REINCARNATION OF THE STRONGEST WAR HERO

Logan's lips curled up into a smirk. "So it's really you. Not just the face. And you still remember me as well.

Good.

Very good. Now I can finally pay you back. Thank you, Nolan.

Thank you very much for surviving even after a thousand years. Once I erase your filthy existence, at last… I'll be able to let go."

He arced his hand a bit, ready to hurl the destructive sphere.

But then....

The creature or Nolan thudded his head on the ground. His voice broke out in a desperate cry. "Master! I know I was wrong. I really know. Trust me."

Tears streamed down his face. His voice shook, filled with regret. "After what I did to you, nightmares haunted me for years. Even when I reached the peak of power, my heart was never at ease. I wish I could turn time back."

His throat tightened, voice trembled. "Maybe I can finally find peace.... if you really end this pathetic life of mine.

But...."

With pleading eyes, he lifted his head and looked at Logan.

"Before you do it, hear me out. Hear me out if you want to save the people you love, and not just them, but this whole earth."

Hearing Nolan's words, Logan stopped. The humming sphere in his palm dimmed slightly, though it did not disappear.

"I'm listening," Logan said, his face devoid of any emotion.

Nolan drew in a ragged breath. "Master, as far as I believe, there are no cultivators left alive anymore. There shouldn't be. I don't know how you've survived, or how you're walking around in the body of a kid, but what I'm about to say… It's very important."

He paused briefly, then forced the words out. "These monsters, these dungeons… they didn't just appear out of nowhere. These creatures… they're not from here."

Logan's eyes widened. "What?! Not from here? What the hell do you mean by that?!" He was totally shocked.

"Yes," Nolan said, his tone heavy with dread. "They're from another planet. After I killed you, they invaded Earth. They came for the cultivation methods, for spiritual energy. For experiments… and to create hybrids."

Logan's face twisted in disbelief.

"What? Are you fucking with me, Nolan?! Is this some kind of joke? Are you staring death in the face and hoping to talk your way out of it with this nonsense?!"

"I am not lying, Master. At this stage, what reason would I even have to lie? I don't know how long I can hold control of this body before the creature takes it back… so please, listen. And listen carefully."

His voice shook, but his eyes stayed fixed on Logan.

"After they invaded, they built dungeons in places where herbs rich in spiritual energy were most abundant. Slowly, those sources were consumed. As the land was covered with dungeons, the spiritual energy in the air also began to vanish. Without it, cultivators could no longer advance."

He paused, pain flickering across his face.

"Those who were already cultivators… they entered the dungeons, trying to fix the situation. But every single one of them was captured. And…"

Nolan's voice faltered. His chest tightened as if the memory itself tore through him.

"We… those of us who entered… were turned into monsters. They planted seeds within us. Those seeds twisted our bodies, reshaped us into hybrids. The mindless creatures you fight now in the dungeons—those were once humans. Cultivators. Hunters. All of them, reduced to pathetic hybrids."

His lips trembled, eyes dark with pain.

And Logan? He was shaken to the core..

Nolan continued. "Over time, this hybrid race continued to breed, spreading deeper through the dungeons. And perhaps you've noticed—sometimes, among those creatures, a few act strangely, different from the rest, capable of thinking. Those are not the seeded hybrids. They're the true ones. The original invaders. The real monsters that came from beyond… the ones who want to turn Earth into soul seed."

This time, the sphere totally disappeared, which was humming till now.

Logan stepped forward, grabbed Nolan by the throat, and lifted him off the ground. His eyes burned with fury.

"What the fuck is this soul seed? And are you telling me that all this time… the monsters we've been killing were actually humans once?!"

"Y-Yes…" Nolan choked out, his voice rasping through Logan's grip. "They were humans… all of them. But twisted, transformed into monsters. That's the truth. The invaders plan to turn all of humankind into monsters. That's what the soul seed is all about."

His voice cracked, but he forced the words out.

"They want our power—the cultivation methods. But their species can't use them. They can't produce internal energy. At least till now. So they use our bodies… and their souls. They keep running experiments, endlessly. Most subjects end up as brainless monsters. Only a few… like me… are considered a success."

Nolan gasped for breath, sweat dripping down his brow, before continuing.

"They're still capturing humans, even now. And recently, they've begun targeting S-class hunters, hoping their experiments will finally succeed. More abominations like me… will be created."

Logan's grip tightened for a moment, then he hurled Nolan to the ground. His voice thundered across the ruined dungeon.

"But why?! Why do they need these cultivation techniques? Why hybrids?!"

Nolan somehow lifted his battered body and looked back at Logan. His voice was hoarse but firm.

"I don't know, Master. Only the one residing in the largest S-class dungeon in the kingdom of Solmyr can answer that. But before you even think of going there, make sure you've reached at least the Martial Emperor level. Because the moment you step into any S-class dungeon… the phenomenon you now call magic will no longer work."

Nolan's words fell like a bombshell.

"What?! But why?!" Logan's composure shattered. One revelation after another struck him like thunderclaps.

"Because the way you use magic now, the manipulation of mana, that mana isn't even natural in the first place," Nolan rasped. "The dungeons… they're breathing out that mana. It's not that magic doesn't exist. It does. The one I warned you about, the one that came from beyond Earth, it can wield real magic. And what you've been using all this time… it's only an imitation."

"What?!"

All Logan could do was choke out that single word.