Chapter 4: Years Later

Aaron knew there was no way he could stop the force of his brother’s swing. So, with all his might, he immediately swung toward Damien’s fingers as the sword approached his ribs, and it hit.

There was a loud clank, and Damien’s sword fell from his hands, forcing him to stop abruptly.

Their father’s eyes widened.

Damien’s movement faltered.

And they both stared in complete shock.

’Phew... Weapon down.’

Without wasting a second, Aaron took advantage of his brother’s surprise and immediately swung his wooden sword at the same spot he had kicked seconds ago.

There was another loud clank, and Damien roared in anger without showing any obvious sign of pain.

"All right, that does it!"

Aaron’s childish face squeezed in frustration.

’How?! I just hit your fingers and your knee. Agonize a little.’

Not giving Aaron any time to regain his stance, Damien threw his fist directly at his little brother’s face.

’Guess my luck ran out.’

Aaron saw the punch coming. He could have dodged it, but his body wasn’t fast enough to react to Damien’s speed.

So, in less than two seconds after hitting Damien’s knee, he felt a sudden, aggressive, heavy fist slam against his face.

"My baby!"

Mom was watching after all, huh? Aaron thought to himself as he lay flat on the ground.

"Damien, that’s ENOUGH!" He heard his father bark out as he rushed toward them.

"This weakling called me a coward," Damien protested.

Mr. Goldolock frowned and answered scoldingly:

"He is your brother. Not a weakling."

"I knew you were going to take his side!" Damien screamed and angrily left the dilapidated garden.

Aaron felt his mother lift him off the ground and rub his head. She rested his head on her shoulder and asked in a concerned tone:

"Are you injured?"

"I’m oka—"

Aaron tried to answer, but he suddenly felt something in his mouth.

Shit.

He spat it out, and his mother’s gaze followed it until it landed on the ground.

Still carrying him with one arm, she bent down and picked it up.

It was his tooth.

After that incident, Madam Judith—Damien’s mum—seriously rebuked her husband for pitting her son against someone far weaker than him and scolding him when things turned out badly.

Mr. Goldolock tried to argue by claiming that Damien was supposed to hold back, but his first wife was having none of it.

After Aaron and Damien’s spar, Mr. Goldolock declared that he was going to stop involving Abigail in the spars or training if it wasn’t what she wanted.

Susan—Aaron’s mother—was delighted, and Abigail was grateful to Aaron.

Mr. Goldolock stopped Aaron and Damien from sparring with each other, but he ensured they trained daily in preparation for the day they would finally start at the state’s military academy when they were fifteen.

"The selection is rigorous. I want you to make the Goldolocks proud," he said.

So they trained.

As they continued to train their bodies and sword skills, Aaron improved gradually and was growing at an astonishing rate.

Even his father was so impressed that he called him a prodigy.

However, Aaron wasn’t pleased with himself.

Personally, he knew his growth was abnormal, but he also knew it was reasonable, at least... He was a reincarnate. He might have lacked the magical abilities of the characters he saw in the game he played with Soran and Ren, but he definitely had the body of these characters and understood how they improved. For example, he knew running around the house for roughly three hours daily significantly improved his speed.

He knew doing constant press-ups and maintaining the right diet improved his body.

He knew swinging his sword 1,000 times a day improved his reflexes.

So, considering his vast knowledge, his growth was expected.

However...

What he still failed to understand was how Damien was still STRONGER and more SKILLFUL than him. It had been seven years since their last spar. He was twelve now. Infinitely stronger than he once was.

But Damien was somehow still above him!

Although there was a time when they were roughly equals. Aaron was ten, and Damien was thirteen. Yes, they didn’t spar, but as usual, they sensed their growth. Even their father had been so proud of him and had high hopes for him...

Then, all of a sudden, he woke up one morning and discovered that Damien had left him in the dust.

Aaron was shocked.

And even if their father tried hard not to show it, Aaron knew he was terrified by Damien’s horrifying growth.

However, that wasn’t completely all. Damien’s sudden growth might have been shocking to Aaron, but it did not completely terrify him.

At least, he had always thought of Damien as a true prodigy, so he was more impressed than overwhelmed.

But when the growth did not stop and continued at an alarming rate, Aaron intuitively knew something beyond his understanding was going on. He suspected Damien of also being a reincarnate and said popular earthly words like jet, phones, and cars around Damien.

But Damien had either ignored him or rebuked him in annoyance.

So, he was certain Damien was not a reincarnate.

But still...

’How is he that strong?’

Aaron thought to himself as he forcefully swung his arms, completing the 1,000th swing of his sword.

His shoulders dropped afterward, and his butt fell heavily against the ground as he tiredly stared at the blue clouds, gasping for air.

Seated not too far from him was his sister, Abigail.

She had been quietly watching him and counting along.

So, when he finally dropped the last strike, she suddenly began clapping earnestly with a wide smile on her face.

"You are so impressive, little brother!"