Arriving at his house, Leon went directly to the kitchen and begun preparing the herbs. Pouring the herbs from the packaging and cutting up a few of them, he entered the contents into the pot after filling it with water.
After letting them boil for an appropriate amount of time and straining the tea like liquid into a cup, Leon ingested the contents that had a medicinal aroma permeating his nose as he drank. Once he finished the last drop, Leon went to his room, sat down in a meditative posture on his bed, and let the energy consumed circulate through his body.
When approximately three hours had passed, the energy had been fully circulated throughout his body and began to condense inside his muscles. As Leon stood up from his meditative state he could feel his new strength exuding from his body.
'With this increase in my internal strength I should be considered slightly stronger than an average human even without my techniques.'
Content with his new strength he decided to practice the next form of Concealed Steps, which was known as Silent Strides. This footwork could be considered the next level of his technique that was only possible after mastering its base from Concealed Steps.
However, there was a complete difference in the levels since this technique began integrating his inner strength into his footwork.
The peak result from this form would allow him to create a single after-image that he could utilize to confuse his enemies. Although Leon had the enlightenment from his past life, he would still need to practice in order to train his current body to get used to these movements.
With the inner strength he had received from the herbs, he would now be able to begin practicing other techniques he had learned from the underground.
Unfortunately, many of these techniques weren't necessarily peak skills a master would've acquired over the years. Leon had only dabbled in martial arts in his previous life since he mostly relied on his subordinates around him, or on the money he could pay for a master to protect him personally.
However, after the harrowing betrayal he experienced in his last days, Leon came to the realization that the only strength he could truly rely on was his own.
This created the current urge he felt towards attaining absolute strength while he built himself and his family into the most powerful and renowned figures in their society.
'Continuously fortifying my strength will be the main contributor to how I obtain status and prestige in this life. Although my previous mindset "that money achieves everything in society" wasn't completely wrong; strength can utterly undermine this notion and flip logic along with society on its head.'
Affirming this new ideology, Leon continued to train while two remaining thoughts lingered in the depths of his mind.
'My techniques are mostly suited for subterfuge and assassination, but to attain absolute strength requires the skills and techniques that surpass the peak.
I either need to obtain these skills from masters and improve upon them, or locate powerful mantras that were hidden from society.'
As he scavenged through his memories he recalled the multiple figures in society that obtain a similar strength, and tried surfacing the rumors and details related to how they reached that threshold.
Different figures flashed through his mind as he remembered the man who he had revered as the peak of martial artists.
'If there is one person that could absolutely not be threatened by any high powers in the society, it was the Heavenly Sword Fiend. I always held admiration for the guy since he had risen from nothing like myself.
Although, his starting methods were a lot more unlawful considering he used to be regarded as the greatest thief the city had ever seen.'
Remembering the multitude of stories he had heard from different places associated with the underground, Leon recognized the legendary feats the twenty year old had accomplished in order to obtain his ridiculous strength.
Finishing his training, he peered out his bedroom window and watched as rain began to descend from the haunting clouds covering the sky. The dreary setting began to remind Leon of the night he died as he thoughtfully watched the rain fall to the pavement outside of his house.
Clenching his fist, Leon reaffirmed his resolution to achieve his revenge and goals no matter the obstacle.
'In order to achieve these dreams I must set aside the image society casts upon me now and in the future.
No one can refute my position once I obtain strength, and I will become the harbinger of death for who ever stand in my way, no matter the cost it inflicts upon me.
If it allows me to protect my family and dreams then further questioning my path's morality is useless...'
Understanding fate had not been kind to him in his previous life, Leon decided to carve the path to his goals regardless of whether light shined upon it, or darkness swallowed it whole.
Without realizing it, Leon had begun shaping his aura into neither light or darkness, and had established an instability between his yin and yang energy.
For most martial artists this combination could be deemed lethal due to an increase in unstableness throughout their body, and would ultimately lead to an early death.
However, no such instability or fracturing of the soul occurred in Leon whether it was from the overwhelming strength of his returned soul or a blessing from the Shinigami himself.
Most philosophers would probably speculate that having a soul that had already held the burdens of one lifetime was stronger than others due to being expanded to shoulder another life along with its previous.
Having no conscious understanding of this development and remaining ignorant, Leon continued his jagged and perilous path.
After taking the time to jot down all the useful information he could recover from his memories that he could use to his advantage, Leon sat back in the chair at the desk in his room.
Picking up the small black notebook that was similar to a journal or log, he raised it towards the ceiling and stared at the list as he blew a strand of his long black hair away from his vision.
'I probably should have done this sooner, but at least I now have a list of events and places I must experience and encounter before I meet that bastard Armani. Seeing that I am currently eighteen, that gives me roughly four years before I meet him in business graduate school.'
Leon began to slowly plot out his revenge for the brother that stabbed him the back to keep the promise he made on his deathbed.
'Originally I went to a community college and then a Boylston University fair to gain attention for my NXTech startup company. It was there I met Armani and became partners.
However, it will slightly be different this time as I strip the number one spot from him by gaining admission and the top scores there.'
Wanting to slowly take everything away from his once closest friend and previous rival, Leon decided to start with his academic fame and prestige.
'Not until the end did I realize he despised me for my lineage and wealth. So instead of this, I will become the mountain that always stands in his way.
He will climb and elevate himself in order to reach the peak, but with every step he takes I will only be a mirage that continuously grows and teases him by creating a higher ledge he must reach to overtake me.'
Putting down the log of memories, Leon caressed his chin as he continued thinking.
'In order to become this mountain I need to not only re-establish my family's position, but increase it further and gain more power in my section of the city. Armani and his family control the West, so to surpass him will I need to take over East within this four year period...'
Finally finalizing the major steps needed to fully bring his goals to fruition, Leon laid on his bed and fell asleep.
A few weeks passed with nothing notable occurring besides Leon's occasional visits to Agnolo's Alley to grab more herbs to increase his inner strength. He also had stopped by the FallenStar HQ to review the changes that were made according to his orders, and he was satisfied to see the rapid progress being made by Jay.
Leon had also picked out a few respectable operatives that peaked his interest within the organization, and hoped they would be able to complete his hellish training regiment that would enable him to assess whether they were competent for his elite unit.
While the supplemented growth plans for the operatives in the organization was in progress, Leon also organized the existing business model Jay had provided him with. Until the operatives were trained to his liking, Leon decided they would invest their time and resources into intelligence gathering, Nuit Frivole, and the multiple different fighting rings.
Nuit Frivole allowed for more intelligence to be gathered as well since many powerful business figures often rented out private rooms to hold parties or discuss business. With this intelligence, Leon slowly morphed their primary focus to selling and distributing information for advantageous benefits.
This allowed for a more steady flow of income to support their training for the upcoming operations and assassinations they would be conducting in the future.
School for Leon was beginning to draw to a close since he had awoken into three months left of his high school career. Luckily, there were no further interruptions for him from the many nuisances that had pestered him before.
However, unbeknownst to Leon, Alice had begun looking up to the previously thought of trash due to the multiple "incidents" he had caused and handled at the school.
'Who would've known he was such a capable person... How the hell didn't I notice this gem before.'
Laying on her bed, Alice stared at her room's ceiling, tracing the decorative lines on the nightgown she was wearing while thinking of Leon.
'How didn't I notice his strength before? He once held feelings for me... So I'm sure I can make them resurface. I mean, what man could resist my charms?'
Answering her question for herself as she remembered his cold and fierce eyes, Alice couldn't help but be afraid, and yet from somewhere deep inside these emotions was another one beginning to ignite.
Unfortunately, Leon was not aware of these feelings nor did he show the slightest interest. The only interest and love Leon held was now for revenge after escaping the kiss of death.
Of course his family was also now drawn into the equation, but the process in which he would become stronger to gain his vengeance would resolve this variable as well.
Realizing that his school days were drawing to a close, Leon began focusing on his studies more than ever in order to achieve admission to his desired college.
Within a week he should hear back from the undergraduate school he had applied to, and was excited to see the result since this prestigious college would bring him higher recognition if he gained admittance.
'A prestigious college, wealth, and power are the major points I must capitalize in order to raise my family's status. Within a year FallenStar should be fully operational solving the wealth issue, and I will soon enter Dycell university...
My next movement will be obtaining more power by utilizing my memory logs.'
While heading home from his last week of class, Leon felt as if each step he took drew him closer to his ambitions, and slowly closer to his ultimate goal.
The list of memories would allow him to maximize the amount of opportunities he needed to get stronger with only him having the possession of this knowledge, and Leon would fully take advantage of this cheat.