The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 208

Chapter 208
The onlookers had mixed feelings when Ji Cheon-Myeong leveled up: On one hand, they found Ji Cheon-Myeong despicable—he’d even gone so far as killing his own people to level up. But on the other hand... if Ji Cheon-Myeong were to succeed in his tribulation, South Korea would have a fourth National Treasure to prop up the nation.
After weighing the gains and losses, the majority of the crowd reached similar conclusions.
“
Sigh.
We aren’t in a position to be picky.”
“No matter what, we need a new transcendent—character is a secondary concern.”
The general audience in the stands had originally come to support Jae-Hyeok, but their ardor was less about Jae-Hyeok than it was about a brighter future for the country, which Jae-Hyeok’s talent stood for.
To that end, they could even overlook Jae-Hyeok’s surname.
But if Ji Cheon-Myeong could pass his tribulation, then a leap in their country’s power would come sooner than expected.
Thus, the curses died down, and a chorus of cheers—quiet at first—slowly built over the audience.
“Have strength! Overcome that thunder tribulation and lead South Korea to soar!”
“We understand you, Ji Cheon-Myeong! Don’t worry. With enough strength, you won’t need to bow to anyone again!”
“Ji Cheon-Myeong! We are cheering for you!”
“Please become a transcendent!”
Waaahhhhh!
The hundred thousand spectators roared out their hopes and wishes.
Ji Cheon-Myeong heard none of it.
The thunder rose to earth-shaking levels, causing blood to trickle from Ji Cheon-Myeong’s ears, and then, the first lightning bolt struck.
“Ahhhhh!”
Ji Cheon-Myeong convulsed, staggering and foaming at the mouth. The audience, however, slowly turned their heads...
Jae-Hyeok calmly straightened and lowered his sword. Along its length, blue arcs flickered.
The crowd collectively swallowed.
Until now, Jae-Hyeok had exceeded their expectations many times.
Originally, so long as he’d proved his qualifications as a National Treasure candidate, the onlookers would’ve felt they hadn’t come today in vain. In other words, they’d only hoped that Jae-Hyeok, with shining talent, could one day add to South Korea’s national power. And Jae-Hyeok hadn’t disappointed them... No, it was more than that: Jae-Hyeok had succeeded in crushing three S-class players consecutively—one being the master of Death God; another being an elite sword demon, accompanied by her best subordinates; and the last being the president of the Association.
By the time Jae-Hyeok had driven Ji Cheon-Myeong to the ground, Jae-Hyeok’s achievements had reached legendary proportions in the hearts of the audience.
The people were more than satisfied. And yet...
The scene before them caused everyone’s eyes to bulge once more.
By now, Ji Cheon-Myeong was curled up on the ground, twitching and foaming at the mouth; meanwhile, Jae-Hyeok stood several meters away, cutting apart the tribulation one lightning bolt at a time.
In no time, Jae-Hyeok broke through all fifteen light bolts.
He popped Iyarugt back into his sheath and stretched.
The onlookers stared in a daze.
“Ah...”
Was it a dream? Were they so desperate for the birth of a transcendent that they were hallucinating?
The spectators—no, all the people of South Korea shared those thoughts.
It was natural. Until today, there had never been such an absurd thing as a sixteen-year-old transcendent. It was an unprecedented event in the world.
“W-what happened just now?”
The hosts of each show were among the first to regain their composure, and they turned to the guest experts for answers, who all gave similar responses.
“What do you mean by what happened? Can’t you see? Our country has hit the jackpot!”
Ji Cheon-Myeong’s level-up had clearly triggered the tribulation, so the question as to why it had locked onto Jae-Hyeok remained—but in that moment, no one had the mind to pick at the details.
“Hahaha. In the end, the world’s greatest genius was just born in South Korea! From here on, the Korean government must move quickly; if they know what’s good, they’ll immediately designate Kang Jae-Hyeok as a National Treasure candidate to prevent foreign countries from poaching him.”
The experts’ support and praise for Jae-Hyeok were unanimous, but... it came so suddenly that it jarred viewers. Not five minutes ago, all of the experts had been dismissing Jae-Hyeok and defending Ji Cheon-Myeong at every turn:
Earlier, when the magic replay had revealed Kim Byeok-Jae’s lethal intentions, the
experts
had quickly dismissed it, passing it off as Kim Byeok-Jae’s independent actions—as if Ji Cheon-Myeong hadn’t invited him in the first place.
Later, when Jae-Hyeok defeated Ji Cheon-Myeong directly, the
experts
randomly speculated about Ji Cheon-Myeong's condition, wondering aloud if he’d fallen victim to an underhanded trick before the fight.
Naturally, these so-called experts were all bought off by Ji Cheon-Myeong. This wasn’t anything new—and they were just a few of many.
For the last eight years, they’d made noise and stirred up public opinion according to Ji Cheon-Myeong’s will. That was, up until five minutes ago.
Now, Ji Cheon-Myeong had clearly reached the end of his rope. And only a fool lingers on a sinking ship.
Moreover...
The experts couldn’t free their eyes from the live feed of the stadium’s stage.
Light streamed down between the dispersing thunderclouds.
Beneath stood Jae-Hyeok.
He looked almost deific—bathed in a shaft of light, cradling in one arm the sword demon who’d died for him.
He seemed every bit like a hero descended from the heavens.
Meanwhile, Ji Cheon-Myeong struggled to his knees, his figure cast in darkness beneath the remaining thunderclouds.
It was a stark contrast.
***
“Gr... Gruk...!”
Ji Cheon-Myeong coughed and spat. He wiped the foamy spit from his cheeks before planting a hand and struggling to rise.
Something cracked.
“......?”
Ji Cheon-Myeong blinked his eyes and looked down to see a charred, half-caved-in head.
It was none other than his secretary, a man who, since their days studying under the same master, had supported him not for money or power but out of friendship and loyalty.
Now, he was ash and ruin.
“
A-ahhhh...!”
Why? Why did I do it? I... I’ve gained nothing and lost everything...
Tears poured down Ji Cheon-Myeong’s cheeks.
Of course, the public felt no sympathy. They took his sorrow for a politician’s crocodile tears.
“Disgusting bastard!”
“You killed one of your own, and now you’re even desecrating his body? Get lost!”
Boo!
Booooo!
The condemnation of the spectators twisted Ji Cheon-Myeong’s stomach. Left with nothing and no one, there was only one person Ji Cheon-Myeong could turn to.
“... Please, give me time. A day... no, half a day is enough. I want to bury his body next to my master’s grave.”
Jae-Hyeok would kill him; this Ji Cheon-Myeong knew. And looking at the charred corpse of his secretary, Ji Cheon-Myeong only felt tired. The things left to his name were just regrets and karmic debts.
If he had to die, then fine.
But before that, he needed some time.
He wasn’t asking for much, and after all, he was a bigshot who’d dominated South Korea up until this morning; he deserved this much courtesy.
Jae-Hyeok was reputed to be a model aristocrat. He would give him some consideration.
“Fuck you,” Jae-Hyeok whispered, his tone chilling. “There’s no mercy for scum.”
Jae-Hyeok raised his still-crackling red blade and pressed it against Ji Cheon-Myeong’s shoulder. For a moment, it looked as if Jae-Hyeok were knighting Ji Cheon-Myeong, kneeling as he was.
“You—
Kuaaaaaack!”
The blade sank into Ji Cheon-Myeong’s flesh. His magical defense and iron-hard body parted like clay. And slowly, very slowly, Ji Cheon-Myeong came apart, starting from his left collarbone to his right hip.
It was a gruesome scene, and Ji Cheon-Myeong’s screams filled the stadium.
Some might call it cruel. And perhaps it was, but not a single person dared to criticize Jae-Hyeok. Having witnessed Ji Cheon-Myeong’s vile behavior today, many had begun to wonder about the Association’s past claims, thinking that back then, perhaps the Kang family had been falsely accused.
“
Ugh... Aaaack...”
Eventually, Ji Cheon-Myeong’s screams died down.
Living in infamy and dying in misery... in the end, that was the legacy Ji Cheon-Myeong left behind.
Father,
I hope this brings you some comfort.
Sheathing Iyarugt, Jae-Hyeok stepped through the rubble and descended the stage.
“W-wait..!”
The Association officials, who’d been sheltering as far from the stage as possible, came to their senses and rushed after Jae-Hyeok. He’d passed the exam, but the Association had its own follow-up processes that should be followed.
“......”
Jae-Hyeok didn’t spare them a look.
The current Association was full of Ji Cheon-Myeong’s influence. So nearly all the rules and procedures the Association followed were tailored to suit Ji Cheon-Myeong’s will. He had no interest in following them. Besides—
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
“Kang Jae-Hyeok! Kang Jae-Hyeok! Kang Jae-Hyeok!”
“A new National Treasure candidate! No, at this point, he’s our new National Treasure!”
“The Kang family is back! It’s a brilliant comeback!”
The moment Jae-Hyeok stopped walking, the officials following him with embarrassed expressions naturally stopped as well.
“My position isn’t something the Association gets to decide.”
Jae-Hyeok’s voice, amplified with mana, filled the entire stadium. He stood tall with his back to those who called his name.
“It’s the people.”
“What are you saying...” The officials were dumbfounded, treating Jae-Hyeok’s words as a young boy’s nonsense. However, their following words were drowned out by the crowd, whose cheers rose to a fever pitch.
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
This...
The hearts of the Association officials sank. It seemed the young monster before them knew a thing or two about wielding public favor. With a few words, Jae-Hyeok had killed their plan to flatter him now and keep him under control later.
“Jae-Hyeoooooook!”
Several children jumped from the stands, which were as high as a building, and landed with expert grace. They were all people from Lion’s Castle. In the lead was the Seed Team, followed closely by the Shooting Club and the students from Class B.
They all had passionate expressions—even the usually unreadable and stoic Hae-Rin had flushed cheeks and eyes that shone.
“Are you really a National Treasure candidate now? Are you the same as Shinra Kyeong?”
“Didn’t you see? He can already hack away tribulation lightning like wheat. Do you really think it’ll end with a National Treasure candidate title? Do-Jin, you are so stupid.”
“No arguing!” Da-Hee shouted. Then she pointed at Jae-Hyeok. The excitement in her eyes was no less than Do-Jin’s. “Grab him!”
“Aish, forget it! He’s just Kang Jae-Hyeok!”
“Wahhhh!”
Under the tossing of his friends, the clear sky filled Jae-Hyeok’s vision, while excited bickering and cheers filled his ears. Listening to his friends, Jae-Hyeok burst out laughing.
Butler Hwang and Park Chang-Cheon watched on with loose brows and soft smiles.
Quietly, they wrapped the sword demon’s body with their clothes, not wanting to disturb the happy atmosphere.
Jae-Hyeok pretended not to notice.
Thank you.
***
At the same time.
Inside a high-level concealment barrier cast just outside the stadium, White Night was covered with wounds and breathing heavily. Surrounding her were three magicians from the Bause family, Austria’s top family.
All three of them were transcendents.
“I hear lots of cheering. It seems that the kid you’re so fond of became a National Treasure candidate. Of course, a candidate from a weak country doesn’t mean much. It’s like how you, White Night, turned out to be so pathetic.”
The three transcendent mages, alongside dozens of knights, unleashed another volley of spells, shattering White Night’s ice barrier.