A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 14

Leon was flustered at the sudden appearance of Zeke.

He was already aware of the fact that Durban, the “Strike” under Zimmens’ faction, had been beaten up by Zeke.

In the camp of the direct lineage Leon served, the order was to observe the situation for the time being.

Leon ground his teeth as he glared at Zeke.

“Zeke Draker. Just because you awakened your Pureblood, you’re full of yourself now, huh?”

Zeke looked at Leon’s group and spoke.

“Bow your heads while I’m asking nicely.”

At Zeke’s words, Leon’s face turned crimson with rage.

Blinded by fury, Leon completely forgot about his orders from above and shouted at his gang.

“What are you standing there for? Get him!”

Leon’s group was mostly composed of upperclassmen.

For an ordinary first-year, no matter how special their class was, it would be impossible to take on upperclassmen who had trained in Aura.

But Zeke was no ordinary first-year.

Flexing his hands, he spoke.

“Three seconds are up.”

The upperclassmen charged at Zeke.

“Arrogant brat! I’ll teach you the academy’s manners!”

As they rushed toward him, Zeke assumed a boxing stance and sent out a jab.

Thwack!

One of the upperclassmen, unable to dodge the straight jab, took it head-on.

Zeke used the jab to stop his opponent’s movement, planning to follow up with a low kick aimed at the thigh.

But the upperclassman who had been struck by the jab immediately lost consciousness and collapsed.

Zeke’s movements, enhanced by the constant activation of his Combat Instinct skill, were on an entirely different level from ordinary cadets.

When an upperclassman was taken down with a single light jab, Leon and his group flinched.

Zeke looked at them and spoke again.

“I’ll give you one more chance. Bow your heads.”

Cold sweat trickled down Leon’s face as he felt the overwhelming pressure emanating from Zeke.

‘D-damn it.’

Leon shouted at the upperclassmen.

“What are you doing? Get him already!”

In response to Leon’s orders, five upperclassmen cautiously closed the distance, surrounding Zeke.

As Zeke observed their faces, he muttered inwardly.

‘The old me was pathetic. To think I used to get beaten up and cry every day because of guys like this.’

Back then, those upperclassmen had seemed like an insurmountable wall.

Slowly, Zeke raised his fists.

“Bite down hard.”

In an instant, Zeke’s fist surged forward.

Slash!

His right hand shot out in a straight line.

The punch, like a lance thrust forward, flew directly toward the philtrum.

Bang!

The impact was so strong that it felt as though the upperclassman’s skull had exploded.

The upperclassman whose face had been crushed by Zeke’s punch collapsed unconscious.

Zeke didn’t stop there.

Standing in place, he spun clockwise, striking the faces of the surrounding upperclassmen with consecutive punches.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The upperclassmen had no time to properly guard themselves. Each punch from Zeke was enough to knock them out on the spot.

They didn’t even get the chance to properly utilize their Aura or respond.

Zeke stood tall among the fallen upperclassmen.

Leon trembled violently as he watched the scene.

‘H-how could this happen…?’

The Zeke who used to cower and tremble in fear at the mere raising of Leon’s hand was nowhere to be seen. In his place stood someone completely different.

Zeke began to walk slowly toward Leon.

Panicking, Leon quickly drew the sword at his waist.

Zeke’s eyes turned sharp at the sight.

“You understand what it means to draw a blade outside the training grounds, don’t you, Leon Conrad?”

Within the Draker Academy, anything was allowed in the training grounds. Outside of it, however, drawing a real sword was strictly forbidden.

Drawing a real sword was regarded as a challenge to a life-or-death duel, and in such cases, no one could be held accountable for the consequences, even death.

Zeke turned to look at Liam Stone, who stood behind him.

“Liam Stone. You are my witness. Leon Conrad drew his sword first, harboring murderous intent. I will respond in kind.”

At the same time, Zeke unsheathed the claymore strapped to his back.

The razor-sharp edge of the claymore emanated a palpable killing intent.

Leon stood frozen, gripping his sword, but Zeke’s overwhelming presence had already crushed him.

Then, Zeke took a single step forward with his sword raised.

“Gah…”

Unknowingly, Leon stumbled backward.

He continued retreating until he found himself blocked by a wall, unable to move any farther.

Leon’s hand, clutching his sword, trembled uncontrollably.

Zeke swung his sword.

Clang!

The heavy strike sent Leon’s sword flying out of his hand.

Leon’s face turned pale as he realized his predicament.

Zeke pressed the edge of his sword against Leon’s neck.

In a chilling voice, he asked, “Leon Conrad. Any last words? I’ll grant you the mercy of delivering them.”

As the sharp blade touched his skin, Leon finally grasped the reality of his situation.

A warm, damp sensation spread below.

Tears welled in Leon’s eyes as he stammered.

“P-please spare me. I-I beg you…”

For a member of the Draker Academy, begging for one’s life was a humiliation worse than death.

Zeke saw the image of Leon, who had once bullied and humiliated him, overlapping with the Leon now begging for his life.

His grip on the sword tightened.

Swish!

The claymore sliced through the air and was sheathed in one smooth motion.

Leon, who had tightly shut his eyes, was startled to realize that his head was still attached.

But something felt off.

“Huh?”

A sticky warmth was dripping from his right ear.

On the ground lay his severed ear.

Zeke spoke to Leon.

“I’ll take that worthless life of yours in the form of this ear. If you go to a healer and try to reattach it, I’ll come back and, next time, I’ll cut off your neck for sure. Understand?”

Leon nodded, unable to even pick up his severed ear.

Zeke ordered, “Get lost.”

Leon scrambled away in a panic.

Zeke glanced at the fallen upperclassmen before turning toward Liam, who had been standing silently behind him.

“Liam Stone. Have you been abandoned by Jakenn?”

Liam didn’t respond.

Seeing Liam’s silence, Zeke turned away.

“This isn’t something I need to involve myself in any further.”

As Zeke began walking past Liam toward the shadowy alley’s exit, a voice stopped him.

“Why did you help me?”

Liam’s voice came from behind.

Without turning around, Zeke replied, “I didn’t particularly help you.”

After standing still for a moment, Zeke turned his head to look at Liam Stone.

“Liam Stone. In the end, the only one who can help you is yourself.”

With that, Zeke turned away and left the alley.

As he walked away, Zeke regretted the sentimental words he had let slip.

“Ugh, I hate acting like an old man lecturing people.”

Shaking his head, he made his way toward Fainon’s laboratory.

As he had heard before, it was located in the farthest room on the second floor of the research building. He found the door with Fainon’s nameplate on it.

Knocking on the door, Zeke called out.

“Professor, this is Zeke Draker, a new cadet.”

From inside, there was a loud clatter, as though something had been knocked over.

The door suddenly flew open.

“Zeke?”

Fainon was genuinely surprised to see Zeke standing at his lab.

With his eyes sparkling, Fainon asked, “Do you have something you’re curious about? What topic… no, never mind that. Come in first.”

In the Draker Household’s academy, which primarily bred knights, it was unthinkable for a student to show interest in magic theory.

Fainon greeted Zeke’s visit with the enthusiasm of a traveler discovering an oasis in the desert.

Upon entering the laboratory, Zeke was greeted by utter chaos.

The walls were plastered with sheets of paper covered in bizarre symbols, while the desk was piled high with thick books and documents.

‘Well, that’s how wizards usually are.’

Fainon cleared a section of the desk, creating a space for Zeke to sit.

“Haha. A bit messy, isn’t it? Just sit here for a moment.”

A short while later, he brought over tea in an old, worn cup.

Fainon sat across from Zeke, his eyes sparkling with curiosity, and asked, “So, what brings you here?”

Zeke set the teacup down and pulled a piece of parchment from his coat.

“Professor, could you take a look at this for a moment?”

Fainon examined the blueprint of a furnace that Zeke handed over.

At first, his gaze was casual, but as he studied the blueprint more closely, his expression grew serious.

Fainon stared intently at the diagram before asking, “Where did you… find this?”

Seeing Fainon’s reaction, Zeke was convinced he had come to the right place.

‘There are plenty of battle mages, but mages who can design mana-driven mechanisms are rare. Good thing I found him.’

Zeke asked directly, “Professor, let me get straight to the point. The mana mechanism used in this furnace—can you design it?”

Fainon rested his chin on his hand, contemplating as he studied the blueprint further.

After some thought, he put the diagram down and looked at Zeke.

“I don’t know where you got this from, but if you were to commission this at the Mage Tower, they’d either reject it outright or charge you at least ten thousand gold for the job.”

Zeke’s eyes widened in surprise.

“How did you know that?”

Fainon smiled wryly at Zeke’s reaction.

“The Mage Tower has a habit of politely refusing projects that aren’t profitable. And honestly, no one’s going to pay ten thousand gold for a furnace.”

Zeke recalled the future where Gelion had actually built that furnace. He didn’t know whether Gelion had paid the Mage Tower the exorbitant fee or hired another mage to do it.

Fainon stroked his chin thoughtfully and spoke again.

“To answer your question, I’d say it’s possible.”

Hearing this, Zeke’s face lit up.

“Really? If that’s the case, I’d like to commission you to design it.”

But before Zeke could continue, Fainon raised his hand to stop him.

“Hold on. It’s better if you hear my explanation first.”

Fainon spread out the blueprint and pointed to a crucial section of the furnace design.

“This part here is called the core. Every device that uses mana has a core. But… as you can see, the core of this furnace is far from ordinary.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s small, like a miniature core, but its output surpasses that of a large core. That’s probably why the Mage Tower refused the commission.”

Fainon continued his explanation.

“On top of that, this core needs to adjust its output freely and instantly, with almost no delay. It’s an extremely demanding and difficult mechanism to design.”

Zeke looked at Fainon and asked, “Even so, you’re saying it’s possible to design it?”

Fainon’s expression grew serious as he replied, “There are two ways to approach this. The first is for me to design a mechanism that meets both of these conditions. The problem is, just the calculations alone would take… about ten years.”

Zeke’s mouth fell open in shock.

Fainon continued, “The second option is to use a highly compressed mana crystal. With that, even a simple mechanism could make this furnace work.”

Zeke’s eyes widened.

“A highly compressed mana crystal? Isn’t that an ancient relic that can’t be produced with modern technology?”

Fainon nodded.

“Exactly. It’s incredibly rare and only occasionally found in ancient ruins. On top of that, it’s extraordinarily expensive. A mana crystal capable of powering this furnace would cost around three thousand gold.”

Zeke fell into deep thought.

Even as a Pureblood Draker, a new cadet like him couldn’t possibly procure such a large sum of money, let alone a highly compressed mana crystal.

If he became an official knight of the main family, he might be able to obtain not only fifty thousand gold but also a mana crystal. However, that was out of reach for now.

‘Hmm… Without Gelion’s Sword, I can’t fully utilize the power of the Ether Hall. This is a headache.’

The power of mana was close to unrefined natural energy, and it wasn’t something humans were inherently capable of controlling. This made applying its technology extremely challenging.

However, if mana could be converted into Aura, the power of the Ether Hall could be used to perform human swordsmanship.

For that reason, Zeke absolutely needed the Sun Blade Gram.

‘Damn it, but where am I supposed to find a highly compressed mana crystal right now?’

As Zeke wrestled with his thoughts, Fainon studied the blueprint in detail and marveled at what he saw.

“This blueprint is incredibly well-made. Aside from the core, the rest of the structure is designed with remarkable efficiency. Something like this would be hard to find even in the ruins of the Golden Age…”

At Fainon’s words, Zeke suddenly snapped to attention.

“Wait a moment. What did you just say?”

“Hm? The ruins of the Golden Age…”

In that instant, a memory from the future flashed through Zeke’s mind.

‘If it’s a ruin from the Golden Age…’

A piece of information he had once known surfaced in his thoughts.

Zeke rose from his seat and spoke to Fainon.

“Professor, please begin working on the design for the mechanism while I’m away.”

“You’re seriously commissioning the design? It could take ten, no, even fifteen years to complete…”

“I’ll bring it.”

“Bring what?”

“The highly compressed mana crystal.”

Zeke’s face was resolute as he said, “I have a way to obtain it.”