Chapter 74

Chapter 74The shooting range. [Hit.] “Wow!” the Shooting Club members cried out in excitement. Baek Do-Jin, who seemed to have ADHD, had successfully hit the target with a perfect score for the first time. Jae-Hyeok had only been teaching him for half a day, and this was the result. The club members were shocked since Roh Jun-Yeop had made little progress with Baek Do-Jin even after trying for ten days. “Isn’t Jae-Hyeok’s talent equal to the Bow Saint’s?” “In some ways, it’s more than that. Think of Jang Yeon-Ju. Not even the Bow Saint can teach someone who isn’t talented.” “I want to learn from Kang Jae-Hyeok too... ” The members of the Shooting Club felt a vague respect for Jae-Hyeok. They’d already liked him after the black tuna incident, and now, he had turned the mad dog into a man, so their support and respect for him grew quickly. “Kill... I will surely kill you, Loren!” “A-although it looks like Beak Do-Jin has been drugged... ” Do-Jin’s eyes were rolled back, and he was frantically releasing killing intent, so the Shooting Club members couldn’t help doubting his condition. At that time, Jae-Hyeok’s phone rang. His face lit up as he answered the phone. “Butler Hwang, is your work done?.... I see, I’m glad. I’ll wait for you at the gate.” *** “I can’t go out?” Jae-Hyeok was stopped at Lion’s Castle’s gate. A guard replied, “Students need a permit to leave the gate. Don’t you understand the basic school rules? Pathetic guy.” “I’m not trying to go anyway. I just want to meet people at the entrance. Can’t you be flexible in such cases?” “Kids these days don’t understand anything. Why do you expect flexibility from adults?” The security forces weren’t favorable toward students—depending on their affiliation, they were even resentful. To understand why, it was necessary to understand the structure of Lion’s Castle. Lion’s Castle was a national school, but it was located within the Pearl Island gate, of which Seol Su-Ah’s foundation—the White Night Foundation—was the majority shareholder. In other words, Seol Su-Ah was the true owner of Pearl Island. However, South Korea had a law stating that any gates B-grade or above must be managed by the government. This forced Pearl Island to take on the nature of a public institution. Seol Su-Ah was forced to sell a forty-nine percent share to the government but won the position of chairman of Lion’s Castle through her majority shares. The government had no choice but to entrust her with Lion’s Castle and found itself in a crisis because of it. It was good to share Pearl Island, but as a result, Seol Su-Ah monopolized greater power in the school that was meant for the government. The government sold some of its shares to the Association and guilds, and they rushed to send troops to Pearl Island—all to keep Seal Su-Ah and her foundation in check. The government, the military, the Association, and the guilds all demanded the right to run Lion’s Castle and to obtain the resources generated on Pearl Island on the basis of justice and greater interests. Under the pretext that Pearl Island’s environment was dangerous, each organization dispatched its most elite forces into Lion’s Castle. This was the origin of the nine armed groups. Each shared the stage of Pearl Island, but each had a different affiliation. The Guards were also one of the nine armed forces. They were created after the government supported the Association’s claim that the White Night Foundation’s search teams couldn’t guarantee the students' safety alone. Under the pretext of security, the Guards were the association's eyes and ears, monitoring the armed forces under Seol Su-Ah. From their perspective, students were nothing more than thieves who entered dangerous zones and stole property, such as monsters, from them. Instead of favoring students, they disliked or even hated them. In addition, this guy... The guard frowned when he recognized Kang Jae-Hyeok’s face. That was the younger brother of Kang Dae-Seong, who assaulted the president of the Association and ran away, lowering the reputation of the Korean Players Association to the bottom. Just looking at his face made the guard’s stomach ache. It’s amazing how he can hold his head high despite his dirty bloodline. He was lucky enough to receive the Leech King's Ring, and he was also rewarded an elixir from Seol Su-Ah. The guard could barely contain his simmering hostility and waved his hand. “I have nothing more to say. Get a pass or get lost.” Jae-Hyeok stared at him for a moment before taking out his phone and calling Kim Jin-Myeong. “Teacher, I want to obtain a pass. Where are you now?” “Bah.” The guard snorted. If students had an unexpected accident outside, the teacher who allowed them to go out was the one who was most responsible. There was no way a teacher would give a pass to a freshman in his third month of enrollment. “......” It was as the guard expected. Kang Jae-Hyeok hung up without the chance to explain his purpose for going out. Clearly, the teacher had rejected him. The corners of the guard’s mouth twitched. Jae-Hyeok’s embarrassed expression looked a bit like Kang Dae-Seong’s, making the guard feel a strange exhilaration. However, ten minutes later. “Jae-Hyeok! Have you waited long? Gasp, gasp.” “No. I said I would go. Why did you come yourself?” “......” The guard’s expression stiffened. It was Kim Jin-Myeong. The teacher of First Year Class B ran over, gasping, and handed over an outing pass. The pass stated that Kang Jae-Hyeok was allowed to go out, but the time period wasn’t specified... In effect, it was an unrestricted pass for entering and exiting Lion’s Castle. Only a handful of second-year students had a pass like this... Kim Jin-Myeong told him, “Jae-Hyeok is a busy student, so please don’t make trouble over trivial things in the future. Why are you so strict when you aren’t interested in students? Jae-Hyeok, I’ll go back to the teacher’s office, so take care of yourself.” “Yes, thank you.” After exchanging a casual goodbye with Kim Jin-Myeong, Jae-Hyeok stepped into the swirling gate beyond the school gate. His attitude of not paying attention to the dumbfounded guard was both dignified and noble. *** [Exiting the gate.] The sensation of crossing the gate was quite unpleasant. It felt every bit like a leap across dimensions, straining his body and mind significantly. I will have to use the gate often to get used to the motion sickness. The surrounding players glanced at the dizzy Jae-Hyeok. “How cute. Is it a first-year student?” Known as gatekeepers, They were high-level players who guarded the gate entrance twenty-four hours a day. Several gatekeepers became interested when Jae-Hyeok showed his outing pass to prove his identity. “He’s that Kang family member who awakened a Bloodline Skill.” “Can the Kang family be revived?” “It will be difficult even if he becomes a National Treasure candidate. The Kang family has lost their support base.” A person would inevitably get bored when guarding a gate in three shifts. The range of the gatekeepers’ activities was limited to one place, which caused their interest in any and everything to be endless. Due to the high amount of Community use, they accumulated much miscellaneous knowledge. In some cases, they were even immersed in conspiracy theories. This meant quite a few of the gatekeepers were suspicious of the Kang family’s downfall and looked at Jae-Hyeok with sympathy. It wouldn’t hurt to get to know them. Jae-Hyeok analyzed the temperament of the gatekeepers and quickly made a judgment. He greeted them as politely as possible. Moments later, two bikes arrived in front of the gate. The gatekeepers were a bit impressed. “Was he waiting for the manager of the Shooting Club and the granddaughter of the Bow Saint?” “They aren’t bad for second-year students. He is polite and has already made some good connections.” Meanwhile, as the gatekeepers chatted, Jae-Hyeok and Butler Hwang were having an emotional reunion. “Butler Hwang!” “Young Master!” Butler Hwang said, “I haven’t seen you in a while, but you look radiant, with no gloom on your face. You must have plenty of places to vent when you get angry, so you feel good, right?” “I don’t know about that, but the taste of the food is good. I can sleep well and relieve my fatigue. Living away from Butler Hwang is a great help to my health.” “It seems like only yesterday that I was beaten by the young master’s wooden sword, and you ran into my arms. Now you have grown up enough to enjoy an independent life.” “Hahaha! Did Butler Hwang finally become senile? No need to reminisce when I’m right here.” “This old man’s back is going to break. Please ease up your arms.” “Don’t worry. I have a potion.” “......” Did they have a bad relationship? Jang Yeon-Ju and Roh Jun-Yeop looked at the two of them in bewilderment. Then Blacksmith Song, who seemed like a dementia patient, observed Jae-Hyeok. “Kang Jae-Hyeok. The youngest son of Dae-Guk... Yes, I remember looking at those dark eyes; they’re all black, but still brilliant. The world must’ve treated you harshly, but you endured it without looking into the abyss. Truly admirable.” Jae-Hyeok finally let go of Butler Hwang’s waist and politely greeted Elder Song. “It’s an honor to meet Craftsman Song, who supported the Kang family in its prime. My father will have good dreams after hearing that you have accepted my invitation.” Good dreams... It was an expression that reflected the reality of the Yaksha, who had been diagnosed as brain dead and never opened his eyes again. A shadow appeared over Elder Song’s face. “Seeing your devotion makes me miss Dae-Guk again. I will have to stop by the mansion.” Jang Yeon-Ju and Roh Jun-Yeop stepped back and watched their surroundings while Jae-Hyeok chatted with Elder Song about his father. Elder Song remembered parts of his father's past that even he didn’t know about, so Jae-Hyeok’s conversation with the elder touched his heart. But Elder Song had been troubled since escaping from Grishi and was very exhausted. The elder decided to revisit the unfinished story later and got straight to business. “So, you found Iyarugt?” “Yes.” Jae-Hyeok infused his willpower into his scabbard, and a blood-colored energy poured from it as he drew the hwando, which was changing before his and Elder Song’s eyes. The once ink-colored blade became transparent, as red glass, and double-edged. Elder Song trembled. “...It’s...It’s Iyarugt. My god, you have fulfilled this old man’s wish. I can die with no regrets. ” Elder Song’s reaction was much more drastic than Jae-Hyeok had expected. His trembling eyes were filled with shock, causing Jae-Hyeok to cautiously ask Elder Song a question, “Is this the first time you’ve seen it?” “Of course. You might’ve expected your father to reveal it, but the reality is Iyarugt has been missing for nearly two hundred years. Maybe even your father doesn’t know much about it.” “Then how do you know about Iyarugt?” “The words of my ancestors have been passed down through generations of the Song family.” Elder Song’s expression became calmer as he looked at Jae-Hyeok. “Only one with the blood of the Kang family who is also worthy of ascending to the world protected by the Blacksmith God can recover Iyarugt... Jae-Hyeok, this old man will return to hammering iron for you, if you’ll allow it. What do you say?”