A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 30

Whiiish!

Zeke dashed deeper into the forest, evading the pursuing hounds.

‘Persistent bastards.’

He was no stranger to how relentless the Imperial hounds could be; he had experienced their ruthlessness extensively in his previous life.

Opening his mini-map, Zeke counted the number of hounds chasing after him.

A total of thirty-six hounds were in pursuit.

It was clear that as time went on, their numbers would only grow.

At that moment, a new squad of hounds appeared before him.

Shwack!

Judging by their movements, which resembled those of assassins from the desert regions, these hounds seemed to have been trained in specialized assassination techniques.

Whish!

Zeke twisted his body mid-air to avoid the attack and retreated backward.

Thanks to his *Endless Stamina*, he wasn’t fatigued, but there was no way the hounds would back down at this stage.

‘Maybe I should just kill them all.’

The problem was that if Zeke Draker’s traces were left behind in any way, things would become unnecessarily complicated.

He needed to leave only enough evidence to suggest that the hitman was affiliated with the Southern Continent’s Mechain Cartel.

Dozens of hounds surrounded Zeke, their sharp gazes locked on him.

He stared back, gripping daggers in both hands.

“Haaah!”

The knights at the front charged at Zeke first.

With deft movements, Zeke dodged the knight’s sword, rolled on the ground, and aimed for the Achilles’ tendons.

Whiiish!

The hounds, apparently seasoned from combat with the Southern outlaws, leaped upward to avoid the attack.

Lowering his stance as much as possible, Zeke held his daggers tightly, glaring at the hounds.

“Damn Imperial dogs. Even if I die here, the Mechain Cartel will exact bloody revenge.”

Despite his words, the hounds remained silent.

Zeke had been trying to provoke them into revealing some information, but they didn’t take the bait.

If he truly were a hitman from Mechain, he would have either taken poison and killed himself or negotiated to hand over information. However, Zeke had a different plan.

He quickly pulled something from his pocket and blew into it.

Bwooooo!

A loud sound, far too large to have come from such a small horn, echoed throughout the forest.

Startled, the hounds shifted into a defensive stance, scanning their surroundings.

However, nothing out of the ordinary happened, and the figure who appeared to be their leader signaled with a nod for them to capture Zeke.

Several hounds advanced toward him.

At that moment, Zeke threw something at their feet.

Whoosh!

It was five smoke grenades he had pulled from his inventory.

As the smoke spread, their vision became completely obscured.

Concealing his presence, Zeke swiftly slipped away.

The squad leader, sensing the change, shouted, “Catch him immediately!”

But an unexpected situation unfolded.

Boom! Boom!

With a deafening roar, they appeared, uprooting entire trees as they emerged.

Standing over two meters tall, their enormous frames were sheathed in muscle that resembled armor. Their bare skin was marked with menacing tattoos, and they wore distinctive garments made from monster hides.

They were the Barbarians, the true rulers of the Giant Mountain Range.

“Ha-oooooo!”

The Barbarians’ battle cries reverberated throughout the forest, shaking the very air.

The sudden appearance of the Barbarians left the hounds flustered.

“Kill those savages!”

The hounds charged at the Barbarians, who had emerged from every direction.

One knight at the front rushed forward, aiming to slash through the body of a Barbarian.

Thunk!

“What?”

To the knight’s shock, his sword failed to penetrate the Barbarian’s dense muscle and simply bounced off.

Without hesitation, the Barbarian warrior grabbed the knight’s arms and legs, twisting them with brutal force.

Crack!

The knight couldn’t even resist before his limbs were torn apart, leaving him dead.

Panicking, the squad leader shouted, “Aura! Use aura! Swords without aura are useless against these savages!”

The knights enveloped their swords in aura and charged at the Barbarians again.

This time, the aura-enhanced blades managed to pierce through the Barbarians’ thick muscles.

But the real problem came next.

“Damn it!”

The Barbarians had long adapted to fighting knights wielding aura during their time defending their territory.

They fought with the philosophy of *giving flesh to take bone*.

When the knights’ swords pierced their bodies, the Barbarians flexed their sturdy muscles to trap the blades, preventing their removal.

Then, with their monstrous fists, they smashed the knights’ heads.

Thwack!

The terrifying strength of the Barbarian’s punches was akin to being struck by a mace swung by a trained knight.

All across the battlefield, Barbarians grabbed knights’ swords, pulled them in close, and smashed their heads apart.

As the Barbarians overwhelmed the knights with their ferocious hand-to-hand combat, the hound squad leader quickly gave the order to retreat.

“Fall back! Retreat now!”

However, the Barbarians were as relentless as the hounds themselves.

They refused to let their enemies escape, pursuing the fleeing hounds with equal ferocity.

To the Barbarians, the Giant Mountain Range was as familiar as their backyard.

Like a storm sweeping through the forest, the Barbarians roared and chased after the hounds, their battle cries echoing all around.

From a distance, Zeke quietly emerged, watching the chaos unfold.

‘It worked better than I expected.’

He glanced at the horn he had used to summon the Barbarians, his fingers brushing over its surface.

In his previous life, Zeke had fought against Barbarians on occasion, but there were times when they had joined forces to face overwhelming monsters.

One of the tribes he encountered during those times was the Mohakin Tribe, which had developed a particularly friendly relationship with Zeke.

From the Mohakin Tribe, Zeke learned how to craft the horns used by the Barbarians and understood their signaling system.

The signal Zeke had sent earlier with the horn meant, “A group of outsiders has invaded the sacred land of our Mother.”

Although they appeared to be nothing more than savage tribes, the Barbarians lived within their traditions, cultivating their own distinct culture.

The only place where they were scorned as savages and ostracized was the Central Continent, home to the nations of humans alone.

“If you mess with the Barbarians, you’ll be dead before the day is over.”

Zeke turned in the opposite direction of the hounds, who had fled from the Barbarians.

He wanted to avoid becoming a target of the Barbarians’ pursuit as well.

After putting a considerable distance between himself and the commotion, Zeke activated his mini-map and headed straight for the ruins of Kysir.

Located deep within the Giant Mountain Range, the journey was grueling due to the rugged terrain.

At intervals, he entered caves to eat the provisions he had brought to stave off hunger. When exhaustion mounted, he hunted monsters, consuming them using *Gluttony* to replenish his mental strength.

After several days of climbing the mountains, Zeke finally arrived at the entrance to the ruins.

“This cave seems to be the entrance.”

The entrance was obscured by massive trees. Without the mini-map and navigation features, it would have been nearly impossible to locate, even after months of searching.

Zeke cautiously entered the cave.

The cave wasn’t much different from a typical dungeon.

Staying vigilant, Zeke followed the path indicated by the mini-map.

There were occasional forks in the road, but thanks to the navigation feature, he had no trouble finding the correct route.

From time to time, monsters appeared along the way, and each one was promptly turned into valuable points for Zeke.

The journey was smoother than expected.

Before long, the cave ended, and the ground transitioned into a hardened brick path.

As was typical of artificial caves like this, the underground ruins were constructed in such a manner.

Zeke checked the map as he approached the entrance to the ruins.

However, while examining the map, Zeke tilted his head in confusion.

‘What is this?’

A red dot kept blinking at the entrance to the ruins.

What unfolded was a completely different reaction from anything that had been marked on the map so far.

Zeke sensed that something unusual was in front of the entrance. Without hesitation, he drew Bahamut and, staying alert, stepped inside.

It was when he turned the corner and arrived in front of Kysir’s ruins.

‘Damn it. I knew things were going too smoothly.’

Growl!

In front of the ruins’ door, a massive hydra was sprawled on the ground, its belly pressed against the earth.

Judging by the size of its body and its nine heads, it seemed to have lived for at least several centuries.

At that moment, a message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.

[You have detected a corrupted dragonkin eroded by tainted energy.]

‘Corrupted dragonkin?’

He couldn’t understand why such a message was suddenly appearing from the system.

Shaking his head, Zeke observed the hydra, which was warily scanning its surroundings, and fell into thought.

‘How am I supposed to get past that thing?’

Since his objective was to find Kysir’s secret swordsmanship manual, there was no need to risk everything to defeat the hydra.

After a moment of contemplation, Zeke relied on his experience in the Dragonslayer’s Tomb and issued a command to the system.

‘System, can you open that door?’

When Zeke asked, text appeared before him.

[Accessing the control system at the administrator’s request.]

[Connected to the management system of Hero King Kysir’s resting place.]

[Access granted.]

[Opening the entrance door.]

Simultaneously, the tightly sealed door behind the hydra began to open.

The hydra, which had been sitting in front of the door on alert, rose to its feet.

Screeeeech!

Its nine heads let out a deafening roar, shaking its entire body.

As a result, the entire cave began to tremble.

‘Damn it.’

Seizing the moment as the hydra roared, Zeke swiftly activated Swift Wind Technique.

Dragonslaying Art Application

Swift Wind Technique

Flying Step (飛行步)

Zeke’s body lifted into the air and shot toward the door like the wind.

Screeeeech!

However, the hydra wasn’t about to let an intruder enter the door so easily.

One of its nine heads descended toward Zeke, its massive jaws opening wide.

Gripping Bahamut tightly, Zeke focused his aura into the blade.

A blue aura blade surged forth.

With Bahamut engulfed in the aura blade, Zeke raised it high and swung it at the hydra.

Dragonslaying Art

Chapter 7, Verse 1

Dragon Head Cleave

The Dragonslaying Art was a swordsmanship technique derived specifically for killing dragons. The large, sweeping movements that defined the Dragonslaying Art’s forms were unsuitable for combat against humans but were ideal for facing massive beasts.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The massive aura blade tore through the hydra’s maw as it passed.

Screeeeech!

The hydra, its mouth slashed, let out a wailing cry of agony.

From the wounds, blood gushed forth and splattered everywhere.

The hydra’s blood, with its potent acidic properties, began corroding the solid stone floor beneath it.

Whoosh!

Zeke’s *Flying Step* didn’t stop as he continued accelerating forward.

At that moment, the hydra shifted its massive body to block the entrance to the ruins.

Zeke raised Bahamut toward the hydra and gathered his energy.

Vroooom!

A massive aura blade surged forth.

The hydra’s heads lunged at Zeke with terrifying speed.

At the critical moment, Zeke unleashed the draconian skill *Dragon’s Majesty*.

Boom!

Feeling the overwhelming presence of *Dragon’s Majesty*, the hydra recoiled in terror and backed away.

Zeke didn’t miss the opening.

In an instant, he launched the aura blade that enveloped his sword toward the hydra.

**Dragonslaying Art**

**Chapter 3, Verse 2**

**Crescent Blade Slash**

Vroooom!

A crescent-shaped aura blade shot out from Zeke’s sword.

Whizz!

Spinning through the air, the crescent aura blade severed three of the hydra’s necks.

Screeeeech!

Acidic blood spurted violently from the severed necks, raining down on Zeke.

Sizzle!

The acid immediately burned Zeke’s skin.

For an ordinary person, their bones would have melted away, but Zeke was different.

His *Healing Factor* activated instantly, restoring his injuries.

“Haah!”

Zeke leapt through the gap in the partially open door.

The moment he was inside, he shouted.

“System! Close the door!”

[Closing the door at the administrator’s request.]

Rumble!

The door to the ruins began to close again.

But the hydra’s heads wedged themselves into the narrowing gap.

Screeeeech!

Three of its heads forced their way inside, lunging toward Zeke.

“Get lost, you damn snake bastards!”

Zeke leapt into the air, gripping Bahamut tightly.

The hydra’s heads spewed venomous fumes at Zeke, but he trusted in his *Healing Factor* and charged straight through the poison cloud.

An aura blade over three meters long formed from his sword.

**Dragonslaying Art**

**Chapter 1, Verse 1**

**Sky Cleave**

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The colossal aura blade cleaved through the three hydra heads stuck in the doorway, slicing them vertically from top to bottom.

Shhhk!

The hydra’s heads split cleanly down the middle.

Even as they fell apart, Zeke kept his grip on his sword, glaring at the hydra.

Its body outside the door still seemed to writhe, indicating it hadn’t yet died.

Growl―

Moments later, the remaining heads began forcing themselves into the door gap again.

“Persistent snake bastards…”

Muttering under his breath, Zeke prepared to attack once more. At that moment, a message appeared before his eyes.

[You have instilled fear into the corrupted dragonkin eroded by tainted energy.]

[Unique Authority: *Dragonkin Domination* has been activated.]