Duke’s Son: Re

Chapter 9

The hwando were shorter and lighter compared to the katana that players universally favored. This led to a perception that they had weaker destructive power due to less force being exerted.

However, the Kang family had consistently stuck with hwando.

This was not due to stubbornness arising from venerating ancestral customs but for practical reasons.

The hwando held a particular strength that complemented the martial arts of the Kang family.

Due to the short and light blade, the weight distribution was focused on the hilt.

By researching this characteristic and turning it into an advantage, they developed an extremely fast drawing technique called the Kang family-style Sword Draw.

“Spa-aang!”

After finishing his meal.

Jaehyuk climbed a nearby hill and swung his sword, his hair standing on end.

It felt different from usual.

The trajectory of the sword, which he had created every day, seemed exceptionally sharp today.

It was a very subtle difference.

If one were to assume cutting the same rock as yesterday, the mark left by the sword today would be about 2 centimeters deeper than yesterday’s.

If he were to share these impressions with a player, they would definitely burst into laughter.

Saying that even raising a single strength stat would make them several times stronger.

“Ha ha.”

Yet, Jaehyuk was thrilled to the point of madness.

There existed experiences beyond a player’s reach.

The tiny achievements grasped after enduring pain and training.

Unlike a system message, this sense of accomplishment was something players would never experience again.

‘Well, it’s a rather trivial self-consolation.’

Jaehyuk gave a wry smile.

Of course, he knew it well.

The pleasure gained from leveling up as a player would overwhelmingly surpass such trivial achievements.

Jaehyuk didn’t deny players. In fact, he aspired to become one of the most powerful of them all.

However, he was still lacking for now.

Being in a position where he had to delay his awakening, he tried to soothe himself in this manner.

“Hmm.”

As he pondered why his concentration had broken, he noticed the surrounding commotion.

The rolling hills where dozens of hilltops protruded sporadically.

Some students like Jaehyuk were on top of hills training.

‘Is there no quieter place than here?’

Jaehyuk sheathed his sword and turned the direction of the scabbard by rotating the loop.

With this movement, the hilt, which was facing forward, was now positioned to support his elbow.

One of the reasons Jaehyuk liked the hwando was because of this loop.

When loosely attached to his belt, he could change the direction of the scabbard at will.

This meant he could draw the sword from any angle. It suited Jaehyuk, who trained his muscles to stretch flexibly.

Sreung, sreung.

While descending the hill, he repeatedly practiced drawing his sword.

He contemplated the blind spots in his vision so that the imaginary opponent before him could not predict his drawing timing.

‘Who is that?’

‘A hooligan?’

Students who saw Jaehyuk drawing his sword under the moonlit path flinched in surprise.

The eerie aura emanating from Jaehyuk’s focused eyes could be easily mistaken for that of a monster.

“Hmm…”

How far had he walked?

Having arrived at a ruined castle, Jaehyuk expanded his senses.

It was as silent as if there were no insects around.

It was exactly the environment he desired.

There was a red line indicating a danger zone set 50 meters ahead, creating an eerie atmosphere.

‘Is there a monster habitat beyond that?’

Despite the two moons, the forest was enveloped in darkness.

Beyond the red line, it was dark and silent to a spine-chilling extent.

It felt like staring into the open jaws of a monstrous beast.

“Great…”

The absence of people was appealing. As long as he didn’t cross the line, it should be safe.

Having made his decision, Jaehyuk entered the inside of the ruins.

‘A combat stage?’

Walking a bit further past the collapsed walls, he saw a gigantic stage.

It was so vast he initially thought it was a plaza, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was installed at a higher level than the surrounding ground.

Some audience-like structures were scattered outside the stage.

Although all the buildings had collapsed, it seemed the original setup was like a colosseum with the audience seats surrounding the stage.

“Lion…”

Jaehyuk’s gaze paused as he surveyed the surroundings from the center of the stage.

To the south stood an architectural arch, with the face of a lion etched in relief over the gate.

Despite the cracks and moss marking the passage of time, it looked remarkably lifelike.

It seemed as if the lion might roar and pounce in any moment.

“As expected, without a body, it’s neither scary nor amusing. Ah-haha.”

Jaehyuk laughed loudly for no reason.

The old ruins on a beetle-mouthed plain where not even a single insect existed.

With a monster habitat merely a few dozen meters back, and the eyes of a lion etched on the gate glaring at him…

To be honest, it was quite terrifying.

It felt like a ghost might appear at any moment.

‘If it’s a monster, at least I could cut and kill it.’

Had he come too far…?

Jaehyuk briefly contemplated whether to return the way he had come, but shook his head resolutely.

He was pleased with the flat stage.

Though bearing traces of destruction in places, there were no rubble piles to hinder his steps, likely due to weathering over a long time.

“Nng.”

Jaehyuk briefly engaged in a staring contest with the lion above the gate before turning his back on it.

He felt too burdened by the lion’s glaring eyes. Even though it was carved from gray stone, it seemed vividly intense.

It also felt dangerous to turn his back on the monster’s habitat.

Boom!

As Jaehyuk stepped on the stage while facing the dark forest where the monsters hid, the accumulated dust billowed towards the sky.

Jaehyuk did not bother to hold his breath deliberately. He could read the flow of the wind. As expected, the stirred dust got swept along, dispersing in the direction of the forest.

His senses were extremely heightened.

Just like during his first real combat experience not long ago.

“Ah.”

Jaehyuk suddenly grasped it.

In just a few days, he had undergone a significant transformation.

The deadly encounter confirmed the results of his eight years of focused training, and it gave him confidence.

The conviction that his arduous path was not wrong took firm root in his mind and spirit.

For a boy who had just set forth on a journey, it was an essential experience.

A seed had sprouted.

For a boy who had honed his body and skills throughout his life, he finally grasped the heart and mind befitting his physical prowess.

“Spa-aang!”

Two images etched into Jaehyuk’s mind like photographs as he swung his sword as if entranced.

A girl shouting her respect for her father.

An instructor reminiscing his father with a sad smile.

Things he needed to protect.

Also things he had to create moving forward.

In just two days since leaving the small world of the mansion.

Jaehyuk realized that whatever had taken root in his heart and mind was not mere confidence but a belief.

“Spa-aang!”

Belief made a person strong.

Jaehyuk’s movements with his sword became slightly faster.

Kwaaaghhh!!

A monstrous cry erupted from beyond the deathly silent forest.

It sounded as if they would pounce out and devour Jaehyuk for disrupting their peace.

However, Jaehyuk did not stop swinging his sword.

He connected different forms of Sword Draw as if they were one unified sword technique, stepping forward, twisting his blade, and bending his waist.

His heightened senses informed him.

About the hesitation embedded within the roaring monster’s cries.

That they wouldn’t easily cross the red line…or so he thought, only a fool would assume.

“What? Uh?”

Jaehyuk blinked his eyes, frozen in his upward slashing stance.

A monster burst out through the bushes, leaping robustly, and crossed the red line.

It approached Jaehyuk on stage with a predatory gaze.

Clad in crude armor and armed with a scimitar, the creature had green skin and a hefty build.

An orc warrior.

Not even an E-rank monster but a D-rank monster. A formidable orc that could command regular orcs dwelled in the forest right next to a safe zone.

‘Is security even a thing anymore?’

Well.

Considering the scene where a dukedom mansion got attacked by a troll in broad daylight, it’s not surprising.

Given that this is a Gate, this sort of thing isn’t a big deal.

“Wow, it’s already 4 a.m. I’m way past my bedtime.”

Checking his watch, Jaehyuk awkwardly backstepped with a laugh.

Honestly, he was taken aback.

Though it felt like it had only been about 10 minutes since he arrived here, five hours had already passed…

Belatedly, fatigue swamped over him.

With a monster emitting deadly intent approaching, Jaehyuk’s exhausted body screamed out.

Kwaaaghhh!!

There was no way to communicate with a monster.

All the more with an orc, the pig-headed creature.

When Jaehyuk gestured for the orc warrior to back down, it instead charged with its scimitar raised.

“Damn it.”

Dodging its attack, Jaehyuk, responding to the orc warrior’s animosity, swung his fist instead of drawing his sword.

Kuek!

The orc warrior’s head shot up upon getting punched in the jaw. Jaehyuk swiftly jabbed his elbow into its exposed throat, earning a pig-like squeal.

The Kang family’s martial arts were practical.

As the orc warrior staggered, Jaehyuk cautiously coaxed it.

“Now, be good. Let’s part ways here, alright?”

Kwaaaghhh!!

“Ah, forget it.”

In the end, Jaehyuk, dragging his fatigued body, engaged in a few more movements.

After stamping on the orc warrior’s knee to break it, he leaped and jabbed his outstretched fingers into its eyes.

Kuk, kueek…!

“Oh? Did I jab too hard? Hey, wake up! You shouldn’t die!!”

Holding onto the nearly unconscious orc warrior’s collar as he shook him, Jaehyuk tossed it towards the late-arriving orcs.

“Take your leader and treat him well! If he dies, all of you are dead meat! Got it!?”

Kuh, kuh…

Of course, the words didn’t precisely communicate.

The reason the orcs couldn’t pursue the fleeing Jaehyuk was because their bodies were pinned below their suddenly flying leader.

Thanks to this, the lion head sculpture engraved on the gate watched over Jaehyuk, safely leaving the scene from beginning to end.