The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 3

Clash~ Clash and clang!

Whoa~!!!

Above the training ground set up in the central square of the fortress, the sounds of swords clashing continuously burst forth.

And not only from the surrounding stands, but from all around the fortress where the images were being transmitted, cheers resounded.

The main tournament of the coming-of-age ceremony had already progressed to its sixth match. Moreover, the audience watching this match sent out cheers hotter than any before.

“Exactly~!! Oh my goodness…!”

“Oh no!!”

Various sighs and cheers were unceasing, and it was clear who they were all for.

A young boy, his blonde hair shining brightly under the sun, with a small face and distinct features, and his slender arms and legs skillfully moving about perilously.

It was Raul, the third son of the count’s household.

Screech~

Clang!

Raul lightly deflected a thick bastard sword aimed at his chest with his thin long sword, which was less than half its size.

However, unable to withstand the force of the blow, he was pushed back a couple of steps.

Despite this, his long sword was ready for more attacks, and his gaze remained unshaken, directly ahead.

Before anyone realized, twenty minutes had well passed since the match started.

Considering that the outcomes of the previous five matches were decided in less than five minutes, this was exceedingly unusual.

“This rat-like coward! How long do you plan to keep running away?! Aren’t you ashamed to be a member of the count’s household?!!”

Raul’s opponent, Edmund, screamed with a face turning bright red with anger.

At the age of 15, it was unbecoming how he was nearly 190 cm tall and swung a huge bastard sword that even adults struggled to wield with both hands, like a monster.

“Hoo.”

Raul used the break between Edmund’s attacks to catch his breath.

Because facing this brute for 20 minutes meant exhausting already limited stamina.

Drip. Drip.

Sweat mixed with blood trickled down Raul’s slender jawline.

And those droplets, running down the battered and dented armor, soon dried up.

Raul’s armor, heated up by the hot sun, was in such a mess that it was hard to recognize its original form.

Especially on the side, where several parts were split, exposing the flesh underneath, and the leather protectors on his arms and legs were torn and ragged.

Despite these many marks, Raul had hardly taken any real damage.

Most were just marks from deflecting attacks.

There were a few cuts on his face and limbs, but they were superficial.

Catching his breath, Raul, with his sword still ready, lunged at Edmund, who was still going on about a fair and square duel.

Naturally, Edmund, caught off guard, hastily swung his bastard sword from below.

Thump, thud!

Yet, evading like a swift swallow changing its course, Raul stabbed at his chest a couple of times with his long sword before stepping aside.

Unfortunately, Raul’s thrusts couldn’t penetrate the armor and were deflected.

After all, Edmund, suited to his monstrous strength, wore armor that was twice as thick as others’.

“This cowardly!!”

An infuriated Edmund swung his bastard sword fiercely at Raul, but couldn’t even graze him.

‘Pathetic.’ During the match, instead of focusing on fairness, he just swung his sword recklessly in anger.

Had there not been something Raul was aiming for, such a fool would have been brought to his knees in a minute.

Whoa!!!

As the clash resumed, cheers burst forth from the stands, especially from the female spectators, whose reactions were explosive.

“Master~ You’re so cool!!”

“Ah, how can he move so beautifully?”

“Quickly, take down that gorilla-like brute!!”

Everyone, from young girls to voluptuous middle-aged women, gasped at Raul’s every move, and as sweat and droplets of blood scattered into the air, they screamed as if they were losing their minds.

The frenzy surrounding Raul wasn’t just because of his appearance.

Before the match began, most people thought it would end quicker than the previous ones.

“How did the weak third son of the Count come to be in the finals?”

“Can the third son even hold a sword properly? I heard he’s too lazy to train.”

“He has no talent for swordfighting at all, so much so that the Count himself gave up on teaching him.”

Though Raul scarcely ventured from his mansion, the people of his domain were mostly aware of the kind of person he was.

Born into a prestigious family of swordsmen, yet had put down his sword— the disgrace of the Count’s family!

There were rumors that the Count was so ashamed he wouldn’t even allow him outside the estate.

On the other hand, his opponent, Edmund, was known for his strength exceeding that of most adults and was a mana user capable of wielding a mana sword.

Among the finalists, he was undoubtedly one of the favorites to win.

As expected, for the first 5 minutes of the match, Edmund relentlessly attacked, and Raul could barely even launch a counter, focusing instead on blocking and dodging.

Knocked to the ground repeatedly, his armor became a mess.

“Wow! Go Edmund!!!”

“Finish off the weak third son quickly! I put my entire salary this month on you!!”

People cheered for Edmund’s splendid swordsmanship, finding delight in seeing a usually lofty noble’s son getting thoroughly beaten.

However, at some point, the cheers began to fade.

“He’s been hit to shreds, doesn’t it hurt? Look at the blood running down his face!”

“Why doesn’t he give up? The difference in skill is clear.”

“What’s Edmund doing? Is he dragging out the match for fun?”

Despite being relentlessly attacked, Raul didn’t give up.

Like a Weeble that wobbles but won’t fall down, he stood back up and aimed his sword again, showing an unwavering resolve.

On the other hand, Edmund appeared to be playing with him, avoiding vital spots in his attacks and sometimes just standing there with his arms crossed, smirking.

Eventually, people began to unwittingly root for Raul, who, despite bleeding and being covered in dirt, valiantly stood back up every time.

They realized he was not a haughty noble, but simply a boy who refused to give up.

“Something’s off here.”

Edmund was confused by the sudden shift in the atmosphere of the arena.

Beating Raul as he did in their practice sessions felt good.

He was annoyed by Raul’s persistence despite normally giving up after a few hits, but it allowed him to show off his skills for a longer time, garnering cheers from the audience.

But it seemed it was time to wrap it up.

Dion had said to beat him almost to death without allowing any form of retaliation, but there seemed no need to drag it out amidst the boos.

“Beating him for 5 minutes should be enough. Maybe I’ll finish by breaking an arm or leg.”

But the match didn’t go as Edmund planned.

Somehow, despite his serious attacks, Raul held on, and at some point even began counterattacking.

During the 20-minute match, the audience completely switched sides to Raul.

People enjoyed watching a strong favorite demolish their opponent, but they were also thrilled by an underdog making a dramatic comeback to defeat a stronger opponent.

Clang, Clash!!

Now, if Edmund attacked twice, Raul would successfully counter at least once.

Neither could land a finishing blow, but recently, it was Edmund’s armor that started showing marks.

Perhaps that was why: at some point, Edmund’s face turned bullishly furious.

Swinging his sword powerfully and pushing Raul back, he gripped his bastard sword with both hands for the first time.

“Hyaahh!”

With a great shout and a burst of faint light emanating from the bastard sword raised above his head, the scene was set.

“It’s a Mana Sword!!”

“Be careful, young master!!!”

As murmurs filled the stands, Edmund charged toward Raul without hesitation. His body, energized by mana, moved much faster than before, and the mana-infused bastard sword looked menacing enough to split Raul’s blade in two. Yet, Raul’s expression remained unaltered. Calmly aiming his longsword at Edmund, he chose to advance rather than retreat as Edmund’s sword cleaved through the air towards him.

Crash!! Clang!!

As the dust cloud, formed from the cratering ground of the training field, settled, the outcome of the match was clear. A knight who appeared between Raul and Edmund at some point loudly declared, “The winner, Raul!!”

A thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd. They rose to their feet, rejoicing as if they themselves had won, jumping and cheering ecstatically.

However, there was one who could not accept the outcome of the match. Edmund protested to the knight in a resentful tone, “Why is Raul the winner? I cannot accept this!” Pointing at Raul, who had managed to drop his sword and was now sitting on the ground, he argued.

“Fool. Look at your neck! Had I not spared you, you would be dead.”

Confused, Edmund instinctively touched the area below his neck, only to find it smeared with a smattering of blood. ‘How…!?’ Upon checking, he discovered a slight gap in the armor plate that guarded his neck. ‘Did he manage to thrust his sword through this gap in that fleeting moment?’

While Edmund stood there dazed, Raul collected his sword and left the arena. Long after Raul’s departure, the audience’s cheers continued to echo throughout the stadium.

—

[Your level has increased.]

[The proficiency level of Ashton Family Swordsmanship has reached Beginner Level 9.]

Having received treatment, Raul lay on his bed back in his room, checking the system messages. As he had anticipated, his level increased, and his swordsmanship proficiency had risen satisfactorily.

‘It definitely made a difference compared to just training or preliminaries. It was worth dragging out those fights, even forcibly. I’ll easily hit my target at this rate. Hardcore mode, for sure!’

Connect had two game modes. In Normal mode, one was given three lives, with the option to resurrect at an additional cost. In Hardcore mode, once you died, your character was permanently deleted.

A significant advantage of Hardcore mode was the fact that leveling up and skill proficiency rose at least twice as fast as in Normal mode. However, Hardcore players were practically nonexistent, as the world of Connect was too harsh with just one life to live.

Indeed, Hardcore players who initially maintained high ranks and were thriving disappeared before the year was out.

And why was Raul in Hardcore mode?

‘Well, I didn’t have a choice.’

He had realized he was in Hardcore mode the moment he checked his status after waking up, erasing any complacent thoughts that this might just be a game. Whether inside a game or not, dying meant the end all the same. He harbored no complaints about having just one life.

‘I might have complained if it was just the Hardcore mode, but with ‘those things’ around, how could I?’

Raul chuckled to himself and spoke into the air, “Open status window!”

(To be continued)