The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 36

Dalton nonchalantly brushed off his second chance with one arm as if it were a nuisance.

Yet, his score astonishingly hit 3008 points.

“Ha, that boy. We forced him to come to the academy despite his reluctance, seems he’s quite discontent,” chuckled Spence de Templeton, the current chancellor of the academy, watching his nephew’s antics.

‘If that’s the score he gets by not even trying, what happens when he does?’

‘Indeed, the Templeton lineage. Worthy of the name of the strongest.’

While the crowd admired and sighed with envy, McGinny Randal, slightly offended, rose from his seat and announced, “Let’s proceed to dinner. First, second, and third places have been decided, there’s nothing more to see, is there?”

“Should we, really??”

As some nobles began to stand up, following his lead,

“Wait? Isn’t there another noble family’s child left? Surely…”

Confused, Vice chancellor Gray glanced through the student register, only for McGinny to snicker.

“Ha, that one hardly merits our attention. Rumors are he’d have struggled to get in without his family’s recommendation due to his lack in skills, plus, he’s only fifteen.”

“Fifteen?”

“Yes, I heard the youngest of the Ashton family being referred to as a burden as well.”

The nobles murmured among themselves.

Fifteen.

The age of adulthood, and the minimum age for academy admission.

However, admission ages ranged from 15 to 19 years.

Therefore, most students knocked on the academy’s doors only at nineteen, to withstand the ruthless culling of 20% of the student body each year.

After all, from 600 entrants to the academy’s knight department, fewer than 100 graduate.

“Some kids come to the academy early to get a taste of it before moving on to practical learning. Especially sad for a child from a martial family.”

As McGinny shook his head in mock pity, the nobles nodded in agreement, that’s when a burst of laughter broke out.

“……?”

As the nobles’ gaze shifted, a large man stifled his emerging chuckles before speaking.

“Kuhp. Truly. I intended to keep quiet…”

“… You are!?”

McGinny stared at the man in surprise.

‘I thought he had left? And why was he hiding in the corner all this time?’

Before McGinny could speak, Vice chancellor Gray intervened.

“Oh! You’re the polite young man who looks unlike his appearance, certainly of the… Count Ashton’s family?”

The large man, Raul’s elder brother, Dylan, modestly nodded and spoke,

“It’s an honor to be remembered, Vice chancellor Gray.”

“How could I forget? Such a remarkable physique and the imposing look of yours truly stand out.”

“Ahaha, isn’t that one of my charms?”

As Dylan laughed, his chest muscles appeared as though they might burst through his clothing.

“But I am curious, what made you laugh?”

Gray asked with a sparkle in his eyes, to which Dylan replied with a grin,

“It’s amusing to see the elders babbling arrogantly. Isn’t it called ‘stubbornness’ to judge everything on their level and believe it’s absolutely right?”

“What did you say!?”

McGinny bristled with anger while Dylan looked down at him with a mix of amusement and dismissiveness.

“Enrolling at fifteen means one is just sightseeing due to a lack of skill?? Ever thought of the reverse? Maybe they enrolled early because there’s nothing much the academy can teach them…”

“How absurd! At fifteen, one is just a child! There’s never been a genius who graduated before twenty!”

“Really? Isn’t it rather humorous to think there won’t be one in the future just because there hasn’t been one in the past…”

“How audacious! Are you implying your brother will be the academy’s history-making genius?”

As McGinny glared and shouted, Dylan shrugged and responded,

“Well, I wouldn’t know. I’m no prophet.”

Frankly, Dylan was curious too. What exactly was going through his younger brother Raul’s mind to enroll in the academy.

“Pfft! Grasping at straws without even being certain. Typical of the Ashtons! Always….”

“Alright, that’s enough. There’s no need to shame ourselves in front of distinguished guests, is there?”

The intervention of the principal finally made Lord McGinny step back. However, the glare he shot Dylan’s way seemed just as intense as before.

“Eh? Isn’t that the kid??”

With someone’s exclamation, all eyes shifted to the screen.

“Whoa!”

“Is that really a child of the Ashton family…?”

“Good heavens. He looks radiant.”

People sneaked a glance at Dylan’s face and then tilting their heads in wonder.

“Really brothers…??”

“Ahem. This young man, indeed! Most certainly! Is my youngest brother Raul, the jewel of our Ashton family.”

Dylan spoke with an inward sense of pride.

‘Even if his skills in swordsmanship are a bit lacking….’

‘Let me think, do we have any unmarried ladies in our family?’

The nobles murmured among themselves.

“Really, keep it down. What’s with all the fuss over a guy’s looks!”

Lord McGinny spat out in annoyance, though the murmuring did not subside.

‘That old man is going to have a hard time.’

Dylan looked at Lord McGinny with a clear sense of satisfaction.

Lord McGinny’s intention had clearly been to divert the nobles’ attention away from Raul.

Considering that at the time of the mansion incident, a son of the Randal household had even stood as a public notary, it was impossible for Lord McGinny to be unaware of Raul’s abilities.

Yet, he tried to belittle Raul, hoping to disperse the crowd.

‘Ketchup? Galen? What was it? Anyway, he must have wanted to highlight the 13th but dream on, old man.’

Dylan smirked and turned his gaze back to the screen.

The looks were too conspicuous for anyone to ignore.

He had said he’d just enjoy his time at the academy, but Dylan couldn’t help thinking it would be difficult.

‘Brother, you can hide your skills with a sword, but what about your looks?’

Raul seemed completely unaware of his own attractiveness.

Even now, it was evident he was trying his best not to stand out too much.

In some ways, he seemed much smarter, yet in others, still somewhat naive, which was endearing.

‘But he’s not really going to just play it safe, right? I wish he’d just show off his skills boldly at times like this.’

Dylan was slightly worried amidst his boasting.

And then, Raul finally stood in front of the machine.

Taking a deep breath, Raul moved lightly, casually warming up.

Whoosh—Bang!!

In an instant, Raul’s punch powerfully struck the machine.

“Perfect!”

Chancellor Spence couldn’t help but exclaim.

The movement began with his feet, moving up through his legs to his waist, across his shoulder, and finally extending through his fist without a hint of wavering.

‘If I were to score that punch, I’d want to give it full marks. What’s the actual score?’

He wasn’t the only one curious.

Every person inside the hall held their breath awaiting the result.

“Ah!”

“Such a pity.”

“But truly impressive! 2999 points?”

“Wasn’t he said to be 15? If only he had enrolled a year later….”

Many seemed to have emotionally invested in Raul, unable to hide their disappointment.

However, that wasn’t the end. Raul was already preparing for a second attempt.

“Come on! You need to break 3000 points!”

“Yeah! Don’t be daunted because you’re young! Hit it with confidence!!”

Until now, some of the nobles who had been merely spectators started to root for Raul. Once again, Raul’s punches met the machine. It was a desperate assault, almost as if he was pouring his soul into each hit. And the moment the results were announced, a wave of muted cheers spread through the assembly hall. Clenching his fist, Dylan couldn’t help but crack a sly smile.

‘You cunning fellow. You’ve planned this perfectly!’ Raul’s score was precisely 3 points higher than Jamieson’s, reaching 3615.

* * *

‘Phew. Looks like everything is going according to plan, huh?’ With a sigh of relief, Raul made his way back to his seat. The indoor gymnasium was abuzz with gasps and cheers in reaction to Raul’s score. Surrounding first-year students stepped aside, their expressions a mix of disbelief and admiration, as they made way for him. Raul, feeling as though he had poured every ounce of his strength into the effort, slumped down and closed his eyes.

“Report.”

“Testing area one. Top score 2820. No changes.”

“Testing area two. Top score 3612. No changes, sir!”

“Testing area four…”

“Testing area five…”

“Testing area six…”

“Keep vigilant until the end, and make sure to meticulously check the scores of key participants. After the test, organize and report those who scored above 2500 in order of their grades. That’s all.”

When the guild communication ended, Raul brushed his hair back, deep in thought. ‘I wonder if anyone has caught on?’ After entering the expert realm, Raul’s physical abilities had seen tremendous growth. Having gone through hellish training with his older brother, his current strength stat was an astonishing 68. If he had applied his full strength, his score might have well exceeded 4000. However, that was not Raul’s intention. Aiming for the top was one thing, but he had to appear on par with his peers.

‘Because of this, I even got involved in an unexpected espionage.’ He had acted his heart out to make his effort seem authentic and even used psychokinesis to lessen the impact at the moment of hitting the machine. He had even resorted to using an engineering calculator from the game system to adjust his power, a secret he kept to himself. The thought of whether all this was necessary had crossed his mind, but Raul shook his head. ‘The real threat hasn’t even begun. I’ll bear the effort and hide as much as I can, at least until other players make their move!’

Especially the existence of supernatural abilities like his needed to be concealed as much as possible. Later on, these could be wrapped in descriptions like divine powers or blessings from another world, but for now, there was the risk of being labeled a heretic. In his past life, pride in being ranked first led him to flaunt his powers openly. The result? He couldn’t escape the relentless pursuit of a guild alliance that had analyzed him thoroughly and eventually lost his life after a long period on the run. He had no intention of repeating such folly.

‘I’ll conceal myself and tear apart those who reveal themselves. This life, I am the hunter.’

Caught up in deep thought, he almost missed the wrapping up of the second test. Before the end, Raul decided to check his status.

‘Status window open!’

[Name]: Raul

[Level]: 55-56 (Hardcore Mode)

*Class: Knight (Junior Sword Expert), Intermediate Psychokinetic

[Affiliation]: Count Ashton’s House. First Knight Order

[Stats]:

[Strength 66-68]

[Agility 67-68]

[Stamina 65-66]

[Intelligence 58]

[Mental 71]

[Magic 70-71]

[Spirit 72]

[Sense 71]

*Unique Traits:

Skill Collector (EX),

Developer’s Insight (EX),

Psychokinesis Meister (S+),

Distinguished Swordsmanship Family Lineage (A), ??? (EX)

Next were the tests measuring agility and stamina, which involved a course filled with obstacles.

‘I hope it’s a bit easier this time.’ Unknowingly, Raul found himself hoping for Dalton and Jamieson to do well too.

(To be continued)