Dragon's Awakening: The Duke's Son Is Changing The Plot-Chapter 34 - 33 - Training Complete.

Two years later.

Despite being near the capital, the Beast Forest, known for housing strong beasts, was always untouched.

The creatures within were undoubtedly strong, but since they never harmed the civilians, the royals never tried anything.

No one knew this land belonged to someone who even the royals were scared to offend, so they made up lies about the forest housing strong but harmless beasts.

But today, that forest was quiet—too quiet for comfort.

Four figures moved like shadows beneath the thick canopy, boots pressing into the moss-laden ground with practiced stealth.

The leader, a striking woman with short silver hair and emerald-green eyes, kept frowning as she heard how noisy her subordinates were while moving.

She raised a fist, halting the group.

"Keep low. This is supposed to be a danger zone, not a bloody tea garden," she whispered, eyes scanning the underbrush.

"Aye, boss," one of the men muttered, his hand never leaving the hilt of his curved dagger.

The third poacher—nervous, lanky, and way too twitchy—nodded silently while the fourth silently followed.

They had heard rumors.

A merchant had found a wounded, corrupted beast around the periphery of this forest. It was nearly dead, earning the merchant, who landed the last blow, a good sum.

Because of that rumor, this group of poachers also wanted to try their luck. After all, this wasn't the Ashen Expanse—thank the gods—so they wouldn't have to worry about being surrounded by corrupted beasts or finding a strong variant.

They could hunt one of the weakest ones and still fetch a fine price as the corrupted beasts, dead or alive, were a very highly valued commodity.

Their plan had been simple: go in, tranquilize a few corrupted beasts, drag the carcasses or live ones out, and sell them under the table.

They had no idea they had wandered into the domain of two monsters—neither beasts.

But just as they pushed deeper, the stillness shattered.

"ROARRR!!!" A deafening roar tore through the forest, followed by another—an answering howl that seemed to shake the canopy.

"AWOOOOO!!!"

The poachers froze.

"Shit—what was that?" Twitchy hissed.

"Sounds like two corrupted beasts," the woman said, eyes glittering with predatory interest. "We're lucky. If they kill each other, that's two bounties for the price of none."

They moved swiftly toward the sound.

The earth trembled beneath their feet, faint but real—a rhythmic thump-thump-thump that spoke of monstrous size.

The roars and howls, however, suddenly turned into shrieks, and then... silence.

Followed by two bone-rattling thuds.

The poachers exchanged glances, then broke into a run.

Whatever the result, they needed to see it and tag the bodies before anyone else got the chance.

But what they found wasn't what they expected.

The clearing ahead was a massacre site. The trees were split, the earth cratered from impact, blood soaking the ground.

Two colossal beasts lay dead, corrupted fangs bared, limbs twisted in grotesque angles. But what caught their eyes wasn't the bodies.

It was the figure sitting cross-legged atop one of the corpses.

He wore tattered robes that looked like they'd been through several wars, his long, unkempt black hair veiling most of his face.

His breathing was calm, slow, and almost meditative. The only color visible beneath that veil of hair was the eerie red glow of his eyes—faint but unmistakable.

"Wh-Who the hell is that? I—Is he the one who defeated the beasts?" Twitchy stammered, stepping back instinctively.

The leader, however, smacked him on the back of the head. "Idiot. Look at those claw marks," she said, gesturing at the slashes that had torn the beasts apart.

"Those wounds are from another beast. Not a human. He probably just stumbled on them after the fight. A scavenger. Maybe another poacher."

Her lips curled into a cocky smile. "No matter how strong he is, he's just one guy. I'm a layer-five knight. I can take him if he tries anything."

She barely finished her sentence when the man vanished from the beast's corpse.

Gasps erupted before her as they saw one of their own, who was keeping an eye on the man, falling to the ground, unconscious, while the man stood behind their leader.

They could see his haunting red eyes staring at them without blinking, and their heart leaped.

"B-B-Boss, h-he—"

"B-Behind... L-Look behind—"

The two subordinates on the ground stammered, trying to warn their boss, but the silver-haired woman raised her nose higher, unaware of what was happening.

"Cat got your tongue? Or was my power reveal too much for you guys?" She asked, her eyes closed and her chest puffed.

But then, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

It was the man with messy black hair.

The woman, however, thought it was her subordinate, so she waited for him to speak. He didn't, instead, he tapped again.

This time, the woman frowned. But keeping her act, as if not wanting to break the air of superiority she had built, but when the tapping continued, she finally snapped.

She twirled, annoyed, her voice sharp. "Speak or stay silent. Don't interrupt my moment—"

Her voice, however, was stuck in her throat when she saw the one who was standing behind her.

Messy hair still hiding half his face, his posture relaxed, almost lazy—but his gaze...

It was like staring into the abyss.

"U-Um..." Trembling under his gaze, she didn't know what to do.

"...Tch."

In response, a single, irritated sound was heard.

A moment later, screams of pain and suffering echoed through the trees.

It lasted for quite some time.

..........................

By the time Crisaius arrived, the clearing looked like a tragicomic battlefield.

Several poachers lay unconscious in awkward poses, their equipment scattered.

The leader, once proud, beautiful, and arrogant, was kneeling on the ground, her face a swollen map of blues and purples, arms raised overhead like a guilty child caught cheating on a test.

"Well, well," Crisaius said, stepping lightly into the mess. "What happened here?"

Raven, hair still a tangled curtain, glanced up with a grunt. "You tell me. I just sat down after handling the beasts you had asked for, and this lot decided to disturb my peace."

"I see. But you know, you look like a cursed ghost," Crisaius arched a brow. "Honestly, how do you see through all that hair?"

Raven shrugged and reached behind his head.

A quick motion later, his hair was pulled up into a messy bun, revealing a sharp jawline and glowing red eyes—eyes that had once been golden.

"This is your fault, you know," Raven muttered. "You didn't let me leave the forest for two whole years. Not even to get a haircut."

Crisaius chuckled. "Fair enough."

His gaze drifted to the unconscious group and then to the bruised, groaning woman still kneeling like a temple statue.

"How many times this week?"

"Fifth," Raven replied, rubbing his temple. "Some merchant got a hold of one of the corrupted beasts and sold it to poachers, making everyone think there are more here."

Crisaius sighed dramatically. "And whose fault is that? Wasn't it you who had missed the beast that was caught by the merchant? It was almost dead anyway, so it was an easy catch for that guy."

"You were the one who had decided to launch tens of them at me at once. Not my fault one slipped past," Raven shrugged again.

The silver-haired woman, on the other hand, had her world turned upside down as she realized the powers of the two entities in front of her.

She regretted letting her greed get ahead of her.

Now, she didn't even know what they would do to her. But as she stared at the angular face of the young guy, a strange thought appeared in her head.

'... I wouldn't mind if he were the one to punish me,' she thought, biting her lips.

After all, this guy, who looked like a beggar a moment ago, was too hot.

Silence hung for a stretch as the woman kept thinking of strange things while the Old Man stared at the two beasts lying dead near them.

'He can now defeat two stage five corrupt beasts without mana and soul power,' he mused, smiling in that maddeningly mysterious way of his.

He turned toward Raven, making the guy shiver inadvertently. "What the hell are you planning now?"

Crisaius, however, shook his head, letting out a light chuckle. "Well, congratulations. You've completed your training."

Raven's brows rose. "...What?"

"You finished a three-year regime in two years. Faster than I expected. That monstrous body of yours has matured nicely," Crisaius said, half-proud, half-smug. "I suppose you're ready to leave this forest."

Raven stood slowly, muscles moving with precise control—a predator in full command of his limbs. "That's it? No final punishment?"

"Oh, there's still one last test," Crisaius said lightly.

"...Let me guess," Raven muttered, eyes narrowing. "You."

Crisaius grinned like a fox caught raiding the henhouse.

"Duel me," he said without blinking.

But Raven blinked.

Not once but twice.

Of course. Of course, this lunatic wanted a final boss fight.

But instead of protesting, Raven's lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile.

"About damn time."

The wind shifted. Somewhere, birds stopped singing. Even the unconscious poachers might've sensed the pressure growing in the air.

It was time for Raven to test how strong he had grown and if he could put a scratch on the Old Man.

He had always wanted to do that.

After all, doing that while still being a plate three magic swordsman would be more than enough achievement for him.