*‘Here it comes again!’*

Shhhh— 

As Theo raced up the slope, he had to face multiple intangible blades.

Not only arrows that filled the sky, but also daggers cunningly aimed at his blind spots.

All of these were powers created by Kyle’s aura.

It wasn’t just about overcoming the aura; he also had to suppress the threats it posed.

*‘Insane difficulty…!’*

Thud, thud, thud!

Theo swung Drake’s weapon, fully infused with mana.

As the intangible blades clashed violently, they all bounced off,

Tap!

Finally, he arrived at his desired destination—the lodge.

Dust-covered, he looked like a beggar.

Yet, his eyes shone brightly, as if filled with lightning.

*‘Father…!’*

As Theo approached Kyle, he suppressed all the questions he wanted to ask.

Caw!

In that moment, a black lark perched on the roof of the lodge spotted Theo and chirped lightly.

Creeeeak—

At the same time, the firmly shut door of the lodge swung wide open.

As if inviting him in.

Gulp—

Theo swallowed hard and slowly stepped inside the lodge.

Thud!

At that moment, the front door slammed shut again,

Whoosh—

And the dark surroundings brightened instantly.

In that moment, Theo couldn’t help but inhale sharply.

Inside the lodge, countless swords were stuck into the floor.

Each with different shapes and uses, but each could be called a treasured sword.

However, they all shared one common feature.

Every single one of them was broken at some point.

All of them seemed to be crying out.

As if they were pouring out their grudges.

Woooo—

Woooh!

“Do you know what all this is?”

Kyle was walking among the grave of swords.

With his hands behind his back.

“I believe these are the swords of the warriors you have defeated, Master.”

Kyle had one hobby.

Collecting the swords of his defeated opponents and displaying them like trophies.

Thanks to this, the lodge had another name among the people of Winterra.

The Half-Sword Grave.

A grave of swords that had been partially broken.

“That’s right. These are the swords of my enemies that I broke to reach this point, the masters who threatened this place, challengers who wanted to take this spot... The position of the head of Ragnar is a lonely one. Always under threat and challenge… a position that should never let its guard down.”

Kyle turned to look at Theo.

A slight smile hung on his lips.

“I’ve heard that you too are aiming for this position. Is that true?”

“Yes. That is correct.”

In an instant, the smile faded from Kyle’s face.

His eyes locked onto Theo’s.

Like the eyes of a dragon facing an enemy.

“Don’t answer thoughtlessly. Do you still say the same after seeing the grudges these swords bear?”

Theo swept his gaze across the grave of swords again.

With his Hatchling Synchronization, he could see the grudges held by these swords even more clearly.

—Kill… kill them all…!

—Kyle! Kaiiiil!

—You who made me like this...

—One day, I will have that position. One day… one day.

The sinister and malevolent feelings pricked at his skin like needles.

If he stayed here too long, he might suffocate.

In some ways, it was more threatening than Kyle’s aura.

If he wanted to become the head, it meant he would constantly face these kinds of malignancies.

He would have to bear that karma too.

But.

“Still, my resolve remains unchanged.”

So what if that was the case?

“Therefore.”

Theo’s determination was not born from a day or two of contemplation.

“Please give me the opportunity.”

Taking a step forward, Theo spoke, and a smile returned to Kyle’s previously tense face.

“Very well. If that is your dream, as a father, I should naturally grant it.”

Kyle relaxed his arms and reached out.

One of the swords embedded in the ground clattered and flew into his grasp.

Thud!

“I will treat you as a challenger, not as my son from now on.”

Goooh—

Once again, the Dragon Pier intensified.

It felt as if a massive dragon behind Kyle was awakening, opening its eyes.

Gulp.

Theo swallowed hard and assumed a fighting stance.

He instinctively understood.

The upcoming duel would be far more intense than the swordsmanship he had previously witnessed from Kyle.

Since he was now treated as a challenger, that sword would be entirely different from what other candidates would face.

He might die.

With that thought, Theo tensed up.

“Let’s see how well ‘she’ taught you.”

*She?*

Who could he be referring to?

Could it be… Roadbrooke?

*‘Did he notice that I returned from the nest? How could he possibly know?’*

Bang!

But Theo couldn’t ask that question.

The sword Kyle held trembled violently as a massive amount of mana coalesced around it.

The light sword was so intense that it was incomprehensible to Theo.

This was Kyle’s mana-infused blade.

The sword shone brilliantly.

The light beam fell above Theo’s head.

“If you truly wish to grasp this position, you must prove to me that you can fully utilize everything you possess.”

The questions still felt like riddles, but Theo had no time to respond.

That was a disaster.

A natural disaster akin to a typhoon or tsunami.

Something absolutely impossible for a mere human to contend with was threatening his life.

For real!

—This is truly dangerous.

Theo felt a sense of crisis and raised Drake’s weapon as he maximized the resonance of his dragon’s heart, dantian, and mana.

Thump, thump, thump!

His heart raced wildly as his mana surged.

Crackle!

And in that moment,

Theo recalled the mental images of the high-level masters he had been spying on.

The Hatchling Synchronization activated with fervor.

His mind gradually heated up.

He remembered.

The soft petals of the Plum Blossom Princess.

He recalled.

Julius’s sharp strike.

He reflected on.

The judges’ overwhelming sword pressure.

The Dragon Pier appeared around Theo, curling up and swinging its claws wildly.

Roar!

It sounded as if a dragon was roaring toward the heavens.

But,

Slash!

Kyle’s beam of light mercilessly sliced through the dragon’s claws and head, falling above Theo.

And… it split through both Drake’s weapon and Theo himself.

Swoosh—

A very brief slicing sound.

Silence enveloped the space in an instant.

Darkness covered his vision as all his senses vanished simultaneously.

*‘Did I… die?’*

That was the first thought that crossed Theo's mind.

It had felt the same when he faced death before.

After being struck by a sightless arrow, darkness came over him,

And he drifted in an unknown space for a while before feeling himself being sucked into somewhere and undergoing regression.

But regression was ultimately a miracle created by the first unknown artifact.

He could not wish for that again.

So he should consider himself truly dead.

.

.

A moment of silence flowed.

*‘Don’t be ridiculous.’*

Theo bit down hard.

*‘Don’t even think about it. How did I get this far…!’*

Hadn’t he vowed?

That he would never bend in this life.

So.

He wouldn’t bend this time either.

Theo brought his left hand to his waist.

He clearly didn’t have a physical body, but he believed.

The Moonlight Blade was there.

Buzz, buzz—

* * *

Kyle looked at Theo with an impassive expression.

A gaze that was hard to perceive as that of a father looking at his son.

Theo stood there, holding Drake’s weapon, seemingly dazed.

As if he were a statue.

His eyes had lost focus.

A lost soul.

Kyle referred to that state in this manner.

In truth, what Kyle had severed wasn’t Theo’s body.

It was the soul that dwelled within it.

He had cut through Theo’s mind with his heart-sword.

Since it was a heart-sword wielded by an existence who sought divine realms, overcoming it would be nearly impossible without the mental strength of a Nine Dragon-level master.

Still, Kyle hoped for Theo to overcome this.

Only then would he earn the right to properly wield the sword he had bestowed upon him, along with ‘her’ teachings and the many fortuitous encounters he had gained.

Most importantly.

If Theo was to truly grasp the throne by defeating countless competitors, he had to overcome obstacles like this.

The true heirs he would face as a latecomer would undoubtedly be formidable.

Caw!

However, the black lark perched on Kyle’s shoulder seemed to think otherwise.

“…It can’t be helped. Then I suppose this child’s share ends here.”

As Kyle muttered something incomprehensible and began to turn away,

Roar!

With an intense surge of energy, light returned to Theo’s eyes.

As Kyle turned back, a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

The roar of a beast echoed harshly.

There stood Theo, releasing thick smoke.

In his right hand was Drake’s weapon, and in his left was the Moonlight Blade.

Buzz, buzz!

The two swords cried out, refusing to be defeated.

“Haah… haah! Don’t you think I’ve proven my worth by now?”

Theo gasped for breath but did not take his eyes off Kyle.

The look in his eyes, vowing never to yield, pleased Kyle.

“Very well. You pass.”

A deeper smile spread across his face.

* * *

*‘What on earth did my father want to confirm from me?’*

As Theo

 left the lodge, he fell into deep contemplation.

He wanted to ask what his father knew, the intention behind using the heart-sword.

—Next.

Kyle merely called out the next person, without offering any substantial answer.

As if to say that he did not yet have the ‘qualifications’ to ask such a question.

In the end, Theo was sent away from the lodge, filled with only questions.

But still,

*‘I gained my father’s acknowledgment.’*

The absence of any further comments from him was nothing less than an agreement that he would not impose any restrictions even as he stepped into the competition for the throne.

[Congratulations! You have successfully completed Tutorial Quest #17 by gaining the recognition of the Dragon Slayer.]

[Evaluation: A+]

[As a reward, you have earned 1 coin.]

[As an additional reward based on your evaluation, your dominance over owned items is enhanced.]

[From now on, you will have immunity against mental attacks rated A and below.]

Buzz, buzz!

As the mana of Drake’s weapon and the Moonlight Blade, strengthened from overcoming Kyle’s heart-sword, sang out long and loudly.

A smile grew deeper on Theo’s face.

Thus, all the flowering ceremonies had concluded.

Now,

It was time to officially enter the competition for the throne.

* * *

That evening.

After all the flowering ceremonies leading to the third round concluded, the final results were announced.

**<Final Results of the Flowering Ceremony>**

**Overall Top Scorer: Theo Ragnar**

—First Round: Top Scorer, Second Round: Top Scorer, Third Round: Top Scorer

—Judges’ Report: This individual has recorded outstanding scores across all categories, including skills, talents, capabilities, and willpower, particularly the new record set during the second round, which will be remembered throughout Ragnar’s millennium-long history…

The emergence of a newly prominent heir.

The beginning of a tumult.