I Refused To Be Reincarnated

After lingering for a moment, recalling Orion and Julius' shocking revelation, Shepard locked eyes with Adam, his gaze intense and unwavering. "I have a mission of the utmost importance for you," he said, feeling time press on his shoulders like a mountain. "If you accept, I'll reward you with fifty-six golden tickets."

Intrigued, Adam nodded in response. Albeit not enough to borrow a book, the rewards swayed him.

"I want you to sift through Alkemia Al-Nur to find people like you. Summoned, I mean," the arcanist continued, hoping some had survived the city's harsh and competitive lifestyle. After all, the inflated prices didn't suit commoners' meager earnings, making most die of starvation or seek a better place to settle in.

Of course, some blessed ones might have been born into wealthy or even noble families. But the chances were slim, considering their ratio.

As his words hung in the air, he retrieved a necklace encased with a glinting red jewel and handed it to Julius. "With this item, you'll have the means to locate them. I'll take care of the northern part of the city while you search the suburbs."

"Sure. We'll search daily for four or five hours, but I want your permission to take one book from your tower to study while we move," Adam said with a grin. He couldn't afford to waste hours doing nothing when there was so much to learn but so little time at his disposal.

The unexpected request caused Shepard to grumble in displeasure. However, he accepted, emphasising that he could only leave with one book at a time and had to return it by sunset.

"Good night, then. I hope you'll bring good news with you in the following weeks," said the dean, standing before dormitory three's courtyard with an approving smile as he gazed at a topless boy.

Glistening sweat dripped from his chiselled chest as cubes appeared and disappeared in a fiery dance of mana. In less than a year, Arun's transformation shocked everyone, including himself. Not only had he become the youngest apprentice, but his physical prowess rivalled that of body cultivators.

With a few spells bolstering his muscles, he was confident he could contend with body cultivators in the early stage of the second tier. Anticipating how far these vigorous seedlings would reach, he headed to his tower with light steps.

Meanwhile, Adam frowned at the boy. His thought drifted for a moment before he realised what bothered him. Arun's training yielded the expected results. However, he had little to no experience in battle, making him strong in theory but weak in practice.

After greeting him, the trio returned to their room. Then, he said, "You can stop using those dull exercises to train. What you need now is potent mana techniques and experience."

Arun's eyes flickered with joy in response. Despite his determination, this spartan training became boring after a few months and didn't bring frequent improvement. What he wanted to focus on now was magic and alchemy to catch up with his infuriating father. Then? Surpass and leave him in the dust.

"The first thing you must do is develop a unique technique fitting you. For example, mine does with controlled explosions and heavy constructs. It needs to be versatile and easy to use under any circumstances. If you can boost it with your talent, it's even better," smirked Adam. He wanted to offer more advice but refrained since asking for someone's talent was taboo in the mages' community.

However, his adherence to the rules became a joke after Arun spoke again. "My talent gives me moderate resistance to fire. It helps draw fire mana from the air more efficiently, making my progress faster than the others."

His heart warmed a bit after this show of trust as a smile spread across his face. "I believe your body can store hotter mana than others. It's only a suggestion, but why not try to amplify its heat until it becomes blue?"

As an alchemist's son, Arun knew what blue flames implied. They carried much higher temperatures, and their combustion often left nothing behind. His pupils constricted, and his fists trembled in excitement at the thought of using techniques this destructive. "I'll do my best!"

Then, Adam turned to Julius, his grin twisting into a mocking smirk. "Looks like you're back to last in the room's ranking."

However, the boy didn't show the expected reaction. Instead a worried frown covered his forehead. "Orion said you're twelve years old too, not forty-two..." he said, knowing his big brother never lied. But this information gnawed at his heart, stirring a relentless desire for answers.

"Heh? I can't remember much, but I'm sure about my age. I was thirty when you were born. I even have my own apartment," answered Adam, confusion veiling his features. 'I act like a kid sometimes, I admit it. But do I look like one that much?' he thought, puzzled by the stranger's misinterpretation of his age.

Even his soul form had an adult's proportions. The arcanist's claim just made no sense to him.

A silence followed his response as Julius fell into deep thought. Orion had nothing to gain from lying, and Shepard would have rebutted if he didn't trust his capabilities wholeheartedly. Yet, the mystery only deepened with his brother's confident answer, making him suspect something wrong happened to him.

'Were his memories falsified?' He mused, finding it would be the only logical explanation if neither lied.

Unable to find the answer he sought, he removed his uniform and went to bed. His mind continued to race for a while, birthing more unpleasant questions. 'If I'm right, who and why? Is he a natural ghost, or was he created and attached to me?'

The moon's pale glow reflected through the window, illuminating his worried face. Unbeknownst to him, he stumbled on the same questions Adam had asked during his third trial. Yet, unlike his brother, he had no intention of giving up because of the lack of clues.