Ch.7Chapter 7: Omen (2)

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My past self was weak.

Was it because I was almost a mutant, lacking the silver hair that was one of the physical traits invariably possessed by members of the Ranos family, who had inherited the blood of the first hero and passed it down for a thousand years?

When I was young, I lived thinking I was different from everyone else in the family, who all had the same hair color except for my deceased mother and me.

Though I wasn’t rejected by my family for having different physical characteristics, the moment I realized that I couldn’t easily do what my sister—who had silver hair unlike me despite having the same parents—could do as she grew up.

I had no choice but to accept that I was weak.

And not just ordinarily weak.

Even though I was born with the name Ranos without inheriting their hair color, I should have had the sturdy physical abilities that came naturally to anyone born and raised normally in the family, and…

The potential comparable to superhumans who had successfully awakened, without needing to undergo awakening, just by mastering “Prakasa,” the breathing technique passed down through generations, followed by…

A sharp sense that seemed to whisper the right answers to me whenever I held a sword.

Despite being born with conditions for becoming strong that others might find unfair…

An incurable disease called “Broken Vessel” trampled on my dreams, mocking those conditions.

“…Foolishly, I used to grit my teeth and circulate fighting energy before my 18th birthday.”

Before turning 18, although there was pain, it wasn’t severe enough to stop me from forcibly drawing up fighting energy to exert power in the Cradle. If someone had known my situation, they would have called it the height of recklessness, but until I turned 18, I was a stupid kid who kept trying without knowing how to give up.

Why did I keep repeating such foolish attempts?

Around this time in my previous timeline, I endured out of a desire to insist that I wasn’t weak—I accepted it as a manifestation of foolishness.

Of course, it was only when I chose death by my own hands much later that I could admit the reason for my recklessness.

“…Siz.”

You, who always reached out to me first despite the cold treatment I gave you when I was at my most difficult and painful times.

The simple idea that I just wanted to become a hero and stand beside you was what drove me to my limits, right before my inferiority complex exploded.

My past self only realized this just before facing my first death, and then I breathed my last.

And now, in my third life—which came through a miracle after my second life ended as a monster against my will, when I turned to ash wishing only for your happiness—I…

At this moment, upon successfully awakening…

I realized I had taken a giant step as a superhuman.

With this power, I embraced the somewhat dreamlike thought that I could make you happy.

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After drawing mana from the atmosphere into my lungs using a basic breathing technique…

Filtering it through what’s called a mental image, then pulling what remains into my heart, converting it to fighting energy, and pumping it throughout my body through capillaries—I realized I could do all this without experiencing pain, and my footsteps accelerated.

I desperately wanted to see how much stronger I would become with this body that could now fully contain fighting energy, even with just basic breathing techniques, but…

“About 15 minutes left.”

The current time was 3:45 PM.

I had managed to escape from Professor Grace’s clutches in the hospital room through some quick thinking, but time was somewhat tight to make it to the finals where Siz would be competing.

“For now, I’ll just test how much my physical strength has improved.”

It was disappointing, but ability verification could be done anytime in the evening in front of Professor Grace.

Right now, I needed to focus on witnessing one of the most shining moments in Siz’s life.

No sooner had I made up my mind…

Whoosh

“…?!”

Without specifically accumulating more fighting energy, my legs responded as if to my will, gaining terrifying acceleration.

And the moment I felt that acceleration…

“…Insane.”

My body had already reached the entrance to the VIP spectator seats at the arena.

Current time: 3:46 PM

Amazingly, I had just covered a distance that would normally take a full 15 minutes of running in just one minute.

And my breathing wasn’t even disturbed.

“What is this?”

Upon confirming I had reached the entrance to the spectator seats, I raised my right hand to scratch my head, lost in thought.

“Just how much stronger have I become?”

Compared to my half-baked existence in the previous timeline, this was progress that even the phrase “complete transformation” couldn’t adequately describe.

While this strength wasn’t obtained through my own will in my previous life, I still compared my current self to the monster I had become then—when I was at my strongest.

In my second life, as an agent of the Demon God, I was strong, though not in the way I had wanted.

After all, I had been a half-baked person who couldn’t properly utilize my innate talent for martial arts due to an incurable disease.

After my first death, when I forcibly took on the power of the Demon God and escaped death, the moment I was freed from the constraints that had shackled my body…

The half-baked person transformed into a monster that could burn the world to ashes that very day.

So how would I compare to that monster now?

As I passed through the entrance to the spectator seats and headed toward the reserved seat that I had booked but never sat in during my previous life, I reached a conclusion.

“…Even if it takes time.”

Someday, I would become incomparably stronger than I was then.

Just the fact that I had gained the special ability of super-regeneration, which I never had in my previous life, made an enormous difference.

With the blessing of this super-regeneration, accumulating fighting energy no longer caused me pain.

Even if I’m weak right now…

Today’s me is stronger than yesterday’s me, and tomorrow’s me will be stronger than today’s.

“I like that.”

Honestly pleased with the many gifts I had received since the first day of my return through time, I sat down.

In the previous timeline, I had reserved this seat but…

Due to my inferiority complex that eventually exploded, I never even set foot here.

The current time was 3:50 PM.

It took me more time to find my reserved seat after arriving here than it took to run from the hospital room to the spectator seats, which made me chuckle involuntarily, but I quickly composed myself.

‘Showing a smiling face would just make everyone run away.’

I know my place.

At this time, I was at the peak of immaturity, with body and mind in perfect disharmony, just before becoming completely twisted.

As if to represent that immature mind full of inferiority complexes…

My face at this time, as I had seen in the mirror earlier, was fierce enough to remind one of an arch-demon who had been rolling around in sulfurous fires deep beneath the earth, nurturing hatred for humanity.

…For now, I’ll manage my expression and focus only on Siz’s finals match.

Having settled my mind, as soon as I sat in the reserved seat, my hearing—enhanced through body strengthening techniques—picked up various conversations.

-Lilian Siz was strong even before awakening, but since she awakened around this time last year, there’s probably no one in this Cradle who can match her.

Most of the conversations were lavish praises for Lilian Siz, who had proudly advanced to the finals, and…

-Still, since they made it to the finals, won’t they last at least a minute against Lilian Siz?

-That’s just our wishful thinking.

There were already many voices predicting the outcome of the finals.

-No matter who the opponent is, she’s been subduing them within a minute, so won’t the finals end similarly?

-Hmm. I wonder. The finals opponent should be someone worthy of Lilian Siz’s caliber.

-As long as they don’t disgrace themselves by taking a direct hit to the head with the flat of the blade and collapsing like her first-round opponent, that would be impressive enough.

-That’s true.

…Among them were those who had verbally beaten me mercilessly.

“…Ahem.”

I felt a surge of anger momentarily, but since it was the truth without a single lie, I simply listened silently and calmed myself with a single cough.

Calm down. Calm down. You’ve already decided to let go of inferiority complexes, even without awakening, Karl Ranos.

As if responding to my determined mindset, my slightly elevated breathing quickly stabilized, but then…

-It’s really a shame.

-What is?

-The fact that she already has a fiancé.

-Who was it again… I remember it was the outcast youngest son of the Ranos family.

-Ah… the one on the verge of failing…

“…”

Although their voices contained no mockery or malice—just pure regret—the moment I heard those words, I covered my face with both hands to hide my expression.

Be patient. Be patient, and then be patient some more.

They weren’t speaking with malice, and everything they said was factually correct, so reacting would only reveal my own inadequacy.

The experience and knowledge accumulated through dying not once but twice in a life that wasn’t even that long commanded me to calm down, but…

-I’ve been hearing rumors lately that they’re not getting along well and might break off the engagement.

-I don’t know if it’s true or not, but please break it off. Give me a chance too.

-Get a grip, you lunatic. Even if they break off the engagement, do you think the future head of the Proxian family would even glance at someone like you?

When I heard words that irritated my nerves more than comments about my poor skills…

Crunch

Without my conscious will, my teeth ground together, and before I could compose myself, I shot a menacing glare in the direction of the problematic conversation.

The two male students at the end of my gaze, who had been chatting casually, met my eyes and immediately started whistling, avoiding my gaze and falling silent as if their previous conversation had never happened.

….

I’ve memorized both your faces and voices.

If I catch you talking nonsense again later, then I’ll just…

Crunch

Unconsciously clenching my right hand with all my might, a slight pain accompanied the seeping of blood from my right hand.

Thanks to the blessing of super-regeneration, it disappeared as soon as it appeared.

As I was processing the conversations I had heard with about 10 minutes left before the match started…

-Lilian Siz Proxian versus Dan Augustine in the finals, isn’t that what everyone expected?

‘…Huh?’

-You should speak correctly. The only thing anyone could predict was that Lilian Siz would make it to the finals, but it was difficult to predict who her opponent would be.

-Excel was the most likely, but he got taken out by Dan in one hit.

‘…What?’

My ears caught information that differed from the previous timeline.

-It was quite amazing. At the start of the semifinals, Dan’s whole body suddenly flashed with light, and he sent Excel flying out of bounds.

-They say he used some newly learned space-time control magic or something.

-It happened so quickly there wasn’t much time to appreciate it, but it was quite a sight.

-Can we expect something from this final match?

-We’ll have to see.

My mind became complicated.

‘Siz is fighting Dan?’

This is strange.

Although I never set foot in these spectator seats after being shamefully defeated by Siz in the first round, I know very well who Siz’s final opponent was in the previous timeline.

Excel Burnstein.

The Burnstein family, masters of spear techniques that rivaled the Ranos and Proxian families who represented swordsmanship.

The young heir of the Burnstein family and…

In the previous timeline, he rose to the ranks of heroes representing humanity alongside Siz as the Divine Spear, Excel Burnstein.

According to my memory, the finals of this martial arts tournament were between Siz and Excel.

Siz, who had subdued all her opponents, including me, not just within a minute but within seconds, only spent the full minute with him…

And now he couldn’t make it to the finals?

Thump thump

Was it because I had witnessed an unknown variable?

My heartbeat became irregular.

As my body began to tremble involuntarily from the anxiety that something big was about to happen…

Thud

A rather rough and thick hand landed on my shoulder.

“Hey there, failing student.”

Along with a refreshing voice that contained not a hint of malice but was full of playfulness.

It was a voice I knew well.

It belonged to the very person I had been thinking about just moments ago.