The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 75

Through gates, people interacted with otherworlds, encountering various civilizations and cultures. They gained a sense of the size of the universe, and having seen so much of what was out there, many thought it was unreasonable that there was no such thing as gods.

Jae-Hyeok’s thoughts weren’t much different.

The god spoken of by the lion statue and the god described in Iyarugt’s information... he didn’t know who that god was, but he thought they existed.

The Blacksmith God...

The Song family had produced blacksmiths for generations. It was clear that the god they believed in was a blacksmith. Then, what was the world protected by the Blacksmith God? Did Jae-Hyeok deserve to be there?

Do I have some qualifications that my father didn’t have?

The biggest difference between his father and himself was... My Initial Skill, Noble Chivalry. If it is the Skill that proves my worth...

Jae-Hyeok recalled the moment when his Initial Skill awakened. Reinhardt’s third princess, Iris, had reacted. In other words, perhaps Reinhardt was related to the world protected by the Blacksmith God.

Jae-Hyeok obtained a valuable clue, and it felt like the size of the world expanded around him with his revelation. This was the sort of information that he couldn’t get even if he paid hundreds of thousands of points in the Community.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart. The more you hammer on iron, the more I will train to meet your expectations.” Jae-Hyeok strengthened his determination as he carefully held Elder Song’s wrinkled hands.

A chill went down Elder Song’s spine as he studied the solemn figure before him.

It isn’t that he has never peeked into the Abyss.

Elder Song had forgotten for a moment when seeing Jae-Hyeok’s brightly shining eyes. In truth, the boy in front of him had a difficult life.

He could never be pure. His determination was as sharp as Iyarugt’s sword spirit, which he had just witnessed.

Yes, I understand you now, child. The relationship between a swordsmith and a swordsman was similar to that of life partners—if they failed to understand each other, they would inevitably separate.

A swordsmith can’t make a suitable sword without first knowing the swordsman, and a swordsman wouldn’t know how much to demand without first knowing the swordsmith.

Jae-Hyeok was also well aware of this, which was why trust was the best way to repay Elder Song’s favor. All new relationships required trust.

Jae-Hyeok said, “I will leave my weapons entirely to Craftsman Song.”

Reading the boy’s deeper thoughts, Elder Song was inspired. He’s different from the ghost-like Dae-Guk.

It was a shame he didn’t have many days left to live. Elder Song felt his time was too short to satisfy Jae-Hyeok. He shook off his regrets and changed the subject.

“Did you want to see me as soon as possible due to Iyarugt’s soul?”

“Yes, I want to know its whereabouts,” Jae-Hyeok said, although he had already half-given up. Iyarugt had been missing for nearly two hundred years, and Elder Song didn’t know much about Iyarugt, so Jae-Hyeok thought he wouldn’t get the answer he wanted.

And yet...

“If the day ever comes when you reach the world guarded by the Blacksmith God, you will naturally meet Iyarugt’s soul.”

Thanks to the oral stories passed down through generations, Elder Song’s family knew the soul's whereabouts.

“However, there is no guarantee that meeting the soul will be good for you. I heard that Iyarugt’s soul is a demon.”

“Demon? That sounds pretty evil... No, it must’ve been very ferocious.”

Jae-Hyeok’s expression was a bit uncomfortable. His father’s nickname was the Yaksha, so he couldn’t feel prejudiced against those called demons.

Elder Song laughed seeing Jae-Hyeok’s consternated expression.

The boy looked cute for his age for the first time.

He explained, “It isn’t a nickname. It’s a real demon. It isn’t strange that there are demons or angels in this vast universe.”

“......”

“In any case, I think it’s best not to worry about Iyarugt’s soul for the time being. What would help you now is to clarify the image of Iyarugt.”

“Iyarugt’s image?”

“The process of changing from the hwando to Iyarugt is quite slow. As you know, the transformation of an item works in response to the user’s will. The more clearly the image of Iyarugt is imprinted in your mind, the faster your willpower will be reflected and carried out.”

“Ah.”

“Those who use transforming items usually associate the image with specific actions or commands in order to swiftly bring it to mind. The red energy spread by Iyarugt resembles the blooming of flowers, so why don’t you use Bloom as the command?”

Taking Elder Song’s advice, Jae-Hyeok drew his sword as he chanted, “Bloom.”

It was a big help. Iyarugt was already red and transparent as it left his scabbard. It was as if it had been like that from the beginning.

Elder Song praised him. “Well done. You have strong focus. I also recommend finding out where the Noble Peak Sword is.”

“Peak Sword what?”

“Haha, the Noble Peak Sword. It is a scabbard.”

Peak Sword was the name of the founder of the Kang family, but it also meant supreme swordsmanship. The name Peak Sword was intended to honor Peak Sword and his swordsmanship.

“The Noble Peak Sword is a treasure that has been passed down through generations of the Kang family. It will surely be a big help to you if you get it.”

“Umm... ” Jae-Hyeok turned to Butler Hwang.

Butler Hwang looked sad.

“All that was left was the sword when I accepted the head of the family from the government. I asked for his other belongings back but was refused.”

Jae-Hyeok clenched his teeth. How much more did these damn people have to humiliate his father before they were satisfied?

He barely stopped himself from cursing and instead made a pledge. “Don’t worry. I’ll take back everything that the Kang family has lost.”

***

“......”

Jae-Hyeok headed back to Lion’s Castle after separating from Butler Hwang and Elder Song.

Jang Yeon-Ju and Roh Jun-Yeop kept glancing at Jae-Hyeok’s face, unnerved by his unusually cold expression. He seemed to be deep in thought, and they had a gut feeling that they would get hurt if they interrupted his silence.

Roh Jun-Yeop grumbled softly. “How does a junior who hasn’t grown up have an aura like this... ”

Suddenly, Jae-Hyeok stopped in place and looked back at the two of them.

“Hiccup!”

The stunned Roh Jun-Yeop unknowingly hiccuped. In his own words, he was frightened by that junior who hadn’t grown up.

The pressure Jae-Hyeok gave off was dangerous.

Fortunately, he controlled his emotions. Jae-Hyeok thanked the slightly nervous Jang Yeon-Ju and Roh Jun-Yeop.

“Thank you. You helped me a lot.”

If it weren’t for Jang Yeon-Ju and Roh Jun-Yeop, Jae-Hyeok wouldn’t have met Elder Song so soon. He couldn’t leave Lion’s Castle without being targeted, so he had no choice but to find a suitable club to submit a commission. However, the process would’ve taken a long time if not for them.

“I will repay this favor.”

“I-I was just fulfilling a commission. What favor? I did what I was paid for.” Unexpectedly, Roh Jun-Yeop replied in a humble manner.

In fact, this was his first time doing a commission for a specific individual. In his first year, he had devoted himself to training as the ace of the Shooting Club. Then in his second year, he he’d immediately become the manager and was only in charge of big cases, such as going out on guild commissions.

It was his first time being thanked by a client, so he felt a bit awkward. He scratched his head and grinned. Jang Yeon-Ju looked at him disdainfully before pulling out her lollipop and making a bold request.

“Jae-Hyeok, I want to learn archery from you.”

“Archery... ” Jae-Hyeok murmured as his gaze moved over Jang Yeon-Ju’s white wrists and ankles.

He’d heard about what they had experienced in Grishi through Butler Hwang and replied, “It isn’t difficult. The only condition is for you to observe my duel assessment tomorrow.”

“...You want me to observe a first-year student’s duel assessment?”

Jang Yeon-Ju reacted in a puzzled manner.

The first-year duel assessment wasn’t worth watching as a second-year student. Although Jae-Hyeok was involved, the opponent’s level would be so low that it was just a waste of time.

However, there had to be some meaning behind Jae-Hyeok’s actions tomorrow. She thought about it for a moment before nodding. “I understand.”

***

“Kang Jae-Hyeok is facing Class A again.”

“At this point, isn’t the school telling Kang Jae-Hyeok to lose at least once?”

“By the way, isn’t that Senior Jang Yeon-Ju?”

“Really? Why is such a bigshot here?”

On the first day of the freshmen’s duel assessment, many outsiders had visited Lion’s Castle. In comparison, the atmosphere today was very different. There were few outsiders, and most students in the stands were first-year.

The outsiders had already gained a rough idea of the freshmen’s level on the first day of assessment, so few returned on the second. Perhaps they would show interest once again after big names like Shinra Kyeong and Loren were matched with top students.

“Tsk.”

Lee Seung-Jun of Class A didn’t like the empty stands.

“I wanted to announce my overwhelming victory to the world. Now I can’t get excited.”

He went on stage and faced Kang Jae-Hyeok before saying sarcastically, “Isn’t it too much that you aren’t getting attention despite awakening the Bloodline Skill of a ducal family? Well, the Kang family can’t really be counted as a ducal family, right? That’s why if you want attention, you’ll have to meet a real opponent first... Oh!”

Lee Seung-Jun’s eyes suddenly widened. He spotted a beautiful woman with blue hair standing with crossed arms in the stands.

It was the second-year student, Jang Yeon-Ju.

Most South Koreans knew her, and in particular, Lee Seung-Jun had always been interested in her.

She’s the granddaughter of the Bow Saint, but she awakened a fighter-type Initial Skill. She walks the same path as me... She must’ve heard rumors that I’m a fighter, so she came here to watch.

For Lee Seung-Jun, this duel assessment was a great opportunity.

A landslide victory against Kang Jae-Hyeok, who defeated Ha Kyeong-Su, would restore the tarnish to his honor from the Leech King incident.

Now, even Jang Yeon-Ju was interested in him? He boiled with enthusiasm. “One minute. I’ll finish this fight in one minute.” The atmosphere in the stands heated up after Lee Seung-Jun raised his index finger and made this announcement.

Most of the students were expecting Lee Seung-Jun’s victory. Not only was he in Class A, but he was a fighter. Jae-Hyeok was at a great disadvantage against him in both skills and compatibility.

Bang!

As expected, Lee Seung-Jun’s movements were unusual. He delivered a sharp kick like a bee’s sting. He had said one minute, but he attacked with the intent to knock down Jae-Hyeok in one blow.

However, the results were beyond people’s imagination.

Huh?

A chill went down Lee Seung-Jun’s spine. He felt a heavy impact on his ankle, and he was lifted off the stage. He had no time to comprehend what had happened, as in the next moment, the back of his head crashed into the stage.

Baaaang!

“What...?”

“......”

The huge gymnasium quickly fell silent.

Jae-Hyeok hadn’t drawn his sword or a spear. Instead, He’d snatched Lee Seung-Jun’s ankle with his bare hands, slung it over his shoulder, and slammed Lee Seung-Jun to the ground.

Timing, skills, and stats—it was a perfect grappling move with all three aspects in harmony.

Jae-Hyeok's expression was unchanged after folding a person in half. He just stared up at Jang Yeon-Ju in the stands.

Aren’t you so obsessed with archery that you have forgotten something important?

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