The Return of the Talented Monopolist is Special

It was the moment when Eugene and Eldora were about to step into the testing area.

“Y-yes? Preparing for ‘that test’… Yes, understood.”

The rabbit spoke to a crystal orb and then stopped the two of them.

“Wait a moment! The lord has ordered the difficulty of the test to be changed. Enter in one minute.”

“…What exactly is changing?”

“Heh heh…”

The rabbit grinned maliciously and walked toward one of the walls, placing its front paws against it.

Then—

Whoooosh!

Instead of the white aura, a blue energy began to pour out.

It was magic.

Thud thud thud!

The entire cave trembled slightly, and ice shards fell from the ceiling, causing cracks to form.

Meanwhile, Eugene roughly guessed what was happening.

‘Perhaps Jade, who had been watching us, thought that the 100 ice statues wouldn’t be enough to properly assess our abilities.’

If that weren’t the case, there would have been no reason for Jade to issue a special command.

Eldora asked the rabbit again.

“What’s changing? Stop grinning and tell us.”

“Heh heh, something terrifying…”

“You might end up with your head split in half.”

“You two decided to take the test together, right? The lord has taken that into account and prepared a more appropriate test for you.”

“So, what’s the ‘appropriate test’?”

Eldora grabbed her sword, and the rabbit finally revealed the truth.

“Instead of 100 ice statues, you’ll face a single enemy. I can’t tell you who it is.”

That single enemy was probably going to be very powerful.

In this case, the proposal to rank them based on who destroyed the most statues would be nullified.

Eldora glanced at Eugene, wondering if he would refuse the test and insist on doing it separately.

“Wait, then how are we supposed to determine the ranking?”

Eugene answered nonchalantly.

“Just decide the ranking based on who lands the final blow on that one opponent, the one you like so much.”

“Hmm… alright.”

The rabbit snapped its front paws.

“The Ice Executioner who will judge you is ready. Enter now. I won’t wish you good luck.”

As the rabbit, hoping for the failure of the two, gritted its teeth, Eugene smirked.

‘This is something I couldn’t have known with information from my past life. Thanks to Jade, there’s a new variable.’

But he wasn’t worried.

‘That one opponent is probably going to be the final knight, perfectly mastering the basics of Pencel swordsmanship. It’s actually a good thing I accepted Eldora’s suggestion.’

Eugene intended to use this test to fully master Pencel swordsmanship, even achieving “One Strike, One Death.”

He guessed that through this test, he could completely absorb Pencel swordsmanship.

With a determined expression, Eugene entered the testing area.

“Ha, things have changed from the plan, but…”

Eldora’s lips curled upward.

“This will be more interesting.”

***

The floor, with glowing stones scattered throughout, emitted a faint light.

Eugene and Eldora gripped their swords tightly, keeping a sharp watch over their surroundings.

Whooo…

It was eerily quiet, and there was not a single trace of movement.

Eldora scanned the area with sharp eyes and murmured.

“Did that rabbit mess something up?”

Even Eugene, with his heightened sensory abilities, felt nothing unusual, so he wondered if it was true.

Since they couldn’t even gauge the size of the space, a strange sense of pressure weighed on them.

“Just when is it going to show up—”

Just as Eldora was about to speak again—

“Behind!”

“…!”

Eugene instinctively raised his sword in a vertical stance, and Eldora also reflexively took a defensive posture.

Clang! Clang!

A sword, coming from somewhere, struck both Eugene and Eldora at the same time, but they barely managed to defend against it.

“An ambush…!”

Turning around, they saw a small child grinning mischievously.

“Not bad?”

Eugene narrowed his eyes and quickly scanned the child’s appearance.

The child was shorter than Eugene, with disheveled hair, and a sword carelessly draped over their shoulder.

Though the child wore a neat training outfit, the buttons were haphazardly undone, and the sleeves were rolled up at odd angles.

It was an appearance that looked rather sloppy.

However, the child’s face was mostly obscured.

Of course, defeating the child was the priority, so Eugene didn’t care much about that.

“So, you’re the Ice Executioner?”

Eugene rotated his sword, gradually drawing out his aura, while Eldora—

“Hmm, I’ve been wanting to see this…”

She grinned widely, spinning her sword in her right hand.

Once the battle began, Eldora became a completely different person.

Her eyes were bloodshot, she licked her lips with a hungry look, and a strong killing intent radiated from her.

“I’m number one! I’m the best, I’m the best, I’m—”

She muttered madly to herself, truly resembling a berserker.

“Yeah, I’m the Ice Executioner. Since it’s been a while, I’ve got to test your skills properly.”

The child spoke in a youthful voice, using a distinctive dialect from the northern region of the continent, while walking toward them with a swaying gait.

At the same time, they began raising a white aura.

Eldora spoke to Eugene in a small voice.

“That kid looks like a child on the outside, but their aura level is no joke. We need to be careful when fighting, got it? Hmm?”

“I got it, so stop blowing your breath at me.”

After exchanging a glance with Eldora, Eugene—

Swoosh!

Rushed straight at the little Ice Executioner.

Eugene, using the basic swordsmanship he had learned from the previous battle with the ice statues, unleashed the Ghost Acrobatics technique.

Eldora, too, employed her own unique swordsmanship, pressuring the child.

The combined attack of Eldora, one of the greatest prodigies on the continent, and Eugene, who wielded the Mookwang, was a fierce assault that could overwhelm even seasoned knights.

But—

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

In the dim darkness, swords clashed, and bright red sparks flew one after another.

This meant that their combined attacks were being completely blocked by the little Ice Executioner.

“Ugh…!”

“Ha…!”

Eldora gritted her teeth and increased the speed of her attacks, but the child matched her pace, parrying her strikes with their sword.

Whenever Eugene blocked Eldora’s attacks, the little one would find an opening in Eugene’s defense and slip into a new angle, evading with ghost-like movements.

The child was flawlessly executing Pencel’s basic swordsmanship, particularly its defense techniques.

It felt as though the child already knew every move they were going to make.

Eugene briefly assessed the situation.

‘Eldora is fully showcasing the unique swordsmanship she’s mastered. I’m using a fair amount of aura too. Yet, this little brat isn’t even flinching.’

Despite the child’s small and frail appearance, their combat power seemed like that of a seasoned veteran.

‘Something’s off. How can a child who looks around 12 years old execute Pencel’s swordsmanship so perfectly?’

Moreover…

‘The little one’s aura feels oddly familiar.’

As Eugene had a suspicious thought, the child spoke.

“Is that all?”

While defending against the attacks, the child lightly clicked their tongue and grinned.

Tap…

Eugene and Eldora took a moment to step back and catch their breath.

“Hah, that kid hasn’t even used half of their aura. But with just this much…”

Eldora gritted her teeth and glared at the child.

As she said, the child was indeed strong. In a one-on-one battle, neither Eugene nor Eldora would be a match for the child.

It was impossible not to feel a sense of unease.

Perhaps sensing that hesitation, the child burst into a loud laugh.

Ha ha ha!

“Don’t be so scared. Am I going to eat you? I’ll just break your arms and legs a bit. Relax.”

Despite the child’s words, which made it sound like a playful adult impersonating a kid, the situation was far from light-hearted.

“Let’s finish this quickly.”

The child’s eyes suddenly gleamed a piercing blue, charging directly at them. The feeling was intense — if they relaxed their guard for even a moment, they would be struck in a single blow.

At that instant, Eugene quickly took a defensive stance, but he noticed something strange about Eldora’s sword movement.

‘Could it be… she’s about to use it?’

In their past lives, Eldora had become the first female head of Pencel through a special technique she had mastered.

Reverse Sword.

Simply put, it was a technique that absorbed the enemy’s power and used rotational force to reverse the strike back at them.

“Watch closely, Eugene Robert!”

The child’s sword was already poised in front of Eugene and Eldora.

Who would the child strike first?

It was Eugene.

Clang—!

Eugene had originally positioned his sword to defend, so he wasn’t injured, but he was forced back significantly.

In that moment, the child’s sword turned toward Eldora.

Eldora smiled triumphantly and twisted her sword in a clockwise motion.

“Hooh?”

The child widened their eyes, impressed.

It seemed like Eldora’s Reverse Sword would land perfectly.

But the child quickly and forcefully spun their sword counterclockwise and immediately struck at Eldora.

Eldora’s technique was countered.

Crack!

The child’s sword pierced deeply into Eldora’s side, blood splattering out as she lost her balance and collapsed to the ground.

Eldora’s move had been clean, and it was timed perfectly.

“Ugh…”

“Not bad. But that was too much for you!”

‘That kid already knows Eldora’s technique.’

The child lunged toward Eldora to deliver a follow-up strike.

If Eldora were to suffer more severe injuries, it wouldn’t just be a failed test — her life could be in danger.

Bang!

Eugene threw himself in front of the child, knocking them away and shouted.

“Stay back for now, sis.”

“But…!”

“Just stay there for a moment.”

Eugene quietly stared at the child’s face reflected in the glowing stone.

Someone came to mind.

‘The speech is totally different, and the appearance doesn’t quite match, but… maybe I was right.’

The defensive stance with deep knowledge of Pencel’s basic swordsmanship.

A face he had seen before.

A flawless swordsmanship, even when wielding a sword with one hand.

Upon closer inspection, the child’s clothing was also Pencel’s official training uniform.

And most importantly…

‘No matter how I look at it, the aura texture is just too similar.’

Eugene thought he had figured out the child’s true identity.

“You.”

“Drop it, man. Stop wagging your tongue.”

“Is your name Jade Pencel?”

The child hesitated for a moment before smiling slyly.

“Look at this guy?”

***

At the same time.

Clark, watching Eugene and Eldora through the crystal ball, furrowed his brow.

“Hmm…”

It was the first time he had seen Eldora injured so badly.

While Sirius felt some satisfaction, he concealed it and looked back at Jade.

“Father, Eugene can’t handle this alone. We should stop the test now, for the children’s safety…”

“No.”

Jade shook his head as he gazed out the window.

“Let’s watch a little longer.”

“But!”

“Don’t you think they’ll show some interesting moves?”

Clark nodded.

“Eugene has mastered Pencel’s basic swordsmanship and Ghost Acrobatics. I never thought anyone would notice, but he’s done it.”

Though he was concerned about his daughter’s injury, Clark was equally intrigued by Eugene’s progress.

“Also, he seems to have blended Ghost Acrobatics with his own style of footwork. It’s not just about using what he’s learned, but applying it in new ways. That’s impressive.”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

Sirius, of course, knew all this but had never openly praised Eugene.

He kept his mouth shut and stared at Eugene in the crystal ball.

‘If Father’s clone doesn’t step in and Eugene shows his true strength…!’

There might be a chance for both Eugene and Eldora to be eliminated from the test.

***

With Eldora fallen behind him, Eugene raised his sword high.

“Well, you recognized me, huh? From what I’ve heard, the future me is totally different from now. What happened in the meantime, I wonder?”

The child, the ice swordsman, grinned and admitted their identity.

Eugene let out a hollow laugh inwardly.

The middle-aged Jade always spoke in the continent’s standard language, with short, neatly kept hair, and wore clean, spotless clothes.

But the young Jade…

‘A careless attitude, a rustic dialect, and a free-spirited style of dressing. Back then, I bet he caused quite a lot of trouble.’

He was almost like a delinquent.

He must have worked on changing his speech and appearance as he grew older, trying to adopt a more adult persona.

Anyway, Jade Pencel, the continent’s greatest knight in the present, had already displayed overwhelming strength even in his youth.

Although the situation was unexpected, Eugene couldn’t afford to be passive and just accept it.

‘This test was personally ordered by Jade.’

Which meant…

‘It’s a bit more difficult than usual, but it’s not an impossible test.’

Eugene’s mind raced.

The Mukhwang that greatly enhanced his aura and senses.

The Pencel basic swordsmanship and Ghost Acrobatics he had learned so far.

And on top of that, all the martial arts he had trained in with Geumgeom, Gungwi, and Tugwi back at his family’s estate.

He needed to use everything he had to its fullest.

‘If I don’t, I won’t be able to surpass you.’

Eugene pushed his aura to its maximum.

“Your aura’s not bad. The person from my future must’ve picked you…”

“If I surpass you…”

“?”

Eugene’s eyes gleamed as he slammed his foot hard into the ground.

“If I surpass you, I’ll surpass even the current head of the family.”

Taat!

The return of the talent monopolizer is extraordinary.