The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 63

“Are you sure you want that one?”

Jae-Hyeok’s choice of commission was beyond Jang Yeon-Ju’s expectations.

He had chosen the commission to hunt the black tuna, an F-class marine monster.

It was the lowest-level commission available, offering only a small financial reward and lacking any additional benefits such as experience or the opportunity to build connections.

“Do you see the dust on the document? The club received this request five months ago.”

In other words, none of the club members were willing to accept the commission, and for good reason: rather than benefits, the commission was more like doing charity work for the small restaurant owner who had posted the request.

It was a waste of time for only a million won; even the first-years thought so. But the biggest problem wasn’t the pay but the difficulty of hunting marine monsters, which required players to either lure them or enter the sea directly to hunt them.

No matter how low their rating, monsters that inhabited the sea were always tricky to hunt.

“Aish, the reward just isn’t worth the difficulty. If the monster’s rating weren’t so low, someone else would’ve snatched up the commission by now.” The higher a monster’s rating, the more experience and items were given, so a higher-level marine monster would have been worth the risk.

Jang Yeon-Ju shook her head but Jae-Hyeok told her, “It doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t turn a blind eye to someone who needs help.”

“Ah... ” Jang Yeon-Ju’s widened. She’d realized then that Jae-Hyeok was an aristocrat before he was a junior student. Feeling suddenly embarrassed about her own appearance, she sat up straight in her chair and brought her legs together.

Jae-Hyeok smiled at her. “I’m just saying this from my point of view. I don’t intend to impose my values on others, so don’t get me wrong.”

“Can I help you?”

“I don’t need help to catch tuna.”

“You aren’t going to dive into the sea alone, so are you going fishing? The black tuna is vigilant and difficult to lure with bait. You might not be able to catch it even if you wait all weekend. Won’t you be bored by yourself?”

“I happen to need some alone time.”

Jae-Hyeok had grown rapidly after killing the senior instructor and Troll Lord. He’d gained five levels to reach level 29 and also earned an Amazing- and Miraculous achievement. All of these things had increased his stats significantly, so it was necessary to assess his body and adjust to the changes in his senses.

“Hm. You’re thinking of using that time to meditate. That’s a good idea.” Jang Yeon-Ju understood the meaning of Jae-Hyeok’s words and nodded. She acknowledged him as a great archer, so it was easy to imagine Jae-Hyeok meditating until the fish was caught.

I should follow his example and increase my meditation time.

Jang Yeon-Ju—a girl dreaming of becoming a bow saint like her grandfather—quietly decided on Jae-Hyeok as her role model. She vowed to watch and learn everything from him.

***

A boy concentrated on the target before him. His expression was stone serious; grim eyes gleamed beneath a wild mane of red hair.

He seemed ready to pierce the target with his gaze alone.

Finally, the boy let go of the bowstring. The arrow flew vigorously and disappeared into the air, far from the target.

“No, fucking...” Roh Jun-Yeop couldn’t stand it any longer and cursed. His vision became dark. He felt even crazier knowing that Baek Do-Jin was really enthusiastic about archery.

“What the hell are you doing?” He sighed. Do-Jin’s form was always good in the beginning. Thanks to Roh Jun-Yeop sticking to his side and teaching him, Baek Do-Jin’s posture and breathing were at a decent level. However, he put excessive tension in his shoulders every time he let go of the bowstring, rapidly collapsing his posture and losing his center of aim. Baek Do-Jin couldn’t fix it no matter how many times it was pointed out, so Roh Jun-Yeop felt like he was talking to a wall.

“......”

Baek Do-Jin’s lips pursed, but ultimately, he looked away.

The Baek Do-Jin, who used to threaten Roh Jun-Yeop with warnings like "How dare you speak disrespectfully to the captain?" had disappeared in just two days.

Then, a familiar voice entered their ears. “You have to control your emotions.”

“Jae-Hyeok!”

It was like a dog meeting its master. The moment Kang Jae-Hyeok appeared, the rebellious spirit in Baek Do-Jin’s expression disappeared like melting snow.

Roh Jun-Yeop was dumbfounded. This is the same mad dog who would bark even when beaten senseless? Baek Do-Jin had the nickname of mad dog for a reason. In the more than a year since he’d entered Lion’s Castle, not a single person had ever made him obedient.

Jae-Hyeok asked the bewildered Roh Jun-Yeop to leave for a while before he advised Do-Jin, “You need to remove Loren from your head.”

“Remove him? How?”

Do-Jin gritted his teeth the moment Loren’s name came up. It was a reflexive reaction.

“In that bastard’s Coffin, I...”

Do-Jin’s expression crumpled and he couldn’t continue speaking. The uncontrollable killing intent made Jae-Hyeok’s skin tingle.

“...I have to kill him.” Even if I have to sacrifice my body and soul, I will definitely kill Loren. Since losing his parents, Do-Jin made this pledge hundreds of times a day. And every time he fired a bow, he couldn’t stop seeing Loren’s image over the target.

Jae-Hyeok’s expression became grim as he stared at Do-Jin. He didn’t know Do-Jin’s story, but he’d gained a vague understanding through Do-Jin’s emotions. frёeωebɳovel.com

“In any case, even if you could die and come back to life, your current self still can’t kill him, right?” His tone grew firmer. “Stop living meaninglessly and focus on what you need to do right now. If you can’t control your emotions in situations where you need to focus, you will never be able to develop or close the gap with Loren.”

“That’s easy to say when it’s someone else’s business... ”

What I have been through is beyond the scope of imagination.

There is no human being in the world who can understand my pain.

This was what Do-Jin had always believed. He despised and hated the shallow sympathy of others and sought solitude with his pain. He thought Jae-Hyeok’s advice was presumptuous and was about to shout when he suddenly remembered what he knew of Jae-Hyeok’s own life.

Searching the internet had given him a glimpse into the history of the Kang family. Was Jae-Hyeok’s life any better than his?

Not at all.

Like him, Jae-Hyeok had also lost his parents in an accident. No, it probably wasn’t an accident but the result of someone’s plan.

Jae-Hyeok was also abandoned by his siblings. He was different from Do-Jin, who was isolated because he wanted it; he’d been locked up in a mansion surrounded by protestors for eight years.

Perhaps Jae-Hyeok was the only one who could understand him.

On the other hand, Do-Jin couldn’t understand Jae-Hyeok.

Jae-Hyeok’s future was much bleaker. Do-Jin only had to take revenge on one person, Loren, whereas Jae-Hyeok’s enemies were the people and the country itself.

Just how did he do it? How could Jae-Hyeok remain so quiet and steady despite everything?

Do-Jin stared into Jae-Hyeok’s black eyes as if possessed. Then he soon came to his senses and lowered his head. “I’m sorry. I was too agitated.”

“I was the one who spoke carelessly first, so you deserve to feel angry. I will apologize.”

It was as Do-Jin expected. Jae-Hyeok understood him.

“However, I have no intention of withdrawing my advice.” Jae-Hyeok snatched Do-Jin’s bow and arrows. Then, in a relaxed posture, he pulled the bowstring tight.

He straightened his back, steadied his breathing, aligned the bow with his gaze, and read the wind direction. It was a stance that completely ignored the advice Roh Jun-Yeop had given to Do-Jin.

“Do-Jin. At this moment, any distractions will only extend the life of your enemies. People like us have to keep that in mind.”

The moment Jae-Hyeok let go of the bowstring, the arrow flew in a straight line and hit the target in the dead center.

Even though Jae-Hyeok had been speaking instead of focusing on his breathing, the arrow hit the target for a perfect score. Do-Jin’s mouth hung open. He felt something beyond admiration in that moment.

“Once you learn to control your emotions, anger becomes a weapon.”

That was the secret behind Jae-Hyeok’s ability to bring out perfect concentration within a moment's notice. Surprisingly, he took advantage of his desire for revenge. Anger fueled his will, and his will bent his mind’s energies toward the ideal state for his goals.

Perfect focus.

Jae-Hyeok returned the bow to Do-Jin. “Learn to suppress your emotions first. Erase Loren’s face from your mind for the time being. You can always think back on that disgusting face later, right?”

“...Yes!” Do-Jin answered vigorously.

The reason he learned archery was to hone his concentration and control his mana, which became volatile the moment he used Flash Steps.

That’s right. I’m here because I have a clear goal of my own. And if Loren is getting in the way of achieving it, then the answer is to bury thoughts about Loren for now. Yes, he had a clear goal in front of him.

That was the advice from someone who was walking on a path harder than his own. Do-Jin engraved it in his heart and let go of the bowstring.

The arrow hit.

[3 points.]

“I-I did it! Thank you, Jae-Hyeok!”

Do-Jin’s eyes shone as he jumped up and down.

Jae-Hyeok kicked Do-Jin away as Do-Jin tried to hug him. Then he clicked his tongue and muttered, “Three points? Do you just have no talent?”

“......”

***

Jae-Hyeok returned to his dormitory and headed straight to the bathroom. As he immersed himself in warm water, his tired body and mind slowly relaxed.

“Phew, that was tough.” It had been an eventful few days, and his fatigue had built up.

He’d fought off an ambush alongside the Jaegyeong Pharmaceutical employees; occupied the Shooting Club; Killed that senior instructor and the Troll Lord; ran from Theodore; and tried his best not to arouse the suspicion of the security forces and the Student Council.

I have a long way to go.

He was already thinking about the future and how best to attack top-grade gates, which required weeks to conquer.

He was infinitely strict with himself.

The last few days for Jae-Hyeok had been exhausting. If Jae-Hyeok were an ordinary person, he would have long suspected that the world was conspiring against him, considering all the major incidents he’d faced. However, Jae-Hyeok lived a very hard life. He didn’t realize he was being oppressed and accepted it as normal.

He decided that his own weakness was the problem, and after much thinking, he found the answer. I should get more sleep.

Ever since his father’s accident, Jae-Hyeok overworked himself every day. He didn’t waste any time on sleep and focused solely on training. As a result, he was able to train his body to the limit. But after awakening, physical training had lost its meaning. Players could only become stronger by leveling up and gaining stats, so Jae-Hyeok decided it was better to increase his sleep time to prevent fatigue from accumulating in his body and mind.

“Um...”

It felt awkward to set his phone alarm two hours later than usual. If he slept for six hours, he would have only eighteen hours in a day to use. At that point, Jae-Hyeok started wondering if he was lazier than the orcs.

It felt like he was committing a huge sin, and he was on the verge of panicking. Calm down, calm down. In the current situation, increasing the amount of sleep you get is only right.

He took a deep breath to shake off his anxiety and logged into the Community. He intended to find an item that would change the appearance of the Wind Spirit’s Boots.

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