The next day, he opened his eyes and immediately noticed the change.
Although his disease had no cure yet, strengthening his mana core was enough to suppress the symptoms and keep them at bay.
"Big Bro!" A girl with dark hair and bright eyes burst into the room. It was Aika, his little sister.
Soon after, his mother, Maya, entered the room, her dark monolid eyes clouded with concern.
"Son, are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine, Mom." He flashed a wide smile.
"Are you sure?" Maya sensed something was off with him.
Noticing the crease in her brow, he quickly changed the topic.
"How's the bakeshop?"
Her expression softened a little. "Busy. The neighborhood kids still line up before school, grabbing buns before their classes. Your father swears the new red bean bread turned into our best-seller."
Grinning, Aika sat on the edge of the bed.
"I ate three yesterday. He yelled at me, told me I would ruin our profits if I didn't pay."
The three shared a laugh.
Joy squeezed his chest at the sight of them safe and well. He missed these moments—and just seeing their smiles again filled him with gratitude.
"Big Brother… are you crying?" she crawled on the bed.
"Of course not!" he fumbled to wipe his eyes. Getting emotional was hardly befitting for an old timer like him.
But when he looked at his sister's cute face, he set aside his pride and simply savored the moment.
"Hey, Aika, how about I take you to Fantasy Land? Just like old times."
Instantly, her eyes lit up, and her smile stretched from ear to ear. "Really? You'll take me?!
"Of course!"
She bounced on her toes, clutching his arm, afraid he might change his mind. "You promise, right?"
"I promise." He held out his pinky.
Her eyes brightened more, and she quickly hooked her little finger around his.
Maya turned away, her shoulders stiff as she pretended to look for something. A tear ran down her cheek, and she wiped it away before anyone could see.
"Things will get better soon, Mom."
The door burst open, and the doctor stumbled in, panting.
"Daniel!" she gasped, stopping short to calm herself down.
"What's wrong, Doc?" Maya inquired with trembling lips.
Seina straightened her uniform, and took a another deep breath before speaking.
"Nothing's wrong. Quite the opposite. I ran extra tests after Daniel's request yesterday… and every result says the same thing. He's cured."
Maya's knees gave out as she dropped into the chair, covering her face with trembling hands.
"Cured… really?" Tears slipped through her fingers from so much joy.
Even Daniel stared in disbelief. He hoped for improvement, maybe permission to go home—but a full cure? That was beyond anything he expected.
'No… that can't be right. Did my body really heal when I came back?'
"I'll run one more test, and if it comes out negative… then it's official!" She was brimming with joy, barely able to contain her excitement.
***
***
***
RING! RING RING!
Morning light filled the room, and Daniel woke up feeling well rested.
Three days had passed since his discharge, and his body grew stronger as he absorbed enough mana to reinforce his core.
A faint pulse of energy stirred inside his belly.
'I'm close. One more push and I can form my first ring'
Although he was only a Magic Engineer in his past life, he still managed to form five mana rings. They were a prerequisite for weaving high-level magic into machines.
Against battle-focused magicians though, his five rings meant little— even a mere three-ring could crush him in a real fight.
Not this time. He read enough books and theories; now it was time to gain real power.
He lowered himself onto the floor, legs folded, fingers locked over his knees.
'Inhale...'
Air slid down his throat as he pulled in consistent breaths, letting the mana swirl with each inhale. Heat shot through his veins, and sweat quickly dripped down his forehead.
'More…'
He forced the energy into alignment, but the core throbbed in defiance.
'I can't afford a mistake!'
The air in the room grew warmer as his body released waves of heat, like he was sitting in a sauna.
Good thing he locked the door beforehand—otherwise, his mother might have called the fire department after seeing all this mist.
'Not yet. Just a little more.'
His fingers dug into his knees hard enough to leave marks.
Crack!
A splitting sound echoed through his navel, not from bone, but from the unseen cage of his core.
Just as the pressure threatened to burst him apart, the core's shell split and released it.
Fragments scattered into glowing streams of particles.
'I need to form it now!' He clenched his jaw.
Losing control meant tearing himself apart from within.
Fortunately, he had done this countless times before, and those attempts were far harder.
They resisted at first, slipping like sand through his grasp. He seized them again, guiding their movement, dragging them into motion around the cracked surface of his core.
Slowly, painfully, they curved into paths, their orbit forming a crude ring.
Each pass grew smoother as they fell into rhythm, until the ring finally locked into place.
'It's finally over,' he sighed in relief and quickly checked the ring.
He stared at the ring's color in shock. 'H...How?'
It was gold—the best result he could hope for.
Such a color was only achievable by the so-called blessed by mana, yet thanks to his prior experience, he had formed a gold ring as his very first.
'This is good progress. If I stay on this path, I can reach world-class rank… no, I need to surpass it '
He clenched his fist, growing more confident.
'We can win… but only if I bring humanity under one banner.'
The memory of his past life still haunted him.
Divided and complacent, the human nations turned on one another when peace was briefly restored. Little did they know, it was merely a ploy to make them lower their guard.
'The world doesn't need heroes—it needs a strong, smart leader. And right now, no one is more fit for that role than me, the one who lived through that hell.'
His logic might be flawed and biased, but he stood by his decision.