Don't Die Too Easily
You, the one living in the present. Long time no see.
I never imagined you'd come back...
Still, seeing you again made me happy.
Personally, I can't help but think it would've been nice if you'd come a little earlier.
Maybe then, things wouldn't be so different from how they are now for all of us?
Eh, pointless talk at this stage.
Anyway, the fact that you didn't recognize me... that was a bit of a shock.
I almost reached out without thinking.
I hope you don't make that mistake with any of the others.
Hmm...
I'm writing this, but it's been so long since I last wrote a letter—it doesn't flow well.
Nothing much to say anyway, so I'll wrap up with a greeting.
Good to see you after so long.
Take care of yourself.
"...or you'll die far too easily."
Dying easily, and so comfortably at that... that would be too unfair to us.
"Haa..."
I let out a deep sigh and looked up at the sky, which was pitch black.
Of course it was. It was well past midnight now.
All I'd done was stare at those damn flowers by force... and that alone had eaten up an entire day.
Time was already scarce enough.
Now I had just 6 days left.
Adapting to this body alone would probably take a few days, and yet only 6 days remained.
Sure, Academy life would give me some time here and there, but honestly, I had no clue.
I knew absolutely nothing about the Academy right now—unlike whatever my past self might've known.
No telling if I could use those scraps of time freely.
So while I was still a free agent, I needed to handle the most urgent matters first.
"Everything's urgent, honestly..."
If I had to prioritize, adaptation came first.
I needed to get used to this body.
Little things like my field of vision or gait felt strangely off.
And above all, this body...
"System, stats."
User - Shin Iheon
Keyword - Contract
Stats - [View More]
Quests - The Most Upright Paradox
"Contract... haa... Stats."
"...What a sight."
No talent whatsoever.
Not just lacking talent—this body hadn't even put in any effort.
If it'd at least exercised regularly, or done some hardcore sprints...
"At least the stats would've averaged out..."
In this world, a person's talent was judged by their stats and keyword.
Obviously, stats could be improved through training.
But keywords? That was a different story.
Performers chased their quests, and upon reaching a certain level of growth...
They awakened their unique personal power—something not shareable like magic or martial arts.
Commonly known as an authority.
And the keyword was its core.
Take me, for example. My keyword was Contract. If I awakened my authority in this state, I didn't know the exact name, but the effect would probably involve absolute promises and reaping the corresponding rewards.
Honestly, Contract wasn't a bad keyword.
Even if the awakened authority differed from my guess, its broad applicability would shine due to the keyword's nature.
It just didn't mesh well with my current situation.
Versatile abilities scaled with a solid foundation.
But this body's foundation? Not even politely average.
Just look at those stats. What foundation?
The outlook was grim all around.
Dropped in the boonies with zero knowledge, in a body that wasn't even mine, with abysmal condition.
And quests? No clue what they even entailed.
Listing it out like this felt like an endless obstacle course with no finish line in sight.
Just heaps of hurdles stretching into the fog.
...Hate this shit.
But what could I do? Gotta do it.
At least I knew what needed doing.
First priority: raise the stats to average.
Finding my reincarnated hero's party members? That went on the back burner.
In this state, even if I found them, I couldn't do jack. And searching might just waste more days like today.
Better to tackle the urgent stuff first.
Plus, being in the same Academy, I'd probably bump into their faces once or twice anyway.
"Haa... Whatever."
The more I thought, the more my head hurt.
"Let's just crash."
.
.
.
.
"8:30 a.m...."
Two hours later than yesterday.
Body felt refreshed, but I had to hustle to make up for it.
Destination: Academy facilities, specifically the Training Room.
The place to whip this pathetic body into shape.
Quick shower, change, out the door.
Like yesterday, down the hallway-linked stairs to the first-floor hall—still deserted today.
Yesterday had that one silver-haired woman; today, not even her.
"Quiet."
I liked this serene silence.
A sensation I hadn't felt in ages.
Savoring it, I headed to the Training Room.
First time navigating, but phone made it easy.
Followed its directions for about 10 leisurely minutes.
The Training Room was massive, befitting the Academy.
More like a Training Hall.
Smaller than the dorm, but half the size—whole building dedicated to it.
For a cadet like me, great facilities were a win.
Anyway, inside: packed with top-tier gear matching the scale.
Dedicated Meditation Room for low mana affinity users.
Simulation for mock battles against virtual foes conjured by magic.
Weights, machines, all sorts—but those two stood out to me.
Mana was crucial for martial arts or spells alike.
This body had next to none—practically zero.
Same for mana affinity.
Lower affinity meant worse mana accumulation efficiency.
I'd planned to postpone improving it due to lack of methods.
But this solved it easily.
Things falling into place too smoothly—good luck day?
Mood lifted a bit from the earlier tangle.
Original goal was strength and stamina, but... might as well test the Meditation Room and switch to mana training.
Decision made quick: light run.
30 minutes, enough to break a sweat.
Couldn't neglect stamina even for mana work.
Soon at the Meditation Rooms: two total.
One... in use.
"Aen Arbel..."
Name next to "User" under "In Use."
Whoever was in there didn't matter.
Priority: test this room's performance.
Entered the empty one.
Not cramped or spacious... hard to tell exactly, pitch black—no lights, not even a dim glow.
One thing clear, though.
This Meditation Room outperformed my expectations.
Obviously, those with innate high mana sense it better.
This body? Talent approaching zero.
Yet this room alone bumped it up two levels.
What the hell had the previous owner been doing with facilities like this?
The more I thought, the more hopeless the guy seemed.
Whatever.
"Hoo..."
Enough stray thoughts.
"Sip... hoo..."
Slow inhale, long exhale.
Couldn't sense ambient mana yet, but my body's own? Yes.
So cycle it slowly.
Blood starts at the heart, tours the body, returns.
Mana same.
Gather body's mana into a core point.
Split the core, circulate through vessels.
Meanwhile, draw in external mana via deep breaths, merge it in.
Mana's highly mutable.
Adapts to environments quickly.
So external mana wouldn't take long to attune to my body.
Not the most efficient method—inhaling ambient mana one breath at a time was wasteful.
Still, certainty that this was the way.
How did I even know this?
Totally unfamiliar, alien technique.
With all memories wiped, how the hell...
"Cough..."
A gush of crimson liquid—metallic, fishy—poured from my mouth.
...Too many useless thoughts.
Yeah, that stuff wasn't important now.
Focus on the present.