Discovery

To get into the Na'an University he had his heart set on, David's previous self had enrolled in a cram school and trained hard. But Na'an University required applicants to have a strength of at least eight hundred kilograms, as well as meet a speed requirement. He fell short on both counts, not to mention the other entrance exams.

Just when he was at a loss, David's previous self spotted an original book from God's Great World at Trainer Jeremy's cram school. God's Great World was fighting the Zerg alongside the Interstellar Federation.

Trainer Jeremy kept the book in a display case as part of his collection. He happened to mention to David's previous self that it was a Sacrificial Manual from God's Great World.

At the time, David's previous self was fretting over his inability to improve his strength. The Sacrificial Manual gave him hope.

In the eyes of people from the Interstellar Federation's Great World, God's Great World was a mysterious and powerful place.

When the Interstellar Federation fought the Zerg on the ground, it relied on overwhelming numbers. Large forces of Armored Warriors in Exoskeleton Armor fought Level 1 Zerg, while stronger Zerg required the Federation to deploy more powerful weapons and equipment, along with more warships.

God's Great World was different. The warriors it sent out possessed terrifying combat abilities, and could almost single-handedly fight Level 2 or even Level 3 Zerg. Some of its strongest warriors could even face Level 4 Zerg alone.

What did Level 4 Zerg mean? They were creatures that took several interstellar warships working together to fight. Every one that appeared could easily destroy a city.

That was why the Interstellar Federation's Great World kept all information about God's Great World under wraps. Of course, it was impossible to seal off everything completely, and plenty of rumors circulated through various channels.

A Sacrificial Manual from God's Great World could very well offer David's previous self the hope of gaining great strength.

So David's previous self spent fifty thousand Credit Points to buy the Sacrificial Manual from God's Great World—the very book he had found in the basement when he arrived in this world.

After getting the manual, David's previous self began translating it, rendering the script of God's Great World into Federation text.

To do so, he even used Hans's National Scholar privileges to borrow the necessary books.

All materials related to God's Great World were off-limits to a student like David's previous self. Hans, however, was different. The title of National Scholar was exceptionally prestigious and came with extensive privileges.

If Hans had been more capable, his National Scholar status alone could have secured him a very high political position.

Instead, he was merely the deputy director of the Peilan City Legal Department, and even then, he was in a sinecure with little authority.

After many days of translation, David's previous self grew more confident. The manual said that a sacrifice could summon a divine attendant called a Shadow Servant, who could become his finest combat assistant.

According to the manual, the Shadow Servant could transform into the strongest armor, protecting its master, and could also join its master in attacking enemies. It was the master's most reliable ally.

The sacrificial process would also strengthen David's previous self's body. That was what he wanted most.

The Shadow Servant sounded good, but it would only be useful later and wouldn't help him get into Na'an University.

But the strengthening from the sacrifice came from God's Great World. Just imagining it was enough to make it clear how powerful the effects would be. So David's previous self began frantically buying materials for the ritual.

Now, as David recalled how he had discovered the Sacrificial Manual from God's Great World, his memories of two lifetimes let him see the problem from an outsider's perspective.

The first problem was the consequences of the sacrifice. The reason David had taken over this body was that his previous self had died unexpectedly.

Judging from what the Underground Gym had looked like at the time, there was no doubt about the cause of death: the failed sacrifice. Yet Trainer Jeremy had never mentioned that the ritual could fail.

If the sacrifice were really so easy to perform successfully, why would Trainer Jeremy display a manual that promised the effects described in the book as a mere collectible?

Then there was the way the manual had appeared. Trainer Jeremy knew David's previous self's situation. The manual had turned up precisely when David's previous self was most desperate. David couldn't believe there was nothing suspicious about that.

From David's perspective now, Trainer Jeremy had clearly been trying to sell his previous self the Sacrificial Manual.

His previous self had been a high school senior. Of course he hadn't known about the dangers of a Sacrificial Manual from God's Great World.

But surely Trainer Jeremy had known?

A chill ran through David. It seemed likely that his previous self's death hadn't been an accident at all, but something planned.

He just didn't know whether Trainer Jeremy had been after money or had specifically wanted his life. As for money, of the nearly three hundred thousand Credit Points spent, more than half had gone through Trainer Jeremy, who had helped him find the necessary materials.

Many of those materials were things his previous self had never even heard of, let alone knew where to buy.

The item David found most suspicious was the heart—a Level 1 Zerg's heart.

Although every part of a Level 1 Zerg was valuable, that only applied to its shell, teeth, claws, and Fortified Meat. The rest was useless and never brought back.

Sometimes even the relatively cheap shell was left behind. Who would bother bringing back a Level 1 Zerg's heart?

As it turned out, that heart was the key component in performing the sacrifice—and the direct cause of his previous self's death.

The more David thought about it, the more afraid he became. His body had a tremendous strength of six hundred kilograms, but Trainer Jeremy was far stronger than him. David even suspected that Trainer Jeremy might be a full-fledged Armored Warrior.

In his memories, Trainer Jeremy had easily blocked his attacks during training, seeming completely at ease.

"Call the police!" That was the first thought that came to David, who had lived a previous life. But he quickly abandoned it.

First of all, he had no evidence. Was he supposed to tell the police that Trainer Jeremy had killed him with a book?

In fact, David wasn't dead. He was alive and well. There was no way to explain that.

Besides, he had learned the sacrificial method from a manual from God's Great World. Given the Interstellar Federation's restrictions on God's Great World, he could be punished for what he'd done—and it might not even affect Trainer Jeremy.

David steadied himself and began assessing the situation.

Judging by the way Trainer Jeremy had plotted things, he probably wouldn't attack David directly.

If he could simply kill him, why go to all the trouble of using such a covert method?

If Trainer Jeremy had succeeded after the previous sacrifice failed, then, judging from the state of the Underground Gym, it would have looked like an ignorant teenager had performed a forbidden ritual on his own and died as a result.

With David dead, the origins of his sacrificial materials would naturally have been impossible to trace.

Based on Trainer Jeremy's methods, as long as David didn't give him an opportunity, he should be able to keep himself safe.

Take his home, for example. It had comprehensive security measures, and Smart Butler Emma would automatically call the police if anyone broke in illegally.

The neighborhood was also an affluent one. The police would arrive within a minute.

The house itself was a fortress built for defense. Forcing their way in would take far longer than a minute.

There was still nearly a month before school started. If he stayed alert, he could keep himself safe.

Thinking of this, David couldn't help letting out a long breath.