I Refused To Be Reincarnated

"Are my eyes deceiving me?" That was the first thing Adam said after reading his intelligence column. But even after checking several times, the number remained at a staggering forty-six.

His eyes widened before turning into slits as he pondered the increase of thirty points. Was it really that much? After all, the tier two potion granted him fifteen points already.

In addition, with his system, if he had invested everything in intelligence, he would have already ended up with twenty-five points. Seventy-five if he counted the fifty points he would earn by reaching the max level in tier two.

Then, following his doubling theory, he could get one hundred and twenty-five points at tier three in total. So, thirty points didn't seem too excessive to him anymore.

The more he thought about it, the more he realised how big of an advantage the system was to anyone... But him.

"If I could gather mana normally, I would already be at a hundred at least... Or seventy, maybe? Yeah, probably" He sighted at the missed points before grinning. "But thanks to my condition, I can lay my hands on the strongest affinity, so no need to feel down for a few points, hahaha."

"I wonder why my alchemist rank isn't improving. I already brewed a tier two and three potions. What are the requirements?" He asked himself before giving up on these thoughts, knowing He would eventually get the answer in the future, anyway.

Subsequently, he sat back down, pleased by his improvement in intelligence and eager to discover its impact.

After a few tests, he understood that his mana reserves tripled. In addition, his raw power increased, improving his mana techniques' potency.

For example, his mage's hand was denser and could be materialised longer, while his atoms burst became much more powerful.

He nodded in satisfaction, thinking about the next potions he would brew. After all, he still had three other stats to improve.

As he resumed his training, a certain routine settled into his life. He would either train his mana control and techniques or attend class'. His objectives were clear, and he focused on them wholeheartedly without being distracted until Friday evening.

Right as he was about to return to the dream place, Julius quickly said excitedly, "Are you ready for our adventure, big bro?"

"Huh? Did two weeks already pass?" Adam questioned. Too absorbed in his activities, he didn't keep track of time.

In response, Julius gazed at his big brother in concern for a few seconds before answering mischievously, "Yes, it has been two weeks already. We'll meet with our supervisor, Shiro. I bet you'll like her."

"I bet I won't," Adam growled, unhappy to see his routine changed. Then he remembered something important and demanded, "Take my talismans with us. Who knows, they may prove useful."

He had to go anyway, so he might as well try to make his deck if he saw interesting creatures.

Julius nodded before heading to the club's office with his group. Then, they all walked to the school's gate, impatient to discover the location Shiro chose. Unaware that the library's guardian observed them from a distance, a mysterious smile plastered on his face and his green eyes glowing.

******

"Alright, kids. I hope you can defend yourselves because I won't intervene until you're on the brink of death." Shiro stated right after they walked out of the gate.

Everyone nodded, eager to display the result of their two weeks of learning. Then, Julius took his surroundings in, his eyes reflecting a beautiful frozen landscape. Tall mountains rose in the distance, reaching to the sky akin to majestic white pillars.

"We are in Avaloria Frostpeak, a place in the far north." Shiro said with her finger pointing at the mountains, "We'll head to the mountain caves to retrieve Aurora Prismite, a tier-four material I need to earn m... To gift my master."

The whole party glared at her in annoyance. That was why she wanted to choose the location. To make money on their back!

A bad feeling blossomed in Julius' heart. He knew things would quickly turn for the worse, and he was right. When was his big brother ever taken advantage of?

"Ha? Tell her she'd better give me half the earnings, or I'll fight her." Adam said, his voice dismissive as if it was natural for him to get his share.

Julius quickly shook his head in response, denying his big brother's demand. But would his refusal change anything?

Adam just used his mana to form symbols before Shiro's eyes, astonishing her with the bluntness of the message. "Give me half the money or fight for the items."

"Who are you? Show yourself and fight me, coward!" She roared after reading the provocative message.

"Ask the kids. You can't beat me without thorough preparations or overwhelming me with tier-four mana. Let's keep things civilised and yield half the profit." Adam wrote, grinning. After all, Shiro was only an apprentice.

She had more and stronger mana than him, but that was her only advantage.

On the other hand, she couldn't see or physically interact with him. The only thing she could do was blindly use areas of effects spells in the hope of landing a lucky hit.

"Let's see what a coward who doesn't dare to appear before me can do." After her declaration, Shiro quickly conjured her mana and started incantating her spell.

Before she could even finish her first sentence, she heard a loud boom, followed by a burning sensation on her right cheek.

Then, another message appeared before her trembling eyes. "Give up. You would have already died if we were enemies..."

Her hands trembled in anger as she clenched them into fists. She lost instantly, without even seeing how. When was the last time she suffered such humiliation?

"WHO ARE YOU?!" She roared towards the sky in frustration while falling to the ground. What else could she do? Her opponent didn't seem to need to cast his spells, which was the mark of t4 mages possessing incredible control.

As the group gazed at the surreal scene unfolding before them, they couldn't help but ask the same question. Was Shiro their supervisor, or was it Adam?