A Dragonslayer's Peerless Regression

[Translator - Peptobismal]

[Proofreader - Max]

Chapter 39

“Dragon Slayer Techniques?”

The true meaning of the Dragon sword left by Saturn Draker was a method for humans to slay dragons.

Zeke read through his words.

[With the help of the great King Kaisir, humans were able to form contracts with dragons, the so-called Harmonizers of All Creation.

Compared to other races, humans, with their many shortcomings, were always frail beings.

Dragons took pity on such humans and generously shared their knowledge with their contractors.

After the King kaisir, those who contracted with dragons settled throughout the continents and began to establish their own civilizations.

The speed of their development was so unbelievably fast that I felt a sense of fear.

The fear I felt stemmed from the incomprehensible existence of dragons.

If these beings with infinite power and knowledge were to one day suddenly change their minds and decide to wipe out humanity from this world, all humans would vanish on that day.

Trying to suppress the fear growing within my heart, I sought various ways for humans to oppose dragons.

The first thing I considered was magic.

However, magic was the first gift dragons gave to humans.

They taught humans how to create magic circles in their hearts to generate magical power like dragons.

It was absurd to try and stop a magical race like dragons with magic.

The second was the King Kaisir’s Elemental Sword. But this power was only granted to him, who inherited the blood of the Elven King.

At first, I researched various ways for humans to use the Elemental Sword.

Ironically, it was the King's contracted dragon, Kronos, who most enthusiastically helped me with this research.

Kronos, intrigued by my research, sought ways to transcend human limitations by combining various magical experiments, the abilities of the Eastern Continent's successors, and the King Kaisir’s Elemental Sword.

And eventually, Kronos and I discovered a power called 'Aura.'

We found a way to manifest a different kind of power within the human body, one that was neither elemental nor magical.

Having found a clue for humans to overcome their limitations, I continued my research even after King Kaisir departed to the spirit world.

And finally, by completing the True Dragon Sword, I was able to perfectly control the power of Aura.

I passed this True Dragon Sword on to not only the Kingdom of Kronos but to all human kingdoms.

It was a desperate act to prevent humanity from perishing helplessly if dragons ever turned their backs on them.

The problem was that there was no one who could fully understand and wield this True Dragon Sword.

Mastering Aura required arduous training and bone-chilling pain, but by using artifacts created by dragons, one could easily obtain far greater power.

Thus, my True Dragon Sword struggled to find a proper successor, leading me to leave this secret manual.

If there is a successor who finds this manual, I implore you to understand my will and diligently strive to master it.]

Saturn Draker's plea ended here.

Simultaneously, a message appeared.

—Achievement Quest (Intermediate Mission)—

[Learn the True Dragon Sword, the secret tradition of Sword Saint Saturn Draker. (Time Limit: Three Months)]

[Quest Mission Reward: Title 'Successor of the Sword Saint' / Coordinates to the Kronos Kingdom Treasury]

"The Kronos Kingdom Treasury as a reward."

If it was the treasury of an ancient kingdom, there was a high probability of finding valuable items.

It was a useful reward for Zeke, who was trying to build his own forces.

Moreover, True Dragon Sword was the origin of Dragon Slayer techniques, a secret swordsmanship.

A profound technique left by Saturn Draker, the creator of Aura, would surely be the key to overcoming the wall of the Black Knights.

'Three months is the time limit. I need to focus on mastering the True Dragon Sword while I'm in Valhalla.'

Suddenly, Zeke noticed something strange.

The Dragon Slayer bloodline of the Draker clan had a much longer history than what was commonly known.

Then why was there no record of Saturn Draker's story or his successor, Terakan Draker?

Everyone knew about the feat of Dragon Slayer Terakan Draker, who slew the Evil Dragon Bahamut and saved the Central Continent.

But surprisingly, not much was known about Terakan Draker himself.

Although everyone knew about the Liberation War that took place a thousand years ago, the information available was passed down more as legends than historical facts.

Because of this, Terakan Draker felt more like a mythical hero like Kaisir than a real historical figure.

'Why haven't I ever questioned this before?'

It was more accurate to say that he hadn't felt the need to question it rather than not having questioned it at all.

Zeke himself hadn't given much thought to the legend of the Dragon Slayer until he inherited Terakan Draker's legacy.

However, as he formed direct and indirect relationships with those he once considered figures of legend and myth, he began to think that there might be something hidden beneath the surface of what he knew.

"System, search the security archives for any personal records of Terakan Draker. Something like a diary."

[Searching for the administrator's request.]

[There is one search result for your request.]

Zeke opened the content found by the System.

A video appeared before his eyes.

The video seemed to be damaged, with a lot of noise on the screen.

Still, it was possible to make out the general content; it seemed like someone had recorded what they saw and heard.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

[Correcting the video.]

As the System corrected the video, the noisy screen became clearer than before.

Something appeared on the screen.

At first, Zeke couldn't recognize what it was.

Then, a moment later, he realized.

“A dragon?”

A being so enormous that it seemed impossible to exist in this world was staring at Zeke.

A gigantic dragon, its entire body covered in black, hard scales, looked down at him with golden eyes.

Just from being looked at, he felt an overwhelming pressure that seemed to annihilate everything and freeze his soul.

Then, that being spoken.

"Terakan."

Zeke realized that the gaze in the video belonged to Terakan Draker.

"Bahamut."

Terakan Draker called the black dragon before him Bahamut.

Bahamut slowly lowered his head and said,

"Terakan, my contractor."

Zeke was startled upon hearing those words.

'Terakan was Bahamut's contractor?'

Bzzzt!

The noise intensified again.

He couldn't clearly hear what Bahamut and Terakan were saying.

The screen flickered, cutting in and out.

When the screen resumed, Terakan Draker's sword was plunged right between Bahamut's eyes.

It seemed like the two were conversing, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.

A moment later, Bahamut completely lowered his head to the ground and closed his eyes.

And starting from where Terakan Draker had pierced him with his sword, Bahamut's body slowly turned to black ash and scattered.

Only a heart shining like a jewel and one of his hardest fangs remained where his body had been.

And the video ended.

Zeke wore a dumbfounded expression, unable to believe what he had just seen.

'Bahamut was Terakan Draker's contracted dragon?'

Zeke was deeply confused by the fact that Terakan Draker and Bahamut had a contractual relationship.

There was definitely something more to the legend of the Dragon Slayer than what was known.

Zeke's sharp senses kicked in.

'Perhaps an important secret of the Draker clan is hidden within this.'

If he could get his hands on the clan secret, it could become a useful card to play someday.

Zeke decided to investigate the hidden details of the Dragon Slayer legend.

He was currently in Valhalla Library, the best library in the Central Continent.

Zeke began to search for and read every book on the Dragon Slayer legend in Valhalla Library.

And he discovered a surprising fact.

"All the content is the same."

As if intentionally fabricated, the information about the Dragon Slayer legend only mentioned how Terakan Draker defeated Bahamut and ushered in a golden age for the Central Continent.

Even more surprising was that there were no research papers or books that delved deeper into the subject.

Compared to the hundreds of books and papers on King Kaisir, whose existence was uncertain, there was practically nothing on Terakan Draker.

"How can this be?"

It was as if someone had intentionally deleted and censored all information about Trrakan Draker.

Zeke even realized that in his past life, he hadn't even been aware of this situation.

Feeling that there was no point in trying to learn more about Terakan Draker at Valhalla Library, Zeke returned to the mansion.

He then contacted Kay separately.

He requested that she search for and send him any books on Terakan Draker from all regions, including the Central Continent.

A week later, Zeke received a bundle of books from Kay.

They were books about the Dragon Slayer legend, written in the languages of the Northern and Southern Continents.

The problem was that these, too, were not much different from what Zeke had seen in Valhalla.

Zeke read the letter Kay had enclosed.

<While searching for books about Terakan Draker, I understood why you made such a request. Almost all the books available are similar. The books I brought from other continents are only slightly different in format.

I also found it strange and inquired through rare book channels. Do you know what the response was? 'Forbidden.' That was the only word I got back. And as far as I know, there's only one reason for such a reaction. It means that the ones blocking research on Terakan Draker are none other than the Draker clan.>

Upon receiving Kay's letter, Zeke confirmed that his suspicions were correct.

The Drakers were hiding the history of Terakan Draker and censoring information about him.

It was difficult to understand why the Drakers, who had risen to the position of one of the three Transcendent clans with the title of Dragon Slayer clan, would go to such lengths to erase the past of their ancestor, Terakan Draker.

Zeke burned Kay's letter.

It seemed like there was a bigger secret hidden within this than he had initially thought.

It was then...

'Who is it?'

Zeke sensed the presence of intruders stealthily approaching.

Having mastered elemental power through the Elemental Sword, Zeke's senses were on a different level compared to ordinary knights.

He drew Bahamut and immediately pressed himself against the wall, concealing his body.

Judging by the way they concealed their presence and moved systematically, they were professionals, not amateurs.

'Am I being followed by the Empire's Hounds? That can't be...'

When he killed the Hounds he encountered in the Giant Mountains, he only left traces of himself as a Southern Hitman.

Moreover, he had used a portal to descend from the mountain, so there shouldn't have been any traces left behind.

Puzzled, Zeke held his breath and watched as they entered his room.

The intruders, dressed in black, began searching his room, unaware that Zeke was hiding.

Their movements were so cautious and stealthy that if he hadn't noticed them beforehand, it would have been difficult to even detect any signs of the room being searched.

Zeke realized that these were not the Empire's Hounds.

The Hounds wouldn't move so covertly and quietly.

The moment he realized this, Zeke approached them, using the Phantom Step.

Whoosh!

Holding a dagger instead of Bahamut, Zeke got behind one of the intruders and immediately tried to behead him.

But to his surprise, the intruder twisted his body to avoid Zeke's attack and immediately rolled out of the way, escaping.

Zeke moved towards the others who hadn't yet exited the room.

Swish!

He threw his dagger towards their legs to prevent them from escaping.

However, the other intruder also succeeded in dodging Zeke's attack and immediately tried to flee outside.

'They're at least the level of a Purple Knight.'

Zeke gripped his dagger and used the Phantom Step.

Slash!

Just as he was about to escape through the window, the intruder, blocked by Zeke's sword, had no choice but to roll back into the room.

The black-clad figure, his face hidden by a mask, lowered his stance and drew the sword from his waist.

Seeing the sword the intruder drew, Zeke realized their identity.

'Northern Rangers?'

[Translator - Peptobismal]

[Proofreader - Max]