Chapter 16: Mental Training (1)

In the research laboratory so rundown that it looked like it might collapse at any moment, Professor Bastion’s wrinkled eyes widened. “You secured the research funds?”

“Yes. Just as you requested, one million gold. I brought it,” I replied.

He stared at me in disbelief.

I could understand his reaction.

Well, who can blame him? What kind of cadet walks into a professor’s office with a million gold, saying they want to join his research? Especially when that professor is dabbling in what the Holy Empire would call an unforgivable forbidden research.

“You… are you out of your mind?” he asked.

I never thought I would hear that from Professor Bastion. I replied, “You were the one who said we would need at least a million gold to even start the research, weren’t you?”

His expression made it clear that he had never expected me to bring the money. “I did say that, but aren’t you studying here on a scholarship from the Republic? How did you come up with one million gold?”

“So, you’ve been looking into me?”

“Cut the nonsense and just answer the question.” Professor Bastion’s wrinkled brows furrowed deeply.

I shrugged and casually answered, “I borrowed it from a friend.”

“You borrowed it? One million gold?”

“Have you ever heard of Jules Kang?”

“Can’t say I have.”

“He’s the son of one of the five wealthiest families in the Republic. Also, my friend.”

“Hmm!”

Even so, lending that kind of money, especially to a cadet, wasn’t something just anyone would do. That wasn’t a casual favor.

“And why exactly are you so desperate to participate in my research on soul stigmata?” Professor Bastion asked.

“There’s something I really need you to make, Professor.”

“You want me to make something?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

As he looked at me with curiosity, I spoke quietly. “A Soul Stigmata Amplifier Potion.”

“Soul Stigmata Amplifier Potion?”

“To put it simply, it’s a potion that artificially overdrives a soul stigmata to increase mana output.”

For someone like me, who was constantly short on mana, it would be like rain in a drought. Sure, the increase would be temporary, but the sheer amount of mana generated during a soul stigmata surge far exceeded what any elixir or magical creature could give.

If I had that amplifier potion during my duel with Professor Kane, the outcome would’ve been different. The one hurled onto the wall wouldn’t have been me, but Professor Kane. Of course, with power came a cost.

“To artificially overdrive a soul stigmata, huh… Hah, hahaha!” Professor Bastion’s shoulders shook as a disturbing, metallic rasp slipped from his throat. “You. You really don’t know what happens when you force a soul stigmata into overdrive, do you?”

“I do.”

His eyes flared, sharp and dangerous. “And you still say this nonsense? The soul stigmata isn’t just some mana container; it’s the core that circulates mana throughout your body. It’s like a second heart. And you want to overdrive that? Artificially?”

He had done his share of reckless experiments, but even he found the idea of a Soul Stigmata Amplifier Potion outright insane. “If you force a soul stigmata to surge, your entire energy network gets twisted. Before long, your organs rupture, and you die in excruciating pain.”

At the end of the day, it was basically poison.

“Maybe, just maybe, with enough trial and error, you could make something that won’t kill you the first time. But use it more than once? Your body won’t survive,” he added.

“I don’t need to survive it,” I replied.

“What did you say?”

“As long as it works, I don’t care if I die after taking it once.”

A sigh slipped from Professor Bastion’s lips. He waved his hand, clearly done with this conversation. “Get out of my lab. Now.”

His voice left no room for negotiation. He even turned his face away in disgust.

Well, I guess that’s fair, I thought.

If the roles were reversed, I would’ve thought I was crazy, too. I realized that to convince him to research the Soul Stigmata Amplifier Potion, I had to bring out my trump card.

Guess I don’t have a choice.

I drew the sword from my waist.

Professor Bastion looked at me with a scoff, half laughing. “Don’t tell me… You’re trying to threaten me with that?”

“Would that work on someone like you? A man who kept researching soul stigmata in secret despite pressure from the Holy Empire?”

“Then what?”

“It’ll be faster if I just show you.” I raised the blade to my neck and slashed. Blood sprayed out like a fountain, and my severed head rolled across the floor with a dull thud.

“W-what the hell?!” Professor Bastion shot up from his seat in panic.

As the blood continued to pour, he stumbled back, utterly bewildered.

“Huh?

”

The blood that had drenched his body suddenly turned to gray ash and crumbled to the ground.

“Do you understand now? Why I said it didn’t matter if I died?” My voice rang out.

Professor Bastion’s jaw dropped open. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. “W-what the… You. What the hell are you? What just happened?”

Well, yeah. That’s the natural reaction, I thought.

“You’re casting illusion magic on me right now,” he said.

“Why would someone from the Warrior Division use illusion magic?” I replied.

Well, technically, I had learned a bit of it from Senior Sophia, so I could use some if I wanted to.

“This is thanks to the Blessing of Resurrection,” I explained.

“The Blessing… of Resurrection?”

“Yes. It’s a blessing that restores my body if I suffer a fatal injury.”

“Hah.” Professor Bastion stared at me, clearly struggling to believe what he was hearing.

I lifted the sword back to my neck. “If you don’t believe me, I can cut myself again.”

Alarmed, he quickly shook his head. “N-no! That won’t be necessary!”

With a deep breath, he attempted to calm himself, then spoke again with a steadier voice. “So, you’re saying that this blessing of yours instantly heals any kind of wound?”

“Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that… but for now, let’s just say yes.”

“And… That’s why you asked me to develop that insane amplifier potion.”

Even if a soul stigmata surge twisted my body’s energy network and wreaked havoc internally, if this Blessing of Resurrection could heal all of that instantly, there would be no need to worry about the side effects.

In other words, for me, the Soul Stigmata Amplifier Potion would essentially become a perfect, side-effect-free elixir.

“Still, isn’t there some kind of limit to how much your body can regenerate, even with a blessing?” he asked.

“A limit, huh.” I gave a bitter smile. If there had been such a limit, I wouldn’t have spent countless centuries wandering alone, yearning only for death. “At the very least, it’s more than enough to heal the damage caused by the amplifier potion.”

***

A dry gulp slid down Jayden’s throat, a wave of heat crept up the back of his neck, and a chill raced down his spine. He had personally seen Dale’s severed head regenerate before his eyes; he had no reason to doubt the Blessing of Resurrection’s power.

Instantly, his mind went to why soul stigmata research was forbidden. Religion did play a role in it, but even more importantly, tampering with the soul stigmata, an intricate and vital part of the body, was incredibly dangerous. However, what would happen if someone could erase those risks entirely and assist with soul stigmata research?

If this blessing allows him to recover instantly from even fatal wounds, this could blow open all the dead ends in soul stigmata research. Then maybe… He thought that maybe he could finally achieve that dream he had clung to for so long.

The face of a young man came to mind, with his bright red hair and a smile that seemed born to laugh freely under the sun.

Oscar!

The image of his old student filled Jayden’s mind unbidden, and he shut his eyes tightly. A crushing guilt gripped his chest like iron, each breath harder than the last. The more he remembered, the more it felt like someone was strangling him.

Dale broke him out of his thoughts. “Professor?”

Jayden shook his head as if to cast the memory aside. “Ah! S-sorry. So, you’re saying you don’t care about the side effects, and you want me to develop a Soul Stigmata Amplifier Potion for you?”

“Exactly.”

“Hmm, a Soul Stigmata Amplifier Potion.”

Jayden gave it some thought.

To force a soul stigmata into overdrive, triggering a brief surge of overwhelming mana, huh!

The professor then said,“That actually might not be too hard to create.”

“Ooooh. Really?”

“Well, there are already a number of methods for inducing soul stigmata overdrive. The real challenge is converting that into a usable mana boost. That’s the part that needs more research.”

“Then I’ll assist with the research,” Dale said.

Jayden scoffed and shook his head. “Pfft hahaha! You’ll assist? You’re from the Warrior Division, aren’t you? You’ve never taken a single class in magic or alchemy. What help could you possibly be?”

“I may not have formal training, but I do have a decent understanding of the theory.”

“Hah. Is that so? Then try solving this.” Jayden grabbed one of the messier stacks of papers off his table and handed it to Dale.

***

Professor Bastion had handed me questions related to the Three Conundrums left behind by one of his ancient ancestors, the Great Sage. Most professors in the Mage Division couldn’t even comprehend the questions, much less solve them.

Professor Bastion only wanted to mess with me, a Warrior Division cadet who had no clue how difficult magic actually was.

Barely glancing at the page, I casually answered the questions. Then, I said, “All done.”

“What?” Surprised at first, Professor Bastion deeply sighed and took the paper back. “You probably don’t realize this, but this isn’t something you can solve by luck. It’s not the kind of— huh?”

“Did I get something wrong?” I asked.

“N-no, it’s just… W-what? How? This can’t be right.” His hands trembled as he held the paper. “Y-you…”

His eyes lit up with fire as he stared at me, like a man who had just found the love of his life after a decade of searching.

He marched right up to me and clutched my shoulders, his breathing ragged. “You! Have you ever thought about transferring to the Mage Division?!”

“Excuse me?”

“Once you graduate, join my lab! I’ll sponsor you under the Bastion name itself!”

“No, thanks.”

Yeah, that’s going to be a hard pass, I thought.

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