The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 153: The Cadet Disappearance Case (7)

"Professor! This is it! This!"

Bang!

A red-haired young man burst into the professor's office without so much as a knock.

Professor Jade let out a sigh as deep as the earth, looking at his student who had stormed into his office.

"What's it this time, Cadet Oscar?"

"Artificial Stigmas! I've found a lead on artificial Stigma research!"

"...Sigh. Are you still obsessed with that research?"

Oscar leaned in close, looking determined as he faced Professor Jade, who had just sighed.

"Obsessed? This is conviction, Professor! It was your paper on artificial Stigmas that made me become your student!"

"That paper was discarded long ago due to safety concerns."

"Exactly! But I’ve found a way to address that problem!"

Oscar thumped his chest, flashing a confident smile.

Professor Jade looked at him and shook his head.

"Looks like there'll be an uproar from the Holy Kingdom again."

"Haha! Isn’t that just business as usual for you, Professor?"

"Judging by the yearly drop in research funding, it’s not something I've gotten used to."

Professor Jade let out a bitter laugh as he pulled out a stack of papers from a mountain of documents, retrieving the artificial Stigma paper.

"Alright, let's hear it."

"The purpose of the original artificial Stigma research was to create an artificial Stigma for those who lack one, correct?"

"That’s right."

Artificial Stigmas.

These were created to allow ordinary people who hadn’t received the blessing of a divine Stigma to wield mana.

When this theory was first proposed, it was so groundbreaking that it shook the entire hero society.

‘The Holy Kingdom practically foamed at the mouth in outrage.’

Creating something that mimics a divine blessing?

Even heroes aligned with the Holy Kingdom, who had kept a close eye on his Stigma research, were furious, considering it a reckless idea.

‘But.’

If this theory could be realized...

"However, creating a perfect Stigma by human hands is impossible."

"Which is exactly why this theory was discarded."

"But! What if we didn't need a ‘perfect Stigma’ in the first place?"

"An imperfect Stigma?"

"Yes. Creating a perfect Stigma may be beyond human ability. So, why not create a simplified version?"

"...Explain in more detail."

Oscar flashed a mischievous grin as he handed over a paper filled with complex equations.

"The essence of a Stigma is that it allows the user to handle the mana within it. That’s what grants heroes their superhuman strength."

"But artificial Stigmas have a critical flaw. They lack the ability to replenish mana."

Unlike a genuine Stigma, which naturally absorbs ambient mana to restore itself to its original mana capacity, an artificial Stigma lacks this function.

In other words:

Once the magic is used up, it cannot be restored.

"So, my idea involves magic stones. By using mass-produced low-grade magic stones, we can replenish the mana in an artificial Stigma."

"...Are you suggesting a kind of ‘magic battery’?"

"Exactly! This way, not only people without a Stigma but even heroes with Stigmas could use artificial ones as a mana supplement!"

Though called "artificial Stigmas," the concept was closer to a magical tool or artifact, meaning anyone could potentially use it.

"......"

Of course.

That was "if" everything went according to theory.

"However, even if you manage to draw mana from these mass-produced stones, it’d only be a tiny fraction of power."

"But isn't that still something? If this could be made widely available to the public, it would allow people to confront lower-tier magical beasts and, depending on the individual, even mid-tier threats!"

If it worked, then:

"It could drastically reduce the number of people killed by magical beasts and demonic beings every year!"

Oscar spread his arms wide, a bright smile on his face.

"We could save people... no, this world, with our own hands!"

Yes.

That's the dream you and I once shared.

An impossible, faded dream.

* * *

Tears gathered in the wrinkled corners of his eyes as Professor Jade’s thoughts returned to the present from two years in the past.

"......"

Jade looked back at Sophia, who was gripping his collar tightly.

She had the same red hair as his former student.

Her gaze was filled with unwavering resolve, a fierce intensity that seemed to shape a human form out of a blazing volcano.

'Just the same.'

With a bittersweet smile, he opened his mouth.

"Do you know... how many heroes there are on this continent?"

"What?"

"The official count is 14,782. Unofficially, it’s around 20,000. Not a large number, really."

It couldn’t be helped.

The number of people with a Stigma was limited, and the nature of the hero’s life—constantly fighting magical beasts and demonic entities—meant high mortality.

"...What does that have to do with anything?"

"Compared to the barely 20,000 heroes, the total population of the continent is in the tens of millions. If you divide that out, each hero is responsible for protecting well over 2,000 people. Do you understand how absurd that is?"

"......"

A hero being responsible for protecting at least 2,000 people each.

There was no need to explain how impossible that task was.

"Even though 500 years have passed since the Demon God was sealed, people continue to suffer, and it’s for no other reason. No matter how hard heroes try to protect them, there are far too few of us."

And that is why.

"We attempted to imitate the gods."

By artificially creating the blessing of a divine Stigma.

We tried to give Stigmas to those without one.

Even if it was just an imperfect replica.

We wanted to give them the power to protect themselves.

But.

"The cost of attempting to mimic the divine… was far from cheap."

He recalled that day.

The rampaging Stigma and the screams of his student.

The memory of standing there, helpless, as his student’s body twisted and broke apart.

"You..."

Sophia looked at Professor Jade with trembling eyes, as if she didn’t know what to say.

She never imagined her brother's obsession with the ‘Artificial Stigma’ could be for that reason.

Her mind was in turmoil.

Sophia’s expression was filled with confusion, and she loosened her grip on Professor Jade's collar.

Then—

Boom—!

“Kyaaah!”

A burst of blue light exploded, sending Sophia flying backward.

“Sophia, senior!”

Berald ran over and caught her in an instant.

He assumed she must have been badly injured from the explosion, but when he held her, she was completely unharmed.

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“…Haah.”

Professor Jade let out a deep sigh after sending Sophia flying.

He pulled a small glass vial from his pocket.

Inside the vial, a blue liquid swirled.

Forming a hand sign with his free hand, Professor Jade lifted the unconscious body of Laios into the air.

“You! What are you trying to do?!”

Sophia cried urgently behind him.

Ignoring her, Professor Jade extended his hand toward Laios.

A light shone from Laios’s left chest and gathered into the vial held by Professor Jade.

It was only a small amount of magic.

But this ‘Artificial Stigma,’ created by combining the magic of 21 different Stigma, held a power far beyond that modest amount.

“……”

A flicker of conflict appeared in Professor Jade’s eyes as he looked at the vial.

For the past two years, he had repeated research upon research, but he had yet to find a way to stabilize this ‘Artificial Stigma.’

When he was about to abandon the project altogether…

-Who are you?

-I’m Dale Han, a third-year candidate from the Warrior Division.

He met him.

Living each day in despair, as if dead, he had nearly let the flame within him die out.

But then, it rekindled with a glimmer of hope.

'However... not everything in life can be solved with hope alone.'

Though he plunged back into his research on artificial Stigma, the way to stabilize it was still beyond reach.

Wandering through piles of research, searching for an invisible answer…

-Shall I help you achieve your dream?

A pure white snake approached him.

-If you use this magic stone, you can stabilize the Stigma.

The snake whispered, flicking its long tongue.

“……”

He remembers it now.

The day two years ago.

The moment his world crumbled.

-Why... why did you go ahead with the experiment without permission?! I told you it wasn't ready for human testing yet!

He had cried out, looking down at his fallen disciple.

Oscar had looked up at him, coughing up blood.

-I heard… the Holy Kingdom has issued a prohibition on this research.

-That’s…

-Professor… I...

With a faint smile on his lips, his disciple continued speaking.

-I wanted… to become a hero.

Foolish boy.

You, a hero?

-Not just any hero by name… but a real hero, like the Great Five Heroes.

So you went behind my back and conducted the experiment alone?

-I wanted to become that kind of hero… to save many people...

Ha.

You can’t even take care of your own body, yet you want to save others?

You’re not fit to be called a hero.

-And… I wanted to build a magnificent new lab for you, Professor…

Because of you, not only did I lose the chance for a new lab, but all my funding has been cut.

My life’s work is on the verge of crumbling overnight.

-I’m… sorry.

You idiot.

You idiot.

You idiot.

-But still… Professor, our dream… it’s not over, right?

“Haah.”

Professor Jade stared at the blue liquid in the vial with a deep sigh.

“…Yes.”

Muttering softly to himself, Professor Jade gulped down the blue liquid.

Woooom!

A surge of magic exploded within him, and a burning pain raced across his right chest.

The blue light flickered erratically as if it might disperse at any moment.

“Urghhh!”

Professor Jade gritted his teeth against the overwhelming pain.

He pressed a black magic stone against the Stigma etched into his right chest.

Crackle!

The black magic stone shattered and was absorbed into his artificial Stigma.

The previously unstable light quickly stabilized, emitting an intense glow.

“Haah… haah… haah…”

His breathing was ragged.

Professor Jade’s eyes were bloodshot.

Baring his teeth in a fierce expression, he spoke.

“We’re… going to save the world.”

As he took a step forward, his voice filled with obsession and madness.

“Well, you don’t exactly look like a hero out to save the world right now, Professor.”

Dale said, gripping the hilt of his sword as he slowly stepped forward.

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