Link took a deep breath, trying to calm himself from the aftermath of battle and death.
Only when his emotions gradually stabilized did he finally open his character panel.
[Name: Link]
[Power Values: 125 (Level 1 Esper)]
[Mind Power: 32 (Average human Mind Power is 1)]
[Flesh Forging Art: DragonFlesh Forging Art – Chapter 1]
[Meditation Technique: Frost Meditation Technique]
[Skills: Spiritual Powers Compression, Shadow Arrow, Rocksolid Greatbow]
[Talents:]
UR-rank: Death ReplicationSSS-rank: Death Rewind, Supreme Library, Veil of the Impostor, Spiritual Powers ManipulationMutant S-Class: Mind Deception
It seemed that gaining a mental-type talent had triggered the system to display his Mind Power stat for the first time.
And looking at that number—32—Link couldn't help but smile.
Even though he hadn't practiced it for long, just the fact that he could enter the meditative state at all—and now had a talent related to mind abilities—might be the reason he had been able to build up 32 points of Mind Power.
It was still far lower than his Power Values, but Link was already quite satisfied.
After all, this likely meant he could stay conscious in tough situations much longer than others.
As he had hoped, after practicing the Frost Meditation Technique again, he noticed something amazing—his Mind Power consumption had indeed decreased.
He could now stay in the meditative state for seven to eight minutes, up from the original two to three.
Even though that still seemed short, the effectiveness had greatly improved.
But then something unexpected happened.
When he finally collapsed onto his bed after running out of Mind Power once again, he checked his stats—his Mind Power had jumped from 32 to 46!
Seven or eight minutes of meditation… and he had gained 14 points?!
Suppressing his excitement, Link recalled something Lib had once told him.
Mind Power was generally easier to increase than Power Values.
The training methods were very different. Power Values grew steadily, step by step, while Mind Power often depended on a flash of insight or mental resilience.
That said, both were difficult to master.
While Mind Power might seem easier to raise early on, breakthroughs in the later stages would be far more difficult.
Training as an Esper was never easy, regardless of the path.
But Link had a unique natural advantage: every time he activated Death Rewind, the immense pain and suffering was itself a kind of training for his mind.
Of course, that only applied if he didn't mentally collapse under the weight of it.
After thinking things through, Link decided he would treat his Mind Power as a hidden trump card.
Power Values could be roughly gauged by others during combat.
Mind Power, however, due to its intangible nature, was far harder to detect—until it was too late.
If he could develop it quietly and strengthen it in secret, it might just become his deciding weapon in future life-or-death battles.
Now that he had a precise Mind Power number, a bold idea suddenly came to him—
How many times could he rewind time right now, exactly?
When Link next opened his eyes, his face was twisted in agony.
This was his seventh rewind.
And each time, he had chosen to die in the Wilderness Battlefield.
That meant… he had now copied seven new talents.
After this round of testing, Link had a rough idea of how many rewinds he could safely perform.
Approximately 30, based purely on his current Mind Power reserves.
However, there was still one major risk to consider: Would the compounding pain of repeated deaths shatter his psyche?
To be safe, he decided it was best not to exceed 20 rewinds per session.
He was already in pain—but still barely holding on.
Besides, he wasn't planning to keep dying today.
Through these seven deaths, he had thoroughly mapped out the Wilderness Battlefield and collected all the crucial talents he had been after.
There was no more reason to continue.
These newly obtained talents were:
A-rank:
Eye of TruthHealing LightEnhanced PerceptionFlame Bloodline
B-rank:
Mental FortificationWind AffinityGrass Affinity
While none of them were SSS-grade, each had their uses.
Overall? Totally worth it.
Suppressing his chaotic thoughts, Link's eyes sharpened.
"So… Mutated Lunabbit, huh?"
"Time for me to settle the score."
Once again, he returned to the familiar entrance of the Wilderness Battlefield.
And once again, the scar-faced man approached him with a friendly invitation:
"Young man, coming here alone for live combat? You must have some talent, huh?"
"But let me give you a warning—the Wilderness Battlefield isn't quite the frontlines, but you'll be facing real Moonfolk here."
"If you're inexperienced, I suggest not exploring solo. It's just too dangerous. If you don't mind, we have room in our squad—better to watch each other's backs."
This was already the eighth time Link had heard this exact dialogue.
Who would have guessed that this kind-hearted man would be dead and half-eaten just hours later?
To avoid changing too much of the timeline, Link once again declined the offer.
As for the sharp-tongued blonde girl, her attitude hadn't changed either.
Even so, Link had decided—he was going to save her this time.
Under her mocking words, Link once more stepped into the depths of the forest.
But unlike the previous rewinds, this time he followed the same path as the scar-faced man's team.
He didn't stop to practice his skills either.
Instead, he used the time to familiarize himself with the new talents he had gained.
The Wind and Grass Affinities were straightforward.
They simply made it easier to channel elemental skills from those two elements using spiritual powers.
Not a big deal.
Mental Fortification, on the other hand, was actually quite useful—though unfortunately, as a B-rank talent, the buff it provided was only around 20%.
Still, it was better than nothing.
In contrast, the A-rank talents had much more powerful effects.
Eye of Truth: Could see through all A-rank and lower talents, as well as disguises. From now on, weaklings would have no way to hide from his gaze.
Anyone he couldn't see through? Clearly not someone he should mess with unless he was looking to die.
Healing Light: A restorative ability, ideal for survival and post-battle recovery.Enhanced Perception: Boosted awareness and sensory accuracy, especially useful in high-speed combat situations.Flame Bloodline: A unique passive buff that added fire-type damage to his attacks. Essentially, it gave his offense an elemental upgrade.
All in all, Link had milked the training grounds for everything they were worth.
He'd collected talents, mapped out enemy positions, gained knowledge, and made massive progress on his skill control.
Now?
It was time to take his revenge.