Duke’s Son: Re

Chapter 53

The Tomb on the Black Sea Cliff.

“A delicious smell is in the air.”

A skeleton clad in pitch-black armor clawed its way out of the grave, unsettling the earth around it.

Its ominous violet-glowing eyes were fixated on the north of the island, where the presence of a road-grade monster had just emerged.

Feeling bored with the slow recovery of its power, the skeleton was thrilled to spot a tantalizing prey.

“I shall head to the snowy plains.”

***

‘Good, everyone is doing well.’

The legs of the Class B students were steady as they pushed through the blizzard.

With fewer slips and falls, their marching speed increased.

They had grown accustomed to harnessing their mana.

Despite a bone-chilling cold, blinding snowstorms, hidden crevasses, slippery ice patches, the looming threats of avalanches and monsters, the notorious snowy plains couldn’t break the focus of the Class B students.

It was just as Kim Jinmyung had hoped.

Over the past month, Class B students had accumulated near-real combat experiences in swamps and deserts.

Jaehyuk’s relentless… no, his rigorous training led them through several crises that greatly exceeded the original training intent.

Through this, they quickly learned how to heighten their concentration.

‘Damn, I’m really grateful, Kang Jaehyuk.’

The students themselves realized their growth was thanks to Jaehyuk.

Yet, they felt conflicted about whether to be entirely thankful for the skills gained from such extreme trials.

‘But why’s he so quiet today? Is he feeling unwell?’

‘Is it possible for that monster of a guy to have off days?’

The students occasionally glanced at Jaehyuk with curiosity.

The one who should be shoving them into crevasses while sledding around was peculiarly silent, leaving them on edge.

They felt relieved yet anxious.

Yes, the students had surprisingly grown comfortable in the harsh environment of the snowy plains.

They felt grateful to the deities for sparing them from Jaehyuk’s usual antics.

They only hoped he wasn’t scheming something else.

“……”

The instructors’ gazes also frequently turned toward Jaehyuk.

‘That kid alone seems especially uncomfortable.’

‘I was expecting more after hearing the rumors of his bloodline skill awakening, but it’s disappointing.’

‘It’s no wonder the Kang family declined. Their bloodline skills are nothing much.’

The instructors, who should have been focused on protecting the students, were instead engaging in useless chatter, indicative of how smoothly the training was progressing.

The Class B students were outperforming expectations, and there wasn’t even a hint of monster presence.

Even the instructors knew that today was the day the Troll Lord would respawn.

They began to understand why Kim Jinmyung had advanced the schedule for the snowy plains adaptation training.

“Aagh!”

“Are you okay?”

Of course, the students had not perfectly adapted to the snowy environment.

The snowy terrain exuded a bitter cold.

Certain icy sections were extremely slippery, freezing anything the snow touched immediately.

It was crucial to distinguish between snow-covered ground and ice patches for proper walking.

But that was easier said than done. The fierce blizzard and murky fog obscured visibility.

If a student leading the group slipped, a domino effect would cause half a dozen students to fall, significantly slowing down the overall marching pace each time.

“……”

In contrast, Jaehyuk maintained his pace, taking a step back.

By focusing his mana on his optic nerves with the Kang family’s mana technique, his vision was clear compared to others.

Just as he had when competing against the shooting club captain, Jaehyuk enhanced his eyesight.

Despite the blizzard and freezing mist imposing a near-darkness status effect that even caused Kim Jinmyung and the instructors to falter occasionally, Jaehyuk maintained expansive visibility, as if he stood in the midst of a meadow.

‘What is that?’

As he scanned the landscape of the snowy plains and locked it in his memory, something unusual caught Jaehyuk’s eye.

Approximately a kilometer ahead, a large group of monsters was on the move.

Trolls, yetis, white-tailed wolves, ice snails, frost skeletons, wraiths, and various other creatures all marching together.

A bizarre sight, considering these creatures should’ve been mortal enemies. Yet they were forming a long procession as if collectively mesmerized.

Jaehyuk knew what this massive migratory phenomenon signified. He had encountered this scenario during years of experience with the gacha failure game, “Player Manager.”

“A lord has been born.”

In monster tribes like goblins, orcs, trolls, yetis, ogres, and others, lords emerge occasionally.

These lords are born with tremendous power and naturally draft nearby monsters into their armies from the moment they come into being.

‘The likely candidates for a lord in the snowy plains would be trolls or yetis.’

Jaehyuk smirked.

A newborn lord wasn’t overly powerful. They were a worthwhile hunt. However, there was a problem.

“Let’s rest here for a bit before moving on.”

Only after they walked for another five minutes did Kim Jinmyung also detect the monster movement and halt their march.

Given his lack of surprise, it seemed he already knew a lord had been born.

‘The ownership of this lord lies with the school, as expected.’

The raid would be one of Lion’s Castle’s important income sources.

Furthermore, a road-grade monster possessed the potential to grow to at least A-rank.

They were likely to wait until it reached maximum growth before initiating a raid.

Jaehyuk quelled his ambition.

‘It’s best to avoid clashing with the school over a single monster.’

The opportunities Jaehyuk had within the three years at Lion’s Castle were innumerable.

Getting expelled from Lion’s Castle simply for capturing a newborn lord was something he’d rather avoid.

‘Plus, defeating a lord alone would draw too much attention.’

The magnitude was different from single-handedly slaughtering a horde of hobgoblins. Jaehyuk willingly curbed his desires.

‘Let’s focus on the small fry instead.’

The snowy plains were vast. Similar monster migration phenomena would be happening elsewhere.

‘We have to move quickly.’

The monsters’ destination was the lord’s nest.

Until the lord reached full maturity, the creatures would stand vigilously, fasting.

In a few hours, they would crowd in a single spot, making it impossible for Jaehyuk to handle them.

Now, while they were still isolated, was the time to feast on experience points.

“Professor.”

While the students took their break, Jaehyuk, quietly observing beyond the blizzard, called out to Kim Jinmyung.

‘Damn it.’

‘Is it finally starting?’

A pallor swept across the students’ faces.

They imagined Jaehyuk arguing why they would rest during training or why conduct the training if they took breaks like this, only to get appeased by Kim Jinmyung.

However, Jaehyuk made a surprising statement.

“I’m feeling too unwell; can I excuse myself early today, please?”

The students were stunned into silence. Jaehyuk, claiming he was unwell enough to excuse himself from training?

The idea was preposterous.

“You wish to leave during training without injury?”

“Even if they’ve fallen, he is still the young master of a noble family.”

Amid this surprising situation, the instructors exchanged whispers loud enough to be heard.

Realizing their mistake, they quickly silenced themselves. After a moment of contemplation, Kim Jinmyung spoke up.

He, too, had noticed the unusual state of Jaehyuk.

He had been worried that maybe Jaehyuk was particularly sensitive to the cold.

However, the purpose of adaptation training was for students to acclimate to challenging environments.

Abandoning the hardship once for comfort would render the training purposeless, leading to the student’s regression.

Future training would seem increasingly more arduous.

Yet, Kang Jaehyuk was on the other side of the equation.

Kim Jinmyung knew both Jaehyuk’s skill and his personality.

“I noticed him perspiring from the start of the march.”

An experienced instructor vouched for Jaehyuk.

“Indeed, his condition looks quite off to me as well.”

Do Baesoo, and the other students, yearningly, directed pleading gazes, hoping Jaehyuk would be allowed to leave.

With the reason established, Kim Jinmyung nodded approvingly.

“Alright, you may go. But remember, if you fall behind in tomorrow’s sessions, there will be additional classes.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll escort student Jaehyuk back. The path is difficult, and we can’t let an unwell student go alone.”

As Jaehyuk accepted the permission and withdrew, a senior instructor followed him.

“My thanks.”

With Kim Jinmyung’s approval, the two soon disappeared beyond the blizzard.

Only then did the students collectively exhale, relieved that the tension was finally lifted.

“I thought I’d die from the anxiety.”

“Finally, we can focus on training without glancing over our shoulders.”

The instructors couldn’t quite grasp why the Class B students seemed to shudder with fear exceeding mere apprehension for Jaehyuk.

From what they had seen today, the other students appeared to surpass Jaehyuk in skill.

***

“Right about here.”

The senior instructor’s lips curled high in satisfaction as he led Jaehyuk onward.

Beyond the blizzard, the outline of a cave emerged. It was a yeti’s den, rarely found on the outskirts of the snowy plains.

It was a place once teeming with dozens of yetis that would now lay barren for the next three months.

More than ample time to detain Jaehyuk and extract the Kang family’s mana technique and swordsmanship.

In truth, it would take just a day or two. How could the young master withstand such brutal interrogation?

The senior instructor had once held a senior position in the Revolution Guild. Handling a young brat was as easy as pie, he believed.

“We must’ve taken the wrong path somewhere. Let’s rest here for now until the blizzard clears.”

The senior instructor suppressed his excitement with difficulty, his mind aflame with thoughts of the rewards from the Revolution Guild’s master.

‘I don’t even need to return to the Revolution Guild.’

Would it not be better to make contact with one of the top five guilds instead?

Or perhaps transactions with overseas guilds would be more beneficial.

Many countries seek foreign technologies, and government-level cooperation could be well-anticipated, after all.

If everything aligned, he could become a billionaire.

“Kuh kuh! Bwahahahaha!”

The senior instructor could no longer contain his laughter. His mirth started right as Jaehyuk followed him into the cave.

“My, oh, my… You must be startled. Apologies, I couldn’t help myse—?”

As the instructor unsheathed his sword, his laugh halted abruptly.

The boy should have been aware that something was off by now, yet his expression was unexpectedly calm.

Jaehyuk surveyed the unsanitary, stale-smelling cave with an unusual calmness, hand resting lightly on his sword hilt.

Was it possible that he was too dim to realize his predicament?

‘Just how dense can one be….’

The senior instructor let out a bemused chuckle, but was quickly interrupted by Jaehyuk’s question.

“Are you sure this is a good burial spot? It’s excessively damp and reeks of decay.”

“What?”

“Not that it matters where trash is buried.”

Bang!

“Ugh…!”

The senior instructor’s pupils quivered as he barely deflected Jaehyuk’s swift sword attack.

Suddenly, Jaehyuk’s face, grinning with a set of white teeth, loomed close.

Stab!

A jarring pain pierced through his abdomen.

Jaehyuk’s intense sword strike, which was still locked against his, had been forced downwards while his left hand expertly wielded a dagger, aiming precisely.

A 16-year-old kid using lethal attacks on a human without an ounce of hesitation.

“You dastardly little…!”

Red-eyed with fury, the instructor unleashed his skill. His sword glowed with crimson aura.

However, before fulfilling its intended form, it flickered out feebly. The wielder of the skill had perished.

『You have defeated a B-rank player.』
『You have leveled up by 2.』
『Remarkable Achievement!』
『You defeated a stronger player without taking any damage.』
『All stats increased by 2.』

“Not a bad start.”

Jaehyuk wiped the blood from his dagger, then dissolved the instructor’s body with acid before exiting the cave.