Chapter 131: Chapter 103: Not Worth Mentioning

A flirtatious glance, by turns a pout and a smile.

Aside from making the junior Wizards fanning the ice blocks stare wide-eyed and unconsciously increase their ice-making speed and wind strength, this flirtatious display failed to draw even a single glance from the young Knight.

The other Knights of the Glorious Knight Order were the same. No one looked up, no one looked down; they just stared intently at the Demon Hunters’ preparation area.

It seemed that to the Knights, women were not as important as their Demon Hunter opponents.

Apparently, their Demon Hunter opponents across the arena felt the same way, as they too were staring intently in their direction.

Though their motives were slightly different—the Demon Hunters were mainly wide-eyed, grading the snowy-white flesh on display.

Quite a few of the contestants, in their desire to get a clearer and more distant view, had unconsciously activated their [Hunter’s Eye], causing their Spiritual Power to drain at an accelerated rate.

Under Zod’s guidance, Maguire craned his neck, exclaiming excitedly, "I see it! I see it!"

Zod grinned, a smile that said, ’this kid is teachable.’ "So, kid, was I wrong? The damn Knight Order is full of big-titted women!"

"I see L’s opponent, Lanni!" Maguire said, turning his head. "Wait, Zod, what were you saying about big chests?"

"Nothing," Zod said, taking a sip of his drink. "I was just wondering when you’re going to really grow up."

"I’m already 20," Maguire retorted. "In another four or five years, tops, the Demons and [Beasts] I’ll have killed will be enough for me to concoct the [Magic Potion] to reach the Bronze Tier."

Zod took a gloomy swig from his flask, as if steeling his resolve. "Twenty, huh... I guess it’s time."

"Time for what?"

Zod took another drink and said grimly, "For this half-baked Demon Hunter to move on from his senior’s verbal lessons and get some hands-on experience."

"Hands-on experience?"

Maguire wanted to ask more, but Zod was already ignoring him. His [Hunter’s Eye] activated as he stared in a specific direction.

Not at the women’s tits, but at the Knight named Lanni.

The instant his gaze fell upon Lanni, Lanni seemed to sense it and looked over.

Their eyes met. Zod retracted his gaze and turned to Maguire.

"Don’t bother asking who I’m betting on. As of right now, I’m temporarily quitting gambling."

Maguire: "...???"

Lanni withdrew his gaze, not paying it much mind.

’The strong are always feared by the weak.’

’This was a truth he had understood since he decided to become a Knight, long before he’d met that old fossil, Victor.’

The reason Lanni hadn’t become a Faith Knight was that he didn’t want to.

This was something everyone in the Glorious Knight Order knew.

Lanni had entered the Preparatory Knight Order at the same time as Victor, the current Knight Commander of the Glorious Knight Order.

Back then, two Knight’s Lawbooks, each symbolizing a different career path, were placed before him. As the top candidate in all the trials, he had the ability to choose to become a Faith Knight first.

The remaining Lawbook would then be left for the second-ranked candidate, Victor.

Undoubtedly, almost any Preparatory Knight who had awakened their [Spiritual Sense], when faced with what was essentially a non-choice, would unhesitatingly pick the path of the Faith Knight—a path with a higher starting point and a relatively easier destination.

Whether it was for the [Eight Virtues], which provided a full suite of offensive and defensive abilities, or the [Secret Silver Heart], which was equivalent to gaining a second life.

Or even for the dual status automatically granted upon becoming a Faith Knight: reserve commander of the Amel Knight Order and Cultist of the Holy Church.

For orphans like Lanni, who had joined the incredibly deadly Preparatory Knight Order to escape the [Beast Calamity] of the Foggy Days, it was the most perfect choice imaginable.

But Lanni refused. He unhesitatingly chose to become a Contract Knight—a path that, while not exactly worthless in the Amel Duchy, was about as common as stray dogs.

Before the chief examiner could even react, he had bitten his own finger and drawn on the Lawbook with his blood.

"You haven’t even found the Magical Beast for your contract yet! If you fail to sign it within twenty-four hours, you will die!"

the Preparatory Knight Order instructor exclaimed in shock.

"Before your blood completely soaks the Lawbook and the Knight Law finishes marking you, hurry and find a [Saint] from the Church to reverse this!"

With that, the instructor grabbed Lanni and started to pull him away, but Lanni broke free from his grip. "I’ve already found one," he said.

"Who?"

"The Dragon that destroyed my hometown." With that, Lanni took the Lawbook and left.

When he returned, he was already a Black Iron Tier Contract Knight.

...

Like Gray, the arrogant and domineering Barbarian Bear Knight, Lanni didn’t quite fit in with the Knight Order.

However, unlike Gray—who was reckless, crude, and oblivious to the fact that he’d gotten in through connections, leading to his collective isolation by the other Knights—Lanni wasn’t isolated by his teammates. He was the one who isolated them.

He was simply too proud. Just as his name, "Lanni," meant "sun" in the Ancient Prole Language, he was himself a Knight as proud, noble, and radiant as the sun.

A 28-year-old Bronze Contract Knight, his Contracted Beast was a Fire Dragon Subspecies. Though called a subspecies, it was actually a member of the Dragon Race born from the crossbreeding of a Fire Dragon and a Flying Dragon—an Azure Fire Dragon.

Even if it was still in the subspecies category, it was a top-tier Dragon Descendant among them.

Because of the "Assimilation" that came with ascending to the Bronze Tier, his bloodline as a Contract Knight had begun to partially flow with the noble blood of the Dragon Race. Even though his contract wasn’t with a pure-blooded Dragon, he could be considered half a Fire Dragon Knight.

In addition to the Dragon Blood in his veins, the Golden Eye—an ability powerful enough to project an aura of majesty over lower-Tier Contract Knights and Demon Beasts—was already faintly beginning to manifest in his pupils.

Given time, if Lanni could seize an opportunity to break through to the Silver Tier and then drink and absorb a sufficient quantity of Dragon Blood, it was not impossible that the complete Golden Eye—the legendary symbol of a pure-blooded Dragon Knight, the very representation of Dragon Mighty—could manifest for him.

No, not just possible—it was certain!!!

Lanni was just that confident. As a Fire Dragon Knight, in a battle against a Contract Knight of the same tier, he could rely solely on his "Dragon Eye" to exert "Status Suppression" on the other Contractor, significantly weakening the power of their Promise.

If his opponent’s Contracted Beast was also of the Dragon Race, but a "Dragon Beast" with a status far below that of a Fire Dragon Subspecies, he could even use his "Fire Dragon’s Eye" to inflict a momentary "Racial Suppression," causing them to fall unconscious.

(PS: A pure-blooded member of the Dragon Race breeding with a Dragon Race subspecies produces a Dragon Race subspecies. A Dragon Race subspecies breeding with another species produces a "Dragon Beast." The power of a Dragon Beast is determined by the percentage of pure Dragon Blood in its lineage, and it will physically manifest Dragon Race characteristics.)

(PS: The Flying Dragon Subspecies egg hatched by the Dragon Eater Association in the previous Chapter was laid by a Flying Dragon Subspecies that mated with another creature, thus it is classified as a "Dragon Beast.")

Even Gray, the Barbarian Bear Knight—that sore loser who wasn’t skilled enough, and who ultimately died from his grievous injuries—had demanded that Promises be forbidden during their spars within the Amel Group for this very reason.

Though Lanni still defeated him in the end.

It could be said that besides the Knight Commander, Victor, Lanni feared no one in the entire Knight Order.

’Much less a profession like Demon Hunter, who ran around in small packs and, at best, could kill a single Bronze Demon on a Foggy Day.’

Lanni was not in a good mood.

Because the mission Victor had suddenly assigned him had disrupted his long-established daily training regimen.

According to his training plan, he should have been outside Fude City right now, hunting [Dragon Beasts] that had Dragon Blood in their bodies. After killing them, he would bathe in their blood to strengthen himself in preparation for his future breakthrough to the Silver Tier.

’I thought I wouldn’t have to show up for this competition, but then... Gray. In the end, he was just too weak.’

Lanni felt that suppressing his strength to participate in this competition was just a matter of going through the motions.

’He wasn’t a weakling like Gray, who needed this competition to prove his worth, only to fail at proving anything and lose his own life in the process.’

Lanni felt that the outcome of today’s match was probably decided the moment he arrived at the venue.

’Even this Allen they spoke of, the one suspected of killing Gray, was nothing to him. He was the kind of trash who would be routed by a mere glance and a slight release of his Dragon Mighty.’

’Not worth mentioning.’