Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Dormant Dragon Now Stretches (1) >

Theo couldn’t even respond and just stared blankly at him for a moment.

He’s amazing.

That thought filled his mind.

When facing Rendon, Theo had noticed so many openings, but with Julius, none could be seen.

Every hand gesture, every movement of the sword, and every moment he drew out his aura—everything seemed to leave a clear impression in his mind.

I want to be like that.

Shoving that sudden thought aside, Theo realized his mistake and hastily bowed respectfully.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I wasn’t hurt. I don’t know how I can repay this favor...”

“What favor? Aren’t we all part of the same Ragnar family? It’s only natural to help when a family member is in danger.”

Family.

That word pierced Theo’s heart deeply.

“Ahem! Well, if you really want to repay the favor... Ahem! You can join the White Armored Dragon Cavalry after the Blossoming Ceremony... Ahem!”

Julius lightly cleared his throat as he spoke, but for some reason, his gaze was intense, unlike his tone.

Gasp!

Theo unconsciously took a startled step back.

Why is he looking at me like that...?

Considering how Julius had helped him, it didn’t seem like he meant any harm.

Then, a thought hit him.

He became curious about what kind of information this giant of a man might hold.

Observe.

[Observing ‘Julius Ragnar’.]

—

Julius Ragnar (41 years old / Male)

· Title: Dark Dragon

· Talents: Leadership, Swordsmanship Genius, Passion for Recruiting Talents, Deep Devotion to Love

· Status: Wants to recruit... no, enlist ‘Theo Ragnar’.

—

Me?

Having lived a life filled with neglect, it was the first time someone of such stature had shown interest in him.

Naturally, the first question that arose was Why?

To Julius, Theo must still seem like nothing more than a novice who hadn’t even shed his beginner status.

“You seemed surprised that the captain suddenly appeared, but there’s no need to worry. Our captain isn’t a scary person.”

Theo, still in a daze, snapped out of it when he felt a hand lightly patting his shoulder from behind.

“Evelyn.”

“That duel just now, it was impressive. However, I think this might not be the best place for a conversation... Shall we move elsewhere? The captain also has something he’d like to say to you.”

[You’ve gained Julius Ragnar’s acknowledgment.]

[Your Luck has increased by 2.]

[You have gained Evelyn Nereville’s acknowledgment.]

[Your Luck has increased by 1.]

As Evelyn winked at him, Theo realized that Julius’s interest wasn’t a joke or a lie.

Without knowing it, Theo clenched his fist tightly.

He still didn’t understand how the captain of the White Armored Dragon Cavalry had come to witness his duel.

Perhaps... his desire to rise might come true sooner than he thought.

* * *

The news of Theo’s duel with Rendon spread quickly throughout the entire House.

“The cripple from the Rose Palace supposedly cut down his swordsmanship instructor!”

The Rose Palace, where the family head’s harem resided, was commonly referred to among the swordsmen as the place of the “cripple of the Rose Palace,” a derogatory term used to insult Theo.

But now, this so-called cripple had apparently won a duel against his own swordsmanship teacher.

Naturally, it drew interest.

Of course, there were some who doubted the truth of the matter.

“Isn’t that a lie?”

“Why?”

“The Blossoming Ceremony is only a few months away. Maybe the cripple of the Rose Palace is pulling some kind of trick?”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like that this time.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“The captain of the White Armored Dragon Cavalry was there.”

“What? Really?”

When the rumor that Julius had witnessed the duel was added, the story gained more credibility.

Some clicked their tongues, wondering how anyone could harm their sword instructor, while others scoffed, saying the teacher must’ve been incompetent to lose to his own disciple.

And with that, the interest and rumors faded.

“So what? Does anything change?”

No one expected much from Theo anyway.

Rendon wasn’t particularly well-known, so the rumors quickly disappeared as if they had never existed.

However, people failed to notice something.

Slowly, yet surely, rumors about Theo had started circulating more frequently.

A sigh mixed with a myriad of emotions.

Then, he glanced at the maids and butlers who had been sneaking peeks at him.

The moment their eyes met his, they quickly bowed their heads in surprise.

“There’s no need to be so nervous. And from now on, similar things will happen more frequently, so don’t act rashly.”

Theo, barely listening to their replies, made his way to his room and flopped onto the bed.

“It’s tough, really tough. I don’t even know if I’m doing the right thing.”

Rejecting Julius’s offer.

In the eyes of others, it was the perfect decision to be criticized as overstepping his bounds.

But despite what he muttered to himself, Theo had no regrets about his choice.

Because he had faith.

Faith that he could reach even higher places.

In fact, after hearing the offer, he felt even more certain.

‘Even if I were to join the White Armored Dragon Cavalry, I need to raise my value high enough that I’d get offers from other places as well.’

That way, he could begin laying the groundwork to establish his own foundation.

‘The stage for that is the Blossoming Ceremony.’

This year’s Blossoming Ceremony was expected to be “legendary,” attracting countless geniuses and promising talents.

To achieve overwhelming results in such a fierce competition, there was no room for complacency.

‘I need to close the gap with others as much as possible during the remaining time.’

Still lying on the bed, Theo turned his head to the side.

A full-length mirror stood against the wall.

He saw himself in the reflection, lying in the same position on the bed.

Observe.

[Observing ‘Theo Ragnar’.]

—

Theo Ragnar (15 years old / Male)

· Titles: Crippled fool of Ragnar’s blood, Cripple of the Rose Palace.

· Talents: Ragnar, Player, Observation, [Access Denied], [Access Denied], [Access Denied], [Access Denied].

· Status: Strong desire for the Blossoming Ceremony.

—

Theo’s eyes lit up.

If the authority of Observation could be applied to whatever was in his field of vision, then surely, it should also work through his own reflection. Luckily, his hunch was correct.

‘All of the authority falls under the [Talents] category. Does that mean if I continue to complete missions with excellent results, I can unlock four more of these?’

He was already excited about what other talents might be waiting for him.

‘Maybe one of those “permissions” will let me find the items I received as rewards.’

Theo wondered if the authority to access the rewards he’d been granted was among those locked talents.

‘But how do I check my ability stats?’

Since he had received messages indicating stat increases, there had to be an info window somewhere that displayed his stats in numerical form.

Fiddling with the message window, Theo discovered that he could flip it over.

Excitement welled up inside him.

How strong was he now?

—

[Displaying additional information.]

—

Theo Ragnar (15 years old / Male)

· Level: 1

· Stats (▼)

Strength: 13

Agility: 14

Stamina: 12

Magic Power: 190

Intelligence: 11

Luck: -50

· [Access Denied]

· [Access Denied]

—

“...What’s with the negative?”

Theo’s excitement was shattered in an instant.

The Magic Power stat he carried over from his previous life was impressively high, just as he expected.

But the Luck stat’s unexpected negative value made his head spin.

If he looked at it purely in terms of absolute numbers, the negative Luck value was even higher than the additional Magic Power he’d gained from the Aura Heart.

‘My Luck increased by 4 when I faced Rendon, but it’s still this bad?’

‘So this is how high it is after an increase? Ugh... No wonder my previous life, and the life before that, were both filled with such bad luck.’

Unconsciously, Theo rubbed his forehead in frustration.

‘At this point, I’m starting to wonder if I’m cursed or something.’

He still didn’t know exactly what the Luck stat controlled.

But based on what he had observed so far, he had some guesses.

In the short term, it seemed to affect random events or unexpected outcomes. In the long term, it appeared to influence one’s social standing and reputation.

Of course, it was impossible to fully quantify all the misfortunes a person could face, but still—

Theo was grateful just knowing there might be a way to manage his bad luck.

‘The problem now is figuring out how to bring Luck back to zero.’

Since the conditions for increasing his Luck during the duel with Rendon varied, it seemed like he needed more examples to study.

Just as Theo’s thoughts began to deepen—

Ding!

[A quest■ has arrived.]