"Naturally. Should you recover the Dragon’s Crest and the Dragon-Horse Lyre, the Crest will be yours. Our order requires only the Lyre. On my honor, I will see you inducted as a Pegasus Knight."
"...."
’Too good to be true. There’s always a catch.’
Marcus studied Mare. The offer was staggering. Parting with an artifact of the Dragon’s Crest’s caliber wasn’t generosity; it was a confession. This task was a suicide mission. In the Pegasus Knight’s eyes, Marcus was a dead man walking; a convenient, disposable gambit. No loss if he failed, a windfall if he sohow didn’t die.
Under normal circumstances, Marcus would’ve told him where to shove his impossible quest. He wasn’t in the business of chasing ghosts. But the Dragon’s Crest... that was a different story. That was a ga-changer.
Life wasn’t a careful parade. You didn’t build a legend by playing it safe. So prizes were worth betting your last card on. Playing it safe was for accountants, not for n who wanted to leave a mark. You stared death in the face, you spit in its eye, and you took the shot.
"By the way," Marcus said after a brief pause, "I’m currently a Hidden Class Royal Knight, but I don’t have any skills yet, and I haven’t felt any real strength from it. What exactly is the difference between a Royal Knight and other knight classes?"
He deliberately set the quest aside for now. This question had been gnawing at him for a long ti, and there was no better person to ask than Pegasus Knight Mare, one of the top ten experts of Pegasus Citadel.
"The Royal Knight class was originally known as the Temple Knight," Mare said. "It is one of the most powerful knight classes on the Dreamland Continent, standing on equal footing with high-tier classes like the Dragon Knight and the Holy Knight. To be honest, we Pegasus Knights are slightly inferior in comparison."
Mare’s expression grew solemn as he continued.
"The duty of the Temple Knights is to guard the sanctuary of the Goddess of Dreams. Their numbers have always been extrely small, and they rarely appear in the outside world, which is why most people on the Dreamland Continent have never even heard of them. After the Goddess of Dreams fell into slumber, the Temple Knights were sealed within her sanctuary. Over the past thousand years, they have all but vanished from history."
He looked at Marcus again, amazent clear in his eyes.
"I never expected anyone to advance into the Temple Knight class, much less soone standing right in front of . It is truly astonishing."
Pegasus Knight Mare clicked his tongue lightly, his tone filled with genuine admiration.
"Then why was my class renad Royal Knight instead of Temple Knight?" Marcus asked. "Why change the na at all?"
The truth was, knowing that his Royal Knight class was actually the legendary Temple Knight filled Marcus with a strange sense of pride. Even if he still did not understand where its true power lay, a class with such deep history and prestige could not possibly be weak.
That said, the na Royal Knight felt painfully ordinary. It lacked presence. Temple Knight, on the other hand, sounded powerful, ancient, and awe-inspiring.
What irritated him even more was the fact that Lord Leon Drake, the Citadel Lord of Dragon’s Peak Citadel, had practically washed his hands of him after the class advancent. There had been no explanation, no guidance, not even a single skill taught.
’Truly irresponsible,’ Marcus thought.
"Not long ago," Mare said, "I heard that Lord Leon Drake of Dragon’s Peak Citadel obtained a high-level scroll specifically ant for Temple Knight class advancent. The news caused quite a stir. Many noble youths from Dragon’s Peak Citadel went to him, bribing, pleading, and begging, all hoping to beco Temple Knights themselves."
Mare paused, then looked directly at Marcus.
"And yet, he used it on you."
"...."
’So even the system has loopholes and favoritism,’ Marcus thought, stunned.
He could not help but feel a wave of disbelief. If Lord Leon Drake had been even slightly corrupt or biased, that scroll would never have ended up in Marcus’s hands. The fact that it did spoke volus about the man’s integrity.
Still, the question remained. Why change the na? Was it done to avoid provoking jealousy and resentnt from those powerful noble families?
As Marcus was still pondering this, Mare continued speaking, clearly prepared to explain further.
"After the Goddess of Dreams fell into slumber, her sanctuary was sealed, and the Temple Knights were sealed along with it," Mare continued. "Before that happened, the Temple Knights left behind a portion of their techniques with the Dragon Dynasty. Their purpose was to train a new order of knights to protect the Dreamland Temple established by the dynasty. These knights beca what we now call Royal Knights."
Mare’s voice carried a hint of pride.
"Among humans, Royal Knights are considered the strongest knight regint in existence. If not for the strict limits placed on their numbers, humanity would have little to fear from the demons’ invasion."
He then looked directly at Marcus.
"As for why you are called a Royal Knight rather than a Temple Knight, the reason is simple. Advancing to Temple Knight requires a minimum of Level 50. Your current level and strength fall far short of that standard. To preserve the dignity of the Temple Knight class and to show proper reverence toward the Goddess of Dreams, you were first granted the title of Royal Knight. Once you reach Level 50 and your strength is sufficient, the advancent to Temple Knight will occur naturally."
’Are you serious?’ Marcus felt a sharp sting of irritation.
His abilities were anything but ordinary, yet he was being dismissed as unqualified, judged as too weak before he had even been given a chance. In his mind, he would only add to the glory of the Temple Knight na, not tarnish it.
’They’re judging by my current level and ignoring my potential completely,’ he thought bitterly.
"Then what about my skills?" Marcus asked, forcing himself to stay calm. "Where am I supposed to learn them?"
"That," Mare said after a pause, "I honestly do not know. Aside from the Temple Knights who remain sealed, you are the only one of your kind left on the Dreamland Continent. Lord Leon Drake only recently discovered the Temple Knight advancent scroll in a hidden chamber within the Dreamland Temple. Even he has no knowledge of what cos next."
"...."
Marcus was completely speechless.
’This is ridiculous,’ he thought. ’If I can’t learn any skills, how am I supposed to fight? What good is a legendary class if I can’t use it?’
Frustration surged in his chest, but then a thought struck him.
’Wait.’
He rembered how FreshwindElara’s Five-Elent Cleric class automatically learned skills upon reaching Level 20. Could the Temple Knight class function the sa way? He desperately hoped so. Otherwise, this so-called top-tier class would be nothing more than an empty title.
Pushing that worry aside for the mont, Marcus asked another question.
"What about the fourth of the Four Great Crests, the Explorer’s dallion? What does it actually do?"
As he spoke, his gaze instinctively dropped to the dallion hanging against his chest. Could it really be that one? The artifact was classified as Divine, yet it remained sealed, bound by the lingering resentnt of Silas the Wanderer.
"The true origin of the Explorer’s dallion is unknown," Mare said. "All we know is that a thousand years ago, a rogue known as Silas the Wanderer obtained it and rose to infamy as a master thief."
’Just as I thought,’ Marcus mused. The dallion he carried was indeed one of the four powerful crests of the Dreamland Continent. He listened carefully as Mare continued.
"Silas the Wanderer was a petty, stingy, and deeply suspicious man. He had no family, no friends, and trusted no one. Because of that, no one ever witnessed the dallion’s true attributes. However, after acquiring it, Silas was able to travel freely across the continent, remaining unhard even when standing directly beneath the gaze of a Divine Beast."
Mare’s expression turned serious.
"Using the dallion, Silas stole countless high-grade treasures. It is rumored that among them were two Divine Artifacts and two Divine Beast Pet Eggs. For this reason, even though its attributes remain unknown, the Explorer’s dallion is still ranked among the Four Great Crests of the Dreamland Continent, and is considered the most mysterious of them all."
’That’s insane,’ Marcus thought, his heart pounding.
If Mare’s words were true, then the Explorer’s dallion was far more than just a sealed trinket. It was a key, one that could lead to Divine Artifacts and even Divine Beast Pet Eggs.
What kind of power does it actually hold? The question filled him with excitent and anticipation. No matter what it took, he had to find a way to unseal it.
And if the opportunity ever arose, stealing a Divine Artifact or a Divine Beast Pet Egg sounded like exactly the kind of trouble Marcus wouldn’t mind getting into.
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