Will sat quietly on the edge of his bed.
The morning sunlight filtered through the academy dormitory window, illuminating the small room in a soft golden glow.
For a few moments he simply stared into space.
Ever since waking up in this world, everything had happened so quickly.
The Tower incident.
The hospital.
Meeting Luna.
Meeting Elena.
Meeting professors.
Trying to understand his new life.
It had been one thing after another.
Now, for the first time, he finally had a moment to think.
A translucent blue screen suddenly appeared before him.
The familiar system window.
A notification blinked in the corner.
Mission Reward Available.
Curious, Will reached out and pressed it.
The screen flickered.
Then the interface completely changed.
System Update Complete.
Mission Structure Updated.
Path Quest Unlocked.
Daily Mission Unlocked.
Will blinked.
"Path Quest?"
He selected the first tab.
A new screen appeared.
Path Quest
Objective:
Reach 2-Star Cultivation
Progress:
1-Star → 2-Star
Reward:
???
Will stared at the reward section.
Then pressed it.
Nothing happened.
He pressed it again.
Still nothing.
"...Seriously?"
The reward remained hidden.
After several more attempts he finally gave up.
Closing the Path Quest window, he opened the second tab.
Daily Mission
Mana Cultivation Training:
0/2 Hours
Sword Training:
0/1 Hour
Magic Training:
0/1 Hour
Time Remaining:
Until End of Tomorrow
Completion Rewards
• Magic Proficiency Slightly Increased
• Swordsmanship Proficiency Slightly Increased
• Evolution Points
• Second Wind
Will immediately selected the final reward.
A short description appeared.
Second Wind
Restores Stamina
Recovers Mana
Heals Injuries
Will's eyes widened slightly.
"That's actually useful."
Very useful.
A skill like that could easily save his life.
He closed the window.
Then leaned back against the wall.
His gaze slowly drifted toward the ceiling.
"What do I actually want to do?"
The question had been lingering in his mind for days.
The original Will had a dream.
Become a Mage Lord.
Stand beside Luna.
Protect her.
Support her.
Remain by her side.
Will could understand those feelings.
The memories were still there.
Yet they weren't his.
They belonged to someone else.
The original owner of this body.
Not him.
Back on Earth, he had spent years trapped in an endless cycle.
Wake up.
Work.
Sleep.
Repeat.
Every day looked the same.
Every week looked the same.
Every year looked the same.
He had never hated that life.
But he had never truly loved it either.
Now he had been given a second chance.
A fantasy world.
Magic.
Monsters.
Adventure.
Power.
If he spent this new life chasing another ordinary office job or government position until retirement, then what had been the point of being reincarnated?
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"No."
That wasn't what he wanted.
This world wasn't Earth.
He wasn't the same person anymore.
And unlike his previous life, he had been given opportunities most people could only dream about.
Magic.
A system.
Blessings from gods.
A second chance.
Throwing all of that away just to sit behind a desk again felt absurd.
Did he want to become a Mage Lord?
Not really.
At least not now.
But he did want power.
He wanted to use the abilities he had been given.
He wanted to see what this world had to offer.
He wanted to grow stronger.
Then his thoughts drifted toward another question.
Then Why become a mage?
The answer came almost immediately.
Because he wanted to.
Not because anyone expected it.
Not because of the original Will's dream.
Not because he was forced onto that path.
Because when he looked at everything he had been given, becoming a mage was the choice that made the most sense.
He had received blessings from gods.
A system.
Unique abilities.
Powers that revolved around mana and magic.
Ignoring all of that would be ridiculous.
More importantly, unlike most people from Earth, he wasn't looking at this world through the eyes of an ordinary civilian.
His previous life had been spent in the military.
He had seen violence.
He had seen blood.
He had seen death.
Not constantly, but enough that the reality of danger wasn't some distant concept to him.
This world wasn't peaceful.
Monsters existed.
People died.
Adventurers died.
Mages died.
Soldiers died.
Anyone who chose a path of power accepted that reality.
A normal person from Earth might hesitate.
Might choose safety.
Might avoid a profession where death was a genuine possibility.
And honestly?
Will couldn't blame them.
Most people weren't prepared for that kind of life.
But he was different.
Not because he enjoyed violence.
Not because he wanted bloodshed.
But because he understood the risks.
He understood that dangerous jobs existed.
He understood that survival sometimes required strength.
His military background had already forced him to accept realities many civilians never experienced.
That made the decision easier.
Then there were the gifts he had received.
The gods had literally handed him extraordinary abilities.
A second chance.
Power beyond anything he could have imagined on Earth.
If he ignored all of that and chose to live an ordinary life, it would feel like wasting the opportunity he had been given.
Magic fascinated him.
The possibilities fascinated him.
The challenge fascinated him.
And unlike his previous life, he finally had the freedom to pursue something extraordinary.
That was why he chose this path.
Not because someone pushed him toward it.
Not because he lacked alternatives.
Because he wanted it.
Because he had the mindset to accept the dangers that came with it.
And because the powers he had received made the path of a mage the most natural choice.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Yeah."
That felt right.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt certain about something.
This was his decision.
His future.
His path.
His gaze returned to the Daily Mission.
The rewards weren't bad.
Completing them every day would slowly make him stronger.
Unfortunately, there was a problem.
Mana cultivation could be done inside his room.
No issue there.
Sword training and magic training?
That required space.
Privacy.
He couldn't exactly swing weapons and throw fire around the dormitory.
A familiar face suddenly appeared in his mind.
Professor Kael Windrider.
The wind professor.
Maybe he could help.
Having reached a decision, Will closed the system window.
Before sleeping, he spent several hours cultivating mana.
The familiar sensation flowed through his body.
Mana slowly circulated through his pathways.
The process was still awkward.
Still slow.
But it felt productive.
And for now, that was enough.
The next day passed relatively quietly.
Classes continued as normal.
Students filled the hallways.
Professors lectured.
Nothing unusual happened.
At least from Will's perspective.
Not everyone shared that view.
From the corner of a nearby building, a pair of crimson eyes silently watched him.
Ruby.
For the past several days she had been observing him.
Ever since the Tower incident.
Something had changed.
At first she believed it was because of the accident.
The injuries.
The trauma.
The damage to his mind.
Any of those explanations would have made sense.
Yet the strange feeling never disappeared.
The connection was gone.
The invisible bond she had always felt with Will.
The bond she couldn't properly explain.
The bond she had taken for granted.
It had vanished.
Completely.
He looked like Will.
Sounded like Will.
Moved like Will.
Even his mana felt the same.
Yet every instinct she possessed told her something wasn't right.
Not enough to accuse him.
Not enough to understand.
Only enough to keep watching.
Waiting.
Searching for an answer.
Ruby quietly followed as Will headed toward Professor Kael's office.
Knock.
"Come in."
Will opened the door.
Professor Kael looked up from a pile of paperwork.
Surprise briefly appeared on his face.
"Will?"
The professor put down his pen.
"What brings you here?"
Will stepped forward.
"I wanted to ask for a favor."
Kael immediately narrowed his eyes.
That answer rarely led anywhere good.
"What kind of favor?"
Will took a deep breath.
"Professor, after the Tower incident my mind has been a mess."
Kael's expression softened slightly.
That much was obvious.
The boy had nearly died.
"I've been thinking about a lot of things."
Will continued.
"And I want to become stronger."
Kael remained silent.
"Stronger how?"
"I'm trying several different methods."
"What methods?"
Will hesitated.
Then shook his head.
"I don't really know how to explain it."
Not a lie.
At least not entirely.
"I'm trying a lot of different things."
Kael studied him for a moment.
Then nodded.
The professor didn't seem particularly suspicious.
If anything, he looked relieved.
Many students reacted strangely after near-death experiences.
Experimenting with training methods wasn't unusual.
"I see."
Will continued.
"I was hoping I could get access to one of the personal training halls."
Kael immediately shook his head.
"No."
Will blinked.
"That fast?"
"Yes."
The professor folded his arms.
"Those halls aren't handed out like candy."
"I only need one for training."
"No."
"Professor."
"No."
Will stared.
Kael stared back.
The room became completely silent.
After several moments Will finally spoke again.
"How about a month?"
"No."
"Two weeks?"
"No."
"One week?"
"Absolutely not."
Will felt his hopes collapsing.
Then he decided to use his last weapon.
Guilt.
"Professor."
Kael sighed.
"What?"
"If I don't get stronger, then I'll never have a chance."
The professor remained silent.
Will continued.
"I almost died in the Tower."
"If I don't find another way to improve, then I'll stay weak forever."
Still silence.
Then:
"You know."
Will looked at him.
"You were the one who told me where the monster was."
Kael froze.
"...Will."
"If I stay weak forever, then all this happened for nothing."
The professor rubbed his forehead.
For several moments he remained completely silent.
Finally, he let out a long sigh.
"Fine."
Will immediately straightened.
"Really?"
"Don't celebrate yet."
Kael pointed at him.
"I'm giving you what you originally asked for."
Will blinked.
"What?"
"One month."
Will's eyes widened.
"A month?"
"You asked for a month. You're getting a month."
Kael continued.
"And after that month, I want results."
"What kind of results?"
"Any results."
The professor folded his arms.
"If you show absolutely no progress, I'll deduct academy points."
Will immediately nodded.
"I can accept that."
"Good."
"Thank you, Professor."
The relief in his voice was genuine.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt like he had a real chance.
Without thinking, he suddenly stepped forward and hugged Kael.
The professor froze.
Will froze.
The room froze.
Several seconds passed.
Then Will immediately released him.
Current Will felt his soul leave his body.
"What am I doing?"
Apparently some habits from Original Will were stronger than expected.
Kael looked equally confused.
"..."
"..."
The silence became painful.
Finally Will cleared his throat.
"Thank you, Professor."
Kael awkwardly coughed.
"You're welcome."
Several moments later Kael handed him a permit.
Will accepted it.
Then turned to leave.
Just as he reached the door—
"Will."
He stopped.
"Yes?"
Kael looked up.
"Have you gone back to the tavern?"
Will paused.
The original Will worked there.
Because of everything that happened, he hadn't gone back.
"Not yet."
Will scratched the back of his head.
"The past few days have been a mess."
Kael nodded.
"I figured."
The professor returned to his paperwork.
"I already sent a message."
Will blinked.
"You did?"
"They know you'll be absent for a few days."
Relief washed over him.
"Thank you."
Kael waved him away.
"Go train."
A smile appeared on Will's face.
For the first time in days, he felt excited.
"Yes, Professor."
Then he left the room with the training permit firmly clutched in his hand.
His journey had finally begun.