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It was a term that typically referred to newly hatched young dragon species, but at some point, it came to denote the offspring of higher dragon species.

The “Hatchling’s Nest” that Black Snow had discovered was exactly the place where such a hatchling had dwelled.

However, just because it was referred to as a “youngling” didn’t mean the hatchling was weak.

A dragon is still a dragon, even as a child.

Moreover, it was the offspring of a higher dragon species, known for its extraordinary intelligence and magical abilities.

Its strength was far beyond the reach of an ordinary human.

Especially when considering the tendencies of higher dragon species to fiercely cherish their young.

Hunting a hatchling was tantamount to confronting an entire “brood” of higher dragon species.

It was not only difficult to find one in the first place, but even if found, the chances of survival were slim.

Furthermore, if it was a Ragnar, a family that was rumored to carry the blood of dragons—

They would have no choice but to revere such a hatchling, making them all the more cautious.

‘But strangely, there were no adult individuals in that Hatchling’s Nest.’

When Black Snow first discovered the nest, he had been on high alert, thinking he might have mistakenly trespassed into an unknown domain.

However, after a thorough search, he found no other individuals besides the hatchling.

From that point, Black Snow began to grow greedy.

– Dragons love treasure.

The long-standing legend proved true here as well.

Deep within the nest, a considerable amount of gold and silver treasures were stored.

There were also several historical records that had been thought lost long ago.

‘Among them, Black Snow set his sights on a particular treasure.’

– The Grimoire of Amon.

It was unclear why a book associated with demons, enemies of dragon species, had been stored there.

But that alone was enough to turn Black Snow’s eyes upside down with greed.

Especially since Amon was known as the “King of the Old Gods”—a being of great renown.

If a grimoire bearing such a being’s name existed, Black Snow judged it could greatly enhance Ragnar’s power.

Thus, Ragnar immediately killed the hatchling and retrieved the grimoire.

However, what happened after that, even Theo didn’t know.

All that was known was that it had fallen into the hands of a certain heir, but it had never been revealed to the outside world.

At best, there was only speculation that someone who had colluded with Black Snow had obtained it.

‘But what if that grimoire wasn’t just any book, and instead was an ancient dragon relic, with the hatchling acting as its guardian…?’

When Theo discussed this with Kirsion, it became evident that Black Snow was also clearly aware of the existence of the relic.

They must already have quite a few relics.

The retrieval of the grimoire must have been part of that process.

‘It’s not just Black Snow. Axion, Soaring Dragon—they’re all undoubtedly gathering relics as well.’

So, Theo decided to retrieve the grimoire before they realized its existence and made a move.

Like the Moon-White Sword, this relic would undoubtedly become a great source of power for him as well.

‘The problem is how to get down there…’

Theo narrowed his eyes.

The blue light visible between the sheer cliffs was too far away, making it dangerous to descend carelessly.

Moreover, the blizzard was raging violently.

Visibility was poor, and it seemed difficult to maintain balance.

‘I need to find another way.’

Theo recalled how Black Snow had descended here in his previous life, and brought his hand to his back.

Toward the Zweihander, which was still clattering, reacting to the blue light.

“But before that, I should deal with the flies first.”

He muttered quietly as he turned his head.

Whiish, whiish, whiish…

Only the sound of the wind howling fiercely across the white snowfield could be heard, with nothing visible.

However, Theo’s heightened senses, sharpened by the Dragon’s Heart, told him the truth.

Three.

The number of people who had been watching him since a while ago.

Paaaat!

Theo twisted his body sharply and drew the Zweihander.

As magic power naturally flowed toward the sword, his Dragon’s Heart and dantian began to heat up.

– Magic Resonance!

And then, a soaring flash.

Dragon’s Claw

Chwaaaaak!

Kwarrrung!

The flash slashed across the ground, instantly shattering a distant boulder.

The frictional heat melted the snowy ground in an instant, and even the blizzard was disturbed, causing the airflow to tremble.

Amidst the scattered fragments of the shattered boulder, three swordsmen landed widely apart, each in a different spot.

“W-What kind of power is this…?”

“What the hell! Three days ago, it wasn’t anywhere near this level!”

“I think our calculations were a bit off.”

Their faces were filled with astonishment at the sight of Theo, who had grown far stronger than he had been during the first Blossoming Ceremony.

However, Theo realized that the emotion etched on their faces wasn’t “fear”—it was “competitive excitement.”

No, to be more precise, it was closer to “amusement.”

The look of a hunter who had encountered prey that was fun to chase.

“Haid, Khao, Lune. What are you all doing here?”

Theo quickly scanned their faces, narrowing his eyes.

“Wow, what’s this? Hey! Khao, Lune! Our great top student even remembers the names of insignificant nobodies like us. How should we handle such an overwhelming honor?”

Haid, the leader of the group, burst into loud laughter.

The other two followed, chuckling along with him.

The more they laughed, the deeper Theo’s eyes sank.

Haid and his gang.

They were people Theo could never forget.

‘The Three Delinquents of Buk Mountain.’

One of the biggest problems with Ragnar’s pursuit of the law of the strong was that it created far too many scumbags.

And those three were prime examples.

Even though they targeted civilians, if someone was labeled an “enemy,” they wouldn’t hesitate to pillage and burn.

The massacre they carried out in the village of Buk Mountain was so horrific that even within Ragnar, public opinion had turned against them.

‘The official death toll was 761, with more than 220 missing. An entire mountain village was wiped out. There were quite a few protests afterward.’

Theo had personally handled the aftermath, so he knew better than anyone how tragic it had been.

Among the talents of his age group, these three were the worst offenders. Theo had thought that, if ever given the chance, he’d deal with them in advance.

And now they were tracking him…?

Something smelled fishy.

“Is this Axion’s doing?”

“Huh? Why bring up that guy’s name here?”

Haid tilted his head in confusion, then suddenly let out a light laugh.

“Oh, you think Axion sent us? Man, have some pride. Why would we take orders from someone in our own class? It’s annoying enough seeing those idiots from the Gathering of the Hidden Dragons walking around with their chests puffed out.”

Theo thought back to Axion, who had been watching him throughout the journey to the winter mountain range.

He’d suspected that Axion might try to pull something during this Blossoming Ceremony.

But Axion wasn’t involved?

“Then who?”

“It’s someone way above your level, a mere bastard like you couldn’t even imagine.”

In that moment, Theo’s eyes darkened.

“The Elder Council Leader.”

“…What?”

Haid flinched in surprise.

“So, I’m right.”

“W-What the hell? How did you…?”

“I was just guessing, but you gave it away.”

“You bastard!”

Haid’s face flushed red as he realized that he had been outplayed by a bastard he had always looked down on.

“The Elder Council Leader has had quite a lot of complaints about me. As a pureblood supremacist, it must have bothered him that someone of low birth like me took the top spot.”

Pureblood Supremacists.

They were the bigots who believed that only those with true, legitimate bloodlines were worthy of bearing the name Ragnar.

The faction centered around Wolfgang, the Elder Council Leader, had long been a parasite eating away at Ragnar.

In his previous life, Theo had ultimately been unable to overcome that obstacle.

And now…

It seemed things were no different in this lifetime.

“The fact that the examiner didn’t follow us here… it looks like someone among them is in league with you as well.”

“Hah, would you look at that? You’re sharper than I thought. Yeah, you bastard, you’ve got some guts.”

“You’re not even trying to hide it anymore, are you?”

“Why bother? You’re going to die anyway, so what difference does it make?”

Although Haid spoke casually, he knew that since Theo had figured out their backer, they had no choice but to kill him here if they wanted to survive.

‘After the massacre at Buk Mountain, they were released without punishment. Wolfgang’s orders were behind that. It seems they’ve been connected from that point onward.’

The Three Delinquents of Buk Mountain were just one of the Elder Council’s hunting dogs.

How many more like them were out there?

This was something Theo needed to consider seriously.

‘If I’m going to gather relics, I’ll end up clashing with Black Snow in the future… Soaring Dragon, Black Snow, and now the pureblood supremacists too. There’s so much to keep an eye on.’

Of course, he had no intention of stopping.

If he was going to seize Ragnar’s throne, these were mountains he would have to climb eventually.

“It’s disgusting to think that the blood of a lowly bastard would stain the pure snow of the Winter Mountain Range.”

Schring—

Haid slowly drew his sword.

“But once we toss you over that cliff, you’ll be buried in the snow before anyone notices.”

Khao and Lune began to move slowly, positioning themselves in Theo’s blind spots.

“Come on, bastard. If you had just known your place and stayed quiet, you might’ve lived a little longer. But no, you had to act all high and mighty. Hehe!”

“You sure put on quite the show, didn’t you? You lucked out and became the top student, then strutted around like you were something, learning swordsmanship from Lady Plum Blossom herself. What a joke.”

“Hey, let’s not be too harsh. Before he dies, he’s going to give us something nice, after all.”

Haid’s greedy gaze was fixed on the Zweihander in Theo’s hand.

It was the treasured sword of the Tao Tie Crest.

The rumor that Majang Kirsion had personally crafted the greatsword for Theo had already spread across Winterer.

Khao and Lune, too, were salivating at the thought, licking their lips with their red tongues.

“Yeah, you’re right. So, let’s not make this too painful and just kill him quickly.”

“Aw, come on. Is that any way to show gratitude? We should let him live for at least one more minute out of courtesy.”

“Uhuhuh! You pervert, you’re thinking of torturing him again, aren’t you?”

“Ah, you caught me! Hehehe.”

They were already laughing and chatting amongst themselves, as if Theo’s life was securely in their hands.

It meant they had done this kind of thing more than once before.

And they were still only fifteen-year-old kids.

‘I was right. These are people who should never have been left alive.’

There was no point in listening to them any further.

Theo slowly drew the Zweihander from his back.

—

[Drake’s Blade]

– Type: Zweihander, relic component

– Attack Power: 30~50 – 80~115

– Requirements: Strength 90, Agility 30

– Effects:

– A chance to apply critical damage upon striking

– Reduces the target’s defense by 30 upon impact

– Increases chance of worsening wounds by 50%

– Indestructible

—

The greatsword, forged from the claws and fangs of a lesser drake, combined with adamant and other high-grade materials, lived up to its description.

Not only did it occasionally boost destructive power, but it could also cancel out the defense of any enemy it collided with.

It was the perfect weapon for one-on-one combat.

However, what truly caught Theo’s attention was another effect.

– Increases chance of worsening wounds.

What made hunting lesser drakes so difficult wasn’t just their brute strength, but the deadly toxins coating their claws and teeth.

Even the slightest scratch from those toxins would cause skin to rot—a biological poison.

This same property had been embedded into the Zweihander.

‘I’m not entirely sure what I’ve created here, but one thing’s for sure,’ Kirsion had said while handing the sword over, puffing on her pipe.

‘I’ve given something ridiculous to a boy who can barely even walk properly.’

In Kirsion’s eyes, Theo was still just a fledgling, so her remark was only natural.

It meant even to her, this sword seemed dangerous.

“Hey, can you even hold that thing properly?”

Haid’s eyes, filled with greed, looked at Theo mockingly.

Seeing Theo’s slender frame wielding a massive Zweihander made him want to laugh.

“It’s heavy, sure. But…”

[Strength: 101]

“…it’s not so heavy that I can’t handle you all.”

Crack—

Theo’s body began to change little by little.

Over the past three days, he had reached level 17 and poured all of his additional stats into [Strength].

[The Strength coefficient has surpassed 100.]

[A hidden function has been unlocked. From now on, your Strength will be imbued with Superhuman Strength.]

—

[Superhuman Strength]

– Type: Special Ability

– Effect: Increases the destructive power of wielded weapons and boosts attack power by 5% for 5 seconds upon hitting an enemy.

—

For a brief moment, Theo felt the Drake’s Blade become lighter in his hands.

Just as expected, reaching triple digits in Strength had triggered a significant change.

And then, a fierce aura began to surge outward from him.

Fwoooosh—

[Skill: Lesser Drake’s Fear] began to take hold of the battlefield.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

His heart began to pound violently, the tremors strong enough for Haid and his gang to feel through the ground.

“What the hell is happening all of a sudden…?”

Haid, sensing something was seriously wrong, paled slightly.

“Too late.”

Theo had no intention of giving them time to think further.

In an instant, he shot forward, his body moving with blinding speed.

Swish—