CHAPTER 103

“Gugang, Ocean, and Jaegyeong—they are all worthy of their names, so how did the Shooting Club convince them into falsifying documents?”

“Well, we’re talking about Gugang Hotel and Ocean Shipping. In other words, except for Jaegyeong, they’re all just affiliate companies.”

“I guess being the granddaughter of the Bow Saint is enough to carry weight with them?”

“Not to mention she’s also pretty good-looking. She must receive a lot of flattery from those pot-bellied bosses.”

Noble had a good grasp of the Shooting Club’s strength. They were well aware that Jang Yeon-Ju hadn’t awakened a marksmanship-related Skill and that Roh Jun-Yeop was the club’s only top talent,

Yet somehow, without Roh Jun-Yeop, the Shooting Club had managed to significantly increase its earnings overnight. How was that possible?

It had to be a trick.

The documents stated that the Shooting Club had completed an A-grade mission last night. But that was impossible; the club members must have collaborated with their client to falsify the grade of the mission.

Theoretically, it was possible. However, such fraud would be exposed if Lion’s Castle started investigating.

“Is the desire to surpass their station in life so great?

“Of course, commoners are stupid. They often become blinded by greed and make stupid mistakes that get them caught.”

In any case, this was good news for Noble. It meant that the Shooting Club’s rise would end sooner or later.

In the eyes of the Noble members, seeing the Shooting Club complete high-level commissions without Roh Jun-Yeop was proof of its corruption. Thankfully, Noble had apprehended Roh Jun-Yeop and discovered the truth early, upholding order in the school.

The members of Noble arrogantly raised their noses in the air.

“I will file a report against the Shooting Club and deliver it to the Student Council.”

“That’s a good idea. But personally, I would like to negotiate with Jang Yeon-Ju first.”

“Um? Ah, yes, she is good-looking enough to keep by my side.”

“Her family is good too. The prestige of a Bow Saint is comparable to that of us aristocrats.”

“You are talking bullshit.” Roh Jun-Yeop snorted from the corner where he was tied up and watching the Noble members. “What’s the point of using an old-fashioned, fancy way of speaking when the content of your words is so much worse than even the nonsense that comes out of Baek Do-Jin?”

“...I removed your gag out of consideration, as I felt sorry for your drooling. Alas, it really isn’t worth showing mercy to lowly things.”

The boy with blond hair clicked his tongue and snapped his fingers. His vassals moved.

“Oof! Off!”

Roh Jun-Yeop was quickly gagged again, despite his attempts to resist.

The rope tying his limbs absorbed his mana, lowered his stats, and prevented his Skills from activating.

Roh Jun-Yeop was fuming.

Being kidnapped? Fine. That wasn’t a big deal.

Lion’s Castle was a place where all sorts of forces and politics were intertwined, so it was different from a normal school. There were so many crazy people that getting kidnapped once or twice wasn’t an uncommon experience.

What truly angered Roh Jun-Yeop was that the Shooting Club was being accused of cheating.

How hard had the members worked so far?

Roh Jun-Yeop had witnessed his fellow members struggling against the thunderbolt torture every day. The pain was unbearable. Their heads were burned and they fainted repeatedly. Nevertheless, they never gave up and maintained their passion.

That’s right.

The recent rise of the Shooting Club was possible because everyone had worked hard and grown stronger.

It was the result of everyone's dedication, as they struggled to keep up with Kang Jae-Hyeok and his teammates.

Yet these people dared to talk about cheating?

The honor of the Bow Saint is on the same level as you aristocrats? Absurd.

Crunch!

Blood dripped from Roh Jun-Yeop’s mouth as he bit the metal gag hard.

He wanted to break the gag even if it broke his teeth. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he hurled a bunch of insults at these damned bastards.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his body trembled.

“Manager Roh Jun-Yeop, the reputation of an aristocrat is more important than you imagine.”

A girl sitting by the window and quietly concentrating on calligraphy put down her brush and suddenly spoke.

She had her hair neatly tied up with a long ivory hairpin, and her uniform skirt was modified to reach down to her ankles, giving her an elegant impression.

She was Cha Jo-Ah, the chairman of Noble.

She stared at Roh Jun-Yeop, who was red-eyed and going crazy.

“Noble doesn’t want to be the best. To maintain order in the school, we find it most efficient to concede the top position to the Student Council. This is the generosity of aristocrats: we allow common people the opportunity to become first in this small society that is school.. So... ”

Cha Jo-Ah’s eyes slowly turned gold. The overwhelming pressure silenced everyone in the hall. Even Roh Jun-Yeop stopped going crazy and took a breath.

“...There is no need to push your luck and embarrass yourself on purpose, right? Even kindness and generosity have their limits.”

She drew a black line on pure white traditional Korean paper.

“Your attempt to replace Noble as one of the major clubs has crossed the line. This time, your Shooting Club was too greedy.”

The major clubs were those that ranked among the top five at Lion’s Castle, and their business cards had value even outside of school. However, Noble’s business card had been robbed of that prestige.

There was no greater humiliation. It was an unprecedented event in Noble’s history. From the moment the Shooting Club entered the top five in the earnings ranking and caused Noble to drop to sixth, it became inevitable for the two clubs to clash.

“Are you angry? Are you frustrated? I’m sorry, but our reputation is more important than your feelings. Resent your own foolishness, not ours.”

Cha Jo-Ah picked up her brush again.

Her brushstrokes were powerful and bold, hinting that her inner self differed from her elegant outward appearance.

This wasn’t an ordinary girl, and Roh Jun-Yeop had a hunch: if a person was deceived by her appearance and lowered their guard, they would get trampled before they knew it.

Cha Jo-Ah, the Tactical Studies Department’s top student...

She was the second daughter of Count Cha Seung-Min, the symbol of South Korea’s military...

Roh Jun-Yeop unknowingly shrank back and was about to bow his head in surrender. But suddenly—

“Do you know the meaning of reputation?”

A voice that was somewhat unfamiliar to the Noble members rang out in the hall.

Thump, thump, thump...

The sound of footsteps on marble was strangely clear, and everyone’s eyes focused in the same direction.

A shadow was cast over the ornate front door of the Noble Club, which was always left open, but only meant to welcome those chosen.

“Why do you blame the Shooting Club for being pushed out of the major clubs? The Shooting Club is second in the earnings ranking, while your competitor in fifth place is the Magic Tower. Are you all stupid as a group?”

The boy’s voice was clear and pleasant to listen to. However, when mixed with his cheeky words, it immediately aroused one’s desire for violence.

“If you want to regain your qualifications, you shouldn’t play tricks against the Shooting Club. Instead, you should fight to take back fifth place from the Magic Tower. Isn’t that the honorable way to maintain your reputation?”

“...Kang Jae-Hyeok?”

“Oh my god! Why did that dirty-blood come to our precious place?”

The Noble members recognized the boy’s face when he approached and felt disgusted.

Jae-Hyeok walked past the Noble members and arrived at Roh Jun-Yeop’s side. He removed the gag and checked his condition.

“You’ve lost a lot of blood. You must’ve been tortured badly.”

In fact, Roh Jun-Yeop's condition was misleading. After sweating from his morning training, Roh Jun-Yeop had been kidnapped and couldn’t wash for an entire day. So dirt and sweat dripped down his face, and due to the gag, his face was covered with saliva marks. The blood that had come from biting his gag had also leaked from the sides, mixing with the rest of the grime on his face.

Roh Jun-Yeop tried to refute it, “They didn’t touch me— ”

Jae-Hyeok continued, “Seeing how you look uglier, your nose and cheekbones must’ve been smashed. How could they beat a person to this point?”

“I didn’t get hit, you bastard!”

Roh Jun-Yeop got some energy back and strongly denied it. He’d be damned if this brat called him ugly one more time.

Jae-Hyeok was surprised. Roh Jun-Yeop’s insistence that he hadn’t been hit sounded like he was defending Noble.

“Is this Stockholm Syndrome? Just how severe was your torture that you were brainwashed?”

Every time Jae-Hyeok talked, the severity of the situation became bigger. At this point, the members of Noble became a bit anxious.

One Noble member couldn’t help but say, “...We did no such thing, so please refrain from speculating.”

“We just kidnapped him. We never tortured him physically or mentally,” another member added.

Jae-Hyeok nodded and put his hand inside his jacket.

Beep..

They heard a recorder turn off.

“In any case, you admitted to kidnapping,” Jae-Hyeok told them.

“What? Did you lead our words on purpose?”

The Noble members frowned when they realized Jae-Hyeok’s intentions. The atmosphere quickly became fierce as they prepared to attack.

“Calm down.”

Surprisingly, Cha Jo-Ah calmed them down.

“Kang Jae-Hyeok, what are you doing here? Do you have a personal relationship with Manager Roh Jun-Yeop? How did you know he was here?”

Cha Jo-Ah was a student majoring in tactics and strategy.

Naturally, she was wary of unexpected variables; the fact that Kang Jae-Hyeok was here was already a problem in itself.

“You don’t have to answer right away. However, please step down today.”

“Young Lady!”

“Chairman!”

The Noble members protested. They didn’t understand why she would allow this kid who had invaded Noble to leave.

“Don’t worry.”

Cha Jo-Ah didn’t bother explaining. They only needed to trust and follow when she gave orders.

The members exchanged looks before nodding. They knew that Cha Jo-Ah wasn’t the type to lose.

“You heard the young lady. Go.”

“I don’t want to breathe the same air as you, so get out of here.”

The Noble members created a path for Jae-Hyeok and beckoned for him to leave. They made shooing gestures as if getting rid of a stray dog.

None of the members cared about the recorder.

After all, thanks to Noble kidnapping Roh Jun-Yeop, they were able to uncover the Shooting Club's corruption and protect the school's order. So there was nothing to worry about.

“This is strange. Why is everyone here so stupid?”

Jae-Hyeok didn’t pay attention to the path that the Noble members had opened for him.

Jae-Hyeok followed the path the Noble members had created, but he went in the opposite direction, treating it as a road toward the seat of honor where Cho Jo-Ah was sitting.

“Do you have any idea who I am? This can only be your greeting to my great Kang family.”

Noble was a class-based society created by the young noble students. And according to their own rules, the most noble person here was Jae-Hyeok by far.