The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 227

[Peak Sword’s Scabbard.

Rating: Myth.

A scabbard made by a god during his time as a human for his loyal knight.

* 20% increase in sword-drawing speed.

* 40% increase in sword recovery speed.

*Indestructible.]

It became evident that the loyal knight mentioned in the Iyarugt’s description was none other than the founder, Peak Sword.

The a knight of one who would become a god... It seemed to Jae-Hyeok that he shared a close fate with his ancestor. After all, Peak Sword had been a knight, and now, two hundred years later, he had also become a knight. Of course, the object of their loyalty differed.

Peak Sword served a god—or would-be god—as a knight. In contrast, Jae-Hyeok was both a knight and an aristocrat; his loyalty was to the country and its people.

To that end, Jae-Hyeok had decided to do more than just take back his family’s relic. He decided to clean up the corruption within the Association while he was there.

“D-designs on the Kang family’s relics? What nonsense is that?”

“You! No matter how talented, how dare you abuse your power to assassinate a branch manager of the Korean Players’ Association! You are rebelling against the country! This is treason!”

After listening to the branch managers’ bark like dogs all day, Jae-Hyeok had gained an understanding of who needed to be scrubbed from the planet.

“Branch managers,” Jae-Hyeok muttered. He sheathed Iyarugt into the worn scabbard at his waist, and naturally, it was a perfect fit. “‘Treason’... It’s always treason this, treason that with you people. But don’t you know? That word is reserved for worthless trash who eat away at the nation’s power. Worthless trash like that guy—” Jae-Hyeok pointed to the headless Gangdong branch manager, while his other hand remained resting comfortably on Iyarugt’s hilt.

The branch managers swallowed. Jae-Hyeok definitely resembled the Yaksha.

No, he was even more unpredictable. Unlike the Yaksha, who wore his violent intend openly, Jae-Hyeok’s energy was as calm as a lake. Despite having killed a man mere minutes ago, Jae-Hyeok’s expression had already settled, his voice soft and clear.

Only the content of his words hinted that they might be up next on the chopping block.

“Dammit!”

After glancing again at the Gangdong branch manager, the other branch managers shifted uneasily. If they didn’t act, would they also die without knowing how?

The branch managers felt a chill and drew their weapons while simultaneously activating or preparing to activate their best Skills.

Jae-hyeok was no ordinary National Treasure candidate. The exam was one of the most difficult in history, yet not only had he crushed the examiner, Jae-Hyeok had then crushed Ji Cheon-Myeong, a peak S-class. Of course, Jae-Hyeok had been lucky that Ji Cheon-Myeong’s thunder tribulation had malfunctioned, denying Ji Cheon-Myeong the chance to transcend. But even so, there was no doubt in the branch managers’ minds that Jae-Hyeok was freakishly strong.

Standing before this little monster, the branch managers naturally went all out from the beginning.

“Die!”

For the first time in four days, since the voting had first begun, the branch managers stood united, launching a systematic joint attack without a word spoken between each other.

The branch managers’ auras were as sharp as swords, and determination and hope shone in their eyes. So long as they could kill Jae-Hyeok, their lives would return to normal. With Jae-Hyeok having just killed the Gangdong branch manager, they could offer the public and the government enough of a reason after killing Jae-Hyeok. After all, once Jae-Hyeok was gone, it would be a one-sided story. They could paint the day’s events however they liked.

With a plain expression, Jae-Hyeok stepped back, dodging two spears and three swords in the process.

Another of the branch managers ricocheted like a ray of light off the side wall, barrelled toward Jae-Hyeok’s flank, and slammed his ax toward Jae-Hyeok’s back.

Jae-Hyeok twisted Peak Sword’s scabbard up behind his back. The collision between the scabbard and the man’s ax caused the man’s hand to vibrate. Meanwhile, Jae-Hyeok’s ace remained neutral.

Before anyone could react, there was a flicker of red. Iyarugt was back in its scabbard by the time blood sprayed from the gaping trenches carved across several of the branch managers’ vitals.

“No—”

“Please... Ple...”

“Cough...”

The branch managers all struggled in vain during their final moments. Perhaps death had come too suddenly for them to accept. Perhaps they were just cowards. Regardless, they bled out in seconds, having gone from lofty figures to empty vessels in the blink of an eye.

“Why the surprise?”

Jae-Hyeok tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the shaking survivors. Having gained their positions through nepotism, the branch managers’ abilities fell far short of what one would expect of a big player organization like the Association.

“Did you think you could loot the Kang family, loot me, for free? Did you think you could smear my surname for years and then hide in your tower when things didn’t work out? Scheming is one thing, but at least face your death like adults.”

“U-uh...”

The mouths of the branch managers moved, but no words came out. They slowly started to back away. Only then did it seem obvious: Of course, this day was coming. It was destined to be the moment Ji Cheon-Myeong fell... No, the moment they’d sided with Ji Cheon-Myeong.

Tears and pleas poured from the remaining branch managers.

Jae-Hyeok watched on indifferently; they were crocodile tears. What the branch managers felt sorry for was the consequences of their actions, not the actions themselves.

Good. That makes things simple.

Jae-Hyeok adjusted his hand around the hilt at his waist, and with a flicker of red, the throats of all but one of the remaining branch managers blossomed.

He glanced appreciatively at the worn scabbard on his side. “Worthy of Peak Sword’s legacy.”

The meeting room fell silent.

Then Jang Baek-San, the sole survivor, sighed. Even with his A-class vision, he’d failed to register Jae-Hyeok’s sword both times Jae-Hyeok struck.

Jae-Hyeok seemed like a different person now that he’d acquired the worn scabbard, as if he’d gone up an entire class. The current Jae-Hyeok was far more powerful compared to the Jae-Hyeok that Jang Baek-San had seen a few days ago.

That scabbard has met its true master. It hasn’t even been a minute, and its main functions are on display.

Jang Baek-San mistakenly attributed Jae-Hyeok’s current abilities to the old scabbard, unaware that the leap in Jae-Hyeok’s abilities came primarily from the many high-level Baus family players he’d killed in the days since his exam.

That was to be expected.

After all, while the System did support a player’s growth, common sense dictated that no player could grow at the rate Jae-Hyeok had achieved—not unless vast numbers of higher-level players or monsters were willingly offering their necks to his blade...

Jang Baek-San sighed once again. “So, why did you choose me as the witness?”

Jang Baek-San envied the dead. As the sole surviving branch manager, he could imagine tomorrow’s headlines, branding him as a greedy subordinate who teamed up with Jae-Hyeok to usurp control over the Association.

The thought alone made Jang Baek-San’s vision go dark.

“I may look like this, but I’m not good at politics. You’ve picked the wrong person if you want a puppet.”

Jang Baek-San held a long, slender sword in his hand. Although this weapon was designed to be wielded with both hands, it was in fact weightless, making it seem structurally flawed.

However, Jae-Hyeok’s Insight stat far surpassed that of an S-class player. With ease, he recognized that the sword was made from a material with high mana conductivity. It was capable of delivering a powerful attack despite its light weight.

How many people had been caught off guard, underestimating Jang Baek-San’s weapon, only to meet their demise? The number was likely in the double digits.

Jae-Hyeok remarked, “I think you might actually have a talent for politics after all.”

“?”

Jang Baek-San paused just as he was about to raise his sword.

He had assumed that Jae-Hyeok had to be as insane as Kang Dae-Seong to break into the Association’s headquarters and kill all the branch managers. But now he noticed that Jae-Hyeok's eyes were remarkably calm.

On top of that, he’s speaking politely?

Seeing Jang Baek-San’s confusion, Jae-Hyeok explained, “I’ve been observing you since last night.”

As he spoke, he shifted his eyes to the window, beyond which a building stood dozens of meters away.

It was the Gugang Group’s headquarters.

As a leading Korean company, the Gugang Group’s headquarters boasted a height similar to the Association’s own headquarters. From there, Jae-Hyeok had been able to listen in on the branch managers' conversations using his superior senses.

“Ah...” Realization dawned on Jang Baek-San’s face. Convinced, he lowered his sword.

“I guess I seemed less rotten than the rest.”

“That’s right.”

In fact, Jang Baek-San was well-known and had been one of Jae-Hyeok's investigation targets from the start. It had been confirmed early on that Jang Baek-San had no connection to the downfall of the Kang family.

Jae-Hyeok said, “Be the president of the Association and make it function properly.”

“I want to, but your methods aren’t the way to go about achieving a better Association. Now that you’ve killed everyone except me, there’s bound to be some misunderstandings. At least, people are going to think we’ve made some type of deal.”

Worst-case scenario, Jae-Hyeok’s status as a National Treasure candidate could be at risk. Society is rife with deeply entrenched interests. Even if Jae-Hyeok acted fairly, there would inevitably be individuals who suffered losses because of Jae-Hyeok’s actions and would turn hostile. That was especially true for the military generals. The branch managers had been military assets, secretly colluding with the Korean military complex. Now that Jae-Hyeok had killed them, the generals wouldn’t be keen to let it go.

“Sooner or later, your Kang family will suffer damages because of your actions today.” Jang Baek-San warned. He worried about Jae-Hyeok’s future. After all, he had never had any personal enmity with Jae-Hyeok, and Jae-Hyeok was an asset to Korea. He didn’t want to see the youth’s bright future crumble to nothing.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jae-Hyeok said with a shrug as he pulled out several documents; Seol Su-Ah had sent these papers after she returned and cleaned up Lion’s Castle. They were the signed evidence that the Association officials stationed inside Lion's Castle had surrendered to her.

He asked, “Do you think I went on a killing spree without a reason?”

At that moment, the door to the meeting room opened, and Association employees poured in.

They turned pale when they saw the corpses, but they started to clean up the room instead of swarming Jae-Hyeok.

“Hah...”

Jang Baek-San was surprised by this unexpected development. Then he shifted his gaze to the doorway of the meeting room.

There he saw the Saint, Shinra Hyeon, the head of Korea’s number one family and a grand National Treasure in his own right.

Shinra Hyeon’s eyes looked kindly upon Jae-Hyeok, and he said with notable warmth, “Young Master Kang, you’ve done a great service in wiping out the traitors threatening our nation’s security.”

Jang Baek-San immediately realized it.

This child... is also skilled when it comes to strategy.

Jae-Hyeok might be related by blood, but he was different from the Yaksha and Kang Dae-Seong; he had no obvious weakness—at least not as far as he could tell.

Then maybe it‘s worth trusting him? I mean, either way, I don’t really have a choice. After today, people are sure to come after me. But...

Jang Baek-San clenched his fists and made a serious request, his tone polite: “Can I join you?”

A smile appeared on Jae-Hyeok’s face.

“You can. In fact, you’re most welcome.”

The government, the Association, and the military—Jae-Hyeok had laid the foundation for one of Korea’s top three organizations to become his ally. But had Jang Baek-San not remained steadfast in his morals throughout the years, then even if Jae-Hyeok were a National Treasure, as an outsider, there wouldn’t have been much he could’ve done to correct the Association’s allegiance.

Now all that is left is...

Jae-Hyeok was reminded of Cha Jo-Ah, the president of Lion’s Castles’ Noble Club, and also the daughter of Count Cha Seung-Min, who was the symbol of the current Korean military.

When they’d once fought, Cha Jo-Ah had used one of Kang Hyeon-Ah’s techniques. By that alone, Jae-Hyeok could guess how Kang Hyeon-Ah was being treated in the military prison.

Eldest Sister must be enduring hell...

Jae-Hyeok’s eyes flickered darkly.