The Return of the Talented Monopolist is Special

Bang! Boom!

The tremendous noise of the zombies’ heads exploding reverberated through Glampustan.

And watching all of this from a distance was a dark wizard.

‘Because of some strange guy showing up… well, it doesn’t matter.’

He was the necromancer who had raised the zombies.

The dark wizard had initially attacked Julia and her escort soldiers in an ancient ruin, thinking it would be easy to deal with Julia.

He had killed nearly all of the escort soldiers, leaving only the injured Julia, so he had considered it a partial success.

However, Julia’s magic was stronger than he had expected, so the dark wizard temporarily retreated and began plotting.

While doing so, Julia had hidden somewhere in Glampustan, and the dark wizard couldn’t find her location, forcing him into hiding.

Glampustan was full of mysterious, unexplored spaces, and it seemed she had hidden in one of them.

So, the dark wizard set up his zombies throughout Glampustan, waiting for her to come out on her own.

‘It makes sense why the Dark Tower Lord doesn’t want Julia to come to the Black Tower. With her ability to handle mana so well, a succession battle would inevitably occur.’

Meanwhile, the Knights of Pencell arrived at Glampustan to investigate the murder cases occurring there.

When Julia’s distinctive mana was sensed, the dark wizard came out to investigate, only to find her conversing with a strange person.

And because of that person, the dark wizard’s plan had been disrupted.

Though, he thought it wasn’t something to worry too much about.

‘I’ve prepared a Knight-class zombie to deal with him. That kid’s level is around the 4th star, so it should be easily handled.’

A Knight-class zombie was equivalent to about a 5th-star level, and to deal with it, at least 10 4th-star knights would be needed.

Knight-class zombies had even defeated 4th-star knights before.

The dark wizard’s position was about 1 kilometer away from where Eugene and the Knight-class zombie were facing off.

‘The attire is from Pencell; they must have coincidentally discovered Julia while on their mission.’

Eugene and the Knight-class zombie were slowly closing in on each other.

While the Knight-class zombie was dealing with the boy, the dark wizard thought he should go and finish off Julia.

The dark wizard turned his attention to where Julia had been.

However, she was nowhere to be seen, as she had likely hidden again.

Of course.

‘From the aura I can feel, she doesn’t have the strength to escape anywhere. There’s no need to reveal my identity; I can let her be dealt with after I take care of that boy.’

In this assassination mission, it would be problematic if it was revealed who had tried to kill Julia.

To wrap up the mysterious event in Glampustan, the dark wizard couldn’t reveal himself.

Moreover, since the Knights of Pencell were here, he had to keep his appearance hidden.

***

Clang!

Eugene and the Knight-class zombie clashed swords, and Eugene was pushed back slightly.

“Ha, this is ridiculous.”

After more than 30 exchanges, Eugene let out a bitter laugh.

The true identity of that zombie was a Knight-class zombie that would later be used as a tactical weapon by the Mage Tower.

Zombies were known for their stamina, as they didn’t tire easily, but this was too much.

While Eugene’s aura naturally wore down the more it was used, the massive zombie was only getting stronger.

‘Actually, it makes sense. This thing is being controlled by someone else’s power.’

Though Eugene couldn’t see it, he instinctively knew someone was controlling the zombies nearby.

If he dealt with that person first, the Knight-class zombie would lose its strength.

However.

‘It’s difficult to pinpoint the location. It might be easier to just finish this and then find that guy.’

“Grrrrr!”

The enormous zombie’s sword cut through the air, causing the wind to tear loudly.

The massive zombie continued to pressure Eugene, blocking his path and disturbing him.

Then.

Whoosh!

Eugene spun Atom to its maximum speed, unleashing his aura, and forcing the opponent back with a powerful blow.

A simple war of attrition wouldn’t work. He had to change his strategy.

Above all, winning this battle was the only thing that seemed to matter.

Also.

‘It would be nice if I could impress Uncle Clark, who’s watching me from over there.’

Clark might think he had concealed his presence, but Eugene’s sharp senses had already pinpointed Clark’s location.

Meanwhile, Julia, observing Eugene’s battle, began to wonder.

Why was this stranger helping her so devotedly when they had never met before?

Could it be… love at first sight…?

For a moment, Julia was filled with such a thought, but then she shook her head and shouted toward Eugene.

“I’ll help too!”

“Quiet. You’ll give away your position.”

Eugene put a finger to his lips.

Julia, pale and staggering due to excessive mana usage, wasn’t in any condition to help. What was she even thinking?

Eugene, to prevent Julia’s position from being exposed and attacked by the dark wizard, masked her voice with his aura, erasing any trace of her presence.

‘It’s time to finish this. I need to resolve this fight.’

Eugene gritted his teeth.

The Knight-class zombie was extraordinarily powerful, perhaps the strongest of the monstrous creatures he had faced in his current life.

“Graaahhh!”

It charged again, its eyes glowing with an ominous, terrifying intensity as if it could keep fighting for hours.

But.

Eugene decided to wait this time.

Fatigue.

Pressure.

Fear.

He needed to overcome those feelings.

Only then could he use his swordsmanship properly.

Shh-

Eugene calmly closed his eyes, quieting the chaotic aura within him, and brought himself into a peaceful state as if on the brink of sleep.

He reached for the swordsmanship he hadn’t fully used in his duel with Cain.

Eugene combined his oword techniques, which he had honed over the last 13 years, with the basic techniques of Pencell.

Using the principle of “clarity like a mirror,” a technique he had already practiced before, Eugene found this process relatively easy.

However.

‘This time, my mind must remain steady. If I falter, I could die.’

The thought of death briefly stirred the calm in his mind, but Eugene quickly suppressed it.

He visualized his aura as a white light deep in his lower abdomen. The shape took the form of a rose.

He combined the petals and the thorny stem to complete the shape.

Whoosh!

The whirlwind that had arisen during his battle with Cain began to stir again.

No, it was a much stronger vortex than before.

And soon.

Flash…!

A massive rose, blending shades of red and green, briefly glowed behind Eugene’s back.

It radiated a dazzling and captivating power that only a rose could possess.

Along with this, sharp thorns harmonized with the aura, as though to signify that no one could take it lightly.

The form was more akin to a work of art than a mere sword technique.

The entire process occurred in the blink of an eye.

Flash!

Eugene opened his eyes.

Before him, the massive zombie in full plate armor swung a massive sword, aimed at Eugene’s head.

Eugene—

Thud…

He had merely taken a single step forward, and as his sword briefly reflected the moonlight, it—

Scrape.

The Knight-class zombie, charging forward, was split vertically as it passed Eugene, who stood still. The zombie’s body was cleaved in two and swiftly cut down.

And the only thing left were dozens of rose petals, no bigger than a thumb, falling from Eugene’s sword and scattering across the ground.

Boom…

The two halves of the Knight-class zombie crashed into a wall, collapsing to the floor.

Goooo…

At the end of the battle, silence descended upon Glampustan.

“Phew…”

Eugene, catching his breath, slowly turned his head toward a certain direction.

“How long are you going to keep watching?” he asked.

From behind a tree thick with branches in the distance, Clark, who had been observing, grinned and approached Eugene.

“I’m amazed every time I see you,” Clark said, his expression both calm and incredulous.

It was no surprise that Eugene, time and again, displayed feats beyond belief. He had seemingly surpassed what others would spend ten years to achieve, breaking through in less than half a year on his own.

“This isn’t the time for admiration. The dark wizard is lying in ambush over there…” Eugene said, pointing toward the direction where the dark wizard had been hiding, ready to charge, but Clark shook his head.

“He’s already fled. I’ve sent the knights after him. They’ll catch him soon.”

“…Understood.”

Eugene nodded, agreeing with Clark’s assessment.

Clatter!

The senior students, having heard the explosion, arrived with surprised voices.

The scattered remains of zombies were everywhere, and it was understandable that they were startled.

They had been too far away to arrive sooner, so they had just gotten there.

“Sir Clark! Are you okay?” they asked, concerned, believing that Clark had played a key role in the battle and checking his condition.

Clark shook his head.

“I’m fine. Go check on Eugene, who finished the battle.”

“Eugene finished the battle…? That little boy took down all these zombies?” they asked, bewildered.

“Yes, that’s right. What are you waiting for? Go to him quickly,” Clark said with a slight smile.

The senior students, stunned by the revelation, ran toward Eugene. The idea that this boy had defeated so many zombies seemed unbelievable.

Eugene’s head throbbed, and his body ached as if his Atom was burning, but there were no visible injuries.

He waved them off and leaned against a pillar to rest.

Clark watched Eugene with a small smile, then, as if remembering something, scolded him.

“Eugene Robert, regardless of the outcome of this battle, do you realize what you did wrong?”

“What did I do wrong? Um, was I too…” Eugene trailed off.

“Too?”

“Too independent?” Eugene asked, unsure.

“Don’t joke around. Your courage could’ve easily turned into recklessness. If the manifestation of your symbolic swordsmanship had been even a second late, your life could’ve been forfeited,” Clark said a serious tone in his voice.

Eugene scratched his head.

“But I didn’t die. So, I guess that’s a relief.”

“Listen, that’s exactly what I’m saying. You could’ve died!” Clark said with an exasperated expression, making Eugene finally adopt a serious face.

“If I hadn’t led the charge against the zombies, both that girl’s life and mine would’ve been in danger. The fundamental ideology of the Pencell family is to never avoid a fight. Moreover, I came here because innocent villagers were sacrificed. I couldn’t afford to make the same mistake again,” Eugene explained, clearly.

Clark nodded, unable to hide his satisfaction.

The reason he had asked Eugene that question wasn’t to truly scold him but rather to show the senior students that Eugene wasn’t without thought. Eugene, realizing this, had responded with a serious tone to match.

Clark, in a playful mood, tested Eugene once more.

“Why didn’t you fire a flare? Do you not trust the Pencell knights?” he asked.

Eugene shook his head vigorously.

“No, there’s no one more trustworthy in Pencell than the Black Tortoise Knights. It’s just…”

All the senior students focused on Eugene’s words.

“I wanted to fight a strong opponent. I wanted to preserve the pride of Pencell’s trainees,” Eugene explained, his eyes glinting with determination.

The senior students, including Cain, were internally impressed, and Clark inwardly clicked his tongue.

‘No wonder he’s from the Robert family… He’s a cunning one. But that answer… items sincere. Reminds me of Lillian when she was young.’

As Clark reminisced about Lillian’s childhood, a chuckle escaped him.

“Hahaha!”

The confident, adventurous look on Eugene’s face reminded Clark of Lillian, while his sharpness seemed to echo his father.

“Ha, haha! Hahaha!” Clark laughed heartily.

The senior students, not fully understanding, laughed along with him.

Afterward, Eugene stood up and walked over to Julia, who was still huddled and anxious.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

“Julia… Julia,” she said, now looking at Eugene with a slightly fearful gaze.

Eugene had avoided calling her by name earlier to prevent any misunderstanding.

“You’re a troublesome one. Do you think we fought off all those zombies just to harm you? Stop with those scared eyes. Geez,” Eugene said, a little exasperated.

“…”

Eugene handed Julia a small water bottle from his inner pocket, and she finally relaxed, drinking from it with a relieved expression.

Meanwhile, Eugene recalled the moment when one of the knights had been eyeing Julia with suspicion earlier.

‘…I thought so. There was a traitor among us.’

The thought of a traitor within Pencell had initially left Eugene wondering how to handle the situation, but now he knew what he had to do.

‘There’s only one solution. The Red Scorpions are likely still watching me. So, if I connect Pencell’s traitor with the Red Scorpions’ assassin…’

Eugene suddenly turned to Julia and asked.

“Are you good at acting?”