The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 35

The hands of the assassin shook. He’d suffered a deep wound stretching from chest to neck.

There was too much blood.

He pressed a hand to his neck, but the feeling of hot blood gushing between his fingers only added to his fear.

A fresh pain tore into his side just then, and he groaned. Adrenaline did nothing to dull the agony. The assassin knew his newest injury was serious. But he didn’t look down.

He didn’t dare look away from the boy’s dark eyes.

Kang Jae-Hyeok.

His young target had grown up trapped in a mansion his entire life. However, the boy was completely different from the assassin’s expectations.

Far from being clumsy, he was fierce and ruthless like a beast.

The assassin felt like he would be bitten on the back of the neck and eaten the moment he averted his gaze.

“Your name,” the boy said.

"......?"

“Tell me your name.”

“Y-Yoon Sang-Ho...”

Overwhelming fear spurred him to speak and reveal his name. As soon as he did, part of him knew it was over, but part of him still hoped desperately.

He wanted to live.

“Who is behind you?”

He replied, “Steel... The main family of the Steel Guild wants the mana control technique of the Kang family... I didn’t mean to kill you.. I was just going to capture you... ”

Jae-Hyeok knew the assassin’s intention.

During the first ambush, the assassin had stabbed at his right shoulder, not a fatal area.

Since Jae-Hyeok’s left arm was in a cast, the assassin had intended to subdue him easily after disabling his other, good arm.

In reality, Jae-Hyeok’s broken arm had healed after leveling up during training. His body was in perfect condition, and he’d only kept the cast to trick others into believing otherwise.

I thought they were acting hastily. Sure enough, it was a guild, Jae-Hyeok thought. It was unlikely that the Association or government would commit blatantly illegal acts in pursuit of him.

After all, they just needed to find a small justification to put him behind bars, so why should they act rashly?

A guild was different. In particular, the smaller the guild, the less they had to lose relative to the potential gains. It meant they tended to act recklessly.

Their recklessness only makes them easier to destroy.

Jae-Hyeok memorized the name of the bandits who dared to covet the property of the Kang family before pushing the dagger deeper into Yoon Sang-Ho’s side.

"Kkuk!”

Yoon Sang-Ho was shocked by the alien sensation of his insides being torn apart. Panicked, his gaze flicked to his waist.

The dagger digging into him was familiar.

He’d bought that epic-grade weapon for a high price a few months ago. It was his most prized treasure.

Why is it in his hand?

Yoon Sang-Ho had never expected to see his treasured weapon in the boy’s hand, killing him. Why was it there? How had it happened? Doubt filled his final thoughts before the darkness.

He died without even the time to resent Jae-Hyeok for killing him after he’d cooperated.

Good dagger, Jae-Hyeok thought.

[Grand Justice Alus's Dagger]

[Rating: Epic

A dagger wielded by Grand Justice Alus when sentencing someone to death.

It is sharp and hard. It can sever the cervical spine of a death-row inmate with one blow.]

It’s unlikely to break.

Jae-Hyeok was pleased with the loot.

He had stolen the dagger when Yoon Sang-Ho first attacked him.

Stealing the hilt was a technique of the Kang family. It contained the trick behind drawing the sword and allowed them to steal the enemy’s weapon to use in return.

It was Jae-Hyeok’s specialty.

He rummaged through the corpse, grabbed any belongings, and activated the Leech King's Ring.

The black acid poison from the ring dissolved the corpse. A terrible stench filled the air, but that, too, would disappear.

It was a fitting punishment for an assassin who targeted the blood of the Kang family. He was erased from the world without a trace.

Jae-Hyeok checked the System messages.

[A B-grade player was killed.]

[Your level has risen by 3.]

[It is an amazing achievement!]

[You have killed a player stronger than you without any injuries.]

[All stats have increased by 2.]

He no longer had any reason to regret his somewhat late awakening.

Hunting monsters during the day and hunting players at night.

An environment had been created for him to grow faster than anyone else.

This wasn’t what I intended.

He’d only attracted so much attention because of his sudden re-examination and the timely awakening of his Initial Skill. It was a fortunate coincidence.

Moths like the Steel Guild would be running at him nonstop for the time being.

Jae-Hyeok smiled.

[Theodore, the ghost of Lion’s Castle, detects your presence and wakes from a long sleep.]

-A murderous intent as sharp as a blade... The sword-crazed demon is finally back! Kukuk! Kuhahahahat! Thank you! You have granted my wish, so I will keep my promise! The moment I regain my strength, I will visit you and aim my sword at you!

[A hidden quest has occurred!]

[Theodore has designated you as a target.]

"......!"

That booming voice had directly entered his mind, not his ears, and it contained a tremendous amount of magic power. Every word echoed in his mind.

Jae-Hyeok staggered in shock; then dashed up a tree and hurriedly looked around.

The forest was silent.

The noisy voice in his head had vanished without a trace.

A Named one...

In addition to the class, monsters were classified as normal, elite, and boss. However, just as there were National Treasures among the players, there were also existences beyond the standard in the monster world.

Named monsters.

They were very special beings that thought like a human: they had memories and their own will.

Theodore’s tone and attitude made it clear that he was Named.

Who is this sword-crazed demon that he’s mistaking me for?

Given the circumstances, Theodore had likely sensed Jae-Hyeok’s killing intent while killing that assassin and mistook him for someone else.

He must be a very ferocious human being if he was called a demon by a monster.

At the very least, it shouldn’t be Seol Su-Ah. She was a National Treasure, but her mind was extremely calm. This made him wonder if the demon Theodore was talking about belonged to a militant organization or was one of the professors responsible for advanced training.

Jae-Hyeok gulped with nervousness and opened the quest window.

[Ghost Dreaming of Revenge]

[Theodore will pursue you after he has sufficiently recovered.

“This time, your head will fall to the ground, not mine.”

Deadline remaining until the chase starts: 120 days.

Quest Clearance Reward: Theodore fulfills the contract.]

“This is ridiculous.”

Why was this ghost blaming him?

Jae-Hyeok was dumbfounded but also excited.

He didn’t know the contents of the contract that Theodore would fulfill, but the value of the reward would be enormous since it was a hidden quest related to a Named being.

I have one more reason to grow quickly.

There were differences between each, but all Named beings were strong.

The consensus was that they all had high stats and intelligence, knew how to use their accumulated experience, and possessed unique Skills. This meant they overwhelmed their fellow monsters.

As he was, it was impossible for him to even think about winning against a monster like that. However, one hundred and twenty days was a long time for the newly awakened Jae-Hyeok.

I hope the school doesn’t know about Theodore’s resurrection before then.

Outside of special events, entry into Lion’s Castle was strictly prohibited, the assassin that Jae-Hyeok had killed was likely to be an insider.

There had to be more than just one- or two faculty members colluding with the outside guilds...

If they investigated tonight’s events and discovered that a Named one was waking up—and to hunt him, no less—Jae-Hyeok’s position would be embarrassing.

I can’t let my prey be taken away from me.

Jae-Hyeok quickened his pace.

He gained six levels today and also received an achievement reward.

He would need more than a night’s training to adapt to his greatly increased stats.

***

“It is quiet every time I come here.”

“I can’t even hear grasshoppers. It gives me goosebumps.”

The twin brother and sister looked bored as they stood on top of the gate embossed with a lion’s head.

They were the young vassals of the Shinra family.

They were from a lineage that served the main family for generations, and their skills were outstanding.

There was only one reason why they’d entered Lion’s Castle when they could be outside, gaining experience and growing into S-class players.

Duty.

They had a duty to take care of the successor of the Shinra family.

“......”

Another girl with a short-haired hippie perm approached Shinra Kyeong, standing on the collapsed stage, and said, “They are all recent traces.” She gestured toward the faint footprints and dried green blood. They hadn’t been on the stage when she’d come a month ago.

“They show signs of the Kang family’s martial arts.” Shinra Kyeong said. He had already figured out the source of the traces. “Kang Jae-Hyeok clashed with orcs during his personal training.”

The twin siblings jumped off the gate and looked curiously at the traces.

“Why does he train in such a dreary place? This is a long way from the dormitory.”

“His taste is unique.”

The hippie-perm girl’s cold eyes were filled with a competitive spirit.

No matter how old and broken, this stage was made of bluestone. It was difficult for her to leave such clear marks in the stone.

“He’s grown a lot compared to the Leech King’s Raid. The Kang family’s Bloodline Skill is amazing.”

“This isn’t enough compared to the Yaksha’s greatness,” Shinra Kyeong declared as his body slowly floated into the air.

It was a partial application of the Shinra family’s Bloodline Skill that allowed them to control nature.

The wind beneath his feet eroded the bluestone of the stage and stirred up dust.

The twins were surprised by the power of the whirlwind and trembled.

“Wow...”

“Our young lord has become stronger. Not even my bones would be left if I go in there.”

In the air, Shinra Kyeong was still facing the lion statue.

It was clearly covered by moss when he saw it before, but now it was pretty clean. Had Kang Jae-Hyeok cleaned the statue for some reason?

“Are you the master of this dimension?”

Shinra Kyeong was suspicious of Jae-Hyeok’s actions and questioned the statue.

However, the statue didn’t react at all.

It was the same as a month ago.

“...It isn’t easy to find a quest that no one has cleared in two hundred years.”

He felt both regret and relief as he urged the group to move on.

“As scheduled, we’ll go to the sea beyond this forest.”

Lion’s Castle was on an island.

The island was bigger than Gyeongsangbuk Province, but it was hard to feel this because all road access leading to the coast was controlled.

Kuweek!

The orcs screamed the moment Shinra Kyeong’s group crossed the red line prohibiting entry and entered the dark forest.

***

“......”

Jae-Hyeok arrived at the collapsed stage and expanded his energy detection.

The unfamiliar traces here alerted him.

-Those rude brats came.

The lion statue told him not to worry since there was no one around.

“Rude brats?”

-There were four little kids. Two similar-looking people trampled on my head without any hesitation, while the other two looked arrogant. I didn’t like them.

It must be Shinra Kyeong’s group.

Jae-Hyeok understood after hearing the lion’s head mention twins and arrogant eyes.

As expected, they entered for the quest.

Jae-Hyeok had expected it. There was no reason for such monster-like people to enter Lion’s Castle except for the quest.

“You didn’t speak to them, did you?”

-Of course not! I don’t know what I would’ve done if it had been that silver-haired brat alone, but the other three aren’t qualified to speak to me.

“Silver-haired brat? Do you like him?”

-I can see that the traces of hardships in him are no less than yours. He also looked like he has great pride. He didn’t seem particularly righteous looking at his eyes, but that’s something to find out later. For now, you are the one who’s qualified—if narrowly—to talk to me.

“You haven’t forgotten your promise to me?”

-Of course. As the master of a dimension, I have my own pride. I don’t forget my promises. I

“Good, good. Don’t talk to anyone until I’ve completed the quest.”

-But... why don’t we change this promise a bit? I’m the only one who loses if you can’t fulfill my desire and complete the quest!

“Hmph. You change your words too easily. What were you saying about having your own pride?”

-Eek!

“By the way, who’s Theodore?”

-Theodore?

The lion growled in frustration and seemed disgusted.

-Where did you hear the name of that bastard Death Knight?

“He’s... a Death Knight?”

Jae-Hyeok felt a chill run down his spine.