Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from the Elden Ring

“I’m a freshman at Kassel College, here to enroll today,” Lu Mingfei said, finishing the last bite of his sandwich as he answered Fingel’s question.

"Holy crap!" Fingel turned around and grabbed Lu Mingfei's hand. "Junior brother!"

He pulled a magnetic card ticket from his pocket; the black ticket was decorated with silver patterns of a giant tree with lush foliage.

"Hello, senior brother." Lu Mingfei wasn't surprised; he had guessed it when he saw Fingel's book. "We should be waiting for the same car. Do you know when it will arrive?"

“Normally there’s one bus at the start of the semester, but recently it’s a special one because a Chinese ‘S’ level student wants to enroll early…” Fingel’s voice suddenly trailed off as he looked at Lu Mingfei with disbelief. “May I ask, junior, what’s your name?”

“Lu Mingfei,” Lu Mingfei said.

"You're an 'S' class?" Fingel exclaimed in surprise, jumping up to his feet. "Then why are you waiting for the car, junior brother? Let's go to the VIP lane."

Fingel himself only brought a shoulder bag, but took the initiative to carry half of Lu Mingfei's luggage. This seemingly down-on-his-luck young man was no less strong than Lu Mingfei. He carried a large backpack containing a pressure cooker, pulled a suitcase, and led Lu Mingfei straight to the VIP channel.

The station's VIP passage has dedicated ticket checking machines and security checkpoints, with two tall, burly guards standing on either side of the red carpet at the entrance, looking very dedicated.

After negotiations, and once Lu Mingfei's ticket was successfully verified, Finger, as a friend, followed him into the luxurious VIP waiting room.

The interior decoration style is quite different from the outside. Gone are the marble walls, columns, and round wall lamps of the last century in the waiting hall. The interior is decorated in a modern and minimalist style. Sofas and small round tables are divided into independent private spaces by low walls with openwork bookshelves. Under the warm orange light, there are not many passengers, and it is very quiet except for the occasional quiet conversation.

Fingel and Lu Mingfei found a place to put their luggage down.

“Your ticket has been swiped through the ticket gate, and the academy staff will react quickly.” As Fingel said this, he had already swept through the beverage and snack area, returning to his seat with his arms full of food and drinks.

Lu Mingfei accepted the can of cola offered to him but declined the snacks.

"Senior brother, it's not the normal start time for school, so why are you here?" Lu Mingfei asked.

Fingel chewed hard on the plain potato chips in his mouth. He had just stuffed a handful into his mouth, and the sandwich was clearly not enough to fill his stomach. His words were muffled among the crumbs of potato chips, "I need to make up for my credits, so I have to sacrifice my precious summer vacation. I'll just take advantage of your special train to go back to school."

"I'm an 'S' class, is that common knowledge now?" Lu Mingfei settled into a comfortable position on the sofa, his curiosity about Kassel College growing stronger. A school with an executive department that seemed like a violent organization, where students possessed the "dragon" power Nono had mentioned, yet they, like students at ordinary universities, had to struggle for credits.

"Quite a few people know about it. After all, you're the first 'S' class in decades, Junior Brother. You're incredibly talented, and everyone's paying attention." Fingel was a little guilty. He was the one who uploaded the video to the Night Watchers discussion forum, and Lu Mingfei's face spread so far because of him.

"I see. The first one in decades. No wonder it's so important." Lu Mingfei nodded thoughtfully.

“Hey, here we come.” Fingel suddenly pointed to the end of the private passage.

Lu Mingfei looked over and saw a person wearing a dark green train conductor uniform who had appeared next to the ticket gate at some point. There was a gold train conductor badge on his hat. If it weren't for the card reader in his hand, he would really look like a character who had stepped out of a black and white movie.

"CC1000 express train, passengers prepare to board, passengers prepare to board." The train conductor's voice broke the quiet atmosphere in the waiting hall.

Lu Mingfei quickly realized something was wrong. The passengers scattered in the booths didn't react at all, and the guards at the door didn't even glance at them. A strangely dressed attendant appeared out of nowhere, but he didn't attract any curious onlookers. It couldn't be that they were used to it, could it? Finger had said that this bus only ran when Kassel College started its semester.

Fingel picked up the luggage without hesitation. "Junior brother, let's go, our car is here."

“Something seems off about him. Can’t others see him?” Lu Mingfei frowned.

"That's the effect of his Words of Power. You'll understand once you receive your introductory guidance," Fingel explained, answering his question.

Words of power?

That must be the "law" manifested by the power of the "dragon". Isn't the effect of the train conductor's "word of power" the same as "becoming invisible" in the magic of the night? That's a minor spell that Lu Mingfei obtained in the Mirage Magician's Tower, which makes the caster's figure difficult to recognize.

"The magic used by the assassins of Serlia—they will stop at nothing to achieve their goals," the magic scroll reads.

Lu Mingfei used it purely as a travel spell. Although weak monsters could not see through the spell's effects, it was of little use against stronger beings.

His former enemies can no longer be described as powerful; even the weakest among them is a demigod, "Greek the Limb-Setter," one of the Fragment Kings.

Chapter 12 Orientation

Fingel's ticket swiped through the ticket machine, the green light came on, and there was a "beep".

"Finger, are you now an 'S' class laborer?" The train conductor glanced at him. "Your rank has dropped again this year."

"Now it's 'F'?" Fingel's face fell, but then he happily patted Lu Mingfei on the shoulder. "Who said it's just a laborer? I'm buddies with 'S' class!"

Lu Mingfei neither agreed nor disagreed, but simply handed over his ticket in silence.

This newly recognized junior brother seems to be quite famous, and in a bad way at that.

The ticket machine in the train conductor's hand emitted cheerful music. His indifference and disdain towards Finger vanished. He rubbed his fingers together and said to Lu Mingfei with a hint of anticipation, "Welcome, Lu Mingfei!" Then, surprisingly, he pulled a small notebook and pen from his pocket. "Could you sign my name?"

Lu Mingfei had no choice but to write his name in slightly messy handwriting and return it to the train conductor.

It feels like the 'S' class at Kassel College is really rare; everyone treats them like rare animals.

The two followed the cheerful train conductor onto the platform and finally saw the train prepared for Lu Mingfei. Unlike the conductor's old-fashioned attire, it was decorated with some white vine patterns on the black streamlined body of the high-speed train.

The people at Kassel College are quite pragmatic; classical art cannot replace the speed of a new train.

Inside the only open door of the train stood a tall, upright man in a black suit, a bright red rose tucked into his breast pocket, his hair as white as snow.

He smiled in the sunlight, his silver-gray eyes like torches.

When Lu Mingfei met his gaze, a sense of solemnity, typical of facing a formidable foe, washed over him—a feeling completely different from that of Ye Sheng and Jiu Deyaji, both A-level opponents.

This person is dangerous.

He stopped three or four steps away from the man, a distance he was most familiar with for both offense and defense.

“Lu Mingfei, I’ve finally waited for you,” the old man said softly.

Just like in a classic RPG game, the character who waits for the protagonist to pull out the holy sword finally meets his destined person, and then gives him a mission or hands him a peerless magic weapon.

“Principal Angers!” Fingel exclaimed from behind Lu Mingfei.

"Fingal, I hope you graduate successfully this year." Angers also saw the burly figure behind Lu Mingfei, his smile faded slightly, but he still offered his blessings in a friendly manner.

At that moment, he was completely a kind elder and educator.

Lu Mingfei then realized that the person in front of him was the leader of the Casse Academy, who seemed to have known him for a long time and might even know the secret of the power he possessed.

"Do you know me?" he asked directly.

"Let's talk in the car. I'm here to answer your questions." Angers shrugged, making way for the car door and gesturing for him to open it.

Lu Mingfei followed without hesitation.

Fingel was a step slower. He put a hidden mini camera back into his bag, licked his lips, and muttered to himself, "Big news, absolutely big news."

The train sped through the lush, spring-filled woods. The elegant old man picked up his black tea, took a sip, and looked at the young man across the oak table. "Ask me any questions you may have."

The group sat in the exquisitely decorated carriage, with Victorian-style patterned wallpaper, wooden-paneled windows, and dark green leather sofas—a distinctly European style. Lu Mingfei and Finger, now seated, had changed into Ye Sheng's uniform. The clothes seemed to have been prepared beforehand; Lu Mingfei rolled up his cuffs, revealing his name embroidered in dark green thread: MingFeiLu.

Fingel sat quietly to the side, enjoying his hot chocolate.

“I heard you were the one who gave me my ‘S’ rating. Can I ask why?” Lu Mingfei looked at Angers and asked the most suspicious question.

Angers laughed, but didn't answer directly. "You think 'S' class is not worthy of you?"

His eyes were full of admiration and praise, for the boy's sharp gaze and for the lava-like golden eyes in the video.

Lu Mingfei raised an eyebrow.

This rhetorical question directly threw the problem back at him. His current soul had returned from the borderlands, and after a century of war and the influence of the throne, he might deserve an 'S' rating. But the real issue lay with the ordinary 18-year-old boy he once was. However, if you dwell on it, the reason for his drastic personality change is an unavoidable point.

Lu Mingfei made no attempt to hide it.

“Your acceptance letter was sent before I awakened the power of the ‘Dragon’, so I don’t think my evaluation should have been ‘S’ at that time.”

“No, no, no,” Angers shook his head, “You shouldn’t be viewed separately in these two periods; you’ve simply regained your inherent excellence.”

He continued unhurriedly, "Alright, then I'll tell you some facts that can convince you. Your parents, Lu Lincheng and Qiao Weini, are both genuine 'S'-class, so it wouldn't be surprising if you were a pure-blooded dragon that had reverted to its ancestral form. Of course, I'm just kidding."

Lu Mingfei was slightly surprised. He had thought that his biological parents were not simple, but he did not expect that both of them were 'S' level. As an 'S' level himself, in the short time he had been in contact with Kassel College, he felt as precious as a giant panda, and everyone seemed to have a monster's reflection in their eyes when they looked at him.

Moreover, there is more information in Angers' words that is worth noting: the humans here possess the power of "dragons," which is passed down through bloodlines.

That seems to make sense.

"Let's proceed with the regular orientation first," Angers said, handing a document to Lu Mingfei, who was deep in thought.

Lu Mingfei flipped the confidentiality agreement to the signature section and quickly signed it.

Angers took the signed documents and, without further ado, began his so-called orientation, introducing Lu Mingfei to the academic system and closed management of Kassel College, which was basically no different from ordinary universities, until finally introducing the core of everything—"Dragon".

He stood up, walked to the giant oil painting behind him, grabbed a corner of the canvas covering the painting, and gracefully pulled it open.

An epic oil painting unfolds, depicting a scene that seems to be from a mythical era.

The sky was a dark, fiery blue, with only one giant tree standing tall. Its withered branches stretched out in all directions, weaving a dense net to support the cracked sky. The wasteland was littered with bones, and a black behemoth rose from the depths of the skeletal remains. Its wings were covered with skulls, and after spreading its enormous membranous wings, it spewed black flames towards the sky.

“This is a dragon…” Lu Mingfei squinted his eyes.

The black dragon in the painting, with its body, wings, head, and other features, bears a striking resemblance to the ancient dragons and flying dragons that Lu Mingfei had encountered before. These ancient creatures, who ruled the borderlands before the Golden Law, possessed world-destroying power, were the kings of the sky, and wielded fire and thunder.

"Brother, how do you feel?"

The boy asked softly from behind Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei was absolutely certain that Fingel was the only person behind him, and that he would never make such a sound.

It was a dream!

Chapter 13 Professor, you've been blinded by the appointment letter.

Lu Mingfei turned around and immediately realized that he had fallen into a dream again.

Fingel's figure vanished, leaving behind his half-eaten cup of hot chocolate on the table, now cold and solidified. It was as if, in an instant, the train had traveled through countless years, everyone had perished, and only Lu Mingfei himself had been slow to awaken.

The boy sat by the window at the back of the carriage, staring out the window in a daze. Bathed in the silvery moonlight, he looked like an exquisitely beautiful statue.

"What are your thoughts?" Lu Mingfei was no longer panicked when he entered the boy's domain for the second time. He had learned part of the truth about the world and had some guesses about the boy's identity.

The boy turned around, looked up at the oil painting behind Lu Mingfei, his expression contemptuous and mocking, "Then let me ask you a different question, brother, what does death mean to you?"

Lu Mingfei noticed a difference in the boy's demeanor compared to the first time; this time, he seemed very eager to communicate. "This is the second time we've met, won't you introduce yourself first?"

“Last time it was you who took the initiative to summon me, brother. For me, this should be the first time I meet you,” the boy corrected Lu Mingfei.

“You call me brother, but I don’t have a younger brother.” Lu Mingfei shook his head.

"My name is Lu Mingze," the boy said calmly.

Even the composed Lu Mingfei found it unbelievable; the elegant and handsome boy in front of him could not possibly match the image of the chubby boy from his aunt's house.

"Okay, Lu Mingze, why have you repeatedly pulled me into your dreams?" Lu Mingfei accepted the boy's explanation. It didn't matter that the other party didn't want to reveal his real name; that wasn't the point.

Lu Mingze did not answer. He got up and came to Lu Mingfei's side to examine the oil painting closely.

"The oldest emperor recorded in history, the Dragon Emperor Nidhogg."