Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from the Elden Ring

"It doesn't matter. At least for now, I'm still interested in Kassel College's goal—slaying dragons." He closed his eyes and continued meditating.

Fingel dismissed it, saying, "Come on, graduates from our school aren't good at anything other than slaying dragons."

"how about you?"

"What?" Fingel was dumbfounded.

Lu Mingfei asked again, "Senior brother, why have you stayed here for eight years?"

"Me? I'll fail my courses. If I can graduate, I'll definitely go to the Cuban branch. The girls there have long legs and big breasts," Fingel said confidently.

"Failed a course? Senior, you used to be an A-level academic genius." Lu Mingfei opened his eyes again and gripped the hilt of the sword beside his pillow.

The Crimson Sword, a gift from Nono's friend, passed through customs via the Kassel College's shipping process and was transported by helicopter in the evening.

After learning some information about the dragon race, Lu Mingfei had already guessed that this was an alchemical sword.

“I already said that was in the past,” Fingel muttered.

However, his expression suddenly changed. A slight collision sound reached his ears, along with the faint sound of wind in the darkness, as if a sharp line was cutting through the air.

It's not an illusion!

Fingel's hair stood on end, and his scalp tingled. He nimbly sprang to his feet, dodging the unseen blade in the darkness with his keen intuition, and knelt at the foot of the bed, where he also saw the attacker.

The pale moonlight shone in through the window, making the light dim.

Lu Mingfei jumped off the bed, held the sword in one hand with a reverse grip, and launched a slashing attack in the manner of wielding a dagger.

His speed was so light and unnatural that the movement of jumping down and the sound of drawing his sword happened almost simultaneously, and he made no other movements, keeping the noise to a minimum.

"Junior brother!" Fingel was genuinely surprised by Lu Mingfei's decisiveness and quickly called out.

He even suspected that the owner of the pair of eyes he had seen on the train during the day had possessed Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei slowly straightened up and put away the Crimson Cloud.

“Senior brother, there’s a crucial point: bloodlines don’t decline. So even if you’re a good-for-nothing, you won’t be a good-for-nothing who wastes his life in this way.” His tone was calm, as if the sharp-witted person from just now had disappeared and had returned to being the roommate he had a late-night chat with.

"Just for this? Junior brother, if I hadn't dodged, wouldn't I have become a truly useless piece of trash who died unjustly?" Fingel's eyes widened.

“I believe in my senior brother.” Lu Mingfei shook his head.

He truly believed in Fingel, ever since Fingel faced his golden eyes on the train.

At that time, although Fingel appeared to be a coward on the surface, his physical performance, eye contact, and speech were much better than Ye Sheng and Jiu Deyaji.

Several years ago, Fingel was not only an "A" grade, but he was by no means an ordinary "A" grade.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you the truth." Fingel clenched one fist and placed it on his chest, while making a vow with the other hand. "I repeated a year because of my girlfriend."

Lu Mingfei blinked, somewhat embarrassed.

He had expected his junior brother to give some special reason, such as seeking revenge or completing some special warrior training.

If that's the case, Lu Mingfei is willing to lend a helping hand.

But as for love...

Sadly, the King of Elden sits alone on his throne.

"I believe you," Lu Mingfei said earnestly, then silently climbed back into his bed.

"Why don't you ask more questions?" Fingel looked at him suspiciously, afraid that he might use his senior brother as a test subject if they disagreed.

"If you're still lying to me now, then forget it."

Lu Mingfei sighed.

"Junior brother, I have a feeling you have a story to tell?" Fingel was taken aback when he saw Lu Mingfei regain his composure, sensing a hint of gossip.

Lu Mingfei lay on the soft bed, his mind as calm as still water.

"I slept."

"Damn, I can't sleep like this!" Fingel scratched his messy hair.

Chapter 16 Flames

Lu Mingfei's 3E exam was scheduled on the second basement floor, in a place that looked like a laboratory. Most of the equipment had been moved out, leaving only a desk in the center of the room, with cold incandescent light filling every corner of the room.

At the door of the room, besides Percy whom we had met before, there were two unfamiliar figures: a burly bald man and a man with a ferocious expression pushing an oxygen tank.

Lu Mingfei followed the bald man's directions and sat down, looking at the white paper and pencil on the table.

The bald man, with a stern face and an official demeanor, said, "I am Manstein, and I will be proctoring this exam. Do not attempt to cheat; we have experienced anti-cheating measures in place!"

Perhaps realizing that Lu Mingfei was the only listener, he didn't say much, turned around and left the room. The heavy iron door slowly closed, making a sound like a hydraulic press.

With a heavy thud, the empty room was left with only Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei recalled the information Fingel had shared with him over the past two days: the 3E exam, abbreviated as EEE, stands for Extraction Evaluation Exam, meaning a bloodline assessment exam. It's primarily used to determine a student's dragon bloodline. Those with dragon blood resonate with "dragon script," and this resonance creates a "spiritual vision" effect—they naturally see dragon characters appear in their minds. This ability is extremely important to those with dragon blood. Dragon blood possesses a supernatural ability called "word magic," where their words spoken in dragon script become a set of rules within their "domain." Therefore, "language" is the tool dragons use to exert their abilities. Students who are insensitive to dragon script are usually lacking in ability and will be demoted after passing the 3E exam; those who are too weak will be expelled.

Upon entering the examination room, candidates will only receive a blank sheet of paper and a pencil, without any prompts. The academy will play a recording of chanting dragon script mixed with powerful music. For those of dragon blood, the dragon script will resonate with their spirit, thus producing a "spiritual vision" effect. Dragon script is a hieroglyphic script, and hybrids often "see" incredible sights.

Lu Mingfei picked up a pencil, and the speaker on the wall in the corner of the room had already started playing intense rock music.

Outside the door, in the narrow corridor of the laboratory, the three people remained silent.

"This laboratory is used by the Equipment Department to research biological bombs. They place miniaturized, refined sulfur bombs on elusive creatures like cockroaches. The heads and brains of all the cockroaches have been surgically removed, and an equally sophisticated electrode control system is connected to the remaining nervous system of the cockroaches to manipulate them into gaps inaccessible to humans, enabling assassinations or surprise attacks," Manstein broke the silence, explaining the room's original purpose.

“However, the miniaturization of refined bombs and the bioenergy consumption problems of the cockroaches remain unresolved,” the man beside him added. He was Professor Schneider, the head of the executive department of Kassel College.

If the students of Kassel College are the embryos for slaying dragons, then the Executive Department is the already sharpened dragon-slaying blade, and Schneider is the swordsman holding the hilt.

He and Manstein were both students at the Kassel College, and he was subtly opposed to Passy.

The two were focused on the data transmitted from several sensors in the room, as well as on the silver briefcase in Percy's hand.

However, the school board secretary had no interest in speaking to him; his one icy blue pupil seemed to be filled with ice.

Lu Mingfei listened carefully and indeed heard someone chanting something in a low voice under the rousing music, like a curse or a hymn.

He picked up a pencil, closed his eyes, and tried to resonate with the deep voice, but felt nothing.

Could it be that he really wasn't an ordinary hybrid? He didn't have the feeling that Fingel had described—being summoned by a great sovereign.

Maybe I should really consider knocking out a few people outside, then sneaking into the library to steal some materials and run away. He'd tried to get into the library the past two days, but was refused entry because he didn't have a student ID.

Just as his thoughts were wandering, suddenly, the sound of an endless wind blew from afar, mixed with crackling sounds.

"Brother, it's time to wake up." Lu Mingze's voice was like a stone breaking the surface of water, drowning out everything, including the rock music, whispers, and the sound of the wind.

Lu Mingfei suddenly opened his eyes, his breath catching in his throat.

He stood in a place that was all too familiar, and the intense heat of the real breath suddenly rushed into his mouth and nose, stinging his trachea and lungs.

My mind was shaken.

A massive stone cauldron seemed to stand atop the heavens, with fiery red clouds above and an impenetrable mist below. Around the cauldron, thick iron chains, large enough for four or five people to walk side by side, were fixed at one end to the cauldron and extended into the depths of the mist below, disappearing at the edge of sight, like a road to heaven.

"Brother, is this the place that left the deepest impression on you?" Lu Mingze asked from the side.

Whether this place is a vision or a dream created by Lu Mingze is no longer important.

The long-ago story has finally been rekindled. Things that Lu Mingfei had always wanted to avoid recall have come chasing after him from the distant snow, like evil spirits crawling out of the graves of the deceased.

He didn't speak, but slowly walked a few steps forward, sat cross-legged on the edge of the cauldron, and from this angle, he could see the inside of the cauldron, where red flames burned like a surging ocean.

That was a giant flame powerful enough to threaten the Golden Tree, burning ever since the war in the mythical tales.

"elder brother......"

"I really need some quiet right now."

Lu Mingfei put his index finger to his lips, frowned, and looked at Lu Mingze. Half of his face was glowing red in the firelight, while the other half was hidden in the shadows, and something was burning in his eyes.

It wasn't golden eyes; perhaps it was the reflected firelight, or perhaps it was his soul.

Lu Mingze felt a tsunami of emotions surging from this somewhat unfamiliar older brother, and like a well-behaved child being trained, he walked over and sat down next to him.

Two tiny figures leaned against the edge of the enormous cauldron of flames, listening to the sound of the fire burning.

Besides this, there was only endless wind, blowing from the red clouds, carrying the smell of burning and warmth, and blowing into the depths of the mist where the iron chains stretched out.

......

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Mingfei's mind returned to calm. He knew that he was still sitting in that cold room, and what he saw before him was merely a fragment picked up from his memory.

Even the most vivid dream should have its limits when it comes to reminiscing.

"Lu Mingze, what did it mean when you said you trusted me last time?" Lu Mingfei looked at Lu Mingze, who was sitting on the edge of the big pot, swinging his legs like a truly carefree child.

“Brother, you were the one who invited me here this time,” Lu Mingze said, squinting at the flames in the pot. “This is your spiritual vision. I feel honored to be seen in my spiritual vision like this.”

Lu Mingfei was helpless. This child seemed not to understand human language and never answered other people's questions.

"How am I supposed to wake up? Shouldn't I be able to draw dragon runes when I'm in a spiritual vision? Am I sleeping in reality?" He stood up, frowning as he asked some more specific questions.

“That kind of thing doesn’t matter. I’ll write it for you. I guarantee you won’t lose your ‘S’ grade title.” Lu Mingze spoke of the ‘S’ grade with a hint of disdain and sarcasm. “Don’t be in a hurry, brother. It’s rare to get a glimpse into your heart.”

"My inner self?" Lu Mingfei looked up at the thick clouds filling the sky. He didn't think his inner self was anything worth prying into. An imperfect king, the path to becoming king was not one of glory, but of death and tragedy.

"Brother, do you think you can change everything?" Lu Mingze spoke again, his voice low and gloomy. "Flames represent anger and destruction. Someone with such a heart must want to change something."

What needs to be changed?

Lu Mingfei frowned.

He did indeed want to change something, but in the past, he was bound by the Golden Law; though a god, he was also a prisoner, powerless. Now that he's returned to this world, still figuring things out, if there's anything he wants to change, a figure flashes through his mind...

"Tell me, why do some people willingly accept the fate of destruction? Why do they regard destiny as a divine gift that even kings cannot defy?"

He sighed softly.

Lu Mingze widened his eyes slightly.

The clouds parted in the king's rage, revealing the colossal thing above—a golden tree that seemed to blot out the entire sky, a symbol of the will of the gods. It was burning with red flames, and endless ashes and sparks fell like snowflakes.

Lu Mingze couldn't help but exclaim, "Is this your world, brother? I've finally seen it!"

Lu Mingfei looked up for a long time, then let out a long breath, as if exhaling a torrent of thoughts. He then pushed Lu Mingze, who had a triumphant look on his face, off the giant cauldron. Watching the rapidly falling figure, he said calmly, "The dream should end now."

This guy was just there to spy; he didn't answer any of my questions from beginning to end.

As Lu Mingze fell, a carefree smile appeared on his face.