Duke’s Son: Re

Chapter 21

『The player candidate breaks the limits of the body for 2,960 consecutive days.』
『If you maintain your current state for 40 more days, a hidden skill will blossom.』
『The newly emerging first skill has discovered the potential of the hidden skill and resonates with it.』
『Inexplicable phenomenon!』
『Time is required for settlement.』

…

Nearly thirty leeches formed a swarm.

These creatures were ferocious, as they were directly summoned by the Leech King. As soon as they spotted Jaehyuk, they viciously charged.

In contrast, Jaehyuk’s body felt incredibly heavy.

‘Why is this happening?’

『The Lion’s Curse decreases your stats by half.』
『The Lion’s Curse prohibits skill usage.』

It was due to the curse that Jaehyuk wasn’t aware of.

‘On the contrary, this is good.’

A deep smile spread across Jaehyuk’s face.

He felt as though he was half as strong as usual.

Unless he swung his sword with all his might, there was no guarantee he would kill the leeches in one hit.

This meant there was no need for fine power control.

He could freely go wild.

Squelch!

The Kang family’s mana technique was specialized in concentration and emission.

These techniques were refined and evolved to maximize the power of Sword Draw.

It had many uses. Concentrating mana on the soles of his feet, Jaehyuk jumped, disregarding the swamp’s characteristics, and executed a downward Sword Draw slash.

Swoosh!

The leeches, which had emerged from the swamp to bite him, shrieked and collapsed.

The leeches, which were long like serpents and narrow, were struck in one fell swoop by Jaehyuk’s horizontal Sword Draw.

Squelch!

The swamp shook violently.

The vibration was caused by the leech swarm simultaneously attacking Jaehyuk as he landed.

However, Jaehyuk was not so naive as to be caught by such obvious movements.

Click! Click-click-click!!

As Jaehyuk repeatedly drew and sheathed his sword while backtracking, it sounded like magazines being swapped out in quick succession from his scabbard.

Shriek!!

The leeches could not close the distance with Jaehyuk.

Every time they approached within a meter, they were consistently cut and fell by his Sword Draw.

***

‘This can’t be… This doesn’t make any sense…’

Kim Jinmyung could not believe the sight unfolding before him.

Even though it was a one-versus-many battle, the side with the numbers couldn’t take advantage.

Sword Draw.

Every time Jaehyuk pulled his sword hilt, the cut would strike horizontally, vertically, or directly like a bullet.

Each strike was swift and accurate, with overwhelming power, making the leeches writhe in agony.

Above all, what was truly impressive was the diversity of the trajectory.

A sickle.

The scabbard hung on a long strap was not fixed, allowing its position to be changed at will. Thanks to that, the trajectory of the Sword Draw was free.

Moreover, it seemed…

‘…it’s not a skill.’

The skill honing instructor had reported that Jaehyuk’s skill was Sword Draw.

However, whatever Jaehyuk was using was not a skill.

How could an attack continuously and infinitely raining down be a skill?

It was pure swordsmanship. A technique trained apart from the system.

‘A once-in-a-generation swordsmanship genius.’

Kim Jinmyung accurately defined Kang Jaehyuk.

Even if his first skill’s grade received a low green rating, his innate human abilities were exceptionally outstanding.

In specialized terms, self-improvement.

His body, his techniques.

The being known as Jaehyuk was inherently strong.

He simply fell short in the skill category when counted in the player’s domain.

‘It was jealousy from the gods.’

That’s why they bestowed such a lousy first skill on him, forcing a green rating.

Kim Jinmyung, who was lamenting, widened his eyes.

Jaehyuk’s Sword Draw had significantly slowed.

The swamp environment posed the problem.

With every swing of the sword, the swamp’s filth repeatedly stuck to the blade.

Jaehyuk had to swing his sword in the air from time to time to shake off the grime.

But the swamp’s muck was too gooey to be easily shaken off.

The foreign matter accumulated inside the scabbard affected the power of his Sword Draw.

“Jaehyuk!!”

Kim Jinmyung dashed into the swamp.

***

‘This is one of the weaknesses of Sword Draw.’

Jaehyuk had sensed it when he began training to adapt to the swampy environment.

Ah, this place has a bad compatibility with Sword Draw.

As expected, his prediction was correct.

The foreign matter inside the scabbard prevented the sword from being fully sheathed, weakening the power of Sword Draw.

Even the blade itself had become dull. The leeches’ slimy bodily fluids were so sticky that all the swamp’s dirt clung to them.

‘There is no real issue.’

It’s a reality where countless awakeners are dying to E-rank monsters.

E-rank monsters were sufficiently threatening to low-level players.

B and Class C students actually showed fear of the leeches.

However, the fact that E-rank monsters were stronger than low-level players wasn’t true.

Newbies often faced trouble from failing to overcome environmental problems like the swamp or tactical issues arising from numerical differences.

Hence, the current situation was not threatening to Jaehyuk at all.

He had almost fully adapted to the swamp and boasted stats far exceeding a level 1 player.

Crack!

Moreover, leeches were not monsters that wielded weapons like swords or bows.

They only had the traits of hiding and being fast, with their teeth being their only means of attack.

They were only threatening if one allowed them to get close.

Jaehyuk could toy with them with his eyes closed while picking his nose.

“Jaehyuk!!”

“…?”

Startled, Jaehyuk looked up.

He wondered who was calling his name so familiarly, and it was Kim Jinmyung.

“Fire Storm!!”

Boom!!

Flames shot out from Kim Jinmyung’s hands, forming a small storm that swept over the leeches.

‘I thought the leeches were surprisingly slow in the swamp, and it turns out he was a mage.’

Not a fitting match for his appearance, huh?

Shriek…

Dozens of leeches burned and perished instantly.

There was no misfortune where Jaehyuk earned experience points and awakened.

He had controlled his strength precisely to avoid that.

‘This is what qualifies as proper training.’

Having the experience of battling dozens of leeches while isolated in a swamp!

It was more helpful than expected.

He discovered better ways to move in the swamp.

While sporting a satisfied expression, Jaehyuk noticed Kim Jinmyung rushing over.

“Are you, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“…?”

Kim Jinmyung’s demeanor was peculiar. Holding onto Jaehyuk’s shoulder and inspecting him for injuries, his actions were filled with genuine concern.

He almost resembled Hwang the steward…

“What’s with you? Suddenly acting all buddy-buddy?”

“Then what about you? Why did you save me?”

“Because I am the son of the great nation’s Duke.”

“I am a teacher, so I am worried about my students. No ulterior motive. Ahem! Hand me your sword. I’ll polish it nice and shiny for you.”

“Are you aiming to steal my sword? No way. It’s not some special item but something I just use well.”

“Alright, alright. At least have a cool glass of water. Here, and wipe down with this towel.”

“…”

The skills Kim Jinmyung showed moments earlier were more impressive than expected.

Even if Jaehyuk hadn’t intervened, he would have slaughtered the leeches and safely escaped.

Although he probably wouldn’t have avoided injuries given how deep he was caught in the swamp.

Nevertheless, he wasn’t in a position to see Jaehyuk as a benefactor.

‘Then why is he so kind? It’s awkward.’

As Jaehyuk continued to cast a suspicious glance, Kim Jinmyung sighed and confessed honestly.

“I was captivated by your conviction. Is that enough? Also… I apologize for the harsh words before.”

“Do you mean when you criticized my upbringing?”

“Yes… I deeply apologize a hundred times.”

“And for belittling me as merely a lucky guy?”

“Yes, that too. I am sincerely sorry for such foolishness. I was ignorant and caused you much pain. I dare not ask for forgiveness. I just want to apologize for what I should.”

“Alright, I got it.”

Truth be told.

Jaehyuk had been noticing Kim Jinmyung’s changes recently.

At first, he was openly hostile, but as days passed, his gaze became more affable.

‘Human relationships are organic.’

He learned something new once again.

Not a bad feeling.

As Jaehyuk used a towel to wipe the dirt off, Class B students came rushing over.

“Are you, are you okay?”

They surprisingly showed concern for Jaehyuk too.

Fully aware that they had grown rapidly because of him.

Whether that had been his intention or not, negative emotions faded as gratitude took root.

“What were you thinking, jumping into the swamp? What would you have done if the teacher hadn’t helped?”

“Seriously, you’re crazy.”

The students who escaped beforehand were unaware of what had transpired between Jaehyuk and Jinmyung.

Thus, they had no clue why Jaehyuk jumped into the swamp.

They merely chalked it up to him always being a bit eccentric.

“…”

The atmosphere among the Class C was grim. Students glared at their homeroom teacher in contempt for not saving Park Shiwoo and fleeing instead.

The Class C homeroom teacher felt like losing his mind.

Being shown up by Kim Jinmyung was the ultimate disgrace; it wasn’t just about embarrassment but even facing disciplinary action.

In the midst of the chaos.

“Is everyone okay?”

Several Class A students arrived at the scene.

They were the ones who had shouted to run away from the forest earlier.

They didn’t display any signs of concern or remorse.

“It was merely a pack of E-rank monsters; surely the teachers would have handled it.”

“Thanks to our Jaehyuk… ahem, student Kang Jaehyuk stepping in at the right time, nothing happened. By the way, where is your homeroom teacher?”

Kim Jinmyung, suppressing what he wanted to say, sought out the Class A homeroom teacher.

He intended to seek an explanation and hold them accountable as dealing directly with the students wasn’t appropriate.