CHAPTER 106

“Everyone, gather under me.”

The Noble members choked up after hearing Jae-Hyeok’s order.

He’s young.

This is a first-year student, right?

Does he think he can do whatever he wants just because he’s the son of a duke?

“Uh?”

They cursed Jae-Hyeok in their hearts, only to realize his actions had been no different from their own. The more they tried to curse him, the more they felt remorseful. They soon fell silent.

They glanced at the Cha Jo-Ah, who was still unconscious on the floor, before cautiously approaching.

Jae-Hyeok’s fists—no, his sword—was far closer than the law. They didn’t dare go against him.

I will definitely repay today’s humiliation.

This dog-blooded bastard...

When had Noble ever been trampled on and humiliated like this? However, Kang Jae-Hyeok’s victory was only momentary, and the day’s incident would be dismissed as if it had never happened in a day or two.

So long as we use our connections behind the scenes, covering up an incident like this is nothing.

The greatest strength of the aristocracy lay not in their individual power but in the social and economic web stretching between them.

The Noble members were confident that today’s incident wouldn’t spread far, and in a few days, they would be sure to punish the Shooting Club in kind. After all, if they fought fairly and weren’t caught off guard like today, Noble would be able to handle the Shooting Club easily.

After confidently glaring at the Shooting Club members, the Noble members accidentally met Jae-Hyeok’s eyes and flinched.

...Well, the seniors just need to take care of this guy.

They couldn’t help missing the OBs and seniors.

Seeing the Noble members’ flashing eyes, Roh Jun-Yeop could immediately tell what they were thinking. He laughed.

“Bastards, I can hear your minds turning. However, you don’t know his personality.”

“?”

The Noble members were puzzled. They didn’t know Kang Jae-Hyeok’s personality? How could they not realize it after today? He was a crazy bastard...

Roh Jun-Yeop told them, “Starting today, I’ll be spreading rumors all over the place.”

The depressed Noble members glared at Roh Jun-Yeop, but Jae-Hyeok interrupted with an expression that made it seem like he wanted to smack them on the head, “The Shooting Club smashed Noble.”

A Noble member shouted, “W-what nonsense is that? You can’t say that. When did we get smashed by the Shooting Club?”

“Oh? Then, do you want me to say that I smashed you? Or, what if I make it so that even the dogs raised by the janitors and the cats raised by the school nurses hear how the members of Noble rushed over when I, Kang Jae-Hyeok, told them to gather?”

“We didn’t rush over!”

“Does it matter if you crept over or rushed over? In any case, you came when I called.”

“......”

“Besides, your chairman was beaten by me and passed out with tears in her eyes. Ah, didn’t she even throw up? I pity her.”

“Dammit! You have been talking about reputation and honor, but you have no honor at all! Threatening us in such a petty and despicable way? Aren’t you afraid of losing your reputation in society?”

“Didn’t you say that the Kang family is a family of traitors?”

Jae-Hyeok sank into the chairman’s seat, where Cha Jo-Ah's warmth lingered, and said bitterly, “Does a family of traitors still have any reputation left to lose?”

“......”

The Noble members finally fell silent. The more they talked, the more they realized they were at a disadvantage.

“So, unless you don’t want to be completely humiliated, stop thinking about scheming behind the scenes. Noble, as you know it, dies today. But you have a choice: disband, or be reformed under me.”

The moment Jae-Hyeok mentioned reform, one of the Noble members couldn’t contain his anger and yelled, “Shit! I can’t listen any longer!”

The one who shouted had blond hair and a face puffed up like a steamed bun—it was the boy who had attacked Jae-Hyeok earlier.

Could it be that he’d passed out and hadn’t seen Cha Jo-Ah getting beaten? The Noble members stared in shock, not understanding how he could be so oblivious.

The blond-haired boy continued confidently, “How can we disband Noble when the OBs and seniors are holding it up behind the scenes? The choice you gave us is useless. We can only go under you.”

The expressions of the Noble members turned cold.

As expected, he really can’t discern what’s going on.

He must’ve taken a serious blow to the head during that beating.

Then, the blond-haired boy turned to look at them like they were all fools. “Just now, you all witnessed that kid’s... no, the young master’s skills, right?”

“What type of sophistry is it to go under him just because he is skilled?”

“Young Master Kang’s was level 10 not long ago. Then today, he easily defeated me and the chairman in quick succession.”

“That’s because he ate elixirs like they are rice... ”

“Hmph, if someone could use advanced swordsmanship simply by having high stats, would anyone bother training in martial arts and improving their skills?”

“......”

The surroundings became silent.

In fact, the others knew it in their hearts as well, and a chill swept over the members as they accepted the truth. The reason they hadn’t done so sooner was that Jae-Hyeok’s talent was so unrealistic that it was hard to believe. The Noble members weren’t alone; even the Shooting Club members had felt the same way when they’d first met Jae-Hyeok. His talent exceeded mere greatness.

The Noble members gulped nervously and straightened their posture. No matter their personal feelings, they couldn’t help but feel awe.

The blond-haired boy said politely to Jae-Hyeok, “Young Master Kang, I can’t speak for the entirety of Noble, but I will follow you. I believe you will reach great heights in the future, so I will tie myself to your thigh even if I stand against the rest of Noble. This is my investment.”

One by one, the rest of the Noble members also stepped forward and made similar promises.

It was far too early to make grandiose pledges of loyalty. However, the Noble members were convinced of Jae-Hyeok’s talent and had decided he was worth investing in.

"......!"

The surrounding Shooting Club members stirred. The sight of these aristocrats, who were united by pride, bowing their heads to a first-year student was simply surreal.

Kang Jae-Hyeok!

Jang Yeon-Ju and Roh Jun-Yeop also gave Jae-Hyeok a passionate look.

He was on the verge of seizing the Noble Club not long after the Shooting Club. Perhaps they were witnessing a moment that would become a legend in Lion’s Castle.

They got goosebumps all over their bodies.

However—

“What are you saying?”

Jae-Hyeok waved his hand dismissively with a look of disgust.

“You guys want to tie yourselves to me? Why? To drag me down?”

“What... Hey, we gave way, so why are you still mocking us! This is too much!”

“What bullshit about being too much? Why should I believe in you and accept you as my people?”

“B-but didn’t you just say we could come under you?”

“When did I say that? I said I would reform you.”

“We aren’t bullies... What type of reform do we have to go through...”

“Those who kidnapped, imprisoned, and beat up someone aren’t bullies, huh?”

“R-right? Are you so shameless? If this happened in society instead of Lion’s Castle, you seniors would be behind bars!” Chae Da-Hee agreed.

“I wasn’t beaten, fuck!” For some reason, Roh Jun-Yeop was standing with the Noble members and arguing ferociously in their defense, but it was useless.

Baek Do-Jin growled while glaring at the Noble members. “Hey, Jae-Hyeok. These bastards are making expressions like they were wronged? I guess they don’t realize how serious a crime kidnapping is.”

“Indeed.”

Jae-Hyeok smiled, took out a pair of white gauntlets, and casually put them on. The motions of his long, graceful fingers unknowingly attracted people’s attention.

As expected, an aristocrat is an aristocrat.

The Kang family...They might have fallen now, but they are one of only three ducal families in South Korea.

The Noble members were fascinated by Jae-Hyeok’s elegant appearance; a new impression of the Kang family began to linger in their minds, and the way they looked at Jae-Hyeok subtly changed. Their feelings of disgust, hatred, and distrust gradually faded, while envy and awe bloomed in its stead.

Of course, this change didn’t last.

Jae-Hyeok told them, “From now on, don’t disgrace the aristocracy and try to live a humble life, okay?”

“Huh?”

A light shone brilliantly behind Jae-Hyeok as he approached with a smile. Meanwhile, the Noble members were so awed that they started to have ridiculous thoughts.

Is that a halo?

What? Is he not human?

Then, above their heads, came a thunderbolt.

The punishment was swift, over before they could scream.

Jae-Hyeok said, “I’ll come back often.” Then, he laid Cha Jo-Ah beside the rest of the charred Noble members, left behind a note, and turned to leave.

“H-h-hurry! We’re heading back!”

“Finally, I’m going to bed. I’m tired after staying up a whole day.”

“If only Roh Jun-Yeop hadn’t been kidnapped... tsk tsk.”

“Didn’t things turn out well in the end? We got a legitimate excuse to smash Noble.”

“Did you finally notice? I was kidnapped for the sake of the Shooting Club.”

“Do-Jin, please make Roh Jun-Yeop shut up.”

Jae-Hyeok walked in the lead, and his teammates and the Shooting Club members naturally followed, bickering as if everyone had known each other for a long time.

***

“How amazing. The growth rate is beyond common sense. I honestly wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes.”

Surrounded in white fog, two blurry figures drifted near the charred members of Noble.

The two figures belonged to the White Night Squad—the most secretive group among Lion’s Castle’s armed forces and who took orders only from White Night Seol Su-Ah.

“There’s a reason Her Excellency ordered us to stay by his side. That child will definitely reach great heights and help Her Excellency in the future.”

“The world is a ruthless place, and if you gathered the corpses of everyone who was once praised as a genius, you’d form a mountain. It’s too early to get excited just because the child stands out a bit at school.”

The middle-aged man calmed down after hearing his colleague’s warning and sighed. Indeed, this was a world were monsters with unfathomable strength ran rampent, and with the passing of every moment, more and more gates appeared around the globe—with many being high-level gates that few players could even approach.

Reality was far too dangerous to rest their hopes on a young genius.

“You’re right. I’ve been too desperate for hope. I saw Her Excellency recently, and she looks terrible these days. She must be going through a lot alone.”

“...Is that so?”

The two men tiredly gazed at the distant sky, watching the dim clouds rolling in and feeling the cool breeze through the building’s shattered windows.

The dimming sky felt like an omen—one that warned of the upcoming 91st East Asia Gate Exchange...

Suddenly, the White Night members gasped and looked down.

At the building’s entrance, Jae-Hyeok had paused in his tracks and was looking in their direction.

Did he sense us?No, that was impossible.

It had to be a coincidence. They were both still covered in the white fog, and reading the flow of a mana technique that distorted the surrounding scenery was a difficult task even for high-level players.

Jae-Hyeok briefly lowered his chin as if to acknowledge them before he turned and left.

“......”

The White Night Squad members seemed to be nailed in place, as they didn’t move until a long while after.