By the time Lee Shin-Woo got a hold of himself, he was in a bright interior rather than the sewers. It felt like a dream—the surrounding landscape looked blurry, and he couldn't move his body as he wished. Even though he was able to live vicariously as a human again, he wasn't very happy.

Yes, he was reliving a certain human's memory. Once again, the immeasurable potential of Bone Reinforcement impressed him.

"I’m here, Teacher."

Those words had come out of his own mouth, or, to be more precise, from whoever Lee Shin-Woo’s consciousness currently resided in. His vision then tilted up. It was then Lee Shin-Woo realized that there was someone else in the room—a frail old man with mana that could at best be described as mediocre.

Teacher? But the man I’m inhabiting seems way stronger.

Lee Shin-Woo was certain since he was in the person’s body. He had reached level 3 and possessed an ample amount of mana, but it was nothing compared to this man. He was obviously at a higher level, and had probably been focusing on his growth in magic. Whereas the strength of the old man before him fell short of even a Skeleton Warrior, and the amount of mana he possessed was half of Lee Shin-Woo's. Normally, Lee Shin-Woo wouldn't have the ability to precisely measure someone else's mana, but it was possible for the person he was inhabiting.

"Gerrit... why are you here?"

"There’s something I must tell you."

Of course, since they had a teacher-student relationship, strength probably wasn't that important. There was truth in the adage that students often ended up surpassing their masters. Lee Shin-Woo decided to listen to their conversation for now.

"There’s nothing that I need to hear from you."

"Teacher, I heard you've taken over His Majesty’s personal research team."

"...Where did you hear about that?"

"That's not important. What's important is that you’re doing the wrong thing."

Ah, as expected. When he thought about it, the last time Lee Shin-Woo reinforced his skull, he had heard about a 'research' of some kind. At the time he had made a rough guess about what the research was; now, with the man’s memory, he was able to tell its exact nature. It was the research that would fill this Empire with the undead.

"Teacher, you must stop that research at once. It's twisted at its very core. Bringing immortality within everyone's reach will lead to nothing but ruin!"

"It’s His Majesty’s will."

"Wasn’t it you who told me that the research was wrong in the first place?"

"..."

"Teacher, please tell me honestly. Who's the one seeking immortality? Is it His Majesty? Or..."

Lee Shin-Woo started to feel like he was watching a movie. The Empire had fallen anyway, so there was no need to be on the edge of his seat! He watched their conversation play out comfortably as their argument escalated to its climax.

"Ha. A born genius such as you wouldn't understand what it feels like to be lacking in talent, to be prevented from reaching the next stage; you don't know how wretched it feels..."

"I’ve only been practicing what you taught me, Teacher."

"Then why couldn't I reach that level!?"

Suddenly, the old man's temper flared. The eventual outburst seemed to be a long time coming.

"I’m lacking in talent, in magic, and in everything else! Karma... I don't have enough karma...! At this rate, I won’t even reach level 3 before death… if I don’t try to buy myself more time, that is!"

"Why are you voluntarily taking in the horrific karma that you had vehemently rejected in the past!? You used to be the person I respected the most!"

"You don't understand! You have everything; you wouldn't know what it feels like!"

The old man suddenly screamed. It was a scream Lee Shin-Woo had heard before. He was shocked to see one of the teacher’s eyes pop out and roll onto the floor during his impassioned speech.

"What the...!?"

"Ugh!"

Then the teacher suddenly vomited rotten blood, his head bent. His student, Gerrit, had a hunch that something had gone terribly wrong, but the moment he was about to retreat, his teacher looked up and suddenly attacked him. The teacher's remaining eye had turned yellow with a dull glow, which seemed to be the standard transformation of a human turning into a zombie.

"Kyaaaaahk!"

"What the hell!?"

Gerrit realized then that his teacher, who had been seeking immortality, ended up becoming an existence furthest from life in an instant... He was now an undead. Gerrit quickly analyzed whether he could turn his teacher back to normal, but soon shook his head and extended his hand.

Ooooh...!

The world's mana responded to his call at once, and he instantly created a magical net to trap his teacher. He had reached a stage his teacher had been so fervently desired after. Lee Shin-Woo felt the magic spreading across his entire body. The experience hit him at the very core.

So this was how you handled mana! He could feel it all so keenly: how Gerrit had manifested his will in that brief moment, how he drew out the mana within his body, and how he manipulated it.

"Kyahak, Kyahaaahk...!"

"Damn it, Teacher..."

His now zombified teacher utilized mana to struggle against his hold, but then Gerrit flicked his finger with gritted teeth, and the magical net burst into flames, burning his teacher with magnificent ferocity. When he released the flames, all that remained was a small blue bone.

"Damn it, what the hell did those bastards do to him...!"

Now left on his own, Gerrit muttered through clenched teeth and picked up the bone fragment. The mana that arose from his body almost surged as proof of his rage.

"I can't let this insanity go on any longer. I have to protect the Empire at all costs. To do that, damn it..."

Gerrit chewed on his bottom lip, whereas Lee Shin-Woo had been concentrating so desperately in order to further engrave Gerrit's high level mana control into his mind that he didn’t feel any sympathy for the man.

"...In the end, I have no choice but to meet with General Seagald."

It's Seagald again!?

Lee Shin-Woo couldn’t help but talk back in his head. He had hoped that the memory would explain what Seagald would go on to do, but unfortunately, things didn’t go as he had hoped. The general’s name was the last thing he heard before his consciousness faded away.It was as if someone had decided that these were all the experiences and memories he should receive and thus cut it short. His vision went dark, and his own senses gradually returned to him. Back to his cold, hard skeletal body.

"Tch."

[Low Rank Magic Affinity is now Lv7. Magic has increased by 10.]

[You have learned the passive skill, Low Rank Magic Accumulation. Magic has increased by 5. You can draw your mana naturally, and by amassing it within your body, your total amount of magic increases; in doing so, your body will harmonize with your mana better than before.]

One after another, short, concise messages popped up to bring him the amazing news; he rubbed at his nonexistent eyes. His Magic Affinity had leveled up, and he had acquired a new skill, a really important one at that!

Mmm.

He had learned a skill that was essential in handling magic, and his Magic Affinity had improved dramatically. He could confidently say that he had no regrets, but... the name Seagald weighed heavily on his mind, which prevented him from rejoicing in his growth.

I keep hearing his name. He must've really been an influential figure in the Empire...

He briefly pondered over it, but soon opened the chatroom. It should be alright to ask his seniors about Seagald just once. He was famous enough for the skeletons to say his name in their death throes, so there should be someone amongst them that knew who he was.

[Lee Shin-Woo: Seniors, may I ask a question?]

[Yasunori Akira: The newbie, huh. It's good that you're not dead.]

[Lee Shin-Woo: Haha...]

That was how he was greeted whenever he entered the chatroom, making it clear how hard it was to survive in this Empire. He smiled bitterly and started to speak.

[Lee Shin-Woo: Have you perhaps heard of Seagald?]

[Yasunori Akira: Ah... I might've heard that somewhere.]

[Lloyd H.K.: I've heard of him. He's one of the generals, right? From what I gather, it seems like there were 12 generals in this Empire.]

[Shino Rendu: Have you cleared the dungeon? That's a relief.]

[Lloyd H.K.: I was able to clear it safely thanks to your concern.]

[Prince Altania: Whoever he was, he must've been really popular. The lower ranked the skeleton, the more fervently they talk about him.]

[Seira Von Retadane: Seagald... He's probably an undead right now as well. He's our enemy.]

[Prince Altania: That's obvious.]

As expected, his seniors had heard about Seagald before. Still, Lee Shin-Woo was a little disappointed that he couldn’t get more information from them... Lee Shin-Woo clicked his tongue, and Seira asked him a question.

[Seira Von Retadane: Excuse me, Mr. Lee Shin-Woo. Is there a reason you’re asking about Seagald...?]

[Lee Shin-Woo: Ah, like my other seniors, I've heard a lot about him from the skeletons. I’m just curious about who he was...]

[Seira Von Retadane: I see. However, Mr. Lee Shin-Woo, about Seagald...]

When Seira was about to say something more…

[Ms. Ye Jin-Jin has entered.]

[Ye Jin-Jin: Please save me! Somebody please save me!]

"..."

Lee Shin-Woo stiffened at the sudden call for help, but his seniors simply clicked their tongues like they were used to it.

[Lloyd H.K.: Damn it... I'd thought it'd been a while since someone got in trouble.]

[Prince Altania: Rest in peace, Ye Jin Jin...If I see you later, I'll make sure to burn you to a crisp.]

[Ye Jin-Jin: You’re being cruel...! I-I'm going to die! I... Ggyahk! A zombie, it's a huge zombie!]

[Erian Ruparte: Jin-Jin, where are you!? Where are you right now!? I need to know where you are if you want me to help!]

[Seira Von Retadane: ...It's no use, Ruparte. The goddess really values us. A quest would’ve occurred without her calling for help if we’re close enough to get to her...]

[Erian Ruparte: N-No... Are we just going to sit here and listen to her die?]

[Shino Rendu: We've already seen several dozens of heroes die. We have our regrets, and we do feel remorse, so shut up if you’re going to talk about responsibility and conscience so lightly.]

[Erian Ruparte: That's...]

The mood of the chatroom chilled in an instant. Tension could be felt between the seniors who had seemed to be getting along well. Even those who had spoken curtly couldn’t hide their pity for Ye Jin-Jin… Lee Shin-Woo understood all of them, and he even understood those who had remained silent instead.

[Lloyd H.K.: Sorry, I can't save you, Ye Jin-Jin...]

[Ye Jin-Jin: Please save me... Please...!]

However, their reaction didn’t sit well with Lee Shin-Woo at all. A fellow human was on the verge of death, and yet they didn’t even seem unnerved. Was he bothered because he was no different from them? Was it his contempt for himself that made him feel this way? Was he beginning to question his own identity?

They were all right, but they were also all wrong.

[A quest has begun!]

[Hero Rescue]

[A hero close by is in a life threatening crisis. If you succeed in rescuing her, you will acquire a suitable reward. Of course, if you fail or ignore her call, no one will blame you, but there may be those who mock you and call you foolish.]

[Quest reward - 3 permits to the Goddess’s Secret Shop, 1 random skill book, an appropriate amount of stat points, Perium, and Lv3 equipment reinforcement permits based on your contributions.]

Ah, it seems the girl is nearby.