The Return of the Talented Monopolist is Special

Through the teleportation gate, Eugene and Geumgeom were nearly at the northern station.

“Hehe, Young Master must be happy. The great Geumwi has come as a servant. Even the Emperor would be jealous and feel embarrassed, wouldn’t he?”

“It was good until you said that. I’m going to make you work so hard, your belly’s going to burst.”

“Hahaha! You’re full of jokes.”

“I’m serious.”

Geumgeom laughed mischievously.

Geumgeom, Gungwi, and Tugwi. Their competition ended with Geumgeom’s victory, and Eugene’s servant was decided to be Geumgeom.

Although Geumgeom had entered the North under the title of a servant, his expression showed that he didn’t mind at all.

“Geumgeom, aren’t you tired of training with me?”

Eugene casually asked.

Wanting to grow more effectively, Eugene often pressed his teachers, especially the three of them, for more intense training.

What Eugene wanted from the training was a little different.

His teachers didn’t just give commands and rest on the sidelines. They demonstrated, breathed together with him, and when Eugene was exhausted, they helped him stand up and encouraged him again.

From aerobic exercises like running to strength training, as well as learning the use of various weapons, all of it was part of the training.

After just one session, the teachers were completely drained. Of them, the three who suffered the most were Geumgeom, Gungwi, and Tugwi.

So, Eugene asked if that didn’t get tiring for Geumgeom. Geumgeom paused for a moment.

“Tiring? Hmm, it wasn’t so much tiring as…”

“What is it?”

“I was happy.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was happy because I could help someone achieve the dream I couldn’t.”

Geumgeom said this calmly, and this time, Eugene looked at him closely.

It was clear that Geumgeom’s attitude was one of complete devotion—he simply wanted to nurture Eugene’s brilliant talent if he could.

“A dream…”

“My dream was to become the continent’s strongest swordsman. And I knew I wouldn’t make it, but I knew you could. That’s why I was happy.”

Geumgeom smiled gently, and Eugene also smiled faintly.

‘I do have a good eye.’

Geumgeom’s words were sincere.

Though Eugene hadn’t intended to probe Geumgeom’s thoughts, he was satisfied to have unintentionally learned what Geumgeom thought about him.

‘Maybe this person could be someone I could stay with for a long time.’

At first, Eugene had planned to gain all he could from a few years of instruction and then part ways. But now, he was beginning to think that Geumgeom wasn’t so bad after all.

“But that doesn’t mean I won’t make you work hard.”

“With this kind of loyalty, why not have a separate servant for the small chores?”

“Uh, no thanks.”

Even with Geumgeom’s exceptional loyalty, his free-spirited nature meant Eugene would still regularly harass him to keep him in check.

* * *

After arriving at the northern station via the teleportation gate, Eugene and Geumgeom stepped down.

As Eugene and Geumgeom stepped out of the teleportation gate and into the light outside, a man in civilian clothes approached them. His rugged appearance suggested he had undergone years of training.

“I come from the Pendcell family. Are you Eugene Rober and Geumgeom?”

He was a guard of the Pendcell family. His curious gaze fixed on Eugene.

This was likely because Eugene’s actions had been kept mostly under wraps, with little being revealed about his movements aside from the martial arts instructor recruitment event.

As Eugene was about to respond, Geumgeom suddenly stepped forward and tilted his head slightly.

“Yes, young sir. Please lead the way.”

“…Yes, follow me.”

Eugene felt that Geumgeom was displeased with the Pendcell guard’s failure to add “sir” after Eugene’s name.

‘Honestly… his temper. What’s the big deal?’

This moment clearly reflected how the Pendcell family viewed Eugene. Of course, Eugene didn’t mind.

The guard and Geumgeom exchanged brief glares before the guard turned and started walking.

Seeing the sparks flying between them, Eugene couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

‘I wonder how things will be once we’re officially inside Pendcell.’

He couldn’t shake the thought.

After walking for a short time, they arrived at the entrance to the magic train.

Once aboard, Eugene saw a young boy who appeared to be a descendant of the Pendcell family, along with a guard who seemed to be accompanying him. Eugene didn’t recognize the boy’s face and didn’t think he’d ever met him in his past life.

The boy immediately spoke as soon as he saw Eugene.

“Oh, you’re going to Pendcell too?”

The boy appeared to be a couple of years older than Eugene, and noticing this, he immediately dropped the formalities and offered his hand.

“Yeah.”

“Hey, nice to meet you. I’m Rauller Pendcell. But what’s with your clothes? You’re not going on a night trip or something, are you?”

‘Is he from the direct line? If he’s from the collateral line, he wouldn’t be able to use the Pendcell surname…’

The Pendcell family doesn’t allow those from the collateral branches to use the Pendcell name. Sometimes, only highly honored knights acknowledged by Pendcell are granted the right to carry the name.

‘Or maybe he’s one of those collateral family members who like to flaunt the Pendcell name in front of others.’

The Pendcell family’s authority in the north was immense, and in rural territories where people don’t know much, using the Pendcell name while hiding their real family name could be quite effective.

Eugene, who had dressed simply and comfortably for the exam, didn’t care about Raulder’s remarks about his clothes.

“People will only respect you if you dress properly like me. Of course, your clothing depends on your situation, but you should still pay attention to it…”

What Raulder meant was that Eugene’s appearance looked poor to him.

Geumgeom, who overheard Raulder, let out a hearty laugh.

“Haha, you think the Young Master looks poor? Little brat.”

“Eh? Uh…”

Raulder’s guard hurriedly whispered in his ear.

“Young Master Eugene is from the Rober family, one of the wealthiest families on the continent, sir.”

“…Oh? Rober… family?”

Raulder froze for a moment, staring blankly at the air, before looking closely at Eugene’s clothes and saying,

“Ah, it’s one of those high-tech, functional activewear outfits that’s in style lately. Now that I look more closely, the details, the wrinkles, the material… they’re quite impressive. Haha!”

Realizing he had embarrassed himself by not recognizing the Rober family, Raulder awkwardly began talking nonsense, then plopped down into his seat.

It was as if he had shown his claws in front of a tiger, so it was no wonder he was embarrassed.

Eugene also sat down across from them, chuckling.

Then, he suddenly recalled the name Raulder.

‘…I’ve heard that name before? Raulder Pendcell?’

Was Eugene confused? With his perfect memory, it was strange that he was having trouble with this information.

It felt like something was just out of his grasp, and the feeling nagged at him.

Raulder, sensing Eugene’s intense gaze, scratched his head and awkwardly smiled.

“Hehe… Now that I think about it, I once visited the Rober family’s territory. I saw the head of the family from afar. Of course, being such a wealthy family, his golden hair really sparkled, like it was shining with gold.”

Eugene scratched his chin.

“My father has black hair, not blonde.”

“Huh? Oh, right… Haha! My eyesight has been going bad lately. I think it’s time to get new glasses. Yeah.”

At that, the guard next to Raulder tilted his head.

“Wasn’t your eyesight perfectly fine in the eye test the other day? Has it worsened already? Should I contact the family…?”

“Hey, hey, quiet down…!”

“Ah, sorry.”

Raulder was desperately trying to change the subject when Geumgeom smiled, as if finding it amusing.

Just then, Eugene slapped his knee.

*Clap!*

“What, what is it?!”

Startled, Raulder looked at Eugene, who had a sudden realization in his mind.

‘Raulder Eights! After failing the Lion’s Test, he became obsessed with improving and changed his surname. Eventually, he rose to the rank of an 8th-tier spear knight and gained some fame.’

Raulder had originally used his family name, but after failing the Pendcell family’s test, he had been deeply embarrassed. That was why Eugene had been confused earlier.

Furthermore, Raulder had spent many years mastering the sword before, in his mid-twenties, switching to using a spear, which allowed him to become an 8th-tier knight.

The spear suited him much better.

Eugene looked at Raulder’s hands.

There were calluses not on his palms, but between his index and thumb, suggesting that he was still wielding a sword.

It seemed Raulder still didn’t realize his true potential.

‘Later, he wrote in a newsletter that if he had taken up the spear from the beginning, he could have reached even greater heights.’

Eugene sank into thought.

‘If I use that to help him switch to his true weapon, what could I gain from that?’

Eugene watched Raulder, who was still startled, and couldn’t help but smile.

“I thought I had heard your name before, and it just hit me.”

“I—again? You scared me. Geez, what’s… with your eyes?”

Eugene nodded inwardly.

‘For now, I’ll take my time getting to know what kind of person he is. And if he seems like someone worth having on my side, I can try to sway him then.’

Just then, Geumgeom snapped his fingers.

“Ah! I almost forgot, Gunggui asked me to deliver this letter to you, Young Master.”

Eugene, as though he had been waiting, immediately took the letter and opened it.

It contained information about the “Red Scorpion” group, which had once attempted to assassinate Eugene when he was younger. While their base had yet to be located, several of their hideouts were identified.

The letter detailed some information about the Red Scorpions, the group Eugene had been hunting for, after they had failed to reveal themselves despite Eugene’s efforts.

That was because the Red Scorpions only began their active operations when Eugene was about 20 years old—right around the time the organization started to take shape.

Eugene had asked Gunggui to investigate them because the group specialized in evading capture. It seemed they had finally managed to catch a trace.

As Eugene read through the letter, a subtle smile spread across his face.

The information was starting to piece together.

‘I’ll definitely catch them.’

* * *

As the magic train neared its destination, Raulder’s guard, Karls, glanced at Eugene, who was staring out the window.

‘Eugene Rober, judging by his demeanor, it seems like he’s been training steadily.’

From his upright posture, the clearly defined muscles on his arms, and his sharp gaze, Karls could tell Eugene had been through rigorous training.

Karls, having the highest loyalty within his family, had come here as an attendant. Therefore, he felt it was his duty to assist Raulder.

‘Maybe I should learn more about Eugene Rober’s background first.’

If he could understand Eugene’s abilities before the test, it would surely help in strategizing.

Suddenly, Karls pulled something out of his bag.

It was chocolate.

“Young Master Eugene.”

“Yes?”

“This is chocolate made by our family’s main chef. Would you like to try some?”

Karls offered the chocolate to Eugene, who eyed it suspiciously.

The timing and the way Karls slowly pulled out the chocolate seemed strange. Eugene immediately realized what was going on.

‘He’s playing a prank.’

It wasn’t a serious trick, just a small one.

“Thank you.”

Eugene grinned and extended his palm. The chocolate had a subtle aura around it.

As Karls placed the chocolate in Eugene’s hand, a slight grin appeared on his face.

Just then, Geumgeom noticed the suspicious chocolate and shouted as he lunged to grab Karls’ wrist.

But it was too late.

*Swish…*

The chocolate, imbued with a faint aura, slipped from Karls’ hand and fell into Eugene’s.

In that split second.

Eugene wrapped just the right amount of subtle aura around his hand, neither too strong nor too weak, and caught the chocolate without incident.

Then, as if nothing had happened, Eugene casually put the chocolate into his mouth.

Karls’ face turned pale with shock.

“H-How…?”

The faint aura that still shimmered from Eugene’s hand was a clear sign that he had exceptional control over his aura, which was why Karls was so surprised.

Geumgeom looked at Eugene with an approving expression, while the guards of the Pendcell family silently admired his skill.

However, there was one person whose face froze in place.

Raulder.

His expression instantly hardened, and he glared at Karls.

“What’s this? What did you do, Karls? Did you try something again?”

“I… I am loyal to you, Master Raulder.”

“Does that sound like an answer to you?”

Karls flinched.

“I’m sorry. I only meant to be loyal…”

“I never asked for loyalty like that.”

Raulder glared at Karls for a moment before letting out a deep sigh and turning to Eugene.

“I’m sorry, Eugene. That was my mistake.”

“It’s fine. You’re just as lively as I thought.”

Eugene chuckled and shrugged off the awkward situation.

However, he couldn’t help but look at Raulder again.

‘He certainly knows how to apologize. He’s got some backbone.’

Geumgeom, who had been itching to speak, couldn’t help but mumble.

“How did you know? I only figured it out after it happened. Heh…”

It seemed that detecting the faint aura in the chocolate was quite an impressive feat.

The guards of both Pendcell and Raulder, as well as Raulder himself and Geumgeom, all thought the same thing:

‘This kid is no ordinary person.’

‘To control aura like that…’

‘He’s not just rich, is he?’

‘As expected of my Eugene. Heh heh heh…’

At that moment, everyone had firmly planted in their minds that Eugene’s sensing ability was far from average.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the last carriage of the train, piled high with luggage, two men were laughing in a somewhat sinister manner, while another fidgeted uncomfortably.

“Heh heh…”

“Hmm-hmm.”

The man with sharp eyes licked his lips and spoke.

“It’s going as planned. Don’t worry.”

The man with thick lips nodded.

“If it’s for Young Master Eugene, this is the best we can do, right?”

“Of course. Heh heh.”

The two men were none other than Gunggui and Tuigwi.

Originally, they had been supposed to stay behind at the Roberta family’s estate while Eugene was in the North, but they had changed their minds.

“Geumgeom, that man can’t properly assist Young Master Eugene. So, we have to secretly support him ourselves! Isn’t that our duty as his teachers?”

“Supporting him as a teacher… doesn’t that seem a bit off?”

“That’s just how I’m putting it, old man.”

Tuigwi scratched his head.

“By the way, we broke our promise with Geumgeom, and there’s the rule that only one attendant can go. Do you think it’ll be a problem?”

“What promise, and what rule? Is it written in the continent’s laws?”

“Well, no, but…”