The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 9

“Goodbye, dear customer!!”

As Raul stepped out of the building, he was sent off by the branch manager with a bow at a 90-degree angle.

With this, he had visited all the job associations located within Mira.

Raul, with light steps, was about to head towards his lodge when someone called out to him from behind.

“Ahem, Young master Raul. Why on earth do you need these frivolous books??”

It was Jake, with half a dozen books tucked under his arm.

The other subordinates around him also looked at Raul with curiosity, holding a few books each in their arms.

“Frivolous books… Well, you might think so now. But these so-called ‘frivolous books’ will elevate your skills to a new level.”

“But how is that…? I mean, they might be manuals detailed in their own right, but improving swordsmanship with books is something only beginners can do, right? We are not mages who scribble in books in some corner.”

As Jake expressed his incredulity, the others nodded as if to agree with him.

Philip, too, seemed to share the sentiment, speaking in a slightly serious tone.

“Young master, I also don’t quite understand. Honestly, the money spent on buying books today could have been enough to buy a decent power armor.”

“That may be true. But you’ll understand everything tomorrow morning. So don’t worry too much.”

Although Raul spoke confidently, it seemed as though everyone still thought he wastefully spent money.

Murmurings about Raul’s absurd shopping continued until they reached the lodge.

* * *

Back in his room, Raul sat down on the bed.

The center of the room was filled with stacks of skill books.

Seeing them made Raul scratch his cheek, feeling a tad embarrassed.

‘Did I buy too many?’

The amount Raul had spent on skill books today was a staggering 200,000 gold. It was an enormous sum, comparable to his investment in Mira.

Not only his subordinates but also other players would have considered it a wasteful expenditure.

After all, players in Connect had a limited number of skills they could use.

The so-called “Demon’s Wall” at level 100 meant an average of about 10 skills, with even 5 being hard to manage at lower levels.

Despite this, Raul looked satisfied. He even seemed regretful that he hadn’t acquired more.

It was all because of a quest.

Grade: ???

Objective: Collect at least 10 types of skill books and record them in the Skill Codex. Additional rewards will be provided depending on the type of skill books.

Reward: Activation of [Skill Codex]

Additional Rewards: Unlock features [???], acquire skill [???].

Raul swiped the quest window aside and opened his inventory.

‘Finally…!’

An item that had seemed colorless and untouchable until now.

A thick, decoratively adorned leather-bound book was shining gloriously.

Among the few things Raul had acquired since his reincarnation in Connect were three EX-grade traits of unknown identities and a couple of items in his inventory.

And now, one of those items had finally come into Raul’s possession.

“Shall we begin?”

Holding the heavy Skill Codex in his left hand, Raul picked up a skill book with an expectant look.

As he carefully brought the skill book close to the Skill Codex, a fresh green light burst out, engulfing the skill book.

Thud.

And then, the Skill Codex spat the book back out.

A glance at the book revealed no changes in its contents.

However, the mana that had faintly emanated from the book had vanished.

It was no longer a skill book but now just a paper book.

‘Is this how it works?’

After feeding a few more skill books in the same manner, Raul momentarily hesitated, realizing it would take all night at this rate.

So, he outright placed the Skill Codex on top of the pile of books and said,

“Can you swallow them all at once?”

“……”

Raul, having asked just in case, was about to reach out again with an embarrassed expression.

But then, the Skill Codex slightly levitated and unfolded itself in the air. And then, the skill tome, now several times its original size, gulped down the pile of books in an instant.

“… Wow.”

Raul watched in astonishment as the tome wriggled in the air as if digesting for a moment before a heaping pile of miscellaneous books fell down haphazardly, and the tome itself gently dropped back down, resuming its normal size.

‘Did it actually understand what I said?’

However, there was no time to delve into his curiosity.

Suddenly, a system window flashed, sending a quest completion message.

-Quest [Skill Collector] has been completed. Please check your rewards.

-As a reward, [Skill Tome (Rare)] has been activated.

-Additional Reward: Trait [Skill Collector (EX)] has been unlocked.

-Additional Reward: [Copycat (S)] has been acquired.

Raul’s expression brightened upon checking the message.

‘That’s right! I’ve invested in so many skill books!!’

Given that the quest required collecting more than 10 books, and he had poured in over 500, it was a natural outcome.

Raul first checked the unlocked trait.

[Skill Collector]

Grade: EX

Effect: Activates the authority [Skill Tome]. Grants Skill [Copycat]. Dramatically increases the acquisition rate of skill books.

‘Does this mean I should collect skills diligently?’

Tilting his head, Raul proceeded to check the next reward.

[Copycat]

Grade: S Rank

Proficiency: Beginner Level 3

Effect: Allows the theft of skills observed from others. Skills observed are recorded in the tome. As proficiency increases, the grade of stealable skills increases, along with power and efficiency. (Current maximum stealable grade: B Grade)

‘…!?’

Indeed, it was worthy of being an S rank skill.

Honestly, he wondered if such a skill should even exist. To steal an opponent’s skill just by observing!

‘Surely there must be various conditions and restrictions… But still, this is absolutely overpowered!!’

In his past life, Raul had seen several S rank skills, but he had never seen one with so much potential for growth.

What if he mastered the proficiency? Unknowingly, Raul swallowed hard.

After calming his excited heart for a moment, Raul finally turned his attention to the skill tome in his hand.

He hadn’t had high expectations since it was a rare-grade item.

However, upon checking its information screen, Raul was so startled that he sprang to his feet.

“What is this!!”

[Skill Tome]

Grade: Rare

Status: Growth Potential, Bound.

Description: A replica of the mythic bound volume [Skill Tome] that recorded ancient skills. It has traversed time and space, resetting all records. Special conditions can unlock its sealed original functions.

Current number of recorded skills: 526

Click here for detailed functions and effects => Click!

The skill tome was actually a replica of one of the three mythic items Raul had acquired before his reincarnation!!

* * *

The next morning.

Raul headed to the training ground with puffy, red rabbit eyes.

He hadn’t slept properly because he had been exploring the features and effects of the skill tome all night.

“Have you arrived?”

As he entered the training ground, a young man with neatly backcombed red hair, dressed in a tidy suit, greeted him.

“Did you explain everything well?”

“I have relayed everything to everyone as you instructed.”

He replied in a mechanical, cold tone, his face expressionless.

This young man, named Bernard, appeared emotionless, almost like a doll. Bernard was Raul’s secretary and servant, adopted by the butler Ivan. He had been working at the count’s house since a young age and was one of the butler’s successors, trained directly by Ivan. Moreover, he was known for his exceptional memory and meticulous work. However, Raul had chosen him for a different reason.

“Did you try using the skill book?”

At Raul’s question, Bernard nodded slightly and stretched out his palm downwards.

To their astonishment, a small whirlwind began to form just below Bernard’s palm.

Whooosh.

Sand and leaves got caught in the whirlwind, spinning around in mid-air, clearly visible to the eye.

“Excellent. As expected of Bernard!”

Raul patted him on the shoulder, looking at his face calmly.

[Name]: Bernard (Age 27)

[Level]: 21

[Occupation]: Butler Trainee, Junior Wind Mage

[Affiliation]: Count Ashton’s Household, [First] Guild.

*Talents:

Administration,

Management,

Supernatural Abilities

[Stats]:

Potential (A-Grade)

[Strength 17]

[Agility 18]

[Stamina 24]

[Intelligence 53]

[Willpower 46]

[Spiritual Power 23]

[Sense 41]

*Traits:

Razor-Sharp Manager (A-),

Cold Rationality (B),

Like the Wind (B-)

Though his stats were lacking in many areas, he seemingly had enough potential to greatly succeed as both a manager and a supernatural ability user.

Pride swelled in him, but only for a moment.

Turning his attention to the training ground, it was in utter chaos, filled with confused people.

“What’s this?? I’m seeing weird things in front of my eyes!!”

“Must be ghosts haunting us! We need to find a cleric…”

“What am I supposed to do with this book??”

“What’s this guild chat supposed to be??”

Despite Bernard’s clear explanations, few seemed to have truly understood.

Raul, rubbing his temples as if it were a great headache, exclaimed loudly.

“Everyone, stop right there!!!”

It took half a day more to explain game systems like guilds, quests, and skill books to his subordinates.

* * *

“Human, die! Chwik!!”

A large axe sliced through the air, falling swiftly.

Behind the axe was an orc with a flat, upturned nose and sharp protruding fangs, its face writhing with veins like worms under its skin from anger.

‘Ugly creature.’

Thump!!

With a deft dodge and a powerful punch, Raul made the orc’s head burst open.

“Chwik! Attack together, now!! Chwik!”

“Charge!! Chwik!!”

About a dozen orcs surrounding him charged at once.

Hand axes flew and long glaives sliced towards his head, while huge battle axes roared in from all sides, leaving seemingly nowhere to escape.

But the outcome was no different.

Raul, dodging the onslaught of weapons like a ghost, burst the heads of the orcs with each punch, maintaining a calm expression.

“Th-this human is strong, chwik!”

An orc, with a hole as big as a head in its belly, uttered its last words before collapsing.

In less than a minute, all the orcs standing around had been annihilated.

“Truly, young master Raul! Orc soldiers are no different from goblin hunters. Makes you wonder if levels mean anything.”

Jake, who had appeared out of nowhere, chuckled and commented.

“Truly astonishing. You’re a completely different person from three weeks ago!”

Even Philip couldn’t hide his amazement, lavishing praise on Raul.

“Don’t make a fuss about nothing. This is something any knight could do. Let’s hurry up and move on!”

While Raul dismissed it as trivial, Philip thought differently.

Not just any knight could punch out the heads of armed orcs while dodging every attack.

‘And there’s something even more surprising.’

(To be continued)