Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Allure of Community Points
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The community featured shops selling all sorts of items.
The required currency there was community points.
High-level players were desperate to earn points.
[Buying any B-rank Gate攻略 guide in Japan for 10,000 points (1/5)]
[Selling all info on France's Lavie en Rose Guild, from A to Z (10/10)]
[Legendary dagger for sale. Name your price (20/20)]
[Ring that reduces mana consumption, buying (1/5)]
All transactions in the community were conducted with points.
[Selling 2,000 points. USD only (2/2)]
[Buying unlimited points with Chinese yuan (1/20)]
The value of points surpassed cash,
[Will kill someone for points. Up to A-rank players (1/2)]
and even fueled heinous crimes.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that at this very moment, points were dictating someone's life.
[Points in possession: 174,000]
Kang Jae-hyeok was well aware of the value of points.
'They say commoners sell the points they earn from leveling up to buy a house and achieve their dreams....'
One gained 1,000 community points per level up.
And the higher the level, the harder it was to level.
How to become a B-rank player?
Just hit level 60.
But B-rank players were in the top 15%.
Why?
Because reaching level 60 was that tough.
Partying up and leeching EXP only worked for newbies.
Beyond a certain level, you had to grow on your own.
By hunting monsters or killing players.
To gain EXP from a target, it couldn't be judged as heavily relying on others' help.
Plus, the target's level had to be higher than yours for meaningful EXP.
So the idea that nobles' kids or golden spoons grew easily thanks to leeching was only half right, half wrong.
'I'm only level 10, but why...'
do I have so many points?
Stunned, Jae-hyeok checked his point acquisition history.
9,000 points from level-ups.
50,000 points from 1 Legendary Achievement.
60,000 points from 3 Miraculous Achievements.
55,000 points from 11 Amazing Achievements.
'I had accumulated so many achievements even before awakening.'
The Legendary Achievement came from beheading the Neuroseizure Beast.
The Miraculous ones: from raiding the Leech King, entering trance for the 5th time, and recently, the 10th trance.
Of the 11 Amazing Achievements, 2 were from the Leech King raid and demonstrating forms before the Lion Statue; the other 9 built up over 8 years of training.
He was thrilled.
That all his past efforts had been rewarded.
But on the other hand, it was dizzying.
To think that 8 years of his hard work meant nothing more than entry fee to someone else.
'The road ahead is long.'
One more reason to perfectly complete the Lion's Castle quest...
Steeling his resolve, he browsed the community a bit more before falling asleep.
***
"Kang Jae-hyeok! You were so cool yesterday!"
"When are you getting appointed as a National Treasure Candidate?"
The next morning.
As soon as Jae-hyeok arrived in the classroom, the kids swarmed him.
The B-Class students sincerely congratulated him on awakening his bloodline skill.
Not everyone, of course.
A few wore incredibly complicated expressions.
They were thrown into confusion by the fact that Jae-hyeok—who had dominated the terrain adaptation training and shone in the Leech King raid—was a level 1 player without even a first skill.
'I thought he was way higher level than us.'
'Same level 1... no, from a worse starting point, he showed skills beyond us....'
That was overwhelming talent, right?
Enough to spark jealousy.
"What's so great about a bloodline skill? House Kang's bloodline skill is nothing compared to Silla or House Kim's."
"Right. If House Kang was that great, they wouldn't have fallen."
The students huddled at the back of the classroom, glaring resentfully at Jae-hyeok's back and muttering, unable to hold back.
"What a disgrace."
"Right? Jealousy should have limits. Insulting a ducal house's bloodline skill?"
Lee Jin-seong and Du Bae-su snorted derisively.
Stung to the core, the students flushed and shot back.
"You're here because you hate Kang Jae-hyeok too, so what gives you the right to lecture us?"
"You two got bullied by him the most, yet no pride? Just be honest and jealous like us."
"Jealousy my ass."
Lee Jin-seong pointed at the cast on Jae-hyeok's arm.
"Know why that guy's got a cast?"
"From slicing the Neuroseizure Beast?"
"Nope. He was fine then. Broke his bone training alone at night."
"...Why break a bone training?"
"Said he swung his sword too much and his body couldn't take it."
"Is he an idiot...?"
"Yeah, total idiot. How many people swing a sword till their bones break? But get this."
Lee Jin-seong let out a hollow laugh.
"You and I have done that idiotic stuff plenty of times already."
For a moment.
The students fell silent.
Recalling the hellish training of the past fortnight.
"Remember? How Jae-hyeok worked us to near-death in the swamp, thinking we'd actually die."
"Yeah. And thanks to that, we crushed C-Class in the joint training. We beat that smug red evaluator from C-Class."
Du Bae-su nodded in agreement.
The students' gazes shifted back to Jae-hyeok's back.
"To someone, that idiotic training looks dumb. But to him, it's routine. And we felt the effects firsthand."
"......"
"Is there any need to envy that? Of course he's strong—he's been training like an idiot non-stop before even entering Lion's Castle."
Lee Jin-seong shrugged.
"Maybe instead of jealousy, we should learn from Kang Jae-hyeok. We were thrilled when we beat C-Class and took down the Leech King, right? Time to feel that thrill again."
"...You're right."
"Our thinking was too narrow."
"Just days ago we were thanking him, calling him cool... Now jealousy? I'm so petty. Damn, embarrassing."
B-Class's average age was just 19.
Kids not yet fully adults made up the majority.
It was natural they weren't fully mature.
Yet their eyes changed in an instant.
They replaced shameful jealousy with faint respect and burning passion.
***
B-Class, having finished swamp adaptation training, plunged into real combat.
Over thirty players jumped into the swamp at once, clashing fiercely with monsters.
Leeches bigger than pythons, sonic-attacking mosquitoes, venom-spraying moths, centipedes with dozens of razor-sharp legs, sturdy trilobites—they used the forest and swamp for cover, but B-Class students, honed by Jae-hyeok, easily detected their presence.
[Your level has increased.]
A month after entering Lion's Castle, their first level-up.
It was a touching moment of truly becoming players, but every student's face soured in disgust.
"Kang Jae-hyeok, you bastard...!"
"Can't take it anymore! Let's die today—you first, or me! You damn jerk!!"
Just 5 hours after changing their minds thanks to Lee Jin-seong's persuasion.
Their respect and passion for Jae-hyeok had turned to hatred.
Eyes rolled back, they poured killing intent not at monsters, but at Jae-hyeok.
Whenever a chance to finish a monster arose, he'd pop up and interfere—they were furious.
"Fighting like that just breeds bad habits."
Jae-hyeok kicked Lee Jin-seong's butt, then poked Cheon Hye-ji's side with a finger as she battled a centipede.
"Kyaaaaah!!"
Startled by the creepy sensation, Cheon Hye-ji shrieked, her signature lush blonde hair standing on end.
"See? You might've won, but your waist would've been sliced. Loss, right?"
Jae-hyeok explained, shattering the centipede leg that had grazed her waist.
"Die!!"
Cheon Hye-ji, who had leaped a meter into the air, kicked at Jae-hyeok.
He dodged lightly and poked her side again.
"Look how squishy your waist is. Train it."
"Kyaaaaah!!"
"......"
The students turned to Kim Jin-myeong.
A silent plea: Please stop this madman.
But Kim Jin-myeong stood with arms crossed, silent.
'Perfect lesson.'
Jae-hyeok always had a reason to interfere.
He calmed excited kids facing monsters, corrected poor stances, and gave near-victors hints for total wins.
'Kang Jae-hyeok, why do you help the kids so tirelessly?'
Because he's a duke's son?
Like when he stepped up to help me, are you just caring for us because you're nobility?
'Even after being betrayed by the nation and people....'
What a guy.
On a whole different level.
He even felt respect for this kid far younger than him.
'Nobility... true nobility....'
As Jin-myeong watched Jae-hyeok fondly, deeply impressed.
'This is fun.'
Jae-hyeok struggled to hide a wicked grin.
Tormenting Lee Jin-seong, Du Bae-su, Cheon Hye-ji, and others he disliked was thrilling, no matter how often.
'If you've sinned, pay the price.'
I'll never forgive any of you who insulted my father and house even once....
Vowing that, Jae-hyeok never crossed the line.
He gave just enough help to prevent injuries from monsters.
'Love their tough persistence.'
B-Class kids were like earthworms—squirming harder the more you stepped on them.
Their vengeful resolve to pay him back amused and endeared him.
'Above all, they have loyalty.'
Never dreamed they'd chase him to the Leech King raid to help.
'Kids they may be.'
Chucking, he spotted Hae-rin isolated in the swamp and released mana through the Yongcheon acupoint in his sole.
Kuuuwaaaang!!
"Don't just move your body—use mana, mana! What'd you do with the mana operation lessons every morning?"
"C-Crazy...."
The students—and even Kim Jin-myeong—gaped at the swamp Jae-hyeok stomped erupting like a geyser.
Pre-awakening humans raised mana stats by tempering the mind.
Jae-hyeok had tempered his mind beyond his body, breaking limits.
At awakening, even his mana stat hit the max.
One of a knight's three main stats was mana, and post-awakening achievements boosted all stats by 12.
Result: Jae-hyeok's mana stat was a whopping 80.
Focusing that monstrous mana with House Kang Mana Operation Method and releasing it produced firepower shocking enough for Jin-myeong.
'Soon his mana stat will surpass mine...?'
Jin-myeong was level 65.
As a mage, his mana was nearly 140.
Catching up seemed distant, but understandable mistake.
House Kang Mana Operation Method amplified mana power up to 2x with focus time.
"That bastard's going wild even with a broken arm... Aaaagh!!"
"T-Teacher! Save... Glub glub!"
"Huh! C-Coming now!"
Snapping out of it, Jin-myeong dove to rescue the kids buried in the swamp.
In that gap, Jae-hyeok cleaved the flailing airborne monsters in one stroke.
[Your level has increased.]
"...Thanks."
They say looks are science.
Park Hae-rin, with cat-like eyes and mouth, had a cautious personality.
She thanked Jae-hyeok but kept distance, never approaching.
"You helped me too."
First day of school.
When Kim Jin-myeong overstepped, the girl who subtly took his side by urging class to start was Park Hae-rin.
"...Never helped."
Biting her inner cheek, she turned toward the monsters.
'Her expression's dark.'
Heiress of Guardian Guild, right?
'Guild, huh....'
Jae-hyeok's eyes darkened.
'Those with little to lose will move fastest.'
Now awakened, killing players would level him too.
Sharpening his mind's blade, he tapped his cast.