Before Alex could even let out a word, his body exploded into bits, and his vision turned pitch black.

He felt weightless for a brief moment, and the system’s monotonous voice reached him.

[System: Host Alex, you have died.]

Suddenly, the blue screen darkened into purple, dark thorned vines with vibrant roses slithered at its border, and cracks appeared across it.

A moment later, the words changed.

[Hall Master, you cannot die within the Hall.]

[You are being resurrected.]

Alex wanted to laugh, but he had no mouth. So he could only snicker mentally.

This was the second trump card that had supported Alex’s original growth.

He knowingly jumped into battle against these calamitous beings until he gained what he wanted.

Soon, the dark world vanished, and Alex appeared right under Cedric’s cell.

There was no change to his appearance, and unlike how he had lost some of his Combat Value to Julian, he had lost nothing from this death. Nothing except a bit of his sanity.

Alex’s left hand shot to his head, and he stumbled back a few steps.

"Ugh!"

"Blasted Hell! It hurts like shit!" He cried while chewing his lower lip.

Unlike the respawning done by the system, the Hall’s resurrection didn’t have any cooldown – instead, it was heavily taxing for the mind.

How did that brute bastard endure this?!

Alex couldn’t help but feel respect for the original Alex, and after trying his best for a few more moments, he slumped to his knees, and his eyes rolled backward.

Normally, resurrection shouldn’t have affected him to such a degree, but due to Cedric’s magic, the backlash was far greater.

An hour passed within the Hall, and Alex finally came to his mind.

"Agh," he let out a pained groan and slowly rose to his feet.

"I am never doing this again," he gnashed and thought about the time remaining for his cooldown.

[Respawn Cooldown: 2 days, 23 hours, 44 minutes, and 42 seconds. (29 days, 21 hours, 27 minutes)]

"Hah... Just an hour," Alex breathed in relief.

He raised his gaze to Cedric’s cell and once again entered it.

[System: Host Alex, you have entered a cell.]

He dashed through the streets, and within a few minutes, he reached Cedric’s tower. Then he began to climb it.

After half an hour with aching legs, he reached Cedric’s chambers and, unlike before, he entered without knocking.

Seeing him enter, Cedric frowned and mumbled, "It appears that you cannot be killed. Not here at least."

A smug smirk appeared on Alex’s face, and his lips parted.

Before he could say anything, Cedric interrupted him.

"However, seeing how it took you 1 hour, 38 minutes, and 31 seconds to come back, you weren’t entirely unscathed... let’s see how long you can do this, shall we?"

Cedric raised his right hand, and just as he was about to bring it down, Alex raised his hands in defeat and shouted.

"Wait!"

"Hmm?" Cedric frowned. "Haven’t you already said everything you wanted to?"

Alex gulped audibly and remarked inwardly.

I really didn’t want to do this.

He lowered his hands and took a deep breath.

"You never actually cared about the citizens, did you?"

Cedric withdrew his right hand and muttered in a displeased tone.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

I must see this to the bitter end now...

Alex resolved himself and continued, "Do you remember a woman named Heslera?"

Hearing the name, Cedric’s eyes turned cold. The temperature of the room instantly fell to negative, and the windows turned foggy.

"How do you know that name?" Cedric asked in a chillingly sharp voice.

Alex involuntarily took a step back – the hair across his body stood up in warning, but he had already decided to see this to the end.

He took a shaky breath and answered.

"I read about her."

"What...?" Cedric’s frown deepened. "Are you trying to fool me with your empty words?"

Alex shook his head and responded in a determined tone.

"I know that it’s hard to believe, but I am not lying. I did read about Lady Heslera in a book which denoted all of the great things she has achieved in her life till now."

Seeing the determination and clarity in his voice, Cedric was left stumped, but as he reconsidered what Alex had just said, his brows furrowed.

"Why are you saying it as if Heslera is still alive?"

This was the question that Alex feared. The answer to it could lead Cedric into a mindless frenzy.

With his heart steeled to absolute, Alex spoke.

"Didn’t you find it odd that no matter what herb, method, or spell you used, Lady Heslera’s mana disease showed no change whatsoever?"

Cedric wanted to ask him how he knew about that, but then he remembered the book.

The cold room returned to its previous state, and Cedric nodded sombrely. "I did."

"Yes, you did, and that led you to browse through every tome and encyclopedia, but the only similar case you found was in Glemora a few hundred years ago from then."

Cedric’s expression darkened, and Alex continued in the same unhurried tone.

"You secretly came here to study about it, and you soon found the reason, didn’t you?"

Silence stretched for a few minutes, and Cedric finally spoke, his voice carrying a bitter tone.

"Glemora City was founded over the corpse of a dragon. It was believed that the mages born here were above the others and that disgusting hierarchy had caused me to leave this place..."

"But at that time I was unaware that the dragon’s remains weren’t only a blessing but also a curse."

"Each five hundred years, a famine followed by a drought would fall upon Glemora, and it was the Mayor’s duty to keep everyone safe."

Alex looked at Cedric in sympathy and added.

"However, the mages of that time were too complacent and weak to do so, and because of that, the people chose the best available option."

He slowly raised his right hand and pointed at Cedric.

"They chose you. The only grand mage of that time."