Training Is the Only Way to Survive

Something strange had been unfolding at the Kaisar County estate lately.

"Look at that. Out again today. Hah, I wonder if something big's coming?"

"No kidding. What on earth got into him?"

"Maybe losing to the second young master shook him up?"

The soldiers, done with their morning training, sat resting in the shade, all of them staring at the same spot. Their faces were uniformly unsettled, as if they'd witnessed something rare and wondrous.

Where their gazes landed, a boy was sprinting laps around the training yard, sweat pouring off him in sheets.

Luden Kaisar. That was him.

"Gahk. Hah! Hah, hahh……"

I'm... I'm going to die.

Luden had never imagined his stamina was this hopeless. In his past life, the grueling mercenary life had at least hardened him — but even accounting for his young body now, his endurance was abysmal. His breath kept catching in his throat, and his trembling legs wobbled as if they'd give out at any moment.

Anyone could see he'd hit his limit. And yet he kept running, gritting his teeth through it.

He had no choice.

"Hahk. D-damn it!"

At the warning window flashing before his eyes, Luden squeezed out every last drop of strength he had.

"Hnngh—!"

He finally hit his target and collapsed in glory. Even as he gasped for breath, he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from curling upward. The satisfaction of having achieved his goal made him forget his exhaustion, if only for a moment.

"Whew. Is that it for today?"

As he caught his breath, he felt the stares of the soldiers watching him from far away. From their perspective, it must have been baffling. The eldest young master had not only shown up at the training yard of his own accord — he was training, voluntarily.

Well. Even I'd have a hard time believing it.

Not to brag, but the Luden of this era had lived pretty shamelessly. Heir to the county or not, lessons and training were the last things on his mind. Skipping class was a given, and he'd even snuck out of the castle without permission, causing no end of trouble for everyone around him.

After a moment's reflection on his own past conduct, Luden gave a wry smile and hauled himself up. He told the soldiers to keep up the good work and headed back to the mansion.

"Now, then."

Back in his room, dragging his trembling legs behind him, Luden's eyes sparkled with anticipation. This was the moment he'd been waiting for above all others.

"Claim rewards."

The moment he finished speaking, two pills materialized out of thin air. One red, one green, each shimmering with a radiant glow.

Luden swallowed both pills in one go, as if it were second nature.

Gulp.

They tasted as sweet as candy. But Luden paid more attention to the change in his body than the flavor. The instant the elixirs went down, vitality surged through his worn-out body as if by magic, and he could feel his energy returning. If anything, he felt stronger than before he'd started running.

"Seriously, no matter how many times I go through this, it's unreal."

Truly miraculous. Raising your abilities as quest rewards — who could even imagine such a thing? And the elixirs he'd just taken were the lowest grade. If even those had such a palpable effect, what must the intermediate or high grades be like?

He was already so eager that he found himself wishing the next quest would appear soon. This was what made quests worth doing. The rewards were so sweet they practically melted in his mouth.

"So this is what dopamine feels like? I'm a quest addict."

It had been four days since he returned to the past. Luden had become a splendid slave to the quest system.

After returning to the past, Luden had thought hard about what he needed to do.

"First, rebuild my strength. Then, leave the territory and make money."

The most essential thing in preparing for the famine looming in the future was money. Too mercenary, you say? Well, it was the truth. In the end, it was the lack of money that had buried the family in crushing debt and brought about its ruin.

"Money alone won't be enough to weather the famine, but it should let us prepare to some degree."

Unfortunately, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠impoverished Kaisar territory had not a single source of income to speak of. Which meant he'd have to find a way elsewhere — and thankfully, Luden already had an idea.

"Dungeons and ancient ruins."

He'd returned to the past, yes — but he was still nothing more than a run-of-the-mill mercenary. For a man like him, there weren't many ways to leverage future knowledge into serious money. Information only gained value if you could actually put it to use. Without the knowledge and experience to back it up, there was a hard ceiling on what he could earn.

But dungeons and ancient ruins were different. Clear them, and the rare treasures and artifacts within could be his. A chance at a fortune in a single stroke. The only problem was that they were every bit as dangerous as they were lucrative.

"Still, this time it's worth a shot."

"Speak ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the dragon and he appears, I guess."

Luden smirked at the blue window that had popped up as if it had been waiting for exactly this moment. Its nature remained a mystery, but one thing was certain: the quest rewards could make him stronger.

"I don't know what the quest's purpose is, but for now I'll use everything I can."

Luden rose from his seat. For the time being, he'd decided to focus solely on clearing quests. But his steps toward the training yard came to a halt before long.

"You."

A boy stood blocking his path, glaring at Luden with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a fierce expression.

The moment he saw that blazing red hair, Luden clicked his tongue without meaning to.

Tsk. Of all people, I run into him here.

The boy's name was Kevin Kaisar. Luden's half-brother. Honestly speaking, their relationship wasn't good.

"I take it you've fully recovered from that beating?"

"……"

For an instant, Luden nearly flared up. The reason his head had ached on his first day back in the past was because Kevin had beaten him. It had been a fair sparring match, sure — but Luden had been thoroughly trounced, collapsing in a humiliating faint in front of everyone.

The first black mark of his life. And now its creator was provoking him outright. If he didn't feel his blood rise at that, something would be wrong with him.

So he's been a brat since back then, too.

Luden calmed himself. It was nothing but the provocation of an immature little kid. He wasn't a child anymore; what kind of grown man falls for bait like that? If anything, watching Kevin glare at him so fiercely stirred up strange new feelings. This was the brother he'd never seen once after running away from home. Meeting him again like this, how could he not feel glad?

And honestly, I don't hate him anymore.

That was how much time had passed. More than enough for the old resentment and misunderstandings to dissolve. Above all, Kevin was his one and only brother.

"Kevin."

"Let me say this up front. If you ever pull anything on me or my mother again, I won't let it slide next time. Not really."

"Huh?"

"If you understand, then stay out of my sight."

Luden froze at the cold dismissal, and Kevin brushed right past him and walked away. It was an attitude so frigid it bordered on open hostility.

Once he was completely gone, Luden came back to himself and gave a bitter laugh.

"Fair enough, I suppose."

Who was there to blame? No one but his own rotten past self. As a child, Luden had despised Lady Mayran — the woman who'd stepped in to replace his dead mother — and her son Kevin with a poisonous intensity. A stone that had rolled into the family, jealousy, the fear of being cast aside. All of it tangled together, and he'd naturally treated the two of them with cruelty.

So Kevin's attitude was nothing more than what he'd sown.

"Sigh. And this time I was actually hoping we could get along."

He couldn't say he felt no guilt toward Kevin. In his past life, it had been Kevin who struggled desperately to save the family that was collapsing because of him.

Judging by that attitude, it won't be easy.

Luden scratched the back of his head. And then—

"Huh?"

"You're serious?"

Luden stared, dumbfounded, at the absurd quest.

That night, a modest banquet was held at the Kaisar castle — a celebration of Count Kaisar's return after a week away, his pilgrimage through the territory complete.

"My lord, we heard the news. You slew the vile monsters plaguing our lands. As expected of you — truly remarkable."

"Haha, you flatter me. If anything, I'm the one disappointed. Had you been there, we'd have caught the beasts without a single casualty."

"We're simply glad you returned safely."

"Thank you."

Surrounded by his vassals, the Count received their greetings one by one.

"Same as ever."

Watching his father from a distance, Luden's heart was a tangle of emotions. In his past life, he'd never seen his father again after running away. He hadn't had the courage to go back, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and by the time he finally made up his mind, it was too late.

A surge of feeling rose up in his chest.

Calm down. That hasn't happened yet.

It was a future only he remembered — nothing more than a vanished past. Even if he went to his father now and said all the things he'd never said, the weight pressing down on his heart wouldn't simply lift.

"Hmm? Luden, is that you? What are you doing over there?"

Just then the Count spotted him and approached, and father and son came face to face. Seeing his father's face up close, Luden felt a pang of melancholy.

We really don't look alike.

Unlike his own, his father's hair was a blazing fiery red, and his hearty, masculine features — honestly, there was little resemblance between them. Standing side by side, one might wonder if they were truly father and son at all. Kevin, on the other hand, took after the Count a great deal — and perhaps that was exactly why Luden had been so jealous, once.

"Greetings, Father."

"There, there. You seem to be doing well — that puts me at ease. So, you haven't been slacking on your swordsmanship lessons lately, have you?"

"Well, that's……"

For a moment, Luden couldn't find the words. He'd thought he could act naturally, but the moment they actually spoke, the emotions he'd buried threatened to surge up again. He truly hadn't imagined they would ever meet like this again.

But the Count, mistaking his son's averted eyes, sighed and said, "Trouble again, is it? You are the son of Geisel Kaisar. Remember that you must set an example at all times."

"……Yes, Father."

Luden simply watched his father's back as the man clapped his shoulder and walked away. The reality of having returned to the past struck him anew.

This time, I'll protect you.

Just as he was making that vow, he felt a gaze on him and turned his head.

"That kid."

There stood a boy who looked exactly like the Count, glaring daggers at him. Luden hesitated a moment, then started walking.

"Kevin. Let's talk for a minute."

"Don't talk to me. I've got nothing to say to you."

The reply was prickly. Well, he'd expected as much.

"Kevin, I know what you think of me. But couldn't you at least hear me out? I'm not looking to fight you."

"Cut the crap. You think I'd believe a word you say?"

"Believe me or don't, that's up to you. But Father's finally home — do you really think he'd be happy to see his sons at each other's throats?"

"……"

Kevin flinched and glanced toward where the Count stood. Even amid conversation with his vassals, the Count kept glancing over at his sons from time to time.

"I don't want to cause a scene in front of Father either. So I'll keep this short."

"……Then say it fast and get lost."

At Kevin's grudging, reluctant acquiescence, Luden allowed himself a small smile, lowered his voice, and said:

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"For everything I've done to you. I mean it — I'm truly sorry."

Kevin's mouth fell open. Shock and disbelief were written across his frozen face.

And then—