Parallel Memory

The days passed in a blur of sweat, mana, and fire.

Training with Valor was unlike anything I had ever experienced. He didn't bark commands like an instructor or spoon-feed lessons like a textbook. Instead, he taught with silence, with presence. Every movement he made carried centuries of experience—when he slashed the air, it was like time bent around him.

For a whole week, I lived inside the rhythm of the Art of Dragon Slayer—a form so primal, so refined, it felt like the world itself had a heartbeat, and I was learning to match it.

Day by day, I grew sharper. Stronger. Faster. Not just in body—but in will. I stopped relying solely on power and began to understand control. I could feel the dragon energy coursing through me, my dark mana syncing with the force of the art in perfect harmony.

By the seventh day, I could execute advanced techniques without even thinking. My body responded like it had been waiting for this moment all its life.

And then… he stopped teaching.

We were in the middle of training—again. I'd just landed a clean counterstrike in midair using the fourth form of the Dragon Slayer Art. A technique that should have taken months to master. I landed, panting lightly, waiting for Valor to comment.

But he just stood there.

Still.

Quiet.

His glowing golden eyes watched me, unmoving, his wings tucked, his usual booming voice oddly muted. Then, after an awkward pause, his voice entered my mind—low, hesitant.

"I… don't think I'm a good teacher."

I blinked. "What?"

He lowered his massive head slightly. "You've already mastered it. The art. Everything I had planned to teach over months, maybe even years… you absorbed in days. I didn't anticipate this."

"You're saying… that's it?" I asked, chest still rising from exertion.

He turned away, his tail sweeping the crystal grass behind him. "Perhaps I overestimated how much I had left to give. Or maybe…"—he hesitated—"maybe I underestimated you."

For a dragon who towered like a mountain, there was something deeply human in the way he spoke just then. Embarrassment? Regret? Maybe both.

"I thought this would last longer," he admitted. "It's been a while since I've… had company."

I couldn't help but smile. "You're not a bad teacher, Valor. You gave me something no one else could. You gave me… clarity."

He stared at me for a long time before nodding slowly.

Then, without another word, he summoned a scroll.

It hovered in the air, wrapped in threads of molten mana. Ancient sigils glowed across its surface, humming with a deep, raw energy that made the very air vibrate.

"Take this," he said. "It's called Dragon Force. A skill of my own creation—never passed on to another soul. Until now."

I stepped closer, reaching out carefully. The scroll felt warm. Alive.

"SS+ rank," he continued. "It draws out the dormant power of the dragon within you. When activated, your body will be reinforced with ancient dragon scales, granting you speed, power, and resistance rivaling my own."

My heart skipped a beat. "...Why give me something so powerful?"

Valor's eyes softened. "Because you listened. You respected the art. And… because I won't be there when the world truly tests you."

I looked down at the scroll, then back up at the ancient being who had become my unlikely mentor.

"...Thank you," I said quietly.

He gave a low, resonant hum. "This place won't hold you much longer. The rune that brought you here is fading. When you return… walk not as a slayer of dragons, but as one who understands their burden."

The space around us began to crackle—fractures of light opening in the sky.

"Will we meet again?" I asked.

His voice echoed as the light swallowed my vision.

"Perhaps. When you are ready to stop learning… and start teaching."

The next thing I knew, I was back.

I landed softly on stone. Familiar stone. The air was warm again, and the sounds of the city returned like an old song.

I blinked, glancing around.

I looked down at my hands, still tingling with the echo of Valor's power. The scroll was there, tucked safely in my spatial ring. I could still feel it humming quietly. Dragon Force.

I couldn't hold back my anxiety and immediately opened my status

[ "Status" ]

===Status===

Name: Zero Elea

Rank: S -

Strength: A +

Speed: S

Stamina: A

Mana: S Luck: B +

Charm: A +

- - > Skill:

[ Rank SS: Parallel Memory ]

A skill that enables the user to get memories of their alternative self from another world.

Side Effect: The user may sometimes be overwhelmed by the emotion and personality of the alternative self.

[Rank SS+: Ancient Dragon's Wrath]

Ancient Dragon's Wrath is an incredibly powerful offensive skill that allows the user to summon a torrent of flames in the shape of a dragon. The flames are so intense that they can easily incinerate even dragons. The skill requires a large amount of mana to use.

[ Rank A: Insight Perception]

Insight Perception is a skill that allows an individual to discern the status and other information of other people. With this skill, one can easily determine the rank, status, and other relevant information about others.

[ Rank S: Mana manipulation]

Mana Manipulation is a powerful skill that allows an individual to control and manipulate the flow of mana, the magical energy that exists in all things. With this skill, a person can harness the power of mana more efficiently. The skill is said to have originated from Elves.

[Rank SS+: Dragon Force]

It is a skill that allows the user to enter a dragonoid form taking on the scales of dragon as their skin for a duration of one minute. While in the dragonoid form the users physical stats reaches that of an ancient dragon while he cannot use other skills or art in the form

- - > Art:

[ LVL 4: Shadow Style: Expert]

Art that enables the user to use the sword as if the sword is a shadow. The sword slash will be faster and stronger than a normal swing. After mastering the Shadow Style, the user will be able to move and attack using the shadow.

[ LVL 9: Cryomancy: Expert]

Magic Art is said to have been made by the strongest Ice mage in history after fighting the Ice Dragon. The user will be able to use ice magic to freeze the enemy to death. The Ice related skill will be twice as effective and the user will gain tolerance to Cold. After mastering the Cryomancy, the user may be able to freeze the world.

[LVL 6: Dual Art: Proficient]

A unique Art created by Zero. The Art combines two Art into one. The power and effect depend on the Art that has been combined.

[The Will of Dragon Slayer]

= = = = = = = =

"What? where is the art I spent weeks learning," I thought for a moment and only then I realized why I was given the skill scroll, and Valor's actions were finally making sense. I had not inherited the art but just the will to pass it on.

While I was still stuck in my thoughts I heard laughter in the distance—cheering.

Turning around, I saw them.

Elrond.

His smug face lit up with victory as he and his squad of elven lackeys stood together.

"Did you see that spell?! That was a true war technique!"

"The Death Arrow cracked through layers of defense and his whole body evaporated in the light!"

I narrowed my eyes.

So… this was their celebration.

They thought I was gone.

Dead, maybe. Or defeated.

I smirked to myself. So that's how it is.

That dungeon? It wasn't a punishment. It was Valor's domain. A space where time flowed differently—a pocket carved from the world itself. A fortnight there was mere minutes here.

They had no idea what was coming.

"Enjoy it while you can," I muttered under my breath. Because I was back.