The first part of my plan is going well. I've been suppressing my Imra, keeping it calm within my body, hidden in the treetop, just watching as the ogres head out for their daily hunt. I follow them for ten minutes to be completely sure, then return to the village where the other ogres are still standing guard.

My goal is to kill as many as possible—even if that means only eliminating the guards without going inside, it's still a win. I start constructing a gravity cascade to keep my speed well above theirs. My Imra begins to writhe, eager to cut loose within my body. I only form v2 spheres to conserve as much mana as possible. Even with just their enhancements, they can deal damage.

I charge up four Electrifying Steps as a safety net. With everything ready, I dash toward the closest guard. Ten minutes at full power—that's all I can sustain—and I'm saving a portion of my mana to escape.

The first guard shouts, warning the others of my approach. A sphere flies toward the dense rock. The stone is completely shattered, but the ogre himself takes no damage. Once he loses his shield, he charges at me. A few seconds later, his head is gone from a clean slash.

By then, five more ogres are rushing at me. I dash at the nearest one, planning to take them out one by one. I lose count of how many ogres I've slain. All I have now is blood-soaked clothes, the stench of death in my nose, and a few minor wounds across my body.

"That must've been seventy, maybe more." Before the ten minutes are up, I retreat to rest and repeat the routine. The ogre hunting party should take long enough to give me a good window.

I sit by the edge of a nearby lake, washing the blood off my body and clothes before resting. Looking at the claw marks across my skin, I heal them instantly with a quick pulse of life mana. Each day, I can't help but ask myself: Why am I doing something so reckless?

I could take my time, kill them slowly, and finish this in a year. But no. I want this over with as soon as possible. I miss my family and friends. I want the freedom to do what I want, try new food, pick up a hobby, and train under a different standard.

Right now, I'm moving blindly. If it weren't for the memories of my past life, I'd be long dead. I calm my mind with cold water and take some food from my bracelet.

"Time for another little visit." It's only been about twenty minutes. My mana hasn't fully recovered, but time pushes me forward. I need to take advantage while the chief is away.

When I return, I see more guards around the village perimeter—some with stones, some without. "Doesn't matter. Round two begins." Two ogres standing together are the first to fall. Using a movement charge, I close in and apply gravity pressure. The confusion delays their reaction to the two spheres flying at their chests. They survive, barely, and I finish them with a stab to the heart.

The noise pulls all nearby ogres toward me. I let out a quiet sigh and focus my mind. Another bloodbath erupts—severed limbs, ogres with gaping frozen wounds, split skulls… and a nearly twelve-year-old boy in the middle of it all.

I regain a sliver of clarity when I notice my mana running low and another wave of ogres approaching. I use the moment to flee, healing my minor injuries with Vital Synthesis as I retreat to my nearby cave.

The plan worked that day and the next… but on the third day, they made an unexpected move. They burned down both villages and moved everyone to the fortress.

How are they this smart? I'm now spying on the ogres during their food runs. They've become a select group of ten—two leaders and eight others who all seem to be Grade 3 Intermediate ogres. Their Imra is stronger than the average ogre.

The fortress is surrounded by massive stones and has a clean line of sight from its elevation. They can spot me long before I get close, and with so many ogres gathered in one place, it's impossible to attack.

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I decide to keep observing the food-gathering group. They're making several trips a day. The two leaders remain constantly alert, and the eight others are channeling rock magic—judging by the mana, it's nearly on par with my v3 spheres. The problem is, there are eight of them, all capable of launching volleys.

Both attack options are a nightmare. One is a ten-ogre group that can neutralize my attacks, and the sword-wielding leader is a perfect tank for the mages. The other is an impenetrable fortress, swarming with ogres and some Grade 2 Intermediates.

How did they come up with all this? Aren't ogres supposed to be dumb brutes? Ogres usually fight among themselves. What changed? All I can do now is sit by the small lake and think of a solution.

I stare at my reflection. I still look like a child. The only thing different is my eyes—deeper, less joyful. My features are balanced and even cute. My violet eyes go well with my reddish hair, now quite long after three years.

As I stare at my face, a random thought strikes me. Wait... is it possible? Sus once told me about a criminal group that used this dungeon as part of their training. They stopped coming regularly and only show up periodically.

No way… did they make contact with the ogre leader? This is supposed to be a training dungeon. Grade 3 ogres are a serious threat. Why weren't they wiped out? Something's wrong. I don't know when that criminal group might return, but if they do, I'm in trouble.

If my calculations are right, I've killed over 300 ogres in these two days. That should leave around 1600. I don't need to kill them all—it's just the safest path.

I'll slow down, develop some new skills before making another push. "Hopefully, they'll let their guard down if I disappear for a while." I sigh, gazing at the water and kicking my feet.

I stand and begin running through the area, searching for the most disgusting creature I can find—a goblin. If I want to train my death affinity, it needs to be against something universally loathed.

I find a huge goblin camp a few kilometers away. Before going in, I check my status. Huh? When did I get these notifications? I've gained a level in two skills—Frozen Core and Unified Moldable Mana are now level 11.

Can I break a bottleneck just by learning a pseudo law tied to a skill? I was planning to train for two weeks—should be enough to earn one new skill using death affinity. Maybe I should take two more weeks and aim for another pseudo law… or even a full law?

I craft an armor of ice mana around my head and chest, covering the most vital areas before infiltrating. I'll fight and kill goblins slowly until I earn a death affinity skill. The camp is huge—must be around 3,000 goblins.

I'll only use mana for healing and to coat my swords in death affinity. "Let the training begin."

My body moves methodically through the swarm of goblins—clawing, grabbing, swarming to kill me—while my blades slash at them without killing. I try to infuse death mana into the cuts to observe the effects.

By the second day, my mana begins taking effect. After thousands of small wounds, I see the cuts spreading, killing cells around them. I shift focus—not just to kill living tissue, but to see if I can also annihilate the Imra and mana around their bodies.

I land another cut, concentrating on burning away their natural protections. After hundreds more tries… I finally achieve something.

On the sixth day, I get the result I wanted. My cuts now spread, erasing everything—Imra, mana, and life. On goblins, it's deadly. Against Grade 1 monsters, it expands fast depending on how much mana I apply.

A nearly-dead goblin nearly wounds my abdomen while I'm distracted by a notification.

"Would you like to learn the skill: Mortal Slash (II)?"

I hesitate. Just yesterday, I began experimenting with a new variation—using Imra as a channel to carry death mana together. My instincts tell me this skill doesn't include Imra; it was born purely from the earlier practice. I decide not to learn it yet and continue training the new version—a slash that combines both forces. It's incredibly difficult and demands deep concentration.

If I hadn't noticed something yesterday, I wouldn't have thought of this. All living beings have natural defenses against both, though one usually dominates. That made me think: If someone has high magic resistance, will my skill be weakened? That's why I decided to combine them.

After another day of pure battle, I finally hear the mental notification. This time, I do get wounded—a goblin slashes my leg. I kick it and run away from the damned camp.

My body's completely drained. I'm more exhausted than I've ever been. Seven days of constant fighting, forcing Vital Synthesis to heal my stamina and wounds nonstop, barely eating. It's time to get the rest I've earned before reading that notification again.

Back in the cave, I keep staring at the message in my head. I've never seen anything like it. My mind's in shock. Will I be able to learn this without problems? With Vital Synthesis, I can heal anything—shouldn't be too risky. But will it have restrictions?

"Would you like to learn the skill: Path to Death (IV)?" I mentally accept the skill.

"Calculating all conditions for acquiring a semi-absolute skill…"

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