The Duke's Son :Re

Chapter 44

A dead monster was little different from a sack of money.

Whether it was the magic stone, muscles, bones, or blood—monster corpses had a place on the market. There was even a demand for the hair or internal organs in some cases.

Hobgoblin corpses had relatively little use, but even then they sold at a price of 2 million won. Of course, that was the market price for the corpse in an intact state.

All the hobgoblins that Jae-Hyeok had killed either had body parts cut off or muscles and bones dissolved by poison. Some of the most severely poisoned ones were so decomposed that even the magic stone was tainted. Those had no worth at all.

Above all, this was an emergency; it was possible that the hobgoblins’ master was rushing over as they spoke.

They couldn’t waste time trading damaged corpses.

However, Department Manager Gu obediently agreed. “I understand. I’ll buy them all.”

It was thanks to Jae-Hyeok’s performance that everyone in his group was safe. Other than the arrow imbued with concealment magic that had struck his shoulder, the rest of the employees survived the ambush without a scratch. Considering this, Jae-Hyeok’s attitude of selling garbage and expecting them to show sincerity was acceptable.

Rather, it is more comfortable because he is asking openly.

Department Manager Gu had been planning to repay him.

When Jae-Hyeok’s admission re-examination had aired live, Jae-Hyeok had been level 10. In less than half a month, he had grown enough to slaughter twenty-three C-class monsters alone.

He was a genius, even if he was greatly helped by artifacts.

There was a high probability he would become a National Treasure candidate. Department Manager Gu wanted to gain favor and build a relationship while he was lucky enough to get the chance.

“I’ll give it to you for 2 million each.” Jae-Hyeok offered the market price. He was already shoving the corpses that looked like rotten meat into the employees’ backpacks.

“2 million for this?”

The faces of the team leaders paled, but Department Manager Gu raised the price.

“I will buy all of them for 100 million. I want you to think of it as a reward for protecting our employees.”

“It was his mission to be our guide and escort. Why pay a reward?”

The impatient Team Leader Baek grumbled, but Cho Seong-Hyeon ignored him and stepped forward.

“Are you feeling okay?”

He took out two bottles of potion and handed them to Jae-Hyeok respectfully.

“Benefactor, I’m worried that you might’ve suffered internal injuries. You should take care of your body first.”

Jae-Hyeok’s eyes widened.

The two potions that Cho Seong-Hyeon had handed him were as dark red as blood.

They were top-grade potions, something which not even money could buy. It was the same kind of potion that Jae-Hyeok had used to save Butler Hwang.

“You’re really giving this to me?”

“It’s thanks to you that the members of Jaegyeong were able to stay safe. Offering only this much is too shameful already. I would be grateful if you could give me a chance to express my sincerity later.”

“Then I will accept it well.”

As Team Leader Baek mentioned, Jae-Hyeok had only done what was necessary. He was an escort and an aristocrat, so he had a duty to protect them. Nevertheless, he was happy to get rewards that exceeded his expectations. As expected, aristocrats should live like aristocrats.

At this time, the employees finished gathering all the hobgoblin corpses.

Jae-Hyeok clapped his hands.

“We should go. Let’s take it slow on the way back.”

Someone wondered, “A person who can summon twenty-three C-class monsters must be at least an A-class player. The moment we encounter this person, we will be wiped out without being able to resist. Shouldn’t we move quickly to leave Lion’s Castle as soon as possible?”

Jae-Hyeok explained, “If we leave Lion’s Castle like this, the enemy will learn that you’ve finished your schedule earlier than usual, which is tantamount to confessing that we were the ones at Arcane Canyon who killed the hobgoblins. We can’t let that happen. It’s better to let them think it was someone else who killed them.”

Department Manager Gu nodded. “Certainly, it will take a while to clean up the bodies and find out who is responsible. Until then, the more normally we behave, the more the hobgoblins' master will be cautious of an unknown enemy and hesitate to make any rash moves.”

“Exactly.”

The reason why Jae-Hyeok sold the corpses of the hobgoblins wasn’t due to greed. He had to deal with them anyway, so he just took the opportunity to secure a decent deal as well. Asking 2 million per head was in accordance with the market price.

“Then, should we go back to our original route and come back around 9 o’clock?”

Jae-Hyeok answered, “Yes. You didn’t finish collecting sky grass, right? Let’s go.”

“Yes.”Department Manager Gu watched in admiration as Jae-Hyeok took the lead. If he had time to think about it, he would’ve made the same decision as Jae-Hyeok. However, Jae-Hyeok made a judgment and took action as soon as a situation arose.

The mind of this young boy is abnormally sharp.

There were countless players who had created sagas recounted across the world—such as becoming an A-class player before reaching adulthood, or soloing a high-ranking gate.

Nevertheless, only a few of those players possessed both brute force and intelligence.

He is the real thing.

Department Manager Gu glanced at Cho Seong-Hyeon. He’d previously resented Cho Seong-Hyeon for buying coffee for the gatekeepers, but now he was looking at Cho Seong-Hyeon with praise.

It’s good that he gave a precious gift.

Department Manager Gu didn’t particularly like Cho Seong-Hyeon. Rather, he disliked Cho Seong-Hyeon’s kind personality. Even so, he was loyal to Cho Seong-Hyeon because he was loyal to Jaegyeong Pharmaceuticals. His older sister was a successful executive of Jaegyeong, so he was fully devoted to the company. He hoped to form ties with Kang Jae-Hyeok and show a good performance to Cho Seong-Hyeon’s family, who owned the company.

Meanwhile, Jae-Hyeok was scrutinizing the mood of the group.

Regardless of rank or attitude, Cho Seong-Hyeon’s status is the highest.

The moment the employees of Jaegyeong Pharmaceuticals realized that the hobgoblins were summoned monsters, they accepted that they had been targeted.

None of them suggested that it could’ve been an accident, and none of them seemed to wonder who was responsible. Jae-Hyeok had thought it was strange, but it seemed that the status of Cho Seong-Hyeon was special.

His identity was such that it wasn’t strange to be targeted by others at any time.

Based on the way he calls the Jaegyeong employees as family members and how easily he can give away two top-grade potions, he must be a person in the line of succession to Jaegyeong.

***

At three in the afternoon, the group returned to a valley where clear, cold water flowed. They had been there that morning, collecting blue light spider lilies and tiger swordtails.

Had they followed the normal route from the start, their group would’ve only just arrived at the valley for the first time that day.

“Pretend you are gathering herbs to waste time.”

Jae-Hyeok gave instructions to the employees and stood in front of the waterfall; the sound of it refreshed his mind.

I’m currently level 24... Thanks to the appearance of the hobgoblins, he had gained four levels. He needed time to adjust to his increased stats.

There were many eyes watching, so it would be a bit noisy to train.

With so many eyes around, I can’t train freely... Should I practice the ceremonial drill?

The ceremonial drill was important to completing the lion statue’s first quest.

The key was to gather a large number of people in order to get the highest level of rewards, but it was also important for Jae-Hyeok to raise the level of his own ceremonial drill.

“Sigh.”

The basis of the ceremonial drill was aligning the rows and columns of disciples so they moved as one. But he also needed to think about harmony with the environment.

Jae-Hyeok stood in the center of the waterfall, straightened his back, and slowly drew his sword.

While concentrating with a reverent heart, he started the opening moves of the ceremonial drill that represented his family’s honor.

"......!"

Unsure what Jae-Hyeok was doing, Cho Seong-Hyeon had been watching Jae-Hyeok curiously, but his eyes widened when Jae-Hyeok made his first moves.

A ceremonial drill?No, it isn’t just a drill.It contains the essence of martial arts.

Cho Seong-Hyeon was a graduate of Lion’s Castle.

He was an elite who had completed a high level of training. He only remained at C-class because he had awakened an Initial Skill that was useless in battle. In other words, he was a monster who became a C-class player without the help of his Initial Skill.

In the first place, his father wouldn’t have allowed him to come to Lion’s Castle if he had no talent. He would’ve been sent to a prestigious school instead, gaining the knowledge to take over the family business.

Cho Seong-Hyeon had the ability to glimpse the essence of the Kang family’s ceremonial drill. If he could understand the ceremonial drill, he knew instinctively that he would gain some type of enlightenment.

How interesting. Jae-Hyeok thought, glancing at Cho Seong-Hyeon, who was imitating the drill with clumsy movements. He smiled.

He admired this person for glimpsing something in the Kang family’s drill and trying to hold onto it.

An aristocrat was someone who defended and led the country and its people. Jae-Hyeok slowed down the pace of the ceremonial drill.

Follow me.

Jae-Hyeok’s graceful movements were separated like puzzle pieces for Cho Seong-Hyeon to study.

This is a fortuitous encounter! Cho Seong-Hyeon trembled. This young boy was helping him. He couldn’t miss this opportunity.

He sharpened his concentration further, further, and further still. Then, for the first time in his life, something miraculous happened. His mind seemed to slip into another realm entirely.

He’d entered the trance state.

The flow of information, once a stream, was then like a river. It crashed into Cho Seong-Hyeon’s mind and he groaned from the strain, but Jae-Hyeok’s slow and deliberate movements helped him regain his composure.

Kang Jae-Hyeok, aristocrats, the Kang family...

The name of the fallen ducal family was strongly etched into Cho Seong-Hyeon’s mind and heart.

***

Around the time that dusk fell, Park Min-Cheol, a teacher of the Steel Guild, arrived at the Arcane Canyon.

He once again examined the mountainous terrain, which he had long since mastered. He identified the location of the sky grass and predicted at which point Jae-Hyeok would be alone.

It will be one of these four places.

Sweat beaded his brows as he started to set up the traps.

It was a very delicate task to set up traps that were triggered only under certain conditions. He had to use his Initial Skill, so it required a lot of concentration.

Perhaps this was the reason why he didn’t notice it.

“This is absurd.”

Park Min-Cheol noticed the presence behind him too late. He started and tried to pull out his weapon, but it was impossible.

Bang!

An unknown figure grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed his face into one of the canyon walls. His cheekbones and nose were crushed, and Park Min-Cheol writhed in pain and fear.

He almost reflexively asked who it was, but he kept his mouth shut. This person had the power to overwhelm him, a B-class player.

He would die the moment he spoke incorrectly.

Park Min-Cheol intuitively kept his face buried deep in the wall.

Sharp stones and dust pressed into his eyes and filled the wounds on his face. He could only groan desperately. He wanted to survive.

“You’re lucky. If it had been you who harmed my children, you wouldn't dare to even be standing here,” the figure said.

Perhaps he liked Park Min-Cheol’s groveling attitude, but the figure’s tone softened a bit.

“It looks like the guards or a search team killed the hobgoblins. How unlucky. For the time being, I will have to lie low.”

It seemed the hard work of Jae-Hyeok’s group had paid off. The man didn’t suspect them at all.

“By the way... ”

“Hiik!”

Park Min-Cheol finally let out a scream. The horrible sensation of fingers piercing his scalp and tapping against his skull shattered his composure.

“What is with these crude bombs? Is trash like you targeting what is mine?”

I really want to kill you... Killing intent flashed through the figure’s eyes. He almost couldn’t restrain himself. However, the security forces would move in earnest if he caused another incident here. It was too much of a loss to risk killing a piece of trash.

If he wanted to target Jaegyeong’s third son someday, it was best to be cautious and wait for the Lion’s Castle security forces to relax their vigilance.

He barely suppressed his killing intent and whispered in Park Min-Cheol’s ear, “Remember, if you aim for what is mine one more time, I’ll crush your skull slowly, very slowly.”

Park Min-Cheol nodded heavily while forgetting to breathe. Then he realized that he was alone. He defused the trap with trembling hands and left the scene immediately.

Kang Jae-Hyeok... has a guardian protecting him. And it was no fluke that Yoon Sang-Ho disappeared without a trace...

After learning this fact, Park Min-Cheol planned to submit two resignation letters the moment he returned to his residence.

One would be to Lion’s Castle and the other to the Steel Guild.