Ch.11. Receiving a New Power

Regression, reincarnation, possession… I once thought these were just stories from novels.

…or at least that’s what I’d like to say, borrowing an expression from comics.

“I really came back!”

I’ve returned from the brink of death. I’m truly alive again.

Back to the past.

Before me was a desk and a torn envelope. Plus a computer screen.

This, I remember clearly. Of course I do. It was the most important moment of my life.

[Yeager Academy Aptitude Test: ACCEPTED]

-Congratulations on your acceptance, Do Jong-hyun.

-Please find your enrollment schedule below.

“I definitely passed the first aptitude test.”

Who wouldn’t be happy receiving an acceptance letter? My past self must have been jumping with joy. What is Yeager Academy? It’s an elite training institution for aptitude holders, created for the decades-long battle against monsters.

I was accepted there.

“It feels good, but…”

Yes, I can’t deny that I feel good about it now just as I did back then.

I was one of the 5 million aptitude holders worldwide.

But I was just one among 5 million. I never made a name for myself.

“It was full of talented people.”

Even if you’re a top student, what happens when there are thousands just like you? In short, you have to compete among the elite.

I never stood out at the Academy and just watched the talented ones grow.

And then, I died.

My life could be seen as meaningless and empty, but here I am, back again.

“Who was that anyway?”

Just before I died, someone definitely promised to give me power.

[Change the events of the past. For humanity’s victory. I will give you power.]

I thought it was nonsense, but when I opened my eyes, I had really regressed 10 years into the past.

Right to this moment. Not some distant memory.

“Is this really not a dream?”

Even after pinching my cheek, this was reality. In dreams, you usually wake up the moment you realize you’re dreaming.

I stared blankly at the monitor for a moment.

-Humanity has 10 years remaining until extinction.

-Probability of extinction: 100%

It informs me like an alarm.

This is no dream. What the voice told me is really appearing before my eyes.

Let me organize my thoughts.

I’ve regressed to the day I confirmed my admission to Yeager Academy. If I recall correctly, there was only one thing I did that day.

“I ran straight to my mom, and we had a party that evening, right?”

Yes, that’s the memory. I went out of my room to face the future ahead.

Mom is peeling fruit in the kitchen. Yes, when I burst out of my room screaming, she was startled and dropped her knife.

She cut herself slightly, but ignored the wound because of her child’s acceptance news.

Now I’m different.

“Mom?”

“My son? Have some fruit. I bought peaches from the market because you like them.”

“Yes. But Mom, I have news to tell you. Please put down the knife for a moment.”

I immediately removed the kitchen knife, worried she might get hurt.

“Mom.”

“What is it? Are you going to give me a present?”

“Hmm… I… I made it.”

“Made what?”

Mom’s expression fills with anticipation. Yes, this was the expression.

The look of parents being proud. I nodded.

“I got into Yeager Academy.”

“…”

Mom was speechless. Of course she would be. Do you know what Yeager Academy is?

“OH! MY! GOD!”

Mom’s ecstatic cheer rang out.

“Yeager Academy? Where the heroes go? One of only 7,000 aptitude holders in South Korea?”

“Yes. I made it. The results from the winter break test came out.”

“Oh my, my son, you did so well. Well done!”

Mom came over and hugged me tight. Yes, in this world, getting into Yeager Academy was definitely something to be proud of.

They say parents used to be proud when their children got into science or foreign language high schools, but now it’s Yeager Academy.

Mom was quickly calling Dad. Even if the future changed slightly, there was no change in Dad rushing over and the family having a party.

No matter how much I knew about the future, I couldn’t help but be happy in this moment.

Who wouldn’t like seeing their parents happy because of them?

“Dad! What do you think? Your son did it!”

“To think my son had such talent! I’m proud of you.”

Dad kept patting my back. We had a meat party, and I stuffed my mouth with ssam.

“But it’s also dangerous, so you need to be careful.”

“Come on, these days they clearly classify and identify monsters. They don’t send people to dangerous places in the first place.”

“That may be true, but people still die fighting monsters. Dad is proud of you, but also scared.”

Even my parents’ concern is the same. What I said in response was:

“Don’t worry! I’ll grow properly during the three-year program. I’ll become as strong as Igor from Russia, Marco from Brazil, or Dokgo Jun from Korea!”

The people I just mentioned are the current world’s strongest fighters.

They not only deal with monsters appearing through gates but also infiltrate the abyss zones beyond the gates. They’re humanity’s treasures, eliminating dangerous species preemptively.

Though they all die later.

My parents smile brightly at my ambition. Yes, I should make them feel good like this. Their child will now lead an unremarkable military academy life…

But then I stopped talking. At Yeager Academy, I had scraped the bottom.

When I was grouped with the talented students, they all looked at me like I was a freak, complaining that I lowered their scores.

Yes, to use a metaphor, I was like an extra in a novel that the protagonists don’t even notice.

That was me. But now it’s different. I’ll change.

When the entrance ceremony comes, I’ll perform a “summoning.” My summoning back then was definitely…

“The worst.”

“What do you mean?”

Mom looks at me with a puzzled expression.

“Nothing. Haha…”

“By the way, I heard a monster escaped from a gate and attacked a nearby school today.”

Thankfully, Dad changed the subject. I immediately went along with it.

“That’s right. I saw it on the internet. They say someone beat it without proper equipment?”

“Yes, isn’t that amazing? Defeating a monster in high school without even formally contracting with a summoning spirit… They’re born geniuses, like Dokgo Jun.”

Just then, the news was showing the incident.

[Yes! I’m at Shilla Girls’ Middle School graduation ceremony. Today, a female student bravely defeated an escaped monster. Let’s meet this heroic figure.]

The reporter passes the microphone. I knew exactly who it was.

“Ariel.”

I muttered quietly.

The number one at Yeager Academy and the guardian of Ireland.

A woman of Irish and Norwegian descent who came to Korea.

Finally, a beauty with an asymmetrical short cut, with long hair falling on the left side, appeared on TV.

Her visual was eye-catching enough, but her red hair and red eyes contrasted with her fair, delicate skin, creating an exotic impression.

Long eyelashes and the impressive volume visible through her uniform were a bonus.

She was truly a talent who could steal attention like a celebrity at first glance.

“If she’s graduating middle school, isn’t she your age?”

“Yes.”

As far as I know, Ariel’s parents deliberately came here to enroll her in the Asian branch, which has the highest level of military academy.

They even had her spend three years in Korean middle school to qualify for Yeager Academy.

Ariel lived up to those expectations throughout the academy.

She eventually graduated with the highest overall score.

Considering that our class was called the “golden generation” with many famous graduates, she was truly exceptional.

Come to think of it, it brings back memories. I also remember the male cliques at Yeager Academy, divided between Koo Sang-heon and Keum Do-hyun.

Although I had no connection with them except for Keum Do-hyun, they made the academy buzz with their achievements and performances both inside and outside.

But what can I do now when I go there?

I was lucky to return to the past, but what if everything stays the same?

Anxiety overwhelms me.

No. It’s different now.

Above all, I clearly had knowledge of the future and was given new power. The class content, how students move, how to complete assignments.

I needed to make the most of these advantages. Since I’ve definitely regressed.

The new power wasn’t idle either.

[Ariel]

-Importance: Highest

-Probability of extinction decreases. (2%)

“Ariel? Come to think of it, Ariel’s end was…”

Not good at all. She was fragged before she could properly fight monsters.

Let’s revive my memories first.

I started writing down my past memories on my phone.

*

[Welcome, aptitude holders, to Yeager Academy. We promise to nurture the 500 students entering this year into talented individuals at our military academy.]

The entrance ceremony finally began. Even Yeager Academy isn’t particularly unusual. They gather people in an auditorium and give inspirational speeches.

Plus, they talk about how advanced they are.

“All students will be issued smart watches for communication.”

Rich schools are indeed different. Anyway, after such speeches, they enthusiastically promoted the academy.

Three classes organized by level, separate buildings, a simulation practice room worth billions, and leisure facilities including basketball courts.

Since I’d already experienced it, I naturally ignored it. My mind was solely focused on the summoning.

Summoning. This is a kind of ritual that every aptitude holder must go through.

What do they summon? A weapon that will lend them power.

Yes. This weapon was the key to monster hunting.

The weapon from summoning matches the user’s aptitude.

[This summoning places a tremendous burden, and in the past, only a very small number used summoning weapons, but with the increasing threat and occurrence of monsters, we’ve built magical circuits specifically to enable summoning.]

This phrase was consistently promoted after the summoning system was established.

Yes, summoning is extremely important for spending days at Yeager Academy.

I really struggled to recall my past memories.

I worked hard to cope with classes and other content, but the core issue was summoning.

This summoning determines everything for your future path.

The summoning system itself connects to higher beings, allowing you to use power through items they send.

Weapons are basic, but there are also clothes and accessories.

They sometimes send bizarre things, and sometimes powerful weapons from the start, like a chosen hero.

What’s certain is that weapons with long histories and legends produce stronger summoning spirits.

Relatively new weapons are weaker. Well, that’s all you need to know.

That’s why it’s also a turning point for the hierarchy within Yeager Academy.

“Please don’t be like last time.”

I recalled the nightmare from my previous life. What I summoned last time was a card deck.

Similar to playing cards but consisting of 5 cards and a deck to store them.

What is this? I don’t know. Even after graduating and becoming a professional, I couldn’t figure it out.

At first, the instructors examined it, but they couldn’t determine what it was.

[Magic flows through these cards, but strangely, they can’t be used. Moreover, there’s no summoning spirit. This is the first case of its kind.]

It had no function and showed no power.

This time is different. The system will protect me.

After regressing, surely I won’t get the same thing? Hoping for something different, the summoning ceremony began.

[We will now conduct the summoning ceremony. Each student, please stand before the summoning circle when called!]

The moment the person who appeared to be a teacher spoke, the place burned like a furnace.

Yes, a festival everyone anticipates and waits for. Where winners and losers diverge.

Like a festival, it proceeds in front of everyone.

The first person performed the summoning and received the first commemorative necklace. I remember. That weapon is…

[Incredible! Brisingamen, the necklace of the Norse goddess Freya! Congratulations! It’s a decent weapon.]

Yes, Brisingamen, a fearsome summoning weapon that controls others and breaks them emotionally. The cold, haughty-looking woman in front of me put the necklace around her neck.

Seol Yu-hwa. A girl who will fiercely compete with Ariel for first and second place. With her model-like height and cold impression, she had tremendous popularity… or rather, had. She dies later anyway.

Without even getting to fight properly.

[Seol Yu-hwa]

-Importance: Highest

-Probability of extinction decreases. (1%)

Checked again.

Time passed among the people being called. There were 5 summoning circles in total.

After waiting about two hours, finally my turn approached.

Please, this time will be different.

As I stood before the summoning circle, it began to emit a red light.

Something quickly passed through my body as if scanning my magical power.

Light burst forth, and now it was time for the weapon to be summoned. This time it had to be different.

With my heart full of hope, the light diminished slightly.

What appeared before me was a single card deck.

Why is this appearing again?

I screamed in frustration.

“What is this!”

[This is something I’ve never seen before. Cards? Can you cast magic with them?]

The host seemed perplexed by something they’d never seen before.

Of course they would be. It’s not an accessory or weapon, how could cards appear?

Nothing changed? As I picked up the deck of cards in disappointment:

[Scan confirmed]

-Information updated (Connected to summoning spirit.)

Information different from the past appeared before my eyes.