The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 47

“Does a bigshot like you have some means of resisting paralysis? Had I known someone like you would appear, I would have advertised more openly.”

Jae-Hyeok thought, The room owner mistakes me for a high-level player. It was the same for the merchant...

Was it because he had won an auction for 80,000 points?

Impossible.

Some people set 500,000 as an admission fee for entering a room to ask questions. It didn’t make sense for him to be treated like a bigshot for spending only 80,000 points.

It had to be something else that had misled both the room owner and the merchant...

Perhaps... is it my voice?

The moment Jae-Hyeok had set his information to private, his face had been covered by a mask, and his voice had been modulated.

He knew the mask was the basic type because the merchant’s earlier words had said as much. So, the only thing in doubt was his voice.

Only my voice is different from everyone else’s...

Jae-Hyeok’s modulated voice was so intense that it sounded like the roar of a wild beast when he raised his volume even slightly,

He had assumed it was just randomly chosen for him, but was it actually unique?

It’s probably related to achievements...

The most important thing in the Community was points, and the most reliable way to accumulate points was to gain achievements. It was possible the Community favored people who gained certain achievements with unique rewards.

As for Jae-Hyeok, he’d split his thunder tribulation and earned a Legendary achievement the moment he’d awakened.

Legendary achievements were feats that not even S-class players could accomplish easily.

If Jae-Hyeok’s guess was right, no wonder people mistook him for a bigshot.

Jae-Hyeok replied to the room owner, “If you are curious, I could meet you in person and show you.”

“Haha, I can’t hide my beauty even when wearing a mask, right? It’s a shame. My favor is expensive, so I won’t meet you too easily.”

“Whether I meet you in person is up to me to decide.” Beyond the plain mask, Jae-Hyeok’s dark pupils stared at her.

Stunned and then shaken, the room owner quickly bowed her head. “I’m sorry I was arrogant.”

She’d made a mistake.

It wasn’t strange for the man in front of her to know about the white snake; he was a bigshot with the ability to trace back the bracelet and identify her. And yet, she spoke arrogantly without knowing her place.

I should’ve just handed it over and left... She regretted it so much that she wished to turn back time.

As he watched her trembling, Jae-Hyeok realized an important fact.

Unlike the real world, where his strength and inner thoughts had to be hidden, appearing strong in the Community was advantageous.

The higher the level of the player, the harder it is for them to remain anonymous.

The woman in front of him was proof of that. When selling high-quality information or items, people like her feared offending stronger existences because they were at risk of being identified.

Jae-Hyeok was confident that he wouldn’t experience a loss in the Community if he capitalized on their fears.

“Here, this is the item.” The room owner swallowed nervously and handed over the bracelet.

The White Snake's Bracelet...

The bracelet’s worth would have been around 200,000 points if not for the curse. Items that reduced resource consumption were in high demand, while the supply was always lacking. Furthermore, a 20% decrease was truly unusual.

[You have obtained the White Snake's Bracelet.]

[You have paid 80,000 points.]

After paying the entrance fee and buying the bracelet, he still had 117,000 points left. Satisfied with his exceptional harvest, he dissolved into light and disappeared from the room.

***

Jae-Hyeok opened his inventory the moment he’d logged out and returned to reality. Because of his low level, the inventory space had only eight squares. His eyes immediately fell on the icon of a white bracelet.

It was the White Snake's Bracelet.

After taking it out, he put it on his wrist, and the size adjusted to fit him.

“Amazing.”

Items purchased in the Community really returned with him to reality. The more he experienced the System, the more amazing he found it. Once again, he was struck by how much easier things were now that he’d awakened.

Jae-Hyeok used Two Scythes Block a Cart, and two scythes made of aura appeared and sliced through the air.

The mana cost was 80 instead of 100.

As for the curse...

[You have resisted the Curse of the Dead Snake.]

“Good.” As expected, he resisted it easily.

The bracelet was truly wondrous. Perhaps he would never find a second deal as good as the one he’d made this day.

After testing his Skills a few more times, Jae-Hyeok prepared for bed.

For the first time in eight years, he slept well that night. He slept for four hours without once waking from nightmares.

The meeting with Cho Seong-Hyeon and the events in the Community had made his heavy heart lighten for the first time in ages.

***

A middle-aged man logged out of the Community and opened his eyes.

“You look to be in a good mood.”

“Can you tell?” The man said. He accepted the water the butler handed him and added, “I met a noble person.”

“Ohh, finally one of them...”

“No, not one of them, but they seem to have the same ability. I have to check to be certain; bring all the products you haven’t managed to sell.”

“Yes.” The butler headed toward the safe.

The middle-aged man remained in his seat and proceeded to open his most cherished bottle of wine.

He couldn’t help thinking of the man wearing a plain mask. It was impossible to make an assumption about that person’s appearance or age. But those eyes were strongly etched in his mind.

They weren’t just black-brown but completely black.

They were a symbol of madness: they were the Yaksha’s eyes.

There still exists a follower of the Yaksha in this day and age?

In the past, it had been common for people in the Community to dye their eyes black and use the name Yaksha. At that time, the Yaksha’s reputation had been sky-high for smashing the other countries’ National Treasures every time a World Gate appeared.

Just as a good general was more acknowledged by their enemies than their allies, the Yaksha’s fame was greater abroad than in South Korea.

But then eight years ago, his strength was shattered at the East Asian Gate talks and he was quickly forgotten by the people. The Koreans took the initiative to treat him as a traitor so the Yaksha’s reputation plummeted in an instant. Since then, no one else imitated the Yaksha’s appearance.

That man...

Is he really Kang Dae-Seong?

No, it was a ridiculous guess. Kang Dae-Seong was among the most skilled of the outstanding younger generation, but he couldn’t have earned a Legendary achievement already. In the first place, the Yaksha’s son would never pretend to be the Yaksha. He would pretend to have nothing to do with the Yaksha to avoid being identified.

Moreover, it hasn’t been confirmed if Kang Dae-Seong is dead or alive.

The middle-aged man was indifferent to the small country of South Korea. However, he had been interested in the Yaksha’s eldest son for a while.

However, three years ago, he’d discovered that Kang Dae-Seong had gone missing in a very dangerous area. The possibility of Kang Dae-Seong being alive was close to zero.

“Just who is it pretending to be the Yaksha and making me raise my glass to you?”

The middle-aged man was lost in his memories for the first time in a long time.

***

On Sunday, Jae-Hyeok woke up in a good mood, washed up, and headed to the cafeteria.

“K-Kang Jae-Hyeok!”

At the cafeteria, he ran into Lee Jin-Seong and Du Bae-Su. Like Pavlov’s dog, they reacted reflexively in terror, but Jae-Hyeok just looked at them indifferently.

“Why are you making a fuss in the morning? Let’s eat.”

“Y-you are joining? You know not even dogs like being touched while eating... ”

Jae-Hyeok said ominously. “Oh, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had a dog.”

"Don't make me laugh! You have a big, furry dog in your house!”

“How did you know that?”

Lee Jin-Seong blushed at the question and shut his mouth. He was too embarrassed to say that he was interested in the Kang family and learned several things while surfing the internet.

“By the way, why are you alone today? You’re always with your teammates.” Du Bae-Su changed the topic.

His already large face, as round as the moon, was puffed up even more. The sight of him chewing with a full mouth was amusing.

Jae-Hyeok replied, “They are using the cafeteria nearer to the shooting range these days.”

“Shooting range? Come to think of it, there was a commotion at the shooting range yesterday.”

“What happened?”

“The manager of the Shooting Club nearly killed an outsider. Chew chew, slurp slurp.”

Lee Jin-Seong explained while popping marbled chunks of grilled meat into his mouth. “I heard that a madman rented a bow but ended up using a sword instead.”

“What does that mean?”

Stories that went beyond common sense were never easy to follow.

Du Bae-Su took over after chewing and swallowing. “Apparently, someone was upset their arrows kept missing, so they ran over and destroyed the targets with their sword. The manager of the Shooting Club happened to be at the scene. He saw it and almost committed murder.”

“...Is that true?”

“Yeah, it’s a hot topic. It just happened yesterday.”

“The world really is full of madmen... ” Jae-Hyeok was clicking his tongue, only to fall silent halfway through. Thinking of madmen... one person came to mind.

It just so happened that Lee Jin-Seong thought of the same person. “Hey, you said your team has been using the cafeteria near the shooting range these days. Why? Are they practicing at the shooting range?”

Du Bae-Su also noticed the situation. “That red-haired senior seems a bit crazy.”

Jae-Hyeok was at a loss. He couldn’t think of anything to say to defend Baek Do-Jin. “Uh, Do-Jin has a pure temperament.”

He hurriedly finished his meal and went back to the dormitory building.

......

He’d long learned Do-Jin’s room number.

Showing some grace, he knocked.

Knock knock.

Once there was no answer, he kicked in the door.

Bang!

“What is it, Kang Jae-Hyeok? You surprised me.” Baek Do-Jin was lying on the bed. His small body was covered in bruises.

“It looks like you didn’t break any bones. If you were hurt seriously, the infirmary would’ve given you a potion. Did they deliberately go easy on you for that reason?” Jae-Hyeok asked.

“I think it’s because the others from the Shooting Club stepped in at the end to stop him.” Do-Jin laughed despite his swollen eyes.

“...How’d you end up beaten so bad? You’re strong, aren’t you?”

“I’m strong for my level. But I’m not even over level 30, so how can I handle someone at the level of the club manager?”

“Is your level low among the second years?”

“No, I’m in the middle. The problem is the gap with the top students is just too big.”

In the second year, some students had already reached C-class and went on assignments. It was very rare, but there were also some B-class players. All of them were on a different level from the first-year students.

Jae-Hyeok tossed over the apple he’d picked up as a visiting gift to Do-Jin. “Eat this and take care of yourself. The sooner you get better, the quicker you can level up.”

“Thank you.”

Jae-Hyeok didn’t ask Do-Jin for details.

He’d thought about it on the way over. Although Do-Jin occasionally went crazy, he wasn’t a psychopath. He only acted when there was a reason, such as when someone else started arguing with him or when he witnessed an unreasonable situation.

Would it be different this time?

No. He believed in Do-Jin’s character.

They dared to do such a thing... Jae-Hyeok’s expression was cold as he headed to the shooting range.

At the same time...

***

The shooting range.

The Shooting Club members were chatting and laughing with each other about last night's incident when a visitor appeared, watching them through a window.

You aren’t forgiven. Pay the price for touching my brother.

It was a green-haired, golden-eyed boy.