The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player 49

Chapter 49

[Quest: D-Grade Dimension Gate]

Rank: D

Objective: Hunt 50 Armored Scorpions (D)

Time Limit: None

Rewards: Experience points, gold, low-grade random material box

‘It’s not bats this time.’

And the clear condition was not simply a slaughter but hunting specific targets.

Given that gates ranked D or higher were vast in field size, quests like ‘exterminate all monsters’ rarely came up.

Moreover, completing a quest was just the minimal requirement to leave a gate; finishing one didn’t mean the gate would disappear.

It seemed necessary to proceed with the quest while searching for the gate’s guardian.

Swoosh~ Ding!

‘How crude.’

As Raul jogged leisurely, several arrows dropped from the cave ceiling toward him.

However, they couldn’t penetrate Raul’s psychokinetic barrier.

The arrowheads were slightly bluish, possibly coated with poison, but it hardly mattered since they were never going to hit him.

D-rank gates occasionally sprung traps, seemingly to illustrate they were different, but they posed no threat.

The essence of psychokinesis was ‘spatial control.’

To move objects with mind power, one naturally had to know what was where in the first place, right?

Hence, a psychic’s spatial control range was also a crucial metric when assessing their proficiency in psychokinesis.

Raul, now at Intermediate Level 3, had expanded his psychokinetic range to 15 meters.

Enclosed spaces like this cave were perfect for Raul’s psychokinesis to shine.

Hadn’t he passed the academy entrance exam’s final hurdle, a cave full of traps, with flying colors?

Everyone mistook his success for mastering ranger scouting techniques, but it was actually the result of his unique trait, Developer’s Insight (EX), combined with his spatial control through psychokinesis.

But now, instead of avoiding traps, he was neutralizing them as he advanced, having taken the lead with that intention.

“At a fork, 30 meters to the left. A group of scorpions spotted.”

Pierce’s report came from the front.

“Prepare for battle.”

Raul gave a brief command and continued forward without slowing.

Soon, they reached the location Pierce mentioned.

There, from palm-sized regular scorpions to unnaturally large ones measuring 1m in length, over a hundred scorpions filled the cave.

At the very back of the group was that creature.

[Armored Scorpion Lv45]

Rank: D

Traits: Corrosive poison, steel armor

With a sleek shell shining in black and a tail as sharp as awls sporting a dangerously large stinger, along with claws that seemed capable of easily slicing through a human torso.

This monster, just by its appearance, was threatening enough.

“Wow! What in the world is that monster??”

Josh, trailing behind, let out a surprised gasp.

Not only Josh, but it was likely a first sighting for the other knights as well. After all, this mutant monster only appeared in Gates and dungeons.

However, Raul had no intention of providing a friendly explanation.

“Break through. Watch out for its tail movement!”

“Ah!”

Without waiting for a response, Raul charged toward the group of scorpions.

The shell of the armored scorpion was as hard as steel.

Therefore, it was a tricky monster that couldn’t be easily wounded unless it was by an energy blade.

‘Even so, it’s just a D-rank monster. It’s not like it doesn’t have weaknesses.’

“Attack!”

As Raul alternated his hands in the air, twenty swords stored in his inventory were summoned and launched towards the enemies.

Whir-whir-whir!

The thrown blades pierced through the scorpion group.

Slish. Slash. Slush.

In an instant, the space within 15 meters in front of Raul was filled with silvery sword glows.

The twenty swords, moving as if each had its own life, accurately shredded the enemies without a single one colliding with another.

Swish.

The moment the swords scattered like ray fins were gathered back into Raul’s embrace, only three D-rank armored scorpions remained alive.

Even those were split in half by three swift slashes.

“……!”

Josh couldn’t close his gaping mouth.

‘What did I just witness??’

Ten seconds.

In just ten seconds, the scorpion group that had filled the cave was eradicated.

And as the bodies of the giant armored scorpions, each the size of a person, floated into the air with a single gesture from Raul and disappeared into oblivion, Josh’s eyes widened as if they would tear apart.

He had thought Raul would be strong, but wasn’t this too much?

“Aren’t you going?”

Jake tapped Josh on the back, snapping him out of his daze.

“Uh, well, that’s…”

“Well, it’s your first time, so you must be curious. But for now, run! The master is already way ahead!”

“Yes, yes!”

Regaining his senses, Josh ran and cautiously asked.

“Excuse me, just how powerful is our employer, or shall I say master? More than the knights here… No, never mind.”

Philip chuckled and said,

“Well. The measure of strength is always relative. If we’re talking purely about the realm of swordsmanship, then the master might still be trailing Sir Jake here. But…”

The image of Raul, clad in golden power armor, dealing with a berserk armored user with just his fingers, popped into Philip’s head.

“If we’re considering overall combat power, it’s honestly hard to measure. Well, he might be stronger than Sir Jake, don’t you think?”

‘Maybe even stronger than me….’

Jake, seemingly agreeing with Philip’s words, frowned slightly but did not open his mouth.

‘I heard he was only fifteen….’

For the first time in his life, Josh considered the possibility that he might not be a genius after all.

Raul’s progress was unstoppable. He swept away the minor monsters with psychokinesis and wind blades, monsters so weak that there was no need to use mana, and his powerful mana blade tore through the armored scorpion’s shell as if it were paper.

Pierce’s scouting followed by Raul’s crushing advance never ceased. And as a result, they came close to clearing the quest in less than two hours after entering the gate.

‘Having roamed around like this and still no sign… could it be a summon type?’

Most often, the gate guardian slumbers in a so-called boss room, but that’s not always the case.

“Pierce. Return for now. Let’s finish the quest.”

“Understood.”

As soon as Pierce returned, Raul split open the head of the last armored scorpion he had intentionally left alive.

“Josh.”

“Yes, did you call me!”

At Raul’s call, Josh hurried over, his eyes filled with ‘admiration’, and his face was flushed.

“Do you feel anything unusual around here? Any strange sensations or anything that particularly bothers you?”

At Raul’s question, Josh looked around for a moment, closed his eyes, and sniffed the air, before replying after a few moments.

“I, I don’t think there’s anything unusual.”

“Is that so?”

It seemed to be no different from a D-Grade dungeon. Seeing that they hadn’t noticed despite a guardian quest.

“If we disappear and you’re left alone, don’t panic and just stay put. The gate has already been cleared, so you’ll be able to leave on your own.”

“Understood. But what about this?”

Josh politely offered up with both hands what he wanted Raul to see – a magic lamp. It was spotless, shining as if it had been polished.

Raul smiled warmly and patted Josh on the shoulder.

“Well done. We might use it in the next gate, so keep it with you. If you take good care of it until the gate conquest is over, I’ll give it to you as a gift.”

“Th-Thank you! I will do my best!!”

Josh bowed deeply in gratitude and hugged the lamp as if it were a sacred object.

Raul watched him with a contented expression and then responded to the quest summon.

Swoosh.

“Huh?”

Fortunately, Josh did not end up separated from the group.

‘The temporary party registration system is working properly. Then, shall we see who we’re up against?’

It was a huge circular cavern, reminiscent of a Colosseum, and in the middle stood the creature on a platform.

[Scorpion Champion Lv62]

Grade: C+

It was a monster with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a scorpion. In one hand, it wielded a long bastard sword, and in place of the other hand was a large pincer.

“Oh. This one looks like it could put up a fight,” said Jake, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Raul.

“Sorry, but I don’t feel like sharing. He seems like the perfect sparring partner.”

“Tch. If you’re going to do everything yourself, why did you bring us along? You sure are greedy.”

Jake grumbled as he stepped back, and Philip approached with a question.

“Do you have any instructions?”

“Mmm. Please make sure Josh doesn’t get hurt. It might get a bit rough.”

“Are you planning to use only the sword?”

“Well, if possible.”

“Understood. Don’t worry about Josh.”

After the conversation ended, Philip left with his group at a distance.

Raul took out a two-handed greatsword from his inventory and slowly walked toward the guardian.

“Alright, let’s get to it!”

* * *

A crimson claw smashed down where Raul had been standing.

Bam!!

The ground cracked, creating a small crater.

He sidestepped and avoided the claw, but it was not over yet.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

As if anticipating Raul’s movement, the champion’s tail came in a continuous attack, much like the thrusts of a skilled spearman.

‘Gasp!’

Bang bang bang!

Despite the rapid flurry of attacks creating afterimages, Raul calmly positioned his greatsword, blocking every strike without showing any sign of panic.

Ssss.

Although he blocked the thrusts, the venom sac attached to the tail secreted acid, corroding the greatsword.

The venom that fell to the ground vaporized, seeming to pollute the air.

Raul swung his greatsword to disperse the steam and was about to move when the scorpion champion fiercely swung its bastard sword.

Thunk! Clash clang.

The champion’s swordsmanship was mediocre at best. However, the force behind it was so tremendous that every time their swords collided, Raul’s greatsword was repelled.

Of course, Raul used the rebound to rhythmically swing his greatsword as if he were dancing.

Despite the larger size of Raul’s two-handed greatsword, it moved faster, proving that in terms of swordsmanship alone, the champion was no match for Raul.

‘A gap!’

Raul spotted an opening as the scorpion champion’s sword play became disoriented from the continuous barrage.

Raul’s greatsword exquisitely pushed aside the blade of the bastard sword, aiming for the champion’s side.

Crash!

But the blade never made contact. A claw, appearing suddenly, acted like a sturdy shield, blocking Raul’s greatsword.

Not only that, but the champion’s tail was once again aiming to strike down at Raul from above.

‘Tch.’

Raul quickly retracted his greatsword, deflecting the tail, and stepped back.

The venom dropped, hissing as it corroded the ground.

“Phew~.”

Raul took a moment to catch his breath, having created some distance.

The sword, the claws, the tail.

Each could be dealt with individually with not much difficulty, but when combined in a sequence, it felt like facing three opponents at once.

However, it wasn’t something he couldn’t handle. After all, this was just a warm-up.

“Shall we start the second round?”

From Raul’s sword, a golden mana blade surged forth.

(To be continued)