That morning, Silvergard Fortress was almost completely cut off from the outside world.
A blizzard swept mercilessly across the Borealis Continent.
The wind howled between the black stone towers, carrying shards of ice that struck the fortress walls like thousands of needles.
The outer courtyard lay beneath a thick blanket of snow, while white mist obscured the watchtowers until only their faint silhouettes could occasionally be seen.
The border soldiers continued their patrols, clad in thick fur cloaks and protective gear designed to withstand the bitter cold of the northern territories.
Every breath turned into white vapor before vanishing into the storm.
Yet deep within the main residence of House of Silver, the harsh weather felt like a problem from another world.
Fireplaces burned along the corridors.
The scent of burning fir wood mingled with the aroma of warm soup drifting from the kitchen, while servants went about their usual duties, carrying household supplies from one room to another.
In one of the warmest rooms in the mansion, Aiden von Silver was enjoying a peaceful morning.
At least, that had been the plan.
Aiden sat on a thick carpet, playing with several wooden blocks that he had stacked into a small tower.
His black hair was slightly disheveled, while his sapphire-blue eyes followed each block he placed with a degree of precision that was rather excessive for a two-year-old.
At last, the tower stood upright.
Aiden nodded in satisfaction.
The structure is stable.
Its center of gravity remains within the base of support.
Not bad.
He paused and examined his creation.
Incredible.
Forty years of life, six max-level avatars, and experience exploring twenty-one worlds…
and now I’m spending my morning building a tower out of blocks.
Aiden let out a small sigh.
The truth was, he did not hate this life.
Quite the opposite.
The warmth of the fireplace, the sound of servants’ footsteps, and the presence of his family had given him something he had never truly possessed in his previous life.
It was just that this peaceful existence often came with problems he had never asked for.
And one of those problems had silver hair, a muscular build, and a tendency to believe that almost any issue could be solved through physical training.
His name was Cedric von Silver.
His second-oldest brother.
Or, in Aiden’s personal assessment, House of Silver’s walking disaster.
The bedroom door opened without a knock.
“Yo, Aiden!”
Aiden turned his head.
Cedric stood in the doorway with a broad grin that looked far too suspicious to be a good sign.
In his hand was a small barbell-like object with wooden weights at both ends.
Aiden stared at the object.
Then at Cedric.
Then back at the object.
No.
He had no idea what his brother was planning, but the instincts he had developed through decades of surviving in Pantheon immediately sounded the alarm.
Whatever happens, don’t let that thing get anywhere near me.
Unfortunately, his two-year-old body lacked the ability to escape at any respectable speed.
Cedric stepped inside, shut the door with his heel, and placed the wooden barbell on the carpet.
“Look at this! I made it myself.”
Aiden tilted his head, putting on the curious expression expected of an ordinary toddler.
Cedric crouched in front of him, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
“Starting today, we’re going to have some special training!”
My bad feeling was right.
“Stop clinging to Elena all the time,” Cedric continued in the tone of a coach preparing to deliver an important speech.
“You need to learn how to become a strong man. You’re a boy of House of Silver! The blood of warriors runs through your veins!”
Aiden blinked slowly.
“El… Elena?”
“Yeah, yeah. Elena loves you. Maybe a little too much, actually.”
Cedric snorted.
“If this keeps up, you’ll grow into a soft noble who can’t even lift a sword.”
He thumped his chest.
“Look at me! Strength doesn’t come out of nowhere. You earn it through training!”
Aiden glanced at Cedric’s muscular arms.
He could not deny that his brother had an impressive physique.
At sixteen, Cedric had spent so much time on the training grounds that the soldiers knew him as a young man who was more likely to lift a weapon than open a book.
The problem was that Cedric also had a habit of measuring everyone else’s abilities against his own standards.
And that was a very dangerous habit.
“Now,” Cedric said, pushing the wooden barbell toward Aiden, “try lifting this.”
Aiden studied the object carefully.
“This…?”
“A training barbell. It weighs only two kilograms. Perfect for getting started with the basics.”
Two kilograms?
In his previous life, a weight like that would not even have qualified as a challenge.
But in his current body, two kilograms was more than just a number.
It was a load his tiny, underdeveloped muscles had to bear, supported by joints that were still fragile and coordination that had yet to mature.
Aiden understood the principles of physical development.
He also knew how to regulate his strength, maintain balance, and make use of proper mechanics.
Unfortunately, knowledge could not replace muscle strength he had yet to develop.
“Hold it here,” Cedric instructed, helping position his younger brother’s hands.
“Then lift it slowly. Don’t give up before you even try!”
Aiden looked at his brother.
He wanted to explain that a child his age should not be doing this kind of weight training.
He even wanted to discuss bone development and the risk of injury from lifting weights that were inappropriate for his age.
But all that came out of his mouth was a childish murmur.
“Mm…”
Cedric nodded enthusiastically, as though he had just received the approval of a student ready to face a life-or-death trial.
“Good! Now, lift!”
Aiden took a breath.
He gripped the barbell with both hands, tensed his arms, and tried to lift it off the floor.
The object shifted slightly.
Only a few centimeters.
Yet a tremor immediately traveled through both his arms.
His wrists felt unstable, while his shoulders struggled to maintain their position.
Aiden tried again.
The barbell rose a little higher before stopping.
His small muscles began to tremble violently.
This makes no sense.
He tried adjusting his elbows and shifting his center of balance.
In theory, the movement should have reduced the load on certain muscle groups.
Yet his body still refused to cooperate.
His strength drained far faster than he had anticipated.
His face reddened, his breathing grew shallow, and a bead of sweat appeared at his temple.
Then—
Thud!
The barbell slipped from his grasp and fell back onto the carpet.
Aiden immediately pulled both hands against his chest.
It wasn’t an act.
His arms genuinely ached.
Cedric froze.
He stared at the barbell, then at Aiden, then back at the barbell, as though the object had just betrayed him.
“Huh?”
He picked it up and lifted it with one hand.
“Wait. This really is only two kilograms.”
Aiden looked at him expressionlessly.
Thank you for that incredibly enlightening explanation.
Cedric raised the barbell several times to confirm its weight, then frowned.
“Why did your hands start shaking so quickly? Even children raised in military barracks sometimes get used to carrying light equipment at your age.”
He paused.
Then his shoulders slumped.
“Aiden… your physical condition really is weak.”
Aiden lowered his head, trying to hide the corners of his mouth as they threatened to twitch.
Your point of comparison is children raised in military environments.
Isn’t that precisely why they shouldn’t be the standard for every child?
Cedric, however, was already lost in his own disappointment.
“If this keeps up, your muscles won’t be any stronger than raw bread dough!”
He rubbed his chin, considering a solution with the seriousness of a general devising a military strategy.
Aiden silently hoped his brother would realize his mistake.
That hope lasted only a few seconds.
“All right!” Cedric clapped his hands.
“If lifting weights is too difficult, we’ll start with an easier exercise!”
Aiden eyed him suspiciously.
“Ex… exercise?”
“Wall push-ups!”
For the first time that morning, Aiden was genuinely afraid.
“One… hundred?”
“One hundred!” Cedric declared proudly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you!”
That is not something to be proud of!
Cedric reached out, picked up Aiden’s tiny body, and hoisted him over his shoulder in the manner soldiers used to carry an injured comrade.
The movement was not rough, but it was sudden enough to startle Aiden.
“Bro… Cedric… put me down!”
“Don’t worry! I’ll make sure your training goes smoothly!”
“No… want!”
“Good! You’re already showing fighting spirit!”
Aiden closed his eyes for a moment.
If this isn’t an abuse of an older brother’s authority, I don’t know what is.
He could have resisted in some way, but that would only risk drawing Cedric’s attention to something he did not want to reveal.
Besides, his body was genuinely beginning to ache after the attempt to lift the barbell.
So he chose the safest strategy available.
Pretend to be an exhausted toddler.
As Cedric marched toward the bedroom wall with an absurd amount of enthusiasm, Aiden let his head droop limply over his brother’s shoulder.
Inwardly, he began compiling a long list of reasons why this training session needed to end.
Unfortunately, he had not even finished his third reason when they reached the doorway.
And that was where an even greater disaster awaited them.
Elena von Silver stood in the corridor.
The eight-year-old girl had just returned from the library.
Several thin books rested in her arms, and her long black hair fell neatly over her shoulders.
At first, she had intended to visit her little brother before continuing her lessons.
But the moment she saw Cedric carrying Aiden over his shoulder, she stopped in her tracks.
Her eyes moved from Aiden’s exhausted face to the wooden barbell still in Cedric’s hand.
Silence descended upon the corridor.
“Elena?” Cedric greeted her with an awkward smile.
Elena slowly placed her books on a small table beside the wall.
“Cedric.”
Her voice was calm.
Far too calm.
“What are you doing to Aiden?”
Cedric swallowed.
The survival instincts that usually surfaced only when he faced ferocious monsters on the training grounds suddenly began working remarkably well.
“Ah… this?” He tried to laugh.
“Ha ha ha! I was just taking him through a little training. You know, to make him stronger when he grows up.”
Elena did not answer.
She simply looked at Aiden.
“Aiden, do you want to train?”
Aiden lifted his head slightly.
He looked at his older sister, then slowly shook his head.
“No…”
One word.
Two syllables.
Yet to Cedric, that answer sounded like a court’s final verdict.
Elena turned back toward him.
“Put Aiden down.”
“Sure, but listen to my explanation first—”
“Now.”
Cedric immediately lowered Aiden carefully.
The moment his little feet touched the floor, Aiden hurried over to Elena and hid behind her dress.
He clutched the fabric with both hands, peeking out from the side.
Elena placed one hand on her younger brother’s head.
Her gaze toward Cedric, on the other hand, held not a trace of softness.
“You brought a two-kilogram barbell for a two-year-old, then planned to make him do a hundred push-ups?”
Cedric scratched his cheek.
“When you put it like that, it does sound a little excessive…”
“A little?”
Elena repeated the words in a flat tone.
Cedric immediately straightened his back.
“I mean, I took his safety into consideration!”
Elena glanced at the barbell in his hand.
“How?”
Cedric opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
He was a young man who could swing a heavy mace repeatedly without complaint.
He could argue with a training instructor about combat techniques, but facing Elena when Aiden’s safety was at stake was an entirely different matter.
At Silvergard Fortress, the soldiers knew an unwritten rule about the little girl.
Never underestimate the Little Queen of Silvergard once she has made up her mind.
Especially when that decision concerns her younger brother.
“Cedric,” Elena said, still speaking calmly, “if you force him to train like that again, I’ll make sure your entire month’s allowance of roast meat is confiscated.”
Cedric went pale.
“A whole month?!”
“And given to the guard dogs at the outer gate.”
Cedric stared at her in horror.
That threat was far more terrifying than extra punishment on the training grounds.
“There’s no need to go that far, Elena! We’re family!”
“Then treat Aiden like family.”
Her words silenced him.
For a moment, Elena’s expression softened as she felt Aiden’s small hand tugging at the hem of her dress.
She crouched down, examined his face, and smoothed his messy black hair.
“Do your hands hurt?”
Aiden nodded slightly.
“A little…”
This time, Cedric genuinely felt guilty.
He had meant to train Aiden, not hurt him.
But he was so accustomed to measuring ability in terms of strength and endurance that he had forgotten his younger brother’s body was still developing.
“All right,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head.
“Maybe I got a little too carried away.”
Elena turned toward him.
“You think?”
Cedric immediately raised both hands in surrender.
“I’m sorry! I won’t make him lift a barbell again!”
“Good.”
“And there won’t be any wall push-ups!”
“Good.”
“At least until he’s—”
“Cedric.”
“All right! All right! I’m leaving!”
Cedric picked up his barbell, backed away a few steps, then turned and fled down the corridor.
His voice could still be heard in the distance.
“Aiden! When you grow up, you should thank your big brother for trying to build up your body!”
Elena let out a long sigh.
“Idiot.”
Aiden, still hiding behind her dress, looked toward the now-empty corridor.
At least I survived a hundred push-ups today.
He turned toward Elena.
Preliminary conclusion: the greatest threat to a baby isn’t a monster, a curse, or some mysterious power from another world.
It’s an overconfident older brother.
Elena turned to face him.
All the tension disappeared from her expression the moment she saw Aiden’s little face.
She knelt and opened her arms.
“Come here, Aiden.”
Aiden immediately approached her.
Elena hugged him tightly and gently rubbed his back.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t here when Cedric took you to train.”
Aiden shook his head.
“It’s okay… Big Sister Elena came.”
That simple sentence brought a broad smile to Elena’s face.
“Of course. I’ll always come whenever you need help.”
Aiden rested his head against her shoulder.
The warmth of Elena’s body, the faint scent of the books she had just brought from the library, and the sound of the storm muffled by the fortress walls created a sense of peace he had never found in his previous life.
In the past, Leo had been accustomed to facing threats alone.
In Pantheon, he could rely on the six avatars he had developed over many years.
He understood combat, read attack patterns, and knew that even the strongest enemies had weaknesses.
Yet none of that changed the fact that outside the game, he had been nothing more than someone trying to survive until the following day.
Now, he had a family.
An older sister who would scold anyone to protect him, even if that person happened to be his own brother.
Aiden closed his eyes for a moment.
If this is what a cheat code in a second life looks like, I don’t mind having one.
Elena lifted him into her arms and carried him back to his room.
“We’ll put a warm cloth on your hands, and then I’ll read you a book. How does that sound?”
Aiden nodded.
“Book… dragon?”
“Dragons again?” Elena laughed softly.
“All right. But after that, you have to rest.”
Aiden had no objections.
For the first time that morning, he could truly enjoy some time without having to think about training, monsters, or the mysteries surrounding his birth.
Yet as Elena sat with him near the fireplace and began opening the book, Aiden looked down at his hands.
The trembling caused by lifting the barbell had subsided, but he could still feel the enormous gap between the knowledge stored in his mind and the capabilities of his small body.
He knew how a fighter should move.
He understood how an assassin controlled their steps, how a martial artist shifted their center of gravity, and how a mage manipulated energy with precision.
It was the possibility that the connection could influence him—even when he did nothing at all.