The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 37

Being the descendant of the top figure was both a blessing and at the same time, a tremendous shackle.

“You must do your utmost to ensure the reputation of your grandfather remains untarnished!”

“If you’re the grandchild of the Swordmaster, you naturally have to accomplish at least this much!”

“You have to win this competition, keep that in mind!”

The thought that a new top figure must emerge from the household of the reigning one was more akin to an obsession than mere pride.

The head of the household, Duke Marquis, the Swordmaster, didn’t exactly force his children into swordsmanship.

Rather, it was his children and kinsmen who were more eager to uphold their status.

In that sense, Dalton was quite unfortunate.

Merely for being slightly more talented than his peers of the same lineage, he was forced into many endeavors.

Thanks to that, he had achieved remarkable skills for his age, but it was never what he had wanted.

“Ah, how bothersome.”

He had neither an interest in swordsmanship nor a craving for power.

To someone as laid back by nature as he, the endless training and competition were nothing more than stress.

Thus, he had barely any external activities until he was 19, spending his days in the household lazily training and killing time.

Honestly, his enrollment in the academy was driven by a desire to escape the bothersome training and the monotony of his daily life.

Academy lessons seemed like they would be bothersome, too, but surely, they’d be better than enduring the nagging while training at home, right?

And yet…

“What’s with having a test right on the enrollment day? Had I known, I would’ve just run away to take a nap.”

Regretting his choice, he casually passed the first exam, but the results were slightly beyond his expectations.

“Jamieson ranked second, huh…”

Jamieson was already a renowned talent among his peers, having faced Dalton in a few direct matches.

Of course, Dalton won every time, but he had considered him the strongest after himself among his peers…

Jamieson, with his strong competitive spirit, was probably frowning deeply by now.

‘But then there’s this Raul guy. Quite intriguing, isn’t he?’

Thus, when Dalton encountered Raul at the second testing site, he couldn’t help but strike up a conversation.

“Are you Raul?”

He casually initiated, and the guy stared at him intently.

Up close, his skin was flawless, and his eyes not just blue but seemingly shining with light.

‘Hm? Did I just see a glimmer of golden light? Well, he looks good, but not as good as me.’

“Who are you?”

Dalton snapped out of his brief daze.

“Oh? I’m Dalton.”

“……”

“……”

A moment of silence passed.

“If you have no business, then I’ll be going.”

Raul turned around with a look of annoyance and walked away.

Dalton almost reached out to stop him but didn’t; after all, like Raul said, he had no particular business.

Dalton’s expression was a mix of complexity and subtlety.

‘It’s been a while since someone brushed me off like this. He knows who I am, doesn’t he?’

Usually, once people knew his identity, they sought to extend their conversations with him, but Raul’s reaction was refreshingly novel.

Yet, it didn’t upset him. It only piqued his curiosity.

‘I wonder what face he’ll make after losing to me in the second exam?’

Heading towards the testing ground, Dalton’s expression turned a tad more serious.

The second exam was conducted outdoors.

The test was simple.

It measured how fast one could traverse a designated course. The twist was that everyone had to wear a suit of armor made of iron while navigating through the course, which was peppered with obstacles and traps.

Thud! Beep!

“Oh dear, how many have been disqualified already?”

The second test proceeded in reverse order of the first test’s results, meaning the early test-takers were those with lower skills.

Yet, approximately 100 participants had already been eliminated without even reaching the finish line.

Although unseen from the waiting room, except for the starting point, it was evident from the sounds alone that the test was far from easy.

“Ever since Lord Gray took over the examination hall, it seems the difficulty is no joke.”

“What changed that nobody seems to be passing?”

Waiting candidates murmured anxiously among themselves.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before some began to pass:

– 13 minutes 33 seconds

– 12 minutes 52 seconds

The times gradually decreased, though not noticeably.

By the time only about fifty candidates remained, the record time stood at approximately 9 minutes 12 seconds.

“It’s about time to get ready.”

Raul stood up and stretched, feeling stiff after waiting for over three hours.

“Yawwn~.”

Feeling Raul’s movement, Dalton, who had been snoring softly a short distance away, opened his eyes.

“What, it’s still early, isn’t it?”

Despite his words, Dalton’s turn was upcoming since tests were conducted in batches of twenty.

The waiting room was quieter than expected.

Jamieson from the McNeil duchy and Caleb from the Randal county hadn’t entered the waiting room at the start, and others had opted to warm up near the practice area from early on.

The remaining candidates waited for their turns in an awkward silence, seemingly unfamiliar with one another.

Finally, it was time for the last group of candidates.

Dalton, still yawning, headed towards the examination arena, with Raul following quietly behind.

“Any specifics?”

“So far, no significant changes. The current record time is in the early 7-minute range.”

“Make sure to check everything without missing any details. Report the progress of the last group in real-time.”

“Understood, my lord.”

Coordinating the timing seemed challenging as the exam proceeded simultaneously.

However, three knights were monitoring from the stands, considering to align their timing slightly.

“Candidate number 285, Raul, correct?”

“Yes.”

The instructor at the starting line checked Raul’s identity and briefly explained,

“All traps and obstacles are illusions created by magic. However, falling into traps or taking hits will inflict shock comparable to real damage, and this damage is measured in real-time. The test will end immediately if you receive damage exceeding the armor’s defense. Keep that in mind.”

“Understood.”

“Then, candidate 285. Begin!”

At the start signal, Raul dashed into the course.

The armor felt almost 30kg, seemingly forged from solid iron, cumbersome and unnatural in movement, making breathing difficult.

This explained the high number of early disqualifications.

However, Raul wasn’t significantly hindered.

Reaching the expert level, both his mana and physical capabilities had evolved, allowing him agility as if he wasn’t wearing armor at all.

The first obstacle appeared before Raul, a whirlpool in a river that seemed impossible to escape from bone intact.

Stones that appeared to be stepping stones were scattered across the river, which looked wider than 100 meters.

“Even if it’s illusion magic, it feels too real. How many mana stones did they need to set this up?”

More than the challenge itself, Raul was concerned about the extravagant waste of resources for the test setup.

Dismissing it as a pointless expense, he crossed the river with ease, stepping on the stones as if crossing a stream in front of his neighborhood.

What followed was a forest path.

Tracking the marks between trees, traps activated at every other step.

Swooshing arrows were narrowly avoided by slightly tilting his head, and battle axes springing from the ground were dodged with quick steps.

Clang!

Simultaneously flying daggers bypassed the great sword swiping through the air, and traps where the ground sunk in were preemptively detected, leaping over them between the trees.

Just as he passed through the field of traps, a communication came in.

“Dalton and Jamieson are moving exceptionally fast. It looks like they both might finish in under 5 minutes.”

“Anyone else standing out?”

“Caleb from the Randal household is picking up speed, but it seems difficult for him to break into the 6-minute mark.”

“There are some interesting ones, though. They seem relaxed avoiding traps, like they’re not really focused on the record.”

“Make a separate note of anyone unusual. Keep me updated on Dalton and Jamieson’s progress in real time!”

“Got it.”

Raul, having finished the communication, now faced a cliff.

A narrow bridge about 1 meter wide stretched out in the middle of the seemingly endless cliff.

‘This is going to be troublesome, isn’t it?’

However, Raul did not stop.

Just like he had from the start, he kept a steady pace and began to cross the bridge.

And as expected, a sudden change began.

Whisssssh~

A sudden gust made the bridge violently sway, and fist-sized fireballs flew at Raul from both sides of the cliff.

‘Fireballs?’

Though they seemed weak in power by their size, getting caught in an explosion could send him plummeting below.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!

Raul ran unhesitatingly across the swaying bridge, smashing each approaching fireball with his great sword.

He could have easily sliced or deflected them using a mana blade, a hallmark of an expert, but Raul chose to take down the fireballs with his mana sword, taking risks unnecessarily.

He believed it wasn’t the time to reveal his true skills yet.

As he neared the end of the bridge, the number of fireballs flying at him simultaneously increased, but they still couldn’t slow Raul’s steps.

Beyond the cliff, Raul was greeted by a cave with its dark maw wide open.

‘Is this the final trial?’

Traps tend to be more effective and threatening indoors where there’s less space to avoid them.

However, Raul did not hesitate and plunged into the dark cave.

* * *

Crackkk!!

‘Annoying.’

Jamieson shattered a spear falling from the ceiling with his mana-charged shield as he moved forward.

Clang!

‘To think I’d be held back by such nobodies…’

With a light swing, his axe blade split an incoming crossbow bolt in two.

‘Entering the academy now is just irritating, not to mention having to put up with these undesirables!’

He already had a record of winning a tournament among those in their twenties and had gained practical experience in the capital’s guard.

He was confident that he would soon be appointed as a probationary member of the kingdom’s royal knights, and yet, the academy?

What reason did someone of his caliber have to waste time there?

If it weren’t for a direct order from the head of his family, he would never have set foot in the academy.

And yet…

‘Why on earth would Dalton enlist in the academy? And what’s with that wimp from the Ashton family?’

Putting the mission aside, it would be a disgrace to lose the top rank of the year in the academy!

Perhaps because of this, an even stronger mana surged from his shield.

Jamieson’s shield and axe, already at the expert’s realm, smashed through traps and obstacles alike, clearing the path forward.

A faint light was visible not far ahead.

It must be the end of this infuriating cave.

“Raaargh!!”

Like a runaway train smashing everything in its path, Jamieson charged forward, certain of one thing.

‘The victory is mine!!’

The scoreboard in front of him flashed an impressive time of 5 minutes 15 seconds.

(To be continued)