The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 112

Package.

Something small and square was placed on Raul’s palm.

“What, what is this?”

“It’s a gift, Raul. I sent you the details through email.”

It was Bae Dohyun’s resident registration card. An identification card that every South Korean citizen could obtain.

Of course, it was a meaningless item within Connect. A replica that couldn’t be used in reality. But for some reason, it tugged at his heartstrings.

“Thank you, Rabel. How did you come up with making something like this?”

“Just. Even if it’s a past that can’t be returned to, I thought you should have something to remember it by.”

There was a subtle longing in Rabel’s words.

‘Ah…’

Come to think of it, Rabel too had lived a wandering life, having lost her hometown. And not just for a few thousand years. How might she feel, Raul couldn’t help but feel a pang in his chest for a moment.

At least he could learn about Earth through being a player and the internet. But she had truly nothing left. Could this resident registration card contain her longing for her homeland and her kin?

‘Rabel’s kin. I must find them again!’

The possibility was more than enough. The Forbidden Zone, Gates, and the different species that would appear as the scenario progressed.

He had a premonition that he could find them somewhere. And he earnestly hoped that someday she could break free from this narrow world within the book and return to her original life.

“Now, don’t worry about what comes next and just go for it! Raul, or rather, Bae Dohyun, don’t you need to show them who you are?”

Rabel had somehow sat on Raul’s shoulder, extending her fist into the air as she spoke. The refreshing energy emanating from her energized Raul’s body.

“Yes, as you command.”

Raul took a reverent pose like a knight receiving the lady’s command, accepting Rabel’s words.

Seeing him like that, Rabel chuckled and disappeared into the guidebook.

“Now, shall I limber up and prepare?”

Raul, transformed into Bae Dohyun, strode confidently towards the preliminary exam venue.

The indoor gym was bustling with participants. With the final preliminaries underway, the stands were packed to capacity, and the aisles were crowded with onlookers trying to catch a glimpse of the action.

“Team USA, this way!”

“Japan, over here!”

Just like on the first day, players from each country were calling out to gather their fellow participants. With about 30 minutes left until the start of the exam, players seemed restless as they strategized based on the tactics they had learned so far.

Bae Dohyun leisurely assessed the atmosphere as he made his way towards the center of the gym. Suddenly, someone called out to him, either due to keen observation or just luck.

“Excuse me, are you from Korea?”

The petite and cute lady asked.

“Yes, I am Korean.”

“Oh, great. Come this way, everyone is gathering here.”

Seemingly delighted, she led Bae Dohyun towards where the Korean players were assembling.

“Hmm, exceptional latent talent rated A. Why don’t I remember him, given his outstanding qualifications? He was a rare characteristic summoner, a job that should have caught my eye.”

There was a possibility she might have quit the game for some reason, in spite of it being a noticeable job.

“If it was due to in-game reasons, I hope it doesn’t happen again.”

Raul lightly etched the name Han Seohyun, as shown in the status window, in his mind. Regardless of how talented they were, he couldn’t help all who quit the game.

Once they crossed paths and entered the academy or joined the guild, then he would actively lend his assistance.

“Oh, you’re the last person. Welcome. I’m Park Sungjun.”

A young man leading the meeting greeted Raul.

“Hello, I’m Bae Dohyun.”

“…!”

All eyes turned towards Bae Dohyun. Ever since the level rankings were made public, there has been a player who has maintained the top rank in the world without fail. He is known in the community as the last bastion of Korean players.

Moreover, there was a mysterious player whose identity no one knew. And now, he revealed himself. Murmurs spread. It wasn’t just the Korean players who heard his voice; players from other countries around him were also astonished when they saw Raul.

“He looks more ordinary than I thought.”

“What are you talking about? Just look at the armor he’s wearing. It must be Red Fang Wolf leather. And he’s wearing a full set…”

“A Red Fang Wolf? Aren’t those monsters that appear in level 20 high-level zones? I heard they are hard to defeat even in parties.”

“Look at the emblem engraved on it. It seems custom-made, right? You can tell it’s different from dropped items just by looking at it.”

Bae Dohyun garnered attention not just for himself, but also for the armor he wore. Since it was still early in the game, even if someone wanted to spend real money, there were no sellers offering gold, making it impossible. Hence, all the players’ equipment at present were obtained directly through gameplay.

“Damn. Of all people, why did he have to be in the same group…”

“As expected, he won’t be easily visible. I had hoped he was just a high-level player…”

There was envy and wariness in the eyes of the players, along with a sense of competitiveness. However, Bae Dohyun didn’t pay much attention to it; the skill gap was too significant. When the competition started, they would also realize that fact.

“Now that Bae Dohyun is here, shall we resume the meeting? I have been leading, but would it be alright if Bae Dohyun took over?”

Park Sungjun asked calmly.

Among the few players who had barely any change in expression upon learning Bae Dohyun’s true identity, Park Sungjun was one of them. Perhaps it was because he had enough confidence in his own skills. And rightfully so. Excluding Bae Dohyun, Park Sungjun was the only high-ranking player from Team H within the top 100 overall rankings.

“I have no objections. But may I say a few things before we proceed?”

Bae Dohyun opened his mouth as the players nodded silently.

“I plan on playing this preliminary match alone. Please consider this when planning strategies and exclude me.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Does that mean you’re going to be hostile towards us?”

Someone asked, to which Bae Dohyun shook his head.

“No. I won’t touch any of you until I’ve hunted down all players from other countries.”

It may have seemed a bit selfish and arrogant, but no one openly expressed discontent. It was an individual competition, and there was no rule requiring cooperation. Moreover, the words of the player ranked 1st carried weight.

Even if Bae Dohyun chose to go alone, no one thought it was reckless.

“And as a Korean player, there are two things I’d like to ask of you. First, try to get as many kills as possible in the early stages. And second, if things aren’t going well or you’ve collected up to four pieces, come to the 1st zone that opens in the middle of the game. You’ll understand the reason once the game starts.”

With that, Bae Dohyun finished speaking, bowed to the players, and left.

That was the end of the favor he could offer them. Whether they chose to believe his words was up to them.

It didn’t matter to Lyle. It would be nice if more Korean players passed, but that was beside the point. His goal for this preliminary round was clear.

Sitting in a quiet corner away from the clustered players, Lyle quietly opened the system window.

‘Status window open.’

[Name]: Bae Dohyun (Lyle)

[Level]: 26 (84)

[Occupation]: Novice Fire Mage (Intermediate Lv.8 Fire Mage, sword Expert High Knight)

[Affiliation]: None (First Knight Order, Ashen Viscount, Lord of Bates, etc.)

[Stats]: [Strength 41 (75)]

[Agility 45 (79)]

[Stamina 42 (76)]

[Intellect 34 (71)]

[Spirit 48 (80)]

[Mana 46 (79)]

[Energy 49 (82)]

[Sensitivity 48 (81)]

*Unique Ability: Fire Manipulation Master (S+), (4 hidden abilities)

The stats shown were his current ones, with the numbers in parentheses representing Lyle’s abilities.

‘It’s been adjusted quite well to match the level.’

The stats were intentionally adjusted to match the level, considering that there were definitely a few players with the ability to peek at others’ status windows. And the reason he could adjust the stats arbitrarily was thanks to the [Gray’s Polymorph Ring].

[Gray’s Polymorph Ring +5]

Grade: Unique

Effect: Transforms the wearer’s body structure perfectly into the designated appearance. Due to enhancement, now able to adjust ability stats arbitrarily (range: -80% to -5%).

Limitation: When mana is depleted, the wearer will return to their original form, so caution is advised.

Additional Effect: Can summon the creator ‘Gray’ once for a single use.

Yes, Raul purchased enhancement scrolls that appeared in the player shop and reinforced [Gray’s Polymorph Ring] up to +5.

As a result, the option that always reduced ability stats by 30% when worn disappeared, and Raul could now adjust them as desired.

“I might be able to convert the adjustment range to positive if I reinforce it a bit more.”

However, he found it too risky to continue reinforcing with the possibility of the enhancement becoming too gambling-like.

Up to +3, enhancement was a guaranteed success, but thereafter, the success rate plummeted drastically.

Of course, it wasn’t a system where the item would disappear if the enhancement failed. However, the price of enhancement scrolls itself was exorbitant.

The price of enhancement scrolls varied depending on the grade of the item, and for Unique grade items, it cost 10,000 coins per scroll.

It meant consuming the coins obtained from at least completing a B-rank quest.

Raul failed twice before reaching +5, spending 70,000 coins, and any further investment seemed like a waste.

“Even though I earned 200,000 coins by winning the top rewards from the main quest twice, now I have to save.”

There was no guarantee that players could continue monopolizing quests now that other players had appeared.

It was prudent to save special coins for future scenario quests that would be introduced.

“Anyway, thanks to this, I can now act properly as Bae Dohyun.”

The combination of the Polymorph Ring and Second ID was powerful. Now, even if he exposed his stat window, there would be almost no suspicion. And there would be no risk of accidentally unleashing overpower in unconsciousness.

He sometimes wondered if there was a need to hide his power in such a cumbersome way, but it was an inevitable choice for his purpose. As a player, if he wanted to influence other players, he must not let slip that Bae Dohyun was an NPC.

“Of course, I can’t keep my identity hidden forever.”

However, he planned to delay that time as much as possible, and he was confident about it. Besides, even if he restricted his stats, he was still powerful.

Calling it a penalty against newly logged-in players with similar levels and stats seemed amusing. From now on, Bae Dohyun intended to prove that. Even with similar levels and stats, one could become significantly more powerful.

“Well then, shall we start the game?”

(To be continued)