Duke’s Son: Re

Chapter 17

“How could he do that?”

On the way back to the dormitory.

Chae Dahui was still in a daze.

Lauren.

He was the one who had awakened the bloodline skill of the Baos family.

『National Treasure Candidate』, a term that rendered rank classifications meaningless. If he leveled up, he would naturally become a National Treasure.

Even active high-level players would undoubtedly hesitate to face Lauren.

Yet Jaehyuk boldly stood against him.

Did he not realize how formidable the Baos family’s bloodline skill was?

“Surely not.”

Jaehyuk was also the son of a great entity.

Among the dozens of students gathered on site, Jaehyuk was the one who understood the value of Lauren’s power the most.

Yet he stepped forward alone to protect Dojin.

Even when surrounded by dozens of students, he stood firm, as if it was his natural duty, without retreating a step.

Was it because he didn’t know fear?

That was impossible.

Standing close to him, Dahui noticed Jaehyuk trembling slightly.

“Perhaps you are already…”

Are you similar to your father?

Dahui, posing a question that would go unheard, found her clear eyes filled with determination.

***

“Wow, he’s really beyond imagination…”

To get straight to the point.

Today alone, Jaehyuk had visited the infirmary nine times.

Dojin’s skin tore, muscles twisted, and bones broke because he used the Shunpo skill without hesitation.

The number of times Jaehyuk had to carry Dojin to the infirmary to prevent permanent injuries totaled nine, so he had no choice but to make repeated trips.

“He is fearlessly reckless to a ridiculous degree.”

Even if he lost an arm or leg in a fight, he wouldn’t waver and would rip apart the enemy in front of him first.

The way he snapped back to action every time he got hit was like a furious wild horse.

“The skill found the right owner.”

Simply owning a skill didn’t mean one had mastered it entirely.

One had to perfect the usage and application to truly harness its value.

Especially for non-replaceable first skills, there was an even greater need for complete mastery.

In that sense, a skill like Shunpo, which had significant risks, was considered a double-edged sword.

Ordinary people feared injury, making it hard to build proficiency.

But Dojin was abnormal in that regard, using Shunpo without hesitation.

“It’s inevitable that he’ll grow stronger.”

Jaehyuk had recruited Dojin as a team member because he was captivated by his ‘temperament’.

The unyielding spirit that never faded until goals were achieved.

His persistence and cunning in always contemplating the best option, even when facing enemies stronger than himself.

He was someone bound to become stronger.

Remarkably, even Dojin’s first skill was top-notch.

It even perfectly matched Dojin’s temperament.

Jaehyuk instinctively knew that his team would become much stronger than anticipated.

The most positive aspect was…

“Sparring with Dojin immensely benefits me as well.”

Dojin never showed signs of fear and continuously sought real-time breakthroughs, demonstrating extraordinary physical prowess.

For Jaehyuk, who had limited actual combat experience, Dojin became a fantastic sparring partner.

Every time they fought, Dojin constantly caught Jaehyuk off-guard, providing invaluable practical experience that fortified his bones and flesh.

“Now the remaining task is deciding whom to fill the last spot with…”

Having convinced Baek Dojin and Chae Dahui, if she agreed, he only needed one more member to establish the team.

Chae Dahui remained silent but considering her earlier help, hadn’t she practically joined?

But no one came to mind to fill the last spot.

Normally, he would have just recruited anyone casually, but with the Silla and Baos family bloodlines enrolling in the school, he couldn’t afford to do so.

“Bloodline skill…”

The greatness of bloodline skills lay in the fact that ‘skills used by the family for generations are fully inherited by the descendants.’

While evolving over time through many wielders, these skills became techniques perfected for optimal use.

The Kang family’s bloodline skill was no exception.

If Jaehyuk had straightforwardly equipped and awakened the bloodline skill in his slot…

He would have shown formidable proficiency based on his father’s combat data right from level 1.

“And he would have been confidently called a National Treasure candidate.”

Demonstrations surrounding his residence would have retreated in a hurry.

The whole nation was hailing Kang Jaehyuk as the new future of South Korea, preventing any further pressure on the Kang family.

Even though Jaehyuk was aware of its clear benefits, he refused the bloodline skill.

Was it because the Kang bloodline skill wasn’t compatible with him?

Not at all.

Jaehyuk trained his whole life, idolizing his father’s back.

He was more confident than anyone in wielding the Kang family’s bloodline skill.

He simply considered it ‘insufficient’.

Because he saw the cause for his father being satisfied with only being the domestic best, not the world’s strongest, in the bloodline skill.

“No matter how fast, wide-range, or powerful a sword art is, it’s still a sword art.”

The Kang family’s sword art was already a complete technique. It was adequately fast, powerful, and stealthy.

But was there a need to obsess over enhancing the sword art’s power through the bloodline skill?

Jaehyuk concluded that there wasn’t.

“No matter how many times I reconsider, I need a mastery-type skill.”

Due to its passive nature, it wasn’t readily visible, so there were no proven cases, but Jaehyuk believed it existed without a doubt.

He strongly believed that the reason the American 『Sword Saint』 family showcased swordsmanship that reached beyond human limits was due to possessing a passive skill from the 『Sword Mastery』 series.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be Sword Mastery. The moment I acquire a mastery-type skill from any category, I will awaken.”

Jaehyuk did not consider himself a swordsman.

Even the Kang family’s sword art was merely one of the many means for him to become stronger.

He harbored no intent of being confined to a single weapon style, even if it might provoke the wrath of ancestors.

“Piggy, are you here?”

Jaehyuk still had energy after sparring with Dojin until he fainted.

And a lingering regret that he couldn’t fight Lauren.

Perhaps because of that, he was once again enthusiastically swinging his sword in front of the lion statue when he noticed a welcome guest’s presence.

Grrr…

A pack of orcs.

They were the ones he had been encountering every night for several days.

Jaehyuk discovered an amusing fact.

On the first night, there was only one, the next night two, and the following night three…

Every day, the orc warrior would show up with more minions, and it was the same ‘individual creature’ he met on the first night.

He realized this on the third day, noticing the scars engraved on its body.

“Since I’ve been letting you escape alive, you haven’t been replaced, huh? But isn’t this fate by now?”

Kwoooooaaa!!

There was no way communication with a monster would be possible.

The orc warrior responded to Jaehyuk’s amicable greeting with a loud roar.

It seemed to impart some command, as five orcs raised their stone axes and charged simultaneously.

“Even beasts know grace, so why don’t you?”

Clicking his tongue, Jaehyuk swung his sword sheath.

An orc with a cracked skull fell, bleeding profusely…

“… What?”

Th-this wasn’t supposed to happen.

“Hey! Get yourself together! You can’t die!”

Had his stats increased again?

The blood loss from the cracked orc’s skull appeared severe.

Flustered, Jaehyuk ripped apart his clothes and wrapped them tightly around the orc’s head.

“Don’t die! You gotta live! Think of your family! You’ve got a pig-like wife and kids, right?”

Kwooo, k-kwoo…

Uh, what? The bleeding isn’t staunched properly.

Jaehyuk removed his top and used it to completely bandage the orc’s head, ensuring he left enough of an opening around the nose to prevent suffocation.

“… Were they saved this round? Phew, damn. Now I’m learning emergency first aid because of orcs.”

Wiping away the cold sweat, Jaehyuk sighed with relief before meeting the eyes of the other orcs.

“…”

Grrr…

The orcs, still irate, were about to swing their axes toward Jaehyuk, but the orc warrior extended its arm to intervene.

‘Does it have intelligence?’

Had it waited while he treated its subordinate?

He did hear in class that elite monsters that commanded other monsters were exceptionally clever… but it was just an orc warrior, after all.

Jaehyuk, who was tilting his head in doubt, was convinced.

“Even if it’s a D-rank monster, it would have some learning ability.”

The orc warrior had repeatedly challenged Jaehyuk for several days, getting beaten and fainting without understanding why it survived every time – until it witnessed Jaehyuk treating the orc just now.

Kwoo-ek! Kweeerk!

Inspecting the mummified orc alternately with Jaehyuk, the orc warrior bellowed something toward him.

Although it sounded like swine’s crying to Jaehyuk, he sensed there was no animosity present.

Kweek-kweek.

The orcs who hadn’t been injured put down their stone axes and helped move their wounded comrade away, disappearing beyond the bushes.

They certainly had a reputation for strong camaraderie among monsters.

Kweer…

The orc warrior, folding its arms, eyed Jaehyuk before nodding slightly and left the scene.

“What’s with that audacity…”

Rather than bowing his head in gratitude, he simply flicks his sword to acknowledge, huh? Feeling a surge of annoyance, Jaehyuk considered tossing a rock but shook his head.

‘Throwing a fit against pigs damages only me.’

Since he couldn’t kill them anyway, there was no need to create more trouble.

Swish-!

Clearing his mind, Jaehyuk resumed his training.

With the orcs retreating peacefully, he could concentrate without distractions.

『The “Lion’s Castle” is bewildered watching the relationship between you and the orcs.』
『You gain additional stat points as a hidden reward.』

The lion atop the fortress continued to observe Jaehyuk with great interest.

And then…

Whoosh.

Jaehyuk turned toward the lion.

He directly met the moss-covered statue’s gaze.

It wasn’t a coincidence.

Jaehyuk had distinctly sensed a presence, accurately locating its source.

Even though he couldn’t view the stat window, the power of the stats that’d been increasing almost daily since enrolling in the Lion’s Castle was evident.

The Insight stat had recently reached a certain level, sharpening his senses keenly.

“… What are you?”

-…