'My head hurts, what the hell did Leonardo put in those vitality potions for the aftereffects to be so strong?'

William woke up grumpy, thinking of reprimanding Leonardo for his horrible concoction that caused him a headache.

His eyes groggily looked around, finding the scene unfamiliar.

It was a small cellar with dozens of chains hanging from the ceiling. A musty smell permeated the room, and a few rats could be seen running around.

He frowned, clearly angry with the situation, but he remained clear-headed. He didn't say anything and just looked around, trying to move his body, but couldn't.

His hands and feet were chained up while he was almost naked, with only a pair of underwear and a jade-green amulet hanging from his neck.

Looking at his body, he was in disbelief.

Unlike the scrawny and wrinkly body he was expecting, pale white skin with no blemishes greeted him.

'What the- '

William was shocked, but the life experience he had gained made him understand that maintaining calm in these situations was the most important.

Taking a deep breath, he inspected his body more thoroughly, finding it familiar. It was relatively small, especially compared to his previous frame of 1.90 meters ( roughly 6′3'). Long brown hair covered his shoulders, messy due to the body's situation.

Frowning, he looked around and inspected the room thoroughly, having a slight recollection of it.

At that moment, a man's voice sounded from outside the cellar.

"Oi, Tyler, how long do we have to keep these brats alive? We already got all the important stuff from them!"

The man's voice was deep and harsh, grating to one's ears.

The next moment, a deep sigh was heard; the voice was more high-pitched than the other, but it still sounded annoying.

"Kirk, I told you to just wait. We were given orders, so we have to wait for more to come. Look at Homer, he hasn't said anything."

The man named Tyler responded, prompting a third voice to speak.

"As long as we follow the orders, all criminal charges will be cleared and we can finally roam around freely."

The man's voice was the deepest of the three, silencing the others.

William's eyes opened wide in disbelief after listening to their voices, as countless memories flooded his mind as if his life flashed through them.

"This- how is this possible."

He muttered out loud as he realized where he was.

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Hearing a voice coming from one of the cellars, Kirk slowly walked over and opened the cellar door.

His eyes were greeted by the sight of a handsome boy with long brown hair and innocent-looking green eyes. An amulet hung from his neck, while his whole body was primarily naked, only a single piece of undergarment covering his lower half.

"So the one to wake up first was the middle child, well that is unexpected. I thought the big one would be the first."

Muttered Tyler as he looked from the side, his lanky body heading over to inspect the boy.

The boy didn't say anything in this scene, as the look in his eyes slowly warped.

The innocent-looking eyes slowly changed shape as they became sharper and crueler in seconds.

A mischievous grin appeared on the boy's lips, but it quickly disappeared like it was never there.

The lanky Tyler turned towards a large and bulky figure and asked.

"Homer, should we go inform the lord that one of them is awake?"

Homer shook his head as he glanced at the young boy, a hint of disdain on his face.

"Wait for all three to wake up. Let's not annoy the lord with small updates."

Tyler nodded as a creepy grin appeared on his face.

"How old did you say was the youngest?"

He asked, his intentions evil.

"She should be around ten years old now…"

Responded Homer with an exasperated tone.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"I know you like them young, Tyler, but you should hold on until the lord gives us orders. If he orders their execution, then you can do anything you want with her before her death."

"I know, I know, don't worry."

Said Tyler, not hiding the lecherous thoughts he was having.

Kirk, still holding the cellar door, sighed and closed it. They had already confirmed that one of them had woken up; they didn't need to do anything else.

The boy had nothing of interest left; all his precious belongings had already been taken.

He locked the door as he turned around towards his companions.

Suddenly, he recalled something, and he asked the duo.

"By the way, why haven't we taken the amulet?"

The two of them looked at him disdainfully after hearing his words.

"That thing is worthless. I already used my gold hoarder aspect, the gem isn't even worth a few copper coins. His underwear is worth more than that and let's not talk about the rest of their clothes, they cost a few gold coins each, and that thing is not worth the effort. You know full well that my aspect is the thing that has kept us alive till now, right?"

Said Tyler, scoffing at Kirk's question.

Homer nodded, agreeing with Tyler. This was the reason he didn't say anything about Tyler's fetishes despite finding them disgusting. His aspect was a necessary thing for them to function as criminals.

"It's because of that aspect that you are so weak though…"

Muttered Kirk, looking wronged.

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William had heard everything they said, and he smiled creepily.

'I really returned.'

He thought, happiness spreading through his heart.

After combing through his old memories, he finally remembered where he was. It was a memory he had sealed away a long time ago, not wanting to recall it since it was his nightmare.

William Virtu had returned to the past, holding all his memories of the future.

The genius that even the Archmage and Sword Saint had acknowledged had returned; this time, he would take the world by storm, step by step.

And the first step was getting free. He recalled the people who locked him up, rage flashing through his ruthless eyes.

'Tyler Foley is a log-grade thief with the Gold Hoarder Aspect, an aspect with the ability to distinguish the quality and gold worth of an item. As long as his aspect is evolved, he can easily differentiate between bad and good merchandise.

'Homer Gilbert, a stone grade tanker with the Stonehide aspect, an aspect with the ability to harden one's skin, making them able to withstand most physical attacks and at the same time giving them a physical boost.'

'Kirk Huff, a stone-grade warrior with the Earth shaker aspect, an aspect with the ability to shake the earth and wield an incredible amount of strength.'

He listed what he knew about his assailants in his mind, going through all of the information he knew of the future.

In the past, or rather, the future, he didn't take revenge on these guys since they were already dead when he had the power and financial means to do so.

He still remembered how these people had treated him and his family.

'The only reason I had survived was due to the sacrifice of my older brother, releasing me and my younger sister from their clutches."

'However, this time it will be different. No one would be sacrificed.'

He thought while closing his eyes.

The mana in the surroundings churned as it rushed towards his body.

His skin seemed to glow slightly as it slowly absorbed all the mana particles through his pores, heading toward his brain.

That's right, he didn't infuse mana into his heart, but rather his brain. If any mage knew what he was doing, they would declare him a dead man, but they had no idea who William was.

He was the most excellent strategist and mind of the future and the sole developer of the dimensional device.

The only reason he even had a mana heart was his age and late cultivation of mana, including the fact that he had yet to dabble in any research, mindlessly following a random cultivation method.

He had already created a unique technique with confirmed theory; he couldn't apply it to his elderly body since destroying his mana heart would result in his death.

He was already over 40 when he started absorbing mana into his body since it was hard to get the resources before that.

Due to that reason, he even failed to awaken his aspect. Awakening one's aspect required attribute treasures and, in his case, unique ones since he had already tested most attributes but failed. There were limits to awakening one's aspect, such as being below 30, connecting with either mana or aura, and using a treasure that aligned with your aspect's attribute.

Each aspect had a unique elemental attribute corresponding to the twelve elements. It could be a tool, like a sword, shovel, enhancement, or spiritual animal.

For example, Tyler Foley's gold hoarder aspect was a metal attribute aspect and wasn't unique to just him. Most great merchants possessed this aspect, easily distinguishing between excellent and lousy merchandise.

Of course, grades existed between the aspects, depending on one's talent and intelligence. From that, it was clear that Tyler's aspect was on the low-end quality-wise.

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The mana around William slowly stopped rushing in as he opened his eyes.

His pores had already begun leaking a black and sticky substance, the impurities his body had accumulated throughout the years.

However, he had yet to become a mage, which required a more meticulous process. All he had done was open his mana channels to allow mana to flow freely through his body. Yet, with the method he had accomplished, the amount of mana he could now absorb was far higher than an ordinary mage apprentice, despite not being one.

Since he had released the impurities from his body, William instantly began acting out his plan.

"What is that smell?! Help, somebody, help me!"

He began shouting with all the strength he could muster.

William's cries echoed through the damp cellar, reaching the ears of his captors resting upstairs. Startled by the sudden commotion, Kirk rushed down and reached his cellar door, flinging it open with anger apparent on his face.

"What's all this racket about?"

He growled, his brow furrowed in irritation.

Ignoring Kirk's presence, William continued his feigned distress, his voice growing louder and more desperate.

"Please, someone help me! I'm trapped here!"

Soon, a horrendous smell reached Kirk's nostrils, prompting him to cover his mouth and gag.

"What the fuck is that smell?"

Hearing his cry, the other two couldn't help but come down in curiosity. Witnessing Kirk, who looked like he was about to barf, they also accidentally inhaled the smell.

Both of them had the same reaction as Kirk, gagging and covering their mouths, with Homer even vomiting.

Kirk swiftly locked the door and rushed upstairs, not noticing the small amount of light that shone on the back of his head.

William, still screaming, smiled, mana glowing faintly on his fingers.

Making sure no light leaked outside the cellar door, he calmly raised his hands, the incomparably heavy chains being unlocked. He slowly placed them down, making sure not to make any noise.

He had already used magic earlier; by utilizing the mana in the environment, he created a 'mana leech' and latched it to Kirk's head without his notice. The 'mana leech' was a tier zero spell that anyone with mana affinity could cast with enough knowledge; not even a mana core was needed, making it one of the most valuable skills for those who knew how to use them.

'Step one of the plan is complete. Now I need to advance to a tier one apprentice to continue.'

He thought to himself, his eyes full of killing intent.