The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 25

The guards tilted their heads as they cleaned up the raid site.

“What’s this?”

“Huh, I found some over here as well.”

They’d found a number of wide pouches scattered throughout the swamp. Each one was flat but not thin, and each was heavy.

They counted at least fourteen of them, and combined together, they weighed as much as an adult male.

“Oh, that’s mine.” Jae-Hyeok popped up as the guards were about to open the pouches. “Thanks for finding it.”

Like magic, the fourteen heavy pouches disappeared under Jae-Hyeok’s clothes.

“Uh? Uhh?”

“Keep up the good work, you two,” Jae-Hyeok said before returning to where he stood watching them.

***

Jae-Hyeok would’ve found it cumbersome to find all the body weights that had been scattered throughout the swamp. Luckily, the guards in charge of cleaning the raid site had helped. With their hard work, Jae-Hyeok hadn’t needed to lift a finger to find all of his body weights.

It was nice to live in a world where everyone worked together.

As the guards were having a hard time in the swamp, Jae-Hyeok moved back to the forest.

He swung his sword and measured the increase in his stats. After a while, he stopped.

I should wash up and eat. He needed nutrients to restore his body. That way, he could train again at night.

......

Clean and hungry, Jae-Hyeok entered the cafeteria to find that the atmosphere around him had changed.

Many of the students eating or waiting in line for food glanced at Jae-Hyeok and whispered to each other.

The only thing they shared in common was that they were all first-year students. They were the ones who first heard the news about Jae-Hyeok’s performance.

A student in Class B had actually performed better than the students in Class A.

It was even rumored that his contribution was higher than that of the three teachers.

Was it true?

The students didn’t believe everything that was said, but they still stared at Jae-Hyeok fervently.

The rumor that he was number one in the raid contribution might be exaggerated, but that he took the lead in saving other students was probably true.

Grilled ribs, bulgogi, barbecue, beef wellington, chicken, and Dongpo pork.’

Meanwhile, Jae-Hyeok was distracted thinking about food. He was focused on stacking meat onto his two plates.

Baek Do-Jin approached him. Noticing the strange looks directed at Jae-Hyeok, he said, “Kang Jae-Hyeok, you’ve finally become an outcast.”

Do-Jin’s expression was sympathetic. “Don’t worry too much. No matter how badly the other students tease and harass you, it’s bearable once you get used to it. If you can’t stand it, beat them up once in a while. That’ll make them quiet for a few days. But then you’ll find thumbtacks on your chairs and graffiti on your desk. Still, it’s fine. You can just carry a cushion and water bottle... ”

“Huh? What was that?” Jae-Hyeok looked up from his plates.

Seeing that Jae-Hyeok wasn’t listening, Do-Jin raised his voice to be heard, “Never mind. Hey, let’s eat together! Food tastes better when you eat with someone else.”

He, the mad dog of the second years, had always eaten alone because no one dared to approach his table. It was fortunate that Jae-Hyeok was around now.

Jae-Hyeok moved toward the cafeteria tables, and he hurriedly followed. But Do-Jin’s eyes soon started twitching. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Jae-Hyeok! Come here and sit down.”

“Jae-Hyeok, why don’t you come this way? I left a seat for you.”

Do-Jin stood dumbfounded as dozens of people urged Jae-Hyeok to put him aside and join them.

Why?

“Why? Everyone avoids me, so why not you?”

Weren’t people like him and Jae-Hyeok both supposed to be shunned? Do-Jin was confused by the difference in treatment, and he quickly became angry.

He couldn’t help shouting, “What the hell, how am I different from you? I-is it my face? Damn this world! The world shouldn’t be like this? This is unfair!!”

Ignoring the others, Jae-Hyeok turned back to Do-Jin, "What are you doing standing there? The soup is getting cold. Come quickly.”

“Uh, I’m coming.”

Baek Do-Jin’s anger disappeared like melting snow.

***

“That’s when Jae-Hyeok... ”

What? He identified the boss’ weak point the moment he arrived at the raid site and attacked it consecutively?

“Then Jae-Hyeok again... ”

He rode the Leech King like a horse?

“Like thiiiiis!”

“He created five weak points?” Do-Jin was distracted by the absurd conversations happening around him—so much so that he didn’t know whether the food was going into his mouth or his nose.

Finally, Do-Jin stood from his seat and rose to his full height, which was around the same height as the student sitting next to him.

He looked at Jae-Hyeok seriously. “Kang Jae-Hyeok! As expected of the one who knocked me out ten times over the weekend. You are the man I acknowledge!”

Do-Jin had no doubts about Jae-Hyeok’s performance during the raid.

Someone asked, “Hey, you’re the guy that borrowed the potion, right? Was it because Jae-Hyeok hit you?”

“N-no?”

Da-Hee spoke then, “In any case, don’t forget to pay back the potion.”

“Yes, we’ll be on the same team from now on. So I’ll have many chances to pay it back.”

Da-Hee nodded as a deep enthusiasm sparked in her eyes. She was happy to be able to train with Jae-Hyeok in the future due to his great skills.

I will work hard and not let this opportunity go to waste. She clenched her fist and vowed.

Yoo-Jin looked at Da-Hee worriedly. She couldn’t help thinking, I know they’re great, but their personalities are a bit...

Anyone could see that Kang Jae-Hyeok and Baek Do-Jin weren’t normal people. Yoo-Jin was already worried if Da-Hee could get along with them.

It would be lucky if Da-Hee didn’t end up getting another potion taken away.

Jae-Hyeok saw the pensive expression on Yoo-Jin’s face and suggested, “If you’re worried about your friend, why don’t you join our team?”

“Uh? Really?”

“Really. Do you think I would talk nonsense?”

Jae-Hyeok liked Yoo-Jin.

He had seen traces of her fighting as hard as Da-Hee at the raid site, standing until the end while other students fled. She was a trustworthy person.

“That’s great, Yoo-Jin!”

Da-Hee was happy for her. However, Yoo-Jin shook her head.

“Thanks for the offer, but I refuse. I don’t want to hold Da-Hee back.”

Kang Jae-Hyeok, Chae Da-Hee, and Baek Do-Jin—Jae-Hyeok’s team already had three swordsmen. Yoo-Jin was a warrior and would only ruin the balance if she joined.

“Jae-Hyeok and Da-Hee, your amazing abilities mean that you don’t need tankers, but a healer or support is essential. Between the two, a support would be best since they can also maximize your abilities—”

“My name is Baek Do-Jin.”

“Huh? Yes.”

“My name is Baek Do-Jin.”

“......?”

Yoo-Jin stared in confusion, but Da-Hee quickly caught on and soothed Do-Jin’s unruly temper. “Y-yes. We don't need a tanker with me, Kang Jae-Hyeok, and Do-Jin’s skills.”

“......” ƒгeewebnovёl.com

As she watched Da-Hee break out in a cold sweat, Yoo-Jin’s gaze deepend. She thought, The last person to enter their team should also be a normal person.

In Yoo-Jin’s eyes, Kang Jae-Hyeok’s team composition was one of the best. They might not be able to compete against a team made entirely of second-year Class A students or teams with National Treasure candidates, but they were a force capable of landing in the top rankings.

What they really needed was someone who could suppress any internal conflict between the team members as much as possible.

Was there someone suitable?

Yoo-Jin was thinking this when the surroundings turned dead quiet, and she came to her senses.

“Ah... ” Yoo-Jin quickly spotted the cause.

An appearance that was beautiful and sacred.

A silver-haired, fair-skinned boy with beautiful features was approaching them.

It had a bigger impact on the other students than when Jae-Hyeok appeared. Interest in the silver-haired boy didn’t discriminate between year levels.

He was the heir to the great Shinra family, a National Treasure candidate, and a great beauty. Thousands of students silently expressed their awe at the sight of the future of South Korea.

“Shinra Kyeong... ”

However, the response from the first-year Class A students wasn’t that great. During the Leech King raid, how many people were in crisis due to Shinra Kyeong disappearing?

Some people were on the brink of death, while others were left with the guilt of abandoning their comrades for the rest of their lives.

“Wow. They are out of their minds. Hey, are you guys seriously planning to fight that monster?”

Baek Do-Jin admired the Class A students as the atmosphere turned ugly. He muttered something incomprehensible like, “I guess all those invite Jae-Hyeok to eat with them must be similar.”

“W-what.” The Class A students looked shaken and shrank back. It seemed they came to their senses thanks to Baek Do-Jin’s nonsense.

Chae Da-Hee opened her mouth and asked, “Why were you absent from the raid?”

It was an honest question, not an accusation. Da-Hee had a strong sense of justice and didn’t carelessly doubt Shinra Kyeong, who should’ve taken the lead in saving the other students before anyone else.

She gave him a chance to plead his case in front of everyone.

However, Shinra Kyeong didn’t even look at her.

From the moment he first appeared until now, his blue eyes were only fixed on Kang Jae-Hyeok.

He asked, “Why did you bother to help them?”

Shinra Kyeong’s questioning tone was strange. The already scary atmosphere froze in an instant.

Thinking quickly, Yoo-Jin helped Da-Hee up. “Let’s get out of here.” Many people envied the aristocracy, but Yoo-Jin knew that Da-Hee’s feelings were special.

For Da-Hee, the aristocracy were the stars that illuminated her dreams and directed her path forward. However, the world wasn’t as beautiful as Da-Hee thought. Many of the aristocracy were different from Kang Dae-Guk. Yoo-Jin didn’t want Da-Hee to face that truth just yet.

A young girl’s pure dream could easily become tainted.

Fortunately, Shinra Kyeong leaned close to Jae-Hyeok and raised a barrier with his magic, so only Jae-Hyeok heard his next words.

“They’re fools. They touched a monster they shouldn’t have touched and invited a fight that could’ve been avoided. They believed purely in my strength and became greedy.

“They should’ve paid the price. The death of a few fools would have been an opportunity for dozens more to wake up and change their thinking. However, they easily survived after you stepped up and will repeat the same mistake in the future.”

His blue eyes concentrated on Jae-Hyeok. They seemed to exude a determination to illuminate the darkness of the world.

Jae-Hyeok replied, “Is the Saint’s mouth so rude? Your first impression isn’t very good. You make my ears feel like they’re going to rot, so speak a little less, okay?”

“You think I’m talking nonsense? Then, recall the failure of your own father, Duke Kang Dae-Guk. You’ve watched from the side, seen how he was treated for the past eight years despite dedicating his life to serving the ignorant people.”

“You... ”

Shinra Kyeong continued, “Your beliefs are wrong, and your father personally proved it. He sacrificed himself to help the weak and educate the foolish, and what did he get for it? The label of failure and the stigma of incompetence. If you don’t want to follow in your father's footsteps, then... ”

Shinra Kyeong’s words stopped halfway.

He was distracted by Jae-Hyeok’s black eyes, which lacked any hint of brown. It felt as if his determination to illuminate a new world was being sucked into those black eyes.

Then, a sword silently approached him.

Jae-Hyeok had suddenly used the sword-drawing technique from a sitting position. Nevertheless, it was much faster than when he’d attacked the Leech King.

Shinra Kyeong couldn’t help being stunned.