Child of Destiny

...…

Boom!

Grand Marshal Draco was immediately covered by a huge cloud of smoke right after he was hit by the blazing dragon that fell from the sky.

But despite that being the case, Arthur was still wearing a solemn expression on his face as he could tell that his opponent managed to block it in the time given that the latter's health bar didn't drop in the slightest.

Swoosh!

Then Arthur saw the grand marshal clear the could of smoke with a strong flap of his wings before charging toward the sky.

Arthur slightly knitted his brow before adjusting his position in the air. And quickly after that, he dived down toward his opponent, accelerating his speed with a powerful flap of his wings.

Boom!

The two quickly collided as they held their weapons against each other, sending a powerful ripple in the air. And after a brief pause, they quickly exchange blows, swinging the greatsword and spear against each other which created a series of explosions.

Being the one at disadvantage in terms of stats, Arthur had no choice but to make use of his mobility during the exchange. He was usually someone who loved to fight his opponent head-on, but since it was impossible to overpower his opponent in terms of strength, he had to fight where his advantage was.

Utilizing his mobility while using the high-level spear techniques from his arsenal, he was able to fight the grand marshal on equal footing.

Such a battle was also beneficial to him since he was able to hone his spearmanship and promote it to a higher level by using it in an aerial battle.

…

Arthur was fully focused on the fight when he suddenly sensed a strange energy coming from his opponent. It was very vague but his senses were able to pick it up with ease.

He was also somewhat familiar with that energy since it was similar to the signals that he learned from his previous training under Nathan's supervision. It was a certain technique to use one's mental power and aura to communicate with other people.

"Is it a voice transmission?" thought Arthur in confusion before focusing his senses on that particular energy.

A moment later, Arthur was finally able to pick up the message that the grand marshal was trying to send to him after applying the technique that Nathan had taught him before.

"Elder, is that you?" asked Arthur after receiving the vague voice transmission.

It didn't take long before the grand marshal replied to him. "Impressive! You manage to use it on a single try, and even achieve it during a battle! Your talent sure is excellent."

"What happened, Elder? Can you take back your body from this berserk power?" asked Arthur as he continued to exchange blows against the cursed knight in front of him.

"It is my fault. I briefly let my guard down when I am trying to pass my knowledge about Dragon Aura to you," said the grand marshal with a bitter tone before adding. "It may be because I've gotten rusty after not being able to fight for a long time."

"The cursed within me already transform into the Power of Calamity. It took over my body in that brief moment during our exchange. I am only protecting the tiny bit of my consciousness with my Mental Power."

"You can take it as our roles being swapped. The Power of Calamity is now the owner of my body while it is trying to suppress my remaining consciousness to get total control over the body while I am the one who is fighting to snatch it back and take over the control."

Arthur nodded his head as he already understood what was going on earlier. After all, the system already informed them earlier about the situation.

But this time, he couldn't help but be overjoyed since there might be a way to take back the body of the grand marshal, significantly increasing the possibility of them clearing the quest.

"Is there anything that I can do to help you, Elder?" asked Arthur, suppressing the excitement that he had in his heart.

Unfortunately, the reply that he got was not a positive one. "I am sad to say this but there is nothing we can do at the moment. The Power of the Calamity is already rooted within my body for a long time – it is no longer possible to separate it from me."

"Unless you completely destroyed the vessel, it is impossible to get rid of that Power of Calamity within me."

The expression on Arthur's face immediately grimace when he heard those words before asking dejectedly. "What do you want me to do now, Elder?"

"There is not much time left, so let me get straight to the point. I want you to help me pass down my legacy to future generations," said Grand Marshal Draco straightforwardly.

He didn't wait for Arthur to give a reply yet and quickly continued. "If only it is possible, I wanted to pass it to you directly. But since you are already a Dragonkin, a Transcendent Race, there is no point in taking this path that I've made. You already have your own."

"This Ascended Class that I've made is called Dragon Rider. As the name that it implies, it is a class that uses a dragon as their mount, a companion, who will reinforce someone in battle."

"For normal people, it is impossible for them to use the powers of the dragons due to the limitations of their race. But this class helps them to surpass their limits by living and training alongside their dragon companions."

"Unlike Dragon Slayers and Dragon Knights who could wield the powers of the dragons due to their bloodlines, ordinary people would not be able to achieve the same level of power."

"And since humans can't wield it, I think of a way to incorporate those powers by closely observing the movements of a dragon. And after a careful study, I've created a Dragon Arts that solely belongs to me and this particular path."

"This path had three stages before they reached the Ascended Class."

"The first stage is 'Dragon Taming'. It is the way for ordinary people to get acquainted with dragons and befriend them."

"Dragon Taming does not necessarily mean that you have to forcefully subdue them. But it is a way to build up a friendly relationship with the dragons, especially with the young ones."

"As for the second stage, it is called 'Dragon Training'. It is a process in which someone will train alongside their chosen companion dragons. And by training alongside each other, you will be able to familiarize yourself with the Dragon Aura that the dragons have."

"And by exposing yourself to the Dragon Aura for a very long time, you will be able to gain the ability to partially control it and eventually make that power your own."

"Meanwhile, the third and final stage is called the 'Dragon Riding'. In this stage, you and your companion dragon will be able to fight alongside each other as if the two of you were one entity. It is also known as being one with your dragon."

"After training with each other for a long time, you and your companion dragon will naturally be able to understand what is in each other's minds without voicing them out. It is the same as establishing a link between each other or an unwritten contract."

"Starting from there, the Dragon Riding Arts and other techniques that I've created will show their real strength."

Arthur got his interest piqued when he heard about the Dragon Rider Class, especially the part about Dragon Riding Arts. "That sounds interesting, Elder. I wonder if can also learn that Dragon Riding Arts of yours."

He naturally knew that the grand marshal was intending to pass the Dragon Riding Arts to him given the current setting of the game. And if he was right, then this was a part of the rewards that he was supposed to get in this Empire Quest.

He might not be a Dragon Rider, but as a Dragonkin and someone who had a dragon pet, this set of skills would definitely be helpful to him in the future. Especially when flying mounts became more accessible to everyone.

"Naturally! You may not be able to walk on the path that I've created, but learning my skills and techniques is definitely possible," answered the grand marshal positively.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Bang!

Arthur couldn't reply immediately because the cursed knight in front of him started attacking him in frenzy. It was as if the cursed knight noticed him taking with the consciousness of the grand marshal.

After fending off the attacks from the cursed knight, Arthur finally asked. "That's good to hear, Elder. What do you want me to do?"

Knowing the urgency of the current situation, Grand Marshal Draco immediately instructed. "Release your current form and summon your dragon companion. I am going to directly teach you the Dragon Riding Arts."

Hearing those words, Arthur couldn't help but become a little suspicious. He suspiciously thought that it might be a trick of the 'Power of Calamity' to suppress him.

After all, no matter how powerful the current opponent that he had, it was only using its raw strength to fight him blindly. It lacked any technique or strategy which was why he was able to hold his ground.

If he suddenly released his 'Dual Elemental Spirit Fusion', he would immediately lose his footing due to the overwhelming difference in stats.

Arthur was silent for a long time as he was trying to see if it was really a trap. The grand marshal also didn't send him any voice transmission, seemingly trying to test him.

There was also no additional notification from the system, informing him about the current situation, which made him even more suspicious.

But at the same time, the allure of the Dragon Riding Arts was something that he couldn't ignore. Arthur really want to learn it since it was related to dragons and somewhat sounded cool.

As a dragon fanatic, he really wanted to learn this particular art.

Gritting his teeth, Arthur steeled his resolve and made his decision. "F*ck it! Worst, I will just use my final trump card and summon Archon if it is really a trap."

After that, he launched a powerful attack at his opponent and quickly retreated, creating a large gap between the two of them, before releasing his 'Elemental Dragon Fusion' and summoning his golden dragon pet.

And the moment when he mounted the back of the neck of the dragon, the system notifications finally sounded to his ears.

*Ding!*

System: You have met the conditions to unlock a secondary combat class.

System: A Secondary Combat Class has been generated – the overlord of the sky, Dragon Cavalier.

System: Please pass the test with a satisfactory score to fully unlock the class. (Current test score: B-)

Seeing the notifications laid in front of his eyes, Arthur couldn't help but grin widely before muttering. "I finally have my own Secondary Combat Class! Damn, Shin! You are not the only one!"

...…