The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 196

Kyoreh gently wiped the sleeping boy’s face with a warm towel. His motions were as if cleaning a treasure.

He asked, “Boland, did you know from the beginning?”

The boy’s face was the perfect balance of sharp and delicate features. His beauty was such that Kyoreh had almost overlooked his resemblance to that ferocious figure from the past. But after noticing the similarities, it was hard to ignore. And upon seeing Iyarugt and the extreme speed of the boy’s sword technique, Kyoreh became sure: the boy was a descendant of that legendary figure.

Boland shrugged. “Whether the child is a descendant of Peak Sword is, ultimately, speculation. Besides, his face is pretty different. It’s not like I recognized the semblance at a glance, you know.”

“I see.” Kyoreh paused, then questioned, “Sword-drawing technique?”

“Sword-drawing technique.” Boland nodded. “The direction of his feet and hilt never aligned. Such an explosive yet misleading sword technique is too rare not to notice.”

Not to mention its strength, thought Boland. When the boy had used his sword technique, the strength and speed on display defied his stats. That was what reminded him most of Peak Sword.

Boland checked the blue ticket in the boy’s inventory list and slowly stood up.

“The third princess has a great eye. I look forward to the time when he will embark on the pilgrimage.”

Kyoreh’s expression hardened. “The pilgrimage? No way. It’s much too dangerous. No matter how talented the kid is, he’s far from competing with the other princesses’ knights.”

“You never know.”

Boland gazed into the distance as he patted Kyoreh’s shoulder.

“He has completed the Trial of the Fields, proving his tenacity and grit. And I’m sure you’ve seen it, too; there’s a fire in the boy’s eyes—a greed for more. The other knights might be far away for now, but I believe he’ll reach their level with hard work.”

“Greed... ” Suddenly, Kyoreh was reminded of someone else.

His eyes shook.

***

South Korea.

“There are only two days left until the National Treasure candidate examination. It has been several years since the last examination. Many people are understandably enthusiastic, but some officials have expressed deep concern about Kang Jae-Hyeok’s background... ”

......

“Several of our reporters have stayed parked by Kang estate’s gates for over a week. However, there has been no sign of Kang Jae-Hyeok. Where could he be?”

.......

“Thank you for the donations; yes, for us Koreans, Kang Jae-Hyeok is the hottest topic—especially his beauty and unrealistic proportions! He’s definitely going to be the next blue chip[1] in the advertising world. Like, for real, have you seen the pictures? Just how does he keep his skin so smooth?”

All of South Korea was talking about Kang Jae-Hyeok.

Under the Association's direction, the media and experts in all fields expressed doubts and concerns about Jae-Hyeok, but it had little effect.

The prospect of a handsome, genius boy becoming Korea’s next National Treasure candidate was too tempting. With how some spoke of Jae-Hyeok, it was hard to tell if he was a player or a K-pop idol. They claimed that just his transcendent looks alone made him patriotic, adding to the prestige of the country.

Following this positive trend, many of the smaller media outlets took a fresh stance and ran special features: partly researched and partly speculative—they shared various warm and emotional stories about Jae-Hyeok every day. His fame soared to new heights, and as it did, the negative public sentiment toward the Kang family started to fade.

President Ji Cheon-Myeong’s eight years of effort were on the verge of being undone.

“Tsk!”

Ji Cheon-Myeong flicked his fingers, and the various magazines and newspapers with Jae-Hyeok’s face on the front were burned to ash. Then he leaned back deeply on the sofa and took a deep breath.

There’s no need to be anxious. The higher his status now, the harder he’ll fall later. Ji Cheon-Myeong smiled wearily and turned his eyes to his secretary.

“The doctor’s preparations are proceeding without issue, right?”

“Yes.”

The secretary’s eyes flashed.

“He promised that in two days, when it came time for the judging, Kang Jae-Hyeok won’t even be able to swing his sword.”

“Haha! Good man! Good! Very good!”

Ji Cheon-Myeong clapped his hands together in delight.

“Well, it’s fine if there are variables. As long as that person is the one conducting the exam, the doctor is just an insurance policy. But, I look forward to his efforts.”

***

Jae-Hyeok opened his eyes and immediately sat up. Despite last night’s ordeal, his energy was surging. It was thanks to the quest rewards. The dramatic jump in his Stamina stat left him feeling as if he had endless reserves.

He pushed off against the bed, only for the wooden frame to snap.

Oops.

His Strength had also increased. Thinking of it now, he vaguely recalled a notification about it before he fell asleep...

As Jae-Hyeok was hurriedly picking up the bed pieces, a welcome voice reached his ears. It was the Thunder Emperor.

“Stupid. You are making mistakes that only a beginner would make.”

Jae-Hyeok smiled. It would take more than a night’s sleep for him to forget the Thunder Emperor’s help in enduring Boland’s test. Ignoring his criticisms, Jae-Hyeok said, “Thank you for your help yesterday.”

“Yesterday? You mean when we fought the Minister of Agriculture? That was already three days ago.”

“Huh?”

Three days?... Jae-Hyeok was momentarily taken aback.

Well... it’s not that surprising if I think about it. Farming with Kyoreh is brutal work, and I don’t think I’ve ever been as tense as I was fighting Boland.

The Thunder Emperor commented, “In the end, I won.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was the first to get past the wall.”

The Thunder Emperor pointed out the window, toward the blue wall blotting out the horizon.

Jae-Hyeok’s eyes widened.

“What? You’ve already been?”

“Yes.”

The Thunder Emperor nodded with a satisfied expression, as if pleased with Jae-Hyeok’s reaction. He retrieved a silver ticket and waved it. The shape and style were familiar to Jae-Hyeok. It was no different from his blue Reinhardt Ticket.

“My entry was inevitable. How could those crazy farmers hold me back with a measly test?”

What was the city like? Was it a city of farmers, or were ordinary people living there, too? Seeing the ticket, Jae-Hyeok was full of questions, but he kept his mouth shut. He had a ticket of his own, after all.

Although the color is different... Jae-Hyok had received his blue ticket from Third Princess Iris, which sounded impressive, but with the Thunder Emperor’s means, there was a good chance the silver ticket was more valuable. Even so, the third princess’s ticket should at least grant him entry.

Jae-Hyeok would rather see it for himself than ask the Thunder Emperor about Reinhardt.

Seeing how Jae-Hyeok was keeping his mouth shut, the Thunder Emperor frowned.

What the hell. Does this kid really have nothing to say? Where’s the barrage of questions? Where is the begging for scraps of my knowledge?

... Damn Communist weapon.

For the Thunder Emperor, the only thing better than winning was rubbing it in afterward. And yet, facing Jae-Hyeok’s blank face, he felt as if he were talking to a wall. The Thunder Emperor clicked his tongue and said, “You should hurry and pack your luggage.”

“Huh?”

“Your time limit is about to run out, right?”

There’s a time limit for admission? Jae-Hyeok tilted his head and summoned his ticket’s item description.

[Reinhardt Ticket.

Rating: Myth.

Description: Grants passage into Reinhardt.

Available uses: 3/3.]

There was a limit to the number of times the ticket could be used, but no time limit. A thought struck Jae-Hyeok. No way... Could it be that my ticket is of a higher rating? Whoever gave the Thunder Emperor his ticket must have a lower status than the third princess... Well, I guess there aren’t many higher than a princess.

By the way...

During his visit to Reinhardt, the ticket’s available uses had dropped from three to two, yet at some point, the uses had returned to three.

I can speculate on the reason...

There was only one thing Jae-Hyeok had achieved since coming to Reinhardt, and that was finishing Kyoreh’s quest. In other words, clearing a high-rated quest seemed to recharge his ticket’s uses.

Jae-Hyeok clenched his hands. Over the last few days, he’d mastered the farmer’s step, cleared a major quest, unraveled the secret behind his ticket, built a relationship with the farmers, and made friends with the Thunder Emperor—he’d gained so much, and, as long as he worked hard, he could return again and again.

“Let’s go. I will go with you.”

Jae-Hyeok woke up when he saw the Thunder Emperor telling him to hurry. He grabbed his belongings and left the hut accompanied by the Thunder Emperor.

In any case, he had to return to Earth within two days—not because of any limit on his Reinhardt Ticket but because of the National Treasure candidate exam. Jae-Hyeok snuck a glance at the Thunder Emperor. Well, I don’t need to say that aloud. He had no reason to reveal that his ticket was of a higher grade. If the Thunder Emperor decided to snatch it, it would be too late to regret.

***

“Are you both going home?”

Kyoreh tilted his head when he saw Jae-Hyeok and the Thunder Emperor leaving the hut. Dirt fell from the sweet potatoes slung over his shoulders.

“Don’t you still have two days to spare? Are you okay going back without crossing the wall?”

The question was directed at Jae-Hyeok; the boy’s eyes had frequently wandered to the wall while training in the fields.

The Thunder Emperor scoffed. “It isn’t like we can stay here forever. We’re limited by time. Rather than rush, it’s only right to step back and reassess while the entry ticket recharges.”

Then, he handed Jae-Hyeok a small notebook. “Take this. I’ve written down some information about Reinhardt that I’ve collected over the past three days. You can refer to it next time.”

Jae-Hyeok glanced in confusion at the notebook. “Why are you giving this to me?”

“I don’t like being in debt.”

“Since when did you owe me a debt?”

“Ah, really, just take it.” Inwardly, he thought, If it weren’t for protecting you, where would I have found the gall to confront that farmer’s monstrous attacks...

The Thunder Emperor stepped onto the road between the fields before saying, “Oh, and Kyoreh, if you block my way again the next time, you’ll definitely regret it.”

“Don’t worry, I have no further business with you. We will never see each other again.”

“You have no heart... ” The Thunder Emperor grumbled as he pulled out his silver ticket and activated it. Then he turned to Jae-Hyeok. “Hey, boy, if I ever end up in China, let’s have a drink together. What’s your name?”

China? Why does he want to meet in China? Oh, maybe because it’s close to South Korea?... Well, whatever, I’ll have to go there someday anyway.

China was one of the strongest countries in Asia. As an Asian player, Jae-Hyeok had every reason to visit. Not to mention, the Thunder Emperor was an incredible connection. Traveling to China for him was worth it. Jae-Hyeok nodded and replied happily, “My name is Kang Jae-Hyeok.”

The Thunder Emperor’s brows lifted in doubt.

“Kang Jae-Hyeok?”—at that moment, the blue warp gate began to open around the Thunder Emperor—“that doesn’t sound like a Chinese name?”

“Yeah, I’m Korean.”

“Korean? Ah!” The Thunder Emperor felt as if he’d been hit in the back of the head by a hammer. He finally realized why he’d found this boy an eyesore on their first meeting, and why his old wound kept flaring up. “That face... That sword-drawing technique! The Kang family! God damn, you, you’re”—the warp gate flared, then disappeared in a final flash along with the Thunder Emperor, only the Thunder Emperor’s final scream lingered on the breeze—

“The Yaksha’s sooooooon!”

1. “Blue chip” refers to something that’s a promising or high-quality investment. ☜