Chapter 5: Laying the Foundation (1)

Inside the worn-out dormitory room, I sat alone on my bed, absentmindedly rubbing my still-stinging cheek. The overwhelming disparity between the gentle and kind Iris from my memories and the Iris who had just grabbed me by the collar and cursed me out was staggering.

“What the hell was that?”

Is this how Professor Kane felt when he saw me after my regression? But why did she react that way? It’s not like my return could’ve influenced her.

There was only one possible explanation.

Even though we spent so much time together, I didn’t even know what the woman I loved was really like.

I let out a self-deprecating sigh and clicked my tongue.

Back then, Iris had always been warm and compassionate, but whenever she faced demons or demonic monsters, she displayed a level of ruthlessness that could make even the most hardened warriors flinch. However, I just attributed it to her being a Saintess of the Seven Star Church.

To the devout followers of the Seven Gods, the servants of the Demon God were nothing less than mortal enemies. So, I had assumed her occasional displays of ferocity were simply expressions of her faith.

Yet, I now realized that she had a temper all along

.

Learning something about her that I had never realized in my past life—no, something I had failed to see precisely because we had been lovers—left me with a strange mix of emotions.

I felt the satisfaction of uncovering a new side of her, but also the bitterness that, to her, I was now just another stranger not even worth putting on a facade for.

This made me concerned about something else: what would happen when I met my other former comrades?

“Come to think of it, the only one I really knew during my cadet days was Berald.”

Yuren, Senior Sophia, and Iris had all attended the academy around the same time as I had, but I had never been close to any of them at the academy and even after I graduated. The only connection I had built during those years was the one with Berald, and even that happened because we were both struggling cadets who got stuck in supplementary classes together. It wasn’t until long after we graduated that we truly became comrades.

As much as I wanted to see them right away, I knew I wasn’t ready. If I let my emotions take over like they had with Iris, I would only make a fool of myself. I realized I would have to hold off meeting them for now.

“I need to get my act together before seeking them out.”

Letting out a deep sigh, I pushed aside my lingering disappointment. Reuniting with my former comrades wasn’t the priority right now.

First, I need to assess my condition.

Closing my eyes, I slowly drew upon my mana. I could feel a pathetic trickle of energy spreading through my body, centering around my soul stigmata. But after scanning my physical condition, I frowned.

“This is a mess.”

Sure, my body was at least somewhat trained; after all, I was an aspiring hero, but that didn’t mean much. My muscle balance was off, my core strength was underdeveloped, and my endurance was lacking.

I needed to build my basic strength and stamina first. At least that wouldn’t be too difficult. Berald had practically beaten those lessons into me. Since I had the luxury of dying and coming back to life, he had put me through training so grueling that dying had often been the least of my concerns.

However, the main problem that I had to resolve was something else: my pitifully small amount of mana. Even in my past life, my lack of mana had caused me endless trouble. Now, my current mana was a fraction of what it had been before I regressed.

I couldn’t help but click my tongue. No matter how skilled I was with a sword or in hand-to-hand combat, pure technique could only take me so far.

In the realm of heroes, the amount of mana was the equivalent of weight class in boxing. If the difference in the mana levels of two heroes was too great in a fight, it would lead to a situation where the attacks of the one with the lower mana simply wouldn’t land on the one with the greater mana, no matter how well-placed the attacks were.

I could stab an opponent right in the vital spot, but if they had an overwhelmingly greater amount of mana than I had, my blade would just bounce off.

Well, I still have my cards if I encounter such a fight,

I thought. I had fought against stronger opponents countless times in my past life and had developed workarounds and ways to bridge the gap.

However, a workaround was just a desperate measure taken when no other option was available. It was a last resort, not the solution to a problem. The best way to avoid being disadvantaged in such a situation was to increase my mana reserves, no matter what it took.

“So, I need to find a way to increase my mana,

huh

?” I sighed deeply.

Heroes could use a well-known method to increase their mana reserves—by practicing breathing techniques. There were seven types of breathing techniques, each corresponding to one of the seven types of soul stigmata: Sun, Moon, Stars, Sky, Earth, Sea, and Forest.

This was how heroes refined and stored mana within their soul stigmata, channeling the breath of the gods into their bodies. I knew all seven breathing techniques, but that didn’t matter.

“

Tch

, what’s the point of knowing them when they don’t work on me?”

No matter how much I practiced, I had never been able to accumulate mana through breathing techniques. Maybe it was a lack of talent, or maybe it was something else entirely. I had never figured out the reason.

Even if the amount of mana each person accumulates varies, the fact that I can’t store any at all is just ridiculous.

I had struggled endlessly in my past life, trying to find a way to increase my mana. The mere thought of going through all that again gave me a headache.

“

Hmm

... Still, maybe something changed when I regressed?” I wondered.

It was worth checking. Taking a deep breath, I sat cross-legged on the bed and slowly cycled through the breathing techniques. I started with the Forest Breathing Technique because my soul stigmata belonged to the Forest God.

Then, one by one, I went through the Sun, Moon, Stars, Sky, Earth, and Sea Breathing Techniques.

After completing all seven, I slowly opened my eyes. I was panting. However, the amount of mana within my soul stigmata was the same, with not even the slightest increase.

“For fuck’s sake!”

Looks like breathing techniques are a lost cause. I should’ve known better than to get my hopes up,

I thought.

This meant that I had to turn to more unconventional methods. A few options came to mind, such as elixirs, magical creatures, and artifacts.

None of them are easy to get my hands on right now.

As a cadet, I was restricted in where I could go. Even if I managed to reach places with those objects, there was no guarantee I would be able to obtain what I needed.

“

Ugh

.”

As I clutched my head, lost in thought, a memory surfaced. It was the ancient record I had discovered in a long-forgotten ruin.

“Wasn’t it said that the Primordial Flame was the reason mana was created?”

To be precise, the story went like this: In the distant past, as the Tree of Creation grew, it gave birth to the world and eight gods. Each of these gods followed their own sacred laws to shape the world.

The first god created the sun, the second created the moon, the third created the stars, the fourth created the sky, the fifth created the earth, the sixth created the sea, the seventh created the forests, and the eighth broke the sacred laws of creation and created the first fire.

That was the Primordial Flame. The eighth god, who had betrayed the others and defied the order of creation, later became known as the Demon God. With the flames of the Primordial Flame, the Demon God burned the Tree of Creation to ashes.

From the Tree’s destruction, mana was born—an extraordinary power, often called the breath of the gods.

“The Primordial Flame,” I muttered. I had already confirmed that the fire I had absorbed in my past life hadn’t disappeared upon my return. But how was I supposed to control it?

“I can’t even feel the faintest ember of the Primordial Flame.”

If I wanted any hope of controlling it, I had to at least sense it. “Let’s see... The last time I felt the energy of the Primordial Flame was definitely...”

My gaze naturally drifted to the sword resting beside my bed.

“Damn it!” A quiet curse escaped my lips as I let out a sigh and drew the sword from its sheath. The same sword that had severed my head before pressed coldly against my neck. At this point, I wasn’t afraid of death.

Well, it’s not like this is my first time.

With practiced ease, I tightened my grip. A chilling sensation spread across my body as the razor-sharp edge bit into my flesh. No matter how many times I had faced death, I could never get used to the feeling of a blade slicing into my skin.

My severed head hit the floor and tumbled away. A rush of warmth surged from my open neck as blood splattered, and darkness swallowed my vision.

After a few seconds, the soul stigmata carved into my left chest pulsed with light, and my vision was restored.

I exhaled a quiet sigh and reached for my neck. The head that had just rolled across the floor was now firmly reattached, as if time had rewound itself.

I tried to shake off the lingering sensation of the blade against my skin, but a searing pain, as if a burning brand had been pressed against my chest, flared around my soul stigmata. Faint flames flickered to life around it. This was something I had never experienced in my past life.

If this is because of the Primordial Flame... then those faint flames surrounding the soul stigmata must be its manifestation.

“

Tch

.”

I closed my eyes and sat cross-legged on the bed, steadying my breath. Recalling the meditation method Senior Sophia had taught me, I focused my entire consciousness on my left chest. A floating sensation spread through my body as I concentrated.

I can feel it.

It was faint, but undeniably there—a fire, burning fiercely with an undeniable presence.

Although I managed to sense the energy of the Primordial Flame, I had no idea what to do next. I tried pouring all my willpower into controlling the fire, but it was like trying to grasp a raging inferno with my bare hands; the fire was completely unresponsive.

It won’t move at all.

After five minutes of intense focus, sweat dripped down my face, and the burning pain in my chest vanished along with the fire’s presence.

Clicking my tongue in frustration, I broke my meditation.

I still can’t control the Primordial Flame at will.

At least I had managed to sense it, but that was as far as I got. I let out a sigh of disappointment when something happened.

“

Huh

?”

Something felt different. I sensed a shift in the soul stigmata’s energy.

What the hell?

To confirm, I circulated the mana within the soul stigmata throughout my body. The shift was subtle, so much so that I would have missed it if I weren’t paying attention.

“My mana has increased?”

The difference was slight, but the total amount of mana I possessed had undeniably grown.

“

Hah!

” A dry chuckle slipped from my lips. “So, you’re telling me... Every time I die, my mana increases automatically?”