The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 207

Chapter 207
Thump, thump, thump!
Ji Cheon-Myeong’s behavior up to now had been disgraceful, and seeing the dumb, panic-stricken look on Ji Cheon-Myeong’s face after losing an arm caused Jae-Hyeok more satisfaction than he could’ve imagined.
But it wasn’t enough.
Whatever Ji Cheon-Myeong’s mistakes today, they weren’t enough to warrant his life in the eyes of the public. Yes, Ji Cheon-Myeong had instigated the Kang family’s collapse, harming South Korea’s national power and causing it to suffer repeated diplomatic losses to China and Japan—but the public knew none of this.
The extent of Ji Cheon-Myeong’s crimes was yet known—and so too the extent of his vile character.
This caused Jae-Hyeok to hesitate between the desire to execute Ji Cheon-Myeong and an awareness of the consequences that would follow: if he used a heavy hand, killing Ji Cheon-Myeong, he risked unsettling the audience and proving Ji Cheon-Myeong’s portrayal of him as heartless.
Ji Cheon-Myeong might even become a martyr.
Naturally, that wasn’t a desirable development. What Jae-Hyeok wanted was for Ji Cheon-Myeong to stay hated even in death.
Just as Jae-Hyeok was hesitating, Ji Cheon-Myeong did the unthinkable before countless eyes.
“Cough!”
“T-the Association president just killed his staff!”
“That person was even just defending him... How could he...”
“Such a monstrous person is actually the president of our Players Association!”
While the crowd clamored, Jae-Hyeok stared unblinkingly at Ji Cheon-Myeong, who was now basking in the light of a level up.
“I’m... insignificant?” Ji Cheon-Myeong began. “You were just lucky to be born in the Kang family. Do you think others are born talented like you? You think you have the right to call me insignificant? I spent my entire life working hard to reach where I am today.”
Jae-Hyeok ignored Ji Cheon-Myeong’s barking. He wasn’t fazed or disappointed when he saw Ji Cheon-Myeong leveling up. On the contrary, he was grateful. He now had the chance to fight again, win again, and kill the Association president once and for all.
I hope it hurts more the second time. May you die unwilling and in vain.
Jae-Hyeok tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
The surroundings darkened then.
Up above, ash-colored clouds seemed to swell from thin air, soon crowding the sky; lightning branched wildly amid them, and the rumbling that came moments later was deafening.
A thunder tribulation was indeed a wondrous and strange sight. It could hardly be considered a natural phenomenon, and the grand sight made Jae-Hyeok nervous.
This was a
real
thunder tribulation, the prelude to a large-scale bombardment. In comparison, the power of the lightning that had appeared when he’d first awakened was like a tickle.
The difference stemmed from the properties of tribulation lightning, which scaled according to the player undergoing tribulation. According to the traditional theory, the tribulation lightning’s attack power roughly matched the player’s summed stats multiplied by three.
This time, the tribulation’s current target was Ji Cheon-Myeong, so the power was bound to be earth-shaking.
He must have no other choice.
Ji Cheon-Myeong had long since reached level 150; yet no one had expected him to challenge his tribulation before today. After all, Ji Cheon-Myeong usually enjoyed near-unlimited power through the Association—he had little to gain and much to lose in attempting to transcend.
Of course, that was in the past.
Today, his reputation had suffered a dramatic decline—his pride was shattered, and he’d endured life-threatening injuries. To overcome this dead end, the surest way was to transcend. In obtaining unquestionable power, his status would naturally follow suit.
The public are just sheep anyway,
he thought.
South Korea was weak; for the past eight years, the country had been marginalized and pressured, suffering all types of humiliation. What the people most wanted was national strength, and that was something which every National Treasure counted toward.
Ji Cheon-Myeong thought,
If I rise to the realm of transcendence, what happened today will naturally be forgotten. They might even praise me.
The probability of an S-class player overcoming the tribulation was less than 0.1%. It seemed impossible to break, dodge, or block fifteen thunderbolts that could kill instantly. Even so, Ji Cheon-Myeong had no choice but to try.
It’s not like I haven’t prepared.
Like any peak player, Ji Cheon-Myeong had spent much time ruminating, simulating his odds against tribulation and how he might overcome it. At first, he had no answers; no matter how he strategized, he knew it ultimately came down to enduring and resisting, and given the furious power and stunning effect of tribulation lightning in particular, that seemed an impossible task—at least, at first.
Later on, after mobilizing the entire Association to hunt down and collect various items and Skills, he was no longer the same as before.
I’m eighty percent certain I can do it.
Calming himself, Ji Cheon-Myeong solemnly summoned one item after another from his inventory:
An enormous, mystical lightning rod; a mysterious pouch that could absorb all types of energy, limited only by its cooldown; a gauntlet that refracted mana-based energies; an elixir that temporarily increased lightning-attribute resistance...
One after another, Ji Cheon-Myeong poured out countless artifacts—many of which had been recovered from gates by the Association, some of which he’d personally procured through private channels, both in and out of the Community; and one of which...
[Peak Sword’s Scabbard]
Rating: Myth
A scabbard crafted by a god during his time as a human, later gifted to his most devoted follower. It significantly increases the speed of drawing and sheathing the sword.
*Indestructible.]
One item, Ji Cheon-Myeong had personally seized from the Kang family eight years ago. Based on its rating, the scabbard was likely a treasured heirloom passed down through generations of the Kang family—well, it
had been
. For years now, it was in Ji Cheon-Myeong’s hands.
It’s perfect.
He had tested the performance of Peak Sword’s Scabbard several times. It was a myth-rated item, far beyond legendary-rated, and accordingly, it had many special functions; for example, as long as it was a sword-type weapon, it could fit perfectly inside the scabbard regardless of shape or size.
But to Ji Cheon-Myeong, the scabbard’s most valuable feature was that it couldn’t be destroyed—that was a unique, highly sought-after effect found only on legendary and myth-rated items. Including Peak Sword’s Scabbard, he only had three items with the indestructible effect; he wore them all then.
It’s coming...
Ji Cheon-Myeong clenched his jaw.
Come on, then! Today I’ll be reborn and soar to the peak!
As if in response to Ji Cheon-Myeong’s renewed resolve, the clouds roiled and lightning pulsed with greater and greater frequency—until fifteen brilliant tendrils of lightning no longer flickered with the rest; instead, they grew continuously, thickening from snakes to dragons and coiling ominously overhead.
Sensing the time had come, Ji Cheon-Myeong roared with the air of a protagonist.
“Damn Kang bastard! I, Ji Cheon-Myeong, the new National Treasure, will devour you—”
The first beam of lightning fell, followed by a thunderous roar.
Ji Cheon-Myeong’s spasmed from top to bottom, but his eyes were wide, his disbelieving gaze riveted on Jae-Hyeok. After regaining control of himself—and after several greedy breaths, Ji Cheon-Myeong sputtered, “Y-you...”
Dozens of defensive items clinked and clacked as Ji Cheon-Myeong whipped his head from Jae-Hyeok to the sky and then back to Jae-Hyeok.
The ground Jae-Hyeok was scorched, and Iyagurt crackled with undisipated lightning energy.
To Ji Cheon-Myeong’s bewilderment, the tribulation lightning had struck Jae-Hyeok. He, on the other hand, had only been hit by the remnant energy, which scattered outward as an expanding ring of flickering arcs.
A thought struck Ji Cheon-Myeong:
Could it be that even the heavens want this brat gone?
Before Ji Cheon-Myeong could smile, the dust fully cleared.
No way!
Ji Cheon-Myeong’s heart sank. That beam of lightning had carried the might of heaven’s wrath.
Yet, there Jae-Hyeok was, still standing with shoulders back and expression placid as he sheathed Iyarugt. No... he was even smiling lightly.
Ji Cheon-Myeong’s mouth dropped open in confusion.
Don’t tell me... he did it on purpose? No, no—that’s even more absurd
.
Meanwhile, the Thunder Emperor couldn’t help but let out a whistle. Except for him, Ji Cheon-Myeong, and a few others at the scene, no one else had seen Jae-hyeok draw his sword and part the lightning energy before it struck him.
“Not bad. Not bad at all,” the Thunder Emperor said.
Most players attempting to transcend died from the first lightning strike, as it was their first time experiencing the speed of lightning.
Meanwhile, Jae-Hyeok had reacted perfectly.
His reaction wasn’t one bit inferior to those madmen who train inside lightning storms to prepare for tribulation.
A thought occurred to the Thunder Emperor, and his brow wrinkled: The Yaksha had fallen into a coma eight years ago. In other words, Jae-Hyeok couldn’t have been older than eight when the Yaksha last taught him...
Yaksha, you mad bastard, did you really train your eight-year-old child against lightning? Is this what a normal human would do?
Not even those Commies would go that far!
The Thunder Emperor fell into a serious misunderstanding, which was no surprise; who would have thought that a sixteen-year-old boy would seek lightning training on his own?
Only a natural-born lunatic would spend their youth cooking up such an inventive mode of torture.
***
That’s it!
Jae-Hyeok was in a state of unimaginable joy. He clenched his hand and relished the white gauntlets.
He’d known that Traces of Thunder Tribulation were a pair of relics left by someone who’d died during tribulation. But he hadn’t expected the guantlets would attract tribulation lightning.
Of course, the crucial point was still Traces of Thunder Tribulation’s ability to trigger false tribulation lightning. Months of daily lighting-response training had prepared him for the real thing.
Jae-Hyeok swung his sword, releasing two scythe-shaped auras; seconds later, a second and third lightning bolt pierced toward Jae-Hyeok—only to be split and scattered several feet above his head.
“Wow. He’s really amazing.” Floating beside the Thunder Emperor, Rachel couldn’t help but speak her appreciation. As a level 170 mage, she had undergone two tribulations herself.
“I don’t know why you’re excited. We both know the real challenge starts now.”
The Thunder Emperor spoke calmly. But inwardly, he thought,
His reflexes might still be numb after clashing directly with the first lightning bolt. If that Skill he used to handle the second two lightning bolts has a cool down... this could be troublesome—
The fourth and fifth lightning bolts struck in tandem. They were followed immediately by the sixth and seventh lightning bolts.
Jae-Hyeok summoned a blue buckler shield, blocking the fourth and fifth lightning bolts. He drew his sword with his other hand and split the sixth and seventh lightning bolts with a stroke.
“What?”
At this point, even the Thunder Emperor cried out in astonishment.
“How high is his lightning resistance?”
The most frightening aspect of the thunder tribulation was that even the residual lightning currents could inflict paralysis. Just look at Ji Cheon-Myeong—
“Agh-gh-gh-gh!”
—He was foaming at the mouth despite being several meters away from Jae-Hyeok.
With each bolt of lightning Jae-Hyeok scattered, the dispersing ripple of lightning energy sent a fresh wave of spasms through Ji Cheon-Myeong. His eyes had long since rolled back.
Jae-Hyeok, meanwhile, stood in stark contrast.
Having broken through several lightning bolts, Jae-Hyeok crackled with lightning energy—blue arcs flickering down his sword’s length and along his arm. Despite this, Jae-Hyeok’s expression was flat as he prepared for the next lightning strikes.
Rachel stared at Jae-Hyeok in a daze.
“Hey, that kid... Could he perhaps be your son?”
The Thunder Emperor cleared his throat.
“Impossible.”
“Mm... Yeah, judging by the boy’s face, I guess it really is impossible.”
“......”
The Thunder Emperor’s face screwed up. Still, neither he nor Rachel took their eyes off Jae-Hyeok.
......
Soon, Jae-Hyeok finished with the last volley of lightning.
Sparks and arcs danced along the ground, but Jae-Hyeok’s steps were smooth.
Watching Jae-Hyeok advancing on Ji Cheon-Myeong, the Yaksha’s and Jae-Hyeok’s figures no longer overlapped:
Kang Jae-Hyeok was Kang Jae-Hyeok.
The Thunder Emperor smiled.
“I never thought that the youngest transcendent would be born in such a small country.”