The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 246

Is that also because I’m always fighting above my level?

Jae-Hyeok hadn’t been surprised to see that his Unbroken One Skill had leveled up. After all, the level disparity between himself and his opponents meant this passive was perpetually active during battle; however, Jae-Hyeok had been quite stunned to see a similar level-up notification for Two Scythes Block a Cart.

[Chivalry of Bravery and Loyalty; Praying Mantis Blocking a Cart.

In order to save lives, you stand against forces greater than yourself.]

* The Skill “Two Scythes Block a Cart” is unlocked.

* Attack power increases by 10% when fighting opponents of a higher level.

*Fighting alongside allies will increase the attack power of you and your allies by 5%.]

Unlike The Unbroken One, Two Scythes was a Skill that itself did not scale with level disparity—but its parent chivalric code, Chivalry of Bravery and Loyalty, granted some effects that did.

Seeing as he had not used Two Scythes Block a Cart, yet it had leveled up anyway, it seemed the Skill could earn experience through any active effects tied to the parent chivalric code.

It was a welcome discovery.

Jae-Hyeok turned his eyes to the loot next.

[Orc Lord’s Double-Edged Axe. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Rating: Unique.

An axe bestowed upon Chief Daruchan by the king of the Twilight Kingdom, Teruchan. It has great power but is very heavy.

* Increases Strength by 20 when equipped.

* Attacks ignore 20% of the target’s defense.

*30% increase in speed and accuracy when thrown.]

[Vampiric Sword.

Rating: Epic.

A sword used by a swordsman of the Blood Church. It is standard issue, engraved with vampiric blood magic.

*Absorbs 1% of the damage dealt as health with each strike.

[National Treasure Badge.

Rating: Ordinary

A badge carried by Chinese national Treasures. It is used as a key in some areas.]

The loot from Daruchan and Jiang Lei had considerable value.

The Strength increase and defense penetration effects of the axe were significant, and it could also be thrown in a pinch to catch opponents off guard.

Meanwhile, the Vampiric Sword’s life leech magic would be a great help in drawn-out engagements. For ordinary players not of the Blood Church, Jae-Hyeok suspected the life leech effect wouldn’t actually be able to heal his wounds. But the energy it sapped should still nourish his body and replenish his energies, which was still a very potent advantage in battle.

The later you get tired, the better.

It went without saying, but the Kang family’s swordsmanship wasn’t invincible. The greater the push for extreme speed, the more stamina and mana he consumed, which was no surprise; Kang Sword-drawing was founded on the Kang family’s mana control technique, which focused large amounts of mana into the body’s muscles and then ignited it for transient boosts to one’s physical ability.

Put simply, the Kang family’s sword philosophy optimized for high burst damage with little regard for longevity.

To that end, Jiang Lei and Sima Zhao had been correct in assessing that Jae-Hyeok’s killing Daruchan had left him exhausted. That was also why, after locating Jiang Lei, Jae-Hyeok hadn’t made the first move and waited for Jiang Lei to come to him. He’d taken that time to rest.

But even then...

It would’ve been much more difficult if it weren’t for Peak Sword’s Scabbard.

Paired with Iyarugt, the founder’s legacy was a great help to Jae-Hyeok. Peak Sword’s Scabbard increased both his draw and re-sheath speed, thereby increasing the top speed he could achieve with his sword-drawing technique, and also allowing him to maintain the same draw speeds he’d reached in the past with less mana, which helped with endurance.

As he thought of his wondrous scabbard, a faint smile appeared on Jae-Hyeok’s face.

“......”

“......”

The Chinese players gulped. The sight of Jae-Hyeok standing under the moonlight, smiling while surrounded by blood and corpses, was beyond eerie.

A gruesome battlefield like this was something even seasoned players would find hard to stomach; it was not a place for young boys to be smiling happily, and yet, there Jae-Hyeok was.

A psychopath?

Jae-Hyeok moved toward Sima Zhao, provoking an immediate retreat from the Chinese players blocking Jae-Hyeok’s path.

Sima Zhao made for a gruesome sight. He was alert and talking despite being a severed head with an axe halfway buried in the top of his head. Nonetheless, Jae-Hyeok had seen too many horrific sights for just this to disturb him.

“I already know of Black Dragon’s involvement,” Jae-Hyeok said.

During the gate talks eight years ago, the representatives from China’s side had belonged to the Black Dragon Guild. Jae-Hyeok, of course, knew of this. How could he not? He’d always intended to seek revenge for that day, so naturally, he’d sought information about it at every turn—Shinra Hyeon, Seol Su-Ah, and Park Chang-Cheon, in particular, had significantly aided him in this regard.

Jae-Hyeok continued, “The only thing I’m curious about is the whereabouts of Qilin.”

Qilin...

He was the chairman of Black Dragon, and it was rumored that the nickname he’d earned around the age of ten truly suited him.

“Hah! That is ridiculous! Is it because you are just a kid... Hum hum, no. Do you not know since you are Korean? Black Dragon is the largest group in China. There are members of the Black Dragon guild among the high-ranking members of the Association and the Communist Party.”

“Hah! That’s ridiculous! Is it because you are just a kid...? No, wait. Is it because you’re Korean? Black Dragon is the largest group in China. They have members among the high-ranking officials of both China’s Association and the Communist Party.”

“Who doesn’t know that?”

“Heh. You know, yet you’re asking? How would someone like me know where China’s greatest bigshot has gone after he entered seclusion?”

Sima Zhao’s head floated up before shaking side to side pitifully.

Jae-Hyeok showed no reaction and simply asked, “Are you sure? Sima Zhao of Black Dragon might not know. However, won’t Sima Zhao of the Blood Church know? You seem to have a pretty high position in the church.”

Austria’s Baus family and China’s Black Dragon Guild... The Blood Church had infiltrated some of the greatest groups in the player industry. It was safe to infer their influence stretched far and deep. Surely, the Blood Church knew something about the events eight years ago.

Sima Zhao inwardly clicked his tongue at Jae-Hyeok’s words. This is why smart people are troublesome.

He indeed held a higher status than even Jiang Lei in the Blood Church; in society, he merely pretended to serve Jiang Lei for the sake of convenience. He’d thought his acting was perfect, and yet Jae-Hyeok had seen right through him.

In fact, it wasn’t hard for Jae-Hyeok to guess Sima Zhao’s high status. Not only was Sima Zhao’s mastery over blood energy greater. Sima Zhao was the only member of the Blood Church Jae-Hyeok had seen survive as a severed head.

Sima Zhao admitted, “I’m not a low-ranking member of the Blood Church, but I’m also not at the executive level. I don’t have the authority to know Qilin’s location.” Sima Zhao confessed under Jae-Hyeok’s stare.

“However, that story will change if you give me time. Please spare me. I will continue as a member of Black Dragon and will definitely find Qilin’s location.”

“How can I believe that?”

“I can sign a blood contract! The parties involved in a blood contract can’t betray each other! Don’t you want revenge for your father? I recommend you join our church! Look! I have this immortal body!”

The blood that flowed from Sima Zhao’s neck wriggled like a live tendril as it quested toward Sima Zhao’s body.

“Gain great power and find Qilin with the grace of the Blood Church! Then you can take revenge according to your will!”

Jae-Hyeok made no move to stop him, so Sima Zhao’s voice grew louder and more confident.

At the same time, the blood tendril connected to the gaping neck wound on Sima Zhao’s body and began pulling his torso and head toward one another.

“Ugh...”

The Chinese players were disgusted.

The sight of mutilated body parts being drawn together by a crimson tendril was more horrifying than it was magical.

The magic at play seemed so far from human that the players felt an instinctual sense of rejection.

“Hah... hah... hahahaha! How about it? Isn’t this immortal body wonderful?”

Soon, Sima Zhao completely resurrected. His skin then became so transparent that his blood vessels were visible, while his canines had grown to protrude from his mouth.

“Join the Blood Church! You will receive the blessing of God Katz and develop your shining talent forever!”

“Vampire...!”

People were shocked.

Sima Zhao wasn’t a human being; rather, in terms of appearance and characteristics, he seemed to be something close to a vampire, a race one level above even the Twilight Orcs lurking in S-grade gates.

The fact that they had been living alongside Sima Zhao as a colleague, completely unaware of his true nature, sent chills down the spines of the Chinese players.

Meanwhile, Jae-Hyeok was disappointed.

“What? You aren’t a real vampire?”

“What...?”

“Don’t you know? I heard vampires are all supposed to be pretty. How is that—” Jae-Hyeok pointed at Sima Zhao’s mangled skull—“pretty?”

The eyes of the Chinese players widened.

Thinking about it, Jae-Hyeok was right. Sima Zhao lacked the most prominent trait of all vampires—beauty.

“D-don’t judge people by their appearance!”

The red-faced Sima Zhao shouted, but it was useless. Jae-Hyeok ignored him and continued, “Also, look how old and crusty you are—” Jae-Hyeok then stabbed a finger at the wrinkles on Sim Zhao’s forehead, which seemed to have grown more pronounced compared to before..

“Your muscles have shrunk and your body is a bit smaller. You probably weaken a bit every time you overcome death. You aren’t a vampire. You’re just a vampire’s familiar.”

“You!”

Sometimes, the truth stung worse than any lie.

Sima Zhao roared angrily and fired a red beam of blood energy from his mouth. However, the straight trajectory of the beam made it easy to dodge. Jae-Hyeok slipped to the side and approached Sima Zhao in a flash before lopping off his head for a second time.

“Keok... keook...”

This time, Sima Zhao didn’t speak, apparently dead for good.

Moments ago, Sima Zhao had been filled with confidence despite his head being cut off. But ultimately, he couldn’t even scream before becoming a true corpse. Even so, Jae-Hyeok’s expression became a bit serious as he flicked the blood off his blade.

If this is the level of a mere familiar. Then, the leaders of the Blood Church... Jae-Hyeok could only imagine what real vampires would be capable of.

Whatever, it’s meaningless to think about it now.

At Jae-Hyeok’s current level, there was nothing he could do against the Blood Church. It was best to avoid getting involved with them.

Jae-Hyeok shifted his attention to the next matter at hand.

Flinch.

The Chinese players flinched under Jae-Hyeok’s gaze. After all they’d seen, they no longer doubted Jae-Hyeok:

Strong...

He’s a powerhouse on the level of a National Treasure!

Suddenly, the tension in the room soared to an extreme. After all, they had come to Korea with the intention of pressuring Korea’s government. They were not allies. Naturally, the Chinese players feared Jae-Hyek would simply kill them now to lessen his country’s future troubles.

Instead, however, Jae-Hyeok smiled and reached out to them.

“Let’s clear this gate first. At least until then, I hope we can all work together honestly.”

As the one with all the power, his goodwill would go a long way in swaying the players’ hearts. With some time, he believed he could develop a good relationship with these Chinese players.

And who knew, perhaps one day, he would be able to gain information about Qilin through them...

***

Three days later.

[You have completed the first clearance of the S-grade gate, Twilight Kingdom.]

[The first clearance reward, title, “Friend of the Orc Lord,” has been acquired.]

[The first clearance reward, “Flower that Bloomed in Twilight,” has been acquired.]

[The first clearance reward, Skill book: Berserker, has been acquired.]

[Miraculous achievement!]

[The title “Youngest First Clearer” has been acquired.]

[All stats have increased by 5.]

“T-they’re coming out!”

“Gasp! Kang Jae-Hyeok! It’s Kang Jae-Hyeok!”

"Waaahhhh!"

Seeing that Jae-Hyeok had succeeded and returned safely, Korean citizens erupted into cheers. Meanwhile, media reporters from not just Korea but China and Japan were present.