A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 7

Before Zeke’s eyes, a series of messages appeared in rapid succession.

[With synchronization to the terminal, the ‘Blessing of the Ancient Dragon’ engraved upon the user’s soul is activated.]

[The bloodline talent ‘Warrior’s Blood’ awakens.]

[Awakened talents are merging.]

[A new class is formed due to the rare combination of talents.]

[The unique class ‘Immortal’ has been awakened.]

A low hum resonated—Wooong!

The crimson light emanating from the Sword Deity Statue suddenly shifted to a radiant golden hue. Simultaneously, Zeke’s body became enveloped in the same golden brilliance.

At that moment, new messages flashed before Zeke’s eyes.

[The class skill ‘Healing’ has evolved into the passive skill ‘Healing Factor.’]

[The class skill ‘Composed Mind’ has evolved into the passive skill ‘Unyielding Mental Defense.’]

[The class skill ‘Vigor Recovery’ has evolved into the passive skill ‘Endless Stamina.’]

[The class skill ‘Heightened Senses’ has evolved into the passive skill ‘Combat Instinct.’]

Zeke read the continuous stream of messages.

“My class and skills have changed?”

[Due to the bloodline talent, your constitution has transformed into a ‘Mana-Resistant’ body.]

[As a class feature, the ‘Mana-Resistant’ constitution has been refined into a skill.]

[The refined constitution has evolved into the skill ‘Mana Reflection (Grade A).’]

[The unique class exclusive skill ‘Area Buff (Grade A)’ has been granted.]

[As a unique class perk, 100 Karma Points have been awarded.]

Zeke was astonished.

“A refined constitution? Class-exclusive skills? What is all this?”

As Zeke read the messages, the golden light began to fade, and the onlookers descended into chaos.

“G-Golden light?”

“What on earth is going on?”

“I-Is this really Pureblood Awakening?”

The entire hall erupted into murmurs.

It was clear that this was entirely different from a typical Draker awakening, leaving everyone momentarily speechless.

Then, a distinct sound echoed through the hall.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Standing at the back of the room, observing the ceremony, Abel Draker clapped his hands.

Then he called out loudly, “What are you doing?! Quickly, bring gloves for the youngest!”

The gloves that suppressed mana disruption were a symbol of Pureblood Awakening.

As a direct descendant and a Pureblood Awakener himself, Abel Draker had recognized Zeke as a Pureblood Awakener.

Hearing Abel’s command, Pan hesitated momentarily before finally speaking.

“Bring the gloves.”

The attendants rushed to comply, bringing a pair of gloves to Zeke.

They were plain, unadorned leather gloves.

Once Zeke joined the academy, custom gloves specifically tailored for him would be made.

Zeke slowly picked up the temporary gauntlet and slipped it onto his hand.

He felt the weight of the heavy armor.

As Zeke turned to return to his seat, Abel approached him.

“Congratulations on your Pureblood Awakening, youngest,” Abel said, extending his hand toward Zeke.

Looking at Abel’s outstretched hand, Zeke recalled memories from his previous life.

The Knight of Carnage, Abel Draker.

The flames of war he ignited ultimately came full circle, utterly transforming Zeke’s life.

Because of him, Zeke had lost the person he cherished most.

Unconsciously, Zeke clenched his fist as he stared at Abel’s offered hand.

“Well, this is awkward,” Abel remarked, withdrawing his hand and looking down at Zeke.

In Abel’s eyes, Zeke caught a glimpse of calm yet unsettling madness.

Abel smiled at him.

“Let’s meet again,” he said, turning and leaving the hall.

Watching Abel’s retreating figure, Zeke clenched his fist tighter.

‘Abel, I don’t know what you’re planning, but I won’t be caught off guard so easily.’

* * *

When the Blessing Ceremony concluded, a grand party was held for the trainees who had graduated from The Cradle.

This class, too, had all received the Blessing of Aura, with two trainees achieving Pureblood Awakening.

Those who witnessed the ceremony couldn’t stop talking about the awakenings of Reina and Zeke.

Particularly, Zeke’s golden hue was an unprecedented phenomenon that captured everyone’s attention.

Yet, the person who was practically the party’s star, Zeke, was nowhere to be found.

The moment the party began, he had slipped away to his room.

“Phew…”

Once inside, Zeke discarded the stifling ceremonial attire.

The room, reserved for Pureblood Awakeners, was elegantly furnished with luxurious furniture—a place unimaginable for the Zeke of his previous life.

‘Pureblood Awakening does have its perks.’

He removed the gauntlet from his hand and held it up to the ether lamp.

However, despite waving his hand before it, the ether lamp showed no reaction.

‘Strange.’

Pureblood Drakers were known to possess the ability of Mana Disruption.

A power that proved their inherent antagonism toward dragons, often called creatures of mana.

The problem was that because of this ability, Pureblood Drakers couldn’t lead normal lives without their gloves.

Despite being recognized as a Pureblood Awakener, Zeke’s Mana Disruption ability failed to manifest.

“Status window, open.”

[Lesser Administrator Status Window]
– Name: Zeke Draker
– Class: Immortal (Unique Rank)
– Title: Blessed by the Ancient Dragon
– Passive Skills: Healing Factor / Stalwart Mental Defense / Infinite Stamina / Combat Instinct
– Active Skills:
– Precise Stab [E Rank (Expert)]
– Consecutive Slashes [D Rank (Beginner)]
– Critical Strike [D Rank (Skilled)]
– Swift Step [D Rank (Skilled)]
– Mana Reflection [A Rank (Beginner)]
– Area Buff [A Rank (Beginner)]
– Draconian Skills: (Locked—10 Karma Points required to unlock)
– Available Karma Points: 100

The contents of his status window were completely different from before.

“Immortal. Unique Rank.”

Before the Blessing Ceremony, Zeke’s class had been Healer, with a Rare rank.

Zeke realized something.

‘The system mentioned that classification data was lost during identification, and the system forcefully inserted the information.’

This meant that the Sword Deity Statue had limitations when it came to class identification.

By comparing his reaction to the other awakeners at the statue, Zeke uncovered the truth behind the Blessing Ceremony.

“Damn it. It’s a relic that can only identify swordsman classes, so of course it wouldn’t respond to a Healer class.”

Grinding his teeth, Zeke recalled the hardships he had endured in his past life.

The Sword Deity Statue used in the Blessing Ceremony was an ancient relic dating back to the era before Terakan Draker, the family’s progenitor.

Its origins and functions remained obscure. Only the rule that a blue light indicated a regular awakening and a red light signified a Pureblood Awakening had been passed down.

If, in his previous life, the statue had been capable of identifying Healer awakenings, it would have reacted to his Rare rank and emitted a red light.

Zeke remembered how his red light had shifted to gold during this life’s Blessing Ceremony.

“It must have turned gold because my class changed from the Rare-rank Healer to the Unique-rank Immortal.”

He reviewed the new skills he had acquired.

“The skills granted as perks of the Unique class are A-ranked. That means their effects must be significant.”

Zeke first examined the descriptions of Mana Reflection and Area Buff.

– Mana Reflection: Deploys a distortion field to nullify surrounding mana.
– Area Buff: Allows the caster to transfer their skills to multiple targets within a range.

“Nullifying mana and transferring skills on a wide scale?”

Zeke, with his extensive combat experience, immediately thought of dozens of strategies to catch enemies off guard with just these two new skills. A satisfied smile spread across his face.

“If I test these here, the ether lamps will all explode. Better to quietly try them out later. Now, let’s see… there’s the 100 Karma Points I got as a Unique class perk.”

The 100 points granted by his Unique class awakening were available for use.

He turned his attention to the locked Draconian Skills category and selected it.

[Do you wish to use points to unlock the Draconian Skills category?]

‘What should I do?’

After a brief moment of hesitation, Zeke decided to use the points. There wasn’t anything else pressing to spend them on, after all.

Ding!

[Draconian Skills category unlocked. The skill list is now accessible.]

Zeke opened the status window for the Draconian Skills.

―Draconian Skills, Level 1―
– Dragon’s Eye (Locked, 20 Points)
– Dragon’s Majesty (Locked, 30 Points)
– Gluttony (Locked, 50 Points)

(Unlocking Level 2 requires 50 Karma Points.)

“What is this?”

Zeke had high expectations for something called Draconian Skills, but the results seemed underwhelming.

‘Is it because these are Level 1 skills?’

He pressed on the skill descriptions for more information.

―Draconian Skills, Level 1 Descriptions―
– Dragon’s Eye: Enhances vision, allowing for detailed observation and analysis of targets. (20 Points required to unlock)
– Dragon’s Majesty: Overwhelms enemies with a commanding aura, forcing submission. (30 Points required to unlock)
– Gluttony: Enables the user to consume and digest large quantities efficiently. (50 Points required to unlock)

“Huh…?”

All three skills required additional points to unlock before they could be used.

‘But what’s with the last one?’

He could understand the utility of Dragon’s Eye and Dragon’s Majesty, but Gluttony left him puzzled.

“Why does it take more points to unlock the ability to eat a lot and digest it compared to the other skills?”

Without using the skill, he couldn’t fully grasp its potential.

Zeke stared at the three skills, weighing his options. He had already spent 10 points to access the Draconian Skills category, leaving him with 90 points.

‘Let’s say I unlock Dragon’s Eye for now… that leaves a choice between Majesty and Gluttony.’

Unlocking all three wasn’t feasible since he was 10 points short. Unlocking Dragon’s Eye and then trying to reveal Level 2 skills would also be pointless without enough points to learn any of them.

After deliberating, Zeke decided to prioritize Dragon’s Majesty over Gluttony.

“I’ll save Gluttony for after I take down some monsters,” he concluded.

Zeke opened the skill windows for Dragon’s Eye and Dragon’s Majesty and pressed the unlock buttons.

[Do you wish to unlock the Draconian Skill, Dragon’s Eye?]
[Do you wish to unlock the Draconian Skill, Dragon’s Majesty?]

‘Yes, unlock both.’

The screen shifted immediately.

Draconian Skills (Level 1 Unlocked):
– Dragon’s Eye (Beginner)
– Dragon’s Majesty (Beginner)
Remaining Karma Points: 40

Both skills were now active in the Draconian Skills category.

Zeke examined the two skills, pondering.

“How… do I test these?”

Though uncertain, he decided to activate Dragon’s Eye first.

[Dragon’s Eye activated.]

Suddenly, his vision transformed.

‘Huh?’

It was an entirely different sensation compared to his normal sight. Turning toward the darker areas of the room, what was once invisible now appeared in shades of green, making the shapes of objects discernible.

“Wow, what is this?”

The skill allowed him to see beyond the typical human field of vision.

Then, something caught Zeke’s attention.

[Would you like to view the detected object’s information?]

‘Object information? Let’s see.’

– [Chair made during the Ruben Dynasty.]
– [Decorative candlestick crafted in the Cyclone region.]
– [Desk made of olive wood from the Misok region.]

As he looked around, the objects in the room automatically displayed their information.

“This is incredible. How is something like this even possible?”

At that moment, Dragon’s Eye deactivated, and Zeke’s vision returned to normal.

He suddenly felt a wave of fatigue wash over him.

“Ugh… The better the performance, the higher the cost.”

Judging by the exhaustion, it was clear the skill’s usage would be limited to a few times a day.

“Alright, let’s move on to Dragon’s Majesty.”

Fighting off dizziness, Zeke activated the skill.

[Dragon’s Majesty activated.]

Wooooong!

A faint wave emanated from Zeke’s body, spreading outward in all directions.

“So this is Dragon’s Majesty?”

Zeke stood in his room, observing the range of the wave. It extended roughly three meters around him, though it was difficult to measure its exact reach as the effect diffused beyond the room.

Once the wave dissipated, the skill deactivated on its own.

“Does this wave instill a sense of pressure?”

The issue was that there were no enemies around to test the skill’s effects.

Suddenly—

Bang!

The door burst open, and Decker stormed into Zeke’s room, his expression stiff. In his hand was a small dagger.

“D-Decker? What’s going on?”

Decker positioned himself in front of Zeke and shouted, “Young Master, get back! There’s an intruder!”

Zeke was taken aback by Decker’s reaction.

Decker raised his sensory perception, trying to track the traces of the presence he had felt moments ago.

But no matter how much he focused, he couldn’t detect anything.

‘What’s going on? I definitely sensed a terrifying presence coming from this direction.’

Through Decker’s reaction, Zeke indirectly experienced the power of Dragon’s Majesty.

‘If someone like Decker, who’s at the level of a Blue Knight, reacts this strongly… I could probably subdue most small fry outright.’

Unable to find any trace of an intruder, Decker eventually resolved to strengthen the surrounding security and left the room.

Once Decker was gone, Zeke let out a deep breath, wiping away cold sweat.

“Phew, this isn’t a skill I can use recklessly.”

Using Dragon’s Majesty had also left him feeling drained.

“At this rate, I won’t even be able to use these skills a handful of times.”

No matter how powerful the skills were, their utility was limited if they could only be used sparingly.

Just then, another notification appeared before his eyes.