To Live Again, For the First Time!

"Do you guys actually believe what you say?" he casually asked.

"You really think that brother Dios, your captain, won't know if I let you guys off?" He snorted.

As he spoke, he gradually picked up his pace, going from a casual walk or jogging situation into a slow jog of sorts.

As for the people in front of him, though they were apparently going at the same speed, they weren't having nearly as nice of a time. 

Sweat started rolling down their bodies as if the effect of gravity on those drops of precipitation were suddenly multiplied.

It was even odder since the blond man was shorter than 3 of the men he was 'chasing' and yet he was still able to casually catch up and make it look like he wasn't in a hurry.

"What a joke," he couldn't help but chuckle at the mere thought of brother Dios letting these people off. 

These people were out of their minds if they thought such a thing would slip under Dios's nose. 

Absolutely absurd.

At this point, he even wanted to question how these people got their positions.

Was it nepotism? 

Because if so, it should be solved as soon as possible. He didn't want to have to deal with a brainless bunch for prolonged periods of time. 

Nepotism was probably the most unreliable method to rise in the ranks in their line of duty since the higher ranked they were without the skills to back them up, the higher the chances of death. 

It was pretty much a death sentence. Man, if you had a relative or friend who you truly wanted dead, you might just want to recommend them here, but if any of the captains or their superiors found out that they were used as a trash can, the perpetrator of the whole thing would also receive their due punishment.

That being said, it was unknown if these people actually got in through nepotism.

'It seems like I will have to sign these four up for extra mentality training or they'll die once any one of the others takes over,' the blondie thought. 

Though his words may seem harsh, he was already one of the kinder captains. Yes, this man who looked to be under 20 is also a captain. As for his real age, it was best to keep mum for now.

Supervising these people as they carried out their punishment was pretty much a day off for him, so he made sure to have his share of fun.

"I'll let you guys take a guess at how many times you'll have to run around the trail that spans across the whole mountain range if he finds out that you guys were trying to escape from punishment." He entertained the idea of a reward and his brain quickly worked on finding something that would be more amusing.

The scariest part was that he smiled like if it was nothing. 

If you didn't know any better then you would think he was talking about the weather or a pretty girl, maybe even some school event. Yet his gentle tone conveyed words that were nothing short of an agreeable threat if you took out the agreeable part.

"How about it?" 

The 'fun' ideas going through his pretty little head were going faster than his running.

To put it kindly, he had embodied what it was to be an avid thinker.

To put it bluntly, he was swimming in a sea of sadistic thoughts, and yes, you did read correctly when it was mentioned that he was one of the kinder captains, after all, the four people trying to deceive Captain Dios with his help could be punished accordingly if their words were taken as an act of insubordination.

"If you guess correctly, then I'll exempt you from extra mentality training." He concluded.

"Captain Cenci, do you mean it? I thought even Captain Onu couldn't exempt anyone from mandatory mentality training. It's 8 months from now, right?" The ash gray-haired man, running in second asked in the midst of his panting. His eyes shone when he thought of skipping mentality training.

Mentality training had another name amidst the people that had to go through it. It was called the Trials of Reincarnation. Because if you went through it, you'd surely die, and if you came back alive, you have been pretty much reincarnated as a new man. 

Congrats.

Rest assured, I'll feel happy even when you are unable to do so for yourself.

I ensure you it will be a painful death, that you are unable to free yourself from because it won't be physical death. It will be your mind that is broken down before being forged back together with stronger materials. And though it sounded good and all, there was no part of it that could be called enjoyable.

Well, maybe it didn't sound that good after all.

"Where did you hear mandatory training from?"

"I said exempt you from the extra mentality training you'll all be having after you've completed the training and punishments Brother Dios will be giving you."

Suddenly, as if they had agreed on it beforehand, all four pairs of eyes widened. 

Even the ones whose faces had been previously flushed became pale in an instant. Cold sweat replaced whatever had been dripping down their backs just seconds ago.

"Extra… training?" The muscular man with the caramel skin at the front couldn't hide the fear that flashed in his eyes.

It wasn't a matter of having to do the mentality training, because everyone who wanted to rise in ranks once they became a trainee under the captains had to go through a total of 6 'Trials of Reincarnation'. 

It was just that none of them were actually mentally prepared to face the unspeakable trials. Shivering just at the thought.

Seeing all the blood draining from every member of the team's faces, the blond man, Cenci, smiled. He knew that he had done his job well after seeing everyone's reactions.

It was also then that Cenci noticed that there was a figure sitting at a rock that they were quickly approaching. 

'There shouldn't be anyone from Syri here, right?' Cenci thought.

They had been speaking a Syrin this whole time and it was information that would sound suspicious to anyone who heard it. Though it wouldn't put them in jeopardy per se, they were still better off without anyone knowing.

"You guys go on off first, make sure to keep up this pace or I'll make sure to double my speed once I catch up," Cenci ordered the four people in front of him, all of which immediately sped up, even if they were already dead tired.

Double the current pace was no joke.

And Captain Cenci was most definitely not joking, even if his tone could beg otherwise.

As those four little fledglings ran off, Cenci halted to a stop when he reached the spot where Emilin was resting.

Emilin, who had always cultivated an acute hearing in order to listen in on gossip whenever possible, had heard the whole conversation. 

The language barrier was nothing in front of her and because of that, she was clear that not one of these people was your average Joe.

As for the plan she came up with. 

Well of course it was to feint ignorance!

She didn't want to be dragged into anything that she couldn't make heads or tails of, so it was better to act like she knew nothing, and that wasn't particularly hard either.

At moments during their conversation, Emilin almost wanted to run away because she felt like she heard something she shouldn't have.

Mentality training???

She thought back at her previous suspicions, what if rather than being chased by the mafia, they were the mafia themselves. 

But she didn't recall any issues with Mafia arising in Syri, what if it was because those mafias had moved to a whole new continent! That being said, of course, she was talking about E continent. 

But the whole idea was just ludicrous. 

As for the actual answer, she didn't want to know.

Knowing too much without having the power to keep your neck intact was a sin.

On the other hand, she might just be misunderstanding the whole thing. 

They may just be a group of super-duper buff Buddhistic practitioners who needed to constantly be going through mentality training, after all, she had even heard some murmuring about the 'six trials of Reincarnation.'

In fact, this had piqued her interest for a moment, due to her own reincarnation, but Emilin quickly dropped the idea that was festering in her mind.

When she saw that the four men who were sweating like pigs quickly ran away and that the last blond one stayed behind, she nonchalantly took a sip of water as if she had no clue why he was approaching her.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" Cenci asked in Syrin as if he were going to ask for directions next.

Emilin, who was determined to act dumb just tilted her head to the side in faked ignorance.

Seeing as he wasn't getting any reactions, Cenci opted for another method to probe how much Emilin knew.

A method that even Emilin wasn't prepared for.

"You know, I really hate Russian dolls, they're always so full of themselves."

Pfft!

***

Mini- Theater

A wild Emilin has appeared...

Cenci, I chose you!

Cenci attack with 'One liner'!

The wild Emilin has hit Cenci with 'Water Gun'.

It's a critical hit!

Cenci has fainted from the critical attack.