Genius Gamer Reborn into a Family of Heroes

Chapter 72

The Tyrant’s Potential

“This mission is of utmost importance, ranked as a top-tier priority with an undetermined level of difficulty, and it’s being handled with special care by the family.”

As Aran pulled out a staff and tossed it into the air, a screen unfurled below, with text appearing on it.

‘Wow, a projector?’

Unlike a regular projector, the letters were emerging directly from the screen itself.

It resembled a modern television.

Harang once again realized that this world’s magic was capable of replicating modern technology.

“Let me start by giving you the keyword. Polden Harang, your target is an artifact known as ‘Estelle.’ It’s an ancient relic, said to grant extraordinary power to its possessor. However… that’s only what’s on the surface.”

With a tap of Aran’s staff, the screen switched to the next page.

‘Huh?’

Displayed on the screen was a reference image, showing a massive, silver dragon coiled around an ancient stone carving.

“The truth is, if one were to gather all the pieces of ‘Estelle,’ it’s said that the Dragon King of the Moon and the strongest guardian, Kalantatis, would awaken.”

“Kaladan’s guardian, right?”

“…No.”

Aran shook his head with a grim expression.

“Kalantatis’ last contractor was Hero Kaladan, but calling him the family’s guardian is inaccurate. He hasn’t chosen a successor in ages, nor has he appeared in the world.”

While it was widely believed that the Dragon King Kalantatis protected Kaladan, that was simply a misunderstanding.

That’s what Aran was explaining.

“If someone in this world were to gather all of Estelle, it is said that Kalantatis would form a contract with them. That’s the legend passed down.”

“…?”

Harang looked baffled.

“Is it possible for a guardian to contract with more than one person?”

“No. A guardian can only have one contractor.”

If that were the case, this talk seemed meaningless.

‘Kalantatis already made a contract with me.’

It was clearly written in his status window that he was the contractor of Kalantatis, and he could fully wield the powers that came with it.

In fact, thanks to Kalantatis’ guidance, he’d even been granted quests and blessings tied to his previous life’s system… So, it was safe to say he was already enjoying all the privileges and benefits of this contract.

“With the current clash between the Three Great Sword Families, the Four Great Noble Families, and the Five Great Magic Houses, many believe that the faction that secures Kalantatis as their guardian will become the most powerful.”

Harang fell deep into thought. Aran assumed he was taking this situation seriously.

“All the forces of the world are moving in pursuit of Estelle. Do you understand now how important this mission is, Polden Harang?”

Harang quickly skimmed through the mission briefing displayed on the screen. His task was to track down the whereabouts of Estelle, hidden somewhere within the Magic School of Arniel.

The quest window indicated that acquiring it was possible, but the directive didn’t say anything about having to obtain it.

No matter how skilled Kaladan might be, they thought it was an impossible task for fourteen-year-old Harang.

‘How well could they have hidden it if they’re sending a family member just to investigate?’

As Harang slowly skimmed through the directive again, something felt off. He returned to the part he had read earlier.

“Magic School, Arniel….”

He slightly furrowed his brow and looked at Lilzer.

“Is this the place I’m thinking of?”

“Yes. It’s the Arniel, known as the world’s most prestigious magic academy.”

Arniel was a place even Harang had heard of.

No matter how royal or noble one might be, if they lacked talent, Arniel would expel them without mercy. However, if one had talent, even a commoner could be accepted.

Of course, most commoners couldn’t withstand the bullying from the nobles and often fled, but there were a few famous cases where a commoner persevered and became a great mage.

“Even so, do you really think I can get into a place like that? The Harana Canal was no big deal since I didn’t have to show my face much, but a magic school is bound to have complicated identity verification procedures, right?”

“Polden Harang has grown rapidly since the age of ten, and your appearance has changed significantly. Almost no one, aside from key figures in Kaladan, remembers what you currently look like. Also, you have exceptional talent in magic, so there should be no issue.”

Aran stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“It would be a lie to say I’m not worried about your identity being discovered.”

His expression revealed his doubts about assigning such a crucial mission to a mere fourteen-year-old boy.

But those doubts were soon washed away by his stronger sense of loyalty.

“Polden Harang will use a false identity, and during the mission, you’ll have to completely set aside the sword. As a Kaladan, that will be difficult, but it’s all for the greater cause.”

“Hm, that’s fine. Anyway, I have other methods to continue training in swordsmanship… My bigger concern is about my identity.”

“There are two ways to address your identity. One is to continue using the commoner magician identity of ‘Days’ that you used before. The other is to borrow the identity of a noble from a vassal magic family.”

There were numerous large and small vassal families unknown to Kaladan, many of which were magic families.

Finding a student around Harang’s age at Arniel wouldn’t have been an impossible task.

However… even so, this seemed too flimsy. No matter which option he chose, wouldn’t he ultimately have to show his face?

“Are you worried about your disguise being seen through?”

“Hmm, it’s not so much worry… I think my grandfather has a different intention.”

“A different intention… you say?”

Aran glanced at Duke Kalel. When he nodded, Harang continued speaking.

“While I stayed at White Night Castle, I didn’t completely avoid contact with outsiders. Even though four years have passed and much has changed, it’s hard to believe that no one from the Honorary Sword Meeting would remember me.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Also, I’ve been more active outside lately… It feels like this mission was designed for me to get caught on purpose.”

“…!”

Harang’s words carried the risk of tarnishing Kalel’s honor, so Aran took a deep breath.

Kalel hadn’t said anything yet, making Aran even more cautious as he tried to reason with Harang.

“Are you suggesting that His Highness gave you a mission meant to fail on purpose? That couldn’t possibly be true.”

“Being discovered doesn’t necessarily mean the mission has failed.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Think about it. Imagine a commoner boy suddenly appears at Arniel, showing extraordinary talent that surpasses the Five Great Magic Families. Of course, Arniel would push to take credit for such an achievement, eager to claim it as their own success.”

A genius magician emerges from Arniel’s Magic School!

It would undoubtedly become a hot topic, and Arniel wouldn’t leave such a prodigy alone.

“But then, surprise! It turns out he’s from Kaladan. What do you think will happen to Arniel when this is revealed?”

“Well, that’s… quite…”

Aran couldn’t help but lift the corner of his lips in response to Harang’s question.

“…It would be interesting.”

Kaladan secretly infiltrating Arniel to receive training would no longer be an embarrassing matter. Instead, it would humiliate the entire magic community when Kaladan demonstrated talents superior to the Five Great Magic Families.

Moreover, now that his identity was revealed, Arniel couldn’t easily touch Harang. In fact, they would be forced to protect his identity, likely assigning guards to ensure his safety.

If Harang were to be harmed or killed at Arniel, war would break out immediately…

From the start, if Arniel had known Harang was from Kaladan, they would’ve thrown him out. But since he had already enrolled under a false identity, they had no way to expel him now.

Historically, no family renowned for swordsmanship had ever secretly enrolled in a magic school, so Arniel had no contingency for such a situation.

“Are you saying His Highness considered all of this in advance…?”

At Aran’s question, Duke Kalel smiled slightly and nodded.

“That’s right. To be precise, it was Taran’s idea. He suggested that if we were sending one of our bloodline, we should shake things up as much as possible. It was quite an appealing plan.”

At Kalel’s praise, Taran bowed his head in gratitude.

“As expected of my youngest grandson. You understood the essence of the plan at once. So, what do you think? Can you handle it?”

There was no need for words.

Harang, feeling his heart race and excitement rising within him, answered with eyes gleaming.

“It seems like it’ll be a very enjoyable mission.”

“Enjoyable… that’s an unusual way to describe it.”

When Duke Kalel stroked his beard, Harang’s eyes sparkled as he uttered a very famous phrase, one that had been his personal motto during his pro-gaming days.

“‘If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.’ That’s what I think.”

At that, Duke Kalel’s eyes widened. While it was an incredibly famous saying on Earth, particularly in Korea, where even the elderly and children knew it, it was unfamiliar in this world.

Believing that this mindset was entirely Harang’s own, Duke Kalel, finding it very much to his liking, raised the corners of his lips and burst into a hearty laugh.

“Kahaha! I’ve learned something good from my youngest grandson once again. Yes, your mindset is excellent. If you successfully complete this mission and return, I will teach you a sword technique as a reward.”

Harang barely suppressed the smile that was about to form and bowed his head.

‘It seems using Kyle to pull off that emotional act worked perfectly. Given my young age, this kind of approach still works…’

Use it to its fullest while it still works!

That was Harang’s mindset.

‘Someday, I’ll learn my grandfather’s swordsmanship, but I don’t want to wait until then.’

He was impatient, wanting to learn at least a bit of swordsmanship from the world’s strongest swordsman as soon as possible, so he had forcibly created this opportunity.

While Duke Kalel seemed to place great importance on the basics of swordsmanship, Harang thought differently. Though foundational skills were important, he believed that the more varied techniques one could use, the better their chances of winning in real combat.

Therefore—

Harang planned to take full advantage of the fact that Kalel felt even the slightest bit of “guilt” toward him as his grandson, and extract as much as he could.

“And… there’s one more thing I’d like to ask of you, Grandfather.”

Deliberately emphasizing the word “Grandfather,” Harang watched as Kalel’s interest piqued. Had any of his children ever made a “request” of him?

Probably not.

Harang had anticipated this, exploiting the emotional gap he could aim for!

“Go on, tell me.”

“If it’s not too much trouble… I would like to see the Sacred Sword Terandal again.”

“!”

At Harang’s request, Aran, who was standing behind Kalel, was even more shocked. Taran, who had been silently standing on the left, also seemed quite surprised, glancing at the Duke to gauge his reaction.

The Sacred Sword Terandal was a holy treasure of the family, something only the head of the Kaladan family could manage and wield. For a fourteen-year-old blood relative to ask to see such an artifact…

“Haha, very well.”

“…!!”

But unexpectedly, Duke Kalel readily agreed.

“Are you sure about this?” Aran asked cautiously. Kalel, seemingly amused by the thought, nodded with a faint smile.

“Of course, it’s fine.”

Harang could also guess what Kalel was thinking.

‘He’s someone who greatly appreciates the desire to grow…’
There was no way the meeting with the Sacred Sword Terandal would be denied. This was because, like Harang, Kalel also respected those who had a desire for strength.

Even if someone’s current level seemed insignificant, as long as they strived to grow, he would honor their will.

And—

Though Harang might not know it—

Duke Kalel was immensely pleased at the moment.

To face the Sacred Sword again.

That meant Harang was requesting to test himself a second time.

‘Ha, His Grace is extremely delighted. Well, it’s not surprising, considering that no one in the family has ever challenged Terandal again after failing…’

The avatar of Terandal possessed strength that matched its opponent’s level.

If someone was at the 1-star or 2-star level, they could subdue it. But as one progressed beyond that, it became increasingly difficult.

When 3-star blood relatives fought against the avatar, more than 50% were defeated. When 4-star relatives faced it, over 90% lost.

From 5 stars onward… the number of blood relatives who had ever beaten the avatar was almost nonexistent.

It was peculiar. The avatar of Terandal only used the Kaladan’s basic swordsmanship. Yet, many blood relatives, who had mastered various sword techniques and developed advanced secret arts with time, often found themselves humbled and defeated by Terandal.

As a result, in modern times, blood relatives who reached the 4-star level or higher no longer challenged Terandal.

Losing to an avatar that only employed basic swordsmanship was considered an unbearable humiliation.

Duke Kalel had never once forbidden anyone from challenging the Sacred Sword Terandal. Yet, the fact that Harang had to ask so cautiously meant that everyone had assumed it was an unspoken rule not to challenge it anymore.

The disgraceful offspring, who were so afraid of failure that they didn’t even have the will to face Terandal.

In the midst of them, Harang’s burning determination stood out, making him all the more precious in Kalel’s eyes.

‘If he challenges Terandal, which uses only basic swordsmanship, and wins, it means that his own swordsmanship is sharp enough not to rely on techniques alone…’

Aran, recognizing the value of Harang’s challenge, nodded with approval. Seeing the favorable gleam in Aran’s eyes, Harang found the situation slightly amusing.

‘The fact that just challenging it brings favor because no one else has dared…’

How ridiculous was this situation?

Even professional gamers on Earth constantly faced challenges without fearing failure.

It wasn’t as if losing to Terandal would lead to death, but they were so scared of tarnishing their pride and honor that they avoided the challenge.

“Do you want to go right now?”

“Yes, please.”

“Very well. I’ll have everything prepared.”

“Thank you.”

Kalel gestured to Taran with a smile. Whether Harang succeeded or failed in his challenge, it was certain to serve as a great motivator for the other descendants.

“However, my youngest grandson, you do know that in order to meet the Sacred Sword Terandal… you must first bear the ‘punishment’ given to you?”

Harang grinned confidently.

“Yes, I will wash away my sins completely before I face it.”