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Chapter 6 - Laying the Foundation (2)

Swoosh!

Thud, roll.

Vrrrrm.

Three days have passed since I holed myself up in the dorm, repeatedly dying and reviving.

Through various experiments, I discovered a few things.

First, repeatedly dying and reviving doesn\'t infinitely increase my mana.

Second, after one revival and mana increase, it takes about six hours to increase again.

Third, even though I could die and revive up to four times a day, the amount of mana gained is far greater than what could be accumulated through conventional "breathing techniques."

"Man, this is insane."

I looked down at the notebook where I recorded the trials and errors of the past three days, feeling a sense of pride.

The mana issue that had shackled me in my previous life...

I never imagined I would solve it in such a ludicrous way.

\'The method to accumulate mana is rather... unconventional.\'

Four times a day.

To increase my mana, I have to take my own life every six hours, no matter how I try to dress it up, this isn\'t a normal method.

"So, I have to die as soon as I wake up in the morning, then die after lunch, die after dinner, and die one last time before going to bed?"

Damn it.

Even I think this is crazy.

"Well, what choice do I have?"

I can\'t accumulate mana using normal methods, so I have no other option.

In my previous life, if Iris had caught me doing this, she would\'ve beaten me until my back was covered in blood, but now there\'s no one left to scold me for being reckless with my life.

"...Tsk."

I suppressed the urge to reminisce about her scoldings and continued thinking.

\'I was worried that using this method would wear out or even erase my stigma.\'

Originally, the power of the Primordial Flame was supposed to consume and erase the stigma.

Somehow, even after absorbing the Primordial Flame, my stigma remained intact, but I couldn\'t help but worry that if I continued using the power of the Primordial Flame, the stigma and the blessing of revival within it might vanish.

\'So far, there\'s been no change.\'

The stigma engraved over my left chest remained completely intact, without any signs of wear or disappearance.

The blessing of revival within it also revived me from death without any difference from before.

"Ha."

Thinking about it, the situation was rather amusing.

\'I endured so long just to escape death.\'

And now, here I am, worrying about the blessing of revival disappearing.

I couldn\'t help but chuckle to myself.

Anyway, the fact that the Primordial Flame couldn\'t erase the "blessing of revival" within my stigma was good news.

\'If I can continue to increase my mana like this... I can reach heights far beyond what I achieved in my previous life.\'

If that happens...

I can protect those I couldn\'t protect.

I can save those I couldn\'t save.

I can...

Stop losing anyone.

"......"

Before memories of my past life could resurface, I opened my eyes.

"Now then, let\'s see..."

With a solid foundation laid, it was time to secure a powerful weapon.

\'A weapon.\'

I began sorting through memories of my previous life, looking for anything that might help.

\'It can\'t be too difficult to obtain or handle.\'

Artifacts from ancient times or weapons imbued with divine power...

A few artifacts I sought across the continent in my previous life came to mind, but all of them were nearly impossible to obtain at this moment.

\'Even if I could get them, I wouldn\'t be able to use them properly.\'

The more powerful the artifact, the higher the level required to wield it. Right now, aside from the memories in my head, most of my skills had been reset.

Even if I managed to get one, I likely wouldn\'t be able to use it effectively.

\'A weapon I can acquire quickly and that can become an immediate asset.\'

One thing came to mind first.

\'Stigma Amplifier.\'

A potion that forces the stigma to go berserk, granting temporary immense power.

For someone like me, who lacked mana, it was a godsend.

\'Though, calling it a weapon feels a bit off.\'

But considering its effect, it\'s powerful enough to outclass most artifacts, so calling it a weapon isn\'t entirely wrong.

Of course.

The side effects were just as severe as the effects were powerful.

Even a single dose would twist your entire body\'s blood vessels, and repeated use could melt your insides, potentially leading to death.

"Well, that doesn\'t matter to me."

I glanced down at the stigma engraved over my left chest and smirked.

"Now that the plan is set, it\'s time to head out."

The place where the creator of the Stigma Amplifier, who later played a crucial role in the war against the demons, resided...

That place is...

\'The Reynald Hero Academy.\'

Yes.

It was the very school I’m currently attending.

* * *

In the office of the Warrior Department professor.

Professor Lucas glared at me with a look that said, "What kind of trouble are you planning now?"

"You want to meet Professor Jade?"

"Yes."

Jade Bastian.

A professor recognized as the continent\'s top expert in stigma research.

"Why Jade all of a sudden? He\'s a researcher, so there\'s no reason for a cadet to seek him out."

"I want to consult with him about my future career."

"But Professor Jade is in charge of the Magic Department, isn’t he?"

"Stigma-related research isn\'t limited by department, right?"

"…Hmm."

Professor Lucas\'s eyes darkened.

"…Career counseling, you say? With Professor Jade?"

He looked at me with eyes as sharp as a beast\'s.

"Do you even know what he\'s called around the school?"

"Of course. How could I not?"

Even after all this time.

Who could forget the infamous "Student Slayer"?

"And yet, you still want to meet him?"

"Isn\'t it just a rumor? The story that Professor Jade killed a student."

"A rumor, huh?"

Professor Lucas frowned in displeasure.

It was hard to believe that someone in the same faculty could react this way, as if students were gossiping about a professor behind his back.

But then, it wasn\'t surprising.

"Two years ago, it was none other than Professor Jade himself who boasted about killing cadet Oscar."

"Wasn\'t the investigation concluded as an accidental incident during an experiment?"

"That\'s only because the bastard is of \'Bastian\' bloodline!"

BANG!

Professor Lucas slammed the desk with a frustrated expression.

"Even if it truly was an accident, a professor shouldn\'t behave like that!"

His massive fist trembled as he continued in a voice full of anger.

"Do you know what that scumbag did in front of Oscar\'s grave? Huh? I heard him clearly insult the deceased student, calling him a \'pathetic bastard\'!"

"Weren\'t you there? Didn\'t you punch Professor Jade in the face, and then get suspended for it?"

"Well… that, uh, ahem. I was still young back then."

"Haha. Anyone would think you were talking about something that happened 20 years ago, Professor."

"Shut up, you brat!"

Professor Lucas yelled, kicking at my shins.

Whoosh.

I naturally twisted my body to avoid his kick.

"You…"

Professor Lucas glared at me with his characteristic predator-like gaze.

"How on earth did you change so much overnight?"

"I returned from the future."

"Bullshit."

No, but seriously.

I really did come back, so it\'s a bit unfair to dismiss it like that.

"You… You didn\'t make a pact with a demon or anything, right?"

"You know that a hero who has awakened the Stigmata of the Seven Gods cannot become a demon."

"…Hmph."

He swallowed hard, frowning as if utterly confused.

If there was one thing I lied to him about…

‘It\'s actually possible for a hero to make a pact with a demon and become one.’

Of course, that\'s a story from the future when the demon\'s seal weakens.

But there\'s no need to mention anything here that could cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

"Well, I guess… Even during your suspension, there\'s no rule against meeting other professors. I\'ll write you a referral, so go ahead."

"Thank you."

"Hmph. Go and die or do whatever you want."

Professor Lucas scribbled a referral with a scowl on his face.

Taking the referral from him, I turned to leave the office.

Click.

As I was about to open the door and walk out,

"…If anything happens, come straight to me."

I heard Professor Lucas\'s voice behind me, filled with concern.

I smiled faintly and nodded.

\'Geez.\'

He was really different from how he looked.

* * *

Professor Jade\'s lab was located in the most secluded corner of the school.

The campus was so vast that most cadets probably didn\'t even know a lab existed in such a hidden place.

-Knock, knock.

I knocked on the firmly closed door of the lab.

-Knock, knock, knock.

I tried knocking several times, but there was no answer from inside.

-Bang, bang, bang.

"Professor Jade. I know you\'re inside."

This time, I knocked harder on the door.

Soon, with a creak, the door slowly opened.

A foul stench immediately wafted out as the door opened.

Peeking inside through the crack, I saw a lab so messy it looked like a haunted house.

"Who… are you?"

An old man peeked out through the slightly open door.

Wrinkled skin and age spots covered his face.

His white hair was matted, looking like it hadn\'t been washed in days, and he wore a robe so filthy it couldn\'t even be used as a rag.

He looked just like the Professor Jade I remembered.

"I\'m Dale Han, a third-year cadet from the Warrior Department."

"…What do you want?"

"I’m interested in your research, Professor. Here, a referral from Professor Lucas."

"……."

Professor Jade took the referral and began to chuckle, his shoulders shaking.

"You\'re interested in my research?"

"Yes, particularly in the potion that affects the Stigmata."

"Uh, ha, ha, hahaha!!!"

Professor Jade let out a bizarre laugh, like a beast corrupted by the blessing of a demon.

"Do you… know who I am?"

"Yes."

"Heh, heh, heh! And you still want to join my research?"

Professor Jade burst into mad laughter, drooling as if he had gone insane.

BANG!

He violently flung open the door that had been slightly ajar and grabbed me by the collar.

With eyes gleaming with madness, he whispered ominously.

"You… are going to die."

"Oh, really?"

Well, try it if you can.