LIGHTNOVELSTORY C8
Eugene and Geumgeom got off the magic train and took a carriage to reach the land of the Pendcell family.
Whoooosh!
As soon as they stepped out, the cold wind and icy snow hit their cheeks.
The blizzard was so fierce that it was hard to see ahead.
The temperature had dropped well below freezing, making it a perfect day to risk frostbite if exposed to the elements.
Eugene looked up and observed the Pendcell family’s building.
Unlike the luxurious buildings of Robertga, made from bright and colorful stone, Pendcell’s castle was constructed from dark, dull stones and had a sharp, tall design.
The structure itself gave off a sense of fear.
However, Rauller, as if used to such scenery, opened an umbrella and spoke to the Pendcell guard.
“The family head will be arriving soon, right?”
“Yes. Since the head of the family has worked hard to arrive, he will rest today, and the schedule will begin tomorrow.”
Eugene asked, “Where is the training hall?”
“It’s in that building over there.”
The guard’s gaze was unusual as he answered.
From the events on the train to Eugene immediately seeking out the training hall rather than the accommodations, the guard seemed to have a favorable view of Eugene.
Eugene noticed the look but paid no mind.
‘There are others who need to be recognized.’
That would be his maternal grandfather, Jade Pendcell.
Eugene shook his head, recalling the image of Jade he had encountered in his past life.
‘…A 10-star rank is different. It’s so overwhelming that standing before him is exhausting.’
Jade’s imposing presence was well-known and frequently spoken of, but few had actually faced him directly, like Eugene had.
Thus, Eugene understood the weight of the figure that Jade represented.
But…
‘This life is different. I’m not in that fragile body anymore, nor do I have that weak mindset. I’m fully qualified to survive and grow significantly in Pendcell now.’
Eugene was confident he would show outstanding skill, even in this harsh and rugged environment.
“Eugene, are you going to the training hall? I was about to ask first, but you beat me to it.”
Eugene nodded, and Rauller chuckled, putting an arm around his shoulder.
“I’ll teach you. Let me.”
“What?”
“The general context of ‘swordsmanship,’ that is.”
Eugene found it a bit awkward that Rauller was trying to act all friendly and knowledgeable, but he didn’t mind it too much. Rauller had a kind of innocence that made him impossible to dislike.
“Alright, go ahead, teach me.”
“Ha ha ha! Let’s go! So, swordsmanship, right? The most important thing is the harmony between the upper and lower body. But most people just focus on the upper body movement…”
“Go on, talk about it over there.”
“Should I? Okay, I’ll do that!”
Though Eugene waved him off, Rauller was getting to the core of things. It was clear that he had the potential to be an 8-star ranked warrior.
Even though his true talent lay in spearmanship, Rauller’s understanding of swordsmanship seemed on par with a high level of expertise.
As Eugene smiled to himself, he walked alongside Rauller.
**Ains Pendcell and Janes Pendcell.**
The two brothers, both 14 years old, with the same appearance and strong physique, were twins.
They were sitting across from each other at the Pendcell family’s dining table, each with a plate of chicken breast dishes in front of them, and they were grumbling as they ate.
Ains buried his face in his plate and asked, “Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“If we use a teleportation gate, won’t we lose muscle mass? I felt something weird during the trip.”
“If that were the case, my abs and chest wouldn’t be so solid. Don’t worry.”
*Tap, tap.*
Janes rolled up his shirt and slapped his muscles.
Ains, unwilling to lose, flexed his biceps in response.
“Hehe, how about my arms?”
“Top quality. Hahaha!”
After laughing for a while, Ains stopped his fork and looked at his brother.
“Hyung.”
“What now?”
“Didn’t you say two guys are coming for the test today? Who were they again?”
Janes giggled.
“I heard one is a guy named Eugene, and the other one is someone named Rauller.”
“The names sound lame. They probably seem weak. Well, it’s only natural that collateral branches are inferior to the direct line.”
The reason the twins were so confident in their bloodline was simple.
They were the direct grandsons of Jade Pendcell. Specifically, they were the sons of Jade’s second son.
“Wait, but… Do you know this Eugene guy? The one whose father is a merchant?”
“Ah, is that him?”
“Yeah, that’s him. The nephew of the aunt who ran away, the one with only money to his name.”
*Tsk…*
Ains clicked his tongue in disdain.
In contrast, Janes’s eyes sparkled.
“Wait.”
“What? Got a good idea, hyung?”
“To leave an impression on the family head, we should first settle the hierarchy, right? After all, this is the ‘prestigious’ Pendcell family we’re talking about.”
Emphasizing the word “prestigious,” Ains proudly showed off his status as a direct descendant of the Pendcell family. He perked up his ears.
“But wait, doesn’t that sound like the front door opening?”
“Yeah, sounds like it. I think they’re here. Those two.”
Suddenly, Ains slammed his hand down on the table.
*Bang!*
“They’re bad people.”
“Whoa, why? Did they do something? Not yet, right?”
“They came in and didn’t even greet us.”
They had just entered through the front door, but because they didn’t greet them, Ains called them bad people.
Janes knew that Ains was just being unreasonable, but he grinned.
Ains, the younger brother, was more hot-tempered and violent. Therefore, Janes knew his younger brother would take care of the collateral branches in his own way.
Moreover, Ains had a habit of finding some justification whenever he wanted to hit someone.
Knowing this, Janes deliberately nodded in agreement.
“Right. You’re absolutely right. They’re the worst kind of people. How dare they not greet us, the most promising members of the Pendcell family, and just head straight to their rooms to rest?”
“Exactly, right?”
“Of course!”
Even though they didn’t know whether the others went to their rooms or not, they had to get angry about something.
*Drrrk!*
The two brothers suddenly stood up with mischievous smiles on their faces and headed outside.
“Let’s teach them a lesson.”
“We’ll show them. Thoroughly.”
A playful smile appeared on Ains and Janes’s faces as they walked out.
* * *
Training room.
Rauller exhaled and thrust his wooden sword toward Eugene.
It was fast. A speed not typical for a 14-year-old.
One.
*Thwack!*
Eugene swiftly rotated his spear counterclockwise to block it.
“This is ‘Ran’ (攔).”
“What?”
Rauller thrust again with his sword.
Eugene rotated his spear clockwise to block it.
“This is ‘Na’ (拿).”
“What the…!”
Rauller frowned deeply, and Eugene quickly lunged forward, stabbing his spear.
“This is ‘Jal’ (扎)!”
*Shwack!*
The sharp tip of the wooden spear stopped just in front of Rauller’s Adam’s apple.
“Ugh…!”
Rauller gasped, frozen in place.
The brief sparring ended with Eugene’s victory. The result was decided in the blink of an eye.
Of course, for Eugene, that wasn’t what mattered.
“Huff, huff…”
Unlike Rauller, who was panting heavily, Eugene, without a drop of sweat on his face, spoke.
“I didn’t defeat you, I think the spear defeated the sword.”
He said this to protect Rauller’s pride, while also shifting his focus onto the spear.
“Is that… so?”
Rauller, still confused by the situation, had a stunned expression.
The events of the brief moment replayed in Rauller’s mind:
– “This is ‘Ran’.”
– “This is ‘Na’.”
– “This is ‘Jal’!”
“Did you just say ‘Ran’, ‘Na’, and ‘Jal’?”
“Yes.”
Rauller didn’t immediately switch to a spear, but he understood.
“Today might be the day Rauller has a revelation.”
Eugene thought to himself. He knew that Rauller’s mind had been branded with the concept of the spear.
Just then.
*Clank!*
The door to the training hall swung open, and two young men entered.
Though their faces looked about twelve or thirteen years old, the muscles visible under their tightly fitted clothes told a very different story.
Ains glanced at Eugene and Rauller, then spoke.
“We’re in a really bad mood right now.”
Janes chimed in.
“And that’s all because of you two.”
Rauller, wiping the sweat from his forehead, asked.
“…Who are you, to be speaking to us so casually? You look about our age, but what do you mean by saying you’re in a bad mood?”
Rauller, having forgotten that he had spoken informally to Eugene on their first meeting, protested.
Ains laughed loudly.
“One of you is from the branch family, and the other is obviously just a kid.”
Janes backed him up.
“You might end up getting a beating, you know.”
Ains and Janes had slightly different expressions. Ains was genuinely angry, while Janes seemed to be pretending, acting angry.
Eugene assessed the situation.
“Ains and Janes brothers. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them.”
In his previous life, he had watched these types of kids torment and intimidate others who were about their age while taking the Lion’s Test.
Of course, Eugene himself wasn’t part of that group.
Looking back, it seemed like they didn’t see him as someone worth bullying.
“The twin murder maniacs, the Ins brothers.”
If Eugene recalled correctly from his past life, the Ins brothers wielded massive two-handed swords as if they were branches, easily cutting down not just knights but also innocent civilians in the name of ‘execution.’
That’s why they were known as “murder maniacs.”
The madmen of the Pendcell family.
“You’re the branch family Rauller, and you are…”
Janes spoke.
“Isn’t he the son of the aunt who left the family? The hopeless family that only cares about money…”
Ains and Janes were too busy chuckling at something they found amusing to notice much else.
“Introduce yourselves. We’re Ains.”
“And I’m Janes.”
Just like villains introducing themselves, the Ins brothers puffed out their chests with confident expressions.
As they approached, their size was much more imposing than expected.
Even though they had just demanded a greeting, it was difficult to refuse them easily.
Rauller guessed that the two brothers were direct descendants of the Pendcell family and fell silent. It was not something that could be easily contested.
“Introduce yourselves, now!”
Ains shouted, his voice echoing through the training hall. It was loud enough to hurt the ears.
Rauller clenched his teeth but, glancing at Eugene, he hesitated and then lowered his head slightly.
“Ah, hello…”
But then, he quickly changed his tone.
“Should I make sure you don’t greet me, you muscle pigs?”
“What…?”
Eugene, without showing any signs of surprise, joined in.
“Rauller-hyung.”
“What?”
“Should we make them allies, or should we make them servants?”
The faces of the two brothers twisted in discomfort.
“What are these kids saying…”
Eugene spoke up.
“Let’s make them servants.”
The return of the talent monopolizer is special.