Chapter 179
“Kang Jae-Hyeok, a sixteen-year-old first-year student with excellent grades and a level estimated to be in the high twenties to low thirties...”
The leader of the Gyeongnam branch thumbed back to the second page.
“Hmm. What a shocking rate of leveling. He was only level 10 during his admission reassessment near the beginning of the school term. As expected of the Yaksha’s son. He is indeed an elite student.”
“Indeed,” the secretary agreed.
However, the leader of the Gyeongnam branch knew that was not all: Kang Jae-Hyeok’s handling of several assassins, his hunting of the Troll Lord, and his battling with beastmen invaders—none of these were mentioned in the file.
Only his ranking first in the Leech King raid contribution, as well as a vague note about his clashing with the Baus family recently, were mentioned.
Seol Su-Ah must be supporting him from behind, the leader of the Gyeongnam branch concluded. It was known in the industry that Seol Su-Ah was the Yaksha’s closest supporter. And in the first place, she was also behind Kang Jae-Hyeok’s admission to Lion’s Castle.
She must’ve given special privileges, such as elixirs and hunting grounds, to the kid.
Having grasped the situation, the leader of the Gyeongnam branch laughed. It’s obvious why he came all this way as soon as vacation started. Seol Su-Ah must’ve handed the boy information on Kesan Canyon.
Kesan Canyon was a hidden hunting ground known only to the executives of the Association and high-ranking aristocrats. Despite being a B-grade gate, the gate’s difficulty was among the lowest, while its experience yield was among the highest once a player learned about the hidden quest.
“Let’s go to visit the checkpoint.”
The branch manager stood up. His long-time secretary said, “I’ve notified the fourteenth checkpoint in advance. There is also a car waiting for you.”
“As expected of you. You always work fast... Huh? The fourteenth checkpoint? Isn’t it the third checkpoint that has jurisdiction over Kesan Canyon?”
“Kesan Canyon?”
“You know, Kang Jae-Hyeok. He must’ve gone to Kesan Canyon, right?”
“The gate Kang Jae-Hyeok entered is the World Tree Outskirts. Here... ”
The secretary pointed to one side of the report.
The name World Tree Outskirts was clearly written there.
The branch manager blanched.
“An S-grade gate? Why did he go there? Is this a new way to commit suicide?”
“According to the requested permit, he’s on a field trip hosted by the Guardian Guild. He, along with other students, was invited.”
“Guardian? What is Guardian up to?”
“Yes. Kang Jae-Hyeok was brought along at the request of Park Chang-Cheon’s only daughter and Gu Suk’s grandson, who are also accompanying him. It seems they have a special elationship with Kang Jae-Hyeok.”
“Special? Haha! Don’t fool yourself. He must’ve forced them into bringing him.”
“Huh?”
“Nobody in the Yaksha’s family knows what a human relationship even is. I’m sure you have heard at least one story about Kang Dae-Seong and Kang Hyeon-Ah.”
“...Those stories... are true?”
“There were plenty of witnesses. You’ll know with a bit of research.”
“This... ”
The secretary’s expression became serious. Kang Jae-Hyeok’s growth was already abnormal. He was worried about what type of accident Kang Jae-Hyeok would cause in the World Tree Outskirts gate.
“Let’s go. It looks like they’ll need a ‘rescue’ team.”
***
[Railmaru, patrolman of the World Tree Outskirts, has been killed.]
[Your level has risen by 7.]
[Miraculous achievement! You have single-handedly killed a Named being who is higher in level than you.]
Jae-Hyeok reached level 74.
With the addition of Railmaru, he’d gained a total of 9 levels since entering the World Tree Outskirts and reached the upper threshold of B-class, while his stats were comparable to an S-class player’s.
He surpassed the teacher of Lion’s Castle in both levels and stats. Let alone his true strength, just his level alone would earn him a warm welcome wherever he went.
I have a long way to go.
Of course, Jae-Hyeok wasn’t satisfied.
I would’ve been in danger if it hadn’t been for Da-Hee sweeping the other elves away.
Following the notification of his level increase, Jae-Hyeok’s body healed at a rapid rate.
However, the blood stains on his clothes and skin remained, a reminder of Railmaru’s threatening winds.
In hindsight, if I hadn’t insisted on drawing my sword at the start, I wouldn’t have suffered so much. I’d wanted to end things quickly with the sword-draw, and I grew impatient with Railmaru keeping me on the back foot. The more impatient I became, the more careless I got...
As Jae-Hyeok was digesting his recent battle, Da-Hee reached his side.
“T-thank you... ”
Jae-Hyeok set aside his thoughts.
“Thank me?”
“Mm. Thank you for believing in me and waiting.”
Jae-Hyeok’s head tilted a notch further. His confused expression made Da-Hee smile. “I know everything, even if you play innocent. Just like you pushed Do-Jin until he used Flash Steps in real combat, you did the same with me, right? Thanks to that, I was able to use Tsunami in actual combat. I think I will be able to use it well in the future.”
“Ah! And here I thought Jae-Hyeok was actually getting beaten back. As expected, there was a deeper meaning!” Do-Jin exclaimed.
Jae-Hyeok looked from Da-Hee to Do-Jin and back.
He blinked. “Uh, no—”
“Jae-Hyeok did the same for me, too,” Hae-Rin interjected, a small smile on her face as she recalled the time she shook off Jeong Ru-Han’s hand.
Jae-Hyeok looked between the three of them with big eyes.
Is this what it means when they say ‘good people are paid in goodwill’?
Like Flash Steps, Tsunami was a dangerous Skill to use in combat, as the Skill’s mana consumption was so huge that it would drain its user completely at low levels.
For that reason, Jae-Hyeok had never pressured Da-Hee to use Tsunami in real combat. On a battlefield, where the situation changed rapidly, using Tsunami risked leaving Da-Hee drained and helpless against unaccounted variables.
Unlike Do-Jin’s Flash Steps, Da-Hee’s Initial Skill was an intrinsic double-edged sword at her level. No amount of practice would change that. Whether she decided to embrace the risk in combat was not for him to say.
Unexpectedly, not only had Da-Hee interpreted his prolonged battle as encouraging her to use Tsunami, but she even seemed touched by it.
Jae-Hyeok coughed. “Just remember, it’s okay to use when you have a lot of allies supporting you. But even then, you need to be careful.”
“Yes!”
After regrouping and recovering, the cohort resumed their trek under Elder Gu Suk’s direction. The unusually excited Da-Hee stuck next to Jae-Hyeok like glue.
Eventually, the members of the Guardian Guild discovered a small plain and built a base. The fortifications consisted of prefabricated watchtowers and perimeter walls constructed from rough logs. It wasn’t much, but it was better than being exposed to the enemy’s guerrilla attacks.
If it’s as Elder Gu Suk said, twenty-four hours after building a base, the NPC should come and the quest will begin... Jae-Hyeok thought.
To adjust to his increased stats, Jae-Hyeok had found a place to warm up, but after starting, he frowned.
It seems like adapting will take some time.
If it were just the tougher skin and greater bone density accompanying his increased strength and flexibility, then Jae-Hyeok would’ve been confident in adapting quickly. Rather, it was his senses that concerned him. Given the pile of stats he’d earned, his senses had been vastly heightened, and it left him disoriented.
“...So my wife was there... ”
“...Is Elder Gu Suk okay...”
“...Who the hell is that Jae-Hyeok guy...?”
“...My lord...”
He could hear the voices of everyone in the camp, no matter where they were.
The guild members taking care of each other’s wounds and chatting in private, the healers worrying over Elder Gu Suk, and Gu Suk-Jeong and Do-Jin joking around as they changed out of their damaged combat clothes—Jae-Hyeok could hear it all.
In addition, his sense of smell had become more sensitive. Blood, pus, sweat, medicine, iron—a distinct stream of smells filled his nose. It made him want to choke.
Just when Jae-Hyeok was feeling confused, a team leader approached and bowed.
“Young Master Kang, I will take you to the barracks.”
He had treated Kang Jae-Hyeok as an arrogant brat in the past, but now he spoke politely without any shame, not just because he owed Jae-Hyeok his life—as many did—and not just because Jae-Hyeok was a strong player. Rather, it was Jae-Hyeok’s bearing that humbled him.
The team leader wasn’t alone:
He was the first to discover that Elder Gu Suk’s condition was worsening and respond in time...
I looked down on him openly, yet he still helped us without a word...
He turned a crisis into an opportunity for his friend to practice a Skill...
That Named monster cut him so many times, yet he didn’t even groan or shout.Was he worried about lowering morale?
Players’ eyes flashed with respect as they passed Jae-Hyeok on the way to the camp barracks. What they saw was not a boy but a towering hero.
Jae-Hyeok had noticed it, too. A complicated feeling filled his heart. They’re the same sort of gazes Father once received...
***
“Not a single dark elf heart has dropped.”
Elder Gu Suk’s expression was gloomy. On the way here, their group had already killed over 60 dark elves without a single dark elf heart dropping.
I heard the odds of it dropping were low, but this...
Most ingredients for elixirs were rare drops—it was for that reason that Guardian hadn’t simply been able to find and buy a dark elf heart through the Community. However, what Elder Gu Suk didn’t expect was for the drop rate for the heart to be as great a barrier as the elves’ native location in S-grade and above gates.
Kang Jae-Hyeok asked, “Can’t we stay here for several more days?”
“That would be difficult. The only way to escape without defeating the boss is to clear the quest, which will take place after 23 hours.”
“Then you suggest we leave and re-enter?”
“That’s right. But as Young Master Kang knows, there’s a cooldown of three days before we can re-enter the gate.”
“Don’t do that.” Jae-Hyeok smiled. “Let’s just stay for a few days.”
Park Chang-Cheon only had a week before he relapsed to the point of permanent disability, but even now, he was losing stats by the day. The sooner they could acquire the heart of a dark elf, the better.
“I won’t leave until either you’ve got a heart or I’ve killed all of the dark elves here”—Jae-Hyeok’s eyes darkened. “Including the boss.”
A chill ran down the spines of Elder Gu Suk and the guild members.