As the beast emerged from the cage, the soldiers who opened the door fled the training ground as if for their lives.
Inside the arena, a man and a wolf faced off.
"Roar!!"
At the moment the Prairie Wolf pounced, Draco leaped up, his toes lightly tapping the beast's head.
Moving as gracefully as a swallow, he shifted his body to the side of the Prairie Wolf.
"Slash!"
The short sword swept across, and a spray of fresh blood erupted.
"Howl!"
The wounded wolf let out a furious roar and charged at Draco in an instant, its sharp Claws and teeth lunging for his neck.
"Hmph, mere child's play."
With a cold snort, Draco flicked his wrist; the short sword in his hand sliced through the wolf's hide, cutting it directly in half at the waist.
"Awooo~!"
The Prairie Wolf's corpse fell to the ground, letting out a series of whimpers before quickly losing its breath.
Everything had happened in the blink of an eye.
Draco had killed the Prairie Wolf cleanly and efficiently.
Seeing this scene, a look of surprise flashed in Razen's eyes.
[Ding! Prairie Wolf killed. Experience points gained: 100]
[Conditions met. Leveled up from Lv1 to Lv2. All attribute values have increased.]
Hearing the notification, Draco smiled slightly, flicked the wolf's blood off his short sword, and sheathed it.
He marveled inwardly.
This "Martial Arts Mastery" was really something.
At that moment, it felt as if he were possessed by a martial arts master.
How to strike, how to dodge—in just an instant, countless moves surfaced in his mind.
Although these moves were simple attack methods, they were extremely practical.
There was a sense of "the greatest truths are the simplest."
Striking directly at vital points with no wasted movement.
"Lord Razen, do you think any other trials are needed?"
At this time, a knight walked up to Razen and asked.
"Hmm, I remember someone captured a few decent monsters two days ago."
Hearing Razen's words, the knight nodded. "There is one E-rank Fire Fox and two F-rank Chameleon Lizards."
"Let him try them," Razen said indifferently.
"As you command, my Lord."
The knight nodded.
Moments later, a Fire Fox with brilliant patterns and two Chameleon Lizards were brought over.
Looking at the mutated monsters before him, Draco's eyes sparkled.
"They're all experience points!"
*Gulp!*
Swallowing greedily, Draco drew his short sword once again.
"Draco, was it? I can see you have quite extraordinary abilities in the way of martial arts."
"Is this your skill?"
Razen looked Draco over with interest.
"Indeed, this is my special skill, 'Martial Artist.' You should have seen its effects, Lord Razen."
Draco bragged composedly.
Razen nodded, his cold expression softening slightly.
"If you can deal with the three monsters in the arena, I can grant you special permission to join the 'Royal Knights'."
"Oh? The Royal Knights? What do they do?"
"That is our country's strongest unit, composed of people like you—'Otherworld Summoners'."
"There, you can receive noble-like treatment, provided you are strong enough."
Following Razen's explanation, Draco understood.
He wasn't sure about the current point in time he had transmigrated to.
Two years before the Demon Lord transmigrated, this kingdom summoned Taguchi Shogo, Kyoya Tachibana, and Mizutani Kirara—three powerful Otherworlders with A-rank strength.
Draco's original goal was to confirm whether these three had appeared yet.
This would help him determine the current timeline.
Now that Razen had made this offer, it saved Draco the trouble of digging for information.
Giving Razen a noble's salute, he said, "I understand. Thank you very much, Lord Razen."
"Perform well. I have high expectations for you."
"Understood. I will work hard and not fail your expectations, Lord Razen."
Draco nodded, a smile that others could not easily detect playing on his face.
As the three iron cages opened, Draco charged, brandishing his short sword at the two Chameleon Lizards.
He was extremely fast; with one leap, he was already in front of the Chameleon Lizards.
With a swing of the short sword, the small blade traced a graceful arc in the air, easily slicing through the flesh of one Chameleon Lizard.
Blood gushed out.
"Roar!!"
Seeing that Draco dared to attack them, the Chameleon Lizards let out a furious roar.
They then opened their mouths and spat out a cloud of black smoke.
Draco's figure retreated rapidly.
That smoke was terrifying; if it touched him, it would definitely corrode his body.
However, Draco wasn't worried; he swung his short sword toward the other lizard.
"Swish!"
The short sword cut through the air, once again leaving a long wound.
Having achieved his goal, Draco took a few leaps to create distance.
Chameleon Lizards possessed the skill "Camouflage," allowing them to blend into their surroundings.
Without "Magic Perception," Draco wouldn't be able to find invisible monsters.
Therefore, his goal was clear: wound the two lizards and use the blood dripping on the ground to distinguish their specific locations.
Draco's actions made Razen very satisfied.
"If this kid is paired with high-level magic items, his combat power could definitely reach B-rank."
Razen said to the knight beside him.
"I will have someone send this kid's profile to His Majesty. His Majesty will surely take him seriously then."
Hearing Razen's words, the knight understood and bowed... In the interval while the two were talking, Draco had already used his unique footwork and extraordinary technique to kill both Chameleon Lizards in the arena.
His level also successfully reached Lv3.
Attributes such as health and strength were increased once again.
Only one E-rank Fire Fox remained on the scene.
[Monster]: Fire Fox
[Level]: Lv10
[HP]: 300/ 300
[MP]: 500/500
[SP]: 200/ 200
[Attack Power]: 122
[Skills]: "Fireball," "Claw," "Flame Breath"
...Draco carefully observed the Fire Fox's information.
It was a bit tricky, but Draco wasn't afraid.
Holding his short sword, he approached the Fire Fox step by step.
A small Fireball, carrying rolling heat waves, condensed in the Fire Fox's mouth and shot toward Draco.
Draco's wrist turned, and with a flick of his short sword, a silver light flashed, and the small Fireball was sliced apart.
"Boom!"
The Fireball exploded, and the aftershock burned Draco's right hand.
Basic Healing!
20 MP was deducted, and a green healing light instantly restored Draco's burn wound to its original state.
Seeing its Fireball actually being blocked, the Fire Fox's eyes widened.
By the time it prepared to spit another Fireball, it was already too late.
Draco had already closed in.
The short sword in his hand turned into a blur, striking the Fire Fox four times in rapid succession.
"Puff, puff, puff, puff!!"
Every time Draco struck, it resulted in a critical hit, and the Fire Fox's health quickly dropped to zero.
Seeing Draco's rapid progress, a hint of admiration flashed in Razen's eyes.
"As expected of someone I've taken an interest in."
As he said this, he stood up and walked over to Draco.
"Heh, Lord Razen flatters me."
On the contrary, although Draco had a smile on his face, an invisible killing intent was hidden in his eyes.
He was sizing up the weak points on Razen's body.
At such close range, Draco was confident he could kill him with a single blow.
If there hadn't been so many soldiers around, he might have already made a move.
Realizing that even if he killed Razen, the surrounding soldiers would swarm him and he would still be unable to escape death, Draco temporarily abandoned the thought.
"You have passed my trial. Now, follow me to the Knight Order to report."
"Understood, respected Lord Razen!"