The Draegar Academy was split into two kinds of class. There was a regular class, where those with no talent were taught that they could do anything as long as they put in the effort. There was also a special class, whose students were free to choose their subjects freely outside the basic ones. The elites were usually gathered in the special class, and this was why Zeke had excitedly joined it.
However, he was disappointed when he got there to find that the people in the class were the same faces from the cradle. He did not see it as a special class at all, but as the cradle class all over again.
The instructor informed the students that they had a special someone in their midst. This person had been the commander-in-chief during the Eastern Empire War some twenty-odd years ago. In addition, he had been the hero who stopped the empire's invasion through sheer resourcefulness, and this person was Dean Howard Draegar.
Howard showed up waving at the students, who were all excited to see him because he was a war hero. He was worshipped as a war hero and a tactical genius. However, Zeke knew the real truth behind everything. Howard had leaked information to the enemy just so he could survive, and it happened to throw the enemy into chaos. Zeke saw him as nothing but a traitor who had got lucky.
In addition, Howard was the one who had made sure Zeke was kicked out of the academy in his past life. Because of this, Zeke had lost the only place left to him and had ended up wandering the Duchy of Troy. In the end, he was snatched up by slave traders and sold off to the Southern Cartel. Remembering all of this, Zeke promised himself that he would punish Howard.
After Howard was done addressing them, the instructor told the students to take their swords and head to the arena for the start of their basics. They soon arrived at the indoor arena, and Zeke was utterly disappointed that the special class still had to learn the basics of dragon slaying. In his past life, Zeke had spent two years learning what would have taken others two months, just because he could not use aura. To make it worse, he had always been picked on by his usual bullies.
The instructor soon showed up, and he introduced himself as Andre Draegar, who would be teaching them the basics of the Dragon Slaying Arts. The students were all blown away when they saw how young Andre was, but Zeke already knew him as the Rose Knight. In his past life, even though Andre was not a pureblood, he had been able to graduate early from the academy, and he had graduated from Valhalla as well, a once-in-a-century genius who had been conferred with the Draegar name.
Andre wasted no time asserting his dominance in the class when he told them to stop making noise. Once the class was quiet, Andre began, and he ordered the students to draw their swords. Just then, he noticed Zeke's big sword, and he questioned him about it. Zeke casually told Andre that the big sword suited him, and Andre told him to step into the arena.
Andre asked Zeke whether he was aware that he was supposed to pick a sword that suited his body. Zeke had already been expecting this, which was exactly why he had drawn his sword in such a peculiar way. Zeke decided to make the most of the situation, telling Andre that he could actually beat him with the sword.
Zeke believed it would be much better to show Andre what he could do than to argue with him. The moment the system noticed that Andre was trying to intimidate Zeke, it activated the indomitable mental defence to block him out. After thinking it over for a minute, Andre finally fell into Zeke's trap. He told Zeke that if his blade managed to touch him, he would be exempted not just from the punishment for being rude, but from the Dragon Slaying Arts class altogether.
Andre then urged Zeke not to be scared, because he had no plan to use aura against a cadet. Zeke was pleased to hear it, because the reward for the duel was very sweet. In addition, Zeke was confident that he had what it took to beat Andre, since he knew his weakness. However, Zeke did not want to draw too much attention to himself, since Abel would have spies watching him. Zeke decided that he would simply make sure he grazed Andre, and then lose the match.
Zeke made the first move and dashed toward Andre, but Andre blocked the attack easily. Zeke was not surprised, because that was the least to be expected of a blue knight. At the same time, it dawned on him that beating Andre might not be as easy as he had thought. Andre soon had Zeke on his knees, and the students wasted no time glazing Andre, talking about how he was on another level entirely.
Minutes later, Zeke was still trying and had not managed a single breakthrough. Some time after that, Andre began asking questions in his own head. He could not believe that he was already sweating against a cadet, even though he was suppressing his aura. He did not think a cadet should have the stamina to stand up to him. At this point, Andre was starting to believe that purebloods really were on another level.
Zeke, on the other hand, knew all about Andre's poor stamina. Since Andre was also suppressing his aura, Zeke knew the fight was not easy for him. Aura is imbued in the day-to-day activity of a Draegar knight, which is why it is maintained constantly, like breathing. To put it simply, Andre was holding his breath while fighting.
Because Zeke was not pleased with the idea of Andre losing to him only because he was suppressing his aura, he decided that he had to force him to use it. Zeke kept chasing after Andre, and he soon worked out that he needed something that would unconsciously force Andre to draw on his aura. To do that, Zeke needed an extreme situation, so Zeke activated the swift step skill.
Andre saw it and was stunned, because he did not expect a cadet to know such a skill. Zeke kept moving like a speedster, forcing Andre to act even faster. After exchanging sword strikes for a couple of minutes, Zeke got the opportunity to appear right behind Andre, and he activated the critical strike skill. Realising that he was about to be cut, Andre unconsciously activated chapter one of the Dragon Slaying Arts.
Andre used the first verse of that chapter, sky slice, to send Zeke flying backwards, repelling his attack in the process. Zeke's blade was cut from the clash, and even his body felt the impact of the strike. Without wasting time, the healing factor skill activated, but Zeke had achieved his aim, and he decided to collapse in order to sell the act properly.
Medical staff immediately rushed over to check on Zeke, and Andre sheathed his sword before declaring that Zeke had been exempted from the class. Still annoyed from the fight that had just ended, Andre asked the other students whether there was any other cadet who wished to be exempted just like Zeke. However, the fight the cadets had just watched had told them that they had no chance.
None of them stepped forward to challenge Andre, and he concluded that there was no one bold enough to die among them. Since he had established a level of fear in the cadets, he ordered them to get into position for their class.