Luke clenched his fists. There was no such thing as a surge of strength in the body or an overflow of uncontrollable energy.
Amplification of power much simpler than such an abstract sense. Rather than feeling stronger, it felt like everything around him was weakening.
‘Did Bruno and Ray usually see the world with this sense?’
The rock felt like a cookie that crumbled when you squeeze it, and the hard metal was like breakable glass. It was a moment when the calm of the retainers was understandable.
The fact that there was so little that could hurt him gave him a sense of security in itself.
“It will take some time to get used to.”
Luke muttered quietly and rose from his seat. Seeing this, Godfrey trembled.
– Uh, where are you going?
“Where are you going? you passed the test I have to go outside.”
-I am the one who decides the outcome of the test!
“Damn it.”
Luke said with a snort.
“They must have created a system so that if you get a Bona Mana dragon heart, it will automatically go through. You are at best a role to be bowed to.”
-… … .
Godfrey drank honey and became dumb. Because that’s exactly what it said. A living person might not know it, but the current Godfrey is a spiritual body in which only the ego is copied.
Manipulation of the stone chamber was at best limited to the locking device. All complex devices are set to move automatically when they detect certain changes.
“Then I go.”
– Now, wait!
“what.”
Luke stopped at Godfrey’s scream-like cry. It was the last time anyway, so I thought I’d listen to what he said.
-I get it. I won’t be able to stop you any longer. But I have just one request. As a minimum courtesy, please listen to this one request.
“ask? What do you want?”
-Please me… … .
Godfrey continued with a sad look in his eyes.
-Can I call you Godfrey, the great demon slayer, demon repulsor, and great hero who reigned in fear of dragons?
“… … .”
This bastard is real, Luke smiled, holding back the bloody veins protruding from his forehead.
“Of course, servant!”
-uh? Wait, that’s not it, the great demon slayer… … .
“Okay, I’m going.”
-don’t go! Call me just once! Show your respect!
Ignoring the voice behind him, Luke stepped forward. Godfrey sighed incessantly until he reached the top of the stairs. In the meantime, I suddenly realized.
The fact that a hero refers to a person who has made great achievements, not a person with a proper humanity.
* * *
Ragnar crossed his arms and glared at the entrance to the stone chamber. Two hours have passed since Luke entered.
The nobles, already accustomed to waiting for a day, scattered, but Ragnar did not leave the place.
“Warchief, please go in soon.”
At that time, Logain approached from the side and started talking. Ragnar’s eyes narrowed.
“Didn’t I tell you not to talk to me carelessly? Others look at it strangely.”
“There is nothing strange to see. Everyone knows that I have no intention of becoming king.”
Loghain did not set out to become king. He participated in the role of a helper to prevent any interference from northern nobles.
The northern nobles were well aware of that fact. It was only tolerated because if Loghain was stopped, all the nobles would become a picture of challenging the warchief.
“Aren’t they masters of politics? You would have figured out our intentions right away.”
“Still, there is a world of difference between doing it openly and doing it secretly.”
“It’s like covering the sky with the palm of your hand.”
“Those palms cannot deceive the world, but a narrow-minded person’s field of vision does.”
Loghain was about to say something again, but Ragnar blocked his mouth. For Logain, a faithful right-hand man or a simple-minded man, this kind of conversation was a parallel line.
“stop. Just tell me what you are here for.”
“To be honest, I came here because I was wondering why you are so worried.”
“worry?”
“Didn’t you go in and sleep right away when you were other candidates?”
But now Luke is still waiting, even though two hours have passed since he entered. From Logain’s point of view, Ragnar was clearly uneasy.
“… I’m not worried. I just want to be the first to see him fail.”
“Are you sure?”
Ragnar shut his mouth at the question. It was a poor excuse even to think of itself. To tell the truth, like Loghain said, I was worried.
It wasn’t long before Luke opened the door and it seemed like he would come back saying he was successful.
‘It’s a useless worry.’
The more I thought about it, the more I felt pathetic. According to the ancient book of the tribe, Godfrey would be satisfied only after bowing one hundred times.
But the guy whose head was so stiff that he seemed about to break bowed? I swear, it would have been fortunate if I had even lowered my back.
“Keuheum, it seems like I overreacted a bit, just like you said.”
“Are you calming down?”
“Yes, if I fret like this, it would only consume my mental strength. If you wait patiently, he will soon… … .”
– Bless you.
Ragnar’s words were interrupted by voices echoing everywhere. The sleeping Valkyrie statue shone again.
– A person who passed the test came out. He was rewarded with Godfrey’s recognition as the rightful owner of the Dragon’s Heart.
“… … !”
A soundless astonishment swept everywhere. Among them, Loghain and Ragnar, whose turn had not yet come, were on the verge of falling out of their jaws.
‘What did I just hear? A passer came out?’
Then what about me? The me who tried to make a splendid appearance at the end? Ragnar’s half-fazed eyes saw the stone chamber opening with a groan.
“Cool! Look at the dust.”
Shaking his hands, Luke appeared in front of him. Maybe it was because it came out in about two hours, but I couldn’t see anything different from before.
Luke, who received attention from all sides, shook his shoulder and shouted.
“Luke Bernstein passed Godfrey’s test!”
Once again there was a silence of astonishment. In the midst of that, Ragnar closed his eyes. If nothing else, one thing was certain.
‘It’s f*cked up.’
I was just trying to get in shape, and I was blown away.
* * *
The nobles, who thought Luke would not come out for a day, rushed out of the camp. Some of them looked as if they had just woken up from sleep.
“You passed the test!?”
“Isn’t that a lie? Maybe he just came out early by himself… … .”
“The Valkyrie statue has declared passing. I heard it myself.”
“Heh heh, did you really get the dragon’s heart?”
The aristocrats who heard Valkyrie’s voice acknowledged it, even though their expressions were complicated. However, most of the nobles stayed at the camp and only heard the news.
Because of that, the eyes looking at Luke were full of doubts. The Marquis came forward on behalf of the doubting nobles.
“Did you really get the dragon’s heart?”
“I got it.”
The Marquis’s eyebrows twitched at Luke’s short body language.
‘This kid is going out very soon.’
It was the attitude that there was nothing to regret because the composition had already been made. My stomach was boiling, but I tried to calm myself down. Because it wasn’t that important right now.
“Then show me the dragon’s heart. We’ll check.”
Even that elixir is a treasure that looks shabby. Passing the test means passing it, isn’t the dragon’s heart separate from that? At the words of the Marquis, the other nobles also had their eyes twinkled.
‘I have to get it no matter what!’
Luke, who read the greedy glare in his eyes, smiled.
“None.”
“What?”
“I swallowed it as soon as I received it. It is being digested in my stomach now.”
Everyone’s faces turned red at Luke’s act of slapping his belly. Who is this guy kidding now? The Marquis could not stand it any longer and exploded.
“Then I cannot admit it!”
“Can’t you admit it? That I got the dragon’s heart?”
“Yes! There is no evidence in the first place, so why are you asking me to admit you!?”
“I heard that the statue already informed me of my passing.”
“It is a magic that has been neglected for a long time! It could be a malfunction!”
From noble mtl dot com
obvious coercion. If you’re going to bring it like that, why are you doing this test in the first place? However, other aristocrats also joined the deterrence.
“It is as the Marquis said. Didn’t the magic in the dungeon also malfunction?”
“It must have been misrecognized as if it passed because something went wrong by chance.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Luke laughed out loud when he saw that.
‘These bastards, I expected it, but they’re outspoken.’
He must have been very interested in the ashes called the dragon’s heart. Obtaining the dragon’s heart was a condition for passing the test, but there was no word to consume it after obtaining it.
In all likelihood, they would have wanted to bring it back and hand it over to them.
‘I knew this and ate it right away, you bastards.’
If I had seen it in front of my eyes even once, I wouldn’t have eaten it even if I died. Thinking back, it was a good thing.
“How can I believe you? Shall I show you some proof?”
“Where is the evidence? Didn’t I already say that there is no dragon heart?”
“I had to eat. But that’s what you need to show with your body.”
Sureureung.
Luke pulled out the magic sword from his waist. Some of the nobles flinched at the blue blade and stepped back.
“Suddenly pulling out the sword!”
“What are you doing now!”
“Shut up and see.”
After interrupting a certain nobleman, Luke took up his stance. It was the basic posture of the Bernstein family’s secret sword ceremony, the flame dragon sword.
‘It was a car I also wanted to try.’
How much swordsmanship is demonstrated with the body of a true superhuman. Now that the opportunity has arrived, I will show it here. Luke thought so and swung his sword.
And the dragon soared.
* * *
Whoops.
A rough wind swept everywhere. The accumulated snowdrifts were swept away, revealing a dirt floor. The leaves that were just about to sprout were blown away.
It wasn’t over once. The wind rose every time the sword was swung.
Paaang.
“Oh God.”
Someone muttered blankly. It was hard to believe what was happening in front of my eyes. Every time the sword was swung, the air was torn and a puncture occurred.
What would happen if he got into the radius of the sword he was currently wielding?
‘Even the man and horse can’t stand it.’
Even though the length of the sword was ordinary, I could somehow feel it. It will cut down both rider and horse whole, far more cleanly than a giant sword.
Once such a sword strike, once for every swing of the sword. The bodies of invisible knights continued to pile up beside them.
“hahahaha.”
Someone let out a laugh. Even the sword attack he was showing was frightening, but the fact that all of this was a demonstration was even more terrifying.
‘It’s not power. In a real life-and-death fight, it will be faster and more intense.’
At that time, will only one knight die in one sword strike? Wouldn’t two or three knights be cut to death? If an enemy capable of such a sword attack rushed into the middle of the camp.
“It is a disaster.”
Someone inadvertently spat out their inner thoughts. At least the head of the commander-in-chief was certain to be blown off.
Fuhuaak.
Luke’s sword froze in the air with the sound of the air being torn into dozens. Even Luke, who demonstrated the sword, was bewildered. A power far beyond my imagination.
‘No matter how strong my body gets, does this much power make sense?’
I was just demonstrating. Still, the sword strike that tore everything around came out on its own.
At the moment of realization, Luke’s body trembled as if struck by lightning.
‘This is a swordsmanship made for the awakened people of the ancient lineage!’