Chapter 4
A mansion in Seoul.
“The Yaksha’s son was admitted to Lion’s Castle? Seol Su-Ah, that damn girl, has finally made a move—and she moved quickly before anyone noticed.” The old man’s movements as he poured the tea were rough.
“I heard that a National Treasure’s influence is powerful; even so, I didn’t expect her actions to go so smoothly. A lot of people find that Jae-Hyeok boy an annoying sight, after all.”
The middle-aged man sitting across from the old man replied, “It isn’t just a lot, it is the majority of people. The fact that they didn’t stop Seol Su-Ah is proof of the seriousness of the situation.”
The old man murmured, “Ever since the gate in Gangwon-do became like that, the growth rate of low-level players has noticeably slowed. At this rate, we won’t be able to replenish the number of talents striving for B-class for a while. I can understand others scrambling to add any remaining useful people to their side.”
“But”—the old man’s eyes sharpened—“the boy isn’t just some wolf cub. They’re raising a tiger in their own backyard. The fools.”
Tiger? The middle-aged man didn’t agree. Wasn’t the Yaksha’s son only a sixteen-year-old boy? Even if he graduated safely from Lion’s Castle, he would only be nineteen years old.
It was hard to call someone like that a tiger.
The old man read the middle-aged man’s thoughts and spoke, “In fact, I lost one of my Sword Demons to Kang Jae-Hyeok.”
“You what now?”
The middle-aged man doubted his ears. Sword Demons were masters of the sword among the advanced B-class players. Above all, their swordsmanship was ruthlessly practical, and they were accustomed to killing. They could be said to be the strongest among the B class when it came to single combat.
Seeing his shock, the old man added, “Sword Demons are still people, and their vitals are in the same place. How many tricks the boy used, what kind of condition the Sword Demon was in at the time—we can’t know.”
He set down his tea. “Still, we cannot underestimate the boy. He might have already developed an Initial Skill and activated his Initial Skill slot. If so, he’s already awakened as a player.”
The middle-aged man considered. “Even so, there are no records of him entering or exiting a gate prior to Lion’s Castle. He should be level 1, no?”
The reason players were strong was that they could raise their stats. And to increase their stats, it was necessary to enter gates, where they could hunt monsters or clear quests.
“The boy must have developed a high-grade Skill. With a high-grade Skill in his Initial Skill slot alongside the Kang Family’s sword-drawing technique—even a Sword Demon would be caught off guard.”
“For the boy's Initial Skill to be high grade… could it be a Bloodline Skill?”
The old man scoffed. “It’s impossible to grade the Kang family’s Bloodline Skill. If you think it’s merely high grade, you are much too naive.”
“In any case, if the boy developed a high-grade Skill, that’s still quite lucky.” The middle-aged man smiled, not daring to show frustration toward the old man’s insult.
“Hmph. You fail to grasp the chasm between high-grade Skills and Bloodline Skills, like the Kang family’s.” The old man’s voice rose. “No, of course you wouldn’t—you haven’t witnessed it. And unlike those heroes who immediately adapted to a new era and earned a dukedom, we were never chosen by destiny and blessed by her favor.”
The teacup in the old man’s hand shattered.
“No. We can’t give him time—get me the Kang boy immediately.”
“Yes!” The middle-aged man bowed and left.
Greed flashed in the old man’s eyes.
For two hundred years, the Kangs have kept their swordsmanship for themselves. No longer. It will be mine.
Soon, his family would also be blessed by the spirit of destiny.
***
In the hallway to a classroom.
As he followed along, Jae-Kyeok said, “It is nice that the food here is delicious.”
How many bowls has he eaten since morning?
Kim Jin-Myeong frowned and glanced at Jae-Hyeok, who was stroking his slightly swollen stomach. As a teacher, he had no idea how someone from a family that had produced two traitors managed to enter Lion’s Castle.
It is said that anyone with the qualifications is admitted to Lion’s Castle, but there are still limits…And he just happens to be in the class that I am in charge of... Damn, I feel like I’ve stepped in a pile of shit.
Duke Kang’s family stood on the brink of political collapse, and they were surrounded by all kinds of wolves and vultures. There was nothing good about being mixed up with them.
No matter how he stands out in the future—good or bad—I’ll end up in a bad position. Any attention on him will become attention on me.
How could he teach with this curse looming over him? Kim Jin-Myeong grumbled as the two arrived before a classroom door.
First Year, Class B.
It was the class that Jae-Hyeok would belong to for the next year.
Kim Jin-Myeong entered the class first and informed the students, “You have a new classmate.”
Immediately, there was a commotion among the students. A transfer student had shown up only ten days after the entrance ceremony, so it was understandable to be interested.
All the more so because this was Class B.
The average age of the Class B students was only nineteen years old, yet every one of them was an awakener. It was a class made up of geniuses who had already developed a Skill and awakened in their late teens to early twenties.
Although Class B was inferior compared to Class A—whose average age of Awakened students was sixteen—it wasn’t by much. “Is an incredible person coming again?”
“I’m not happy that the number of competitors is increasing.”
As the students’ attention focused on him, Kim Jin-Myeong called Kang Jae-Hyeok into the classroom, and the bustling room suddenly fell silent.
“Wow, he is so handsome.”
“He is so tall. Is he a model?”
There was a flood of admiration, but that admiration soon turned to anxiety.
“By the way, what’s wrong with his eyes?”
“He looks so fierce. Is he a thug?”
“He’s so young. Shouldn’t he be in Class A instead of B?”
“The corners of his mouth are lowering. Is he angry?”
“He has a triangular mouth. Is he a cat?”
What do you mean by cat!?
In any case, this was how many students reacted to Jae-Hyeok. He had a beautiful appearance, but his eyes and expression were terrible.
“Look at this guy’s broad shoulders. He was born with good physical strength.”
“His hands are full of calluses and wounds.”
A smaller number of students weren’t seduced by Jae-Hyeok’s face and were instead interested in his disciplined body.
As expected, there are some students with discerning eyes who are worthy of being in the high-level Class B.
However, all of them still looked like chicks in Jae-Hyeok’s eyes.
There’s no one here with good balance. And they get free tuition? What a waste of money. Do the students lack talent, or do the teachers lack skill? They might as well raise the nobles’ stipends…
Jae-Hyeok’s face was full of grumpiness.
A voice broke through the clamor.
“K-Kang Jae-Hyeok?”
It was as Kim Jin-Myeong expected. Someone recognized the transfer student almost immediately.
The unexpected thing, however, was that it was the esteemed young lady of the Guardian Guild, Park Hae-Rin.
“Kang Jae-Hyeok?” The other students reacted with uncertainty.
They couldn’t clearly remember who he was even after hearing the name. After all, the media had intensively covered the news of Duke Kang’s family, but that was eight years ago.
In more recent years, it was still mentioned once in a while, but it was especially rare for the media to openly highlight the youngest son of Duke Kang, who was a minor.
How did she recognize him right away? Kim Jin-Myeong tilted his head as his gaze focused on Park Hae-Rin.
Hae-Rin had already turned her head back to the window.
“Ah! Kang Jae-Hyeok!”
“The youngest son of Kang Dae-Guk?”
One by one, the students started to figure it out, and they whispered to each other about a family of incompetents, traitors, and terrorists.
Kang Jae-Hyeok—the son of Kang Dae-Guk, who incurred public resentment due to humiliating diplomacy, and the younger brother of Kang Dae-Seong and Kang Hyeon-Ah, who plotted a coup.
Kim Jin-Myeong suddenly felt much lighter. Yes, there’s no way the students will welcome such a person. He’ll probably leave once he’s gone through a couple months of hellish school life.
Kim Jin-Myeong urged Jae-Hyeok. “Well? Why aren’t you introducing yourself? Are you trying to waste the other students’ class time?”
Jae-Hyeok stared at the name tags on the chests of those who dared to say that his father was incompetent or engaged in humiliating diplomacy.
I’m sick of this.
He’d thought he had become used to the cold gazes of hostility and contempt, but he was mistaken. Jae-Hyeok’s old anger, which had already resurfaced once after the incident a few days ago, flared up again.
“Hello, I’m Kang Jae-Hyeok.” He laughed. Of course, he intended to hide his feelings as best he could. The night before, Jae-Hyeok had familiarized himself with the school rules. He didn’t want to receive a penalty for causing an incident on the first day of school.
He would do his best to behave.
“I come from a noble lineage.”
“...?”
The students were a bit taken aback by the sudden announcement.
“So… ” He paused, trying to pick his words and express himself in a delicate manner. “My personality is too great to stand back and watch as random bastards insult my father to my face.”
“...”
“Lee Jin-Seong, Cheon Hye-Ji, and Du Bae-Su, please meet me the moment class is over. I want to tear off your limbs right now, but it’s class time. Since there’s a misunderstanding between us, I think it’s best that we talk it out well as soon as possible, so we can all start the semester off right. Oh, and… ” Jae-Hyeok looked around at the other students. “Any other idiots who are dissatisfied with Duke Kang should also come to me separately to be educated about my family.”
Father, look at me. I am working hard like you’d want me to. I promise to spread our good name.
I’ll also make friends as Butler Hwang advised. Knowing it was also what his father would want, Jae-Hyeok tried to smile at his peers. It was something he’d practiced in the mirror this morning.
“I’ll be in your care!”
The class collectively flinched.
“Ah, also, you can curse Kang Dae-Seong and Kang Hyeon-Ah without asking for my permission. I’ve wanted to curse them a hundred times a day but felt lonely without anyone to share it with. Now we can all do it together.”
“...”
It was weird to see Jae-Hyeok smiling and talking nonsense.
As the students were filled with a strange tension, Kim Jin-Myeong shouted in a trembling voice, “Kang Jae-Hyeok will be given ten demerit points!”
What?
How long had it been since Jae-Hyeok last had a proper conversation with so many people? It was also his first time socializing with his peers. Jae-Hyeok had been chattering excitedly without realizing it. Now he was shocked and stunned.
Kim Jin-Myeong glared at him.
“Just look at you. You have no control.” Kim Jin-Myeong turned and spoke to the entire class, “All of you have already gained a Skill at a young age and awakened as a player. You will become stronger than you can imagine over the next three years—becoming at least D-class at the time of graduation, some even C-class or higher. What do you think will happen if such a powerful person can’t control themselves?”
Jae-Hyeok, whose mouth had dropped open after receiving the demerit points, reflexively replied, “...You mean like Kang Dae-Seong and Kang Hyeon-Ah?”
Kim Jin-Myeong was prepared to speak longer according to the answer, but even he was left speechless. He’d never imagined that Jae-Hyeok would speak and bring up his own siblings’ names as an example. It was an answer that he couldn’t even deny. “Y-you know this yet you still want to intimidate your classmates? You even do so openly in front of me, your teacher!? The way you so brazenly show your lack of upbringing is beyond abhorrent. You have no shame and I would expel you on the spot if I had the authority!” Kim Jin-Myeog’s face was boiling red.
“...”
The students were stiff—Lee Jin-Seong, Cheon Hye-Ji, and Du Bae-Su in particular as Jae-Hyeok continued to glare at them as if deciding how to dice them up.
Here the homeroom teacher was, giving a lecture to the side of Jae-Hyeok’s face, yet he continued threatening the students without even trying to reflect on himself.
“Hey! Hey, you! What the hell are you doing!?” It looked like steam might blast out of Kim Jin-Myeong’s ears at any moment. It was no wonder. His words were going in one ear and out the other.
The students whispered among each other.
“Does he have nothing to lose, or what?”
“He’s the son of Kang Dae-Guk. What do you think he has to lose? Why is someone like this in our class?”
“In the first place, why did these bastards talk shit about someone else’s father?”
After some point, a sharp voice cut through the classroom’s chaos. It was Park Hae-Rin. “Isn’t class starting? I don’t want to waste any more time.”
Kim Jin-Myeong managed to come to his senses and gestured aggressively between Jae-Hyeok and a section of empty seats.
“...down… sit… ” Kim Jin-Myeong said between breaths.
“Wow, he’s actually making huffing sounds.”
“If this keeps up, isn’t Jae-Hyeok really going to kill someone soon?”
The eyes of the first-year Class B students turned dark. Surely this couldn’t happen every day… everything had been so peaceful until now…
“By the way”—Jae-Hyeok suddenly looked at Kim Jin-Myeong—“I haven’t awakened yet?”
‘All of you have already gained a skill at a young age and awakened as a player…’ just now, Kim Jin-Myeong had spoken those words as if the whole class had awakened as players. Jae-Hyeok only let the unimportant things flow in one ear and out the other. As for important words like those, Jae-Hyeok wouldn’t miss it.
Kim Jin-Myeong replied, “What are you saying? If you haven’t awakened, why did you come to Class B?”
“Huh? You guys are the ones who brought me here.”
“Y-you guys? How dare you call your teachers ‘you guys’?”
“Like you said, I haven’t been educated.” Jae-Hyeok waved his hand as if to brush away a minor detail. “Anyway, I haven’t awakened yet. Should I even be here?”
Kim Jin-Myeong was troubled in many ways. From the moment he met Jae-Hyeok until now, he had been getting more and more upset.
Yes, please don’t be an awakener.
If Jae-Hyeok wasn’t an awakener, then this person could disappear from his eyes. With this desperate hope in mind, Kim Jin-Myeong opened the student record book—only for his expression to distort.
“It’s written that you are green?”
The word ‘green’ made some students laugh. Jae-Hyeok examined those students’ name tags before he asked Kim Jin-Myeong, “What does that mean?”
“You should know! Didn’t you have a magic power measurement done when you entered Lion’s Castle?”
“Ah... That?” Jae-Hyeok recalled the milky bead that the chairman had handed him. “What about it?”
“Magic power measuring instruments are broadly divided into three types. One type is for testing beginners, one for active players, and one for National Treasure reviews. We use the beginner-level one on our freshmen to determine if their Initial Skill slot and stats are activated; the bead also roughly evaluates the potential of the student—and a green result proves that you have the potential to be a D-class player.”
“So I’m green?” Jae-Hyeok asked, trying to recall what had happened the night before.
He’d held the bead in his hand but... did it turn green? He hadn’t checked it properly because he was captivated by the chairman’s eyes. In the first place, he hadn’t awakened so he wasn’t all that interested in the result of the magic bead.
He couldn’t help repeating, “But why am I green?”
“You are green because your result is green! Dammit! Yellow, green, blue, red, and black! The beginner’s magic power measurement instrument evaluates a player’s potential in five colors. And the closer it is to black, the higher the chances of becoming a high-level player player! You. Are. Green.”
“But, I’m not a player?”
“...”
Kim Jin-Myeong felt his soul escaping its mortal coil. His vision was cloudy and his consciousness blurred. Kim Jin-Myeong roared, “Just shut up and sit DOOOWWWN!”
“Sigh... You’re too hot-tempered.”
“Aaack! Aaaaack!”
“...”
He must be doing it on purpose. The students gained an understanding of Kang Jae-Hyeok’s personality and slowly averted their gazes.
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