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Chapter 57: Midterm Evaluation (2)

"Let\'s see then."

Back in my dorm room, I sat cross-legged on the bed.

Normally, I would be in the training grounds, swinging my sword and working up a sweat, but for the new technique I was focused on lately, there was no need to go there.

Ssshh...

I slowly inhaled, closing my eyes.

My vision darkened.

In the pitch-black void, a massive flame erupted.

The Primordial Flame.

The fire that is said to have once burned the Tree of Creation in ancient times, now roared ferociously as if to engulf the entire world.

A creation of my mind, forged into a symbol.

I wandered through this mental world, gazing at the raging flames.

"Arise."

I extended my hand toward the ferocious flames, commanding them.

The Primordial Flame, which did not stir, remained motionless.

This was as usual.

"Now, this is where it gets important."

After my battle with Astaroth, I spent every night studying how to control the Primordial Flame, even cutting into my sleep time.

Through repeated research, I discovered two key features.

‘First, the Primordial Flame reacts to my \'death\' at intervals of about 5 to 6 hours.’

This was something I had already somewhat figured out during my mana training.

But the second feature was the truly important one.

‘During the 5 minutes when the Primordial Flame reacts, if I give it a strong command imbued with willpower, I can move it according to my will.’

It\'s like using my \'death\' as bait to lure the Primordial Flame and reeling it in with the rod of \'willpower.\'

‘Of course, it’s not as simple as it sounds.’

Clicking my tongue, I refocused my mind.

"Whoo..."

I slowly exhaled the breath I had held in, creating a tiny mana bullet within my body.

It was smaller than a grain of rice.

The mana bullet, flowing through my internal energy channels, gathered in my heart.

And then—

Pop!

The condensed mana bullet exploded, and my heart burst.

For an ordinary person, this would have been a fatal wound.

But—

Vrrrrrmmmm!

The Blessing of Revival activated, rapidly regenerating my shattered heart.

Before my heart fully healed, as the Primordial Flame reacted to my \'death\'—

‘Now!’

I stretched my hand toward the raging flames, giving a command with fierce intent.

"Arise."

The Primordial Flame, which hadn’t budged before, began to move slowly.

A small flicker of flame appeared in my palm.

I brought the wavering flame, no bigger than a candle\'s flame, to my left chest.

Fwoosh!

The tiny flame, which had been no bigger than a candle, started to grow as it engulfed my heart.

‘It\'s working!’

The flames soon began to wrap around my entire body.

I opened my eyes and got up from the bed.

"Haa..."

With my exhalation, gray ashes mixed with my breath.

Ssssss...

The sound of flesh burning filled the air as gray ashes started to seep from every pore of my body like smoke.

Although it wasn’t the same overwhelming surge of infinite mana that I experienced in my battle with Astaroth in my ‘Incarnation of Fire’ state—

‘My mana is recovering.’

I could feel my stigmas, which had been half empty, gradually filling with mana.

"That\'s it!"

I clenched my fist in triumph, and gray ashes slipped between my fingers like grains of sand.

‘Finally, it\'s moving, you stubborn thing!’

The thrill of finally controlling the Primordial Flame, which had always ignored my commands, was beyond words.

It sent an exhilarating shiver down my spine.

"Well... It’s still nowhere near as powerful as when I was in the Incarnation of Fire state."

I clicked my tongue again as I looked down at my body, where the gray ashes were still rising.

Unlike before, when my entire body was consumed by flames and a storm of ash swept the surroundings, the ashes now rising from my body were more like faint wisps of smoke from a dying fire.

‘But still, the fact that it\'s responding at all is progress.’

Compared to when the flame didn\'t move at all, this was a huge step forward.

"Alright, I’ve confirmed that my mana is recovering automatically."

Next, it was time to test something else.

Shing.

Drawing my sword, I slowly channeled mana into it.

Like oil fueling a flame, the blade caught fire.

Although the flame didn’t blaze with the intensity that could devour the world, as it had when I was in the Incarnation of Fire state, the flames flickering along the sword’s edge radiated a fierce sense of pressure.

‘The power of the Primordial Flame has fused with my mana.’

It felt like the Primordial Flame had melted into my mana.

Instead of having to control the flame actively, as long as I moved my mana, the power of the Primordial Flame naturally emerged alongside it.

‘I can’t test the full power of this in a small room.’

But based on my battle with Astaroth, I knew that the mana infused with the Primordial Flame’s power was as strong as any powerful artifact.

"Alright... So the final effects are automatic mana recovery and the infusion of the Primordial Flame’s power into my mana. Those two things?"

While it didn’t increase the total amount of mana like the Incarnation of Fire state, the recovery and enhancement alone made learning this technique more than worthwhile.

"I guess for now, it’s like a weaker version of the Incarnation of Fire..."

Even if it was a weaker version, the effects were still strong enough to rival even mythical-level artifacts.

"Let’s call it \'Ignition.\'"

Since the technique ignites flames, "Ignition" seemed like a fitting name.

It also made sense, given that when I used the technique, my body emitted gray smoke and the sound of burning flesh.

‘Naming a technique appropriately is important.’

Especially for a technique that involves mental imagery like this one.

‘If I use a Stigma Amplifier along with this…’

I could use the Stigma Amplifier to increase the amount of mana, while Ignition would enhance the quality of the mana.

If I combined both—

"I might even be able to take on the Archbishop."

Of course, both the Stigma Amplifier and this newly learned technique, Ignition, had a five-minute time limit, but during that brief period, I’d wield enough power to go head-to-head with the Archbishop without hesitation.

"Though I doubt I\'ll need to use either for this mid-term evaluation."

There was no reason to use up my best cards just to hunt some low-level magical beasts.

\'Besides, I promised not to use the stigmata enhancer during the exam.\'

I could use ignition, but it\'s not like I’m that desperate to take first place.

\'And I still can’t control the primordial flame perfectly either.\'

Since the primordial flame itself was a power with more mysteries than certainties, I had to be cautious in its use.

"Well then."

Hissss.

After some time, the hissing sound ceased, and the gray smoke rising from my body dissipated.

And what remained was—

“…First, I should probably clean up this room.”

Looking around at the room covered in ash, I started gathering cleaning supplies.

* * *

The next day.

The Inspectorate candidates finished arming themselves and moved to the testing grounds.

"The time limit is eight hours! Your midterm grade will be determined by who scores the most points within that time!"

At Professor Lucas\' shout, the candidates lined up in their chosen sectors.

I chose a mountainous terrain as my starting point.

As the most typical terrain, it had almost twice as many candidates lined up as other sectors.

"Alright, ten people at a time, step forward to the warp device."

Ten candidates in line stepped up onto the warp device.

"When the warp device activates, you\'ll be randomly transported to a location within your chosen sector."

Professor Lucas continued as he powered on the warp device.

"Keep your wits about you—there’s a chance you might land right in front of a demonic beast."

"Yes, sir!"

"Oh, and don’t forget to use your Hero Watch to call for help if you\'re in danger. Don’t be foolish and die because you overestimated yourself. Understood?"

"We\'ll keep that in mind!"

With that loud response,

"Good luck."

The warp device activated.

The candidates vanished in a swirl of blue light.

"Dale."

Just before getting on the warp device, Yuren, who had also chosen the mountainous terrain, turned back to look at me.

“…I won’t lose."

"That won’t be easy."

I chuckled and followed him onto the warp device.

Wuuuung!

The blue light enveloped me, and I felt as though I was floating above the clouds.

* * *

“Ugh… It’s been a while since I used a warp.”

I rubbed my slightly dizzy head and looked around.

Dense underbrush.

Trees over 15 meters tall.

The scent of nature filled my nose.

“Hah.”

As I took in my surroundings, a low chuckle escaped my lips.

“I can’t believe I landed in the same place as my past life.”

It had seemed familiar at first glance, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was the exact same place where I had fallen during the midterm in my previous life.

‘Whether it’s coincidence or fate, I don’t know.’

But returning here brought back vivid memories from my past life.

"Now that I think about it, this was the day."

A faint smile appeared on my face as I recalled more memories.

The reason why this place felt so familiar.

‘This is where I first experienced death.’

I had been walking nervously when a beast had leapt out from the bushes and torn into my neck.

\'Back then, I thought my life had ended there.\'

Who would’ve thought I’d not only awaken to the "Blessing of Revival" and come back to life, but also rewind time and return to the past.

Looking back now, it really had been a tumultuous life.

"Well, I’d better get moving."

I knew that a "Unicorn" had first been discovered in this mountainous terrain, but I didn’t know the exact location.

At the time, my mind had been consumed with trying to understand why I was still alive after having my head torn off.

Rustle, rustle.

As I moved through the underbrush, pushing aside branches and leaves—

“Grrraaaargh!”

With a savage roar, a black figure sprang from the bushes.

“Whoa there.”

I quickly dodged the demonic beast’s attack, creating some distance as I examined it.

It had the appearance of a wolf.

Its vicious fangs were dripping with saliva, and its claws were as sharp as blades.

Its three blood-red eyes gleamed menacingly.

"Oh?"

Seeing the beast that had emerged from the bushes, I couldn’t help but laugh again.

And for good reason—

“Well, long time no see.”

The beast before me was the same one that had introduced me to the experience of "death" in my previous life.

“How’ve you been?”

I chuckled and waved at the wolf-like beast.