Duke’s Son: Re

Chapter 79

『”Remnant of Thunderfall” has been activated.』

“Ugh!”

Jaehyuk swung his sword several times but couldn’t endure it and let out a groan. His hands shook as he quickly removed his gloves, revealing his impatience.

‘This isn’t something I can endure with sheer will. Fifteen seconds is my limit.’

The Remnant of Thunderfall was truly a terrifying curse. It wreaked havoc inside him, like lightning burning every single cell, making the agony unbearable.

〈Noble Chivalry: The One Who Sliced Thunder〉

He had proven bravery and gained honor by fighting against natural disasters.

*Skill 〈Thunder Sword〉 unlocked.

*Reduces the power of a Thunderfall during an encounter.

*Increases thunder attribute resistance by 30%.

*Increases thunder attribute affinity by 30%.

‘Plus, the resistance increased by 10% due to the Remnant of Thunderfall.’

Jaehyuk’s thunder attribute resistance totaled 40%. Despite that, he could only withstand the Remnant of Thunderfall for fifteen seconds, which honestly bewildered him.

‘No wonder Blake mistook me for a Thunder Emperor.’

In front of Blake, Jaehyuk had endured the Remnant of Thunderfall for just a few seconds.

Even those few seconds appeared astonishing to Blake.

It seemed likely that Blake had never tested the power of the Remnant of Thunderfall on his own body.

‘Indeed, he was an S-rank player.’

That guy still being alive was incredible. Letting out a dry laugh, Jaehyuk equipped a pair of flashy earrings with a green jewel and a round shield.

〈 Earrings of Delirium 〉

Rank: Legendary

The earrings can confuse targets within a 1-meter radius at a normal chance whenever they sway.

*Skill cooldown reduced by 10%.

*Wearer is also subject to confusion.

〈 Heavy Moon 〉

Rank: Legendary

Absorbs impact entirely when blocking an attack.

Cooldown duration: 1 minute.

*Increases health by 20.

*During cooldown, incurs a curse of 〈Immobility〉.

*Cannot remove the shield while immobile.

Like the Remnant of Thunderfall, these items were obtained for free. Generally, they would be categorized as ‘trash’ without question.

Firstly, the Earrings of Delirium.

A thin gold chain with an elongated green gem hung at the end, long enough to graze the wearer’s field of vision with any movement.

Yet, even just seeing it inflicted confusion, but only on targets within a mere 1-meter proximity.

As a result, the item posed more danger to the wearer than to others. The rarity of a cooldown reduction item justified its legendary rank but…

‘Usually, people wouldn’t even use it if given.’

The same applied to the Heavy Moon.

A small, round shield in blue.

In terms of performance, it was outstanding. It’s originally difficult for a shield to ‘completely’ absorb impact.

There existed attacks that rendered defenses useless depending on their form or power.

The Heavy Moon, capable of absorbing any impact if it managed to block an attack, naturally warranted its legendary rank.

However, it could only be relied on once per minute, and the activation of its effect resulted in the critical drawback of ‘Immobility’.

When rendered immobile, you couldn’t undo the shield, depriving you of mobility tricks or the ability to swap gear.

In essence, it was like cornering oneself while trying to save one’s life.

Like the Earrings of Delirium, it was a piece of trash generally unworthy of use. Yet Jaehyuk…

Thump.

Even when the Heavy Moon was active, he wasn’t paralyzed, allowing him to remove it. However, there was a severe issue.

『”The Curse of the Dead Snake” has been activated!』
『Curse resistance failed.』

“…!”

Poisoning, Blindness, Paralysis, necrosis—various abnormal conditions surged at once, inflicting horrible agony. Unable to even scream, Jaehyuk collapsed. He only began recovering after removing the white snake bracelet.

‘Two items are my limit.’

『Your physical and mental endurance from repeated patience and overcoming difficulties is highly respectable.』
『Resisting low-level abnormal conditions.』

Thanks to overcoming his limits for 3,000 consecutive days, Jaehyuk’s very being had transcended. While he could naturally resist certain conditions:
*The spirit of a knight is well-trained, resisting most conditions and tolerating pain exceptionally.

Due to his first skill 〈Noble Chivalry〉 effect, he resisted most conditions. Yet perfection evaded him. This limitation explained why he couldn’t suppress the Remnant of Thunderfall. It was the reason he couldn’t equip more than three cursed items.

‘It’s impossible to resist high-level or multiple conditions simultaneously.’

It might gradually improve as time passed. As his level or 〈Noble Chivalry〉’s rank increased, he would resist stronger and more conditions. But not right now.

‘I was wise not to carry unnecessary items.’

Blake had allowed Jaehyuk to take all his items, yet he only took three. Of Blake’s items, three swords were the most noteworthy, but their standard paled against Iyarugt, and remaining items lacked practicality compared to the Earrings of Delirium and Heavy Moon, so he abandoned greed.

He intended to leave Blake with the impression of ‘owing a debt’.

Recalling the tearful expression of the middle-aged man, Jaehyuk awaited his body’s recovery before putting on a pair of white gloves.

〈Two Sickles Stopping the Cart〉

When the skill was deployed.

Flash!

Lightning descended from the sky.

*Using the skill provokes an extremely high chance of a seizure by exciting the Remnant of Thunderfall.

The curse of the Remnant of Thunderfall had been activated. Despite his precautions, it arrived too quickly.

Boom!

Lightning struck him, vibrant yellow, just as he raised his sword to unleash the skill.

– Are you alright!?

The lion statue shouted instinctively.

– What are you even doing, coming unannounced this late at night, just to repeatedly injure yourself?

“Sorry to worry you.”

– You… Laughing off almost dying again, aren’t you?

“I’m smiling because I survived.”

Jaehyuk removed the gloves and poured potion over his charred black shoulder, closing his eyes calmly.

‘I’ve received an immense gift.’

The curse that brought down lightning storms.

How many people in the world would desire the experience of facing a Thunderfall alongside the torment of the Remnant of Thunderfall?

‘No one beyond the Thunder Emperor and me, I suppose.’

Jaehyuk’s thunder attribute resistance was at 40%.

He could momentarily withstand the Remnant of Thunderfall and didn’t die from a single bolt hitting him.

Besides, its potency was lower compared to a genuine Thunderfall.

‘Thanks to Noble Chivalry, if I avoid vital spots, I might even take two hits….’

His heart raced with excitement. Being able to summon and research lightning at will, and gradually adapt to it, was enormously gratifying.

The lion statue looked at his grinning figure with disbelief.

– That fool’s become crazier since he was struck by lightning.

***

‘I’ll have to procure potions in bulk.’

Stumbling forward, a ragged Jaehyuk seemed on the verge of collapse as he walked.

Having trained all night after a long time and endured lightning repeatedly, his body couldn’t hold up. Though utterly exhausted, there was immense fulfillment.

The sheer speed replicating a Thunderfall during such training, defensive maneuvers, and evasion attempts became extraordinary experiences.

‘I’d like Dahui and Dojin to experience this too.’

Unaware how insane the idea of inflicting a Thunderfall on friends sounded.

“Um…?”

Jaehyuk halted abruptly amidst navigating through the brush.

Park Haerin. The silent, hardworking girl sat meditating in a small open area.

Her straight back and perfectly aligned shoulders showed no sign of flaw, despite fallen leaves gathering around her over time.

‘She meditates well, too.’

Park Haerin was a rare case of a good first impression.

She had subtly alleviated the hostile atmosphere when Kim Jinmyung and other students displayed animosity towards Jaehyuk upon first entering.

Moreover, her performance in classes and training was consistently outstanding, without fault.

Among B-rank students, she alone had avoided either the occasional kicks or verbal reprimands from Jaehyuk.

‘Perhaps that’s why things feel awkward.’

Momentarily worrying if his presence was disruptive, Jaehyuk decided to leave quietly. Yet, at that instant, a voice sounded.

“Not practicing your shield skills, and focusing on mana training instead?”

A boy, suddenly emerging from the opposite thicket, plopped down next to Haerin.

“…….”

Haerin quietly opened her eyes. Her upturned eyes and large vibrant pupils—how could she appear innocent with such eyes?

“Why is it? Do you lament that your first skill is going to waste?”

“Sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize to me. But, as an heir of the Guard guild, not being able to properly wield a shield would embarrass the Master. It’d be awkward for our parents and guild members too. Though I’m the only one who understands you, it’d be nice if you acknowledged your position.”

“… I don’t intend to become the heir.”

“I see, I know that.”

The boy, smiling gently, carefully brushed the dirt off Haerin’s skirt.

“Nonetheless, you’re the Master’s only child. Succeeding the Master was said to be your duty since childhood.”

“…….”

“Though don’t fret too much. I’ll handle the things you dislike, so just endure a little longer. Our parents will support us. Trust me.”

“… Okay.”

With hesitant reluctance, Haerin nodded.

“As it’s chilly at night, better hurry back. You lose sleep, and it’ll upset me if your skin, so fine, gets damaged.”

While perceiving as a third-party listener, Jaehyuk found something subtly unpleasant about the boy’s tone.

Continuously reminding Haerin that each of her actions inevitably affected someone was irritating.

“… She acts childish, grumbling all the time.”

After Haerin left, having felt pressured by the boy’s insistence, he shed his gentle facade.

“It’s tiresome accommodating her. At least she’s pretty enough.”

“Hmm.”

Leaning against a tree, Jaehyuk reflected on the dialogue between the two.

‘Park Haerin… wasn’t she supposed to be a tanker?’

When it was perceived, it was a welcome realization.