Following the completion of breakfast with Selena, Ryo went to his classes as usual. The first class went just as he remembered, with nothing unusual happening. Nevertheless, his nerves bristled as he headed towards the battle practice class—the site where he had met his demise before.
This time, he was more vigilant, ready for whatever would happen to him.
The teacher outlined the training exercise: students would be forced to fight monsters. Ryo's turn finally came, and predictably, the same "error" repeated. Rather than one opponent, he was attacked by a group of wolves, their glowing red eyes on him. Over thirty or forty of them closed in around him, just as before.
'I died here last time,' he reminded himself, his grip on his weapon tight. But this time, he was prepared.
As soon as the beasts attacked, Ryo sprang into action. His body acted on instinct, driven by the memories of his previous deaths. In an instant, he had killed six of them—but rather than feel any guilt or hesitation, he was shocked to discover that he felt nothing whatsoever.
'Maybe because they're just monsters,' he thought. But before he could think any longer, twelve wolves charged at once.
He attempted to dodge, counter, and resist—but like before, he died.
The next instant, he was back in class as if nothing ever occurred. Again, he found himself approaching battle practice.
This time, he struggled more. He was able to kill ten wolves before they overpowered him. He concentrated on utilizing his Blood Weaponry skills, but they were still new and unpracticed. His improvement was gradual, but real.
He died four times.
Each time, he learned something—how to avoid better, how to optimize his attacks, how to regulate his powers. And on his fifth try, he finally emerged victorious.
As the last wolf dropped, the training ground went quiet. The instructor, stunned, ran to see what had happened. The rest of the students whispered to each other, confused at what had occurred. No one else had been attacked like that.
Selena walked up to him, arms folded, her scarlet eyes shining with curiosity. "You don't fear death, do you?"
Ryo snorted sarcastically, wiping his forehead. Dying was becoming routine. His terror of it had long faded. He was adjusting.
He strode back to his dorm, still thinking about the fight, when something caught his eye.
He came to a stop.
'The lake…'
The site where he had originally died—the lake—no longer existed.
Ryo's heart rumbled. Something was off this time.