The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 254

“Excuse me, sir. I’m the father of Student Kim Ji-Hoon. My son said he’d left some things in his dormitory and asked me to pick them up.”

“Is that so? Apologies. Only those with official approval may enter. Your son will have to come in person to fetch his things.”

“Really? But my son is just a minor. Can’t a father stand as proxy for his son?”

“With all due respect, our priority is security, not your son’s belongings. Beyond this point is Lion’s Castle—not some community club. Please return...”

Summer cicadas cried in chorus, and the high sun blazed—

Summer vacation was in full swing, yet the entral terminals to Lion’s Castle were still as busy as usual.

In fact, there seemed to be more troublesome “visitors” than usual this summer.

Watching the back of the grumbling father shrink away, the guard sighed.

“I hate troublemakers more than spies.”

“Well, the spies have no choice but to lie low these days. Haha.”

Following successive infiltrations from first beastmen and then the Baus family, Lion’s Castle had thoroughly strengthened their security several months ago.

Whether increasing troops or incorporating the magic towers’ latest arcane inventions—the National Assembly and military didn’t hold back in supplementing costs and expediting installations.

Such a national response was only to be expected.

Lion’s Castle was a key resource. For outsiders to have succeeded twice in infiltrating and wreaking chaos inside Lion’s Castle...

This was a blow to Korea’s national face.

And when it came to face, even the most ponderous bureaucracy would bring down the hammer fast and hard.

Thanks to this, the last several months had been quiet for the guards; with their revamped security, no one passed into Lion’s Castle without their knowing about it.

......

By the afternoon, the stream of arguing parents had dwindled. After turning away the last of them, the guards shared an exhausted look. Their rigid postures loosened, and they fell into banter with their adjacent colleagues—only to spring straight, their ears ringing from the blaring mana detectors.

Meanwhile, a guard nestled in a booth squinted at a blinking dot on his monitor before relaxing. He spoke into a microphone, speaking directly into the staff’s and guards’ earpieces.

—The anomalous mana signature is approaching from the other side of the portal. It must be Chairman Seol.

Hearing this, the gatekeepers outside exchanged looks before breaking into chuckles.

“You should’ve seen your face. You looked ready to fight to the death.”

“And you didn’t?”

Knowing it was the chairman, the guards' rousing energies calmed. However, they were curious—as the chairman, how could Her Excellency Seol Su-Ah not know of the newly installed mana detectors?

Perhaps she intentionally released her mana to test the new features? Then why not inform us beforehand... Maybe this is her way of reminding us to stay alert?... No, the Chairman is not the sort to play games when it comes to security...

The more the gatekeepers thought about it, the less sense it made. Though no words were exchanged, a second wave of silence soon fell over the gatekeepers as they turned unanimously to stare at the gate.

The churning portal flared, and then—

“Him?”

A youth emerged.

Ominous mana leaking from the portal curled around the youth’s figure, caressing his pale skin and melding with his raven-black hair. Even so, rather than devilish, the youth’s ethereal beauty and clear eyes shone through undiminished, like an angel that had fallen for the sake of humanity.

Among the dazed checkpoint guards and receptionists, one gatekeeper was the first to regain his senses. He cleared his throat and smiled.

“Ah, so it’s Student Kang Jae-Hyeok... no, National Treasure candidate Kang. ”

The gatekeeper had been among the team that had intercepted Loren and eventually bore witness to Jae-Hyeok and Loren’s battle to save Do-Jin.

Jae-Hyeok smiled. “It’s been a long time. How have you been? I never did get a chance to thank you back then.”

"......!"

Everyone from the gatekeepers to the support soldiers and receptionists craning their necks collectively blinked. They were speechless. No one had expected Jae-Hyeok to greet a little guard as if he were the boy living next door.

“I, uh—”

Just then, the alarm blared again. And again, the voice of the guard in the booth came through the gatekeepers’ earpieces.

—It’s him. He’s the source of the mana spike.

The alarm served only one purpose: to inform the guards of an incoming threat that exceeded the capabilities of the defense system and ordinary troops. As such, only beings whose magic power was S-class or above could trigger it. In other words...

Kang Jae-Hyeok had already reached S-class—perhaps even beyond.

The gatekeepers swallowed.

Just how fast is he growing? It wasn’t like this when he’d entered a few days ago. Or was he just suppressing his aura back then?

After becoming a National Treasure candidate, Jae-Hyeok had exceeded expectations and proven his skills time and time again.

By now, all of Korea knew Jae-Hyeok had inherited his father’s talent. However, now the guards had renewed doubts: was this inheriting talent or exceeding it?

Is this something humans can do?

Jae-Hyeok had only awakened several months ago. It hadn’t even been a year, and yet he’d already reached S-class...

What did this mean for Korea?

The gatekeepers and soldiers suddenly felt they weren’t looking at a youth but the tip of a spear—one that would one day break through all of Korea’s obstacles. Before such divine talent, they felt no jealousy, only admiration and exhilaration for the future.

Feeling the heat of their gazes, Jae-Hyeok cleared his throat.

“Erm... I guess it is so noisy because of me. Apologies.”

Between the alarm and the guard’s high-strung postures, Jae-Hyeok roughly grasped the situation. He suppressed his aura, and the alarms and red lights immediately shut off.

However, this only made the guards’ gazes double in intensity.

What was this wraith-like ability?

Uh, maybe I went overboard.

When it came to aura concealment, Jae-Hyeok was confident that not even China’s S-class players would sense him. And considering the gatekeepers' line of work, it struck him that his lack of presence might cause some concern.

“Can I ask you... What is that?”

In contrast to Jae-Hyeok’s worries, the gatekeepers quickly recovered from their initial shock. Instead, something else had caught their attention.

“This?” Jae-Hyeok hoisted the ice sculpture, depicting a hulking skeleton knight in heavy armor. “It’s a gift I received from the chairman. She said it would be a beautiful centerpiece for the central hall in my family’s mansion.”

The gatekeepers glanced speechlessly between Jae-Hyeok and the ferocious skeleton knight. The sculpture was so realistic that it looked ready to roar at any moment.

“Is this considered pretty?”

The gatekeeper in the back trailed his words and coughed awkwardly.

Well, the sculpture was certainly lifelike. But given the entity depicted, it was hard to describe as beautiful.

Chairman Seol’s usual works aren’t normally so... ominous.

Well, I guess even the chairman goes through artistic phases.

The two guards nearest to Jae-Hyeok exchanged glances. Still, they could sense the chairman’s familiar aura radiating from the Death Knight sculpture. Clearly, the ice was the product of Absolute Zero. Such statues were scattered all over Lion’s Castle, never to melt unless by the chairman’s will.

Jae-Hyeok gazed up at the statue appreciatively.

“This is the gift I received to commemorate my National Treasure candidacy. It’s a treasure...” Jae-Hyeok began, only to realize he was unsure if Theodore could hear in its current state. Uh. Probably better not to speak of ownership...

Jae-Hyeok smiled. “What I mean is, I’ll definitely treasure this sculpture.”

“What an... interesting gift. Well, we won’t keep you. Safe journey.”

The gatekeepers opened a path for Jae-Hyeok. After waving goodbye, Jae-Hyeok wasted no time in cramming Theodore between the receptionists’ terminals. And when he reached the road, a car arrived to meet him.

It was the latest arcane limousine that even the president hadn’t received.

“Wow...”

“I’m really jealous.”

By then, even the receptionists and support soldiers recognized the boy’s rapidly changing status.

***

As players nearing the threshold of transcendence, the Chinese players had long mastered their bodies and were experts in adaptation.

As such, they quickly adapted to the unfamiliar task of digging and even showed excellent proficiency, digging faster than an excavators.

But no matter how deep they dug, after days of effort, they could only accept that it was all in vain.

The Great Wall of the Twilight Kingdom’s royal city extended endlessly underground.

Chen Dian glared at the wall with narrowed eyes. Finally, he spoke through gritted teeth: “Let’s go to the Kang family.”

There’s nothing to gain here.

While the daily experience could be considered plentiful for the candidates he’d brought along, this much could be achieved in China if it came down to it. The real prize was whatever unique rewards Jae-Hyeok had managed to gain from the gate.

Speaking of that brat...

Jiang Lei was a National Treasure born and leveled in China. Even if he was the lowest-ranked among China’s National Treasures, killing a boy like Jae-Hyeok should’ve been an easy task.

Yet he was killed in reverse.

It can’t be a coincidence. That kid must’ve come across some kind of opportunity inside the gate, allowing him to gain a significant boost in his combat power.

Chen Dian concluded this was the most likely case. As for Jae-Hyeok and Lou Xin’s claim that Jiang Lei had sacrificed himself for his juniors? He didn’t have to think twice to know that was nonsense.

By now, the Black Dragon Guild must be interrogating that Lou Xin back in China. As for the Yaksha’s son, I will interrogate him personally.

That evening, Chen Dian left his subordinates behind and exited the hotel, moving in the blind spots of the CCTV cameras and passing the rooms of his diplomatic escorts like a ghost.

Even among China’s National Treasures, he was top of the pile. There was no way that players from a small country like Korea could see through his stealth techniques.

Chen Dian arrived in front of the Kang family’s mansion and snorted. The Kang family’s estate might have been considered large for Korea’s standards, but compared to the sprawling estates in China, it was a joke.

Yet another way in which Korea falls short.

Chen Dian clicked his tongue in annoyance. Why be stubborn? Originally, Korea had been a vassal state of China for thousands of years. They only needed to bow their heads to taste China’s blessings once more. Alas, they insisted on clinging to their useless pride and suffering constant losses.

Chen Dian shook his head in pity.

They were foolish and short-sighted.

Sighing gently, he tapped his foot and leaped over the outer wall of the estate. He’d long studied a bird’s-eye view of the Kang Estate and knew the gaps in the security cameras.

Recalling his days warring and scheming against the Yaksha, Chen Dian’s eyes glimmered with the fond reminiscence of an old man. His gaze settled on certain dark room in one wing of the distant Kang mansion.

“Before I handle that kid. It’s only right to visit old ‘friends’ while in the neighborhood.”

Although it was all in the past...

Although the Yaksha was a husk of his former self...

Chen Dian still trembled.

Once a contender for the title of World’s Strongest, the Yaksha had haunted the Communist Party’s nightmares for over twenty years, forcing China to rot from the outside in.

China’s failure to occupy Lion’s Castle at the decisive moment was purely due to the Yaksha.

Chen Dian’s jaw tightened. He wanted to see the Yaksha as he was now, shriveled, frail, and fed through tubes—only then could he quell his resentment. And fear.

“Kukuk.”

It was 2 a.m.

The Kang estate was as quiet as a mouse. It seemed tonight he could roam the gardens and halls as he pleased. Thinking as much, Chen Dian smiled gently, enjoying the night breeze as he passed through gardens and pavilions.

On reaching the entrance of the mansion’s main building, he gathered mana in his hands, intending to pick the lock. However, upon hearing sounds coming from beyond the door, Chen Dian’s eyes flickered. The mana at his fingertips died away, and he stepped forward softly, pressing an ear to the door.

The voices of young children, screaming and cheering, could be heard faintly.

The source of the noises seemed to come from the basement of the mansion.

What am I hearing?

Are there kidnapped children being tortured downstairs?

Since the sounds were distant, Chen Dian didn’t hesitate; he unlocked the front door with a wisp of mana and vanished like a specter into the dimly lit mansion.

As expected, the main hall and lobby were empty.

“Hmph. Such poor taste.”

Chen Dian frowned and clicked his tongue. The strange appearance of the ice skeleton standing in the center of the lobby was unpleasant.

“A thief is pointing out the homeowner’s taste?”

Chen Dian’s pupils shrank as his gaze snapped from the sculpture to the top of the spiral stairs.

There, amid the shadows stood a pale-skinned, raven-haired boy.

“You... you’re the Yaksha’s—” 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“Indeed.”

Jae-Hyeok’s eyes met Chen Dian’s as he stepped down the stairs.