The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 28

Study, exercise, work—no matter what a person did, if they worked hard and remained consistent, then the System would recognize their hardships, and an Initial Skill would develop.

There was a statistic that more than 70% of the population were players. It was a world where nearly everyone was awakened.

Awakening was a natural phase of life, as natural as children learning to walk and talk.

Of course, not all players were active. A majority were uninvolved in the business of players and stayed at level 1 until the day they died.

In part, this had to do with the type and grade of Initial Skills. A low-grade Skill or an incompatible Skill-type prevented the majority from being useful as players.

Not all awakenings were equal.

Consider a hundred people jogging the same distance every day.

Some people would run at a moderate pace from start to finish; others would push themselves to sprint from the middle to the end; and others still would run as hard as they could from start to finish.

Moreover, some people would maintain their level of intensity for five days a week, while others would maintain it for six- or even seven days a week.

After five years of training, there would be a division between those who worked harder and those who didn’t.

It was these differences that determined the grade of the Initial Skill.

The greater the hardships, the greater the tempering, and therefore, the higher the grade of the Initial Skill that would be developed.

However, the specific type of Skill that was developed remained random.

Some people gained a movement-type Skill from jogging every day, while others gained completely unrelated Skills.

There was a reason why people called it a third-rate, luck-based gacha game.

“However, life isn’t all about luck.”

There were only a few S-class players in South Korea. Of them, the most famous person over level 150 was the president of the Association, Ji Cheon-Myeong,

He had been arguing for a long time that outstanding players were created. It was a matter of aptitude.

“Everyone has an aptitude. Two brothers jog at the same speed every day, but one gains a movement Skill while the other gains a magic Skill that he has no interest in. It isn’t random luck. It’s a difference in innate qualities—if you can identify your aptitude, you can focus on training the related stats. Train hard enough, and you will develop a high-grade Skill that matches your stats.”

This was a fact that many countries were already aware of.

However, knowing and using this fact were two different things.

Observing each citizen for a long time to determine their aptitude and provide appropriate education was something that not even a communist country could do.

Nevertheless, the prestigious families managed to do it. These were the families who defended the country and earned the title of duke two hundred years ago.

They accumulated enough data to identify the innate aptitude in each family member and focused on strengthening them.

“And that is precisely why we can’t ignore the Kang family.” Ji Cheon-Myeong said as he touched his side. The ribs that Kang Dae-Seong had broken eight years ago were still sore from time to time.

No, the pain was deeper than that.

His internal organs twisted every time he thought of the Kang family.

“Kang Dae-Seong’s brother was only judged to have a green potential? Bullshit. He’s consistently practicing that damn sword-drawing technique, so he should have a swordsmanship aptitude. He likely awoke with a high-grade Skill related to swordsmanship.”

Crack!

He gritted his teeth to endure the pain, only to end up breaking the armrest of the chair.

“There must be a hidden gate in the Kang family that has been passed down through generations. Kang Jae-Hyeok grew up there alone before entering Lion’s Castle.”

After receiving the principal’s report, the president of the Association, Ji Cheon-Myeong, first checked Kang Jae-Hyeok’s gate usage record.

It was only one time.

There were no signs that Kang Jae-Hyeok had used a gate other than when he entered Lion’s Castle.

Despite this, Ji Cheon-Myeong still accepted the bet with Seol Su-Ah.

He knew it was physically impossible for a level 1 player to play such a big role in the Leech King raid.

Perhaps he would have considered the possibility if Kang Jae-Hyeok were in his thirties or older. If he had been enduring hardships for over twenty years and had broken through his limit several times, he would have pretty high stats for level 1.

But Kang Jae-Hyeok was a sixteen-year-old child.

It was unlikely that he’d achieved a limit breakthrough recognized by the System. To do so required the complete exhaustion of both the mind and body—and then to push beyond.

The System’s requirements were cruel.

In a state of complete exhaustion, it was difficult for even high-level players to lift a finger.

They didn’t have the energy to move their body at all, so how could they keep training?

It was purely the realm of willpower, and willpower was the realm of S-class players, who gained it after crossing the threshold to the underworld several times.

It was impossible for a kid to enter the limit state recognized by the System and to continue training to break through the limit.

“It doesn’t make sense to be so active in a C-grade raid at level 1, even if he is a genius above Kang Dae-Seong and has mastered the sword technique of the Kang family.”

“I feel the same way. Kang Jae-Hyeok wouldn’t have been abandoned by Kang Dae-Seong if he was such a genius. He must only be moderately talented.” The chief of staff brought in another chair and agreed.

Ji Cheon-Myeong shook his head, broke his armrest again, and gave an order.

“Spread the news to the media that the Yaksha’s youngest son is being accused of a fraudulent admission and will be re-examined. I will take this opportunity to drop the honor of the Kang family down to the inner core of the earth.”

“The White Night won’t stay still.”

“So what if a fool who was deceived by a sixteen-year-old kid doesn’t stay still? Her only choice is to stay on her current course of action. Trying to stop the surging wave will only cause losses to her. She will be forced to stay quiet,” Ji Cheon-Myeong explained.

Stupid Seol Su-Ah. She probably admitted the Yaksha’s son into Lion’s Castle with the intention of protecting him, but what could she do now?

It would probably become even bigger trouble for the boy.

A deep smile spread across Ji Cheon-Myeong’s face.

***

Lake Baikal, Russia.

Five men and women walked slowly out of the bottom of the world’s deepest lake.

Everyone looked exhausted—everyone except for the man with long, black hair; his breath was quiet and even.

Standing on the shore, a middle-aged man smirked when he saw the dragon turtle’s corpse being dragged by the long-haired man.

“Great. I never imagined this monster could be caught in the water without luring it to land.”

“It’s just a small fry. Hurry up and harvest the spirit core and heart while it is fresh. You know what will happen if there is a single scratch, right?”

“Haha.”

The long-haired man had such an attitude toward the master of Russia’s second-largest guild?

The middle-aged man flinched but maintained his smile as he urged his subordinates toward the monster.

“Uh? Brother Dae-Seong, did you get the news? Look at this.” Just then, the youngest man in the long-haired man’s group waved his mobile phone.

“Jae-Hyeok?”

“Hasn’t he entered Lion’s Castle?”

“Admissions re-examination...”

The content of the article was so detailed that he suspected it was leaked by an official of Lion’s Castle.

Kang Jae-Hyeok was level 1 and entered Class B, only to win first place in the C-grade raid he encountered along the way. There were even comments from industry experts who agreed that the situation didn’t make sense.

“Brother, isn’t your little brother in trouble?”

“He must’ve hidden his level and entered the school due to unavoidable circumstances, but his plans went awry. He must be in trouble.”

“He will be expelled and dragged down. Aren’t you going to help your little brother?”

The group made a fuss.

From their perspective as A-class players, there were many things about Kang Jae-Hyeok’s performance that were suspicious.

“Do you know why I left Jae-Hyeok in charge of the family?”

Kang Dae-Seong chuckled.

“From the moment he first held the sword, he has swung it over a thousand times. He fell into a trance the moment he learned the basic posture from our father and understood it.”

This was ten years ago, but he still got a shiver down his spine every time he thought about it.

“Don’t you dare doubt the young ruler. He is the rightful heir of the great Kang family and the one we will serve.”

***

“What’s going on?”

“Hasn’t this matter become too big?”

Da-Hee and Yoo-Jin’s eyes shook.

They could see the crowd that filled the grand parade ground.

Many outsiders had gathered at Lion’s Castle, which was normally locked except for festivals such as exchange matches with foreign schools or team competitions.

There were even dozens of news vans.

It seemed like all the media companies existing in South Korea had gathered at the scene.

At this point, they suspected that someone had invited all these people to come.

This level of interest was abnormal even if Jae-Hyeok was the Yaksha’s son.

“...I can feel the malice.”

Yoo-Jin’s expression was bitter.

The media had been only pouring out negative news about the Kang family for the past eight years. She once again realized the strangeness of it.

Is it true that the government and the Association are stigmatizing the Kang family more than necessary?

There was a very small number of claims in anonymous forums mentioning this, but it was dismissed as a mere conspiracy theory, and Yoo-Jin wasn’t interested in the subject anyway.

To her, the Kang family was just a noble family that had been prominent in the past. But after receiving help from Jae-Hyeok and building a friendship, she found that these claims weren’t wrong.

“Bad people.” Da-Hee also had a cold expression on her face, unlike her usual self. She revered the Yaksha, so she’d had bad feelings about the media for a long time.

“What? Is it a festival? Why aren’t they selling food?” Do-Jin was the only one who didn’t seem to think much.

“Will Jae-Hyeok be okay?” Da-Hee asked worriedly.

“Um...”

Yoo-Jin couldn’t bring herself to answer.

There were people all around wishing for the complete demise of the Kang family.

She couldn’t imagine how horrible it would be to stand on a stage in front of thousands of people who were hostile to him.

She would’ve felt like collapsing if she were Jae-Hyeok.

“Jae-Hyeok must be really excited,” Do-Jin said excitedly to the worried Da-Hee and Yoo-Jin. “Isn’t it a chance to deal with those bastards in one blow?”

Surprisingly, Do-Jin didn’t seem to suspect any irregularities with Jae-Hyeok’s admission process. It was a trust that couldn’t be found in Yoo-Jin and Da-hee, even though Jae-Hyeok had helped them, and Da-Hee advocated for the Kang family.

It was impossible for a freshman who’d entered Class B to perform so overwhelmingly in a C-grade raid—numerous media outlets had consulted experts to guarantee this fact, so the two of them had to put aside their personal feelings and have doubts about the upcoming results.

“Do-Jin, didn’t you only meet Jae-Hyeok in Lion’s Castle? How can you trust him so much?”

Do-Jin grinned at Yoo-Jin’s question.

“He is a super genius.”

“......?”

“He knows where I’m going to appear when I use Flash Steps.”

The red eyes that were always filled with anger and madness shone brightly.

“Whether he enters Class A or not, he is a person who will get first place one day. Why would he lie about his level for the sake of grades and enter Class B? That’s ridiculous.”

Da-Hee thought about it. “I see! That’s right!”

“Huh?” Yoo-Jin was speechless.

Do-Jin had said Jae-Hyeok could predict his location after using Flash Steps and that Jae-Hyeok would beat Shinra Kyeong and become number one... And Da-Hee completely believed him?

「We will now proceed with the re-examination of Kang Jae-Hyeok’s admission!」

The host on the stage spoke vigorously, like he was announcing the beginning of a festival.