Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

Because traveling to the city of Phobos took a full day by carriage, they camped by the side of the road before entering the forest. The guards set up the tents with the help of the carriage driver, an academy staff priest, and the six children in the carriage, including Dion, Luna, and Rene. Once night fell, they all gathered around the campfire and ate dinner together.

Dion was still feeling down because he didn’t understand his class yet, while Luna stayed right beside him even though Rene kept trying to talk to her, making Dion feel increasingly uncomfortable.

”Alright, since there are six of you, three boys and three girls, you’ll occupy separate tents. Boys in the tent on the right, girls on the left,” the academy staff priest said.

”Yes, Father,” replied the six children, including Dion, Luna, and Rene.

Dion, remembering his past life, gazed up at the sky, looking at the scattering of stars that had just appeared.

”So beautiful... back on Earth, I could never dream of seeing a view like this,” he thought in his head.

”What are you looking at, Dion?” Luna asked beside him.

”Just admiring the stars,” Dion replied casually.

”Huh... what’s so great about looking at stars?” Rene mocked.

”It feels soothing,” Dion answered casually, without even turning to look at Rene.

Rene merely scoffed, took a gulp of his drink, and turned back to look at Luna.

”After we graduate, do you want to become adventurers together with me?” Rene asked Luna.

”Um... Dion, what do you think?” Luna asked Dion.

”Huh... why are you asking me?” Dion asked, confused.

”If you want to, I want to as well, hehe,” Luna answered.

”Hmm... okay, I’m down. We’ll reach the top together, but I’m not going to work myself to death,” Dion said.

”Hahaha... don’t worry, with your weird class, you probably won’t be doing any work anyway,” Rene said, intending to put him down.

”Yep... hopefully so. I just want to live a quiet life in my territory with a garden and horses,” Dion said casually, turning to smile at Rene.

Hearing Dion’s relaxed words and seeing his smile, Rene went quiet. He turned to look away and crossed his arms over his chest. Suddenly, rustle! the bushes at the edge of the forest made a noise. The guards immediately stood up, their hands on the hilts of the swords at their waists.

So did the priest, the carriage driver, and the six children; they all stared at the moving bushes. Three guards walked toward the bushes, but the bushes rustled again, putting them on high alert. The six children backed away behind the priest, who shielded them. The tension rose, but suddenly, rustle! a horned rabbit hopped out of the bushes.

The guards relaxed for a second, but not the carriage driver, who was a former adventurer.

”Watch out... horned rabbits rarely come out of the forest,” he immediately warned.

The rabbit that had just emerged looked behind it and sprinted right past them. The guards went back on guard because a light flickered from deep inside the forest, and then RUSTLE! Graaaaaaaah! A giant bear burst out from behind the bushes. Its back was covered in fiery red spikes bright as lava, and the hide on its back wasn’t fur, but looked like solid rock.

”Watch out... an Inferno Grizzly!” shouted one of the guards, drawing his sword.

Seeing the guard draw his sword, the grizzly felt threatened. It immediately swiped its massive fiery claw at the guard, who blocked it, but he was instantly sliced into three pieces as the flaming claws passed through him, setting him ablaze.

”D... damn it... hiyaaaaa!”

A guard attacked with his spear, but crack, the spear broke instantly, and the guard met the same fate as his comrade, sliced into three pieces and burned. Seeing the terror in front of him, the priest turned and pushed the children into the carriage. After getting all six children inside, the priest went back out. The six children could only huddle inside the carriage, listening to the sounds of battle outside.

Before long, however, everything went dead silent. The six children, including Dion and Luna, grew terrified. They all covered their mouths to stay quiet as the atmosphere turned intensely chilling. From inside the carriage, they could see a fiery shadow pass by and hear the grizzly’s breathing right beside the carriage. Dion, Luna, Rene, and the other three children were trembling with fear.

When the bear walked to the end of the carriage and passed the entrance curtain, it stopped, then turned around, making the six children flinch in shock and huddle tightly against the far corner. After the grizzly walked past the carriage again, Rene, acting brave and confident in his new Sword Saint class, stood up, shaking the carriage.

”Hey... what are you doing?” warned a boy who held the Sage class, rank SS.

”Don’t do anything reckless, sit down, Rene!” yelled a girl who held the Dragon Lancer class, rank S.

”Rene... what are you going to do?” Luna asked, terrified.

”You’re going to get us all killed,” added a girl who held the Enchanter class, rank S.

Dion stayed silent. He couldn’t say a word because, aside from being terrified, he was lamenting his short life and how his dream had failed once again in his second lifetime. Rene looked around and spotted a sword under the seat. He grabbed the sword, pulled it from its scabbard, ran outside, and leaped out.

”Hey... over here!” Rene yelled outside.

”Graaaaaah!”

Then came the sound of the grizzly running away. Dion stood up to see what was happening; it turned out Rene had run off so the grizzly would chase him away from the carriage. Suddenly, Luna jumped out too.

”Come on, Dion, we have to help him,” Luna said.

”Uh... me?” Dion asked.

”Yes, hurry!” Luna answered, extending her hand.

”Uh... okay,” Dion replied.

Dion leaped out, and they ran after Rene, leaving the other three children in the carriage. After running quite a distance, Dion and Luna were shocked to see Rene cornered between a boulder and the wild forest, with the glowing grizzly in front of him. Rene’s face was pale as death, and he was crying tears of sheer terror.

”Rene!” Luna yelled.

Hearing Luna’s shout, the grizzly turned to face Luna and Dion beside her. Suddenly, clang! Rene, who had stabbed the grizzly’s back, gasped as his sword snapped. Instantly, the grizzly backhanded him, the back of its hand striking Rene so hard he was launched through the air and knocked unconscious.

The grizzly turned back around to face Luna and Dion. Dion’s heart pounded violently, and he felt Luna’s hands trembling as she held onto him. While the grizzly stared them down, a piece of glowing red text suddenly appeared in front of Dion, startling him. The text looked as if it formed out of thin fire, reading ”Recall.”

”Huh... Re... Recall?” Dion thought in his head.

”Vwoooong,” a red holographic screen popped open in front of Dion, catching him completely off guard.

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Change Soul Persona :

1. Dion von Oswald [current]

2. Black Knight rank SSSS [activate ?] [yes] [no]

3. ???

4. ???

5. ???

6. ???

7. ???

7. ???

8. ???

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”Huh... what is this,” Dion muttered in his head, completely lost.

”Graaaaaah!”

”Kyaaaaaa!”

Dion’s eyes widened as the grizzly lunged forward and Luna screamed beside him, clutching his arm tightly. Cornered with no other choice, Dion tapped ”yes” on the screen right next to the Black Knight entry.

[”My Armor Shall Protect You”]

A booming voice echoed in Dion’s head. Immediately, Dion’s body was engulfed in a glowing, dark-red aura that spun upward from his feet to his head like tongues of flame. Dion could feel something entering him, suffocating in its intensity. He looked at his arm, which was suddenly encased in black steel armor.

His body was fitted in engraved black plate armor, both legs covered in full armor down to his iron boots, his hands opened, and a massive black sword much larger than his own body materialized out of nowhere.

Then another holographic screen opened in front of Dion’s face, displaying his status.

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Name : Dion von Oswald.

Soul persona : Black Knight. [change]

Weapon : Dark Excalibre.

Armor : Dark armor.

Passive : Sword mastery, dark shield, regenerate, super human.

Active : Critical slash, dark flame sword, soul drain, 100 demon strike.

Given : Goddess Hestalia Blessing.

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Using transform mode ? [Yes] [No]

**********************************************

Not knowing what it meant, Dion pressed yes. His body expanded and matured into an adult instantly. Luna gasped at the sight and fell backward onto her rear, while the grizzly stopped its attack, huffing with a enraged face as its chest heaved and its claws opened and closed.

”Tap.”

Dion landed on his feet, now transformed into a massive Black Knight with an enormous black sword, complete with a closed helmet that hid his face, showing only his glowing red eyes.

”Haaaaaaaah!”

Dion bellowed, releasing all his energy. The shockwave blew Luna back a short distance.

”Graaaaaaah!”

Perceiving the threat before it, the grizzly lunged with its claws, but ”thud,” the Black Knight casually caught its claw. ”Slash!” He cleaved the grizzly down the middle, splitting it in two as both halves fell to the left and right. After defeating the grizzly and feeling utterly bewildered, Dion’s body slowly shrank back into that of a twelve-year-old boy. He stared at his palms in disbelief.

”What... what just happened?” he thought, confused.

Then he looked over and saw Luna lying face down some distance away. He ran over to save her, then painstakingly carried both Luna and Rene back to the carriage.

***

Back in the present,

Dion, walking beside Luna, was completely exhausted from trying to convince her. He spoke in his head:

”Recall,”

A holographic screen opened in front of his face. He glanced at it and noticed that Luna couldn’t see the screen even as she leaned closer to him. ”Sigh,” he let out a sigh, then looked back at his screen.

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Change Soul Persona :

1. Dion von Oswald [current]

2. Black Knight rank SSSS [activate ?] [yes] [no] (cooldown 1 day)

3. Shadow Assassin rank SSSS [activate ?] [yes] [no] (cooldown 1 day)

4. Berserk Monk rank SSSS [activate ?] [yes] [no] (cooldown 1 day)

5. Mechanical Crafter and Gunner rank SSSS [activate ?] [yes] [no] (cooldown 3 days)

6. Ancient One rank SSSS [activate ?] [yes] [no] (cooldown 5 days)

7. ???

8. ???

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”I’m not strong... I’m weak... I’m only strong because I’m borrowing power from the badass in the past... man, this sucks. How am I supposed to convince her that I’m weak so she’ll finally leave me alone?” Dion asked in his head.