Duke’s Son: Re

Chapter 30

The 『First Skill』 laid the foundation for players. Once equipped, it became irreversible, determining the player’s growth trajectory.

It was an immensely significant event that could dictate the fate of an individual.

However, not all these events were as spectacular.

Usually, they released just a faint beam of light.

“Ridiculously magnificent…”

“The Kang family has awakened bloodline skills twice in a row…! Is this the seventh time in the world?”

“A tribulation has occurred—is that truly a bloodline?”

A white pillar of light soared with a force that seemed to pierce the sky, accompanied by a thunderous roar resembling the cries of thousands of beasts.

‘Finally, I am escaping from being blind.’

The person who trembled the most at this moment was none other than Kang Jaehyuk.

As he gazed at the vivid system message, memories of the arduous 8 years he had endured flashed through his mind like a wooden horse lantern.

‘Now it’s truly starting.’

Calming his excited heart, he opened the status window.

Name: Kang Jaehyuk
Profession: Knight (Growth)
Level: 10
Mana: 680/680
Strength: 68 Stamina: 68 Agility: 59 Mana: 68 Insight: 59
Skills: 『Noble Chivalry』, 『Empty』, 『Empty』

What were the stat limits allowed for a human body before awakening?

There were speculations, but no one had ever proven it.

‘It turned out to be 50.’

In recent days, he had felt as though his physical growth had hit a wall.

He intuitively realized that further strengthening was impossible.

‘Thanks to the rapid growth after enrolling in the Lion’s Castle.’

Speaking of that…

‘Three primary stats?’

Usually, it’s one, two when a bloodline skill awakens.

The total stat points a player gained upon leveling up were generally between 6 to 7.

Yet Jaehyuk gained 8 stats per level.

Swallowing dryly, he summoned the information of the 26th First Skill that he had awakened last night.

It was a skill valuable enough to have convinced him to awaken as soon as he saw it.

Lv.1
Type: Passive

*The knight excels in all martial arts, so is unlocked.
*The knight’s mental fortitude is firmly trained, allowing resistance to most status ailments and great endurance to pain.
*Every time accomplishments aligning with virtues—bravery, swiftness, etiquette, honor, camaraderie, and loyalty—are accumulated, new chivalry is written and developed.
*A beneficial event occurs every time the fifth chivalry is written.
*Locked.

Lv.1
Type: Passive

*Increases attack power, hit rate, defense, and evasion rate by 10% constantly.

Frankly, it was a crazy skill.

The pinnacle of mastery-type skills that Jaehyuk had desperately longed for.

Ordinary mastery skills supposedly worked only when equipped with specific weapons, while All Master increased all ability stats unconditionally.

‘Furthermore, resisting most status ailments…’

Players exposed to fatal status ailments like stun, paralysis, and enthrallment were highly likely to lose their lives. Resistance to most status ailments was akin to acquiring unparalleled armor.

These two effects alone were tremendous, but the true value of chivalry lay elsewhere.

Fought against a formidable enemy to save lives despite being weak.

*Opens skill .
*Increases attack power by 10% when fighting an opponent of a higher level.
*Increases the attack power of both yourself and allies by 5% when fighting together with allies.

Lv.1
Type: Active

Delivers a powerful attack to the target. The higher the target’s level, the stronger the power.

Mana Cost: 100
Cooldown: 3 minutes

Thus, every time chivalry was utilized, new effects happened and grew stronger.

Due to 『Skill Tree』s opening, it was far superior to the bloodline skills of noble families with high growth potential.

While the skill tree had its limits, the potential of Noble Chivalry was boundless.

Of course, the premise was that Jaehyuk had to uphold his convictions.

‘But the name of the chivalry being “Flies On The Cart” is a bit…’

Wasn’t it a phrase implying someone who challenges the strong without knowing their limits?

The somewhat negative connotation made him uncomfortable.

‘And…’

The profession was a bit unsettling.

‘Me, a knight?’

He was a noble.

It was his position to command knights, yet he had become one himself, making him feel peculiar.

‘Having awakened with chivalric skills, it’s a given.’

In modern times, nobles are close to knights.

Figures who protect the country and its people with immense military strength.

Because his father was such, Jaehyuk too had thrown himself into the Leech King.

‘Yes, whether noble, knight—who cares about titles.’

If the task remained the same, then titles mattered not.

Moreover, his profession had the bizarre label of ‘Growth Type’.

By staying true to my path, I’ll find my rightful place.

‘What the blessing of Iris, the Third Princess of Reindhart is, I couldn’t understand at all.’

Everything was unfamiliar since he had just awakened.

He could vaguely guess about the Lion’s Curse, but….

He thought he might need to use the 『Community』 that had been activated with his awakening to find clues about the rest of the information.

‘Before that, I should organize the situation.’

KURRRRING!!

The thunder grew louder.

When he looked up, the dark clouds had thickened considerably. The golden lightning-struck web trembled and compacted, as if ready to transform into a spear and descend.

‘Tribulation.’

Or divine punishment.

Jaehyuk was well aware of that disastrous phenomenon.

Many S-rank players tragically perished the moment they achieved level 151 due to tribulations.

‘That’s why the vast majority of S-rank players remain forever at level 150.’

It became a prevalent culture to challenge a tribulation only when nearing the end of life, after hitting level 151.

Of course, many couldn’t even reach level 150 until they died of old age.

‘If that means it’s targeting me…’

He smirked.

As the thunder’s crashes heightened, Jaehyuk’s expression ironically became more serene.

Although one might have had cause to resent a world seemingly harsh only towards oneself, he showed not a flicker of distress.

‘The world isn’t harsh just to me.’

Click.

Jaehyuk unclipped his sword belt.

In doing so, a dark green sheath loosened from his belt, landing in his hands.

‘A trial is a trial only if it’s overcome.’

He merely did what he always did.

Standing boldly to show his enemies watching through the lenses, he raised the horizontally-sheath-above-head.

He supported the sheath with his left hand, while his right hand grasped the hilt.

It was the Kang family’s upper guarding stance.

A posture of a reclining crescent moon.

“I will explain the method, so focus.”

Seol Soo-ah whispered, having appeared at his side.

“React to the flow of electricity, not the sound—it’ll be way too late otherwise.”

It was the advice of someone who had become a National Treasure after surviving several tribulations.

Jaehyuk, deeply inscribing her words in his heart, nodded.

Focus.

As long as she was nearby, only a foolhardy would interfere.

“……”

Jaehyuk’s breathing quieted.

He relaxed his muscles, heightening senses other than hearing to the extreme. Sensations wholly trained alone, relying on no one.

Everything around him felt so close, as if he’d touch it merely by stretching a hand. Then, sometimes, it felt infinitely distant.

It didn’t matter.

Subconsciously.

Jaehyuk sharpened his senses to the extent that he couldn’t distinguish between the sword and himself, immersing to where he didn’t consciously grasp anything he was doing, simply relinquishing himself to his senses.

Snap!

The tingle in the spidery lightning slowed momentarily.

Jaehyuk reacted instantaneously to the change in phenomenon.

He drew the sword halfway from its sheath.

Flash!

Almost immediately, the light flashed.

KRRAAAAAAAKKK!!

The sound followed.

The people only then witnessed.

The scene of the upturned crescent moon blade colliding with the golden lightning.

“Guh…!”

Jaehyuk gritted his teeth, his body trembling.

The power of the lightning adhering to the blade was truly unimaginable.

Every joint felt as though it was dislocating, his lower abdomen screamed, and it felt like every muscle might snap strand by strand.

Thud!

The stage he stood on collapsed with a whump.

He had anticipated it. Bending his creaking knees fluidly, he maintained his balance. It was an application of a move Silla Kyung had shown.

“AAAAHHHHHH!!”

He roared.

To squeeze out every last ounce of power, neck veins bulged.

‘I must endure.’

He believed.

In the effort he had built.

The power of the tribulation was said to be proportional to the target’s capabilities.

It could at most thrice exert the sum of my stats in attack power.

If he executed the Kang family’s draw technique, honed while reminiscing his father’s back, dispersing such power was still plausible.

He believed.

In the results his efforts had achieved.

With All Master and Pain Mitigation, augmented by Flies On The Cart, his body was vastly different in strength compared to pre-awakening. He merely had to recognize and utilize that fact.

Clunk!

His left hand, barely supporting the trembling sheathe, propped it on his shoulder.

Thanks to that, the sword held in place by the sheathe now had added stability.

‘Now.’

Swiish-!

Upon sensing the weight pressing down on the sword lessen, Jaehyuk drew the sword swiftly.

A horizontal slash, low and swift, drawn from a crescent moon-like angle—the ultimate strike.

A martial art bearing the same name as the Kang family’s bloodline skill, the tribulation was hurled down, stabbing it into the ground.

『Legendary Accomplishment!』
『You unleashed the feat of cutting through a tribulation!』
『All stats increase by 10 each.』
『The second chivalry is written.』

Fought against and overcame a natural disaster, proving bravery and earning honor.

*Skill opened.
*During tribulations, the power of the tribulation halves.
*Increases lightning attribute resistance by 30%.
*Increases lightning attribute affinity by 30%.

Lv.1
Type: Passive

*Occasionally, when attacking, you create a sword made of lightning. The Thunder Sword follows your attack like a shadow.

“Ah… that’s ridiculously refreshing.”

Jaehyuk, standing atop the golden wave of lightning, watched the clear sky unfold and a bright smile graced his lips.

Dozens of cameras captured that figure as if bewitched for a long time.

Not until the association official’s frantic actions did the host finally speak up.

“Despite the unexpected… no, unforeseen joyous event, we shall proceed with Kang Jaehyuk’s reassessment…!”

“…”

Really?

Audience members, entranced by the peculiar afterglow, stared incredulously at the host.