Duke’s Son: Re

Chapter 54: Brain Dead.

Since the day his father was essentially given a death sentence, eight years had gone by in which South Korea erased, distorted, and diminished the honors crafted by Yaksha.

This was not something orchestrated by just one or two leaders. It had to have been at least dozens involved.

But who were they, really?

The child trapped inside a house surrounded by protesters couldn’t possibly pinpoint the culprits.

All Jaehyuk could do was suspect those who seemed to be thriving on TV news as the Kang family’s downfall grew more evident.

His methods of investigating them were limited to web surfing and playing the greed-fueled gacha game known as “Player Manager”.

In the end, Jaehyuk decided to keep things simple. He resolved to sharpen his body and mind like a blade.

No matter the identity or number of his enemies, he would be prepared to cut them all down.

『Wind Spirit’s Boots』

Grade: Epic

Leather boots imbued with the breath of the wind spirit. They were light and comfortable, reducing leg fatigue and increasing movement speed.

“Even B-rank players carry at least one epic item,”

Jaehyuk noted, as he efficiently used the “High Judge Alrus’s Dagger” he obtained after killing Yun Sangho, and now he had acquired a relic from the senior instructor.

The well-fitting brown boots felt like they would be a considerable boon.

However, there was one issue…

“People are bound to recognize whose item this is.”

The “White Serpent’s Bracelet” was easily concealable with a wristguard, reducing the chance of his identity being exposed even if he met someone he’d encountered at the auction house purely out of sheer chance.

However, the boots were too conspicuous.

“I’ll need to purchase an appearance-altering item,” he thought.

Examining the list of items sold within the community, Jaehyuk decided to try on the boots which reached up to just below his knees.

With a sophisticated appearance, they complemented Jaehyuk well.

“As expected, they stand out,” he reflected. Despite his efforts, the snow-covered wilderness and extreme cold that obscured vision might provide cover.

Vigilance would ensure his safety.

Thud-!

Jaehyuk took off across the icy terrain, his speed significantly greater than when plodding along with the snail-paced students.

With his Kang family mana technique and the wind spirit boots’ performance combined, he exhibited transcendental speed.

Thanks to the White Serpent’s Bracelet’s power of reduced resource consumption, there was no need to ration his mana.

Jaehyuk didn’t even slip on the ice; every time his soles touched the ground, he would exert enough magic to shatter the icy surface.

He moved with unrestrained confidence, and any tracks he left quickly disappeared under the snow and ice.

“I found it,”

Jaehyuk remarked. Amidst the rapidly changing scenery, he witnessed an unnatural sight from atop a cliff.

Nine monstrous creatures slithered across the vast snowy landscape, creating a procession.

Viewed from a distance, they seemed like a massive snake.

“It’d be best to target the procession coming from the east,”

Jaehyuk decided, choosing the monster procession with an average level that appeared lowest among the nine.

Without a mane, the Yeti formed the crux of this monster procession, comprised mostly of D-rank monsters with few C-rank entities.

Wham!

Jaehyuk didn’t hesitate, leaping off the cliff the moment the decision was made.

Boom!

Since slicing through the demon’s spine, Jaehyuk’s mana had inexplicably begun to take on a yellow hue.

Shrouded in mana to withstand the shock, his descent was akin to a singular bolt of lightning.

“It’s just like in the game,”

Jaehyuk noted as he created a crater on the icy field where he landed.

The immense vibration radiated outward in concentric circles, creating a huge commotion.

However, the monsters did not turn back; they moved forward, entranced expressions fixed, obsessed with something ahead.

The Lord’s dominion had completely captivated the monsters of the snowy plains, compelling them solely with the instinct to protect the Lord.

Until they reached the Lord’s lair, they wouldn’t break their focus.

This mirrored the content described in the Player Manager about monster migrations.

“Spending the noble’s pension wasn’t in vain,” he thought to himself, hundreds of character card draws performed simply to glean a fragmented understanding of high-grade players’ skills.

Furthermore, he had attempted to strengthen his character hundreds of times to experience and understand more gates and quests.

Though all he could manage was skin-deep knowledge, such actions were necessary for an unaffiliated, housebound non-awakened person seeking information about players.

Thunk!

Closing in on the monster procession, Jaehyuk embedded his dagger into the neck of a troll at the rear of the line.

Screeeech!!

The battle wasn’t as smooth as anticipated.

The attacked monster regained its senses and retaliated, and surrounding monsters regained consciousness upon hearing their comrade’s roar.

Despite being surrounded by four trolls in a flash, Jaehyuk remained calm.

Clang!

The violent axes the trolls wielded collided against Jaehyuk’s short sword, and the recoil lifted him off the ground.

Such was the disparity in the power channeled through their weapons. The snowy trolls were at least level 25, yet couldn’t withstand Jaehyuk’s strength.

At level 26, Jaehyuk’s strength was 116, a number that even a warrior-type player would aim for only upon reaching level 50.

This was thanks to the numerous achievements he had accumulated.

Crack!!

Infusing magic into his sword technique, Jaehyuk shattered the trolls’ crude axes.

The fearsome trolls, though disarmed, couldn’t affect Jaehyuk with their ferocity alone.

Their strikes and kicks failed to even graze Jaehyuk’s garment as he deftly evaded through a series of rapid steps.

As crimson torrents of blood sprayed amidst the night’s sky of the Lion’s Castle uniform, the trolls collapsed one by one.

『You have leveled up.』

Upon the seventh troll’s death, Jaehyuk was greeted by a welcome notification.

With his depleted stamina and magic restored, he resumed pursuit of the distant Yeti, piercing its back with his blade in a precise ambush.

But Jaehyuk frowned. The blade had dulled and failed to penetrate the Yeti’s hide effectively.

He brushed off the sticky blood and blackened fat fused onto the blade from the thunderous aftermath that scorched the trolls’ flesh.

“Indeed, real combat is different from practice,” he admitted, wiping the blade on his sleeve before dodging the Yeti’s swinging club with a backward step.

〈Two Sickles Stopping the Cart〉

Though Jaehyuk’s body retreated, the two ethereal blades he conjured pierced the Yeti’s head and heart.

Every encounter with real combat affirmed the skill’s utility, a revelation that had him recognize the predicament he would’ve faced if one of the B-rank players targeting him had chosen to kill rather than capture.

“I’d die feeling discontent without properly utilizing a skill,” he thought, chilling his gaze. They should never have targeted the Kang family in the first place.

Now bracing himself, Jaehyuk entered a second round with the Yeti horde, augmenting his dulled short sword with Leech King venom to enhance its lethality.

***

“Why aren’t they here yet?”

Park Jubong, the teacher in charge of Class A’s freshmen, anxiously checked the time.

Monster migrations, triggered with every Troll Lord’s birth, provided a precious experiential learning opportunity for students.

Few and far between were the chances to engage in massive battles with hundreds of monsters.

“Could something have happened to the monsters?”

The path leading to the Troll Lord’s lair was one of nine routes.

Park Jubong positioned Class A freshmen here, as the procession of the weakest monsters, averaging D-rank, repeatedly used this route.

But now, with 30 minutes past their expected arrival, the students hadn’t seen a trace of the monsters.

“I told you before—a teacher like ours is prone to scams. He’s definitely been deceived by someone again.”

“No way. He’s been a teacher for years.”

“Experience notwithstanding, a teacher is just a teacher. Isn’t the fact that he retired due to being unable to level up any further evidence of incompetence?”

The murmurs of disgruntled students from Class A began. They had wasted nearly an hour in this dull location, and their dissatisfaction was understandable.

“I’ll check the situation. You all wait here.”

Park Jubong stood up and addressed Lauren and Silla Kyung.

“If anything happens while I’m away, I’m counting on you two to lead the others.”

Park Jubong was infamous for being oblivious. Despite Silla Kyung and Lauren’s previous non-cooperation during the Leech King incident, he continued to trust them.

He was unaware of their mutual indifference to each other.

“Does Korea treat awakened ones as children?”

“Haha, yes, they’re still just kids, so take care of them.”

“……”

Park Jubong, responding to Lauren’s scoffing with an oddly affable manner, left quietly, leaving the short-haired, hippy-perm girl shooting a cold gaze at Lauren.

“Is comparing Korea with Austria at every turn supposed to be impressive? Why boast about being a wartime country?”

“Right, are you sensing things twisted because you’re an aristocrat from a nation that recruits child soldiers?”

“No, he’s just twisted in temperament.”

The twins chimed in supportively. They were Silla Kyung’s followers, and Lauren regarded them as beneath notice, turning her gaze instead to Silla Kyung.

“Are you tired of educating your mutts?”

“Does Austria’s nobility treat their followers like dogs?”

Silla Kyung’s calm reply was characteristically unemotional.

Even with a sculptural appearance, his consistent lack of expression dulled his charisma somewhat.

“I favor you less than I do Kang Jaehyuk.”

“I have no idea why that name is relevant now.”

“How dare you even mention a fallen noble in the same breath as the Young Lord’s household.”

The boy from the twin followers, his name being Oh Jaha, barked his indignation. Given his emotional volatility and loud voice, Lauren found Jaha uncouth.

“Does a mutt dare use the term ‘dare’ with me? Have you learned Korean improperly?”

“A seaweed-haired foreigner criticizes a Korean native on Korean speech…!”

In his excitement, Jaha retorted, but he quickly fell silent. The ensuing silence swept over the scene, snapping focus to a severe, chilling stillness.

“Dear god…”

Having stayed quiet like a mouse since his defeat at spearmanship against Kang Jaehyuk, Ha Kyungsu spoke for the first time in a long while.

“A m-monster….”

Typically lively, Dahui and Yujin turned pallid. Their reactions, ironically, were mild compared to others; some students shrieked or collapsed in fear.

“N-named?”

Their arguing ceased as Silla Kyung and Lauren focused their eyes towards the forest’s edge.

“What is this? Why are mortal brats here?”

The colossal Death Knight suddenly materialized, scattering violet glance to survey the students.

Judging by its black armor saturated with variously colored blood, it seemed to have just annihilated some monsters mid-migration.

“Where’s the teacher?! Where’s our teacher!”

Dahui, suddenly regaining her senses, cried out desperately, having envisioned the worst at the sight of distinctly striking red blood on the Death Knight’s breastplate.

Her thoughts indicated dread over what might have happened to their teacher.

Sneering disdainfully, the Death Knight replied condescendingly.

“Has the Lion’s Castle fallen to such ruin that runts like you roam freely? What an unfortunate affair.”

A fierce aura erupted from the Death Knight’s sword like a magnificent flame.

“Before reacquainting myself with that sword-crazed specter, I’ll need to clear out the trash first.”

TL’s Corner:
So Jaehyuk was always playing the game because it provides basic information about rankers and gates. That’s neat.