Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The Kang Family Rite
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The pharmaceutical company employees, who had been passing the time gathering herbs, gradually gathered in front of the waterfall one by one.
Kang Jae-hyeok and Jo Seong-hyeon performing the rite drew their attention.
'What are they doing?'
None of them could make heads or tails of the situation from start to finish.
But no one bothered to interrupt.
Slowly and softly, quickly and fiercely, flashy yet solemn and elegant.
Jae-hyeok's rite, with its forms and auras changing every moment, was so impressive it was a sight to behold.
"Ooh!"
Before they knew it, the people were entranced by Jae-hyeok's rite.
Some gripped their hands in tension at its grandeur, others cheered in fascination at its flair.
Each person felt different impressions, watching the rite like a performance.
Jae-hyeok's perfect facial expressions and gaze control, syncing flawlessly with every motion change, immersed them completely.
Even the red silk tassel on the hilt of his jet-black scabbard seemed like a prop for the drama. It blended exquisitely with the white foam from the waterfall, giving the feel of admiring a masterpiece painting.
'If it's this impressive solo, how stunning would it be with a group?'
The essence of a rite was simple.
It meant training to form ranks.
But each organization had its own prescribed formalities and methods, and the pursued essence changed by situation.
In that sense, Jae-hyeok's rite was close to Sword Dance.
It seemed like it would evolve into a flashy, magnificent group dance the more people performed it, and one could imagine the sight would be incredibly cool.
Hesitantly.
A few employees who had lined up to match Jae-hyeok's rows and columns began clumsily mimicking the rite.
Something cool naturally breeds envy, and passionate people inevitably chase what they envy.
"Have they all eaten something bad as a group?"
The team leaders, arriving late to the scene, clicked their tongues, while Manager Gu was pleased.
'Jo Seong-hyeon has finally come to his senses.'
The youngest young master was joining Kang Jae-hyeok's 'game' along with the employees.
It seemed he had finally started thinking about whose favor he needed to curry for the good of the pharmaceutical company.
'Good job. As part of the owner family, he should contribute to the company even if it means fooling around.'
Gu Bu-seong, the department manager nodding in satisfaction, was currently level 68.
Still growing, he was promising material to become an A-rank player in a few years, and the chairman's officially recognized future of the pharmaceutical company.
He was a man of excellent talent.
Yet even he couldn't insight the mysteries of martial arts embedded in the Kang Family Rite.
'That's the difference between the ordinary and geniuses.'
Jae-hyeok glanced at Manager Gu and the team leaders, who were indifferent to the rite, then warmly looked at Jo Seong-hyeon, still lost in a trance.
He had noticed it from the start, when they climbed the cliff.
That Jo Seong-hyeon's body control was no ordinary skill.
And he possessed such remarkable martial talent that he pierced the essence of the Kang Family Rite at a glance.
'Is his level low because he awakened late?'
Or maybe he couldn't freely enter gates since his life was being targeted.
Feeling a strange sense of kinship, Jae-hyeok's rite gradually became faster and more precise.
He sequentially tested how much Jo Seong-hyeon could handle, continuously revealing fragments of Kang Family martial arts.
He didn't consider that a deep longing for House Kang would be etched into Jo Seong-hyeon's subconscious.
It was a first-time experience for him too.
***
"Huff, huff..."
Jo Seong-hyeon, suddenly regaining his senses, first felt excruciating pain.
His whole body's muscles cramped as if tearing apart, and his lungs and brain felt like they were burning.
It was the first time since graduating from Lion's Castle that he had pushed his body this hard.
'What the hell happened...'
Why was everything around him pitch black?
Startled, he checked his watch—it was well past 7 p.m.
Four hours had vanished.
As he looked around to grasp the situation, he spotted a smiling boy.
"Ah."
Forgotten memories flashed by like a panorama.
He had discovered the martial arts infused in the boy's rite.
Desperate to glimpse its true intent, he instinctively flailed.
No time to mind manners.
Thinking he'd regret it for life if he missed this moment, he followed the boy's rite as if hypnotized.
The boy neither scolded nor mocked him.
Instead, he kindly guided him.
Thud!
Recalling all the memories, Jo Seong-hyeon collapsed to the ground.
Unsure whether to express gratitude or apologize first, he bowed his head.
The boy approached and grabbed his arm, pulling him up.
"You worked hard. Let's cool off that sweat."
Jae-hyeok took Jo Seong-hyeon and jumped into the valley stream.
Roooaaar!!
The powerful waterfall mercilessly pounded the crowns of their heads and backs.
His exhausted body and confused mind quickly awakened.
Clarity returned to Jo Seong-hyeon's eyes.
"I couldn't thank you enough even a hundred or thousand times. I'll show it through actions, not words. Whenever you need help in the future, benefactor, just contact me."
"What you learned today from me was the Kang Family Rite."
"The Kang Family...? Di-did I disrupt a Ducal House event rehearsal?"
"What event from a fallen house on its last legs."
"Ah."
Heat rushed to Jo Seong-hyeon's face.
Too disinterested in worldly affairs, he had momentarily forgotten House Kang's position.
That's why people around him were frustrated with him.
Self-mocking, he received a chuckle from Jae-hyeok.
"People these days might not know, but House Kang has always been open to those seeking knowledge. They say the founder himself declared that any Republic of Korea citizen has the right, no, duty to grow strong. I just followed family tradition."
Jo Seong-hyeon understood what the boy wanted to say.
"The one I must repay isn't you, but House Kang."
Nodding, he vowed with a resolute face.
"To me, you are House Kang itself, but I won't forget your intent and will keep it in mind."
Jae-hyeok had a gut feeling.
That today's encounter would become great strength for his future self.
'Father was right.'
Nobles must act nobly.
Build powerful force and fulfill duties, and wealth and people will naturally follow.
As a child.
When bruised-faced people came to the mansion daily offering money and valuables, and I asked puzzledly, those were father's words.
"Let's head out now."
Jae-hyeok gathered the employees.
If they left now, they'd arrive at Arcane Gorge around 9 p.m.
Reenacting the usual schedule perfectly.
After gathering Sky Grass and escorting them to the school gate, the commission would be complete.
***
Arcane Gorge.
"So tiring..."
"Can't even rest on weekends, it's sad. What if my legs swell up from edema?"
The twin siblings shambled along like zombies, whining.
Regardless, Shin Ra-kyung, scanning surroundings for quest clues, suddenly stopped.
"Lowly things get bold on weekends."
Lion's Castle respawned monsters constantly even without clearing quests, a peculiar gate.
Its astronomical value prevented Seol Su-ah from monopolizing control.
Besides Baekya Foundation, the government, association, military, and several private guilds shared stakes.
That was why the faculty had diverse origins and why various factions clashed busily.
Unlike students rolling in flower fields, faculty and Martial Force players disguised as such often went missing.
"Parasites eating away at the country."
Muttering coldly, Shin Ra-kyung gestured, and lightning struck from a clear sky.
Pop!
Stealth broken, a ragged Evil Eye fell to the ground.
It was a lookout left behind by the Hobgoblin horde's master—destroyed by Jae-hyeok—just in case.
"Devil roast smells nasty."
"Aren't devils way rarer than monsters? Whoever's owner must be fuming."
"If vision-shared, eyeballs would've popped too?"
The twins, who had only whined until now, chattered excitedly.
Kekeke.
Their bright laughter was the last sight the Evil Eye witnessed before death.
The blood tears from its large eyes spoke for its master's anguish.
***
"Good work."
"Thanks! Let's meet again next time!"
Midnight.
Kang Jae-hyeok and the pharmaceutical company employees safely completed the schedule and arrived at the school gate.
The massive gate beyond writhed, emanating mana in eerie spectacle, but faces were bright.
Manager Gu and the employees all hoped to reunite with Jae-hyeok.
Conversely, the team leaders, rude from first impressions, remained surly.
Jae-hyeok paid them no mind.
Lots of people disliked House Kang because of Kang Dae-seong and Kang Hyeon-ah.
Employees bid Jae-hyeok farewell and crossed the gate one by one; Jo Seong-hyeon remained last.
Regret plain on his face.
"Um... impudent request, but could you teach me again later? For some reason, that scene from earlier keeps flashing before my eyes..."
"Of course."
Jae-hyeok readily nodded.
He judged spreading the rite to Jo Seong-hyeon and the employees would help the quest too.
Jo Seong-hyeon, moved, thanked profusely before leaving.
Returning straight to his dorm, Jae-hyeok logged into the community.
Thanks to leveling up and two more astonishing feats, his community points now totaled a whopping 199,000.
'This should be enough to get what I want.'
Still an abnormal figure. Even average A-rank players would struggle to amass this much.
'Delaying awakening benefited me in many ways.'
Searching "mana increase, mana reduction, accessories, artifacts" yielded dozens of chat room listings.
[Mana +200 Necklace, 8k points, first come (1/2)]
[Mana +80 Ring, cheap quick sale (1/10)]
Even pure mana-boosting accessories were scarce.
In a global player market, only 21 total, none exceeding +300 mana.
Imagining himself draped in rings and necklaces, Jae-hyeok shook his head.
[Magic Power +6 Artifact for sale. Offers (1/10)]
[Magic Power +4 Bracelet, 40k points. No haggle (1/10)]
'This might be better.'
Magic power 1 raised mana by only 10.
But magic power wasn't just for mana.
It boosted mental strength, skill and spell cast speed and power, status ailment resistance.
Common theory held it affected even more undisclosed areas.
Since it reinforced the dantian itself, higher magic power let one transcend human limits, per rumor.
'But still, way too expensive.'
Market price formed over 10k points per magic power 1.
Due to rumors, twice as pricey as other stats.
For Jae-hyeok, whose main stat was magic power, cost-performance felt terrible.
'Maybe when levels stop rising... Huh?'
Spotting an intriguing item sale chat room, Jae-hyeok clicked enter.
His consciousness was sucked into another space.