When Zeke came out of the house to do his daily exercise routine, he was surprised seeing more than a dozen of kids in front of his door. There was also Charles who was talking with one of the kids.

"Oh, Good morning, son! Have you slept well?" Charles noticed Zeke and greeted.

"I'm okay now, Dad. What are they doing here?" Zeke asked.

"Oh? Them? They were the ones who didn't have parents anymore. Either their parents are dead, or their own parents sold them to the slavers. They don't have anywhere to live for now so we decided to rent a nearby inn just across us to accommodate them."

"I see." Zeke looked at Marcus.

"I forgot to thank you for doing a very good job that time. If it weren't for you, Mr. Esteban wouldn't even know where we're all at." Zeke extended his hands towards Marcus.

"No, I only did my part of the deal. Besides, I'm the one who should be thankful to you, Your Majesty. I had the once-in-lifetime chance of interacting with the Royal Family, and with their successors, no less!" Marcus replied. When they were transported here, they were very surprised by the faces that welcomed them. The four adults who welcomed them looked exactly like the current Patriarchs of the four Royal Families that ruled this part of the continent. Marcus also realized that Zeke was the son of one of the four, and when he looked at Charles today, it seemed like he was Charles' son. It was a very big honor for him to meet the son of the so-called 'Bloodthirster of the Four'.

"By the way, little boy. Can I ask what happened to your family exactly?" Charles approached and asked Marcus.

"It's an honor to be recognized by Your Majesty. Indeed, I am Marcus Keef, the only survivor of the Keef Family. I was only three years old when the incident happened. All I knew was that when I woke up, in the middle of the night, I noticed blood seeping from under the door of my room. I didn't know what to do so I forced myself to sleep that day. When I woke up, all that welcomed my sight are the bodies of our maids scattered around our house while there was a pile of ash at the backyard. I knew it was my parents and my uncles since some of their pendants were left there. Till today, I didn't know who killed my family and the only thing I knew of them is that they're magicians. It's something I discovered after roaming our house after the fight. Although I was grossed out by the bodies, I still wanted to search for clues so I can take revenge for them. I saw several burn marks all over the house as well as remnants of spells of different elements such as water and wind. I fled and lived with Anna and slept in the dark alleyways near the plaza. Who would've known that we were enticed by the f.u.c.ker's temptation. It was partly my fault for Anna's demise." Marcus slowly said, his tone changing on the last part from sad to a bit of anger and guilt.

"I'm sorry for asking the question, young one. I didn't mean to make you recount your terrible memories. I merely wanted to know if you had any clues regarding the a.s.sa.s.sins." Charles said and apologized.

"It's no matter, Your Majesty. I am grateful that you wanted to know more about my family, but I also don't know much myself. I know that my family excels in knighthood and swordplay and that the enemies my relatives faced must've been magicians. That's all I can say, Your Majesty. Forgive me." Marcus slightly bowed.

"No, it's enough information for us to investigate. I'll be right back." Charles said as he turned around and walked away.

"Dad! I need to tell you about something later. Can you spare some time to convene the four families?" Zeke shouted.

"What's the deal?"

"I know a plan to deal with slavery in this city, dad!"

"hm?" Zeke's proposal piqued Charles' interest.

"Alright, but I'll have to hear the plan first. I'll wait for you inside."

"Great, dad!"

Marcus, who overheard the conversation, looked at Zeke with wonder.

"Young n.o.ble, do you really have a plan on doing all that?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Nothing in mind. I'm impressed, Young n.o.ble. Not only are you proficient at fighting, but you also think meticulously." Marcus teased.

"It's just simple, Marcus. Anyway, I'll go back to my dad first and talk to him. See ya!"

"Young n.o.ble! Can we join your morning routine? Mistress Gaia mentioned it to us so we thought it'd be good for us to train ourselves too. We didn't have anything to do and since we also don't have any relatives, it's better for us to get stronger so we could stand our own ground. Can we join you and the three mistresses? We promise we'll just follow you in a distance." Before Zeke entered the house, Marcus shouted.

"Sure, and you don't need to keep your distance with us, Marcus. We're all equal here, you know?" Zeke joked and laughed while closing the door.

When Zeke was inside, he told Charles his plan.

"So, you basically made it so there's still no news of their destruction?"

"Yes, Dad. I told Mr. Esteban to keep it clean and unnoticed so we could reel in the big fishes." Zeke smiled.

"By Big fishes, you mean their customers?" Charles was partly amazed by Zeke's plan. Although it was simple. it wouldn't have worked if he hadn't prevented the news from leaking.

"Yes! I heard from one of them that there were some n.o.ble families that also buy slaves. Isn't that wrong, Dad?"

"You heard it? Of course, it's wrong! Then if we replace the host of the 'auction' tomorrow, we can catch all of them in one fell swoop! Amazing! Thanks to your quick witted decision, son! As expected of a Champion! HAHAHAHA"

Charles teased his son. He now knew that this son of him not only had a strong physical body, he also had a mature, calculative, and genius mind.

"It's nothing, Dad. Just say that it's your idea, that way it'll be approved quickly. I don't want to bring too much attention on myself right now. By the way, when will we be going back to the imperial capital, dad? You mentioned you only had 4 years of vacation, right?" Zeke inquired.

"Ah, why did you remind me of that." Charles sighed.

"There's only a month left, son. It will be the day after your birthday, marking the end of the fourth year of our vacation."

"In any case, can I stay here, Dad?" Zeke's proposal stunned Charles.

"Huh? Why would you do that? Don't you want to be us and meet with our whole Family? You have many uncles and aunts, you know."

"Dad, it's not like I don't want to be with you. It's just because I want to train harder than ever. Also, the children outside were eager to get stronger. Perhaps I could try and train them so I would have many strong people by my side in the future. Don't you think so, Dad?" Zeke smiled.

Indeed, Zeke's suggestion was feasible. However, the couple would no longer accompany their son, and they will naturally miss the comfort of their son especially when they'll start to get back to work.

"But don't you have to attend school when you're 4?"

"Yes, Dad. I'll also attend school and if it's possible, can you admit the other children to the same school near here too? I want them to experience the same youthful life as other their age. Please?" Zeke innocently looked at his father. He hoped his current expression could make his father reconsider his decision.

To Zeke's surprise, Charles quickly agreed.

"Of course, son. If that's what you want. But still, we'll miss you, you know? Can't you just go with us to the capital and start your study there? That way, you could meet many n.o.bles of your age and you could establish friends.h.i.+p with them. The school here only accepts few students so you might not have any new friends there."

"Don't need new friends, Dad. I'd rather be with Marcus than other kids of my age. He's much matured than the other kids, and you know I'm focused on training, why the need to mingle with others? Just to build up an entourage of people with high social status? I'd rather have powerful people as friends than those with social status as their bragging right." Zeke stated.

Charles couldn't help but give a thumbs up at Zeke's reply. Indeed, it was better for him to have that kind of friend over having fake friends who only befriend you because of status.

After a minute of pondering...

"Son, I can agree to your decision as long as we get to talk every night. We'll miss you, you know?"

"Of course, Dad! Rest a.s.sured, I'll cherish my life more than you two will ever expect."

"Alright. I'll try to convince your mom about this. I don't think she'll disagree, seeing as it could hinder your advancement, you know?" Charles winked then left to explain to Cath.

"Oh, also, regarding the slave trade, I'll talk to my brothers and see to it that all the traders, as well as their costumers, will be punished."

"Great!"

Zeke was then left alone in the living room. He decided to check out his current self before figuring out what to do now.

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Ezekiel Flamehaven

Male; 3 years old

Pure Blooded Half-Dragon

t.i.tles: Otherworlder; Unrestrained; Pandora's Champion; Perfect Mana Core User; Undying;

Ma.s.s Murderer;

Level: 5(1800/500)

Str: 610

Agi: 590

End: 800

Int: 880

CP: 560

Skills: Lvl 13 Mana Circulation

Lvl 8 Elemental Mana Circulation

Lvl 8 CQC

Lvl 6 Formless Style (2 techniques)

Lvl 12 Aura

Lvl 10 Mana Skin

Lvl Max Fire Ball

Lvl Max Wind Step

Lvl Max Water Barrier

Lvl Max Tremor

Lvl Max Light s.h.i.+eld

Lvl Max Dark Slash

Lvl Max Grease

Lvl Max Wind Blade

Lvl Max Flame Wall

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*Zeke, you gained a total of 2000xp from the quest. It leveled you up to Lvl 5, but as I said, you could opt to stack your xp or you could use it to level up. It's up to you, Zeke.*

'Hmm, I think I'll hold off for the xp for now. I'll look for something to buy first and if there's none, I'll use it to level up.'

*Good Choice.*

'Holy s.h.i.+t, my skills leveled up a lot.' Zeke rummaged through his memories and indeed found out new information for each one of them.

'System, how am I faring in my magic core?'

*You are now nearing the peak of Mid Tier 1. Approximately, you'll advance towards High Tier 1 after reaching 950 Int. I must say, you're really quite ahead than your peers, Zeke.*

'Haha, that's to be expected, System. After all, I have you as well as my nonstop training, am i right?' Zeke teased and decided not to undervalue his effort.

*Precisely.*

'By the way, what's the Thought Processing? The one I got from the last quest.'

*It's not exactly a skill, but it makes it so you could control how many times you can mult.i.task your mind. It can go up to 16x, but you could also tone it down to lessen your energy consumption.*

'I see. Then System, let's open the skill tomes! Let's start with the Rares.'

*Do you want to open both?*

'Yes.'

*Consuming two Skill Tomes (Rare)*

Ding!

As usual, new information popped up in his head.

The first skill he got is Deflect, and it made it so he could fully parry one physical attack without being harmed. It had a high activation rate but it can't nullify attacks that were too powerful.

The second skill he got is Bone Strengthening. This skill makes it so Zeke could use his mana to fully cover Zeke's bones to prevent damage. It could definitely help Zeke avoid certain attacks that could break his bones in the future.

'Now that's sweet. Two defensive spells, huh. Alright, open the Epic Skill Tomes, System.'

*Yes. Consuming Skill Tome (Epic)*

After a few seconds, Zeke regained his calm after another information surge. Zeke complained about having a slight headache whenever that happens, but the System didn't utter a single word or reply, not even a single word of consolation.

The first skill is something called Void Negation. It was also a defensive skill but it leaned more towards magic attacks. It could completely nullify nearby mana that could harm the user and its casting range is a big circle around Zeke, one which could fit two or three people inside. It was an absolute protection for magic attacks and it lasts for about 2 to 3 seconds. It would also increase the duration as well as the range if it levels up. In its prime form, Void Negation covered the s.p.a.ce of about 5 meters for 10 seconds. For Zeke, this is one of the more fraudulent defensive skills that could definitely prove handy in many situations. The magic was of the Void Element, one of the variant elements that only one in ten thousand would have, but since Zeke had a Perfect Mana Core, he could practice any magic spell of any element with no restrictions.

The second skill is called Breath of Lightning. This is a movement skill that greatly pleases Zeke as it surrounds the user with faint lightning sparks, boosting his movement skill by a notch. If Zeke could cover a meter in a second, Zeke could now cover it with a tenth of a second. It was also one of those fraudulent movement skills, but Zeke knew that it required precise control over his movements to execute moves under Breath of Lightning efficiently. One could definitely move fast using this, but one should still have control over his movements so he won't stumble or overextend his move. This made Zeke's hunger for training intensify. He really wanted to practice this skill now. He had a myriad of possibilities in a battle if he mastered this as he also had his ghostly technique or swapping weapons mid-fight.

'I'm getting all the good stuff! Alright, time for the goooood good stuff. System, open the legendary ones!'

*Yes. Consuming Skill Tome (Legendary).*

This time, Zeke felt a headache much more intense than the previous two. It seemed like the information within this is much more in quant.i.ty than the other two combined.

The first one is called Wisdom King's Grace. When Zeke learned that it wasn't a combat skill, he was slightly disappointed but after reading the whole effect, Zeke immediately changed his mind. Wisdom King's Grace made it so Zeke could learn and comprehend skills and techniques with up to a certain level. For example, when Zeke learns a new skill, he could activate Wisdom King's Grace to immediately gain comprehension and practicalities regarding the new skill. It not only gave Zeke the basic steps in executing it, but it will also give Zeke complete comprehension in it. The amount of comprehension and basically 'level' that Zeke will get on a skill will depend on how deep or complicated the skill actually is. If the skill is relatively easy to learn, Wisdom King's Grace would instantly propel it to max level. The only downside for Zeke is the cooldown of 1 month. However, even then he could still improve 12 skills per year! Such a very broken skill actually landed itself on Zeke. He was very ecstatic about it. He could now finally lessen the amount of effort needed to train, giving him more time to actually do new things.

The second one was called Spatial King's Domain. This one, unlike the first one, is a movement type skill belonging to the Spatial Element of Mana that's as rare as the Void Element. This makes it so Zeke can basically 'teleport' nearby. There was no casting time and it was an instant teleportation. The cooldown was 1 minute at starting levels, and in its prime, the cooldown would only be 5 seconds.

'Holy s.h.i.+t! I've become strong to OP in just a minute!'

Zeke as very excited for his future. With these skills as well as the new ones he's planning to buy, he would definitely be a powerhouse at such a young age.

————————————

Ezekiel Flamehaven

Male; 3 years old

Pure Blooded Half-Dragon

t.i.tles: Otherworlder; Unrestrained; Pandora's Champion; Perfect Mana Core User; Undying;

Ma.s.s Murderer;

Level: 5(1800/500)

Str: 610

Agi: 590

End: 800

Int: 880

CP: 560

Skills: Lvl 13 Mana Circulation

Lvl 8 Elemental Mana Circulation

Lvl 8 CQC

Lvl 6 Formless Style (2 techniques)

Lvl 12 Aura

Lvl 10 Mana Skin

Lvl Max Fire Ball

Lvl Max Wind Step

Lvl Max Water Barrier

Lvl Max Tremor

Lvl Max Light s.h.i.+eld

Lvl Max Dark Slash

Lvl Max Grease

Lvl Max Wind Blade

Lvl Max Flame Wall

Lvl 1 Bone Strengthening

Lvl 1 Deflect

Lvl 1 Void Negation

Lvl 1 Breath of Lightning

Lvl 1 Wisdom King's Grace

Lvl 1 Spatial King's Domain

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