Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Sharpening the Blade
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Brain death.
From the day his father was essentially declared dead until now.
In just eight years, South Korea had erased the history forged by Yaksha, distorted it, and dragged House Kang's honor through the mud.
This wasn't the work of one or two ringleaders.
At least dozens.
Just who the hell were they?
For a child trapped in a mansion surrounded by protesters, pinpointing the culprits was impossible.
All he could do was suspect those who shone brighter with every step in House Kang's downfall, based on the news spilling from the TV.
His investigations amounted to web surfing and grinding away at that addictive gacha game, Player Manager.
In the end, Jae-hyeok decided to keep it simple.
Hone his body and mind like a sharpened blade.
So that no matter who the enemies were or how many there were, he could cut them all down.
[Wind Spirit's Boots]
Grade: Epic
Leather boots infused with the breath of wind spirits.
Light and comfortable. They reduce leg fatigue and boost movement speed.
'B-Rank players and they each carry at least one epic item.'
He was making good use of the [High Inquisitor Alus's Dagger] he'd gotten from killing Yoon Sang-ho when he scored the senior instructor's relic too.
Snug brown boots.
They'd prove a huge help going forward.
The problem, though...
'People will recognize whose these are.'
The [White Serpent's Bracelet] he could easily hide under wrist guards.
Even running into that guy from the auction house by some insane stroke of luck wouldn't blow his cover.
But these boots? Way too distinctive.
'Guess I need to snag an appearance-change item.'
Recalling the community marketplace listings, Jae-hyeok slipped on the boots.
Leather rising to mid-calf.
Luxurious vibe that suited him perfectly.
'Still stands out.'
At least the snowfield's blizzard and chill blurred visibility.
Stay alert and he should be fine.
Thud!
Kicking off the ground, Jae-hyeok shot across the icy plain.
Compared to slogging along with those sluggish kids, this was easily ten times faster.
Kang Family Mana Operation Method amplified by the Wind Spirit Boots unleashed transcendent speed.
The White Serpent's Bracelet cut resource drain so much he didn't even need to ration his mana.
He didn't slip on the ice once.
Every footfall blasted mana that pulverized the surface.
No hesitation in his movements.
Deep as his tracks were, snow and ice swallowed them in seconds.
'There.'
Spotting an unnatural sight amid the blurring scenery, Jae-hyeok skidded to a halt atop the cliff.
Nine serpents slithering across the vast snowfield.
A procession of nine monster packs.
From afar, it looked like one massive snake.
'Better target the one coming from the east.'
He zeroed in on the lowest-average-level pack out of the nine.
A yeti-led group with no maned ones.
Mostly D-Rank monsters, C-Rank and up were rare.
Boom!
No hesitation.
Decision made, he leaped from the cliff.
Rumble!
Ever since cleaving that thunder calamity, his mana had started taking on a faint yellow tint for some reason.
Mana cloaking his body to brace the impact, he streaked down like a bolt of lightning.
'Just like in the game.'
A massive crater exploded where his boots hit the ice.
Insane vibrations rippled outward in waves, kicking up chaos.
But the monsters didn't turn.
They marched on, faces entranced.
The Lord's dominion had the snowfield monsters in a total chokehold.
They heeded nothing but the instinct to protect their Lord.
They wouldn't scout around until they reached the nest.
Just like Player Manager described the monster migration.
'Worth dumping all those noble coins.'
He'd pulled character cards thousands of times just to glimpse fragments of high-rankers' skills. Pumped hundreds more into strengthening for extra gates and quests.
Surface-level scraps at best, but a locked-up non-awakener had to scrape intel somehow.
Stab!
Jae-hyeok latched onto the procession's tail and jammed his dagger into the rearmost troll's nape.
Shrieeeek!
Combat wasn't as clean as he'd hoped.
The struck monster snapped out of it and counterattacked.
Nearby ones shook off the daze at the roar.
Even boxed in by four trolls in seconds, Jae-hyeok stayed cool.
Clang!
The trolls' savage axe swings met his quick draw blade and rebounded, flinging them airborne.
The power gap in their weapons was massive.
Snowfield trolls clocked at least level 25, but they couldn't handle his strength.
Level 26 Jae-hyeok's was 116.
The kind warrior-types chased at level 50.
All those achievements stacking up.
Crack!
Mana-charged quick draw shredded their crude axes to splinters.
The ferocious trolls pressed on weaponless, but fury alone couldn't touch him. Punches and kicks whiffed as he wove in with flawless footwork.
Blood swirled around his Lion's Castle uniform like a starry night sky, and trolls dropped one by one.
[Your level has increased.]
Seven trolls down, and a welcome alert popped up.
HP and MP restored, full strength again, he stalked a yeti shambling ahead and plunged his blade into its back.
Perfect ambush.
But Jae-hyeok scowled.
Dulled edge failed to punch through the hide.
He yanked the blade free and flicked the blood, to no avail.
Thunder Sword's backlash had charred troll fat black, gumming up the blade with gore.
'Real fights are different from drills, alright.'
No choice—he wiped it on his sleeve before backstepping the yeti's swinging club.
[Two Scythes that Halt the Cart]
His body pulled back, but twin auras slashed the air, skewering the yeti's head and heart.
More live combat, more he marveled at the skill's utility.
He was dead certain: if those B-Rank hunters gunning for him had meant to kill instead of kidnap, they'd have been screwed.
'Died without landing a skill. Must've stung.'
Shouldn't have fucked with House Kang to begin with.
Eyes icing over, Jae-hyeok dove into round two with the yeti pack.
He slathered Leech King's venom over the dulled quick draw blade to amp the kill power.
***
'Why the hell aren't they here?'
First-year A-Class homeroom teacher Park Ju-bong checked the time, antsy.
The monster migration that hit every troll lord spawning.
A rare hands-on lesson, once per semester for the kids.
Battling hundreds at once didn't come around often.
'Something happen to the monsters?'
One of nine routes to the troll lord's nest.
Park Ju-bong had posted up first-year A-Class here in ambush.
The weakest pack—average D-Rank—always took this path.
But thirty minutes past ETA.
Not a single monster whisker in sight.
'I kept saying our teacher's got that scammed look lately. Bet some asshole fooled him again.'
'Teacher's got years in. No way...'
'Teacher's a teacher, experience or not. Retiring 'cause they can't level anymore? That's incompetence right there.'
A-Class kids started griping.
Nearly an hour wasted in this drag. They had every right to bitch.
'I'm gonna scout the situation. You lot hold here.'
Park Ju-bong rose and tapped Silla Kyung and Loren.
'If anything pops while I'm gone, you two lead the kids.'
Park Ju-bong was infamous for missing cues.
Even after those two stonewalled during the leech king mess, he still trusted them.
Hell, he didn't even clock how they eyed each other like cow and chicken.
'Korea treats awakeners like babies?'
'Haha, yep. Gotta babysit the little ones proper.'
'......'
Park Ju-bong shut down Loren's sneering scoff with baffling ease and dipped.
The bobbed hippie-perm girl shot Loren a frosty glare.
'Always "Korea this, Korea that" and comparing to Austria? So immature. Like being a war state is some flex.'
'Totes. Nobles from kid-conscript countries got warped vibes?'
'Nah, guy's personality is what's twisted.'
The twin siblings chimed in.
All three were Silla Kyung's retainers.
Loren blew them off and locked eyes with Silla Kyung.
'Trouble training the dogs?'
'Austrian nobles call retainers dogs?'
Silla Kyung parried coolly, face unchanging.
She was blank-slate stoic anyway.
Her statue-perfect looks lost a bit of luster for it.
'I like you less than Kang Jae-hyeok.'
'No clue why that name drops now.'
'Right! How dare a petty noble trash-talk to our young lady!'
The boy twin exploded.
Name: O Ja-ha.
Loud and moody as hell—Loren pegged him as trashy.
'A dog using "dare" on me? Botched your Korean lessons?'
'You seaweed-headed foreigner schooling a Korean in Korean...!'
Ja-ha fired back hot before clamping it.
Not just him.
The whole site went dead silent, air turning frigid.
'Th-this psycho...'
Ha Kyung-su—mute since spear loss to Kang Jae-hyeok—finally piped up.
'M-m-monster...'
Perky Da-hee and Yu-jin's faces drained white.
Tame reactions, those.
Some kids shrieked outright or buckled at the knees.
'...Named?'
Silla Kyung's crew and Loren halted their spat, staring at the forest fringe.
[What the? Why are human whelps here?]
The hulking Death Knight that popped up sprayed purple glow from its eyes, sweeping over the students.
Its jet-black plate slick with rainbow gore—fresh off massacring migration stragglers, no doubt.
'W-where's teacher? Our teacher!'
Da-hee snapped to and wailed. That stark red splatter on the Death Knight's chest fueled her worst fears.
The Death Knight snorted in disdain.
[Lion's Castle fallen so far brats like you roam free. What a shame.]
Fwoosh!
Its longsword birthed a grand, flame-like aura.
[Before reuniting with that sword-crazed fiend, time to sweep the trash.]