The Return of the Talented Monopolist is Special

“Ha… ha…”

Raul’s breath came in ragged gasps.

His sword was precise, but his stamina was nearly exhausted, and retreating was becoming increasingly difficult.

The situation was truly dire.

Raul had always believed in his swordsmanship and thought he was skilled.

But when facing a real opponent, he couldn’t use his strength effectively.

At best, he had managed to leave deep wounds on a few of the ice statues, but taking down even one of them seemed impossible.

Adding insult to injury…

“Damn it…! How is it possible for a sword to break like this…!?”

The weapon provided by the rabbit at the entrance had broken so easily. If it was this fragile, it was as if the test was telling him not to fight at all.

“Kurrr!”

The ice statues, convinced that victory was certain, let out a chilling roar and charged at Raul.

“Is this the end… ha.”

He wondered if he should have just chosen to pass instead of foolishly picking the challenge, which had led him to this point.

Raul squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the notification of his defeat.

Then, suddenly—

Thud—

A spear flew towards Raul.

He caught it instinctively and turned around.

Yujin, who seemed to be the one who had thrown it, and the rabbit with drooping ears were both watching Raul.

“Yujin… helped me?”

It was just a guess, but whether he had been helped or not, he had to face the ice statues that were closing in on him.

Though the weapon he held was a spear, not a sword, it made him hesitate.

Then, like a flash of lightning in his mind, a memory of Yujin’s spear techniques appeared.

This is “Lan”.
This is “Na”.
And this is “Cha”!

The basic spear movements Yujin had demonstrated in the training grounds.

For some inexplicable reason, despite having no real foundation for it, Raul felt a strange confidence that he could take down all ten of the ice statues using Lan, Na, and Cha.

He had no time to think further.

“Kuooooo!”

One of the ice statues lunged at Raul, aiming its sword at his abdomen.

Although it wasn’t using aura, the raw strength of the attack was formidable.

One.

Raul, almost as if possessed, performed Lan.

“This is ‘Lan’…!”

The result was immediate.

Whoosh, thud!

Raul swung the spear forward, rotating it counterclockwise, deflecting the sword away.

“Kh-uhh!?”

The unexpected defense caused the ice statue to lose its balance, and it tumbled forward, skidding past Raul.

Immediately after—

“Kh-uh!”

A second ice statue, holding a dagger, rushed from behind—

“This is ‘Na’!”

Raul turned the spear clockwise and deflected the dagger-wielding ice statue. It flew past him and slammed face-first into the ground.

It was a picture-perfect defense.

The sudden improvement in Raul’s combat abilities caught the ice statues off guard, and in that moment, Raul himself was surprised, stammering as he spoke.

“Th-this… is… spear…?”

The spear was definitely a weapon Raul had never held before in his life.

But strangely, it felt even more comfortable and easier to handle than the sword he had wielded for years.

It almost felt like the spear was originally meant to be his, and Raul could sense the weapon as an extension of his own body.

“Yujin… you were really right.”

As Raul marveled at Yujin’s judgment, he took a deep breath.

“Huh, it seems… the situation has changed.”

Raul caught his breath and glared at the ice statues.

Realizing instinctively that the spear was the perfect weapon for him, it felt as though a newfound strength was surging within him.

“Now, just ‘Cha’ is left.”

He charged toward the ice statues with renewed confidence.

***

At that moment.

The lion spirit in the form of a rabbit sighed deeply, looking despondent.

“Hah, really… how did I end up getting tossed around by a 12-year-old brat…”

“You did the right thing. The weapon broke, but isn’t that because you made it poorly, not Raul’s fault?”

“But why the hell are you butting in? Psycho…”

“You keep calling me psycho, and I’ll make another round trip to the lake. Want me to hit the same spot again?”

“No, not that…! Fine, I get it!”

The rabbit clicked its tongue.

Yujin, who had been lightly clicking his tongue, turned his gaze back to Raul.

Boom!

Raul defeated the last remaining ice statue and let out a heavy breath.

The rabbit stuck its lip out.

“You should hurry up too. I’ll make sure to give you a real weapon. One that won’t break even if you die!”

“Alright, stop nagging. If you don’t want to get hit.”

“Ughh…”

“Give me a sword.”

The rabbit gritted its teeth, but Yujin took the sword from the rabbit and entered the ice cave.

As he passed the boundary line:

Flash—!

In the distance, the silhouettes of ice statues with glowing red eyes were clearly visible.

Though the glowing stones illuminated the area, it didn’t feel as bright once he entered. It felt almost like his pupils had been artificially constricted. The pressure from the ice statues’ presence made Yujin unconsciously feel tense.

Clang, clang…

The massive ice statues, ten in total, began walking toward Yujin.

The oppressive pressure was immense.

Though Yujin hadn’t fought them yet, Raul’s victory over them felt even more impressive now.

However, Yujin had only one thought.

‘I’m going to savor this fight slowly and enjoy it.’

As his initial hesitation melted away, his gaze became sharply focused.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump!

The ice statues, wielding various weapons, charged at Yujin.

Five of them wielded swords.

The other five carried maces, daggers, staves, spears, and axes.

The reason Yujin had chosen the challenge and not the bypass was simple:

‘I need to carefully observe the movements of the ones with swords.’

In the blink of an eye, the statues with swords reached Yujin and swung their weapons at him.

Yujin quickly bent his body and executed an acrobatic maneuver.

He twisted his body skillfully into the gaps between the swinging weapons, dodging with precision.

It felt extremely close, but…

‘This is the thrill of acrobatics.’

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The weapons aimed at Yujin’s head all sliced through empty air. A thrilling sensation surged through his entire body.

“Kruuuung!”

When the attacks failed, the statues shifted focus, aiming at Yujin’s lower body and sweeping the ground.

Yujin responded with a change in his movements.

The mace aiming at the ground, the axe targeting his ankles, the dagger trying to stab his thighs, the staff attempting to strike his calves, the spear aiming at his knees, and the sword probing his waist…

All of these attacks—

‘Maybe I should practice a bit more here.’

He simply moved his steps, finding the gaps in the paths of the weapons.

Thud-dash-!

Ghost Step.

He dodged all the attacks.

The numerous high-level attacks made Yujin’s proficiency with Ghost Step increase so noticeably that it felt tangible.

But even amidst this, Yujin kept his eyes fixed on the sword-wielding statues, as if he were going to devour them.

And then—

‘I’m starting to see it. When they swing left, when they swing right, when they thrust, retract, strike down, and strike up… every movement has a pattern.’

The basics of the Crow-style dual swordsmanship, rooted in the principles of Penzel’s basic sword techniques, were embedded in the ice statues’ swordsmanship.

This was made possible by Yujin’s enhanced sensory perception, developed through the achievements of his previous life.

‘If I connect those movements and apply them, even with a single strike at the final moment of their swordplay, I could create multiple sword traces.’

One strike, multiple traces.

This was a feature of Penzel’s swordsmanship once the basic technique was perfected.

Yujin knew this from the memories of his previous life.

‘But I’m still lacking. I’ve only grasped a small fraction of it.’

Since they were still at the second stage of the Ice Cave, the statues didn’t yet show enough to demonstrate this level of skill.

‘Once we reach stage 3 or 4, I should be able to observe One Strike, Multiple Traces. By then, I’ll properly learn Penzel’s basic swordsmanship. For now, I need to solidify the basic movements at stage 2.’

With that in mind:

Swoosh! Swish!

Yujin didn’t strike even once with the sword he had been holding. Instead, he focused solely on dodging.

For about 10 minutes, Yujin only dodged.

Then:

“Kuhhh!”

“Kaaaaaah!”

The ice statues seemed to have emotions, as their expressions were filled with anger.

If someone were watching from a third-party perspective, they might have found this scene perplexing.

But Yujin moved like a feather gliding through the gaps between the weapons, shaking his head.

“Not enough!”

He wanted to observe more of the sword-wielding statues’ movements.

At the same time, he aimed to improve his own movement style by combining acrobatics and Ghost Step.

For that, the current scenario with exactly ten statues was the most ideal for practice.

It was a win-win situation.

Then:

“What are you doing, not attacking? Do you think this is a joke, the Trial of the Lion!?”

From the entrance, the rabbit, who had been watching Yujin, shouted angrily.

From the rabbit’s perspective, Yujin’s behavior probably appeared as though he was overestimating his abilities and recklessly tormenting the ice statues.

“Consider this an insult to the Trial of the Lion! Before I disqualify you, either fight or give up!”

The rabbit, clearly furious, ground its front teeth together, hopping around in frustration.

Yujin laughed softly as he tumbled and dodged.

Of course, the rabbit’s threat to disqualify him was nonsensical.

But Yujin did need to manage his stamina.

‘I have a good picture of how basic sword techniques are structured now. I’ve got enough to work with.’

He felt he had grasped over half of it. Even if he stopped here, it wouldn’t be a loss.

Thud!

Yujin did a tumble, landing on one knee, and slowly raised his head.

“Now, it’s my turn.”

His eyes glowed sharply, gleaming with determination.

***

Thud.

Even if ten massive ice statues charged at him, they couldn’t stand a chance against Yujin, who wielded his aura freely.

The shattered remains of two broken ice statues littered the ground.

“Hoo.”

Yujin walked past the debris, casually flicking his wrists.

‘Let’s apply the basic swordsmanship properly in the next stage. For now, I’ve been relying a bit too much on my aura.’

And during the fight with the statues, Yujin had come to a realization.

‘Maybe it’s time to give it a name.’

The acrobatic movements passed down from Gung-Gwi.

The unique Ghost Step from Penzel’s basic swordsmanship.

By now, combining both techniques in his evasive movements had become second nature, so Yujin decided to give this combined style a name of his own.

The decision didn’t take long.

‘Ghost Acrobat Step. That’ll work.’

With his upper body’s flexibility and his lower body’s speed combined, Yujin’s personal evasion technique, Ghost Acrobat Step, was born.

***

Yujin had reached the path to the 3rd stage after leaving the 2nd stage of the Ice Cave.

“Yujin!”

It was Raul’s voice.

“Hmm? Hyung, why are you still here instead of leaving?”

“I thought I should thank you before leaving this trial ground.”

Raul, whose body was covered in small wounds and looked almost pitiful, had waited for Yujin to finish the 2nd stage and come out.

‘He’s probably come to realize how well the spear suits him. That’s a good thing.’

Yujin smiled slightly.

“I didn’t do anything. It’s just that you’re really good with the spear.”

“I just have one thing I want to ask.”

“What?”

Raul stared quietly into Yujin’s eyes.

“Are you really twelve?”

“…Hmm?”

“I don’t think I’ve wasted my life, but you… you’re different. No, you’re completely different.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your words, your actions, your strength, your aura… I’ve seen it all. You effortlessly cut down all the ice statues without even breaking a sweat.”

Raul’s gaze now held a look of admiration.

Yujin’s insight into the spear, the strength to defeat the Ince brothers, the courage to state his case without a single tremble in front of Jade, and the high-level aura he had just used to defeat the ice statues.

To Raul, the more he learned about Yujin, the more he was astounded.

Yujin then casually replied.

“I just hate being weak. I don’t like watching weak people, and I definitely don’t want to be weak myself. That’s all.”

Raul’s expression grew serious.

“You… you might actually come face to face with…”

“Hmm?”

“Eldora.”

Raul was speaking with the knowledge that Eldora had probably reached the 4th stage by now.

Raul had realized through Yujin’s response that he had an immense thirst for strength.

“But listen, don’t engage with Eldora. If you ever cross paths with her.”

“Why?”

“In combat, she’s completely…”

Raul leaned in and whispered softly into Yujin’s ear.

“She’s a psycho. Seriously. A real madwoman.”

Shaking his head, Raul gave Yujin’s shoulder a light tap and walked toward the cave marked with “Pass.”

Yujin chuckled softly.

‘Well… how much of a madwoman could she be?’

Regardless, he felt good.

It was the day he had discovered a late-blooming spear knight in Raul.

Yujin shifted his steps toward the cave marked with “Challenge.”

***

Right in front of the trial ground for the 3rd stage.

“Heh heh! Little brother, I think we’re pretty good at this, don’t you?”
“Heh heh, no need to say it twice.”
“…Isn’t saying it twice just nagging?”
“Same thing. Heh heh!”

The Ince brothers were lying flat in the entrance, grinning. It seemed like they were taking a short break before challenging the next stage.

In front of them, the rabbit—an avatar of the Lion Spirit—was sitting with its feet together. It was responsible for overseeing the entrances to each stage.

“As I said, if you take too long a break, you’ll be automatically disqualified when the time limit ends. Be mindful of your time management.”
“Alright, stop saying it. My ears are going to get calluses.”
“These guys are really…”

Ainz interrupted.

“Hey, what was the number of ice statues in the 3rd stage again? I forgot.”
“It’s normally 20, but since there are two of you, it’ll be 40! How many times do I have to say it?”
“Ah, right, right. Got it. Now stop repeating it.”
“Are they completely insane…?”

Then, suddenly—

“Hey, you guys are resting?”

There had been no sign of anyone, but a voice suddenly echoed through the cave.

“Ugh!”

The Ince brothers gasped, startled, as they searched for the source of the voice.

“Y-Yujin Robair…!”

It was Yujin.

The reason they hadn’t heard his footsteps was because Yujin had been practicing his Ghost Acrobat Step while walking through the cave.

Though the technique’s movements were complex and flashy, it had a strange effect of significantly reducing his presence.

The Ince brothers, embarrassed that they had been caught off guard, suddenly puffed out their chests.

“Yujin Robair.”

“Why? Why are you camping out in front of the entrance instead of going in?”

“It’s true that you beat us with difficulty in the training area. But now, it’s different.”

“What’s different?”

“Ainz and I are using aura now, and our level is different. You’ve made it to the 2nd stage, so I’ll give you credit for that. But—”

Janes continued the sentence.

“Watch closely, because in the 3rd stage, we’re going to take down 40 ice statues. Get a good look.”

“Yeah, sure.”

The two brothers glared at Yujin for a moment, then strutted forward into the 3rd stage dungeon.

Yujin watched their confident steps, then scratched his neck and turned to the rabbit.

“Give me a new sword. Spirit guy.”

“I gave you one in the 2nd stage!”

“How do you know it won’t break again? Hurry up and give me one. If you don’t want anything to break.”

“These damn little brats…”

Muttering something under its breath, the rabbit handed over a new sword. Yujin immediately crossed the boundary and headed for the next trial area.

‘Penzel’s basic swordsmanship. Let’s properly confirm it now.’

The return of the talent monopolist is extraordinary.