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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Yes, it appears to be the work of a single individual. The traces all point to one person. However… they were no ordinary swordsman.”
Kayla’s voice was laced with awe.
“Master level, at the very least. No, I believe they might have surpassed even that. I can’t even begin to fathom their level.”
In my opinion, Kayla’s current skill was among the highest of all warriors below Master level.
For her to admit she couldn’t comprehend these sword marks…
“It appears to be quite old… Master, do you know anything about this?”
Kayla seemed eager to learn the identity of this swordsman, her gaze filled with anticipation.
She likely believed I possessed some information, given my knowledge of the dragon’s corpse.
Unfortunately, I knew nothing.
“No. I don’t know anything about this. I only knew there was a dragon’s corpse here.”
Kayla’s disappointment was palpable, but she quickly composed herself.
“It’s a shame, but it doesn’t matter.”
“…Judging by the situation, finding the dragon’s corpse shouldn’t take long. You can examine the traces later.”
It seemed this unknown warrior had single-handedly eliminated all the guardians.
Therefore, locating the dragon’s corpse itself shouldn’t be difficult.
This gave us ample time.
‘Especially since we didn’t even need to excavate.’
“Is that alright?”
Kayla’s eyes lit up at my suggestion. Her excitement was understandable.
‘It’s a learning opportunity.’
Kayla was on the verge of becoming a Master. Witnessing such high-level sword marks, and so many of them, was a stroke of luck, a chance encounter that could further her growth.
I understood this because I, too, had been a warrior before becoming a necromancer.
While my skills were insignificant, I knew the value of studying sword marks.
‘The same goes for Athena.’
As expected, she, too, had a gleam in her eyes.
While she used daggers, this was a chance to witness the techniques of a high-level warrior, an opportunity she wouldn’t miss.
I addressed the two eager women,
“The faster we finish, the more time you’ll have.”
“Inha, clear the undead out of the way. I’ll take the lead. Orie, can you help me?”
“Good choice.”
Athena, eager to examine the sword marks, instructed me to clear the remaining undead, and Kayla, approving of her proactive approach, nodded.
Kayla’s enthusiasm surprised me, and I chuckled softly. Orie, having received Athena’s request, smiled faintly, amused by the situation.
Noticing my amusement, Kayla blushed slightly.
‘Was she frustrated?’
I understood.
Being so close to Master level, her eagerness was natural. The closer one got to the peak, the stronger the desire to advance became.
I, too, felt a stronger desire to advance after regaining my previous level.
While our situations were different, Kayla had once lost her dream due to her injury. This likely intensified her reaction to this opportunity.
Moreover, this wasn’t a consumable item like a potion, it was simply observing and learning from traces, making it even more appealing.
‘A potion disappears once consumed, but this doesn’t.’
Kayla had often received priority when it came to resources. She had earned it through her contributions, and she had always repaid us in kind, exceeding our expectations.
However, she seemed to want to share with her fellow disciples, Baldur and Athena, a desire that had been difficult to fulfill due to our circumstances.
This opportunity, however, allowed them to share and learn together, making it even more appealing to her.
With Athena and Orie leading the way, we continued exploring the lair. There were no dangers.
Any traps had been destroyed, and only traces of past battles and scattered debris remained.
While someone’s eyes lit up at these sights, we didn’t forget our primary objective and quickly explored the lair.
While the lair was vast, the lack of obstacles meant the exploration proceeded swiftly.
We reached the deepest part of the lair.
Upon arrival, we were all speechless.
“…A dragon.”
Its scales shimmered gold. A Gold Dragon. Earth-attributed. Also known as an Earth Dragon.
Its head had been severed, yet despite being long dead, it looked remarkably well-preserved.
The blood was dried and caked, but its eyes, though unfocused, were still vivid, and its scales shimmered as if still alive. This made it appear even more grotesque.
As expected, it was enormous.
The severed neck resembled the cross-section of a massive tree, at least two meters in diameter.
“Master, over there.”
Kayla pointed towards a corner.
“…A skeleton?”
Slumped against the wall was a skeleton clad in partially destroyed armor.
“…Could that be…?”
“It seems so.”
The Dragon Slayer.
The skeleton appeared to be the one who had slain the dragon. Beside its right hand lay a broken sword.
“…An artifact.”
While broken and seemingly inert, traces of magic lingered.
‘I should retrieve this skeleton…’
A being powerful enough to slay a dragon could be reborn as a powerful undead, even without its soul.
However, that proved impossible. As I approached, the skeleton crumbled to dust.
Clatter, clatter.
The partially destroyed armor clattered to the ground and began to glow.
Kayla instinctively moved to shield me, but the light quickly faded, revealing no danger.
“…Books?”
Two books lay where the light had been.
‘The armor was an artifact as well?’
It seemed to have possessed a subspace function.
‘They must have been someone of high standing.’
Someone powerful enough to infiltrate a dragon’s lair and slay its guardians, along with the dragon itself, couldn’t have been ordinary. Their origins were irrelevant.
Even if they had been a slave, their power alone would have elevated them to a prominent position.
While instantly becoming a noble was impossible under normal circumstances, such power was an exception.
‘They could have even established their own kingdom.’
Such was the power of someone capable of slaying a dragon. Possessing a few artifacts wasn’t surprising.
I cautiously examined the books, confirming they posed no threat before checking their contents.
“…Common tongue… but quite old.”
It was written in an archaic form of the common language.
Fortunately, I could still read it. And the contents were shocking.
“…It seems this is… their martial arts manual?”
“They… left behind their techniques?”
“Let me, let me see!”
From mana breathing techniques and Aura cultivation methods to swordsmanship, it was a complete compendium of their skills.
The techniques of someone who had slain a dragon… it was incredibly tempting.
‘These are top-tier techniques…’
While the individual’s talent was crucial, it was meaningless without proper techniques to cultivate. And here, in my hands, were techniques of the highest caliber.
‘Is this the dragon’s treasure?’
I hadn’t even retrieved the dragon’s corpse yet, and I had already stumbled upon an incredible boon.
I handed one book to Athena and Kayla and examined the other.
‘…A diary?’
It wasn’t a very old diary. The book itself was thin, likely containing only a month’s worth of entries.
However, its contents were far from ordinary.
“…Ha.”
The diary detailed the writer’s journey to find the dragon, their reasons for seeking it, and… their identity.
Hearing my sigh, Kayla, who was engrossed in the manual, looked up and asked,
“I’m not sure if we should learn these techniques.”
“Huh? Why? Are they forbidden?”
“…I think there might be… consequences.”
“These are the techniques of Septran.”
“Septran? Isn’t that the name of this kingdom?”
“Wait, Septran…?”
Kayla’s eyes widened in realization.
“Swordmaster Septran, are you saying these are his techniques?”
Swordmaster Septran.
The founding king of the Septran Kingdom, one of the Six Kingdoms, and a man recorded in history as a Swordmaster, possibly even a Grand Master.
While I wasn’t well-versed in this world’s history, having primarily operated within the Septran Kingdom, I knew of their founding king, a figure revered by the royal family.
“So, are you saying these are the training methods he left behind for the royal family?”
“It’s highly likely.”
“…We’ll be in serious trouble if we learn these without permission.”
They were probably not identical to the current royal family’s training methods.
Mana breathing techniques, Aura cultivation methods, swordsmanship, and other martial arts were constantly being refined and improved over time, becoming easier to learn and more efficient.
Therefore, the contents of this manual likely differed from the current royal family’s techniques.
However, this was likely the original version, and if the royal family discovered we had learned these techniques…
‘That would be disastrous.’
If the royal family learned their secret training methods had been leaked, especially to me, the trust I had built would shatter instantly.
‘But returning it would be difficult as well.’
According to the diary, the royal family knew why Septran had left.
Revealing this manual and its location would inevitably link it to the dragon’s lair.
‘I need the dragon’s corpse.’
Therefore, I couldn’t learn the techniques, nor could I return them.
It was a valuable but unusable treasure, something I had to hide away.
I suddenly wondered if the royal family’s favorable treatment of House Lineta and their generous support stemmed from their connection to Septran.
‘Perhaps one of the reasons they cleared the Barren Lands…?’
Of course, this was just speculation based on the diary’s contents.
The Barren Lands posed a significant threat to Lineta County, and clearing it was a justifiable action, not something considered excessive by other nobles.
‘It’s a mixed blessing.’
I couldn’t learn it, nor could I return it. It was a treasure I had to hide away, its value high, yet its use restricted.
Kayla and Athena’s disappointment was evident. I felt it too.
Even if I couldn’t learn them myself, these were the techniques of a warrior who had slain a dragon.
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