"What do you mean he's missing?"

  Ivy had settled into the Great Church, alongside all of her holy sisters.

  It had only been a day, but they were told what their daily lives would look like within the church. Most of which would be spent in prayer towards the Allfather, and focusing on their awakenings.

  During her free time, Ivy had visited the Varadna Preparation School, where she knew Leox should be. However, when asking for him at the desk, she was told that the boy had gone missing.

  "I'm sorry, but it's true. Leox has been missing for almost half a year. The day after he arrived at the school, he went missing. Most people believe that he ran away, fleeing back to his village." The receptionist explained in a dull tone.

  "That's not the case. I've been at our village, and he wasn't there!" Ivy responded, struggling to process the situation.

  The receptionist shrugged her shoulders. She didn't seem to care much.

  "..."

  "You said that 'most' people believe that this is the case. What do the others believe?" Ivy then asked curiously.

  For a moment, the receptionist paused. But before she could answer, the door to school swung open and they were interrupted.

  Ivy turned around to find a boy standing at the entrance. His hair was a bright orange, and one of his eyes was sealed shut by a scar. He wore the black school uniform of the preparation school, and his face seemed to be stuck in a permanent smile.

  As he entered, he bowed his head towards Ivy theatrically.

  "You want to hear my theory on what happened to the great Leox?" The boy said, as though preparing to make an announcement.

  Ivy looked him sideways.

  How did he even hear our conversation?

  The receptionist palmed her face and spoke. "Laughter, what has Master Professor Gabriel told you about spreading your theories?"

  Laughter. A strange name for a strange boy.

  Laughter walked into the room with an exaggerated step and ignored the receptionist. He seemed to be waiting for Ivy to answer his question.

  "What's your theory?" She eventually responded.

  Just like that, the boy wiped the smile from his face. It was though he was about to deliver the worst news someone could ever hear in their life.

  "I believe that Leox was killed by Donn Hawkings."

  ---

  Down in the tunnels, Leox had finally managed to get a grasp on Earth Magic.

  Where the dirt mixed with the water in the tunnel, mud was formed. At his current Novice level, he was unable to control things such as solid dirt and stone, but mud seemed to work just right.

  After focusing deeply, he awakened a simple skill called Mud Wall. It allowed him to raise the mud on the ground vertically in front of him and form a defensive barrier. The barrier was not solid, and any strike with enough force behind it would pierce right through. However, against other Novice skills, it was sure to hold.

  Still, Leox didn't feel like it was enough. He wanted to understand the concept of wind magic too, but being underground made this difficult, as there was a lack of wind.

  He also didn't have enough time, as the footsteps were now dangerously close. Donn's taunting voice frequently echoed through the tunnel like a mad man.

  Leox held the largest piece of stone he could find in his hand. He had sharpened it enough so that the point would be able to pierce flesh if used correctly.

  Would it be enough against Donn's sword? He would get his answer soon, as suddenly, a darkened figure appeared from around the corner of the tunnel.

  He was still too far away for Leox to see him properly, but from the long limbs alone, it was clear who the figure belonged to. It was the only other human shape he had seen within the past months after all.

  Donn stood there with a sword in his right hand. It's point rested in the murky water as he smiled.

  "Leox, why did you run from me? Weren't you having as much fun as I was?"

  At the age of thirteen, Donn had already become maniacal.

  Slowly, he stepped forward, closing the distance between him and Leox. The sound of his sword scraping across the ground stung his ears.

  "I should have never taken my eye off you. I should cut you into pieces so tiny that you would never be able to—"

  Leox didn't let the boy finish. He dashed across the tunnel with his stone in his hand.

  Beforehand, he had activated Overheat in both of his legs, allowing his speed to be increased. The water beneath him sizzled with every step.

  "Fighting? Are you a fool, Leox? Look at the state of you!"

  Donn roared as he lifted his open palm in an upward motion. Shards of stone broke off the tunnel into the air. Then with one push, Donn sent them flying towards his opponent.

  Leox reacted fast, activating Mud Wall. A black slimy wall rose in front of him, and the stone shots hit against it. However, since Donn's Earth Magic was Apprentice Level, a few managed to penetrate through.

  Stolen story; please report.

  A stone took Leox in the chest as his wall fell. He coughed up blood, but managed to keep pushing. It was hardly the worst injury he had faced at the hands of this boy.

  "Resilient are we?" Donn taunted as he twirled his blade. "Then let's get close and personal!"

  Donn stepped into range, swinging his steel sword horizontally. It was a fast slice, as his swordsmanship was already at apprentice level.

  However, Leox was able to react fast. His legs sizzled as he leapt high into the air to jump over the blade. With the stone he held in his hand, he came crashing down trying to use it as a sword. It was easily parried by Donn using the flat of his blade. He had already recovered from his missed strike.

  Leox overheated his body more after having his attack blocked. Not just his legs this time, but also his arms, and the muscles connected to his back. All the required body parts to strike with powerful efficiency were overheated, working more than they ever could before.

  He struck with his hands, swinging a hooked punch at Donn. One managed to clock him in the face, sending him stumbling backwards.

  An opening!

  Leox took advantage of this, lunging forward and aiming a straight punch with all of his might towards Donn's chest.

  The boy smirked as he swung his sword in one swift motion. It came as second nature to him, as though he were swatting a fly.

  Leox suddenly felt a strange sensation. It was as though he was missing something.

  Splash!

  He looked to the side towards the direction of the noise.

  His arm had been taken off.

  ---

  Leox would have screamed, but he found that he was no longer able to feel pain.

  When he looked at Donn, it seemed that the boy was expecting him to be stunned and frozen from the realisation of his missing limb. He was wrong.

  Leox kicked Donn in the chest with the bottom of his foot. It didn't do much but put distance between them.

  Blood squirted from the wound in Leox's arm, yet he remained calm by taking in deep breaths. Eventually, he would bleed out, and the limb would regrow.

  Stay calm Leox... Stay calm...

  "You're a mess, Leox. What's that, the two-hundredth time that I've taken off one of your arms?" Donn taunted.

  Calm...

  Leox ignored him. He ignored the pain, and the taunting.

  This journey does not end here. My arm is missing, so what?

  These were words he needed to tell himself. They can naturally to him, as though someone else were speaking in his mind for him.

  I'll welcome death again, because it's all that I can do.

  Death isn't the end.

  As he thought of this, Leox felt a sudden shift in his body and Overview. It was a familiar shift than he had felt before.

  When he swiftly took a glance at what had changed, he realised that a class had returned to him.

  It was the Monk class. However this time, it was at an Apprentice Level. Leox had reearned his previously lost class, as well as the Counterstance ability that came with it, now renamed to 'True Counterstance'.

  The reason for this was unknown. It seemed that monkhood was a concept that he partially embodied due to his continuous deaths, but the true essence of the concept was still very unknown to him. For now though, he would be grateful.

  It was hard to keep the smirk from his face. With this, he could counter any of Donn's physical strikes, since they were of the same rank.

  "What's the matter Leox, cat got your arm?" Donn twirled his blade.

  "Aren't you supposed to be attacking me?" Leox shrugged, now feeling the effects of the lost blood, but trying his best not to show it. "I'm the one with the missing limb."

  Donn laughed. "Pfft, I guess you're right."

  The two dashed towards each other, Donn thrusting his blade, and Leox overheating his body.

  As Donn thrust his sword, Leox just managed to dodge to the side. However, Donn seemed to predict this. He used earth magic to bend the steel of his weapon, making it curve to the left. A gash appeared in Leox's stomach as the blade cut him. He didn't wince, but it slowed him down.

  Donn swung again and again, each time manipulating the shape and length of his blade in order to make sure that his strikes landed. Every one of them hit, drawing more of Leox's blood. Donn went wild. In his mind, this was an easy fight. He did not even need to use his Necromancy or death magic, assuming that they would even have an effect on the immortal.

  No matter, he thought. My sword is enough.

  Donn fainted low, then aimed high. He planned for this to be the final blow. He would manipulate his sword mid-swing, ensuring that it took Leox's head off, as it had many times before. If the boy somehow managed to dodge, he would simply send more flying stones towards him to crush him completely. Worst case scenario he could use reanimation corpse to raise any dead insects or rats in the area and use them to distract his opponent.

  But the sword swing was accurate. Time seemed to slow as Donn watched his blade travel towards its target.

  Then suddenly, Leox stopped moving and closed his eyes. The sound of glass shattering sounded through the room as a white glimmer fluttered around Leox's body.

  Donn wondered whether it was some sort of defensive technique, but didn't care. He was a second-rank, whilst Leox was only first. His sword would strike true!

  ...

  CLANG!

  "..."

  "Gargh!"

  Donn coughed up blood as he felt a sudden sharp pain spread all throughout his body. It was as though the impact of his own strike had been turned against him. The pain was unbearable. After all, he had put his entire might into the swing that was countered.

  "Have to recover..." He groaned whilst stumbling. His vision was blurry for a few seconds, but had started to clear.

  He wiped his nose, eyes and ears as they had all started to leak with blood due to internal damage. Then he returned his focus back to his opponent, Leox.

  The boy looked... different now.

  ---

  After landing True Counterstance on Donn, Leox felt that his body had reached its limits.

  There was only so much mana running through his veins, and he felt that if he continued to push himself, his skills would eventually have to rely on his life force. It was then that Leox realised the true strength behind his mysterious immortality. As long as he was willing to die, he could use as much mana as he wanted.

  There would be a short amount of time needed in between recoveries, but this was no problem, as over time, his body had started to grow more efficient in bringing him back to life. As long as his physical body did not need complete reconstruction, he could sometimes be brought back to life in under less than a minute, depending on his method of dying.

  It was for this reason that Leox decided he would push himself to the true limits.

  His fire mage class was only at a novice level, but he felt that if he pumped his entire body with the skill, he could push himself to death and reach the strength a normal novice mage could never reach, even with a missing limb.

  So he did exactly that. He felt his entire body heating up as though he were roasting on open flames. If this was the first time he had experienced pain, he would be screaming loud enough for the whole world to hear him.

  But this wasn't his first death. He had met his end over five hundred times.

  What was one more?

  VOOSH!

  Leox's white hair set alight, the tips now danced with flames. His entire skin had turned pink, due to being pumped with so much fire, that it felt hard to control.

  His muscles, tendons and ligaments suddenly felt like springs that were eager to be let loose. Leox felt that even if he tried to take a small step, his body would force him to travel meters.

  His clothes had started to burn off of his body, so he stood there half naked before Donn. The boy stared at the burning-haired Leox, eyes wide in disbelief. His hands quivered as he tried to grip his sword.

  "Y-you've reached overcharge. Fool. Uneducated fool! You've sacrificed yourself for power. Your body will never be the same!" Donn roared as blood and spit fell from his mouth.

  Leox shrugged his shoulders. The flames in his hair danced a little bit too.

  "Overcharge? I don't know what that is, but it's fine. What is death?" He said as calmly as a monk.

  Donn realised the implications. His opponent did not have to face the risks that every other awakened did. His legs shook further, and his grip faltered around his blade.

  "Are you ready Donn?" Leox said, crouching his legs and preparing to burst forward.

  Before Donn could answer or even prepare himself, Leox pounced forward.

  He closed the distance between them in less than a second, now face-to-face with his torturer.