Genius Gamer Reborn into a Family of Heroes

Chapter 54

The Hero’s Aspect

All direct descendants of the Kaladan family received their own ‘White Palace’ to reside in. They could only return the White Palace if they established a branch family.

Although it was called a palace, it was merely one of the many towers in the grand palace complex, each with its own ranking.

Starting with the ‘Red White Palace’, where the first in line to succession resided, the numbers increased sequentially from there.

Currently, the Red White Palace was inhabited by the eldest grandson, Hiron Paul Kaladan, along with his grandmother and mother.

The second-ranked Scarlet White Palace was occupied by the eldest granddaughter, Naridel, and her family, while the third-ranked Yellow White Palace was home to the families of Garain and Arihil.

Harang was assigned to the Green White Palace. Ranked fourth, it was luxurious and spacious, yet he had to occupy it alone as his parents were not present.

Of course, by now, he no longer felt lonely about it.

‘It’s ridiculously spacious.’

As Harang looked around the living room situated at the top of the Green White Palace, he recalled his life on modern Earth and a particular habit he had when securing a new home.

One of the essential checks he always did!

‘Turn on the faucets in the bathroom and the sink simultaneously.’

However, there was no kitchen sink here.

“The dining room is prepared on the 5th floor. Would you like to dine now? Or should I bring you some dessert?”

When asked, the attendant informed him that there was no kitchen in his bedroom or living room.

That wasn’t the only peculiar thing.

‘Hmm, there’s a toilet in the living room.’

At the center of the living room was a circular swimming pool, filled with clear and clean water.

It seemed to be designed for swimming rather than for bathing. For someone like Harang, who had a fascination and longing for swimming, it was perfect.

‘This is my home.’

From now on, whenever he felt tired or worn out, Harang could return here and rest comfortably.

“Can I have a meal now?”

“Yes. Right away.”

Back in the palace, Harang could finally enjoy a proper feast for the first time in ages.

While the meal with Duke Kalel was more extravagant, he hadn’t touched much of it due to the important discussions, so this was essentially his first meal.

‘…It’s delicious.’

During his time in exile, no professional chef accompanied him to the villa, so the attendants had to make do with their limited skills and ingredients.

They would take meat from the fridge, chop up some potatoes and carrots, and add bay leaves to reduce the odor, resulting in a simple dish that could be described as a meat stew.

Of course, Harang, being not picky, ate such food quite well.

Usually, such food was intentionally served as a form of punishment. The attendants, expecting Harang to be picky or to have difficulty eating, were quite taken aback when he devoured it with enthusiasm.

Despite his ability to eat almost anything, Harang naturally preferred properly cooked, delicious food.

In the Astera Continent, a noble’s meal was more than just sustenance—it played an important social role.

A meal could be a place to display wealth and honor, or, as in Harang’s case at the villa, a form of punishment.

One’s status and circumstances could be deduced from what and how they ate.

In this context, the table filled with soft veal smothered in colorful spices and an entremet with a cheese fountain could be seen as a ‘gift’ from Duke Kalel to Harang.

For dessert, they served spicy pastries filled with chicken and soft egg tarts.

“Does the food suit your taste?”

As he finished his dessert, the head chef personally came out to inquire.

While the meal was better than what he had eaten at the villa, it was honestly too rich for him.

The chef’s skills were excellent, but the flavors didn’t quite match Harang’s modern palate.

“It would be better if it were a bit spicier and saltier. And reduce the richness.”

“I’ll take note of that.”

“Oh, and add more garlic. The aroma is amazing.”

“Understood.”

It wasn’t difficult to find the spices he wanted. The kingdom protected a trading city where goods from all over the world were gathered, so they could procure anything if desired.

If he really wanted, he could even get kimchi, though he wasn’t craving it that much.

The chef was quite capable, and within a few days, he had found the flavor Harang wanted.

With his palate satisfied, his daily life became more peaceful and happy. Life was comfortable when all basic needs were met.

From the day he returned, Harang focused more on training his swordsmanship than on magic. Though he had gained plenty of real combat experience against Natalen over the past three months, his skills hadn’t developed much.

━━━━━━

[Sync Rate] …… 15.945%

[Magic Power 4 Core]

[Swordsmanship 4 Stars] [Magic 3 Stars] [Dragon Speech 2 Stars]

[Stamina 61] [Strength 62] [Agility 64]

──────────

Kaladan Swordsmanship

└ Third Form / Fifth Form / Dragon Sword Second Form

Descent of the Myth

Silver Heart: White Silver Sky Dragon Heart Technique

Eyes of Truth: One Truth Star

Tangakhyang Descent

──────────

Heir of the Hero / World’s Greatest Champion

Silver Dragon Contractor / Stigmata Curse

Conqueror of Another World

Unyielding Challenger

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

His stats had increased significantly, and his magic had grown quite a bit, but his swordsmanship had not improved as much.

‘The Sky Sword I learned before has eluded me since that day. Thanks to the insights from the Sky Sword, I was able to master the Dragon Sword, but…’

Since the day he first showed him the Sky Sword, Duke Kalel had not taught Harang anything further. Whether this was because there was no need or because he was deliberately withholding instruction, Harang didn’t know.

However, he had no intention of waiting indefinitely for the next lesson.

* * *

‘From that moment until now, there hasn’t been a single time I’ve forgotten the Sky Sword.’

The Sky Sword was not something that could be mastered simply by swinging a sword. In many ways, it was the swordsmanship that suited Harang best.

Image Training.

The Sky Sword was a state of divine unity with the sword that could only be reached through relentless mental visualization and contemplation.

Naturally, it wasn’t something that a 4-star swordsman who had just barely stepped into the ranks of a low-ranking knight could master.

So why had Duke Kalel taught Harang the essence of the Sky Sword first, even though he hadn’t fully matured yet?

‘…The Sky Sword is a technique that grows alongside me.’

When Harang first tried to mimic it, he could barely manage to stir the hem of Duke Kalel’s robe.

But once he fully understood what the Sky Sword was, he became able to imbue the sword with Dragon Speech.

Wind and lightning. He could now envelop his sword with mana infused with these elements and wield it, but that was just one of the techniques utilizing the Sky Sword—not the true Sky Sword.

‘The true Sky Sword is cutting the heavens with one’s heart.’

The Sky Sword that Duke Kalel had demonstrated back then was a blade of pure, untainted intent, devoid of any elemental attributes.

‘How is something like that even possible…?’

Mana, by its nature, was misty like fog, formless like an aurora, and constantly fluctuating. The idea of it being honed into something sharp was beyond imagination.

‘There’s no need to rush. The Sky Sword is a technique that’s meant to be slowly, steadily accumulated over time.’

Harang, who had been swinging a sword weighing several hundred kilograms hundreds of times, was now sitting down to take a break. As he meditated, drenched in sweat, he sensed someone’s presence and opened his eyes.

The training grounds of the Green White Palace were a private space, so it was rare for anyone to visit.

“Young Master. A mission directive has arrived.”

Harang, who had been anticipating this moment, rose from his seat with a pounding heart.

* * *

“You’ve arrived, Polden Harang. I’ll guide you to the Hall.”

The Cheongnok Hall, responsible for some of the palace’s administration, housed several facilities for assigning missions. Among them, the Hall was where missions were bestowed upon the bloodline members.

Sometimes alone.

Sometimes with a squad under their command.

And sometimes, leading an entire knight order, one would receive a mission in the Hall.

Harang arrived at the Hall alone. Considering that it was customary for young bloodline members like Polden to be accompanied by two or three troops, this was somewhat excessive.

‘I’m being tested in many ways.’

Upon entering the Hall, he found a vast chamber with a single desk, where a knight in uniform was waiting.

“You’ve come, Polden Harang.”

The hall was vast, but given that it was a place where the bloodline received missions that could not be revealed to the public, there wasn’t a single outsider in sight.

“My name is Liljed. Please, come over and have a seat.”

The one who greeted Harang was an old knight, Liljed. As a member of Kaladan’s intelligence organization, the “Cheonri Corps,” he was a knight so famous that even Harang had heard of him.

“Here, please accept the mission order.”

As soon as Harang received the mission order, he didn’t immediately open it. It was more important to first listen to the directive from the leader of the Cheonri Corps.

“Harang Polden, His Highness has described this mission as a kind of test. He has urged you not to use a certain portion of your power.”

“Hmm, would it be sufficient if I use the sword and refrain from using magic?”

Naturally, Harang thought so, but Liljed shook his head.

“There’s a note stating that you must complete the mission using only magic, without using your sword. It seems they want to assess how exceptional your magic is.”

“Only with magic…?”

It appeared that this was the first time Liljed had issued such a mission to a member of the bloodline, as his expression was one of curiosity. However, the order from Duke Kalel was absolute.

They had to accept it.

“The mission’s importance is classified as Grade 5, with a danger level of D. For a Four-Star Polden, it should be an easy task, but for a Three-Star mage, it might be a bit challenging.”

A mission with a danger level of D generally required either a squad of Three-Star knights or a platoon of Four-Star knights to complete it stably. Of course, exceptions were made for the “Polden” bloodline of Kaladan.

Even if they were the same Four-Star level, a Kaladan was far superior in swordsmanship and physical abilities compared to their peers, making them capable of handling a platoon-level mission alone.

‘Why would they require me to use only magic?’

A D-level danger mission was usually assigned to those in their late teens or early twenties.

Frankly, it wouldn’t be easy even if he were only allowed to use swordsmanship, yet they were demanding he use only magic. It was almost absurd to test magic within Kaladan, and the difficulty level seemed excessively high.

“The mission site is the Harana Canal. A mysterious group is allegedly trading ‘Honmokhwa’ on the black market there. Do you know what that is?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Honmokhwa is a plant that grows by absorbing negative emotions and dark magic. Only dark magicians can cultivate it. Your mission is to track down and eliminate these individuals.”

“…….”

Harang tilted his head in confusion upon realizing that the mission wasn’t related to Estelle. Since the quest had been assigned to him, he thought for sure that some event concerning Estelle would occur.

‘No, wait. Since this mission is supposed to be a test, it might be to determine whether I have the magical prowess necessary to carry out tasks related to Estelle.’

If that were the case, it implied that Estelle’s current whereabouts were likely hidden in a place strongly tied to magic.

In other words, if Harang failed to complete this mission using only magic, it meant he wouldn’t even be able to approach Estelle.

‘If it’s something like this, I can’t refuse…’

However, Harang couldn’t help but feel a bit suspicious about the mission’s difficulty.

When it came to drug trafficking, Harang’s mind naturally conjured images of mafia and gang organizations from movies, so he cautiously asked, “Isn’t this too dangerous for me? We don’t even know how powerful these dark magicians might be.”

“Based on our analysis, we don’t believe they’re that strong of a dark magician group.”

“Do you have any reasons for that?”

“Highly skilled dark magicians tend to be deeply rooted in society and receive support from nobles. They conduct drug trades discreetly within aristocratic social circles, making it difficult to trace. Furthermore, they have plenty of other means to secure funds without resorting to making drugs.”

In other words, a group that was risking dangerous black market deals in a big city like the Harana Canal likely wasn’t very high-level. That was the analysis from Kaladan’s intelligence department.

“We estimate that their leader is at most at the Four-Star level.”

Even so, a Four-Star opponent would be a sufficiently threatening and powerful foe for Harang.

However, Harang had a history of winning a sparring match against a Four-Star swordsman at just ten years old, despite only being a Two-Star himself.

Duke Kalel wanted to know.

Whether Harang’s talent extended to magic as well.

And if so, to what extent.

‘But still, defeating a Four-Star dark magician using only magic…’

Moreover, the enemy wasn’t just a single individual but a group.

‘This mission seems extremely challenging and difficult for me. But if I don’t pass this test, I won’t be able to take on any missions related to Estelle.’

Besides, there was one reason why this mission wasn’t entirely bad.

‘The Harana Canal… it’s definitely one of the places I needed to visit.’

During the nearly eight years that had passed, Harang had completed quite a few quests, but because he had been confined to the White Night Castle for most of that time, he hadn’t been able to properly collect his rewards.

There were no less than seven rewards marked on the map that he still hadn’t claimed.

And one of them, fortunately, was located at the Harana Canal.

‘The reward was part of the Summon Mail that Hero Kaladan used, if I remember correctly.’

Harang’s eyes sparkled.

Summon Mail—the symbol of a wealthy knight.

As an ancient relic, modern armor had become more convenient, but it was still difficult to don or remove it alone without the help of a squire.

Dwarf-made armor could be securely attached to the body with just the push of a button, making it possible to wear alone, but it still had to be carried around.

However, ‘Summon Mail’ was different.

It was stored in a subspace and could be summoned and worn instantly whenever the user desired.

Globally, there were very few owners of Summon Mail, and since each one had a registered codename and unique name, most users were publicly known.

But among the historically famous Summon Mails, there were some that had vanished by modern times.

One of them was the Kaladan’s Summon Mail, known as the ‘Alteris Armor.’

While all Summon Mails continuously consumed the wearer’s mana or, in the case of corrupted Dark Summon Mails, even their life force, the Alteris Armor of Kaladan was known for being particularly severe in this regard.

There were even records stating that even those with mana as vast as the ocean couldn’t endure the Alteris Armor for long.

‘In exchange for placing a heavy burden on the wearer, its performance was said to be exceptional.’

Harang clenched his fist tightly.

It was one of the items he wanted the most, and now the opportunity had presented itself.

The mission period was flexible.

During this time, Harang was determined to obtain the Alteris Armor at all costs.