Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Dazzling Entrance
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‘The Association President has really escalated things.’
The massive crowd filling the Daeyeon Training Grounds was incredibly diverse.
Students from Lion’s Castle and reporters, of course, but also active Players, broadcasting staff, influencers, and dignitaries from the military and political spheres.
Kang Jae-hyeok’s re-admission review results would spread to every corner of Korea in less than an hour.
‘Is he that confident?’
The Association President seemed utterly convinced there was something fishy about Kang Jae-hyeok’s admission.
‘From what’s been publicized in the media, it’s understandable.’
Kang Jae-hyeok’s exploits had gone beyond all reason. A Level 1 Player shining in a C-Rank Raid? Even the legends of National Treasures didn’t include anything like that.
‘After today, House Kang won’t even retain a shred of honor before collapsing.’
It was far too harsh a price for the impulsive mistake of a young boy.
He could feel the relentless, vicious malice of Association President Ji Cheon-myeong.
This was the kind of person you didn’t dare make an enemy of, even if the heavens split in two.
‘Poor Kang Jae-hyeok.’
Everyone makes mistakes.
Especially mistakes made at a young age—adults usually smoothed those over.
But Kang Jae-hyeok had never once been given a chance to make amends.
Simply because he was born into House Kang, his life’s difficulty was on another level entirely. He was fated to live resenting the world forever.
‘...In the worst case, even survival might be impossible.’
There were far too many in the world who coveted House Kang’s swordsmanship and mana operation methods.
On top of that, Jae-hyeok was young, had no guardians, and this incident would soon draw the fury of the public.
The moment he stepped beyond the safety of Lion’s Castle, he’d vanish without a trace, like a mouse or a bird.
“Hmm...”
While some pitied the young Jae-hyeok, others hated him. He was the cause of putting an end to House Kang’s barely clinging history, after all—they couldn’t look on him kindly.
But the vast majority simply enjoyed the spectacle.
They either had no interest in House Kang or saw it as a thorn in their side.
Amid the swirl of emotions.
“We will now begin Kang Jae-hyeok’s re-admission review!”
The host stepped onto the stark stage equipped with a Mana Orb and a large screen, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Woooaaahhh!!”
Cheers and applause poured out like it was a festival.
But even after the applause died down, Kang Jae-hyeok didn’t appear.
“What’s going on? Did he run away?”
“Hah, that so-called son of the Yaksha.”
“Fleeing like a rat—reminds me of Kang Dae-seong. Heh.”
“House Kang is done for. Two hundred years of built-up honor, dragged through the mud by the Yaksha’s spawn.”
The commotion was growing when—
The screen, which had been showing the empty stage, suddenly shifted to fast-moving footage.
You could sense the cameraman’s panic.
It was shaky and frantic.
“Huh...?”
The audience, puzzled by the screen now inexplicably showing the spectator seats, began turning their heads one by one.
In the back of the spectator seats.
A black-haired boy in Lion’s Castle uniform stood tall and straight.
Glossy black hair and eyes that gleamed like polished lacquer.
He was still boyish, but astonishingly handsome.
“Make way.”
The boy, who had somehow grabbed a mic, spoke in a solemn voice that echoed through the speakers surrounding the venue.
He approached the bewildered crowd, tilting his head slightly.
“Not moving? Should we skip the re-review then?”
“Ah...”
Only then did the audience realize who he was, parting to left and right.
Step.
A path created by thousands of people.
The boy strode down it with confident grace.
His leisurely, poised steps carried an air of elegance.
Far from shrinking under the onslaught of gazes filled with every emotion imaginable, he seemed to relish it.
As if their attention was only natural.
As if bearing their stares was his duty.
Step, step, step...
Who would see this boy as one in peril?
Every time his swaying locks revealed his sharp nose and forehead, women gasped.
The faint smile playing on his lips drew in admirers in real time.
“The son of Duke Kang Dae-guk, the great National Treasure who devoted his life to our homeland—Kang Jae-hyeok.”
Finally reaching the stage, Jae-hyeok introduced himself in place of the dumbfounded host.
“Though House Kang’s momentum has momentarily faltered due to those blinded by jealousy distorting our storied history...”
Jae-hyeok’s darkened gaze swept over the front row of spectators.
They seemed to be officials from the government, military, and Association who fervently wished for House Kang’s downfall. Why else would they come all this way on a weekday to watch?
He wanted to shout.
That one day, he’d sever their heads and make them the cornerstone of House Kang’s revival.
That if he brought their screams to his father, perhaps he’d open his eyes again—such vague hopes stirred within.
But he held back.
Now was not the time.
Patience.
The strength he’d meticulously built over the past eight years as a young boy.
“...I will raise it anew and forge it into the blade that protects Korea. Citizens, rest easy and simply await my graduation. That is all.”
A bright smile.
It was beyond anyone’s predictions.
No one could stop Jae-hyeok as he declared it with a radiant smile.
The brash ambitions of the Yaksha’s son were now broadcasting live nationwide.
“Host! Host, what are you doing? Snatch that mic from the little bastard!!”
Association staff snapped to their senses and shouted, but it was too late.
The audience was already erupting in fervent cheers and applause.
A world apart from their reaction when the host first introduced Kang Jae-hyeok.
The younger generation, who didn’t know or care about House Kang.
Especially the influencers, sharp at reading trends, were favorable toward Jae-hyeok.
“Wow... is that the blood of the Ducal House? Still a kid, but that confidence is unreal. Overflowing with poise, and a total visual? Right? Yeah. Even I, another guy, am smitten.”
“‘I will raise House Kang and protect our homeland.’ Man, killer line, killer delivery. Like he got nobility training from some medieval European drama? But House Kang fell, so no way they taught that—must be innate?”
The influencers were streaming live.
The hot reactions from their viewers could be faintly gauged from their heightened energy.
“Kang Jae-hyeok is insane... epic...”
“Hey, Yaksha, you watching?”
Do-jin and Da-hee gazed at Jae-hyeok with sparkling eyes—practically in awe, bordering on worship. He’d flipped the entire venue’s mood with his unexpected entrance and words.
Yu-jin let out a hollow laugh.
“Impossible to pin him down.”
The usual immature brat Kang Jae-hyeok.
The righteous champion who jumped in to save the students.
The noble figure brimming with boldness and grace, toying with the malice aimed at him.
Evaluating him after just two weeks felt futile.
***
“That crazy little shit!”
Association President Ji Cheon-myeong shot up from his seat watching the TV, his face flushed red.
Not going to the scene himself out of concern for appearances had been a mistake.
He should’ve gone and choked the life out of that House Kang brat before he could strut!
“What kind of attitude is that for someone who came to pay for his crimes...! Not a concert—why jump out from the spectator seats? And what’s with the other idiots parting the way?!”
Crack!
Unable to contain his rage, Ji Cheon-myeong shattered the armchair.
“The great National Treasure who devoted his life to the homeland, Duke Kang Dae-guk? That bastard who tried to ruin the country in his final years—what the...!”
Crack!
The new armchair brought by his secretary shattered instantly too.
“House Kang’s momentum faltered momentarily due to those blinded by jealousy? Jealousy? You think I distorted history out of jealousy!? You clueless little punk who doesn’t know shit about the greater good or politics!!”
“President, you’re getting worked up.”
The secretary cautiously spoke as he brought yet another chair.
Ji Cheon-myeong finally regained some composure, catching his breath.
“Hmm, that deranged kid made me lose my dignity for a moment.”
“At least no one discerning saw it.”
“Right... no, wait. What did that punk just say? Raise House Kang into the sword protecting the homeland? Tell the citizens to rest easy? That arrogant little shit!”
Crack!
“...”
Should’ve bought more chairs.
As the secretary’s eyes wavered, Ji Cheon-myeong finally regained his color.
“Phew... whatever. It’s fine. Actually, better this way. After all that bluster, when the fraudulent admission comes to light, he’ll plummet to the abyss. The fool dug his own grave.”
Planning to tamper with the Mana Orb in cahoots with Seol Su-ah?
Not happening.
The Association had prepared the Mana Orbs themselves—three of them, just in case.
The examiners were Association plants too.
‘Even if some variable pops up, demanding status window sharing seals it.’
Ji Cheon-myeong laughed loudly, gripped by eager anticipation for the results.
***
“Before the re-review, I shall bestow a reward upon you.”
The scene, finally calmed by the host’s desperate efforts, stirred once more.
Seol Su-ah had taken the stage.
White Night, the National Treasure.
No one had expected her—the one who shunned media exposure—to stand before so many cameras.
“You displayed outstanding skill and performed brilliantly. Holding the boss’s aggro while exposing five weaknesses, they say?”
“The Leech King was pretty slow.”
“Modest, aren’t you? Above all, stepping forward to save the other students was exemplary. Your father was always like that.”
Government, military, and Association officials swallowed hard.
They’d spent eight long years trying to erase the Yaksha from public memory.
Yet Kang Jae-hyeok and Seol Su-ah kept bringing him up—naturally, it soured their moods.
Regardless.
Seol Su-ah handed Jae-hyeok a small glass vial.
It contained a transparent sky-blue liquid, and even with the sealed stopper, a pleasant fragrance wafted out.
“Fairy’s Tear. It’ll help boost your stats.”
“Fairy’s Tear!”
Gasps erupted.
Fairy’s Tear was a high-grade elixir that raised the consumer’s stats by at least four points.
Unlike low-grade ones that only nudged stats by decimals, barely noticeable, this was on another level.
Handing such a rare treasure, useful even to National Treasures, to a mere student as a reward?
Those about to demand if there was truly some special tie to House Kang hesitated.
“B-Class’s pride, Kang Jae-hyeok! The 11 A-Class prospects you saved will soon be Korea’s pillars—and you protected them! Your teacher is so proud!!”
It was because Teacher Kim Jin-myeong was shouting with mana infused in his voice...
By now, even ordinary folk were grasping the magnitude of Jae-hyeok’s feat.
-He saved 11 A-Class rising stars? At that point, even if admission was fishy, shouldn’t we let it slide?
-Rumor has it Cha Da-hee was one of those 11.
-Damn, he really protected Korea’s future.
-Lion’s Castle exists to train top Players anyway—fraudulent admission or whatever, who cares? We need talents like that.
-Fr, lol, what even is this nonsense they’re pulling.
Once the name of Da-hee, the sword genius beauty, came up, the internet exploded.
Influencers were flooded with excited reactions and support.
“Host! Get on with the re-review already! You think we’re here because we have nothing better to do!?”
Association staff pressured the host.
They’d nearly pissed themselves under Seol Su-ah’s icy gaze, but with public opinion raging, they were desperate to hurry.
“Alright. Let’s get started.”
Jae-hyeok smiled brightly and stepped before the Mana Orb.
“Oh, before that.”
Shwaaaaa...!
“...?”
“...?”
The audience fell eerily silent.
Eyes wide, mouths agape, they were speechless.
Beams of light began pouring from Jae-hyeok’s body, shooting toward the sky.
A pillar of light.
The effect that occurred when acquiring a First Skill.
But the light’s intensity was no joke.
It was devouring the midday sunlit scene in pure white.
“Supreme grade?”
“No...! That’s not it!”
“Bloodline!!”
Everyone shot to their feet.
Click-click!
Reporters madly snapped photos.
Then—
Rumble!!
Dark clouds suddenly gathered, swallowing the light-filled sky. Deafening thunder shook the area.
“Thunder Tribulation?”
The phenomenon that appeared whenever an S-Rank or higher Player reached certain levels.
The terrifying precursor, as if the heavens warned against growing stronger.
“Thunder Tribulation during First Skill acquisition?”
Audience, viewers, even Seol Su-ah and the Association President.
All were dumbstruck.
[Acquiring First Skill [Noble Knightly Virtue].]
[Player Candidate awakens.]
[Reinhardt’s Third Princess Iris notices you and smiles.]
-Noble one. I look forward to the knightly path you will write. This is my modest gift.
[[Iris’s Blessing] dispels [Lion’s Curse].]
[Experience suppressed by the curse flows in.]
[Leech King subjugation reward: Level increased by 9.]