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The first hypothesis posits the coexistence of Repenhardt’s soul from the future within this body and the current young Repenhardt. The second hypothesis contemplates…

‘Could it be that the soul of Teslon, the Martial King, has entered my body now?’

Repenhardt pondered. Even for him, a magician at the pinnacle of his art, it was impossible to definitively determine which possibility was more likely. After all, both were beyond the common understanding of magic he had learned.

‘The issue then becomes what impact this will have on the present.’

He considered the scenario of having another version of himself.

What would happen when two identical souls came into contact was unknown to anyone. The identity of a soul is an immutable law that constitutes the world; in the worst case, one of the souls could be annihilated. As a magician, Repenhardt was aware that he had to consider even the direst possibilities.

However, it would be at least 10 years before the young Repenhardt would become an official magician. Reflecting on the past, this period was when he should have been engrossed in his studies at the Delphia Mage Tower.

‘At least for the time being… it seems unlikely that they will affect each other.’

And in the second case, if Teslon currently possessed Repenhardt’s body?

If Teslon, too, had regressed to a past life, he would have memories of the past and could likely deduce Repenhardt’s situation as well. Then, there’s a considerable chance that he would target himself.

‘Hmm, perhaps this is not an immediate problem either?’

Teslon’s strength originated from his body, but now his body was occupied by Repenhardt. Even if Teslon remembered the zenith of his power, as long as the foundation of his body was the weak young Repenhardt, he could not immediately return to being the Martial King.

‘It will take at least a few years. Or, seeing the way training is going here, it might even be impossible in a lifetime.’

The training method of the Gym Unbreakable absolutely requires a mentor’s help. It’s not something one can do alone.

‘No, given Teslon’s level, he might still find a way to train on his own.’

As he continued to think, his head began to ache from the complexity. It seemed that, regardless of which hypothesis was correct, confirmation was necessary to devise a proper strategy.

‘Anyway… for now… escaping from this hell… is the priority…’

Repenhardt’s thoughts began to fade. Continuing to think left him too exhausted. Unwittingly, he fell into a deep sleep.

Exactly an hour later, Gerard fetched Repenhardt from the bathhouse. Tossing him some dry clothes, he shouted,

“My disciple! Let’s eat!”

Repenhardt, whose body had just recovered and was now ravenously hungry, was thrilled and quickly got dressed and ran to Gerard. Despite the situation, it felt imperative to get something into his stomach, or he wouldn’t be able to stand it.

Entering the room, Repenhardt expected no more surprises, yet he found himself astonished again.

‘Meal? This is it?’

Gerard’s cooking was generous. It was truly a man’s meal.

Simply slicing up an entire pig and throwing it into a pot with various vegetables and grains, then boiling it all together was the entirety of the dish. Gerard handed over a ladle, saying,

“Here’s your spoon.”

Looking at the merciless mixture of liquid and solids in the pot, which was suspiciously stew-like, Repenhardt seriously contemplated whether he should eat it.

‘Wait, is this supposed to be a serving for one?’

It wasn’t both Gerard and him eating from this enormous pot. Gerard had already set up a separate meal for himself, consisting of bread, soup, meat, and vegetables—a normal diet that wouldn’t be too much for three or four adult men. Indeed, that amount was substantial but reasonable. Given Gerard’s size, no one would question him eating that much.

However, the pot in front of Repenhardt was on another level entirely. It seemed enough to feed an entire squad of orcs from the era of the Antares Empire, with enough left over to pat their stomachs. Was he really expected to eat all this? Would there be consequences for leaving leftovers like before?

‘Well, let’s eat anyway…’

Though daunted, Repenhardt began eating without a word. Surprisingly, the meal was delicious. This wasn’t to say Gerard had exceptional cooking skills. The saying that hunger is the best spice could be amplified hundreds of times to describe this situation.

Gerard kindly explained for his amnesiac disciple,

“Your body has been pushed to its limits. It needs that much replenishment.”

Repenhardt mindlessly devoured the stew. Initially doubting he could finish it alone, once he started eating, he couldn’t stop. He found it absurd how he kept on eating endlessly.

‘Is this even possible? What about the law of conservation of mass?’

Feeling as though the principles of magic were being defied, Repenhardt finished off the pot. It was as if he was digesting the food as quickly as he was eating it.

Gerard cleared away the cauldron and spoke kindly.

“Now, let’s run lightly to aid digestion.”

And so, the afternoon training began.

To Repenhardt, who was a magician, the afternoon training seemed quite standard.

First, they would run around the mountain for about an hour with heavy metal weights attached to their entire body. This was followed by a series of physically demanding exercises that were ambiguous in their ordinariness: push-ups using only fingers, crunches while holding dumbbells in the mouth, and squats while carrying boulders. The intensity was brutish, but it was understandable training, so this time Repenhardt quietly followed along.

Of course, he felt like he was going to lose consciousness several times in the process. However, a single word from Gerard immediately reinvigorated him.

“Hm? Are you struggling, my disciple? Shall we just continue with the morning training?”

“No, Sirrrrrrr!”

Preferring to carry boulders over being beaten to death, Repenhardt’s motivation soared to the skies.

* * *

The sun had set, and the exhausting day had finally come to an end. After throwing the utterly worn-out Repenhardt into the room, Gerard offered a night greeting with a pleased smile on his face.

“Good work today, my disciple. See you tomorrow.”

“Ah, good night… Master…”

“Yes, yes…”

Gerard closed the door with a content smile, and Repenhardt stared blankly at him. It was a truly comforting expression, filled with love for his disciple.

‘Looking at him, he can’t be a bad person…’

But what good does being a nice person do if one’s head is filled with vicious ideologies!

‘I’m escaping tonight! I’ll find a way to escape no matter what!’

Repenhardt quietly lay on the bed, waiting only for Gerard’s room light to turn off. His body, exhausted to the core, screamed for sleep, but he endured it with formidable mental strength. After all, he was a mage, a profession that prides itself on unparalleled mental fortitude.

Gerard’s room light turned off soon after. However, Repenhardt didn’t move immediately.

‘I can’t carelessly move before he falls deep asleep.’

After struggling to keep his eyelids open for about an hour, Repenhardt finally moved. He tiptoed, carefully opened the window, and moved cautiously through the yard until the building was out of sight. Since he couldn’t be sure of Gerard’s extraordinary senses, he dared not act rashly.

And finally, when he had crossed a hill.

‘Run!’

Repenhardt dashed towards the foothills. Thanks to his thoroughly trained body, he quickly gained speed despite being overworked. He ran through the mountain path at a terrifying speed that would make any wild beast cry in envy.

The irrational training seemed logical, but it meant nothing to him. He had no intention of becoming a warrior. His mind was filled with the most powerful magics of his era. He needed to become a 10th circle ultimate mage once again and rebuild the Antares Empire. Was this the time to be building muscles?

How long had he run? A light of irrepressible joy appeared on Repenhardt’s face as he ran blindly.

‘Ah! Freedom! I’ve finally escaped!’

Just as a sense of relief was about to overwhelm him—

“My disciple, where are you going?”

A large old man was sitting on a rock ahead, smiling broadly.

“Gah!”

This monstrous old man! When did he get here ahead of time? Gerard looked at Repenhardt, who was internally screaming, and chuckled merrily.

“So you’ve decided to run away after all, not having done so for a month or two. Is this the ninth time? One more escape and you’ll hit double digits.”

It was clear that Gerard wasn’t surprised at all by the escape of his disciple. It seemed that Teslon also had a habit of running away frequently. Repenhardt’s shoulders slumped.

“Sigh…”

It was clear something had to change. This couldn’t continue. After a moment of contemplation, Repenhardt lifted his head.

“Listen here, old man. I have something serious to say.”

Gerard responded calmly.

“Let’s hear it.”

“I’m not actually the boy known as Teslon. My name is Repenhardt. I’m a wizard.”

Repenhardt then seriously began to share his story, explaining how he ended up in the body of this boy.

It was a story that should never have been revealed. However, having already experienced hell, Repenhardt wasn’t thinking that far ahead. His only concern was escaping from this place.

“…So, that’s what happened. Therefore, I cannot become your disciple……”

After finishing his story, Repenhardt looked at Gerard and swallowed hard. Would the old man believe his story? And if he did, how would he react to the existence of an evil wizard who had stolen his disciple’s soul?

Surprisingly, Teslon didn’t seem shocked at all. He just narrowed his eyes and let out a small laugh.

“Oh, is that the story this time?”

“What?”

“Before, you said you were an otherworlder who came from another dimension. That you entered that body after encountering dragons and gods.”

“Eh?”

“And before that? Something about being a master from the legendary Eastern Continent who was reincarnated here, if I recall correctly?”

And with a single step, he moved behind Repenhardt and suddenly grabbed his neck, lifting him up. The massive figure of 2.5 meters moved without even being seen. Truly, it was a terrifying movement worthy of the Fist King of the era.

“Still, this time the setting is a bit more detailed. You’ve improved a lot. Playing the role of a wandering bard as a hobby might not be a bad idea, my disciple.”

Suspended in the air, Repenhardt was frustrated. To think that even this was futile! Gerard was smirking continuously. It seemed that Teslon had been earnestly spewing similar lies for a long time.

“Come on, let’s go back and sleep. You need to rest well to endure tomorrow’s training!”

Repenhardt could not see even a hint of doubt in the old man’s expression, carrying his disciple back, that he might not be the real Teslon. And, in fact, it was a story of little concern to Gerard. What he wanted was a robust body that could endure the training methods of the Gym Unbreakable, nothing else mattered, whatever it was!

‘Damn it!’

Realizing this, Repenhardt despaired. There seemed to be no way out of this hell. The world was all darkness. It was the middle of the night, after all.

Dangling as he returned to hell, Repenhardt changed his mind. Even though it had been just a day’s encounter, he realized it desperately. That no words would work on this old man named Gerard. Words achieve nothing.

Quietly returning to the log cabin, Repenhardt gritted his teeth and resolved, and resolved again.

‘I failed today, but I will definitely escape tomorrow!’

‘Yes, today’s escape(?) failed. I’ll give you that. But don’t think I’ll continue to be trapped here.’

Even as he was thrown into bed, Repenhardt did not give up on escaping. He was a man who did not know how to give up even in his previous life. He didn’t know how to give up to such an extent that he was called the Demon King. He couldn’t give up just because of this!

And the next day, yet again, the hellish morning dawned.

“Aaaaahhhhh!”

Above the clear mountain sky, the boy’s scream sorrowfully echoed yet again.