.
For the Ragnars, who claimed descent from dragons, could there be a more ominous title?
But.
Theo thought there couldn’t be a title that suited Kyle any better.
The unfamiliar difficulty rank nagged at him, though.
‘I’ve already earned Father’s recognition to the point where he taught me One-Sword Sparring. I even witnessed Dragon Island. And yet it says recognition will be hard?’
Was there some secret to this third Awakening Ceremony he didn’t know about?
‘In my past life, I never made it to the third... But from what I remember, unlike the second with all its hidden pieces, the third had none.’
He was certain, having been embedded in Black Snow.
The third Awakening Ceremony had been created from the start to give the Family Head a chance to pick out promising talents worth training personally.
If you didn’t catch the Family Head’s eye, other units would point out hopeful candidates and take them.
‘Maybe there’s a glitch in the message... For now, let’s head up.’
In that instant, the light in Theo’s eyes sharpened.
A brilliant yellow flash gathered there.
[‘Skill: Lesser Drake Fear’ activated to overcome the curse of fear!]
Thump-thump-thump-!
His heart pounded wildly as mana began to whirl at high speed.
The Dragon’s Heart and his dantian resonated with mana, expelling dragon slayer intent from his body.
Rrrumble!
Dragon slayer intent clashed against dragon slayer intent.
The gap was still too vast to bridge, but it was enough for Theo to carve out space to regain physical freedom.
“Huu...!”
Theo took a deep breath and quickly scanned his surroundings.
Wellington and Erika were holding out the best, but even they were merely enduring.
The strain was evident on their faces.
But someone was struggling even more than the two of them or Holkus.
Theo quietly stepped up beside Ray.
Her already pale complexion had turned ghostly white.
Sss—
Uncontrolled cold leaked from her body.
It looked just like another outbreak of her Frost Vein Syndrome.
Her face was slick with cold sweat.
“Close your eyes and focus on circulating your mana.”
Ray squeezed her eyes shut as Theo instructed.
He placed his palm on her back and infused mana.
Using thunder qi to forcibly stimulate her fear-frozen nerves.
The symptoms of Frost Vein Syndrome were all aftereffects from poor mana control.
Crackle!
As the lightning-attuned mana seeped in, Ray’s hunched back straightened.
Color soon returned to her pallid face.
Haa...!
Ray let out a long sigh, her breathing steadying.
Theo quietly withdrew his hand, standing guard so she could fully gather her scattered mana.
There was something he’d wanted to ask her alone, too.
“You got the sub-law but didn’t tell me why?”
“...I wanted to surprise you.”
“You think I’d assume you hid it on purpose?”
“I did.”
“What’d you think?”
“Fortuitous encounters aren’t meant to be shared.”
“So you thought you hid it for that reason?”
Ray shook her head slowly.
“Then?”
“I thought that at first... But then I realized no. You’re a kind person, Theo.”
Theo gave a wry smile.
What would dead Axion say to that?
After regressing, he’d run solely for his own gain.
Yet in Ray’s eyes, he still came off that way, apparently.
“So I figured you’d tell me when the time was right.”
“...”
Infinite goodwill and trust.
Theo wondered what reaction he should show.
He’d rarely encountered anyone like this across both lives.
But.
He felt the lingering distance between him and Ray finally vanish from his heart.
‘Still, what if I’d had bad intentions?’
His temple throbbed.
“Haa...! So you hid it all this time just to surprise me?”
Nod.
Seeing Ray nod innocently made him unreasonably annoyed.
Snap!
In the end, Theo couldn’t hold back and flicked her forehead.
“Ow! Theo... you hit me.”
“You deserved it.”
Theo grumbled.
“Listen up. Frostveil Style is already a top-tier secret art with its excellent attribute. And you’ve overcome Frost Vein Syndrome, giving you peerless potential in frost attributes.”
Ray nodded.
She knew that well, which was why she’d chosen the frost sub-law out of many options.
“But excess can be worse than lack.”
“The sub-law’s dangerous for me?”
“Yeah. The Tree Frost sub-law condenses mana to alter surrounding air currents. It seems compatible with Frostveil Style, which channels mana solely into the sword, but they’ll clash.”
Theo let out a long sigh before continuing.
“And two secret arts from different lineages aren’t meant to be learned together. What if their mana paths tangle?”
“But you, Theo...!”
“Didn’t I master the forms you taught me from Frostveil Style?”
Nod!
Ray nodded.
And it wasn’t just Frostveil Style.
Plum Palace Lord’s Plum Blossom Bloom, Julius’s swordsmanship too.
Plus, just recently, he’d received part of an image from the judge.
Yet Theo was growing without issue, stacking them all.
Theo smiled wryly.
His ability to handle every kind of secret art and swordsmanship stemmed from the Dragon’s Heart’s effect... no, its authority.
But he couldn’t explain that.
So for now, with a straight face, this was all he could say.
“I’m fine.”
“Why?”
“...Just am.”
“...”
“Just... it works?”
“...”
“...”
Ray narrowed her eyes.
For the first time, her gaze turned icy.
“Theo, total king material right now.”
“...Anyway, you need to be extra careful. Nothing’s as sensitive as Frostveil Style.”
Ray nodded silently.
Though she felt a bit disappointed.
Just briefly, the fusion of Tree Frost sub-law and Frostveil Style had felt amazing.
Handled right, it could elevate Frostveil Style further...!
“So memorize what I recite now.”
“...?”
Ray’s eyes widened, wondering what he meant, but
「At dawn’s twilight, the frost settling on leaves takes water’s hue yet holds earth’s dryness...」
“...!”
Ray hastily pulled herself together and tried to memorize the incantations.
The incantations for Tree Frost sub-law.
But they differed slightly from what she’d first encountered.
And there were far more of them.
At least four, it seemed.
‘Did he edit them himself for me?’
Modifying a completed incantation required profound martial insight.
Theo’s skill in doing so was impressive, but his willingness to put in the effort touched her deeply.
I’m always just receiving from this boy.
With that thought, Ray immersed herself in the incantations.
Mana stirred in her aura hall on its own, blending perfectly with them.
A sign they meshed seamlessly with Frostveil Style.
Fwoosh...!
A cool breeze swirled around Ray.
* * *
‘Good thing I read her thoughts.’
Theo let out a light sigh.
Modifying Tree Frost sub-law wasn’t easy for him either, obviously.
But leaving Ray as is would lead to constant clashes between Tree Frost and Frostveil Style down the line.
Fortunately, he’d collected plenty of incantations, and he’d read all her thoughts, allowing quick edits.
‘This repays the debt for passing on Frostveil Style.’
Theo chuckled softly and stood.
Ray opened her eyes soon after.
Her clear gaze showed no trace of drake fear’s pressure.
The corner of her eye curved up as she looked at Theo.
“See?”
“See what?”
“You’re kind.”
“...”
Snap!
“You hit me... again.”
Ray clutched her sore forehead, groaning, then noticed Theo’s turned ear flushing red.
“Oh, Young Master Theo is ever so kind.”
Then, Wellington sidled up to them with a grin.
“...What do you want?”
“To tease you?”
Theo’s gaze sharpened.
“Whoa, don’t glare like that—it’s scary. More importantly, you might want to do something about that flushed face.”
Haa!
Theo sighed deeply at Wellington’s smug grin.
Even so, he took a fresh look at Wellington, who’d overcome drake fear without help.
‘He’s incomparably stronger than at this point in my past life. Closed-door training insights plus the sub-law have sparked explosive growth.’
Wellington’s aura had surpassed average trainee swordsman level, reaching ‘battlefield swordsman’—a title for regular knights.
Hard to believe it’d been just half a month since opening his aura hall.
Theo could get caught if he slacked even a little.
Rival.
Theo recalled Wellington’s words.
‘Can’t let my guard down.’
“Young Master Theo.”
“...?”
“Any way to reach that lodge up top?”
Wellington asked gravely, eyeing the summit lodge.
All three had overcome drake fear for now, but the pressure would intensify closer to the lodge.
How to break through and arrive?
“You said rivals should move separately in the ceremony?”
“Even mortal enemies join hands against great obstacles. What’s wrong with friends doing the same?”
Wellington shrugged shamelessly at Theo’s teasing jab.
Theo chuckled too.
“Fair point.”
“So, any method?”
Theo glanced at the judges and examiners.
They watched eagerly, curious how Theo’s group would navigate this trial.
‘Who said the final trial ends quicker than the second?’
It might end fast, but twice as hard.
Theo clicked his tongue, about to speak—
Fwoosh—
He drew the drake blade from his back and swung opposite.
Clanggg!
Ray and Wellington’s gazes followed,
“Hey, top spot.”
Erika and the Holkus siblings had overcome drake fear and were glaring their way.
No, precisely Erika Ranke was glaring.
Blatant hostility.
With height and build rivaling her brother Holkus,
Her lion-mane wild hair amplified her fierce impression, making her malice feel like bloodshed was imminent.
Shing—
Ray and Wellington quietly drew their swords.
But.
Erika’s eyes were locked firmly on Theo, not them.
One corner of her mouth curled up.
“You’re kinda annoying, huh?”
“So?”
She was referring to the second trial’s settlement, facing Thunder Dragon for top spot.
To her, Theo had made her a stepping stone for first place—naturally infuriating.
Theo knew well Erika’s reckless Ranke family temperament.
He silently raised his drake blade.
No thought of backing down if it came to a fight.
Erika seemed pleased by his attitude, unleashing fiercer aura.
Bear-like fangs gleamed between parted lips.
But then,
“That’s why you pass.”
“...?”
Out of nowhere, an unrelated remark.
What?
Theo tilted his head, and Erika’s grin widened.
Playful amusement mixed in.
“As my husband candidate.”
“...!?”
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