A day later, Oliver woke up in his bed. The fact that he came back in time once again set in.
Everything that was happening was real. And everything that's going to happen was also real.
With a smirk, he sat up on the bed.
This was his second chance to get back what he deserved. This time, he wanted to ensure fate would kneel before him.
After sitting for a while, Oliver organised his thoughts.
'2018, January 7. The beginning of next June, my younger brother will die.' Oliver read the calendar and tapped the side of his bed.
Everything spiralled out of control after his death.
Oliver's family consisted of four people. His parents, who were owners of a small convenience store in the outer city and his younger brother, a 15-year-old student attending a nearby school.
Although they were not well off, they had the means to live a happy life.
However, his brother would one day die under mysterious circumstances. Shortly after, the police would hurriedly close the investigation by saying it was a suicide.
His parents knew there was something amiss with how they handled the case. So, they would protest.
But that would lead to nowhere.
A couple of months later, his parents would also die in a car crash.
At that time, Oliver bore witness to everything in numbness. His entire family had died, and he didn't know what to do.
He was a victim.
He blamed and shut himself off from the world.
For months, he wallowed in self-pity and self-loathing.
In the end, he was even ready to kill himself.
On one beautiful morning, he quietly went into his bathroom and slit his veins to ultimately surrender to fate.
Looking back, it was the decision that changed everything. The moment he found the willpower to die, he also found the will to live.
Looking at the blood that flowed down, he realised how insignificant his life was. No one would know he died, nor would they care. Just like how they ignored his brother and parents, he would just be a name in a file somewhere.
This thought brought back his will to survive. Even though his body weakened, causing him to stumble, Oliver stood up.
It was at that time that something miraculous happened.
His ability, which only allowed him to store blood inside him, evolved, allowing him to heal his wound.
The change was the first in the dominos to fall, leading him to become one of the most feared villains of the following decade.
Instead of dying a sorry death, that was the moment Oliver decided to end the lives of the people that destroyed his life.
He investigated the death of his brother and parents with ardent fervor and finally found the people who were responsible for it.
The list of all the people involved was still fresh in his mind.
This time, he was going to save everyone by using any means necessary.
For that, he needs strength. Individual strength would be good, but strong allies were also necessary.
That was why he tried to be in the good books of the headmaster.
Although he didn't give a direct answer about joining the team of demon hunters the headmaster was creating, he still showed his enthusiasm. He was sowing seeds that one day would help him.
Now, to improve his blood sac ability, he needs to visit the meat processing area.
—-
A lady walked into the headmaster's office and said, "Sir, we have the result from the gene sequencing machines. The results are promising."
The headmaster, who was drinking tea, placed the cup on the table and lifted his face.
His usually smiling face was giving off a deathly chill.
"How reliable is it?" He asked.
"Pretty reliable. We can use the test along with other methods to increase the accuracy."
"The kid didn't lie."
"Yes."
"We should recruit him."
"Hm…" The lady nodded.
Just the fact that Oliver could sense demons would make him a valuable asset. At times, when testing was impossible due to some political situation, he could be used to verify identity.
"Implement the testing protocol all across military recruitment stations. Once the results are out, we can implement it widely." The headmaster gave out the order.
One might wonder why a headmaster of a military school was giving orders to a person from the military law enforcement division.
But he did have the authority to do so.
The headmaster, the old man with grey hair and beard, was a retired S ranker called Thunder Emperor. There was a time when just his name would have shaken the world. His military exploits were still talked about to this day.
Although he retired abruptly and became a headmaster of the school, many strong people have yet to forget his name or face.
"Keep a close eye on what he is doing."
"Yes, sir." The lady nodded and exited the office.
—
Oliver took his time and walked towards the mana beast processing plant east of the school compound.
The military school was situated on Second Earth, the planet that was accessible through permanent gates.
They chose this place to train the youngsters because of the high concentration of mana in the air. The training effectiveness on this planet was greater than that of Earth.
For eighteen-year-olds that were about to enter society, it was paramount that they gain the ability to control their superhuman abilities before they caused any trouble. That was why military education was mandatory. Only by being disciplined can they ensure that they won't be a liability to society.
Oliver ignored the curious, at times, mostly fearful eyes glancing over at him and swiftly made it to the mana beast processing plant.
Oliver could smell blood the moment he neared the colossal building.
All meat needed for the military base and school was processed inside this building. No wonder he could smell the blood.
He could see large trucks streaming in and out of the building.
Behind a dark sheet covering the cargo space of the trucks, Oliver senses it. Covered beneath were freshly hunted carcases of the mana beast.