As the explosion rang Kerren dissapeared from existence along with the whole dungeon. That was his plan. To die from his own explosion... once again.
Soon, he opened his eyes, which didn't exactly surprise him, but he still felt happy because he was right.
His whole plan relied on recreating whatever happened in his previous life. He wanted to make a huge mana explosion to enter this place once again.
Indeed, he was inside the purgatory once more. He had questions to ask. He needed an answer.
What exactly his plan relied on? Simple enough. Dungeons were separated from time and space, that was a fact known to lots of people in Kerren's past life.
Then, what happened if such place overloaded with mana? It would disappear... And if you somehow survived that explosion?... Where will you end up?...
Here. The Purgatory. Endless white space with nothing but a tree. Kerren wanted to get here once more!
As he woke up, he looked around. Sure enough, he was leaning on The Tree once more.
- Hello again, dry branch. -- he greeted it.
- I am not dry. -- it said again.
- Yeah yeah, whatever you want to believe. -- he didn't buy it, it didn't have any leaves, how could it not be dry?
- Why are you here again? -- it asked him suddenly.
- Was i the only one who got sent here the last time? -- he revealed his purpose! That's the answer he wanted to get, even if it costed him his life!
- No. -- it answered, not elaborating after.
- Who else was it and how much time did they spend here? What exactly did they do and where they got send to? -- he asked everything that was on his mind.
- I can't tell you who it was, i dont even know who are you. -- it stated the obvious truth. -- However, there were 8 more humans like you. Each has spent less than a year here. They begged to be sent back, so i did. -- Kerren wasn't unique!
- So i was right. -- he already suspected it! -- What criteria makes me able to enter this place after i die? -- he asked another question.
- You were marked by the Dragon Heart. Every time you die you will be sent here. However, do not think that you are immortal, once your soul disappears even i wont be able to save you. -- it revealed Kerren's most vulnerable part! His soul!
- What about other people? Where did you send them? -- it seemed that he already knew what to answer, as if he was prepared for it!
- Same as you, to the most important moment in their lives. -- it answered.
- Will i be able to meet them when you send me back again? If so, will they have their memories before their death? -- if so... Kerren was in grave danger!
- You will meet them, you are fated to meet them! -- the branches moved as he said it, it was the first time Kerren saw it move!
- What does that mean? What fate? -- he didn't understand it at all.
- Fate is beyond your understanding, there is no point in explaining it! But, i will tell you that... You are the reason it exists! You will remember! -- It moved again as it was talking.
- I... What? What are you talking about? I will remember what? -- he... did he forget something?.. What was it exactly? He remembered what happened before the explosion, after it... he woke up here. Could it be that something else happened?
- You will know soon. -- it finally stopped moving at the end of the sentence -- However, i have to warn you - every time you get sent here you will lose something important to you. You dont know what it is yet, but try not to die anymore, you will regret your carelessness later. -- it said as Kerren's vision faded black once more.
...
- What were you thinking!? -- the guildmaster cried out -- What do we do now!? He's dead! Such a talent... died! -- he was incredibly sad because of it.
- I... Father! He wanted to stay there, we couldn't force him to go with us, you know that! -- his son answered to his screams.
- You didn't even try, you waste! -- the guildmaster said as he hit his son in the face -- You are a failure! If only you died instead of your mother! -- he was even angrier, but tears flowed down his face.
His son didn't reply, he silently stood there, accepting that fact.
As all that was happening news soon spread - Kerren died in a dungeon! That was a great shock for everyone who knew anything about him!
Awakened at 16! Peerless genius who could've been the first SS rank awakened to ever exist... died!
When Yusaya heard the news she didn't cry or react in public, but when she returned to her roomed a tear flew down her face. She didn't cry, it was just a single one.
She didn't do much, she took out a strange plant out of her inventory and burned it, as if it was a ritual to mourn the dead.
Another woman who was greatly saddened was... the principle! But her sadness was different, she was annoyed by his death! She had to find a new guy now! What nuisance!
Kerren's parents didn't react. They were invited on several interview and cried about his death there, accpeting donations and using whatever method they could to get more.
...
A month or so later, in Kerren's room... A portal opened and a lifeless humanoid figure that was made of mana and some strange energies fell out of it!
It was Kerren! Well, whatever he was right now! His body was just a mass of mana that resembled a humanoid, it couldn't be alive!
Soon, however, it started forming into his old appearance, even his clothes were still on him!
He opened his eyes once the process concluded. He was the one who was operating it! He re-made his own body from mana!
Truth is, The Tree didn't send him here, he didn't have his body after all! He was sent back into nothingness that was filled with strange energies and lots of mana.
He didn't have any other choice but to think again, he spent a considerable amount of time there, thinking about all the ways he has out of this situation.
Soon, he came up with a plan - stop being human! He could, technically, possess anything as long as he wanted to! Thus, he started accumulating mana and those strange energies in a blob!
It was a long and arduous process, but in the end he made something that resembled a human! Of course, it wasn't a human body, it was something that only looked like one!
It didn't have any organs or even a brain! This whole body was just mana and... something else that Kerren didn't even understand! However, he understood that it added strange properties to it, thus, he didn't try to get rid of it!
It had a lot of flaws since Kerren only knew how to make bodies for automatons, but he was a human! For him, such a body wasn't great! Of course, in some ways it was better than a normal human body...
Why? Because he could change it however he wanted! He could even change his appearance at will! He had a great amount of mana, the best among the best affinity with it! He was mana himself!
Well, that's it for the pros! The cons were... he was mana... If he somehow wasted all of his body he would die once more! Anti-mana barrier were a death sentence to him! He could also be detected easily if he didn't always use a concealing spell!
But, those problems could easily be fixed with time, after all he could even imprint spells on his body! Of course, they will still cost mana, but it didn't waste any of his mental powers!
Thus, he continued thinking about all those matters, not minding about the fact that people thought that he's dead!