Chapter 219: Best of luck to you
Despite the Director’s proposal, which might’ve seemed tempting to someone else, Lucian didn’t give an immediate response.
Instead, he simply asked them to continue with the combat examination. Cedric didn’t try to speak further, giving the young man some time to think. Rather than pressuring him into answering, he simply nodded before continuing with the last part of the examination.
Now, standing in the centre of the training ground, Cedric and Leonardo stood before Lucian and Seraphina.
The large training area around them was quiet, marked out across several long metres before continuing into the other sections. There was no one else around aside from them.
Cedric glanced toward the two of them before speaking.
"We’ll call for rankers according to your ranks."
He pulled out his phone and made a call, briefly explaining the situation and asking them to send two awakened rankers suitable for the examination.
But just as Cedric finished the call and placed his phone back into his pocket—
"Can I choose who I want to fight against?" Lucian suddenly asked.
Cedric’s brows furrowed slightly, but he eventually nodded.
"You can, if you have anyone in mind."
Hearing those words, a smile gradually appeared on Lucian’s face as his gaze immediately shifted toward Leonardo, sparks of excitement flickering through his eyes.
Seeing that smile, Leonardo’s expression immediately became wary.
"I want to take the test with you."
For a brief moment, the entire training ground became quiet before Cedric and Leonardo both narrowed their eyes slightly.
Leonardo stared at Lucian, as if trying to determine whether he had heard him correctly.
"Don’t you think you are getting too overconfident?"
"No...?"
Lucian innocently tilted his head before continuing.
"And it’s not like I’m asking you to use your full power. I just want to see how an SS rank talented awakened can fight."
"Tch, so you already knew." Leonardo clicked his tongue quietly, staring at Lucian with slight nervousness that he refused to show.
He didn’t like the fact that Lucian knew.
Very few people were aware of his real talent. To most people within the Association, Leonardo Ashwood was simply the cool, handsome assistant of the Director.
A capable awakened... a man who possessed an S rank talent, which alone made him very valuable within the Association.
Yes, that still made him a bit precious, but the difference between S rank and SS rank was massive, so he didn’t need to deal with the same amount of attention that someone with an SS rank talent would receive.
He could remain beside his grandfather without becoming the centre of attention.
Even Cedric was becoming slightly wary of the young man before him, but considering all the hints he had gotten from the lad, it wasn’t entirely surprising.
But now...
After thinking for a few seconds—
Cedric finally spoke.
"Fight him, Leon."
"Grandfather?"
The word slipped out of Leonardo’s mouth almost instinctively, only then realising that he had called Cedric that rather than Director. But by now, he didn’t even care.
Especially since Lucian seemed to already know too much about them.
Lucian didn’t react. His expression remained unchanged.
But Seraphina’s brows rose ever so slightly upon hearing their relationship, as well as the assistant’s talent.
She hadn’t expected either of those revelations. Still... her reaction was incredibly mild compared to how a normal person would’ve probably reacted to such a big revelation.
"Fight him," Cedric repeated.
"Both of you have the same talent... and also the same affinity."
It was clear what Cedric wanted.
He wanted to see both of them fight—to test them, or more accurately... to test Lucian.
Leonardo’s brows furrowed slightly before he turned toward Lucian, who was watching him with an amused expression, as if he too was curious to see what someone with an SS rank talent could do.
Leonardo couldn’t help but feel slightly irritated by that look, and after a few seconds of silence, he finally let out a long sigh.
"...Fine."
"Just don’t use your full strength, and make sure you don’t kill him by mistake," Cedric emphasised, since he didn’t want to turn this into an actual battle to the death.
Lucian’s lips twitched, but he didn’t say anything.
Even with his original rank—C rank—he knew he was weaker than Leonardo, and although he had several abilities and traits that gave him an advantage, he wasn’t sure whether he would be able to defeat Leonardo that easily even with his original strength.
But rather than making him nervous, it only made him more excited.
"...Are you sure?" Seraphina asked quietly, slightly pulling him by the sleeve, a hint of concern evident in her voice.
To her, it sounded a bit too reckless, especially because she herself could tell that Leonardo was stronger than the Director, mostly from the mana radiating from his body.
"I’ll be fine," Lucian said softly.
He was genuinely curious and excited to know how it would feel to fight a B ranker, even though he wasn’t going to be able to use his full strength.
And after spending so much time continuously fighting with Valentina and getting beaten absolutely each and every single fucking time...
It had been frustrating, so this was a great chance to test his abilities.
"Which weapon do you use?" Cedric suddenly asked, drawing their attention toward him.
"Currently, a sword."
Cedric nodded, but a faint crease appeared between his brows.
’Currently?’
Still, not wasting much more time, he motioned toward Leonardo, who let out a small sigh before walking toward the other end of the hall, where several training weapons had been placed in an organised manner.
A few seconds later, he returned, bringing two swords with him.
Without saying anything—
He threw one directly toward Lucian, tossing it so casually as if it were nothing more than a normal stick.
The sword flew through the air, moving toward Lucian midair.
But rather than flinching, Lucian raised his hand and easily caught it.
By the blade.
Something that was extremely reckless, especially if he had cut his hand because of that stupid stunt.
Cedric’s eyes widened slightly before relaxing, stunned by the recklessness of the boy, or perhaps it was simply ignorance toward metallic weapons.
Who knew?
But then—
Wait... the blade?
"A dulled blade?" Lucian muttered, tossing the sword into the air before smoothly grabbing it by the hilt. But seeing the lack of sharpness along the sword, he slowly turned toward the Director, his expression filled with confusion.
"What? We cannot use sharp blades for simple examinations like this."
Cedric shrugged slightly.
"It’s just a spar to test your capabilities and your survival rate inside a dungeon, not a death battle against each other."
Lucian nodded slowly.
There was a faint yet visible reluctance on his face.
He had been wanting to fight more seriously—yes, a fight to the point of death—but the Director wasn’t wrong.
He was a vampire whose body could easily heal injuries almost instantly, but unlike him, they were humans, who would take days or weeks to heal even a simple cut.
So he finally, albeit hesitantly, accepted the dull sword.
Seeing the disappointment in his eyes, Leonardo shook his head, disbelieving the sheer arrogance of the man.
Instead of worrying about his safety while fighting against a B ranker, this guy was disappointed because the sword wasn’t sharp?!
Leonardo almost scoffed.
But still... he didn’t say anything.
He would simply have to show him the difference between arrogance and actual combat.
Stepping forward, he walked toward Lucian, stopping a few steps away from him.
Shifting his sword into his other hand, he raised his free hand, gesturing for a handshake.
Lucian, though momentarily confused, complied calmly, extending his own hand and shaking his.
Neither of them said anything.
’A firm, strong grip... but a lack of calluses and roughness. Flawless skin.’
Leonardo thought silently, noticing the lack of even the slightest roughness on the young man’s palm.
Leonardo inwardly shook his head.
This man probably hadn’t even held a weapon in his life for him to have such unnaturally smooth skin—something even most women didn’t have.
"Best of luck to you."
He could only say that before releasing his hand and stepping backwards, creating a reasonable distance between the two of them.
Lucian raised a brow at his words.
"I wish you the same."
A faint chuckle escaped his lips, his expression completely calm, almost casual, as he lightly motioned the blade in his hand, moving it sideways through the air, feeling its weight and testing it.
’Been such a long time...’ he muttered inwardly, feeling a rush of excitement spreading throughout his body after grabbing the blade.
It had been such a long time—at least to him, who had been trapped inside the memory.
Nine years of not being able to fight, nine years of not being able to move with his own will, and nine years of not being able to feel this excitement.
But now... FINALLY!
Both Cedric and Seraphina quietly moved backwards, creating a large distance between themselves and the two combatants, who stood opposite each other.
Both the Director and the masked Seraphina were curious about how Lucian would perform, since neither of them had seen him fight even once...
Though Seraphina was slightly worried about him.
’Akasha, place the restrictions, and put all the combat stats to E rank... except my charm.’
’Don’t ever touch that.’
There was no way he was restricting his charm, especially with such a handsome face already.
Decreasing that would be a crime!
[So narcissistic.]
Akasha muttered in an amused voice, though even she wouldn’t decrease it... not even if he specifically asked her to.
[Ding!~]
[Attempting to restrict the host’s stats... Complete.]
[Your Strength has been restricted to E rank.]
[Your Agility has been restricted to E rank.]
[Your Constitution has been restricted to E rank.]
[Your Perception has been restricted to E rank.]
[Your Stamina has been restricted to E rank.]
[Your Mana has been restricted to E rank.]
Lucian felt the changes immediately, feeling as if invisible chains were being bound around him as an enormous portion of his power began to decrease, locking it away.
It was almost... nauseating, and he couldn’t help but feel slightly dizzy for a few seconds before quickly steading himself.
Instantly, another screen overlapped the previous ones, this one larger.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name – Lucian Foster/Scarlett
Race – Vampire (Progenitor)
Rank – C
Titles – Loved by ######, Killed by his sister, Progenitor of Vampires
Main Bloodlines – Devourer’s Bloodline + Sanguis Noctus Bloodline
Sub Bloodline – Scarlett Bloodline
Affinity – Blood, Fire, Soul
Talent – Transcendental
[Attributes]
Strength – 50 (165)
Agility – 50 (190)
Constitution – 50 (200)
Intelligence – 145
Will – 215
Perception – 50 (220)
Charm – 291
Stamina – 50 (460)
Mana – 50 (299)
Attribute Points (AP) – 0
[Traits]
Immortal Flesh, Regenerative Core, Blood Sense, Heightened Senses, Scarlett Rage, Infernal Heart, Sunborn Vampire, Royal Bloodline, Night Sovereign, Progenitor’s Authority
[Skills]
Pain Tolerance ➝ Advanced Pain Resistance, Deep Analysis ➝ True Analysis, Mana Sensitivity, Minor Mana Recovery, Minor Poison Resistance, Minor Fear Resistance ➝ Steady Nerve, Thought Shield, Suppression Intent, Night Vision, Basic Combat Sense, Hunter’s Focus, Echo Awareness
Fine Mana Manipulation, Blood Manipulation, Mana Reinforcement Layer, Charm, Flame Manipulation, Flame Burst, Fireball, Blazing Blade, Muscle Reinforcement, Power Strike, Flowing Steps, Instant Dash, Swift Assault, Silent Footsteps, Advanced Stealth, Killing Intent, Aura Concealment, Bat Transformation, Shape Shifting — Partial, Vital Point Strike, Tracking
[Unique Skills]
Devour, Inventory, Restriction