The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 5

Raul looked at Dion with an amusement that bordered on ridicule, seemingly unimpressed by his excitement. However, contrary to appearances, he was observing Dion quite seriously. A faint golden aura gathered in Raul’s eyes, allowing him to see things that wouldn’t normally be visible.

[Name]: Dion

[Level]: 42

[Occupation]: Training Knight (Sword User)

[Affiliation]: The Austin Viscountcy

*Titles: The Holy Knight of the Austin Viscountcy, Swordsmanship Prodigy

[Stats]: Potential (B-Grade)

[Strength 52]

[Agility 41]

[Stamina 43]

[Intelligence 18]

[Willpower 14]

[Magic Power 32]

[Sense 21]

A translucent status window displaying this information floated next to Dion’s face. Viewing someone’s status window, a capability that had mysteriously begun after his reincarnation, seemed related to a hidden unique trait. Its purpose remained speculative, but its utility was undeniable.

“Uh…” Raul silently sighed inwardly. Despite leveling up and improving his stats through the last three matches, he was still nowhere near Dion’s physical prowess. At 15 years of age, with strength over 50 and agility and stamina both over 40, and possessing B-Grade potential, Dion’s chances of reaching stats over 70 upon full maturity were high.

“But in the end, it’s just a B-Grade.” Within the world of Connect, there were monsters far stronger than that. Compared to those beings, Dion was insignificant.

Though distracted by these thoughts, Raul quickly refocused on the match. After all, the key to victory wasn’t in stats. Physical prowess was merely an advantage; the real battle lay in understanding and utilizing swordsmanship skills.

“It’s time you learned that lesson thoroughly, Dion!” Raul thought, watching the still-excited Dion with a barely restrained smile.

* * *

As the Count gave the signal, the match began, and for the first time, Raul took the initiative to attack.

Clang!!

“Hm, the recoil isn’t as strong as I expected.” The shock transmitted through his long sword, lightly thrust out to gauge the resistance, was surprisingly minimal. It seemed easier to maneuver through the match than anticipated.

Whoosh.

Catching Dion off guard, Raul watched as Dion aggressively swung his bastard sword downward.

However, with a simple sidestep, Raul easily dodged the attack.

Clang, clang!

After exchanging a few blows, Raul was certain. Dion’s sword strikes were powerful and, fitting for a scion of a renowned swordsmanship family, his technique was flawless. However, that was precisely the problem.

“Your swordsmanship is too honest. It’s the prototypical nobleman’s style, unused to real combat.”

The knights of the Austin house, responsible for training him, likely held back in their duels against Dion, given his young age and status as the son of a viscount.

His superior physical and talent probably ensured his dominance in practice duels.

Such conditions were not conducive to evolving one’s swordsmanship. An earlier awakening to mana, thanks to his talent, had inadvertently become a hindrance.

“Well, now that I’ve assessed the situation, shall we really get started?”

As Raul lightly deflected Dion’s thrusting bastard sword to create distance, he focused his gaze on Dion, took a deep breath, and charged like lightning.

“Haah!”

The longsword thrust forward in a straight line.

Dion, with a contemptuous ease, parried with his bastard sword.

But the thrust was a feint.

Using the rebound from the parried longsword, Raul twisted his body slightly and leveraged his momentum to close the distance rapidly.

What followed was a powerful shoulder charge.

Thump~ Crash!

Caught off guard, Dion lost his balance and tumbled backward.

Raul quickly approached the fallen Dion and struck both of Dion’s cheeks with the flat of his longsword. Thwack, thwack!

Dion swung his sword reflexively, but it only sliced through thin air. Raul had already moved back.

“What the hell!”

Dion got up swiftly, incredulous that he had fallen.

The marks from the sword blade engraved on both cheeks swelled, fueling his anger.

“You insolent brat! How dare you lay a hand on me? I’ll kill you!!”

Dion’s sword, now infused with blue mana, flew towards his opponent.

It was a testament to his maturity as a sword user that the blue mana on his blade did not waver in the slightest.

However, with a metallic clang, his attack was futilely blocked.

Unbeknownst to him, Raul’s sword was now wreathed in golden mana.

“Blocked?! No way!”

Caught off guard by his sword being blocked, Raul easily knocked Dion’s sword aside and tripped him.

At the same time, he lightly punched Dion’s face with the empty hand.

Thud!

Blinded by the blow to the face, Dion momentarily lost his vision and stumbled back to the ground, swinging his bastard sword wildly.

“Argh!!”

The sight of him flailing about in fear was quite pathetic.

Raul, now standing back, folded his arms and looked down at Dion.

“You look miserable. Stand up already.”

Upon hearing Raul’s calm voice, Dion scrambled up coarsely.

His expression was distorted with rage, holding his face in one hand.

Blood streamed between his fingers, perhaps indicating a broken nose.

Spitting out the blood in his mouth, Dion now looked at Raul with wary eyes, clearly having been brought to his senses by the few hits.

‘As if that would change anything…’

Dion’s swordsmanship, albeit slightly altered, originated from the techniques of the Count Ashton’s House.

Naturally, Raul, sharing the same swordsmanship, had no reason to be bested by Dion.

‘And I see everything, don’t I?’

Raul’s pupils, gleaming with a soft golden light, could even discern the movement of mana within one’s body.

Though it drained a significant amount of mana, he only used it when necessary, which was more than enough.

“Haaah!”

Dion attacked with a more solemn expression.

However, nothing had changed. A slight increase in mana and speed were not enough to escape Raul’s eyes.

Raul effortlessly dodged Dion’s sword and drove his longsword into his side.

Ssssshk.

A long scar was etched where the sword passed.

“Eeek!”

After the previous clash had subdued his excitement a bit, Dion attempted a counterattack, trying to knee Raul who was passing by him.

But Raul simply dodged it and, catching him by the shoulder, threw him down again.

Thud.

Raul slightly inserted his longsword between Dion’s leg guards and pulled away, leaving a trickle of blood flowing down.

* * *

“Hmm.”

Count Melvin watched the arena with mixed feelings. Glancing to the side, he noticed several seats were empty.

‘Well, it’s hard to keep watching.’

The match had been going on for over 10 minutes and had been completely one-sided.

One was bleeding all over and his armor had turned to rags, while the other hadn’t sweated a single drop and had a hand behind his back, not even holding his sword.

The outcome was shockingly unexpected to anyone before the match had started.

Thus, despite his son’s match not being over, Viscount Austin gritted his teeth and left the spectator seats.

The count felt a sense of satisfaction as the impudent brother, who had been subtly irritating him before the match, grimaced and disappeared.

Thinking about how he had always compared Raul and Dion, acting as if Dion had already won, made it all the more gratifying.

‘That boy Raul….’
Raul’s overwhelming skill, truly to the extent that one could say he was ‘playing around,’ made a proud spectacle. On one hand, the count couldn’t hide his regret for not having accurately gauged his son’s abilities.

‘With that level of skill, he must have reached the realm of Sword Users a while ago.’

Indeed, Raul had only ascended to the realm of Sword Users the day before, but from the count’s perspective, it was a misconception he couldn’t help but have. It wasn’t merely a matter of reaching a certain realm, but Raul’s mastery of the sword was exceptionally outstanding.

The two in the arena were at the same stage. Sword Users. Those who infuse mana into their swords. Yet, there was an overwhelming gap in skill between them. Raul seemed at ease, as if conducting a practice match, while Dion was desperately squeezing out every bit of his mana. Even so, Dion’s sword couldn’t even graze Raul.

When assuming the same sword techniques were used, this gap appeared to be more a matter of practical experience rather than simply understanding the technique.

‘Unless, it’s a level of understanding that transcends genius…. I should talk to Raul after the match.’

For now, it seemed best just to enjoy the match. The count stretched his previously furrowed brow and shouted with encouragement, “That’s it! Keep pressing on!”

* * *

Indeed, Dion’s skills were significantly superior to that of his peers. In the previous four matches, his opponents couldn’t maintain their mana swords for long. Dion, on the other hand, kept emitting mana without pause for more than ten minutes.

‘But that’s coming to an end now…’ His mana was running low, causing the mana in his sword to flicker. His movements had also slowed compared to the beginning. The time to finish the match was drawing near.

“Huff, huff. Why! Why can’t my sword reach you!!!”

Raul had no intention of kindly explaining why. He simply took advantage, delivering a low kick to Dion’s shin in a mechanical manner.

“Cough. You bastard! What kind of cowardly trickery is this?? There’s no way I should be losing to you like this!!”

Dion seemed to still have energy left, judging by his continuous ranting. However, it seemed about time to end it.

‘A body lacking in strength even after taking such a beating! This frail body clearly needs more training.’

Dion appeared utterly frustrated. If he had landed even one solid hit, Raul’s weak body might not have withstood it. But there was no need to give him that opportunity.

A cross cut brimming with mana, in a last desperate effort, flew towards Raul. But Raul had already predicted Dion’s movement from the moment his shoulder twitched. Effortlessly, he moved out of the sword’s reach and, finding an opening after the attack, clenched his fist.

“It’s about time you grew up.”

Swoosh—Bang!

Raul’s fist hit Dion’s temple accurately, shaking his brain. Dion collapsed on the spot, foam forming at his mouth.

A knight hurriedly checked Dion’s pulse, then crossed his hands above his head.

“The match is over! The victor is Raul!!”

The crowd was filled with murmurs. Some found the match’s outcome unbelievable; others admired Raul’s true strength; and there were female spectators satisfied simply because Raul had won.

But what was certain was their awe at this movie-like ending. The spectators were once again charmed by Raul’s stellar performance.

Sighing lightly, Raul sheathed his sword and raised his fist triumphantly into the air. In that moment, the multitude of spectators in the venue rose from their seats, applauding and shouting in celebration.

Raul, fist still raised, looked out at the crowd for a while before stepping down from the arena. As he walked down, his expression unchanged, it was as if he had merely achieved an expected outcome. There was no particular emotion in defeating Dion.

As expected, after winning the final match with an overwhelming skill gap, a system message appeared in front of Raul.

The quest [Coming-of-Age Tournament] has been completed. Please check your rewards!

(To be continued)