The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 38

"Hieeeek!"

“Oh my.”

Da-Hee and Yoo-Jin were anxious after checking the match bracket.

“H-he is going to meet Ha Kyeong-Su as his first opponent?” Da-Hee stammered.

“Huh, Jae-Hyeok seems to be in trouble.”

Do-Jin was normally confident when Da-Hee and Yoo-Jin worried for Jae-Hyeok. But this time, he also responded with surprise and sympathy, “Wow, this type of bracket usually doesn’t happen in the freshmen’s assessment.”

Among the freshmen, Class A was unbeatable—they entered the school with higher levels, and their stats and combat experience gave them an advantage over the other classes. Therefore, the match bracket was usually predictable for a month or two after the freshmen duel assessments began, with Class A students getting matched with other Class A students. And yet, Jae-Hyeok was matched with Ha Kyeong-Su of Class A as his first opponent.

Do-Jin wondered, “Is it because he awakened a Bloodline Skill and contributed in the Leech King raid?”

“Raids and duels are very different things!” Da-Hee sighed. “This is crossing the line... ”

Whereas low-level monsters tended to move in set patterns, players could adapt to figure out the best line of attack. Furthermore, Ha Kyeong-Su was level 23 at the time of admission. By now, he would be at least level 25, with plenty of combat experience.

Yoo-Jin spoke then, “Not to mention, Ha Kyeong-Su is a spearman from the North Hamgyong Province.”

Do-Jin thought about it. “Ha family, North Hamgyong Province, spear... Could he be the son of Spear Master Ha Jeong-Ak?”

“Bingo. He might not have a good personality, but his ability with the spear is superb.”

“I-it will be a hard battle.” Do-Jin scratched his head with an awkward expression.

He acknowledged Jae-Hyeok’s skill after being beaten up, but even he thought Jae-Hyeok would be at a disadvantage in this match.

Spears were historically a counter to the sword, and Jae-Hyeok was even a unique case that focused on sword drawing. He lacked the charging power needed to narrow the distance, nor was his style suited to parrying and deflecting the rapid thrusts and sweeping strikes of a spear.

Jae-Hyeok couldn’t take it anymore and spoke. “Why are you guys talking like I’m not here? Stop worrying about me and start analyzing your own opponents.”

“There’s nothing to analyze. We’re all in Class A so it’s just a battle of skill. We already know our opponents well, and we’re all on a similar level.”

“That’s right. Jae-Hyeok, now is the time to worry about you! Let’s figure out a way to defeat Ha Kyeong-Su!”

“Ah, really.”

Jae-Hyeok felt strange. Wasn’t this the first time anyone other than Butler Hwang had cared so much for him? The unfamiliar sensation made him feel both touched and nostalgic. It wasn’t a bad feeling.

“I’ll be okay. Actually, I’m not a swordsman,” Jae-Hyeok admitted honestly, hoping the truth would let them worry less.

“Huh?”

“Puhahat! You’re doing it again. Are you testing out a new act?”

Da-Hee tilted her head in confusion while Yoo-Jin clutched her stomach and laughed.

Do-Jin jumped up from his seat and grabbed a spear from the weapons rack. “Who doesn’t know that you specialize in the hwando, not just any sword? But as fast as it is, a sword is still a sword. They’re all at a disadvantage against the spear! Here, I’ll give you a demonstration. Come! I’ll train you well!”

Jae-Hyeok muttered, “You look like you’ve never held a spear before... Also, I’m not referring to being a hwando user.”

***

Per long-standing tradition, the freshmen’s first duel assessment was a public event. Officials from various organizations attended.

“It’s been a long time since the auditorium was so full for a simple duel assessment.”

“Indeed, there are many kids to pay attention to among this year’s freshmen.”

Public duels were rare among players. A player’s greatest advantage came from concealing their abilities—especially the details of their Initial Skill.

In revealing their powers in front of others, players risked betraying a weakness or flaw, which others could someday use to harm them at a critical moment. It was a matter directly linked to their life.

However, the freshmen had been newbies not long before, having only just budded into players. They didn’t need to worry about concealing their abilities because the power they wielded was only a seed of what it would become. Once they matured, their abilities would be indistinguishable from what they showed today.

In the next few years, the only thing they had to do was grow.

......

“Haap!”

Boom!

For the first duel assessment, the students were full of energy and used their full strength.

It was the same for Class A’s Jang Ho-Jin.

Duel assessments took place throughout the year, and after every quarterly tally, the reward for achieving the highest possible ranking was increased.

The Class A students knew that this first semester was their chance to earn the most points. Later on, the students in the other class would have more time to grow, narrowing the gap between them and Class A.

Jang Ho-Jin swung his sword repeatedly. Flames rained down each time, smashing and burning the stage.

Enchanters enhanced the power of weapons and granted attributes to them. Among them, enchanters that granted the fire attribute—which specialized in enhancing attack power—were quite rare. A significant number of spectators were intrigued by his talent.

But Jang Ho-Jin’s duel opponent was the freshman runner-up.

With every thrust of her rapier, Jang Ho-Jin’s flames flickered and lost their momentum.

“Is that a wind-type Skill?”

“No... she’s stabbing at the point where the flames are materializing on the blade, preventing the fire from being released freely. Truly a monster.”

The Swordsmanship Genius Chae Da-Hee.

Contrary to her small and cute appearance, her nature was more like a wild beast.

Her discerning eyes saw through the weaknesses of her opponent, and every lightning-fast thrust with her rapier either stifled her enemy’s attack or struck a weak point.

“Shit!”

Although the arcane weapons they used couldn’t inflict serious injuries on the human body, they still allowed much of the pain and shock to be felt.

Jang Ho-Jin was stabbed in five places in an instant. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed.

“Is the future of South Korea only to this extent?”

On Stage Three, an even more overwhelming scene was being displayed.

Loren, the National Treasure candidate of Austria, wore armor made of bones and waved his hands a few times.

“T-this is ridiculous!”

The girl, restrained by bony hands erupting from the ground, surrendered upon seeing Loren's bone armor remain completely unscathed. She looked as if she had lost her motivation and her soul.

“How boring. This isn’t the place for Do-Jin.”

In the crowd, there were mutters.

“He’s overpowering the opponent without even taking out his summons.”

“Europe is a battlefield. Too often, the young people who awaken are sent to war, and that kid awakened his Bloodline Skill two years ago... He must be far beyond the level of a student.”

The audience’s expressions were complicated as they watched Loren walk down from the stage.

South Korea had relatively good relationships with European countries, but they would have to compete with each other during world quests or world boss raids. This made them terrified of Loren’s potential.

There was only one consolation. The young master of the Shinra family also showed an overwhelming strength.

“Waaahhhhhhhh!

“Shinra Kyeong! Shinra Kyeong! Shinra Kyeong!”

Their young master, Shinra Kyeong, was comparable to Loren.

No matter how remarkable the Shinra family was on its own, South Korea was still no match for China or Japan. Nevertheless, it served as a small spark of hope.

“South Korea was amazing when the Yaksha was still active. It was an era where not only all the heads of the three ducal families awakened their Bloodline Skill, but even a divine being like Seol Su-Ah appeared.”

“Certainly, it was an unprecedented heyday. Even so, it makes me feel despair that we couldn’t even aim for hegemony in East Asia. It might’ve been a different story if the Yaksha was in good condition for another twenty years, but...”

The officials of the large guilds ignored the Association and openly mentioned the Yaksha with regret. The reason for their reminiscence was the black-haired boy who had just arrived on Stage Five.

Kang Jae-Hyeok.

He was the only one among the Yaksha’s children to awaken a Bloodline Skill. Kang Dae-Seong and Kang Hyeon-Ah had overwhelmed their peers even without a Bloodline Skill. This meant it was worth looking forward to Kang Jae-Hyeok, even if he only inherited half of his father’s talent.

He would lead the country's future along with Shinra Kyeong, the greatest genius in the history of the Shinra family. Of course, the premise was that Kang Jae-Hyeok’s personality was normal and not like his siblings.

“Was he matched with a Class A student due to his Bloodline Skill?”

“That kid Ha Kyeong-Su is the son of the Spear Master. He is among the top of Class A.”

“He uses the spear, and there’s also a huge difference in level, so Kang Jae-Hyeok will be at a disadvantage.”

“Kang Jae-Hyeok, fight!” Baek Do-Jin shouted loudly while ignoring the gloomy atmosphere around him.

His loud voice became a signal.

Everyone in the auditorium turned their attention to Stage Five and became stunned.

“What is he doing?”

“I can’t tell his intentions.”

Kang Jae-Hyeok chose a spear as his weapon.

“Are you crazy?” Ha Kyeong-Su faced him and expressed the feelings of the audience. “Using a spear for the assessment? Against me, the son of the Spear Master?”

He gritted his teeth as he slowly removed his gold-rimmed glasses and tucked them into his jacket pocket. Ha Kyeong-Su declared, “I am going to kill you if you insult me.”

“Ah, really.” Jae-Hyeok skillfully held the spear with both hands and took a stance. “Who the hell said that I’m a swordsman?”

“This!” A group of people in the audience surged to their feet. They were members of the Ha family who were present to cheer for Ha Kyeong-Su’s debut.

They belonged to a famous spearman family and immediately recognized Jae-Hyeok’s stance.

“Don’t let down your guard, Young Master!”

“He’s good with the spear!”

It was a meaningless warning.

Bang!

Before their warning could reach him, Jae-Hyeok had already thrust his spear and stabbed Ha Kyeong-Su in the shoulder.

“Ugh!”

Ha Kyeong-Su reflexively bent his knees. Jae-Hyeok’s spearhead oscillated from the rebound force, but Ha Kyeong-Su watched as he neutralized the motion, spinning the spearhead in a counter-spiral while drawing it back.

Jae-Hyeok’s spear stopped high in the air. Then, it once again shot out like a beam of light and pierced Ha Kyeong-Su’s chest.

The two stabs were linked as if they were one.

It was truly a marvelous spear technique.