"What are you trying to do?"
I shoved the fist away and furrowed my brows.
Chapter Eight.
Even in my past life, the eighth child never particularly liked me.
As a child, they were wary of me for drawing a sword superior to theirs during the Cheolseon Ceremony. And after my constitution started deteriorating, they outright ignored me.
'Still, compared to the other siblings who openly tormented me, they were relatively mild…'
Despite their mischievous nature, they had a fundamentally kind heart—perhaps fitting for someone chosen by the Sacred Sword.
'So why are they acting like this all of a sudden?'
They had occasionally picked fights with me in the past, but it had always been in the form of childish tantrums. They had never outright attacked me like this.
"Watch your mouth! I'm a legitimate heir, and you're just a concubine's child! Plus, I'm a whole year older than you!"
"A year? Please, we're only a few months apart at best."
I clicked my tongue and ignored their outburst, moving to walk away.
Or at least, I tried to.
"Hey! Don't ignore me! I'm not done talking yet!"
The air trembled for a moment.
An attack, much faster than the previous punch, came flying toward my back.
'They're even using mana?'
This was on a whole different level from a simple punch. No matter how young they were, the moment mana was infused, their fist became no different from a deadly weapon.
The idea of letting this slide disappeared.
Whoosh—!
I twisted my body slightly, letting the attack graze past me.
The wind brushing against my skin was sharp, but as long as I didn't get hit, that was all that mattered.
I reached out and grabbed them by the collar, yanking them close until we were face-to-face.
"...!"
Hwa's expression tensed with fear.
But that wasn't my concern. I spoke coldly, pouring my presence into my voice.
"If you want to whine, go cry to your mother. I'm busy enough as it is—don't cling to me like a nuisance."
Flinch!
Hwa shuddered like a frightened puppy.
Even though they had enough strength to fight back, they froze in fear, unable to resist.
'Well, I guess that makes sense. After being spoiled their whole life, they've probably never been treated this harshly before.'
Feeling drained, I let go of their collar.
'What am I even doing, picking a fight with a kid?'
Even if they were a direct descendant, they were still just a ten-year-old brat.
Hwa, still trembling, suddenly shouted in frustration.
"I-It's all your fault!"
"What?"
"Because of what you did during the Cheolseon Ceremony…! I'm always compared to you by others, and my mother scolds me constantly! And now even during training…! You're just a concubine's child, so stop acting so high and mighty! Just stay quiet! You idiot! Moron! I hate you!"
'What the hell?'
Hearing them rant like that left me momentarily speechless.
"It's not fair! I can't even sleep properly, I can't eat snacks, all I do is train every single day—meanwhile, you were just born with incredible talent…! I didn't want this either, but Mother… Ugh!"
Hwa abruptly covered their mouth and glanced at me nervously.
…This is exhausting.
I let out a deep sigh.
Pathetic.
The Hwa I remembered had once stood fearless among dozens of massive monsters, enduring their attacks with sheer willpower.
But now, they were no different from any other whining child.
'Well, they are only ten. And their nanny was known for being overly indulgent.'
I looked at Hwa.
They flinched under my gaze but quickly glared back, determined not to back down.
"I envy you."
"What did you say?"
"It must be nice to blame everything on others. Blame your siblings, blame your mother, blame talent itself. Meanwhile, since I'm just a concubine's child, even blaming others is a luxury I can't afford."
"...."
Hwa bit their lip.
No matter how young they were, they were still a child of the Suwu family—a genius. They should be able to understand my point.
"If you really are part of the Lee family, stop wasting time on useless complaints and spend that time swinging your sword in the training grounds. Can't sleep? Then don't. Can't eat snacks? If that's not enough, then stop eating meals too."
I glared at Hwa.
The eighth child, slightly taller than me, thanks to good food and a nurturing environment. But for some reason, she seemed much smaller than me.
"Who do you think you are to tell me what to do? Do you even know what you're talking about?"
"Because I'm a Soongmu too. If you were planning to crush me, you should have gone all the way. If you weren't willing to compete, you should have ambushed me and broken at least one of my bones."
"W-What are you saying…?!"
"Do it properly. You can, can't you?"
Hwa's expression went blank.
"If you resent me, do whatever it takes to bring me down. Then make me apologize. That's the way of the Soongmu I know."
I turned sharply and walked away.
A voice screamed out behind me.
"F-Fine! At the Naming Ceremony, I'll achieve more than you and crush your pride! I'll make you call me 'big sister' and beg for forgiveness!"
I let out a short laugh and shook my head.
***
The results of the Naming Ceremony group training were sent weekly to each child's guardian via official reports.
The nanny, staring blankly at my training results displayed on the family's intranet, murmured to herself.
"This is… impossible."
"What's impossible?"
"I mean, this, how…?"
She hesitantly dragged the mouse, scrolling up and down, rubbing her eyes before checking the monitor again.
[Week 14 Performance Report]
[Birth Name: Ninth Young]
[Gender: Male]
Magic Arts: Rank 1
Weapon Arts: Rank 1
Written Exam: Rank 1
…
[Overall Grade: Rank 1]
The nanny couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Surely, at least once, my condition should have worsened, causing my rank to drop. But it never had.
"Nanny, can you relax now?"
"Young Master…!"
Her expression wavered with emotion.
"This nanny couldn't do anything for you… and yet, you're achieving so much."
Her eyes glistened with tears.
She had sensed I was exceptional, but she had never imagined I would achieve Rank 1 in every subject.
"I understand now, Young Master. Do as you wish. I never expected you to keep scoring Rank 1 like you said back then…"
"If I can't even manage this, how would I survive in this den of vipers?"
"A den of vipers…? Young Master, where did you even hear such words? Sometimes, I really can't understand you."
At that, I simply grinned.
Bang!
Just then, the door burst open as my aunt stormed in.
"Hey! Kid! You're here! Let's train!"
"…I just finished training."
"That's why you need to go! Training in magic arts relieves fatigue!"
More like it'd make me even more exhausted. At least, if it's training with my aunt.
The nanny gave me a pitiful look but said nothing.
…Nanny, I know you said you wouldn't interfere, but this is when you should say something!
"Fine. Let's go. I have something to show you anyway."
"Hmm?"
I stood up abruptly.
My aunt, tilting her head as she observed me, suddenly had a look of shock.
"You—you! D-Don't tell me—!"
"Shall we go?"
I smirked as I walked forward.
My steps were smooth, relaxed, free of tension. And within that movement, the flow of magic coursing through my body was calm, unwavering.
"You've reached First Star!"
My aunt's face lit up with joy.
***
The Naming Ceremony group training was of a high level.
The fact that I kept achieving Rank 1 in every session didn't mean the training itself was easy.
It simply worked to my advantage.
Comprehensive fitness, survival skills, magic arts, weapon arts, navigation, history…
My physical strength was already well-honed through years of training, and I had mastered various academic disciplines in my past life.
Even the weapon skills and magic techniques that the instructors had expected me to struggle with were not an issue—I had memories of wielding weapons from the training ground's armory, and I had been training with my aunt every day except when I was sleeping for the past few months.
At that point, I had no concerns about my grades, so I decided to use my training time differently.
'And it turned out to be quite helpful. No, extremely helpful.'
In that instant, I sensed an unfamiliar magic invading my mana circuit.
It was my aunt's magic. Her hand rested on my back, deliberately stimulating my mana.
At that moment, my mana instinctively resisted hers. During that process, my mana circuit and mana core remained in perfect balance, without leaning toward one or the other.
"Perfect…! You've reached the first rank!"
My aunt, who still had her hand on my back, blinked in confusion, unsure whether she should be shocked or pleased.
"Doesn't handling your mana circuit feel awkward? How did you grasp it so quickly? I thought it would take at least another year! And just yesterday, you couldn't do it at all!"
"I realized it during training."
"Training? They teach things like that there?"
It was a drill where we were thrown into a machine that unleashed real magic attacks, even if they were only lower-tier spells.
Since my eighth sibling had been guzzling elixirs like water, their mana reserves were naturally far greater than mine. That meant I had no choice but to defend myself by meticulously controlling my mana using the textbook method.
Whenever I failed to control my mana and my mana core or circuit began to fall out of balance, I stopped trying to calculate harmony and equilibrium. Instead, I focused entirely on one thing—defending against the magic.
"That's when I understood. I also realized why you never bothered teaching me any tricks."
"Huh? Uh, um?"
Lee Kyunghwa blinked, momentarily failing to comprehend what her nephew was saying.
'T-tricks? Are there even tricks for this?'
But when she saw the unwavering trust in her nephew's gaze, she found herself unable to tell the truth.
"The key wasn't to force my mana core and mana circuit into balance separately—it was to leave them alone. Mana flows naturally, like water. In the end, our bodies are merely vessels that hold mana, aren't they? Trying to divide the vessel itself was foolish."
The more Lee Kyunghwa listened, the greater the shock she felt.
'Let mana flow naturally…?'
It was a different concept from modern magic theory.
Most contemporary magic techniques revolved entirely around 'controlling' mana.
Because of that, the idea of simply letting mana flow naturally had never even been considered.
That was why Lee Kyunghwa had always tried to forcibly synchronize her mana circuit and mana core to control her magic.
'Our bodies are vessels… vessels….'
Yes, they were no different from containers.
Mana flows throughout the world. Humans merely hold it within themselves.
Ah.
A soft gasp escaped Lee Kyunghwa's lips.
"A-ah, kiddo. I think I can do it too."
"Pardon?"
"I got it. The reason I've struggled with my mana core… I think I can handle it now. Just like you… though it'll probably take me a long time."
Her words became increasingly jumbled as excitement took hold of her.
'Did she just have a breakthrough?'
The light returned to her previously dazed eyes, and then—suddenly—she jumped to her feet.
"Thank you! You little lucky charm! I take back what I said about you being a cheeky brat—you're my precious lucky charm!"
Without warning, she yanked me into a tight embrace.
Crack!
An ominous sound came from my bones.
"Urgh! Guh! A-auntie! My ribs! My ribs!!"
"I'm going to work twice as hard from now on! No—three times as hard!"
"If you work any harder, I really will die…!"
"No way, you'll be able to keep up."
Lee Kyunghwa finally let go of her beloved nephew, unable to hide the smile creeping up her face.
"Let's move on to the second rank."
"Huh? Already?"
"For you, reaching the second rank won't be a challenge. And once you achieve that…"
She hesitated for a moment.
She was never someone particularly good with words.
So, what she ended up saying was—
"The naming ceremony will be a piece of cake!"