Duke’s Son: Re

Chapter 1

– Breaking news! Reports have emerged that China, Japan, Taiwan, and Mongolia have relinquished their claim to the 87th East Asian Gate.

Gate.

It was a portal connecting Earth to another dimension.

Due to most gates leading to monster habitats, they posed significant danger, yet they allowed for the acquisition of resources not found on Earth.

Hence, the number of gates possessed was directly linked to national power.

– The occurrence rate of new gates in the East Asia region averages once every two years. China and Japan have amicably divided them since making a treaty 94 years ago. The achievements of Duke Kang Daeguk, who broke the agreement between these nations and gifted a new gate to South Korea, will be remembered in world history for a long time…

“What?”

“Wh-what is that…?”

Incheon International Airport.

The crowd that had gathered to welcome the hero’s return began to buzz with agitation.

Kang Daeguk. National Treasure(), yaksha.

He was the foremost of the four pillars supporting South Korea, always exuding dignity.

But now, it was different. His complexion was severely haggard.

His previously massive stature seemed halved, making him look like a tiger standing on two legs.

It wasn’t just because he had lost an arm.

Just then, airport screens were delivering fresh news.

– Today, Wang Zijun, the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced at a regular briefing, “China has conceded the 87th East Asian Gate because Duke Kang Daeguk of Korea showed sincerity.”

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also…

– Pasnal Hurent, spokesperson for the American White House, commented that “confirming that Duke Kang Daeguk, Korea’s most powerful force, has lost his power core will further destabilize East Asian diplomatic balance.”

…….

…….

…….

– The Korean Players’ Association has come out strongly criticizing Duke Kang Daeguk, accusing him of mortgaging Korea’s future for immediate gain.

– The Association has issued a warrant for Duke Kang Daeguk’s eldest son, Kang Daesung, and launched a pursuit. Amidst repeated reports of increasing conflicts between the Association and Kang Daesung, there is growing concern over a potential serious armed confrontation…

– This morning at 10 AM, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense announced that Duke Kang Daeguk’s eldest daughter, lieutenant Colonel Kang Hyun-ah, was urgently arrested at her official residence. She is charged with high treason, and a large quantity of explosives and communication records have been secured as evidence…

– The National Assembly has been flooded with petitions from citizens demanding the revocation of Kang Daeguk’s status as a National Treasure.

– The identity of the missing employee from the Ministry of Land, infrastructure, and Transport during the recent gate installation has been revealed as Kang Doona from the Planning and Coordination Office. According to anonymous testimonies, Kang Doona showed severe signs of depression after Kang Daeguk was stripped of his National Treasure status…

***

One of the pillars of South Korea had collapsed.

As soon as he set foot on his homeland, he crumpled as if falling asleep and never opened his eyes again.

Reduced to a state of living dependent on a life support machine, he endured his fate.

Initially, the people cried.

They expressed their gratitude for the final gift Duke Kang Daeguk had offered to his nation, praising him as a hero.

Simultaneously, they fiercely denounced the government and the association for failing to protect their hero.

It was then that everything began to falter.

As turmoil erupted across the country, the government and the association began to depict Duke Kang Daeguk as a criminal.

Claiming that Korea’s mightiest player had foolishly sacrificed himself for a mere single gate, they criticized the decision as contrary to the national interest.

Eventually, they went as far as to condemn Duke Kang Daeguk’s humiliating diplomacy as having plunged South Korea’s future into darkness.

This was when the international community was pouring out similar news.

And the majority of the media was in the hands of the government and the association.

Public opinion gradually shifted.

There was an increasing surge of voices blaming Duke Kang Daeguk among the people.

The Kang family’s efforts to set the situation right only backfired.

The decisive factors were the Duke’s eldest son, who left the association president half-paralyzed and went into hiding, and his eldest daughter, who attempted a coup.

“Good grief, those damn fools.”

Were these siblings enemies in a past life?

The youngest son of the Duke family, who remained alone by the side of his father in a vegetative state, found his vision dimming.

***

“The humiliating diplomacy of Duke Kang Daeguk, who bowed down to foreign countries and sacrificed himself, trampled on the pride of our citizens!”

“A household that produces terrorists attempting a coup and you dare call them noble? The government must thoroughly denounce the Kang family!”

“The Kang family enjoying the same benefits as other nobles is intolerable to the people! Confiscate Kang Daeguk’s title! Confiscate it!!”

Most countries around the world, including South Korea, had reinstated the nobility system.

Players elevated to nobility enjoyed significant privileges. The hereditary pensions and tax exemptions were merely a part of the nobility’s privileges.

There was no opposition.

Everyone understood that the nobility system was a measure to prevent top-tier players from being lured away by foreign countries.

Especially the three Duke families in South Korea had the full support of the nation.

Without the devotion of these three families, South Korea would have perished during the 『Great Revival』 200 years ago.

But the Kang family lost their support base due to the series of events that unfolded eight years ago.

Even though the head of the family made a sacrifice to present a gift to the nation.

“Do not mind whatever they say. They are merely the workers representing the falsehoods of their employers, not the will of the people.”

Hwang Hong-gi said while closing the window.

Today, the cries of civic groups raising their voices particularly grated on him.

“What are you saying all of a sudden? This is something we have to endure because of Kang Daesung and Kang Hyun-ah, right? I’ve already listed the ones who keep attacking my father in the kill list.”

“The kill list? Is that what you were jotting down when I thought you’d taken up studying lately?”

“I wrote Kang Daesung and Kang Hyun-ah’s names right at the top. Did I do well? Ah, damn it.”

The boy responded absentmindedly while pressing buttons on his game console, then flopped onto the sofa.

Kang Jaehyuk.

The youngest son of Duke Kang Daeguk, he had lived a hellish life for the past eight years.

He scrubbed out all the filth and graffiti that defiled the ancestral mansion dedicated to the nation with his small hands, became the target of brutal public opinion in place of his unconscious father and missing siblings.

He led an isolated life, not enjoying a normal childhood.

Even simple outings were rare.

“I’ll need to draw again… Steward Hwang, can I borrow your credit card? I’ll pay you back as soon as the noble pension kicks in.”

“We’re short on this month’s living expenses too. By the way, why do you keep spending money on a game you only play a few minutes a day?”

“Come on, Hwang… Is it not ridiculous for you, who have worked for the Kang family for over 40 years, to ask such an absurd question? Our family motto is to do our best in everything.”

“And stop being so polite only when you ask for money.”

“Sheesh.”

Hence, he had become broken.

No, calling him broken might be too harsh a judgment on a young boy.

Jaehyuk had put in effort.

Having made efforts, he must have learned.

The reality that nothing changes no matter how hard one tries.

“How much is left of father’s work compensation?”

He seemed broken from the start…

“Check this out. It’s a letter of admission from the Lion’s Castle. This is already the fifth one, so why not make a decision now? If only for the sake of academics and socializing, accepting might be…”

At the moment Hwang Hong-gi handed the mail to Jaehyuk.

CRASH!!

The window, which had been blocking the commotion from outside, shattered into pieces.

Following that, a massive monster fell.

Could it really be a monster suddenly appearing in a residential area of South Korea, boasting a gate control rate of 93.6%?

Of all places, it had targeted the Duke’s mansion, which was no coincidence.

“……!”

Hwang Hong-gi couldn’t even scream before becoming a mangled mess.

His abdomen was completely crushed.

Had Jaehyuk’s rapidly outstretched hand not brushed against the monster’s leg, his chest would have been trampled, leading to instant death.

“Hwang, Steward Hwang!!”

Jaehyuk sprang from the sofa and, without hesitation, threw himself at the monster.

Although the monster’s massive hand swooped down, he didn’t evade; instead, he accelerated.

CRUNCH!

A chunk of his shoulder flesh was torn off, yet he managed to approach the monster’s feet.

“Hwang…”

The young boy, who lost his mother before maturity, and witnessed his family’s downfall as he matured.

His father lay unconscious and his siblings had left.

Left alone overnight, the boy succumbed to the silence that engulfed the mansion.

His savior was Hwang Hong-gi.

He was a benefactor who looked after the abandoned Kang father and son pair.

Did he have to lose him too?

No.

Rather than losing another precious person, he’d rather bite his tongue and die right there.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry.”

Jaehyuk whispered, ignoring the bleeding wound on his shoulder and embracing Hwang Hong-gi.

The monster’s roaring foot was descending upon their heads.

Ignoring it, Jaehyuk pulled a potion from his pocket.

An elixir of miraculous efficacy for treating external injuries, an item so valuable that it was nearly impossible to purchase even with an enormous sum.

Being who he was, he had prudently kept this treasure on hand for a moment like this.

Squealch-!

The monster’s head was severed at the neck. The massive foot that was about to crush Jaehyuk’s head wobbled aside.

It wasn’t Jaehyuk’s doing.

Jaehyuk had been pouring the potion onto Hwang Hong-gi’s wounds when a nervous voice penetrated his ears.

“My, my, were you planning a double suicide with some mere hired help? Had I not intervened, you’d have both been trampled to death. Pathetic fool.”

A stranger’s voice.

The presence that had been felt since the monster appeared was finally revealed.

“Dragged a troll all the way from the gate to here?”

By the time the potion container was completely empty.

Jaehyuk slowly turned his head.

The man standing atop the troll’s corpse sneered.

“Be grateful. I chased away the filth that was noisily clamoring outside.”

The man did not underestimate the young boy.

Though he might have displayed a pitiful appearance, the opponent was Yaksha’s son.

The moment he grasped a sword, he would transform completely.

Thus, he stood with his back to Jaehyuk’s sword buried under rubble.

“So you’re after me, not wanting harm to befall me for now?”

“You’re sharp, aren’t you? Indeed. My master desires the knowledge engraved upon your body and mind—the Kang family’s swordsmanship. So temporarily, your limbs must remain intact. Now, follow me obediently.”

‘A black-maned troll.’

Calculating the distance from the gate where monsters inhabiting to the mansion, Jaehyuk frowned.

The notion that the monster emerging from the gate and being led here through the bustling neighborhood made no sense.

‘At least an alarm should be blaring by now across the entire area…’

Yet, the outside, as seen through that shattered wall, was eerily quiet.

The intruder’s master seemed to be a powerful figure capable of blinding the association’s and military’s surveillance and stalling their response.

‘Was it one of those who demolished my family?’

The long-suppressed anger began to surge.

The colder his head grew, the more his temper flared.

His mental strength, honed alongside his physical traits from years of wielding a sword, came in handy now.

“Fine. I’ll go.”

“M, master….”

As Jaehyuk willingly followed the man, Hwang Hong-gi extended a trembling hand.

Remarkably, he was already regaining his senses.

His little Master, crawling across the floor, hoping his hand would reach him, cut a pitiful figure.

Jaehyuk dared not pity him.

Instead, the spirit Hwang displayed, as one would expect from the Kang family, was gratifying.

“Ah, there isn’t anything to gain from keeping a witness alive, is there?”

The man smirked cruelly.

He had no intention of sparing the witness from the outset.

He had silently observed the young boy’s futile struggle to rescue someone bound to die, purely for the enjoyment of this moment.

This was the opportunity Jaehyuk awaited.

A turning point swiftly transforming the situation!

“There’s no need to keep the intruder alive either.”

Jaehyuk timed his strike as the man reached for his sword hilt.

The Kang family’s swordsmanship.

It focused on quick drawing.

They had perfected the act of drawing a sword into an attack and defense.

Jaehyuk comprehended everything about the actions involved in drawing a sword, the accompanying reactions of the body, the flow of consciousness, and the time necessary for a series of processes.

Meaning he could use it against others.

A swordsman with a sheathed sword should never permit a youth like him to approach.

Because he would inevitably experience his drawn sword being manipulated contrary to his will.

“What the-…”

SPLURT!!

Blood erupted from the astonished man’s chest like a fountain.

‘How could this be?’

The moment he drew his sword, it had been stolen.

Could such a thing even be possible?

If the man had been an absolute beginner unfamiliar with swords, perhaps this was plausible.

But the man was a veteran player with decades of experience, who perceived his sword as an extension of his body.

He was confident he wouldn’t drop his sword even if his neck were severed.

But it had been taken.

Suddenly, as if sapped of strength, the grip on his sword vanished, and Jaehyuk had seized it, using it to cut him down.

An unbelievable ordeal even having experienced it firsthand.

His back chilled while simultaneously bringing relief to the man.

‘Fortunately, he’s still just a rookie.’

It wasn’t due to doubt in Jaehyuk’s skill.

Having just experienced being bested as he was, how could he not acknowledge it?

The boy was Yaksha’s son.

He must have consistently trained from a young age.

Perhaps he was even more ruthless because he was alone, likely pushing himself to his limits countless times.

However, it must be his first experience cutting down a living being.

‘He’s bound to be overwhelmed by unfamiliar pressure.’

The hot blood clinging to his skin.

Comprehending for the first time the weight of life contained within it.

‘Besides…’

The man hastily retreated, grabbing a sword buried among the rubble.

Upon drawing it from the sheath, he discovered a single-edged blade—a sabre made from special metal to enhance acceleration during drawing, the Kang family symbol.

‘I may be unfamiliar with a sabre, just as you might be with a sword.’

The man had only lost the sword. The scabbard still dangled from his waist.

Jaehyuk’s draw-style technique was restricted.

‘I was hoping to take him alive without injury, but…’

He’d have to brace for his master’s wrath to some extent.

The man was catching his breath when his eyes suddenly widened.

CRACK!

A harsh noise was heard.

Jaehyuk had taken a step forward, cracking the floor. His knotted toe astonishingly pierced the hard wood.

‘What on earth…’

How much had he trained his lower body?

Wasn’t he just a young pup of sixteen?

The man attempted to negotiate, feeling somewhat uneasy.

“Come with me. If you willingly teach my master swordsmanship, you’ll receive a fair treatment.”

“And who’s your master? Before accepting a disciple, shouldn’t I know who it is?”

“You’ll know once you follow me.”

“No, isn’t it absurd to follow someone who is about to die? Don’t worry, I’ll find out who your master is soon myself.”

“Isn’t your way of speaking somewhat low for a noble?”

“I’m a noble in my own right, you bastard. Do you think I’d have received proper education given the state of my house?”

“M, master… I’m sorry… for my faults… Cough!”

“Mr Hwang, I’m still better than that son of a bitch, right?”

“Of course… Cough, cough!!”

‘Are these lunatics?’

A dying old man and a young boy on the brink of abduction.

They converse without any tension, when pleading for life on bended knee would not be enough.

‘An abrupt attack. First combat experience. The negated draw technique. Even in a challenging situation, they remain confident. This only implies that they’re immensely proud of their rigorous training. ‘

A common occurrence.

Young nobles were often characterized by this arrogance.

The man, who had tackled gate raids over fifty times, had frequently witnessed their vanity and filled his belly because of it.

“Anyway, you refuse to say? Then die, you filthy robber bastard. I’ll eventually uncover just what kind of bastard your master is, so don’t worry.”

“A child with a sewer for a mouth…”

Isn’t this the land of courtesy?

The man, who frowned, began lecturing on manners but then closed his mouth abruptly.

Jaehyuk was unfastening his belt, coiling it several times around his left hand.

Swoosh.

Bringing the sword to his waist, Jaehyuk leaned forward, the sharp blade naturally aligning with the belt.

As if huddling within a sheath.

‘Draw technique!’

The man, alert and focused, started calculation.

The stolen sword’s dimensions, Jaehyuk’s likely step range, the reach of his outstretched arm, the direction of his gaze and elbows, the angle of that inclined torso, all caught and scrutinized at once.

It was to measure the direction and distance of the impending strike.

A draw technique could not be chained.

Once broken, its power drastically diminished.

Indeed, the man understood the weaknesses of a draw technique.

However, understanding did not provide a solution.

Sliice-!

A blurry line appeared in the man’s vision as he retreated to create distance.

The sword’s light distorted and fragmented, too swift to capture.

An extreme rapidity.

Before the man had a chance to react, Jaehyuk had already drawn his sword.

The shattering pieces of leather belt dropping in blood-spattered fragments validated that.

‘What is this?’

I shouldn’t have allowed for the distance?

‘Why wield the sword from that position…’

Pondering, the man’s head became overwhelmed by a dull ache.

His vision tinted red; only then did the man realize.

Jaehyuk’s hand was empty.

“You threw…? Is that… Something a swordsman does…?”

An activity that obliterated conventions. Hence, it remained unanticipated, permitting exploitation of a gap.

In his fury-filled gaze towards Jaehyuk, the man was succumbing weakly at that moment.

“I’m not a swordsman.”

Jaehyuk replied nonchalantly.