Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!-Chapter 255: Dragon-Summoner’s Star

"…And finally, there's the lineage of Grandmaster Satherin. Rumor has it that after him, nothing was passed down. But even so, he was still the founder of the Marrist Order, and no one can deny that.

Even now," Markham continued, "the Zane family's Ancestral Hall still has monuments dedicated to him."

Ethan cut in. "Hold up—how do you even know that?"

Markham hesitated, glancing around before leaning in and whispering in Ethan's ear.

"For real?" Ethan blinked. "No way—seriously?" Then, his eyes narrowed. "Wait a second… You're from the Whitmore family, aren't you?" novelbuddy.cσ๓

Markham stiffened. "…How'd you know?"

"Just a lucky guess honestly. You just said the Zanes invited your grandaunt over, which means you have to be from one of the Noble Eight. Who else talks like that? Normal people don't say 'invited' in that kind of way."

"…Fair enough," Markham muttered, still thoughtful.

"And it makes sense, right?" Ethan continued. "Only someone on the same level as a main noble family would get an invite like that."

He crossed his arms, looking smug. "The Zanes, like you said, are just an offshoot of the Hargraves. They can't compare to a main family like the Whitmores. So for someone from the Whitmores, the word 'invite' just fits. Am I right, Markham?"

That final bit of flattery made Markham beam.

He clapped Ethan on the back and laughed. "Haha! Ethan, you flatter me too much!"

The two stood there, exchanging compliments like a couple of old men bonding over drinks at a tavern.

Then—whoosh. The atmosphere shifted.

The people around Ethan suddenly stood up, all at once. Some rolled up their sleeves. Others cracked their knuckles. A few older ones started giving impassioned pep talks, as if they were about to send their troops into battle.

Ethan blinked. "Uh… What's happening? Are we about to throw down in a street fight or something?"

Evelyn, who had been watching Ethan and Markham's mutual ego-stroking with growing impatience, rolled her eyes.

"Seriously? You two were so busy patting each other on the back that you didn't even hear the rules? Serves you right."

Ethan looked up just in time to realize that the Langford family head was no longer on stage. The rules must have already been explained.

Groups were forming now—small clusters of people, all under thirty, moving toward the Silverwood estate.

Still lost, Ethan grabbed Evelyn's arm. "Hey, help me out here. What are the rules?"

"Yeah, yeah, come on, tell us!" Markham added.

Evelyn didn't refuse. She just smiled sweetly and… subtly wiggled her fingers, her meaning crystal clear.

Markham hesitated, then fished into his pocket and pulled out a small, five-pointed star made of folded foil.

"Here…"

Evelyn smacked his hand away. "What is this? A participation trophy? I said cash."

Markham stood there, stunned, like she had just slapped the dignity out of him.

Ethan opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Ryan stepped out from behind Evelyn.

Without hesitation, he snatched the foil star right out of Markham's hand like it was some kind of sacred artifact.

"Bro, don't take it personally. She's just cranky. I'll explain the rules for you. And I'll be taking this, uh… star as payment."

Evelyn shot him a glare. "Are you serious, Ryan?"

Ryan glanced back, grinning. "Heh."

Then, with his new treasure in hand, he dragged Markham away, chatting like they'd been lifelong friends.

Evelyn stood there, fuming. She clenched her fists and grabbed her older brother Leeroy by the sleeve. "Big bro! Ryan's being a jerk again!"

Leeroy barely spared her a glance. "Let it go. Do you even know what that star was?"

That got Ethan's attention. He beat Evelyn to the question. "What was it?"

Leeroy let out a small chuckle. "It's the focus for the Whitmore family's Dragon Invocation technique."

Ethan frowned. "The what now?"

"It's a one-time-use magic medium. Just channel enough Energy into it, recite the nine-word incantation, and boom—you summon a real dragon to fight for you."

Ethan stared at him. "A real dragon?"

Leeroy nodded. "The stronger your Energy, the stronger the dragon."

Ethan slowly turned to where Ryan and Markham had disappeared. "And Ryan just walked off with that thing?"

Leeroy shrugged. "Pretty much."

Evelyn's jaw dropped. Her heart twisted with immediate remorse. She had just waved off something priceless like it was nothing.

Meanwhile, Ethan's eyes were darting with thought. 'That Markham guy's kind of a jackpot…'

If he could get his hands on a whole jar of those stars, couldn't he summon an entire dragon army in a pinch?

Yeah. He definitely needed to figure out a way to squeeze a few more out of him.

As the younger participants moved ahead, those over the age limit stayed behind, looking like they'd just missed out on a winning lottery ticket. They could only enter once the competitors were inside—as spectators.

Of course, not everyone heading toward the Silverwood estate had good intentions. Plenty of shady types were trying to sneak in unnoticed.

But the moment they reached the gates, an advanced scanner swept over them, reading their bone age.

A few unlucky souls got caught. No arguments. No second chances. Just one swift, clean—

CRACK.

Each of them had their arm bone broken by the Silverwood guards.

Ethan winced. "Yikes… these Silverwoods don't mess around."

If these guys ever proctored an exam, they'd probably twist off the head of anyone caught cheating.

On the way there, Ethan had finally squeezed the tournament rules out of Evelyn.

Every participant would receive a card from the Silverwood staff. That card was their betting token. They could challenge someone by offering it as a wager—winner takes all.

This dueling wasn't about combat. The battles were fought through music, strategy, calligraphy, or painting. Judges from the Four Refined Families would rate their skill levels fairly.

Each match would last three hours. At the sound of fireworks, the round would end, and the top fifty players with the most cards would advance.

The more you won, the higher you could bet next round. Win big? Bet bigger.

Now at the gate, Ethan received his first card from a Silverwood staff member.

He expected paper, Instead, it was metal—beautifully crafted, with intricate lines etched deep into its surface. The front had a poem engraved on it:

"River pale, autumn deep, tinted green with indigo ink;

Stone-scattered falls echo, clear waters in sync.

Dustless bottom seen, bright sands gleam with light,

Golden rays stirring pearl and shell in flight.

Southwind sighs through mountain chill and pine,

Reflection split in mirrored lines.

Bring me wine and set me afloat—

A cold carp's flesh in slivers cut fine."

Ethan tilted his head. 'That poem… I swear I saw it in a textbook once.'

Unfortunately, it had long since been processed and flushed from his brain, somewhere between a meal and a nap.

Not that it mattered. He wasn't really planning to compete. He was just here to snoop around.

Besides, music, strategy, calligraphy, painting? He couldn't do any of that crap.

Evelyn, on the other hand, looked way too excited. Even Ryan and Leeroy had a spark in their eyes.

For a split second, Ethan wondered— 'wait, are these three secretly intellectual prodigies?'

Then, before he could even process the thought, they vanished into the Music section at lightspeed.

"HEY! Where the hell are you going?!" Ethan called after them.

Too late. They were gone.

Now he really needed to find out what was going on.