NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11: Chapter 11: The Cycle of Death
After finishing breakfast with Selena, Ryo attended his classes as usual. The first lesson proceeded exactly as he remembered, with nothing out of the ordinary occurring. However, his nerves tensed as he approached the battle practice class—the place where he had previously met his end.
This time, he was more alert, prepared for whatever might come his way.
The instructor explained the training drill: students would have to face monsters in combat. Ryo's turn eventually arrived, and as expected, the same "error" occurred. Instead of a single opponent, he was swarmed by a pack of wolves, their glowing red eyes fixed on him. More than thirty or forty of them surrounded him, just like before.
'I died here last time,' he reminded himself, gripping his weapon tightly. But this time, he was ready.
The moment the beasts lunged, Ryo moved. His body reacted instinctively, fueled by the experiences of his past deaths. Within moments, he had cut down six of them—but instead of feeling any guilt or hesitation, he was surprised to find he felt nothing at all.
'Maybe because they're just monsters,' he reasoned. But before he could think further, twelve wolves attacked at once.
He tried to dodge, counter, and fight back—but just like before, he died.
The next moment, he was back in class as if nothing had happened. Once again, he found himself walking toward battle practice.
This time, he fought harder. He managed to kill ten wolves before they overwhelmed him. He focused on using his Blood Weaponry abilities, but they were still new and unfamiliar. His progress was slow, but noticeable.
He died four times.
Each time, he learned more—how to dodge better, how to maximize his attacks, how to control his abilities. And on his fifth attempt, he finally won.
As the last wolf fell, the training field fell silent. The instructor, shocked, rushed to investigate the situation. The other students whispered among themselves, baffled by what had just happened. No one else had been attacked like that.
Selena approached him, arms crossed, her crimson eyes gleaming with interest. "You don't fear death, do you?"
Ryo scoffed lightly, wiping sweat from his forehead. Dying was becoming a habit. His fear of it had long since dulled. He was adapting.
As he walked back to his dorm, still reflecting on the battle, something caught his attention.
He stopped abruptly.
'The lake…'
The place where he had first died—the lake—was gone.
Ryo's heart pounded. Something was different this time.