A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 39

‘Dragonslaying Art?’

The definition of the Dragon-Cutting Sword Technique left behind by Shaton Draker was a method for humans to slay dragons.

Zeke read through the words he had left behind.

[With the aid of the great Hero King, humans were able to form contracts with dragons, beings referred to as the coordinators of all things.

Humans, who were frail and incomplete compared to other races, had always been weak.

Dragons pitied these humans and generously shared their knowledge with their contractors.

After the Hero King, those who contracted with dragons began to settle in various parts of the continents, establishing civilizations of their own.

Their rate of development was unbelievably fast, and I found myself feeling a certain fear.

The fear I felt was directed at the incomprehensible existence of dragons.

These beings, possessing infinite power and knowledge, could one day change their minds and decide to erase humanity from this world. If that day came, humanity would vanish without a trace.

I suppressed the fear growing in my heart and began exploring various ways for humans to stand against dragons.

The first idea I considered was magic.

However, magic was the first gift that dragons had bestowed upon humanity.
They taught humans how to create circles in their hearts and generate mana like dragons.

It was absurd to think magic could be used to counter dragons, who were a magical species.

The second was the Hero King’s Elemental Sword. But this power was permitted only to him, who inherited the blood of the Fairy King.

Initially, I researched various ways to make the Elemental Sword usable by humans.

Ironically, the one who helped me most enthusiastically with this research was the Hero King’s contracted dragon, Chronos.

Chronos, intrigued by my research, conducted numerous magical experiments, combining the abilities of the heirs of the Eastern Continent, and the Hero King’s Elemental Sword, to find a way for humans to surpass their limitations.

Ultimately, Chronos and I discovered a power known as ‘aura.’

We found a way to manifest a power from the human body that was neither elemental energy nor mana.

Having found a clue to surpass humanity’s limitations, I continued my research even after the Hero King departed for the spirit realm.

And at last, by completing the Dragon-Cutting Sword Technique, I was able to perfectly control the power of aura.

I distributed this Dragon-Cutting Sword Technique not only to the Kingdom of Chronos but to all the kingdoms of humanity.

It was a desperate measure to ensure that humanity would not vanish without a fight if dragons ever turned against us.

The problem, however, was that no one could fully comprehend and execute this Dragon-Cutting Sword Technique.

To master aura, one had to endure excruciating pain through rigorous training. However, using artifacts created by dragons allowed individuals to easily acquire far greater power.

As a result, I was unable to find a suitable successor for my Dragon-Cutting Sword Technique, and so I left this secret manual in the form of a mnemonic.

If any successor finds this secret manual, I hope they will understand my intentions and diligently devote themselves to mastering it.]

Shaton Draker’s message concluded there.

At the same time, a notification appeared.

―Achievement Quest (Intermediate Mission)―

[Master the Dragon-Cutting Sword Technique, the secret skill of Sword Star Shaton Draker. (Time Limit: Three months)]

[Quest Mission Rewards: Title – Successor of the Sword Star / Coordinates to the treasure trove of the Kingdom of Chronos]

“A reward that includes the treasure trove of the Kingdom of Chronos.”

If it truly was the treasure trove of an ancient kingdom, it likely held valuable items.

For Zeke, who was striving to build his own power, this was a highly advantageous reward.

Moreover, the Dragon-Cutting Sword Technique was a secret swordsmanship technique that could be considered the origin of the Dragonslaying Art.

Since it was the ultimate technique left by Shaton Draker, the founder of aura, it was undoubtedly a legacy that could help surpass the wall of the Black Knight.

“A three-month time limit. I’ll need to focus on mastering the Dragon-Cutting Sword Technique while I’m in Valhalla.”

At that moment, Zeke felt something peculiar.

The dragonslayer lineage of the Draker Household had a much older history than what was widely known.

So why was it that the tales of Shaton Draker or the legacy passed down to Terakan Draker were never properly conveyed?

There wasn’t a single person who didn’t know about the accomplishments of Terakan Draker, the dragonslayer who killed the Evil Dragon Bahamut and saved the Central Continent.

Yet, far less was known about Terakan Draker than one would expect.

The Liberation War that took place a thousand years ago was widely recognized, but the details were passed down more as legends than actual historical accounts.

Because of this, Terakan Draker also felt more like a mythical hero, akin to Kysir, rather than a historical figure.

“Why have I never questioned this until now?”

It wasn’t so much that Zeke hadn’t been curious; it was more that he hadn’t felt the need to question it.

Even Zeke had never deeply considered the legends of dragonslayers until he inherited Terakan Draker’s legacy.

However, after forming direct and indirect relationships with individuals he once thought existed only in legends or myths, he began to suspect that there might be something hidden beneath the surface of the stories he knew.

Thank you for pointing that out. Here’s the corrected version with the brackets 「」 adjusted:

—

“System, search for any personal records of Terakan Draker in the secure archive. Something like a diary.”

[Searching for the administrator’s request.]

[Search results: One entry found.]

Zeke opened the content retrieved by the system.

A video projection appeared before his eyes.

The footage seemed damaged, with heavy static disrupting the screen.

Still, it was possible to make out the general details. It appeared to be a record of what someone had seen and heard.

[Correcting the video.]

The system adjusted the projection, making the screen clearer than before, though traces of static remained.

Something began to emerge on the screen.

At first, Zeke couldn’t identify what the presence was.

Then, moments later, he realized.

“A dragon?”

A massive being, so immense it was almost hard to believe such a thing could exist in the world, was staring directly at Zeke.

The enormous dragon, covered in black, hardened scales, gazed down at him with its golden eyes.

Just the weight of its gaze conveyed an overwhelming pressure, as if it could obliterate everything and freeze his soul in place.

At that moment, the creature spoke.

「Terakan.」

Zeke realized that the perspective of the video was that of Terakan Draker.

「Bahamut.」

Terakan Draker addressed the black dragon before him as Bahamut.

Upon hearing this, Bahamut slowly lowered its head and spoke.

「Terakan, my contractor.」

Zeke was shocked by the words.

“Terakan was Bahamut’s contractor?”

*Bzzt!*

The static intensified again.

It became difficult to hear the conversation between Bahamut and Terakan.

The screen flickered and repeatedly cut out.

When the footage resumed, Terakan Draker’s sword was embedded squarely in the center of Bahamut’s forehead.

The two appeared to exchange words, but their voices were indistinct.

Moments later, Bahamut lowered its head completely, eyes closing as if resigning to its fate.

Then, starting from where Terakan’s sword was embedded, Bahamut’s body began to disintegrate into black ash and scatter.

All that remained where Bahamut’s massive form had stood was a radiant, jewel-like heart and a single, unbreakable fang.

The video ended there.

Zeke stared blankly in disbelief.

“Bahamut was Terakan Draker’s contracted dragon?”

The revelation that Terakan Draker and Bahamut were bound by a contract left Zeke deeply shaken.

There was clearly something about the dragonslayer legend that had never been revealed.

Zeke’s sharp intuition kicked in.

“Perhaps a significant secret of the Draker Household is hidden within this truth.”

If the family’s secret could be uncovered, it might one day serve as a powerful card in Zeke’s hand.

Zeke decided to investigate the hidden aspects of the dragonslayer legend.

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

Zeke began searching for and reading every book about the dragonslayer legend available in the library.

What he discovered was astonishing.

“All the content is exactly the same.”

As if intentionally crafted, the accounts of the dragonslayer legend were limited to the narrative that Terakan Draker defeated Bahamut and ushered in a golden age for the Central Continent.

What was even more surprising was the complete absence of research papers or academic studies on the subject.

In stark contrast, there were hundreds of books and papers on Kysir, the Hero King, whose very existence as a historical figure was uncertain. Yet, there was almost nothing on Terakan Draker.

“How is this possible?”

It was as though someone had deliberately erased or censored all records about Terakan Draker.

Even more unsettling, Zeke realized that in his previous life, he had never even noticed this discrepancy.

Feeling that further investigation into Terakan Draker at the Valhalla Library was pointless, Zeke returned to his mansion.

There, he contacted Kay, requesting her to search for and send him any books about Terakan Draker from all regions, including the Central Continent.

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

The books were about the dragonslayer legend and were written in the languages of the Northern and Southern Continents.

The problem was that these books, too, contained nothing significantly different from what Zeke had found in Valhalla.

Zeke read the letter Kay had included.

< As I searched for books on Terakan Draker, I started to understand why you made such a request. The books available on the market are almost identical. The ones from other continents have minor differences in format at best.

I also found it odd, so I tapped into some rare book sources. Do you know what response I got? One word: *Forbidden* (禁). That’s all they said. And as far as I know, there’s usually only one reason for such a reaction—someone is deliberately blocking research on Terakan Draker. And that someone is none other than the Draker Household itself. >

After reading Kay’s letter, Zeke confirmed that his suspicions were correct.

The Draker Household was hiding the history of Terakan Draker and censoring any information related to him.

The Draker Household had risen to the rank of one of the Three Transcendent Families under the name of the Dragonslayer Family. It was difficult to understand why they would go to such lengths to erase the past of their founder, Terakan Draker.

Zeke burned Kay’s letter.

It seemed there was a far greater secret hidden in this matter than he had initially thought.

At that moment.

‘Who is it?’

Zeke’s senses picked up the faint presence of intruders stealthily approaching.

Having mastered elemental energy through the Elemental Sword, Zeke’s sensory perception was on a completely different level from that of ordinary knights.

He grabbed Bahamut and quickly pressed himself against the wall, concealing his presence.

The way the intruders moved—hiding their presence and operating with precise coordination—marked them as professionals, not amateurs.

‘Could it be the Imperial Hounds tracking me? No, that’s unlikely…’

When he killed the Hounds he encountered in the Giant Mountain Range, Zeke had left only traces of himself as a Southern Hitman.

Moreover, he had used a portal to leave the mountain, leaving no trail behind.

Still puzzled, Zeke held his breath and observed the intruders entering his room.

Clad in black attire, the intruders began searching through his room, unaware of Zeke’s presence.

Their movements were so meticulous and discreet that, had Zeke not noticed them in advance, it would have been difficult to detect any trace of their search.

Zeke quickly realized that these intruders were not Imperial Hounds.

The Hounds did not operate with such stealth and silence.

As soon as Zeke came to this conclusion, he used *Shadowless Footwork* to approach them.

*Swish!*

Zeke, now holding a dagger instead of Bahamut, slipped behind one of the intruders and attempted to slash their throat.

To his surprise, the intruder twisted their body to evade Zeke’s attack and immediately rolled away, attempting to escape.

Zeke shifted his focus to the other intruders who had yet to leave the room.

*Swoosh!*

He hurled a dagger at one intruder’s legs to prevent their escape.

However, the other intruder also managed to dodge his attack and rushed toward the exit.

‘They’re at least on the level of a Purple Knight or higher.’

Gripping his dagger tightly, Zeke used *Phantom Footwork*.

*Slash!*

Just as one of the intruders was about to jump out the window, Zeke’s sword blocked their path, forcing them to roll back into the room.

The intruder, their face concealed by a mask, lowered their stance and drew the sword at their waist.

The moment Zeke saw the weapon they wielded, he recognized their identity.

‘Northern Rangers?’