I Refused To Be Reincarnated

Five minutes prior, King Leon's gaze landed on Shepard's rapidly travelling smokey form until he reached Elderglade Peaks, wondering about his goal. However, his subsequent actions caused him to frown.

He saw him smirk as he conjured a deadly fog that engulfed the entire area. With dread, he watched the soldiers hold their throats, their faces contorting in agony as their eyes bulged and their faces turned a deep red.

Reading on the arcanist's lips, he repeated, "Playing with fire will always cause smoke to erupt."

Then, he saw the fog billow under his control, devouring everything in its wake like a gaseous beast. Soon, soldiers from both countries dropped to the ground like flies, poisoned to death.

Next, Shepard dismissed his spell, his eyes narrowing as he muttered, "I didn't feel the kids' shapes."

"He is searching for someone," Leon said, tapping on the balcony rail pensively before his old veins came to life, squirming around his eyes as he curiously scanned the mountains.

Nothing escaped his vision, not even what was buried inside the rocks. Soon, he saw the unconventional group and the kid's uniforms. "He is searching for his students," he said in understanding, with a curt nod of approval.

However, his old eyes suddenly narrowed as they passed by the boy. "Interesting!" He exclaimed, witnessing his below-average magic circuits. However, what caught his attention were the powerful meridians crisscrossing his body! Then, his eyes sparkled at the sight of the ethereal Dan Tian resting in his abdomen.

"Hahaha. Not bad, he should have tier-seven potential," he giggled, a bright smile covering his lips. "But Shepard won't find them," he added. Despite the arcanist's strength, he was an alchemist, not a scout or hunter. Without knowing where to search or potent reconnaissance spells, the inconspicuous collapsed entrance of the cave would elude him.

Then, turning to gaze at his advisor, he ordered, "Find information about a brown-haired and eyed boy around thirteen. He is a student at the College of Alchemy and Transmutation."

With a nod, the giant knight left the room to gather information, returning two hours later. "He is Julius Riverwood, adopted son of a rich baron who died four years and a half ago..." The knight faithfully narrated Julius' life until he reached the college before shifting to his hobbies. "He registered in the monster duel club and, according to reports, aims to win next year's championship."

"Wonderful! Send a notice to the Academy of Summoning to inform them I'll spectate the tournament," said the king, his eyes glowing with impatience. Of course, he could meet the boy this instant, but he wanted their meeting to feel as natural as possible.

As Leon prepared for their encounter next year, his true intentions a mystery, Adam gazed at Julius, taking a triumphal pose.

"I'm fully recovered now! It's been eight days already," he smirked at the boy, ready to resume digging his tunnel, unaware of what happened outside.

"Nice! Don't press yourself too much. But try to end in six days if possible," replied Julius, smiling brightly and raising his thumb. Yet, under his joyful facade, he controlled his stomach's muscles to snuff any sound it could produce. He wouldn't bother his big brother, resulting in what happened last week repeating. He knew they could endure by limiting their movements to save energy.

"We'll sleep most of the time not to disturb you. Do what you can without sacrificing your health," he added, lying close to the lake.

With a determined nod, Adam walked to the opposite wall, conjuring dozens of mana drills above him before sending them to crash on it. 'Last week's problem was the continuous use of mana. Even if I had enough of it, my circuits didn't handle the constant pressure,' he thought, remembering the extensive analysis they conducted together during his rest.

'This time, I'll use mana progressively with a one-hour pause after two hours of excavating,' he confidently added as the sound of rubble colliding with the floor echoed in the underground cave.

This method would allow them to reach the river bank in six days without endangering him. However, this misadventure exposed one of his most significant flaws: his mana circuits were terrible, even worse than Julius'. This revelation carried heavy consequences.

Since he had never used mana for so long, he only knew that discharging too much in a short time harmed him. Yet, duration proved to be problematic, too.

'I must ask Shepard for ways to improve them,' he thought, frowning. To make an analogy, he felt his mana was diesel running on a petrol engine. Hindered by the quality, it struggled to pass, clogging and swelling in the circuits.

"But first, we need to escape," he said, smiling wryly before emptying his mind to focus on his task.

Soon, amidst the reverberating noise of breaking rocks, sweat, and dust, six days flashed by. Despite his regular pauses, his circuits were heating in his ethereal form, alerting him he almost reached his limits again. Yet, preoccupied by Morgane's state, he decided to make one last push.

The poor girl already looked like a bag of bones devoid of muscles or fat. He knew she wouldn't hold long. Even Julius' firm arms looked like two twigs, adding to his worries.

"You'd better pierce through!" He exclaimed, materialising his spinning spearhead again. But this time was different. With more mana, he added a thin layer of vibrating energy to increase its penetration before hurling it.

CRASH

A strident cacophony erupted as the projectile drilled through the mountain as if challenging its hardness. Tremors shook the ground and more gravel flew in every direction, rising dust as the spear furiously eviscerated the rocks until...

"You did it!" Screamed Nova as warm sunlight filtered through the freshly dug tunnel, and the mana spearhead slowly dissipated a few meters away. Excitement filling her, she added, "Let me carry the kids out!"

"Don't touch them!" Adam hurriedly screamed, holding his ethereal frame with a grimace. "They are too weak to be moved. We must feed them first," he added, his eyes fixing the flowing river below.

"What can I do to help?" She asked, her hands itching to do something helpful for the kids.

Reassured to see her comply, Adam revealed, "I can't move too far from Julius. So, catch some fish in the river and bring them back."

However, a bad feeling gripped his heart as he saw Nova blush. 'Why does her reaction seem familiar?!' He thought in alarm, anticipating her answer.

Shame covering her features, Nova said, "I don't know how to swim."

"..."