The Return of the Talented Monopolist is Special

Eugene’s sword had been broken, and the traitor, confident of his victory, was in the middle of delivering the final blow.

But now, the scene looked entirely different.

“Arghhh!”

The traitor clutched his face, screaming in agony.

Eugene’s fireball, launched from his left hand, had inflicted severe damage on the traitor’s face.

“H-How… magic…?”

Julia, who had just escaped from the misty magical barrier and was preparing to attack the traitor, froze in place.

For the past couple of days, Eugene had been relentlessly recalling Julia’s use of fireballs, continuously engraving the sensation of magic into his mind.

To be precise, he had been engaging in intense mental image training through Mukgwang solely to produce a single fireball.

“You should never have let your guard down until the very end.”

“My eyes! My… eyes!”

The traitor had let his guard down when Eugene lost his sword, deactivating his symbolic defense. As he poured all his aura into his final attack, Eugene’s magic managed to break through.

Eugene’s fireball, though only at the level of a 3rd-circle spell, was strong enough to melt someone’s entire body if they took a direct hit.

Overwhelmed by the intense heat, the traitor couldn’t even open his eyes. His hair and entire face had melted away, leaving him with a grotesque, disfigured appearance.

“S-spare me…! Hrk, ack, cough!”

The extreme heat seemed to have damaged his vocal cords, reducing his voice to a raspy croak as he writhed on the ground.

It sounded like he was begging for his life.

Eugene slowly rose to his feet, picking up the greatsword the traitor had dropped.

“Begging for your life?”

“Sp…are… me…!”

Eugene spoke in a cold, emotionless tone.

“It’s fine to kill the others, but not you?”

As soon as he finished speaking—

Slash!

The traitor’s head rolled to the ground.

Eugene, completely drained, collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air.

Julia, her face filled with shock, rushed toward him.

“Eugene! Are you okay…?”

“I’m not okay… idiot…”

With Julia’s help, Eugene leaned back against the wall, catching his breath.

Julia realized there was no point in trying to make sense of everything that had just happened.

All she could think about was supporting the boy beside her, who was panting heavily after saving her.

There was no time to ask how he had cast magic, how he had conjured such a powerful fireball, or to even express her gratitude for being saved.

“Eugene, over there…! The door…!”

Julia’s trembling finger pointed toward the door, prompting Eugene to turn his head slowly.

“Something’s changing…! Blood is flowing into the door over there…!”

“…And the corpse is dissolving,” Eugene muttered.

The two quickly scanned their surroundings before their gazes returned to the door.

As the traitor’s body melted completely into the floor, the once-black door turned a deep crimson.

Eugene hesitated for a moment.

His!

The carvings on the door grew even more grotesque, radiating a chilling aura that made his skin crawl.

Something’s not right. I think we should pull back for now, he thought to himself.

Eugene had come to Glampustan intending to deal with the assassin and the traitor while unraveling the secret of the ring. However, he decided it was wiser to retreat for now.

“Let’s get ou—”

Just as Eugene began to rise—

Rumble!

The seemingly impenetrable door creaked open, unleashing an abyssal darkness that flooded the chamber.

It felt as though a dark spell had descended, severing all senses and plunging them into a void. Eugene’s body tensed as he struggled desperately to move.

And then—

“…You’ve arrived.”

A deep, resonant voice echoed faintly in Eugene’s mind.

He focused all his energy on locating the source of the voice, and its meaning became clear.

“The sacrifice has finally arrived.”

It was clear the sacrifice referred to Eugene.

A wave of confusion overtook him as he struggled to regain control of his thoughts. Yet, the more he tried, the deeper he felt himself sinking into a swamp as if he were being dragged into a black abyss.

At the same time, unfamiliar visions began flashing through Eugene’s mind.

Eugene, with his perfect memory, instantly knew these were not his own.

He saw a young child.

Then, a towering man clad in a grand red cape appeared, standing before the child.

The man spoke passionately to the child, explaining something.

As the man disappeared, the child grew older, becoming a boy.

The boy, with blue energy glowing in his hands, drained the blood from children his age, leaving their corpses as shriveled mummies.

His hands stained with blood, the boy matured into a young man.

Even as a young man, his hands were soaked in blood. At some point, he appeared seated on a golden throne.

His gaze was vacant, as though possessed, yet the aura he emanated was as vast as the ocean and as dark as the abyss. His power was terrifyingly immense.

Time sped forward, and the man on the throne withered, his flesh melting away until only bones remained.

Eugene felt he knew who this figure was.

“The king of the ancient empire… the one they called the Tyrant.”

In his previous life, Eugene had read extensively, consuming countless history books. Among them were accounts of the ancient empire and depictions of its infamous ruler.

Eugene was certain that the figure on the throne matched the descriptions from history.

“The Tyrant consumed the blood and souls of people to attain infinite magical power,” Eugene reflected, piecing together the scenes he had just witnessed.

He had learned royal discipline from his father.

As the youngest son, he had to fight tooth and nail to survive among his siblings.

Ultimately, he killed all his brothers and ascended to the throne.

Through one of the continent’s most dangerous authorities, the “Seven Powers,” he used the power of Greed to slay his siblings and become king.

But the Tyrant’s mistrust of humanity ran deep; he trusted no one, not even his most loyal subjects.

He lived in constant fear of assassins and couldn’t sleep soundly at night.

Despite wielding infinite magical power, his life was one of unrelenting misery and misfortune.

In the end, he was devoured by his power, descending into madness and meeting his end.

“The Tyrant’s life was truly tragic. But why are these scenes invading my mind now?”

As that thought filled Eugene’s mind—

Whoosh!

Before him, the pitch-black darkness was pierced by a single, piercing beam of light, as if from a spotlight.

Beneath that light sat the young Tyrant he had just seen on the golden throne.

“Are you my follower…?”

The Tyrant’s deep voice slithered through the darkness, reaching Eugene’s ears.

The man’s face, which might have been handsome if properly cared for, was gaunt and fatigued, etched with weariness.

Eugene fixed his sharp gaze on the Tyrant.

“I am no follower of yours,” he said firmly.

The Tyrant smirked faintly at Eugene’s resolute words.

“It doesn’t matter who you are… I shall become an immortal being and step back into the world. For that, I will take your body.”

Suddenly, the Tyrant dissolved into a swirling mass of black smoke, creeping steadily toward Eugene.

Eugene assessed the situation with calm precision.

“The black door fed on blood and corpses, turning crimson. For some reason, it opened, and now this Tyrant is here, trying to take over my body.”

This was an experience unlike anything he had ever encountered.

But that didn’t mean Eugene was about to hand over his body to a stranger—let alone an ancient Tyrant.

Focusing through the haze clouding his senses, Eugene began to reconstruct the awareness of his own body.

He visualized his heart and aura core, piecing them back together.

If he could summon his Mukwang aura, there might still be a chance to escape this predicament.

Despite the exhaustion from the prolonged battle, he forced his overheated Atom Core to spin once more.

It groaned under the strain, threatening to shatter at any moment, but Eugene persisted.

And it worked.

Buzz!

A protective aura shield enveloped Eugene’s body, designed to safeguard his physical form against any external threat.

But—

Ssshhh…!

The black smoke crept up his legs, coiling around him like a serpent, and began to constrict.

Then—

Crack, crack…!

The aura shield shattered helplessly, leaving Eugene’s feet bound and immobile.

Gritting his teeth, Eugene activated Mukwang’s second-star ability: Mental Barrier.

This provided him a momentary reprieve, allowing him to focus his thoughts and buy precious seconds.

Still, this was a peril unlike anything he had faced—even during his grueling duel with the traitor Pencel.

“Urgh…”

Eugene’s consciousness started to blur.

His body felt as though it were submerged in molten lava, scalding hot, yet at the same time, icy cold to the core.

It felt as though his very blood was being drained away.

At that moment, an intense pain flared from the ring on his left hand. The black smoke was seeping into him through the ring.

It was clear that the Tyrant intended to use the ring as a conduit to enter Eugene’s body, aligning their essence in a process akin to synchronization.

As Eugene’s awareness dimmed, leaving only a faint glimmer of light within his mind—

“Take it out…!”

A primal voice, like a lightning bolt, pierced through his foggy thoughts.

It was the memory of the Mad King and the serenity of a still mind.

If anything could save him, it was this.

“Arghhh…!”

A guttural sound tore from Eugene’s throat, his raw determination spilling out with it.

Banishing the fear of death that gripped his heart, he focused solely on survival, his resolve solidifying his spirit and body.

An indescribable warmth surged through him, neutralizing the burning heat and bone-chilling cold.

The black smoke engulfed Eugene.

To an outside observer, it looked as though everything had ended.

Inside Eugene’s body, the Tyrant grinned wickedly, preparing to fully take control.

But then—

Flash!

A burst of vibrant purple light exploded from Eugene’s body, shredding the black smoke into pieces in an instant.

“How…? How is this possible…?”

The Tyrant’s voice quivered, trembling with shock at the unknown force.

“Haah…”

Eugene exhaled deeply, a faint smile spreading across his lips as he reclaimed his body.

Though the black smoke had been torn apart, remnants of the Tyrant’s essence lingered within Eugene and the ring.

“Damn it…! How could this…?”

Eugene muttered softly to himself, so quietly that no one else could hear.

“Mukwang, three stars.”

He realized that a new ring had formed in his Atom Core, bringing the total to three. His mastery of Mukwang had advanced to the third star.

The energy emanating from his body was now on an entirely different level.

“Urgh…!”

Sensing the overwhelming threat instinctively, the Tyrant attempted to flee through his entry point—the ring—desperately trying to escape Eugene’s body.

The ring began to glow.

Curiously, its light also carried a faint purple hue, though it paled in intensity and depth compared to the energy Eugene now exuded.

With blurry, unfocused eyes, Eugene looked toward the Tyrant and spoke.

“Your body…”

“Don’t do anything foolish! I can still tear your body apart if I have to!”

“…looks appetizing.”

Eugene licked his lips, gazing at the ring that emitted a faint purple light.

“I said, don’t you dare…!”

At that moment, Eugene frowned as if something was bothering him and raised his head.

“I hear… something.”

It was someone’s voice.

The owner of that voice was—

“So that old relic is still alive. If you devour him, it seems you could even absorb his abilities.”

It was the Mad King, Mephisto.

“Devour who?! Do you dare to imitate my powers? Do you think that’s possible?!”

“Hmm, who knows? This kid might just be capable of it.”

“Nonsense!”

The enraged Tyrant and the composed Mad King—both had once been absolute rulers who struck fear into the world, but even between them, a difference in stature was evident.

As the Mad King’s energy and the Tyrant’s energy clashed within Eugene’s mind, Eugene felt searing pain throughout his entire body.

“Ugh, so noisy.”

Without hesitation, Eugene directed a surge of purple energy toward the ring.

It was none other than the Tyrant’s power and greed, being perfectly replicated by Eugene.

“Im… Impossible…! Aaaaaagh!”

The torrent of purple energy completely engulfed the ring.

Like a fly trapped in a Venus flytrap, the Tyrant thrashed violently within the confines of the ring.

But his efforts were futile.

Eugene’s purple energy consumed the Tyrant entirely, leaving not even a strand of hair behind.

The Tyrant, in his attempt to synchronize and dominate Eugene’s mind, had brought along his memories and powers.

And now, even those had been devoured.

A faint laugh echoed in Eugene’s mind—the Mad King’s.

“You are a thief. Not only did you take my Clear Mind ability, but now you’ve snatched the Tyrant’s Greed as well. A true robber, hah!”

As the Mad King’s laughter faded, so too did the presence of both the Tyrant and the Mad King.

The chaos that could have erupted was averted, and Eugene’s survival amidst the clash of two absolute rulers was thanks to Mukwang.

Finally, Eugene forced the power of Mukwang to settle, regaining clarity and control over himself.

“Ah…”

Swoosh!

Having finished his metaphorical feast, Eugene staggered and exited his mental plane.

Too much had happened, leaving him overwhelmed.

He had survived an encounter with the ancient Tyrant, stolen his power, and confirmed that the Mad King—thought to have vanished from the world—was still with him.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind, but first, he needed to steady himself.

He saw Julia collapsed on the floor.

Exhausted beyond belief, even moving a single finger felt impossible.

“The Mad King, the Tyrant, and the purple energy… I’ve finally caught a lead…”

“Captain! Over there!”

The voice of a Black Tortoise member was the last thing Eugene heard before losing consciousness entirely.