A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 5

For the swordsmanship sparring evaluation, all the trainees of The Cradle gathered at the central training ground.

“Line up!”

Over a hundred trainees formed neat rows and columns, their expressions tense.

Although Pankration was also a subject of evaluation, swordsmanship was undeniably the most crucial aspect.

Despite being only twelve years old, The Cradle’s trainees already possessed the sharp eyes of warriors.

Together with the chief instructor, Pan Mark, other instructors inspected the trainees.

It was then that Pan, as he scanned the lined-up trainees, narrowed his eyes sharply.

“Zeke! Where is Zeke?”

No matter how much he looked around, Zeke’s figure was nowhere to be found.

The other trainees began glancing around nervously, whispering amongst themselves.

The instructors barked at them.

“Silence!”

“Who dares chatter before a sacred evaluation?”

The trainees snapped back to attention, their eyes fixed forward with even greater intensity.

At that moment—

Clank! Clank!

From the far end of the training ground, someone trudged along, carrying a claymore slung over their shoulder.

It was none other than Zeke.

Seeing Zeke striding in nonchalantly, despite being late for the evaluation, everyone was at a loss for words.

Zeke casually positioned himself at the very back, without much regard for proper placement.

Seeing this, Pan glared at him fiercely.

“Zeke Draker. Are you not only late but also unable to find your assigned spot?”

For a regular trainee, Pan’s low, commanding tone alone would have been enough to instill fear.

But Zeke was a man who had survived twenty years of trials and tribulations across the continent.

A mere show of Pan’s intimidation wasn’t enough to make him flinch.

Turning his head left and right with exaggerated nonchalance, Zeke walked toward an empty spot in the front row.

Thud!

Claiming his place, he stabbed the claymore into the ground and raised his head, locking eyes with Pan.

‘Zeke Draker… just what in the world happened to you?’

Pan found Zeke’s behavior aggravating, but there was little he could do in the current situation. Opting to proceed with the evaluation instead, he continued.

“Now, we will begin the swordsmanship sparring, the most critical component of The Cradle’s completion evaluation.”

Though it was called sparring, it was a brutal assessment conducted with live steel, where deaths were not uncommon.

Pan spoke again, his tone grave.

“The scores from this final evaluation, combined with the results of next month’s Blessing Ceremony and Aura Awakening, will determine your eligibility for academy admission and your class assignments.”

At Pan’s words, every trainee except Zeke audibly gulped.

While the others were consumed by thoughts of advancing to the academy, Zeke was different.

‘Aura Awakening, huh.’

In his previous life, one of the main reasons he was treated like trash was painfully clear.

The problem was that, in this life as well, Zeke had been assigned to the Healer Class.

Lacking the talents of a swordsman and instead possessing those of a healer, Zeke could not undergo Aura Awakening.

His heart pounded.

‘I cannot allow myself to be treated like trash in this life, just as I was in the last.’

Before the Blessing Ceremony, he needed to make a decisive impression.

After the tedious explanation about The Cradle’s completion process ended, Pan scanned the trainees before speaking.

“We will now commence the final evaluation test: the swordsmanship sparring.”

Pan’s gaze shifted and landed on Zeke in the front row.

“Zeke, step onto the training ground.”

Being called first so abruptly was unexpected, but Zeke ascended the training platform without a word.

Seeing Zeke with his claymore slung over his shoulder, Pan frowned.

“Are you seriously planning to use that sword?”

Zeke looked directly at Pan and responded.

“Is there a rule against it?”

There was no rule prohibiting the use of a claymore. However, within the Draker Household, known for its ethos of knights among knights, no one walked around with the unkempt air of a mercenary like Zeke did.

The trainees, seeing Zeke’s appearance, snickered among themselves.

“He must think the bigger the sword, the stronger he’ll be.”

“Guess his win in Pankration was just dumb luck.”

Pan, too, clicked his tongue internally at Zeke’s demeanor.

‘Was it foolish of me to have any expectations?’

As he was about to call Zeke’s opponent—

“Instructor.”

A voice interrupted him.

Pan turned toward the trainee who had spoken.

It was Reina Turunn.

A prodigy who had already achieved Aura Awakening before the Blessing Ceremony. She was a talent even the Draker Household regarded with interest.

“Please allow me to spar with Zeke Draker.”

Pan hesitated slightly at Reina’s request.

Though curious about Zeke’s skill, he wasn’t sure if Reina was the appropriate opponent for him.

‘How many among the trainees could withstand even three exchanges of Reina’s sword?’

While Pan hesitated, Zeke, standing on the training platform, called out casually.

“What’s there to think about? She’s asking to spar with me.”

Pan addressed Zeke with a firm tone.

“Are you sure you want to spar with Reina Turunn?”

Without replying, Zeke simply raised his sword.

With the situation having escalated to this point, Pan could no longer intervene. He nodded toward Reina.

Thud!

Reina stepped onto the training platform opposite Zeke.

Unlike Zeke, who wielded a claymore, Reina held a standard arming sword.

Looking at Reina, Zeke felt a strange excitement building within him.

‘Sparring with the Lightning Knight. What an honor.’

Reina silently unsheathed her sword.

Zeke, too, raised his claymore.

As she watched Zeke grip his sword, Reina noticed something unusual.

‘This is different.’

They had trained together at The Cradle for five years. She had seen Zeke handle a sword countless times.

He had been someone who couldn’t even properly grip a sword. At one point, he had a custom lightweight training sword made because he couldn’t manage the weight of a standard one.

And yet now, he was handling a claymore—much larger and heavier than a standard sword—with ease.

‘It’s subtle, but his body is bigger, and he’s gained muscle compared to a week ago.’

It was impossible, according to conventional logic, for someone to undergo such dramatic physical changes in just one week.

‘I’ll know once we cross swords.’

Reina stepped forward.

Though Zeke outwardly appeared calm, he was tense inside.

‘Reina Turunn. A pureblood awakened during the Blessing Ceremony. The greatest talent among the next generation of the Draker Household.’

In his past life, he hadn’t even come close to reaching her level at The Cradle.

But this time, things were different.

Zeke could feel the heat radiating from his entire body.

It was then that Pan shouted.

“Begin the sparring!”

At his cry, Reina moved first.

Wham!

She launched forward, kicking off the ground, and swung her sword directly at Zeke.

Her sword, charged with formidable strength, collided with Zeke’s claymore.

Clang!

The impact rang out like the toll of a massive bell as the two blades struck.

Zeke was pushed back, holding his claymore.

Reina quickly shifted to Zeke’s flank and delivered another strike.

Clang!

Again, their swords collided, producing a sharp, reverberating sound.

Zeke, however, remained stationary, doing nothing but blocking Reina’s blows.

From the spectator seats, among the observing cousins, Leon Conrad was the first to speak.

“That idiot Zeke’s already done for.”

Leon twisted his lips into a mocking grin.

Sitting beside him, Jakenn Vardec said nothing, quietly observing Zeke.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Even as Reina unleashed a relentless barrage of powerful attacks, Zeke continued to retreat, never once counterattacking.

Watching this, Leon yelled toward Reina from his seat.

“Reina! Stop toying with him and just finish him off already!”

And then—

“You fool.”

Jakenn’s sharp voice cut through the air as he directed his words at Leon.

Leon glared at Jakenn, his eyes flaring.

“What did you say? You bastard—”

Before he could finish, Jakenn turned his head and shot Leon a cold glare.

For all his bluster, Leon froze and flinched, retreating slightly under Jakenn’s intense gaze.

Leon remained silent, knowing full well his skills were no match for Jakenn’s.

“Does that look like Reina toying with him to you?”

Only then did Leon notice something odd.

The expressions of those on the other side, like Owen Zimmens, the other instructors, and especially Chief Instructor Pan Mark, were stiff.

No—”stunned” would have been a better word to describe it.

Jakenn, as if hammering in the final nail, declared, “That fool Zeke… is completely toying with Reina.”

Leon’s face turned pale at those words.

Indeed, Zeke, who had been effortlessly deflecting Reina’s sword, seemed entirely at ease.

‘So this is what the Sword of the Lightning Knight felt like during The Cradle days.’

It was a sword imbued with precise and immense strength, far beyond what one would expect from a twelve-year-old.

In his previous life, Zeke at the same age couldn’t have wielded such a sword.

But after enduring twenty years of unimaginable hardship before his regression, Reina’s sword now felt like a child’s plaything to him.

The tension and excitement he had initially felt were long gone.

Now, he found himself subtly redirecting Reina’s strikes, effectively guiding her attacks in what had become a practice spar.

‘Fast and strong, but that’s it. It’s too textbook—no individuality.’

While adherence to the basics was commendable, Reina’s strikes were too predictable, lacking the flair of someone who had truly made the sword their own.

Reina herself seemed to sense something was amiss as she swung her sword, only to find her attacks repeatedly deflected with ease.

Eventually, she stepped back, lowering her blade.

“Phew… Phew…”

Reina steadied her breathing as she raised her sword again, glaring at Zeke.

Never before had she lost her breath in a sparring match with her peers.

But the Zeke standing before her didn’t feel like a peer.

It was more akin to sparring with an instructor.

As Reina hesitated, Zeke shifted his grip on his claymore, lowering it slightly.

‘Let’s see if I can break her mold.’

In an instant, Zeke closed the distance between them.

Srrrk!

His movement was smooth, almost like gliding across the ground, and Pan’s eyes widened in shock.

‘That’s quick-stepping! How does he know that?’

Quick-stepping wasn’t even considered an advanced technique.

It was a fundamental skill of combat—rapidly narrowing the gap to bring the opponent within one’s range.

While it sounded simple in theory, mastering it required extensive experience teetering on the edge of life and death in real battles.

As Zeke closed the distance with Reina, something flickered before his eyes.

Even in the midst of narrowing the gap, Zeke found himself reading a message that had suddenly appeared in his vision.

[Active Skill ‘Quick-Stepping’ has been registered.]

‘So, skills can be registered like this.’

Zeke’s quick-stepping was unlike the conventional kind.

He closed the distance with ghost-like speed, leaving no trace of his movement. This was only possible because Zeke possessed muscle fibers far beyond the norm.

Whoosh!

As if folding space itself, Zeke darted forward in an instant.

Simultaneously, his claymore came slashing toward Reina.

Reina hurriedly assumed a defensive stance.

Bang!

The claymore crashed into her sword with overwhelming force.

‘Urgh…!’

Blocking the blow in an unsteady position sent a sharp pain shooting through her wrists.

But it didn’t stop there.

Zeke’s claymore traced unpredictable arcs and struck her sword repeatedly.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Zeke wielded the massive claymore as if it were an extension of his body.

His strikes came from unexpected directions and angles, leaving Reina no room to counterattack.

Before she realized it, her rhythm had been completely thrown off.

Whoosh!

Zeke’s claymore came straight at her from the front.

‘No!’

Instinctively, Reina summoned the power of her Aura.

Bang!

With her aura-infused sword, Reina deflected Zeke’s claymore.

Clang!

Unable to withstand the force of her aura-powered strike, Zeke’s claymore flew out of his hands.

Whirl!

Thud!

The claymore spun through the air and embedded itself into the ground of the training arena.

Seeing Zeke lose his weapon, everyone assumed his defeat was imminent.

But what happened next left them utterly stunned.

“This can’t be…”

As soon as Zeke lost his claymore, he charged directly at Reina.

Using Quick-Stepping, he closed the gap between them and struck her throat with a swift karate chop.

“Guh!”

Reina clutched her throat and stumbled backward.

Even Jakenn and Leon, who had been watching closely, were left with their jaws hanging open.

Knights were taught never to let go of their swords, even in death.

True to this principle, Reina held onto her weapon tightly, even as she staggered.

Leon leapt from his seat, yelling in outrage.

“This is insane! This was supposed to be a sword duel! This kind of brawling doesn’t count!”

Zeke turned his gaze toward Leon.

The cold, razor-sharp intensity of Zeke’s glare made Leon flinch and step back involuntarily.

Chief Instructor Pan was also at a loss, unsure how to rule on Zeke’s unorthodox tactics.

It was then that Reina, her face stern, lowered her sword.

She spoke slowly but firmly.

“I concede.”

Reina Turunn admitted her defeat.

Even after resorting to using her aura, a power she had vowed not to use in sparring against her peers, she had failed to bring Zeke down.

But that wasn’t the only reason she acknowledged her loss.

‘If that had been a dagger instead of a chop…’

Her defeat would have been absolute.

Everyone in the training ground—trainees and instructors alike—was left speechless.

Zeke retrieved his fallen claymore, slinging it back over his shoulder, and walked off the training ground with the same nonchalance he had entered it.

It was only after some time that Pan finally regained his composure and announced the result of the duel.

“Z-Zeke Draker wins!”

The entire training ground was thrown into shock by Zeke’s victory.