REINCARNATION OF THE STRONGEST WAR HERO

Inside a dim dungeon chamber, a hulking minotaur sat with its back to the wall. The silence was broken as the air before it began to ripple unnaturally.

Fwooosh!

Space twisted, and a rift started to form. The minotaur's creepy eyes narrowed. With a snarl, it gripped the massive sword at its side and rose to its feet, muscles tensing. Whatever was coming through, it took a stance for it. It was ready.

Meanwhile

Logan, who had jumped inside a rift along with the monster, had entered a void. He was still drifting in it until a pull dragged both him and the monster out. And within a blink, the world around him shifted.

His feet touched the floor. Dust scattered. The choking darkness of the void gave way to stone and stale air. He looked around. And found he was inside a dungeon.

On the other hand..

The creature in his grip had started changing again while he was in the void. Its monstrous eyes flickered, turning back to human-like. Nolan was back. Once they were out of the void, he opened his mouth. "Master, listen… we don't ha—"

But before he could finish, steel tore through flesh.

Shhhhk!

A long blade pierced Nolan from behind, bursting through his chest in a spray of blood. His mouth opened in shock, blood dripping from his lips.

Logan's gaze sharpened. Behind Nolan stood the very same minotaur that had been waiting with its sword raised, eyes burning with rage.

For an instant, the monster froze, realizing it had struck down its own ally. Then fury twisted its face. With a guttural roar, it charged, not at the dying Nolan, but at Logan this time, teeth gnashing, veins bulging in its neck.

"Die, human!"

Logan's palm opened. Mana crackled and roared. Fire, lightning, and air converged into a single seething sphere. The destructive hum echoed through the chamber.

He hurled it without any hesitation. As it could talk, it was a monster from the beginning and not a hybrid.

Fwoooosh—BOOOOM!

The combo sphere shot forward and smashed into the minotaur's chest. In a blinding flash, its body erupted. Flesh and bone scattered, the force shaking the chamber walls. When the smoke cleared, nothing remained.

A C-class dungeon boss.. gone in a single strike. Even Logan was shocked by the spell's destructive power.

The echo of the blast still lingered as he turned his eyes forward.

On the ground, Nolan lay sprawled, blood gushing from the hole in his chest. His body twitched, weak and broken.

For a moment, Logan's heart stirred. He had once rushed to this student's side without hesitation. He had once taught him, guided him, trusted him.

But then... memories surfaced. The betrayal. The downfall. The moment Nolan had turned against him.

Logan's eyes grew cold. His step froze.

Though a faint ache tugged at his chest, he stood rooted, watching without moving closer. His face was calm, expressionless...

No matter how much his heart whispered otherwise, Aiden Ferith, the Martial Emperor of the past, refused to reach out again.

Nolan lifted his head and looked at Logan. And seeing that look in his face, his heart ached in pain. "I wish I weren't blinded by the lust for power and glory. Then master would have been present while the monsters invaded our earth. He could have stopped it with others. I wouldn't have turned into a pathetic existence like this then. It's all on me. All of it." Nolan thought. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

He dragged in a ragged breath and managed to speak, "Master, I know I don't deserve forgiveness. But just know this. I really regret my actions. I can't change the past. But....."

He coughed violently, a spray of blood staining the ground. His chest heaved as if every breath was tearing him apart from the inside. For a moment, his voice failed him, only a wet rattle echoing in his throat. Yet with sheer will, he forced his lips to move again, dragging out the broken words that refused to die with him. "But I can help you change the future. I can help you save humanity. The mana you all are using, its to ease the effort of spell casting. So that even a newbie without any true realization can use magic. But if you can truly grasp the basics, then wit....."

It coughed again gushing out blood from its mouth.

Logan's fingers trembled slightly. For a moment, he thought of dashing forward and helping Nolan. But quickly brushed off that idea again. His inner self was in a continuous fight. Nolan's betrayal had struck him hard. It didn't just affect his life, but the people around him as well. All those he longed for were dead. All because of him. His sin was too grave to be forgiven.

With his shaky voice, Nolan started again. "If you can grasp the basics, then you can use magic even with your internal energy. You don't need mana. The stronger your internal energy, the powerful your spells will be."

The moment he said that something clicked inside Logan's mind. "Is that why my magic tier increased without any mana training? Is that why I felt it so natural while layering the spells?!" Many questions spun inside his head.

Nolan, on the other hand, continued even in that dying state of his.

"But even with magic you can't face that monster in the largest S-class dungeon. Unless you have at least reached the martial Emperor level. So until then, don't be reckless like you always were and barge there master. Maybe only you can help save the Earth. You were at the peak of martial arts. So whatever you do, prepare yourself well before that. And until you are fully ready, do..." He coughed again, spraying blood, yet forced himself to speak through the agony.

Because he knew it was near… too near.

His death!

"Until you are fully ready, don't let them know about your existence. Don't let them know someone capable of cultivating is still alive. And the best one at that. Or else they will be after you. Dungeon breaks will start occurring frequently."

Finally, Nolan relaxed as he had finished informing whatever he had to.

"But without Spiritual energy, it's not possible to reach that height soon. I can't wait that long, if I have to, I will think of something to take that monster down." Logan finally spoke after a long time.

"You don't need to worry about that." He touched his abdomen and an orb bubbled out. "Take this. It has an abundance of spiritual ene....." He couldn't finish his words. His body fell silent. And slowly thudded into the ground. The orb fell to the ground and rolled toward Logan. It came to a halt hitting his foot.

But Logan didn't even spare it a glance. His gaze was locked on Nolan, his silent body, dead body.

He didn't want to but still...

His eyes blurred in tears....