The Third Life Begins

The moment I saw the Blue Window, I realized.

[Please make your choice.]

[Choice 1.]

[Return to the past and save the world.]

[Reward: Third chance. (2/3).]

[Choice 2.]

[Accept destruction.]

[Reward: Rest.]

Whichever choice I made, this would be the last.

There was no need to dwell on it. This time, I swore to protect the Young Lady.

The moment I made my decision, the Blue Window disappeared.

Afterward, new text appeared.

[You have chosen Option 1.]

[You seize the final chance.]

The world began to dissolve.

The blackened earth, and the countless weapons embedded in it like flowers, started to vanish in a blue light, beginning with the closest things.

When that blue light spread across the horizon and shot up into the sky—

[The second round has ended.]

Even the Young Lady began to disintegrate.

I smiled quietly.

"I'll come for you soon."

And with that, it was over.

As I closed my eyes, sleep overtook me.

It was the first restful sleep in thirty days.

[The third life begins.]

[All opportunities have been exhausted.]

[Further regression is impossible.]

I had anticipated that this would be the last. I dismissed the window floating before my eyes.

And then, the blue sky came into view.

"It's been a while…."

Since Thanatos descended, the sky, eroded by Demonic Energy, had always remained a dark red.

Though it had been split a few times by the Sword Saint's or the Hero's strikes, it was always quickly restored.

It was no wonder some people had started wishing to see the blue sky again.

They all died without fulfilling that wish, though.

As I lay on the ground, lost in thought, the scent of home wafted over.

"Ugh, gross!"

It was the stench of filth and garbage. I quickly got up and escaped the alley.

"Phew… I'll never get used to that smell."

The Final Destination Village of the Velita Empire.

Everyone called it the Final Destination, detaching the word "village."

The name came from the idea that those whose lives were at their end gathered here just before dying.

They really nailed the name.

From beggars to runaway criminals, addicts of all kinds, and even fallen nobles—people of all sorts gathered here and lived as if there were no tomorrow.

I sometimes wondered how I'd ended up abandoned in a place like this, but I still didn't know the reason.

Still, since it was my hometown, I felt at ease.

Even though it was a Trash Village that even stray dogs avoided, it was a hundred times better than a battlefield littered with corpses.

I settled in one of the relatively clean alleys and began to reassess my priorities.

'What should I do first?'

This was my last chance. I had to grow stronger, faster than in my previous life.

After a brief moment of thought, I decided on the order.

'First, the Mana Heart.'

Regression was regression, and nothing more.

The sword strikes that once cut through clouds and the magic that tore the earth asunder were no longer mine to use.

The elixirs I drank like water and the priceless armaments I once possessed could not be brought back.

Right now, I was just a twelve-year-old orphan boy in the worst possible health.

That was the nature of regression.

Only memories were sent back to the past.

'But those memories are the key.'

The first time was hard, but the second time was easier.

During the first round, when I lived as an Adventurer—

-What do you want me to do?

-Gather mana.

I learned magic from the Young Lady.

-Could you explain it properly?

-Swoosh! Snap! Ta-da! That's how it works.

The Young Lady had no talent for teaching.

-No way! There's no way magic works with swoosh, snap, ta-da… wait, it does?

-…See?

Good thing I had a talent for learning.

-Yuri, you might be a genius!

-Really?

-Yes, yes! Apply to the Five-Colored Magic Towers right away!

-Can I really do that?

-Yes! Unless you want to see me die a miserable death!

-…Please, just tell me not to.

-Hehe.

In six months, I created a Mana Heart. Afterward, I reached one Circle per year, achieving a total of two Circles.

Even Sages, hailed as geniuses, took nearly a year to create a Mana Heart, so it was impressive.

But what was the point?

I ended up dead, my head chopped off. Anyway, when my second life began—

-…This actually works?

I created a Mana Heart in just one week.

Things I'd experienced once before came to me at a speed incomparable to the first time.

Using the life of a low-level Adventurer as a foundation, I became strong enough in my second life to be called the strongest.

As Yuri, the Villainess's butler.

As Full Moon, the Captain of Moonlight.

I crushed everything that threatened the Young Lady.

And now, this was the third round.

'You're all dead, Demon God's Cultists.'

In a few months, I might even be able to take on High Priest-level Demon God's Cultists.

To do that, I needed to lay the groundwork.

I set my priorities.

First, create a Mana Heart.

Second, manifest Aura.

Third, save Asha Rita.

It would take a month to meet the Young Lady again.

"I'll grow as strong as I can within that time."

Having decided, I felt at ease.

"First, I need to find an appropriate place."

It was to create a Mana Heart, my top priority. If I attempted to form it here, it felt like the Mana Heart would just fill up with dust and stench.

A place with no people and pure Mana.

"Ah."

A location immediately came to mind.

"The Deep Blue Forest."

Without hesitation, I started walking.