A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 19

‘Finally, he’s taken the bait.’

It had been worth the effort to keep Duke on edge.

What Duke desired wasn’t just some trivial teaching—it was the Swift Wind Technique, a hallmark of Duke’s true martial arts.

Even in his previous life, Andrei, who became the Red-Eyed Knight after learning under Duke, had never been taught the Swift Wind Technique.

The Red Eye Technique was something Andrei had discovered on his own.

Zeke, aware of this, had deliberately set up a wager with Duke, intending to wring every ounce of knowledge from him.

He planned to push Duke further, provoke another wager, and eventually get him to impart the Swift Wind Technique. However, Duke had unexpectedly revealed his identity first.

Zeke stared intently at Duke and spoke.

“You claim to be the Draker Household’s Black Knight… Saying such things carelessly could lead to serious trouble.”

“Hah. This is driving me mad. I’ve never encountered such an audacious brat in my life.”

“I find it hard to trust someone who so easily speaks of the Black Knights, one of the Draker Household’s most confidential matters.”

“Every word out of your mouth reminds me of that infuriating Arthur back when he was young.”

Zeke was genuinely startled by those words.

“My father—no, you mean the Lord?”

Duke nodded.

“Yes, the great and mighty Arthur Draker, the head of the Draker Household himself.”

Since Duke had been a Black Knight, it was natural for him to have a close relationship with the head of the household. But Zeke hadn’t expected them to have known each other since childhood.

‘Well, it makes sense. The higher-ranking Drakers usually go through The Cradle, the Academy, and Valhalla before returning to the main household. If they were of similar age, they would’ve spent time as cadets together.’

Duke looked at Zeke and said.

“I might’ve stepped down from knighthood due to certain circumstances and confined myself to the Academy, but if you were to visit the Four Constellations now, there are only a handful above me, kid.”

Though he spoke playfully, Duke Draker’s influence within the Draker Household was substantial.

Even without his title as a Black Knight, he was one of Arthur Draker’s closest confidants and one of the few individuals Arthur trusted.

Zeke slowly rose from his seat and bowed deeply toward Duke.

“I sincerely apologize for my disrespect toward a senior of the household and an honorable Black Knight.”

Duke let out a huff of air through his nose.

“What’s this now? Don’t act so formal all of a sudden—it’s unsettling.”

“You could pressure the Principal with your authority and have me expelled, after all.”

“Kid, no matter how reckless I may be, what’s in it for me to waste my time with such a bothersome act?”

Although Duke’s words suggested he wouldn’t take such actions, to Zeke’s ears, it sounded more like “I might, if it benefits me.”

At that moment, Duke slumped onto the sofa, casually digging his ear with a finger as he addressed Zeke.

“Well, are you finally considering learning something from me, you cocky brat?”

“Are you saying you’ll accept me as your formal disciple?”

“This brat… jumping straight in like that. That’ll depend on how well you do.”

“That’s fine with me. I’m already busy with my personal training.”

“Hah, seriously. Damn brat. Fine, fine. After revealing my identity like this, there’s no backing out now. I’ll make you my disciple.”

Zeke was honestly stunned. He hadn’t expected to become Duke Draker’s disciple so easily.

Before Duke could change his mind, Zeke quickly got up, knelt on one knee, and swore an oath.

“To the honorable knight of knights, Duke Draker, I, Zeke Draker, pledge the disciple’s vow. I swear to diligently cultivate the virtues of learning under your guidance and strive tirelessly to bring glory to your name.”

Duke’s mouth dropped open as he listened to Zeke’s pledge.

“What? You even know the ancient oath?”

“Cultural knowledge is one of a knight’s virtues, is it not?”

“You’ve got quite the tongue, you cunning brat.”

“Master, may I ask you something?”

“Calling me ‘Master’ so boldly already, huh? Go ahead, ask.”

“Why did you choose me as your disciple?”

Zeke was genuinely curious.

Even Andrei, who was a prodigy among prodigies, had not become Duke’s formal disciple until the very end. Why, then, had this proud man chosen Zeke?

Duke chuckled as he looked at Zeke.

“Why do you think?”

“I wouldn’t be asking if I knew.”

“I liked your grit.”

Zeke thought he must have misheard.

“I thought you chose me because I was some unparalleled genius or something like that.”

“You brat. If that were the case, I’d have taken that girl from the Turunn Household as my disciple instead.”

“…Tch.”

Seeing Zeke’s reaction, Duke burst into hearty laughter.

“Don’t feel disappointed, kid. Back when I attended the Academy, I wasn’t even in the special class. Heck, I ranked near the bottom of the general class.”

“What? But you reached the level of a Black Knight!”

Zeke was genuinely shocked by the revelation.

Duke continued.

“Not every so-called unparalleled genius becomes a Red Knight or Black Knight. In fact, those with too much talent sometimes fail to overcome the walls they face and are consumed by despair.”

Duke’s words made Zeke somewhat agree.

Even among the so-called prodigies of the continent, only a few managed to reach the rank of Blue Knight.

Among them, those who advanced further to become Red Knights were even rarer.

There were countless individuals hailed as the brightest talents destined to become the continent’s greatest knights, only to spend their entire lives stuck at the Blue Knight level.

Duke grinned slyly and said,

“The Swift Wind Technique I created isn’t something that can be learned just because you have talent. Grit, perseverance, effort—beyond that, sheer determination! You need all of this to master it.”

Zeke finally understood why Andrei had never received instruction in the Swift Wind Technique.

‘It must’ve been a poor match for Andrei, who lacked sufficient stamina.’

Suddenly, Duke shot up from his seat.

“Alright! Since we’re on the topic, let’s go.”

“What? Go where?”

“Where else? To train, of course.”

“Right now?”

Without waiting for an answer, Duke grabbed Zeke and dragged him out of the Platinum Floor, heading toward the greenhouse.

“Why are we coming here instead of using the perfectly fine training rooms upstairs?”

“Just shut up and follow me, you chatty disciple.”

Duke led Zeke down a staircase tucked away in a corner of the greenhouse.

They came upon a door enchanted with security magic, and once they passed through, an unexpected space revealed itself.

“A… a training ground?”

Beneath the greenhouse lay a massive training hall and a practice arena of unimaginable scale.

The private training rooms on the Platinum Floor were impressive, but they couldn’t hold a candle to this.

“That Arthur guy set this up for me so I wouldn’t get rusty. Not that I’ve used it much,” Duke said casually.

Then, turning to Zeke, he ordered,

“Start running.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t you understand the word ‘run’?”

Hearing Duke’s blunt command, Zeke began running laps around the training ground.

“Faster!” Duke shouted.

Zeke picked up his pace, sprinting around the vast arena while Duke closely observed him.

When Zeke had completed about fifty laps, Duke yelled,

“Stop!”

Zeke halted and approached Duke, his breathing heavy.

“Do I not need to run anymore?”

Narrowing his eyes, Duke stared at Zeke and said,

“There’s something strange I’ve been noticing about you.”

In an instant, Duke’s figure vanished. The next moment, he reappeared behind Zeke, reaching for his wrist.

Zeke narrowly avoided Duke’s sudden move to grab his arm, dodging at the last second.

Duke stared at his outstretched hand, now clutching empty air, with a blank expression.

“Did… did you dodge that?”

“What’s with the sudden attack, Master?”

Duke’s authority as a teacher seemed to falter at Zeke’s composed response.

“Grr… whatever. Fine. Zeke, what are you hiding from me?”

Zeke flinched slightly at Duke’s question but feigned ignorance.

“Hiding? What would I be hiding?”

“It was strange when I first saw you. You got internal injuries from that leech, Andrei, yet you moved around like nothing happened. During the test, even when you were supposed to be unable to move, you kept getting back up.”

Zeke maintained his calm expression.

“I’m just pretty tough, that’s all.”

“You think I’m an idiot? Toughness alone doesn’t explain it.”

Zeke felt a pang of anxiety.

‘Damn it, if he finds out I haven’t undergone aura awakening, everything will fall apart.’

Zeke’s plan was to keep that fact hidden until he learned the Swift Wind Technique and completed the Sun Blade Gram. Then, he would convert mana into aura and use it freely.

At that moment, Duke spoke again.

“Could it be… Are you an Irregular?”

An Irregular referred to someone with a unique and unidentifiable ability.

However, the perception of Irregulars in the central continent wasn’t favorable.

They were often labeled as cursed beings, ostracized, and driven out of villages. There was even a past instance where an Irregular destroyed an entire kingdom and became a continental enemy, so the fear wasn’t entirely baseless.

Although Zeke was familiar with the term, he played dumb.

“What’s an Irregular, Master?”

Duke stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“Well, considering you just left The Cradle, you might not know about it.”

Looking at Zeke, he explained,

“Irregulars are people with strange, unique abilities like yours. The problem is…”

Duke stopped mid-sentence, deciding not to continue.

“Never mind. It’s not something to worry about. Just don’t go around declaring yourself an Irregular anywhere.”

“Master, does that mean I won’t be able to learn the Swift Wind Technique?”

Duke shook his head.

“The Swift Wind Technique is different from other secret arts of the Drakers. It’s not about using the power of aura. It’s about maximizing the strength of the body itself.”

Hearing Duke’s explanation, Zeke realized his assumptions had been correct.

‘Before regression, I pushed my physical strength to its limits using Healing. Now, with the Healing Factor and Endless Stamina skills, I might be able to learn the Swift Wind Technique even without aura. That’s a relief.’

Duke looked at Zeke and said,

“Alright, watch carefully.”

He began to move in erratic patterns, twisting his body and changing directions rapidly while leaving faint footprints on the ground.

Duke’s movements traced a circular path, diverging briefly in another direction before returning to the original circle.

After completing his strange, flowing movements and leaving a trail of footprints, Duke returned to his starting position.

“Did you watch the footwork I just demonstrated?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure you caught all of it?”

“Yes, I saw everything.”

“Good. Then follow the exact trail of footprints I left.”

Duke smirked and stepped aside, gesturing for Zeke to try.

Zeke stared at the trail of footprints for a moment before turning to Duke.

“Master.”

“What? Don’t tell me you’re giving up already.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just that your stride is different from mine. Would it be alright if I adjusted it to match my own stride and tried it alongside you?”

“What?”

Before Duke could respond, Zeke began moving, mirroring the footwork beside the original trail.

He traced the circle, shifted to another direction, and returned to the circle seamlessly.

Starting with a four-directional movement, then an eight-directional one, and finally a sixty-four-directional path—all the essentials of the Swift Wind Technique’s fundamental footwork were executed flawlessly.

After finishing and returning to his original position, Zeke frowned slightly.

“Ah, I got one wrong. That step should’ve gone to the right, not the left.”

Duke was left speechless, staring at Zeke, who had perfectly replicated the footwork on his first try.

“You… you… how…?”

Since his body had been transformed into a Divine Body (천골지체), Zeke’s ability to grasp martial techniques had become unparalleled.

A heaven-sent talent that allowed him to replicate any skill he saw with absolute precision—this was the power of the Divine Body.

Watching Zeke flawlessly execute the Swift Wind Technique’s foundational footwork after just one demonstration, Duke struggled to collect his thoughts.

“W-wait a moment.”

Duke’s body blurred as he moved swiftly.

Cha-rarararak!

With rapid, intricate steps, Duke began creating a new trail of footprints in the training ground.

The new set of movements was far more complex and expansive than before, covering the entire training ground.

Before Zeke realized it, Duke’s footprints had filled every corner of the arena.

Watching Duke return to his original position, Zeke hesitantly asked, “Am I supposed to follow this as well?”

He asked with a sense of disbelief, as if hoping the answer would be no.

“Yeah, give it a try,” Duke replied nonchalantly.

Zeke pondered for a moment before nodding. Slowly, he began stepping through the intricate patterns of Duke’s Swift Wind Technique’s Linked Footwork.

Whip! Whip!

With each step, Zeke’s figure blurred briefly.

Even though he was only replicating the foundational movements, the essence of the Swift Wind Technique began to take root in his body.

‘This is insane… I’ve never seen talent like this before,’ Duke thought, stunned.

Having honed his body to its limits in his past life, Zeke could feel the profound mysteries embedded within Duke’s footwork.

As he followed the ever-changing steps, he instinctively visualized imaginary opponents and adjusted his movements to counter them, absorbing the technique on a deeper level.

Swish!

Zeke’s movements grew noticeably faster than when he began.

By the time he completed a full circuit of the training ground and returned to his starting point, a system message appeared before his eyes.

[The Special Skill category has been activated.]

[You have acquired the Special Skill Swift Wind Technique (A-Rank).]

[Some Active Skills have been absorbed into the Special Skill category.]

[As a reward for unlocking the Special Skill category, you have gained 50 points.]