"Did my father summon me?"

Upon returning to reality, Theo was startled as he reviewed the various functionalities of his relics.

It was rare for his father to summon him directly like this.

‘Could something have happened?’

With the recent turmoil caused by Ed, the family’s atmosphere was already tense.

Perhaps his father wanted to consult him since he had been at the forefront of the issue.

“Tell him I’ll be there shortly.”

The knight who had come to deliver the message bowed and quietly departed.

‘As expected from the Blue Sword Guards… Father’s true shadows.’

These elite guards were always by Kyle’s side, their skills said to rival the White Armor Dragon Corps and the Black Iron Corps, which even Theo found impressive.

Theo quickly prepared to make his way to the mountain villa where his father awaited.

* * *

Heavy.

That was Theo's first thought as he arrived at the villa.

The atmosphere here was different from when he had completed his third blossoming ceremony.

It felt as if the broken swords were glaring at him, watching his every move.

For a moment, Theo thought his father might be testing him again.

‘No, that’s not it. This… I can sense more now than before.’

Theo soon realized that Kyle wasn't radiating any aura as he had before.

Instead, the oppressive atmosphere seemed to emanate naturally from the villa itself.

It was incredible that monsters weren’t swarming this place.

For anyone honing dark energy, this place would have been an ideal spiritual sanctuary.

Theo was pleased to discover that he could now “sense” far more than he had during the blossoming ceremony.

Yet, a cold sweat trickled down his back.

‘If my father can sense even more than I do, and not only that but also enjoy it… he must be continually training at this level, even after reaching such a peak.’

An endless commitment to improvement.

A tireless desire to ascend.

An insatiable ambition.

Perhaps all of these were what had allowed Kyle to maintain his position as an absolute power for so long.

Theo felt an even stronger desire to one day reach that same pinnacle.

“You work hard, I see. Usually, those called ‘geniuses’ grow complacent, becoming lazy as they revel in their talent.”

Kyle appeared then, with a look of amusement as he observed Theo standing there, seemingly in a trance.

Theo hesitated briefly, considering how to respond, then spoke his true feelings.

“I know that everything I have now is due to sheer luck, so I can’t afford to be idle.”

“Luck, you say?”

Kyle chuckled softly.

“To anyone else, that would sound like a boast. They’d see it as false modesty.”

“It doesn’t matter to me what others think.”

“That’s a good mindset.”

Kyle nodded approvingly.

Theo referred to it as luck because of his rebirth.

The chance to try again.

The opportunity for a fresh start.

These were privileges few others would ever have.

Theo understood this and was determined to make the most of his second chance, never allowing himself to grow complacent.

Kyle appreciated this aspect of Theo.

‘So, this was a test after all.’

Theo sensed that if he had failed to answer appropriately, his father might have left Drake’s Blade and the Moonlight Sword here in the villa.

It seemed Kyle’s mistrust and testing would persist for a while yet.

For how long, he wondered, slightly unsettled.

“Even when people are given privileges and opportunities, many fail to utilize them. Most instead seek to live in comfort. And such people… will inevitably hit a ceiling in their growth.”

Kyle dropped his hands from behind his back, reaching out into the air.

“That itself is a talent of yours. So take pride in what you’ve achieved.”

Theo felt his anxieties ease at his father’s words.

- He was finally beginning to gain his father’s recognition.

That realization brought him a quiet joy.

Clang, clang!

Just then, one of the broken swords nearby trembled, lifting into the air and floating into Kyle’s hand.

Was he about to test him again?

Theo’s hand instinctively reached toward Drake’s Blade when—

Crunch!

The sword in Kyle’s hand began to compress, bending inward.

“...!?”

Theo watched in surprise.

The sword was folding in on itself, finally forming into a large, dark orb.

A sphere emitting a sinister aura.

“Eat it.”

Kyle extended it toward Theo.

“This…?”

“Surprised? You look a bit taken aback.”

“N-No, sir.”

Kyle’s light laughter made Theo quickly shake his head.

“It’s understandable. I spent a long time thinking about what to give you. But it seemed like you already had most things.”

Kyle’s gaze moved over Theo from head to toe.

All the relics he carried, including the Moonlight Sword, began to tremble faintly.

‘They’re all tense.’

Had they sensed the presence of a Dragonslayer?

“Just giving you a token wouldn’t help someone as ambitious as you. So, I’ve chosen something to serve as a stepping stone. This is a ‘karma’—the essence of an absolute figure from a past era.”

Theo felt as though Kyle’s gaze could pierce his soul.

“You possess innate strength. Not just physical prowess but also the ability to control it. You use explosive speed to overwhelm your opponents, and you’ve honed your stamina to push for longer, more powerful attacks.”

Kyle seemed to fully understand the style of swordsmanship Theo aspired to.

“As a result, you can hold multiple elements within yourself. You wield the power of dragons and swordsmanship. Soon, the Black Dragon’s essence will also reside within you… and more still. I can even see traces of magic within you.”

Magic was a difficult area for any swordsman to master. Kyle added this as a final note.

“So eat this. It will settle within your subconscious, aiding you when your abilities start to merge into one. Think of it as a guide.”

“Who did this sword belong to?”

“I can’t tell you. That would make it too easy. Knowing might also create preconceptions that limit you. Discover who it belonged to in your own time.”

Theo stared at the sphere.

An unknown legacy.

There was a faint yet captivating madness emanating from it.

As Kyle had said, it could provide him with a shortcut, yet it could also create limitations.

This sphere wouldn’t show him how to break through the walls its previous owner failed to overcome.

And those walls were right before him now.

The wall known as Kyle.

‘So, it’s meant to quickly make me stronger, but not as a prison—it’s a stepping stone.’

A gift meant to serve as a stepping stone, indeed.

“I’ll add one last thing.”

“…?”

“Your elder brothers and sisters have each received a karma from the villa as well.”

“…!”

“Each was given something that suited their path, something they could use as a stepping stone.”

Thump, thump!

Theo’s heart pounded.

When Kyle spoke of his “brothers and sisters,” he wasn’t merely referring to blood relatives.

When Kyle acknowledged someone as a child, it meant one thing only.

- They were strong candidates for succession.

These were the ones Kyle deemed worthy to inherit his legacy, the “Five Great Candidates.”

Thump, thump, thump!

“Does that mean…?”

“You asked for the chance to prove yourself, didn’t you?”

- Grant me a chance.

Those words had been Theo’s response when asked if he truly sought the throne.

“I shall grant it. This is your first opportunity.”

Theo took the dark sphere with trembling hands.

“However, you must prepare yourself. There are many siblings above you. They were born before you, and they have had time to secure their positions. Consider how you’ll deal with their resistance.”

Theo’s eyes shone with determination.

As he touched the orb, he felt waves of strong energy pulsing from it.

It was heavy.

The weight of the karma.

“And it’s not just them. Many others desire this position. Among your cousins, in the ranks of the elders and former patriarchs, are those who seek the throne. Even some who have left Ragnar, or those who appear unconnected to it on the surface. Troyban, whom you’ve ousted, is one such example. And… there’s another.”

Kyle paused mid-sentence.

Theo looked up, meeting his father’s eyes.

What he saw was a force of will that dwarfed the karma within the orb.

“I am one of them.”

“…!”

A slight smirk played on Kyle’s lips.

“You’ll have to surpass even me.”

Thump… Thump… Thump…

Theo’s heart raced.

A shiver ran down his spine.

Kyle was the obstacle even Lodbrok and the Dragon Emperor couldn’t overcome.

Here was that monster telling him he must surpass him.

It could be seen as an outright threat.

But,

“Yes. I’ll do just that.”

Theo smiled.

Kyle’s eyebrow twitched.

“One day, I’ll surpass you, Father.”

In Theo’s smile, Kyle saw only one emotion.

Competitive spirit.

‘…Competitive spirit!’

Faced with this unexpected emotion, Kyle burst into laughter.

“Good. Do it, then.”

Kyle withdrew his hand from the orb and folded his arms behind his back.

Theo bowed in gratitude.

Then, he brought the orb to his mouth.

Swoosh—

The orb melted effortlessly, sliding down his throat.

“...!”

Theo quickly sat in a lotus position, circulating his mana.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Faint steam rose from his head, and sparks of yellow lightning flared around him.

Kyle watched in silence.

Rumble—

Soon, powerful waves emanated from Theo.

Buzz, buzz!

The broken swords within the villa resonated as if cheering on their new companion.

Or perhaps, looking on with envy.

Flap!

Just then, a small black skylark flew onto Kyle’s left shoulder and perched there.

Hoo!

“Why give him that specific karma, out of all of them?”

Hoo-hoo—

The black skylark nodded with concern.

But Kyle seemed unfazed.

“Well, isn’t it obvious? Didn’t you see?”

A smile spread across his face.

“When I acknowledged him as a successor, he was smiling.”

Among all the children Kyle had deemed “worthy”—the Five Great Candidates and even those who were no longer alive—their reactions had been similar.

They had felt either joy or overwhelming gratitude.

But Theo’s reaction was different.

Competitive spirit.

The sight of a son eager to surpass his father brought Kyle nothing but delight.

“Out of all my children, he’s the only one who smiled at the thought.”

Kyle’s own smile mirrored Theo’s.

It was the smile of a father eager for the future,

Driven by a competitive spirit toward his son.