Zeke's gaze was so sharp that Ishaan took a step back before Zeke even moved. At this moment, there was a strange aura emanating from his body. It wasn't something humans could perceive, but to the Chimeroi, it was like a bonfire.
The defeated Rana Samrat, bloody and bruised as they were, crawled away. Even Kaaria, the petite slave girl, could feel that something about Zeke had changed. The small hairs on her neck and arms stood on end. To her senses, the amiable young man from earlier had been replaced by a horrifying monster.
Zeke's smile grew wider as he noticed the fearful reactions of everyone around him. In his current condition, he reveled in it — reveled in this feeling of power and dominance. He was just about to move when a sudden voice interrupted his crazed thoughts.
"Calm down, whelp!" the Dragon ordered. "You shouldn't waste essence like that."
There was a power in the Dragon's voice that doused the fire in Zeke's heart by a fraction, allowing him to reign in his emotions. He closed his eyes and took a long, calming breath. When he opened them again, his pupils had returned to normal.
Even so, his gaze was frigid as he looked at Ishaan. "The next time you raise your whip at me, you die."
Seeing that the danger had passed, Ishaan harrumphed and walked away without acknowledging the warning. However, before he left the hall, he called over his shoulder. "The afternoon training starts in two hours. You all better be prepared."
Even though he had made it look like those instructions were meant for everyone, it was clear that he had said it for Zeke's benefit. It wasn't like the others didn't know about the schedule, after all. However, Zeke couldn't care less about Ishaan at the moment; his mind was still on what the Dragon had said just now.
"What did you mean by 'essence'?" he asked.
"I'm obviously talking about the draconic essence produced by my heart."
Zeke's mouth twitched. How exactly was this obvious? However, despite Zeke not meaning it to, the Dragon still heard his thoughts.
"Where else did you think those changes came from?" the Dragon asked mockingly. "Your slitted pupils, boundless strength, and unbreakable pride?"
Zeke smiled wryly at the question. For the longest time, he had assumed that it was the Dragon influencing his behavior. But now that they were in a cooperative relationship, that theory didn't hold up anymore.
The Dragon, not bothered by his silence, continued his explanation. "Listen here, whelp. Any high-level creature's heart will slowly produce essence over time. If left undisturbed, this essence will nourish the body and strengthen it. But that process will not take place if you use it up."
"What do you mean by 'use it up'?" Zeke asked, although he had a theory already.
"What you are thinking is right, more or less," the Dragon confirmed. "In dire situations, the heart will release all the stored-up essence to give you a large, but temporary boost. This is a survival method of high-level creatures."
Zeke considered the Dragon's words. This essence release had happened to him a couple of times already. Mostly, it had happened in battle. Either when he was about to lose, as it had been the case in the fight with Leo, or when he was agitated, like just now.
The only exception to that rule had been the first time it happened with Sophia. Now that he thought about it, it was very likely that she had used her Mind magic on him at that time. As a Mind Mage himself, he had been taught that he was almost immune, but Zeke would be a fool to think that the Geistreich family didn't have a way around that.
He didn't think that Sophia had been trying to harm him, but her unnaturally high charm was most likely backed by Mind Magic. She probably had done so unconsciously, even. Nonetheless, the heart had reacted as if it was under attack, almost resulting in her death.
With just a couple of words, the Dragon had resolved one of the greatest mysteries plaguing Zeke's mind.
Only now that he felt the knot in his heart relax, did he recognize the strain this situation had put him under for the past year. The threat of an unknown force influencing his every action had been hard to ignore. But now, the sense of unease almost completely disappeared.
Knowledge truly was the antidote to everything.
Furthermore, he also knew why his body was improving much faster than expected. Even compared to other Blood Mages, his strength was extraordinary. This had to be the influence of this mysterious draconic essence as well.
Suddenly, a new thought came to him. "Didn't I empty out my entire Blood reservoir while researching the new spell? Does that mean that I've wasted tons of essence back then as well?"
The Dragon chuckled. "That's not how it works. The heart doesn't constantly release essence into your bloodstream but only during specific times. Namely, when the body is most receptive to growth."
When the body is most receptive to growth? Zeke pondered those words for a moment before an idea struck him. "Are you talking about sleeping?"
"Indeed," the Dragon confirmed. "That's why ancient beasts usually sleep for much longer — even years at a time in some cases. However, that's not necessary for you. For one, your body is much smaller. Also, your high blood affinity makes you extremely compatible with my essence. You still shouldn't skip too many nights though, if you want to optimize your growth."
Zeke was stunned. Not only had the Dragon patiently explained all this of its own accord, but it had even made a suggestion on how to optimize his gains. Was this just his imagination or was the Dragon a lot more amiable as of late?
"Thank you, Dragon. I'll take your words to heart."
There was no reply, but Zeke wasn't bothered. Suddenly, he thought of something else. Maybe now was the time to ask about a subject he had long wondered about.
"By the way, Dragon, do you have a name? I think it's weird that I still call you 'Dragon' after all this time."
The Dragon scoffed. "Of course I have a name, whelp. But a Dragon doesn't give its name to just anybody. That's a privilege reserved for people worthy of respect — an honor that has to be earned."
Zeke remained silent for a moment before trying his luck. "So, then, what is your name?"
There was no reply.
***
Two hours passed quickly, and Ishaan returned to the arena.
In the meantime, a team of healers had patched up the Rana Samrat. Zeke noticed that the Life Mages didn't restore them to perfect health but merely took care of the worst of their injuries. This wasn't done out of malice, but because the group of True Mages simply didn't have the Mana reserves or spell proficiency to do anything more than.
Zeke shook his head. If not for the many injuries caused by Ishaan's whip, the healers could have quickly brought everyone back to their peak state. His disdain for Ishaan's methods grew.
"Alright, you lowly maggots," Ishaan yelled. "It is time for the one-on-one fights. You all know the rules. Group up according to your ranks. I'll be overlooking the newbies today."
At his words, the slaves quickly arranged themselves as ordered. There were four groups, and Zeke instantly realized that they most likely corresponded to the four of the Rings of Samsara. As for the fifth ring? That was where Arch Mages fought, and none of the slaves here were on that level.
Zeke also joined a group. His was the largest one, but also the one with the weakest fighters. They were the contestants for the beginner's circle. After a moment, Ishaan impatiently stomped over.
Zeke saw the slaves cower under the man's gaze. However, when their eyes met, Zeke glared right back. There was no fear in Zeke's eyes. The only thing showing in his gaze was the deep disdain and loathing he had for the man.
Ishaan's lips twitched. However, his mouth soon twisted into a cruel smile as he gave his command. "Alright, let's see what the newbie can do. As for the opponent… Ripper, you go first."
Zeke searched the crowd for the person named Ripper. Soon, a small figure emerged, stepping boldly into the middle of the sparring area.
Her upper body was that of a lithe and powerful woman. She had well-defined muscles and a fierce, determined expression. Ripper's arms were toned and sinewy, showcasing the strength she possessed despite her small size. Her hair was long and wild, a tangled mess of deep ebony locks that seemed to have a life of its own.
However, it was from the waist down where Ripper's true nature was most apparent. Her lower body was that of a feline, complete with a sleek, shimmering coat of fur and a long, prehensile tail that swayed with deadly grace. Her legs were strong and agile, ending in razor-sharp claws. Her feline features included cat-like ears atop her head, a set of sharp, predatory teeth, and piercing emerald-green eyes that gleamed with a mix of intelligence and wild instinct.
She didn't seem to be much older than him, but Zeke felt a distinct sense of danger when looking at her. Ripper was definitely no weakling. From the pleased look on Ishaan's face, he could guess that she was one of the strongest fighters in this group.
"Akasha?"
[Answer] Those are the physical abilities of the individual called Ripper as compared to host. [Ripper]
Strength: 40 Constitution: 30
Agility: 45 Intelligence: 32 [Ezekiel]
Strength: 27 Constitution: 30
Agility: 24 Intelligence: 26
Zeke's face grew serious. The physical abilities of the woman in front of him were even higher than those of the Thunderclaw he had fought previously. So, these were the stats of a Chimeroi. The only upside was that they couldn't use any Magic.
Zeke entered the makeshift dueling circle while contemplating his next move. In the Rings of Samsara, he intended to fight using the Dragon, but that wasn't suitable for practice. After all, he would learn nothing by watching the Dragon fight, and it surely didn't need the practice either. Therefore, Zeke decided to fight using nothing but his body and the most rudimentary Blood Magic.
His eyes gleamed at the challenge. Ripper had vastly superior stats, combat experience, and instincts. He could somewhat shorten the gap between them by boosting himself using Blood Magic, but it wouldn't make up for much. The only thing Zeke could rely on in a physical altercation was his superior intellect and knowledge. Zeke licked his lips, excited to encounter a real challenge after so long.
While Zeke walked toward his spot, blood-red claws emerged from his hands and feet. He was using the [Blood Spike] spell to level the playing field.
Seeing that both were in position, Ishaan started the countdown. "Three… two… one… FIGHT!"
***
Not even a minute had passed, and Zeke was already lying on the floor, motionless. Blood was gushing freely from several lacerations and puncture holes all across his body. The fight had been over the moment it started.
Zeke had severely overestimated himself this time.
He still had absolute confidence in defeating Ripper in an actual fight, but with the many restrictions he had put on himself, he was completely outmatched. Not only was she faster, stronger, and more agile than him, but she also had a frightening level of combat experience, and her instincts were razor-sharp.
It felt like fighting an even more powerful version of Leo.
Zeke smiled wryly as he forced his wounds to stop bleeding. In short order, he channeled his blood mana to start the healing process. Just then, he heard footsteps approaching, followed by the gloating face of Ishaan, looking down on him.
"Pathetic," the man sneered. "You are an embarrassment to this school. I don't know what the owner was thinking when recruiting someone like you, but I can only hope that you die before tarnishing our name too much."
After saying what he wanted, Ishaan walked away without as much as a backward glance. Zeke could see that the earlier wariness he had instilled in the man was already fading. It would most likely not be long before he would start to treat Zeke like a slave again. No matter, he had warned the man once, and there wouldn't be a second time.
By now, he had recovered enough to get up. Even so, he remained there, sitting on the ground, watching the ongoing fights. For over an hour, he studied their movements, attack patterns, habits, everything, and anything. He soon came to understand the strengths and weaknesses of anybody in this group.
After he was fully healed, Zeke challenged another opponent. It was a burly man with arms as thick as Zeke's legs. He had black horns and a bovine tail. According to his observations, this guy was the weakest of the bunch. Zeke still ended up losing, but compared to the battle against Ripper, they were almost evenly matched, and the battle lasted for several minutes.
While recuperating, he continued to study his opponent some more. He had learned a lot during their previous fight and was already considering ways to improve. When he recovered once more, Zeke rechallenged the same opponent. This time, he was victorious.
After carrying the body of his unconscious opponent to the healers, Zeke searched out his next target — the second-weakest fighter. This time, it took him five matches before he was finally able to win.
By the time they were ordered to stop for the day, Zeke had managed to overcome another two fighters. He had a broad smile on his face. From being the weakest, he had risen four spots in the pecking order. If he continued like this, he would soon be able to have his rematch against Ripper.
As Zeke was solely focused on improving, three days passed in a flash. But today, instead of going back to training, Zeke joined the Rana Samrat gathering in front of the School. It was the day of his first match.