Reborn Regress Return: I Am the Heir of Shadows!-Chapter 5: Reunited

In the darkness of his bedroom, a low whirring motor and the bubbling nutrient gel echoed in Julian's waking mind. The last memory he remembered was a sudden attack, losing Umbra and then bleeding to death before he could leave combat.

"Ugh..."

As he removed the safety harness and pressed the ejection button, his body became dull and difficult to move, and he felt a bitter sensation in his chest.

'I couldn't even spare the time to think... being an Evoker is difficult.'

Because he needed to process the battle, avoid any damage, and recite the chants of spells in his mind, Julian discovered the difference between being a Guardian who focused on melee combat and the physically weaker Evoker. He could die with a single blow.

On the screen, an annoying message and countdown make him grit his teeth.

[◊ You have died—Lockout Activated! ◊]

[11:59:20—Remaining]

The frustration with his actions made him splash the gel with both hands.

No, it wasn't entirely his fault.

There wasn't a quest or beginner's pack when he entered the world, and normally, the tutorial knight would help you get started.

'I need to be more careful. The lockout increase to a full day soon.'

With a loud slosh of the sticky gel, he slid from the black machine with his naked body, feeling clean and silky smooth from the expensive gel.

He stepped out of the VR unit with a throbbing pain across his throat where the monster attacked him, and then walked to the mirror and saw his neck was swollen and red.

"The nightmare mode is extreme... pain synchronisation from the first login, eh?"

Julian's eyes widened as he gazed at his body, no longer focused on his neck.

He couldn't believe his transformation happened so fast.

Because in the past, when he entered the game, it took weeks before his body started to adapt and evolve from the experience gained in the game.

'This is better than my last life.'

Although people would evolve and improve from the game.

This improvement didn't mean ugly people would become supermodels—if average, most people could become decent-looking when using full-body VR machines.

New novel chapters are published on freewёbn૦νeɭ.com.

Julian measured his height using the mirrors built into the AI system—the numbers flashing made his lips tremble before curling into a smile.

Despite Julian managing his diet and daily training in the past, it wasn't until entering the game that his body now became perfectly toned and muscular. A lean body is improving on his previous 12% level of body fat.

The most significant change was his face.

His dark circles vanished, cracked lips became soft and smoother, and his cheeks were soft and squishy instead of sunken.

[Height: 6ft 3 in (1.91 m)]

[Weight: 90Kg]

[Length: 21 cm]

"Phew... I can get stronger even though I am an Evoker."

An Evoker was one of the many evolutions people could undertake, with the main being a Guardian or Assault and the rare being Mystics who could heal wounds or create defensive barriers to protect the party.

Bzzzt!

Suddenly, Julian's phone vibrated in the VR unit's charging slot.

The company that created the high-class VR units added this feature to allow people to communicate with others outside the game.

This feature allowed users to message and call people directly in the game without using third-party software.

'Probably because the company also made the phones, it was a suitable business model.'

He walked to the dressing table while shaking his head, wondering how long the meal would take to finish, since he wasn't in the game world that long.

"Come to think of it... Sena was a rare Assault class."

Julian grabbed his phone and noticed several missed call notifications before he opened the one from the Avalon Admit account.

[Message]

Avalon Admin

• Achievement unlocked: Spectacular Demise! Keep up the... effort.

◊ You have reached level 2

• Gained 2 Magic

◊ You Looted Shadow woven Robe from [Nightmare Hound]

Item Level 5

Bind on Equip

Cloth

Chest

+1 Defence

+1 Magic

Requires Level 2

"A simple garment woven with faint traces of shadow magic, offering minimal protection and a touch of power."

◊ Your Account has been locked for 12 hours after dying!

• Please note that this will increase to 24 hours per death after the grace period ends!

◊ The Real Money Trading Auction house will open in 22 hours.

He remained quiet for a few moments, a little annoyed by their mocking achievement, but the news of the auction house and the item he gained made up for it.

'I gained two points. That's huge!'

"Well, what now?"

Julian didn't expect to be sent into that nightmarish world, so he bit his lower lip and wondered what to do after his mistake.

The initial plan was to play for four hours while the Wellington baked, then eat and continue gaming into the night. He shook his head, grabbed a pair of tight training pants and boxers from his drawers and headed to the treadmill.

"I couldn't even see the hound."

First, Julian started to warm up and performed several sets of squats.

If he focused on building up attributes, he could probably reach a five or six in his attack and speed attributes without items in the following days.

However, he'd focus on speed over attack because the attribute speed affected more than movement speed.

It also improved his dynamic vision and hand-eye coordination, increasing his accuracy.

Like this, Julian jogged on the treadmill for a quick sprint, using a high-level setting that worked on speed.

"Haa...Haa...Haa."

A steady rhythm of breaths filled the dim room, each exhale sharp and controlled. Sweat traced lines down Julian's tanned torso, muscles tightening with every movement.

The doorbell rang. He ignored it. His feet pounded against the treadmill, his pace locked at a gruelling twelve-minute mile. Endurance mattered more.

The ringing continued. Then came the knocking—dull, persistent thuds that rattled the quiet.

Julian's gaze flicked to his phone. Missed calls. Messages.

His jaw clenched as he sucked in a breath of cool air, the scent of damp wood and sweat mixing in his lungs. His fingers twitched. The image of Sena, standing in the rain, her shoulders trembling as she choked on words she couldn't say, clawed at the edges of his mind.

'I hate the rain...'

Ding—Dong!

A final, urgent knock. Louder this time.

Julian exhaled, scanning the room. No shirt in sight. He swiped the towel over his face and tossed it aside before heading for the door.

Crackle!

A jagged arc of lightning split the sky, flooding the porch in a brief, blinding glow.

And there—huddled against the door frame, rain streaming down her tangled black hair, her breath uneven—stood Sena.

His fingers curled around the doorknob. The cold metal bit into his skin.

She came.

'Why?'

The bitterness in his chest twisted tighter.

With a constant beat in his chest, drumming without rhythm, the door creaked open. In that instant, the inner light bathed her face in countless hues—embarrassment, joy, hope, anger... sorrow.

"Sena... why did you come?"

Two weeks earlier, Julian walked away and left without speaking, withholding his thoughts and secrets about the incoming danger and future apocalypse. He wanted to keep her safe, to forget his rebirth and regression.

His words like a knife, Sena's eyes flashed with immense anger. "W-What? Why can you say that to me, who do you think you are... I—hate this! Why did you leave me?"

Julian's eyes widened in a fleeting moment of tenderness, he couldn't stand those tears. His hand moved almost instinctively to wipe the rain from her cheek. The gesture was bittersweet, a silent apology in the warmth of his touch.

Yet despite her thundering voice that echoed, "Don't you dare!" Her gaze hidden as she turned away, betrayed that fierce rejection, a soft smile as her lips curled into a crescent. "Idiot..."

Julian's face faltered into reluctant sadness, his fractured memories of their past life swirling in the shadows. For a long, quiet moment, the only sound was the steady drum of their hearts.

Then, with a heavy sigh and resigned tenderness, he stepped aside. "Come in," he murmured, inviting her into the warmth of the interior. "Let me fix us something to eat."

At the verge of collapse, the tension eased into a tentative calm.

Their voices softened as they exchanged short words—a whispered apology here, a soft reassurance there. In an impulsive moment, Sena stepped close, clinging to him as if afraid he'd vanish again.

"What am I going to do with someone like you?" Her whisper a comfort, and almost like a curse that bound him.

Julian's eyes widened with regret and a sense of hope. He reached out, stroking away the rain water, this time successful as she accepted his touch.

But images and memories suddenly flooded his mind with a vivid and haunting flashback: The rain-soaked night, with a beautiful woman lying on the ground.

A moment he wished to forget, like the rest, the shadow of Sena's impending death and a desperate plea in her eyes as life slipped away.

The memory struck him—a painful reminder of what he let slip through his fingers and lost.

Ba-Dump!

A powerful heartbeat cracked his stoic mask, replaced by a torrent of new, intense emotions.

"I'm sorry," He whispered with a trembling voice, memories lingering. "I was stupid, afraid that I might lose you... and that stepping away might protect you."

"What stupid things are you protecting me from, the flu?"

Sena snapped back, but the ferocity and anger in her voice dwindled. Instead, her hands gripped his back, unsure of what this meant for them, yet she leaned on his chest, satisfied. He would not push her away, at least now.

In their fragile embrace, their hearts connected, a language of confusion, loss, and longing.

Julian's memories remained fractured, but emotions and feelings that he assumed lost, sprouted once again like flowers in a barren wasteland, miraculously growing. Like a miracle. New and old melded the present emptiness with echoes of memories filled with pain.

The storm outside eased, and as they clung to each other, the quiet promise of a meal—and perhaps a new beginning—lingered in the air.

"You should stay for a meal..."

"Nn... but when did you get so buff?" Sena's eyes peeked up, her hands pressed against his chest, because of the tight training outfit, she could see every curve and shape.

"Well, you've never seen me naked before, right?"

"Shut up... I am still angry with you."

"Haa... of course, princess, but let's take it easy for now. One step at a time."