The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 39

Ha Kyeong-Su was too emotional and was caught off guard.

"Dammit!"

He hadn’t expected a swordsman to use a spear—and certainly not against him, a spearman!

Ha Kyeong-Su staggered to his feet, clutching his throbbing chest and glaring as if he was going to kill Jae-Hyeok.

“You, a fallen aristocrat, dares to mock me?”

Jae-Hyeok tilted his head. “And you, a... well, whoever you are, dares to speak such nonsense to me? Also, it’s my family that’s fallen. Not me. ”

At those words, Jae-Hyeok’s expression settled. His eyes were half-lidded and his black pupils reflected no light.

A dark abyss was revealed in those eyes.

Ha Kyeong-Su stepped back.

He felt as if the darkness was swallowing him up, and his hand trembled as he gripped the spear.

“I will rebuild my fallen family,” Jae-Hyeok declared in a calm, quiet voice. It was too soon to shout his words. He knew the crowd would only see it as childish nonesense.

“You don’t know who you are facing!” Ha Kyeong-Su yelled.

How could he lose to someone who had been level 10 just a few days ago? Unconvinced, Ha Kyeong-Su swung his spear.

He displayed spectacular ability with the spear.

The Ha family’s spear technique had an artistic aspect to it. It flowed smoothly like drawing an ink painting with a single stroke, occasionally marked by bold, intense accents.

Ha Kyeong-Su’s style actively utilized the flexible nature of the spear to block his opponent’s path, strike, and trip them up. He aimed to pressure his opponent before advancing at the perfect moment to deliver a decisive blow.

Although it looks gorgeous on the surface, his technique is actually very practical, Jae-Hyeok thought.

That said, the Spear Master’s style was the complete opposite of his son. He was the type to maintain perfect composure, slowly wearing down the enemy until they eventually bled out.

Given their different personalities, Ha Kyeong-Su was unlikely to master his father’s spear techniques.

Jae-Hyeok thought, There is nothing more for me to see. He stepped back and thrust his spear ten times in short succession.

He effortlessly pierced through the gaps in the Ha family’s storm-like spear technique and showed off incredible skills by striking each of Ha Kyeong-Su’s ten fingers in succession.

Is this son of a bitch playing with me? Ha Kyeong-Su thought while gritting his teeth. Originally, he would’ve lost his grip and let go of the spear. However, before the match he’d consumed the elixir he had received from the teacher just in case. His Stamina stat was heightened for a short period of time.

Thanks to his increased defense, he fully withstood the limited power of the arcane weapon.

Whirl!

Ha Kyeong-Su’s wrist bent at an unusual angle, causing his spear to move like a whip.

Simultaneously, Jae-Hyeok shot forward. How own flexible spear passed Ha Kyeong-Su’s arms at the right moment and struck him at the base of the neck.

Baang!

Jae-Hyeok’s spear had contained the full force of his charge. Ha Kyeong-Su didn’t even scream as he collapsed.

Consciousness blurring, Kyeong-Su felt he was going to be defeated. But it was then that the one-time artifact he’d received from the teacher made a sound and pulled back his fading consciousness.

I can’t lose like this!

From where he lay, Ha Kyeong-Su slapped his spear into the ground, using the rebound force to drive the spear upward as he rose with the thrust.

It was a surprise attack—one that would be difficult to predict for any opponent.

Ha Kyeong-Su thought he had finally succeeded, but before he knew it, Jae-Hyeok stepped on the blade of his spear and drove it into the ground.

It was a move that was as graceful as a butterfly.

Although it looked graceful, Ha Kyeong-Su couldn’t budge his spear; it was pinned to the ground as if crushed by a boulder.

Jae-Hyeok’s hair flew about wildly as he channeled his mana.

Baaaang!

He released mana from the soles of his feet and kicked Ha Kyeong-Su’s spear even deeper into the stage.

Ha Kyeong-Su thought in disbelief, How does that make sense? This person could create a power like a thousand-kilogram hammer just by channeling mana?

The reluctant Ha Kyeong-Su tried to retrieve the spear, but he was weakened and moved clumsily. He failed to avoid Jae-Hyeok’s spear and was once more stabbed in the chest.

“Kuock!”

“The spear is easy to use. It has a long reach, so a simple stab is enough to take care of most opponents, but I’m not most.”

Constant evolution was the reason why the martial arts of ducal families were so scary. And the Kang family was one of the best among them. His family's martial arts reflected the data that their ancestors had accumulated over hundreds of years.

People often perceived the martial arts of the Kang family to be founded on swordsmanship—specifically, sword drawing.

In reality, however, their martial philosophy was one of studying all techniques to learn their weaknesses. Through knowledge, they dismantled their opponent's martial arts, whatever they were.

The Kang family had already studied and dismantled most of the techniques and weapons that existed in the world. Any true warrior of the Kang family could fight against all types of forces with a single sword and was strong even without a sword.

Moreover, Jae-Hyeok also had the All Mastery Skill.

Before awakening, he could handle weapons other than the sword; after awakening, he could handle all weapons at the same level as the sword.

In other words, he was an expert with many weapons.

As a Kang, his equal skill with weapons beyond the sword seemed strange to others, but that was the power of his knight Profession.

“How dare a swordsman talk about the spear!” Ha Kyeong-Su shouted.

“I’m not a swordsman, you deaf bastard.”

“Fuck! Just shut up!”

Ha Kyeong-Su decided there was no chance of winning like this and used his Initial Skill.

It was Stealth, a Skill that allowed him to conceal his appearance and footsteps. Although it had many disadvantages, it was classified as the best assassin-type Skill.

On the stage, Ha Kyeong-Su had disappeared without a trace.

There were cries of admiration everywhere, but Jae-Hyeok was calm.

Bam!

“Keok!”

Jae-Hyeok swung his spear like a baseball bat, and Ha Kyeong-Su reappeared out of thin air.

Having been hit hard on the head by the end of Jae-Hyeok’s spear, Ha Kyeong-Su spun dozens of times and flew into the audience.

It was a proper home run.

“Wow!”

A person actually flew like a home run ball? And it was in the direction they were sitting!

The Association members were stunned by the absurd situation but moved quickly to protect the surrounding students.

Jae-Hyeok watched it with a grin and winked at the referee. The referee finally came to his senses and shouted in a trembling voice, “It is Kang Jae-Hyeok’s victory!”

"Waaahhhhhhhh!"

“Crazy! A Class B student beat a Class A student!”

“Why is he so good with the spear?”

“He was actually a spearman. A spearman was hiding his strength.”

“How did he see through the Stealth at the end?”

“As expected, Bloodline Skill holders are different.”

There was an outpouring of cheers, mostly from students. It was a gorgeous display of spear techniques.

The result was beyond expectations.

The students still lacked vision, so they simply focused on the outcome. In particular, they were thrilled that a Class B student defeated a Class A student. Dreams and hopes kindled in them. Class A wasn’t invincible after all.

On the other hand, the active players were very quiet.

They were astonished. Jae-Hyeok’s eyes had never turned gold. It was proof that Jae-Hyeok’s spear technique wasn’t based on a Skill but pure technique and ability.

“As the Yaksha’s son, I thought it was only natural for him to be good with a sword.”

“He uses a spear as well as a sword. It is enough to overwhelm an opponent with a higher level and stats.”

In fact, Jae-Hyeok’s stats were much higher than Ha Kyeong-Su’s. However, Jae-Hyeok hadn’t given it his all.

It was advantageous for him to hide his abilities from the public, and he also intended to learn as much as possible from the Ha family’s spear techniques.

In addition, Ha Kyeong-Su was helped by elixirs and artifacts. He withstood Jae-Hyeok’s attacks several times, so it looked like he had relatively higher stats.

“It’s a huge advantage to have mastered two weapon types. The higher his level, the more of a monster he will become.”

“Won’t he easily pass the National Treasure nomination process? However, I think the Association will continue to postpone the review.”

“Good. I hope that child will hold a bigger grudge against the Association. That way, the Association won’t be able to recruit him, and the guilds can compete for him instead.”

The emergence of a new genius was a way to revitalize an industry. The officials of the major guilds looked favorably on Jae-Hyeok.

This was the seasoned experience and far-sightedness of the strong.

It was a different attitude from the pack of wolves who coveted the martial arts of the Kang family without knowing the potential of who they were offending.

Of course, not all the looks from the crowd were favorable.

“I can’t believe he dared to beat the Spear Master’s second son with a spear. This isn’t just a mockery of the Second Young Master. It’s a humiliation to the Ha family as a whole.”

“Hmoh. As expected of someone with Kang blood in his veins, his actions are contemptible. We have to make an example of him!”

The members of the Ha family glared at Jae-Hyeok as if they were going to kill him. However, their anger and outrage soon subsided.

“Kyeong-Su was the one who performed despicably.”

The one who spoke was a man reclining in a chair with a pamphlet covering his face. He was Ha Jeong-Il, the Spear Master’s younger brother and Ha Kyeong-Su’s uncle.

“It hasn’t been long since that child left the house, and he is already tainted. This is why immature people shouldn’t enter Lion’s Castle. He can only learn bad things from the dirty political arena where the government, Association, guilds, and foundations fight each other.”

The man clicked his tongue and stared at Jae-Hyeok through a gap in the pamphlet.

Only the children with conviction will benefit.

He liked Jae-Hyeok's willingness to study the Ha family’s spear techniques. He only worried that Jae-Hyeok might devalue the Ha family's martial arts due to one worthless individual.

I have no idea how fast he will grow.

***

Jae-Hyeok returned to the audience after leaving the stage, and Do-Jin’s group welcomed him with enthusiasm.

“Wow, Kang Jae-Hyeok. I know you insisted you weren’t a swordsman, but you’re actually a real spearman, huh,” Yoo-Jin said.

Do-Jin cut in, “How are you more than just a hwando user? Kang Jae-Hyeok, what the hell are you?”

“S-so cool! How much grueling training did you undergo to handle not only the sword but also the spear so expertly?” asked Da-Hee, amazed.

Jae-Hyeok replied, “If you put in effort, then you can also do it.”

Every day, every day, every day, Jae-Hyeok killed his enemies with every swing of his sword. With the first strike, he cut off the head of an enemy stabbing at him with a sword. With the second strike, he cut the throat of an enemy swinging a saber. With the third strike, he cut off the head of an enemy using a bow and a gun. In the fourth strike...

Magic, poisoning, curses, divinity, spears, axes, blunt weapons, whips, knuckles, a meteor hammer, nunchucks, and so on—Jae-Hyeok’s enemies attacked him more than ten thousand times a day, using every weapon and technique in the world.

The martial art of the Kang family was to delve into a vast amount of techniques, studying each one before learning to conquer them all.

“Really? Then I’ll start practicing the spear tomorrow.” Jae-Hyeok’s words that they could do it if they tried caused Do-Jin’s expression to brighten.

Yoo-Jin envied him for his simplicity, but Jae-Hyeok took him seriously.

“It’s better for you to practice archery, not the spear. Training in martial arts that require concentration and mana control will help you get used to using Flash Steps.”

"Okay! I’m going to book a shooting range!”

“Wait. You know not to neglect training with your greatsword, right?”

Do-Jin replied, "Of course! I’ll just cut my sleeping time in half!”

Yoo-Jin was skeptical. “With Do-Jin’s impatient personality, can he really learn archery properly?”

“He will probably have it tough for a while.”’

“I-I’m also going to book a shooting range!” Da-Hee exclaimed.

Jae-Hyeok and Yoo-Jin stopped smiling.

***

The grandstand of the top floor was a place where even the heads of the five major guilds weren’t allowed access.

Seol Su-Ah watched Jae-Hyeok from behind the blackout curtain before giving an order to her entourage.

“Withdraw the White Spirit Guards from the grave.”

Her energy detection was spread throughout the Lion’s Castle.

She might not know all the details, but she could immediately notice when there was a powerful incident.

In other words, she noticed the resurrection of Theodore.

The wave of magic power when he woke up a few days ago was quite powerful.

She had dispatched a team from the White Spirit Guards there and received a report that Theodore seemed to have targeted Jae-Hyeok.

She had wondered for days over what to do.

I believe he can handle it.

At this moment, she gave up her worries.