Chapter 3: A Reason to Live (2)

The Reynald Hero Academy was founded by Reynald Helios, the legendary swordsman and leader of the Great Five Heroes, who sealed away the Demon God five hundred years ago. This academy was an educational institution that gathered eighteen-year-olds who had received the blessing of the Seven Gods and awakened their soul stigmata, training them for four years and molding them into respectable heroes.

A single hero was so crucial that each and every one of them could determine the national power of an entire nation. That was why the three great powers that ruled the continent, namely the Empire, the Holy Empire, and the Republic, would stop at nothing to recruit as many remarkable heroes as possible. The moment someone awakened their soul stigmata, they were enrolled into the academy, no questions asked.

But naturally, this led to problems. Shoving together youths from different nations, backgrounds, and social statuses into a confined space inevitably resulted in constant conflicts. In the end, after much deliberation between the various heroes and the three nations, it was agreed that Reynald Hero Academy would be a completely neutral zone.

“At least within the academy grounds, no discrimination based on nationality or status is permitted,” I said nonchalantly.

“And so…?” Professor Kane replied, unsure of what I was implying.

“It means that no matter how revered Iris may be as the Saintess of the Holy Empire, here, she is nothing more than a hero cadet, just like the rest of us.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“A one-month suspension is excessive. Let’s reduce it to four days.”

“You little—!” Professor Kane had been listening quietly, but now clutched the back of his neck in frustration before shouting, “You were originally suspended for a week!”

“Yes, I was.”

“And now, after causing trouble during your suspension, you’re asking for it to be reduced to four days?”

“Well, you always start high when negotiating, don’t you?”

“What kind of lunatic tries to reduce their punishment by making things worse?! And negotiations? Negotiations?! Do you think you’re in any position to be negotiating with me?!” Professor Kane glared at me, exasperated.

I smirked and nodded subtly before continuing, “Our professor in the Mage Division, Bianca, has her birthday coming up soon, doesn’t she?”

Bianca was in charge of the Mage Division, and she and Professor Kane were notoriously at odds with each other.

“W-what does that have to do with anything?” Professor Kane stuttered weakly.

However, I knew the truth. The houndlike Professor Kane had a secret, unrequited love for her.

“Wouldn’t you like to know what kind of gift she’d appreciate?” I pressed on.

“Hah. Why would I care about something like that?”

“Is that so? That’s a shame. I heard that if a woman receives the perfect gift, she might start seeing a man in a different light—even if they weren’t on good terms before.”

Professor Kane’s eyes widened ever so slightly.

With a scraping sound, I pushed back my chair and stood up. “Well… since you don’t seem interested, I guess there’s nothing more to discuss. I’ll accept my punishment obediently.”

I gave a respectful nod and turned toward the door.

“Wait…” Professor Kane called out.

A faint smile played on my lips as I turned back. “Yes, Professor?”

“I’ll reduce your suspension, but on one condition.”

“If it’s about the gift, then—”

“No. That’s not it.” Professor Kane’s sharp gaze pierced through me as he said, “Tomorrow, participate in the Warrior Division’s sparring class and win. That’s the condition.”

“Hmm. And who will I be sparring against?”

“That, I won’t tell you.”

Professor Kane suggested a condition out of the blue, but it wasn’t hard to guess why he was doing this.

He probably can’t wrap his head around it, I realized.

My actions today should have baffled him. A mere cadet, who ranked dead last in the academy, had landed a punch on him, the Bloodthirsty Hound. Even if it was a surprise attack, it was a humiliating defeat. Then there was Camilla Vediche, a high-ranked cadet talented enough to be vying for the title of Sword of the Holy Empire, yet she had been subdued before she could even draw her weapon.

No one would believe it if they were told that an ordinary cadet had done it, but it wasn’t just any cadet; it was me, the bottom-ranked dunce of the academy. As such, of course, he would want to confirm it for himself.

“Alright,” I agreed to the proposal.

“You… sound confident.”

“It’s just a sparring match. Is there a reason for me to be worried?”

Professor Kane let out a low grunt and folded his arms. I could almost read the thoughts running in his mind. Did he eat something wrong? What the hell happened to this guy overnight?

Unfortunately, I had no answer for him. Even I didn’t know why I had returned to the past.

“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave,” I said.

“Hold on.”

“Is there something else?”

When I turned back, I saw Professor Kane fidgeting and clearing his throat awkwardly.

Then he hesitantly spoke. “So, uh… about that thing you mentioned earlier. The, uh, present. What exactly would Bianca like?”

I knew it. For all his gruffness, the guy was a hopeless romantic.

***

When I woke up the next day, I lay in bed for a while, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“So it wasn’t just a dying dream, huh…”

Had I wandered the continent alone in pursuit of the Primordial Flame for too long? I still couldn’t fully grasp the reality of my return.

“Hah

…”

I finally sat up, washed my face, and looked at my reflection in the foggy mirror. It was a face I hadn’t seen in a long time, with charcoal-gray hair and deep green eyes.

Well, at least my face hasn’t changed.

Ever since I awakened the Blessing of Resurrection, I had naturally stopped aging. After silently staring at my reflection, I put on my academy uniform and headed out. The snug uniform felt oddly unfamiliar. Just like this new life I had been given.

***

“Hah, seriously? You’re telling me to spar against him?” Felix Ordman, a handsome cadet with wavy blue hair, frowned in annoyance.

Like me, he was in the Warrior Division, but unlike me, he was actually competent—ranking within the top 100 among all third-year cadets.

“You got a problem?” Professor Kane asked.

“N-no, it’s not that, but—”

Felix, who had been whining the entire time, immediately shut his mouth and flinched the moment Professor Kane shot him a sharp look.

“Hah… Fine.” Letting out a deep sigh, Felix picked up a wooden training sword and said to me, “Hey, you idiot. Hurry up and grab your sword so we can get this over with.”

His irritated gaze locked onto me. Since he was in a different class, he hadn’t witnessed yesterday’s Practical Combat Training firsthand—the one where I sent Professor Kane flying and took down Camilla.

Still, considering how much of a sensation it caused, he should have heard about it. But judging by his attitude, he clearly wasn’t wary of me.

I mean, who in their right mind would believe that a perpetual loser suddenly knocked out one of the academy’s strongest professors with a single punch? Or that I subdued the next Sword of the Holy Empire with one hand?

The cadets who gathered to watch my duel with Felix were buzzing with excitement, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“Hey, did you hear? That bastard Dale did something crazy yesterday.”

“Oh, that? It’s just a rumor, isn’t it?”

“No way! I saw it with my own eyes!”

I feel like a monkey in a zoo.

Glancing at the growing crowd, I forced a bitter smile. In my previous life, I had never received this much attention, not even once in my four years as a cadet.

No, that’s not entirely true. I did attract attention back then, too.

However, it wasn’t this kind of burning curiosity. It was a cold, distant sort of interest, like watching something pathetic struggle.

I exhaled slowly and tightened my grip on the wooden sword. It felt like it had been thousands of years since I last held a training weapon like this. Strangely enough, it didn’t feel bad. It reminded me of an old toy from childhood, one I had long forgotten but somehow felt familiar the moment I touched it again.

“The usage of mana is not allowed during this duel,” Professor Kane declared.

Felix scoffed. “Hah. You think I need to use mana just to beat this guy?”

Mana, also known as the breath of the gods, was a power that only heroes who had awakened their soul stigmata could wield.

“Well, lucky you. It’s not like you have much mana to use in the first place.” Felix smirked, shaking his shoulders in amusement as he sneered at me.

He wasn’t wrong. My mana amount to less than ten percent of the average cadet’s.

Having a low amount of mana has always been a chronic problem of mine.

Back when I was a mercenary, my mana drained so quickly that people used to joke it was like a rabbit taking a piss. That was how I got the nickname Rabbit Han. I recalled the humiliation and hardships I had endured because of my lack of mana. It made me chuckle bitterly.

Now then… What should I do?

I tapped the ground with the tip of my wooden sword, lost in thought. Yesterday, I had been too caught up in the moment, acting purely on instinct. But things were different now.

I found a reason to live.

Which means… I need to decide how I’m going to live.

The rhythmic sound of the wooden sword striking the ground filled the silence as I thought.

“Hey, come at me,” Felix said.

All my life, I had been chasing the backs of others. I had walked, always staring at the path left behind by someone else.

“I said, come at me. Are you deaf, you bastard?” Felix continued taunting.

The title “Dale Han, the bottom-feeder hero” had clung to me like a curse. Even after years as a mercenary, even after proving myself with real skill, even when I was chosen as one of the Final Five Heroes, revered as humanity’s final hope, that label never left me.

“Hah, gosh, look at this coward. Are you scared? Huh? You scared, loser?”

I had always been chasing after the paths others walked and the footprints they left behind. I had gasped for breath, sprinting desperately just to catch up.

“Fine. If you won’t come to me, then I’ll come to you, you little shit.”

At the end of that path, I was the only one left—utterly alone, left sobbing in the freezing wasteland where no one else remained.

“Die, you piece of shit!!!”

Not once had I ever led someone. Not once had I ever reached out to help someone. That was how I lived; that was the life of Dale Han.

Tap.

I effortlessly deflected Felix’s reckless swing. Then, I used the Sun Sword Style First Form: First Eclipse. My right foot stepped forward, and pivoting on that foot, I twisted my body and swung my wooden sword upward from below.

A thunderous explosion, far too powerful for the swing of a simple wooden sword, erupted. Felix’s body was launched through the air, crashing onto the ground and rolling violently.

“Guuh…! Cough, urgh…!” He clutched his stomach, gagging and vomiting all over the ground.

Lowering the tip of my wooden sword, I tapped the ground twice and said, “What’s wrong? Weren’t you the one who said you’d come at me first? Why aren’t you moving? Hmm, you leave me no choice. Guess I’ll just have to go to you instead.”

From now on, I refused to live the way I did before.

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