Chapter 45

Immediately after the duel ended, I was summoned to Duke's office.

After wiping the sweat from my brow, I headed to the office and knocked lightly.

"Come in."

With permission, I opened the door and entered to find Duke standing by the window, looking outside.

"You've come, Zeros."

"Yes, Father."

"There's something I need to tell you about this matter, and I'll get straight to the point."

Duke took a deep breath and began to speak slowly.

"I need to apologize and express my gratitude to you."

"Apologize and gratitude...?"

Hearing words I wasn't used to from Duke, I couldn't help but repeat them in surprise.

Duke nodded slightly and began to explain.

"Yes, that's right. Over the past few months—more precisely, since Dion obtained the Crest of All, his behavior has become increasingly reckless. However, I believed that the best way for him to understand the consequences of his actions was not through my words but through experiencing a setback at some point, so I left him to his own devices."

After a pause, Duke continued.

"Today, Dion challenged you to a duel and suffered a crushing defeat. This must have been a humiliation for him that surpasses anything else. Whether he can turn this experience into personal growth is up to him."

"…Father."

Listening to Duke, I felt a considerable amount of surprise.

While he was generally a hands-off person, I hadn't expected him to have such thoughts.

It wasn't that he didn't care about me or Dion; he had acted based on what he believed was best.

"Of course, this also meant that Zeros had to bear additional risks… I'm sorry for placing such a heavy burden on you. And I want to express my gratitude for giving Dion this experience. Thank you, Zeros."

With that, Duke bowed his head.

I was taken aback and replied to Duke.

"No, Father, there's no need for you to worry. To be honest, I felt good about settling my grievances with Dion… More importantly, I accepted the duel to defend my own dignity, which I could not compromise. Therefore, there's no reason for anyone to thank me."

"…That's true. Then, let's leave this matter here."

Duke raised his head and his expression returned to its usual sternness.

"By the way, Zeros, there's something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

"In the duel, you defeated Dion brilliantly—where did you acquire such power?"

The room was filled with tension.

"From your performance, I can tell that you now possess at least the power equivalent to level 50. However, it's only been a week since you received the crest."

Duke folded his arms and continued.

"Even my talented eldest daughter, Reina, took several months to reach that level. For you to achieve it in just a week… especially with the Crest of Nothing, which cannot use skills, is simply unimaginable."

"……"

I was at a loss for words, desperately trying to think of a response.

(I can't reveal my memories from my previous life… and I should keep the true effects of the Crest of Nothing hidden for now.)

After some thought, I chose my words carefully.

"I'm sorry, but I can't say that yet."

"……"

Duke remained silent, staring at me intently.

I continued, addressing him.

"However, there is one thing I can tell you at this point—the Crest of Nothing is not a symbol of incompetence but a crest with the potential to reach the greatest strength."

I looked Duke straight in the eye and declared firmly.

"With this crest, I will become the strongest."

Duke's eyes widened in surprise, and he seemed momentarily taken aback.

He closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then nodded slightly.

"I see. Then, I won't ask any more. Continue to be a worthy member of the Silphied family."

"Yes."

I bowed deeply and left the room.

In the hallway, Shuna was waiting.

The moment I saw her, I felt the tension begin to dissipate.

"Ah! Good work, Zeros!"

Shuna greeted me with a gentle smile.

"Was everything okay with the summons from the Duke?"

"Yeah, it went well."

I smiled lightly.

Just talking to Shuna made me feel more at ease. Was it just my imagination?

(No… it can't be just my imagination.)

The duel was over, and Shuna had been officially hired as my servant.

The academy entrance exam was approaching, and there was a lot to do.

But I had the confidence that we could overcome it together.

I looked at Shuna seriously.

"Anyway, thank you again. Let's continue to work together, Shuna."

"Sure! Let's do our best together, Zeros!"

Shuna's cheeks turned slightly red, and she smiled shyly.

My journey to become the strongest had only just begun.

---

**Reincarnated 1000 Years After the Game World, I Became the Strongest with the Ultimate Gift, the Crest of Nothing, and My Knowledge of the Original Story**

Chapter 1 - End

This concludes Chapter 1.

Although the story is still in its early stages, I am grateful to all of you for reading over 100,000 words. Thank you so much!

Regarding Chapter 2, I plan to resume the serial after taking a few days to create the plot.

Chapter 2 will be packed with events like the academy exam and dungeon exploration, and I aim to deliver even faster level-ups, skill acquisitions, and dominance than in Chapter 1!

I hope you will continue to enjoy Zeros' story!

Once again, thank you to all the readers for reading this far!

I have one important request, so I would appreciate your cooperation!

**Important Request**

Now that Chapter 1 has concluded, I have an important request for you.

Although this work has reached the top of the genre-specific daily rankings, it has not yet reached the top of the overall rankings.

Given that over 10,000 people have read this, I believe it's not impossible.

If you found Chapter 1 interesting,

If you want to see more of Zeros' growth and dominance,

If you're eager to read Chapter 2,

Could you please support this work by:

- Adding it to your bookmarks

- Changing the rating from "☆☆☆☆☆" to "★★★★★"

Reaching the top of the rankings will help more people discover this work, and the support from many readers will greatly boost the author's motivation!

Your support means a lot to the author, probably thousands of times more than you can imagine!

So, please, I kindly ask for your support!

Additionally, while waiting for the resumption of the serial, if you're interested, you can read another work set in the same game world:

**Reincarnated as a Villain Noble Who Dies Mid-Game, I Aim to Become the Strongest Using the Misfit Skill [Tame]**

This work has achieved the top spot in the monthly overall rankings and the quarterly genre-specific rankings, so I believe readers who enjoyed this work will definitely enjoy it!

You can access it via the link below!