Re:Birth: A Slow Burn LitRPG Mage Regressor

Through the quiet evening paths of the academy grounds, Adom's footsteps carried the weight of frustration. Another day of subtle sabotage – or attempts at it, anyway. Four times he'd tried to derail the prototype today, each attempt more creative than the last, and each time feeling Hugo's sharp eyes following his movements with growing suspicion.

The worst part wasn't even the failed attempts. It was watching Professor Kim's eyes light up at each "mistake," that dangerous spark of scientific curiosity growing brighter. Every suggestion Adom made to lead the research astray just seemed to fuel Kim's fascination.

The man was treating Adom's carefully planned misdirection like an intellectual puzzle, a game of "what if" that only made him more determined to see his original project through to completion.

"At this rate," Adom muttered to himself, adjusting his glasses, "he'll have a working prototype within the week."

The thought sat like lead in his stomach. He needed a new approach, something more direct, but what? The prototype was nearly complete, and time was running out. Each passing day brought them closer to—

"Student Adom Sylla!"

The sharp call cut through his brooding like a knife, causing him to stop mid-step.

"You have a visitor waiting at the entrance," the messenger raven announced. "They identified themselves as Eren."

"Thanks," Adom said, watching as the raven immediately spread its wings and took off without another word. "Rude."

His earlier frustrations about Kim's prototype evaporated, replaced by a sharp alertness.

Adom adjusted his course toward the entrance.

He spotted Eren before Eren saw him - a small figure in a worn jacket, leaning against the academy's outer wall, one foot propped up against the weathered stone. When Eren finally noticed him approaching, he pushed off the wall with an easy motion that didn't quite hide his tension.

"Hey Eren," Adom said. "Everything alright?"

"Hey." Eren's grin was quick but didn't reach his eyes. "Not great, to be honest."

"What's going on?"

Eren glanced at the passing students, lowering his voice. "Things got really messy in the undertow lately."

"What do you mean?" Adom asked, feeling his stomach tighten.

"Cisco wants to see you as soon as possible. He'll explain everything."

"How soon?"

"Now."

"That bad?"

"Probably worse," Eren said quietly.

Adom let out a short, stressed laugh. "Of course it is." He ran a hand through his hair, glancing back at the academy towers. "Where?"

"The cafe. You know, the one from last time."

*****

A few moment later...

"We have a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"Star Knight problem."

"Oh."

Silence

"That's bad."

"Very bad, indeed."

"How bad are we talking, exactly?"

"The kind of bad that killed three of my men," Cisco said flatly, setting his cup down with a soft clink. "Left one alive and deeply traumatized to spread the word. Made quite a show of it too."

"He was asking questions." Marco added.

"About?"

"You."

"...Me?"

"The troublesome mage who caused trouble in the Undertow and caused the Children Of The Moon to enter a war with the Silver Circle."

"Ah."

"Yeah. Ah."

The cafe's usual warm atmosphere felt suddenly cold. Through the window, Adom watched people pass by, going about their normal day, completely unaware of the conversation happening inside. He could almost pretend this was just a casual coffee and pastry time, if not for the grave look in Cisco's eyes.

"All this time," Adom said, his voice barely above a whisper, "I thought I was being clever. Playing them against each other. A perfect little distraction while we..." He trailed off, staring into his untouched coffee. "I never thought they'd bring in a Star Knight."

"Nobody did," Cisco said. "The Children aren't known for outsourcing their problems."

"They must be desperate," Marco added.

"Or angry," Eren said quietly.

Adom replied. "Both. Definitely both." Then asked. "How did the Knight become involved?"

"According to our intel, he was in the capital," Marco said, leaning forward. "Doing mercenary work for some noble families. Mostly intimidation, few assassination jobs. The Children approached him a few days ago."

"After the warehouse incident," Cisco added.

"The one where—"

"Yes. Where we exposed their smuggling route to the Circle. Cost them nearly half a million in product." Marco's voice dropped lower. "They lost face. Bad enough to lose the cargo, but letting their rivals know about the ghost port was the kind of embarrassment they couldn't let slide."

"So they hired the one person who could guarantee results," Cisco finished. "Someone even the Circle's elite would think twice about crossing."

"Star Knight," Adom said, the name tasting bitter.

"Star Knight."

This was less than ideal. No, that was an understatement - this was a catastrophic deviation.

Adom sighed, rubbing his temples. "What exactly did you have in mind, Cisco?"

"There's a price on your head." Cisco said casually as he took a sip of his coffee.

Adom opened his mouth to respond, but the beastkin's cold laugh stopped him. "Not just yours. Me, my men... seems the Children want to make an example of everyone involved in this little escapade."

Marco nodded grimly. "They're making it personal."

"So we have no choice but to act," Cisco concluded, his tiny fingers drumming a quiet rhythm on the table.

Adom's mind raced. Going to the authorities was worse than useless. The Children had too many badges in their pocket, and a dead informant in a dark alley would just be another unsolved case.

He glanced at Cisco, the information broker who'd built his empire on knowing exactly which officials could be bought and which ones might actually care. If even Cisco wasn't suggesting the legal route, that spoke volumes.

"What if we outbid them?" Adom asked.

Cisco let out a short laugh, then caught himself. "First of all, I'm impressed. You've been holding out on us if you think you can match what they're paying." He shook his head. "But more importantly, that's not how this works."

"What do you mean?"

"Mercenaries operate on reputation, young man. The moment one accepts a counter-offer, their career is over. No one would ever hire them again. Other mercenaries would hunt them down themselves, just to keep the system intact." Cisco leaned forward. "You can't buy loyalty in this world - not the professional kind. Once a contract is signed, it's final. Breaking it isn't just unprofessional; it's suicide."

An idea then came.

Adom leaned back. "Well then, if we're all in the same sinking boat..." He picked up his coffee cup, finally taking a sip. "Perhaps we should focus on sinking theirs first."

"Did you not hear the part about the Star Knight?" Eren's voice cracked slightly. "Because I feel like you're not properly processing the 'Star Knight' part of this situation."

"Actually..." Adom set his cup down. "There's something in what Cisco said that made me think." He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "What happens if the client can no longer pay the service?"

"Thinking along the same lines, I see." Said Cisco.

"The Knight's fee alone must have cost them a fortune." Marco added.

"And they're already stretching thin trying to maintain their territory against the Circle and other organizations," Cisco said. "Hit them hard enough, fast enough..."

"They won't be able to maintain their contract," Adom finished. "And a mercenary without payment..."

"Is no longer our problem," Cisco concluded. "The question is, how many of their operations can we disrupt before he catches up to us?"

Adom sat straight, fingers interlaced around his coffee cup. "When's their next big operation? Something that would hurt if it went wrong?"

Cisco glanced at Marco, giving a slight nod.

Marco pulled out a small notebook. "According to our intel, they have three major moves tomorrow night." He flipped through the pages with his thumb. "First, weapons shipment coming through the north docks. Mid-level risk, decent security. Would cost them about fifty thousand if disrupted."

He turned another page. "Second, protection money collection from the merchant district. Low risk, but high visibility. Losing that would cost them around thirty thousand, plus reputation damage with the merchants."

Marco's voice dropped slightly. "Third one's the big one. They're moving something through the ghost port. Don't know what exactly, but..." He tapped the page meaningfully. "They've stationed their elite guards there. Triple the usual security. Conservative estimate puts the cargo value at half a million, minimum."

"I'll take the ghost port," Adom said quietly.

The cafe fell silent. Even the gentle clink of cups seemed to pause as three pairs of eyes fixed on him.

Eren was the first to break the silence. "You're joking, right?"

"Their elite guards," Marco said slowly, "are there for a reason."

Cisco just watched him, eyes narrowed, waiting for the explanation he knew was coming.

Adom took a deliberate sip of his coffee, ugh, so bitter. Honestly, he preferred tea. The fragrant, tasty type. Anyway.

"Think about it." He begain. "The Knight's probably watching the obvious targets - the docks, the merchant district. But the ghost port?" He set his cup down. "That's their secret ace. They wouldn't expect us to know about it, let alone hit it. Not after what happened last time."

"Which is exactly why they've tripled security," Marco pointed out.

"Yes," Adom smiled thinly. "Which means they've pulled guards from other locations. They're expecting muscle. They're expecting the Circle. They're not expecting one mage who can slip through their defenses."

Adom's smile faded slightly. "Of course, it's a gamble. The Knight could very well be there, watching their most valuable operation."

"And you're not afraid?" Eren asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "To face a Star Knight?"

Adom turned to look at Eren, a glint in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "Who said 'I' would do it?"

*****

The cafe felt different after Law left.

Quieter, somehow, though the ambient noise of other patrons hadn't changed. Eren had muttered something about needing to get back before curfew and slipped out moments after the mage, leaving just the two of them at the small corner table.

Marco hadn't said a word since.

Cisco sipped his coffee, watching his lieutenant stare at the table like it might provide answers to questions he wasn't asking. The silence stretched on until it became noticeable, then uncomfortable, then downright pointed.

"What is it?" Cisco finally asked.

Marco looked up. "What's what?"

"You're being silent."

"I'm always silent."

"Not this silent." Cisco set down his cup. "Out with it."

Marco's jaw worked for a moment before he spoke. "I don't think we should keep working with the mage."

"Why not?"

"A Star Knight is involved now." Marco's voice was flat, matter-of-fact. "We're risking our lives and the men's lives for an outsider."

"A customer," Cisco corrected.

"A customer," Marco amended, but his tone didn't change. "Is it worth it? Really?"

Cisco leaned back in his chair, studying the young man's face. "You think we should cut him loose."

"I think we should prioritize our people."

"And I think you're not seeing the bigger picture."

Marco's expression tightened - a sign of irritation Cisco had learned to read years ago. "Then please explain it to me, sir."

"That kid," Cisco said, gesturing toward the door Law had left through, "is going to be somebody important someday."

"Based on what?"

"I'm seventy years old, Marco. Not bad for a mouse beastkin. You know what that gives you? Perspective. The ability to gauge potential." Cisco's small fingers drummed against his cup.

"He's what, twelve?"

"Exactly." Cisco leaned forward. "He's twelve, and he's already orchestrating conflicts between criminal organizations. He's twelve, and he's thinking three moves ahead. He's twelve, and he just proposed hitting the ghost port while a Star Knight is hunting him."

Marco was quiet for a moment. "You think he'll make it to adulthood."

"I think if he does, he'll be a name everyone knows. The kind of person who can help us develop the Dregs. The kind who can pull our people out of poverty and misery instead of just managing it."

"And if he doesn't make it?"

Cisco shrugged. "Then we're back where we started. But the potential payoff..." He shook his head. "You don't get opportunities like this often, Marco my boy. Investing in someone before they become powerful? That's how real change happens."

"Investing." Marco's voice carried a bitter edge. "Sir, with all due respect, it feels like you're gambling with our people's lives on a maybe."

"Everything we do is gambling with our people's lives. At least this gamble has upside."

"Does it? Or are you just telling yourself that because you like the kid?"

The question hit closer to home than Cisco wanted to admit. There was something about the young mage that reminded him of himself at that age. But that wasn't the point.

"It doesn't matter if I like him," Cisco said. "What matters is what he can become."

"And what if you're wrong? What if he's just a clever kid who's going to get us all killed?"

"Then we adapt. We always do."

Marco leaned back, frustration clear in every line of his body. "So we're doing this. All of it. The ghost port, the Star Knight, everything."

"We're doing this."

"Because you have a feeling."

"Because I have experience." Cisco's tone carried a finality that Marco recognized. "Enough."

Marco's hands clenched once on the table, then relaxed. He nodded curtly and stood up, leaving his coffee half-finished.

Cisco watched him go, then returned to his drink. The coffee had gone cold, but he finished it anyway.

Sometimes being a leader meant making decisions others couldn't understand. Sometimes it meant betting everything on a twelve-year-old boy with too-smart eyes and a dangerous smile.

Sometimes it meant hoping you were right.

*****

Back in their shared room, Adom dropped onto his bed face-first, not even bothering to remove his shoes. The mattress creaked in protest.

"That you?" Sam's voice came muffled from the bathroom, accompanied by the sound of running water and brushing.

"Yeah," Adom mumbled into his pillow.

"Hey, I found some interesting references about those enchantment arrays we were discussing the other day." Water splashed. "There's this fascinating variation from the eastern provinces that uses a completely different geometric progression-"

Adom made a vague sound of acknowledgment, his mind already drifting. Tomorrow. Ghost port. He needed to review the layout again. Do some shopping. Some work. The timing would have to be perfect. And then there was still Kim's prototype to deal with...

"...and apparently, they've been using this method for centuries, can you believe that? It's like we've been doing it the hard way all this time..."

Sam's enthusiastic voice faded into a comfortable background hum. Adom's thoughts grew hazier, mixing with half-formed plans and calculations. Elite guards. Security patterns.

"...Adom? You still awake?"

But Adom was already gone, his breathing deep and even, still fully clothed on top of his covers. The last thing he heard was Sam's quiet chuckle and the soft click of the bathroom light being turned off.

*****

Morning. 7AM.

Adom stared at the transportation crystals laid out before him, listening to a halfling try to scam him.

The merchant was a round-faced fellow with meticulously combed sideburns and clothes just a touch too fine for his shabby little shop - the kind of outfit meant to suggest prosperity without actually proving it.

"...finest quality, straight from the Crystal Gardens themselves," the halfling continued, his stubby fingers gesturing at the array of blue-tinted stones. "You won't find better prices anywhere in the capital, I guarantee it. Why, just last week, a noble from the upper district came by and bought three dozen-"

To anyone with basic knowledge of transportation crystals, the flaws were painfully obvious. One had a visible crack running along its surface - a disaster waiting to happen. Another's core was clouded, its energy matrix probably destabilized. Using any of these for emergency teleportation would be like playing dice with death, except the dice were loaded and death was definitely winning.

"-and my supplier, very exclusive contact, mind you, ensures each crystal is personally inspected by master artificers-"

Adom watched the halfling's animated performance with a sort of detached fascination. The merchant hadn't even noticed that his potential customer's eyes hadn't left that cracked crystal for the past minute. Or perhaps he had noticed and was hoping his steady stream of practiced patter would somehow hypnotize Adom into ignoring the obvious death trap he was trying to sell.

"-so, what do you say? Interested in making a purchase? For you, I could offer a very special price."

Adom looked at the crystals again. By all rights, he should be furious. A defective transportation crystal wasn't just bad business - it was practically attempted murder. That crack alone could send someone into the void between spaces, or worse, scatter them across half the continent.

He sighed. It wasn't worth the energy.

"Thank you for your time," Adom said, already turning toward the door.

"Wait, wait!" The halfling's voice jumped an octave. "Perhaps we could discuss the price? I'm sure we can reach an arrangement that-"

The door's bell jingled as Adom stepped outside. This was the fifth store he'd visited this morning.

He walked a few steps, then stopped.

No, he couldn't just leave it.

Defective transportation crystals weren't just a scam - they were a public hazard. Someone less knowledgeable might actually buy one of those death traps.

As if on cue, he spotted a city guard doing his morning rounds.

"Officer," Adom called out, gesturing at the shop he'd just left. "That store is selling malfunctioning transportation crystals. One of them has a visible crack in the matrix."

The guard's eyebrows shot up. "You're certain?"

"Absolutely. Saw them myself." Adom said casually. "Just thought you should know."

The guard's expression hardened as he started toward the shop. "Right. I'll handle this."

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

He had it coming, Adom thought as he sank into a bench near the park.

The morning air was still crisp, carrying the scent of dew and fresh bread from nearby bakeries. He'd been out since 5 AM, searching for transportation crystals suitable for tonight's operation. They weren't exactly rare, but ones powerful enough to cover the distance he needed? Those were another matter entirely.

His initial plan had seemed so straightforward in the cafe yesterday. But after five shops and nothing but frauds or weak crystals, he was starting to reconsider. Maybe he should call it off. A failed attempt would be worse than no attempt at all, especially with a Star Knight in play.

Adom stood up, stretching his stiff muscles. Well, might as well check if Biggins had returned, as he did every morning. The familiar walk to the Weird Stuff Store helped clear his head.

The usual cluster of cats was absent from the storefront - probably too early for their daily congregation. The bell chimed as he pushed open the door.

"Welcome to the Weird Stu- oh, hey Adom!" Emma's cheerful voice greeted him from behind the counter.

"Hey Emma," he smiled back. "Aren't you supposed to be at Xerkes? Kind of early for a morning shift."

"Oh, my classes don't start until afternoon," she explained, organizing some crystals in a display case. "I'm on the healer's path, so most of our practical sessions are scheduled later. The morgue's busier in the evenings, you know?"

Adom nodded. Made sense - most magical accidents tended to happen in the afternoon labs when students were tired and more prone to mistakes.

"I assume Mr. Biggins hasn't-"

"No, still no sign of him," Emma said apologetically.

Adom sighed. "Well, I'll just take a-"

A sudden blur of motion was his only warning before something slammed into his chest with enough force to knock him backward. Emma gasped.

Adom groaned, pushing himself up onto his elbows. The world was still spinning slightly.

"Oh gods, are you alright?" Emma rushed around the counter. "I'm so sorry! This is exactly what I was afraid would happen!"

"I think so," Adom managed, rubbing his chest. "What exactly-"

Then he saw it. Lying innocently on the floor beside him was a transportation crystal roughly the size of a small barrel, its blue surface pulsing with a gentle inner light. His academic mind immediately started cataloging details - crude cut, unpolished edges, but the core... the core was practically singing with power.

"What the- how did-" Then it hit him. The thought-reading enchantment on the store, designed to provide customers with what they were looking for, as long as it existed somewhere in the inventory.

Emma was already trying to wrangle the massive crystal, muttering under her breath. "I always knew this would cause trouble. Who even puts something like this on the top right shelf? It's just asking for accidents..."

"Why is there a transportation crystal in this store?" Adom asked, still slightly dazed.

Emma gave him an apologetic shrug. "We sell all kinds of things. It is the Weird Stuff Emporium, after all..."

"Fair enough," Adom replied, surprised by her touch of sarcasm. He pushed himself to his feet, studying the crystal more carefully. Despite its rough appearance, the energy matrix was remarkably stable. Perfect, actually. "Can I... buy it?"

Emma's face lit up with unexpected enthusiasm. "Yes! Please! Everything here is for sale, especially this menace that's been threatening to fall on my head since day one!" She squinted at the small tag attached to the crystal. "Oh, it's one silver piece."

Adom's jaw dropped. "One silver piece?" He stared at the crystal, then back at Emma. "For this?"

He'd seen smaller, less powerful crystals sell for tens of gold pieces. This one was crude, yes, and needed serious polishing, but the quality was undeniable. One silver piece was absurd. It was practically giving it away.

A smile spread across his face. "Deal."

*****

A few moments later...

"Is that a transportation crystal?"

"Yep."

"It's huge."

"Yep."

"Must have cost your entire allowance and a kidney," Sam whistled, eyeing the crystal. "These things aren't cheap."

"One silver piece."

Sam's laugh died when Adom didn't join in. "You're joking."

"Nope." Adom fished in his pocket and pulled out both the original price tag and a slightly crumpled piece of paper. "Emma even wrote me a receipt. Well, not really a receipt - the Weird Stuff store doesn't do those - but I asked her to write it down because I knew you wouldn't believe me."

Sam snatched both items, staring at them in disbelief. "One silver... how is that even... what?"

"You planning to make a lot of crystals?"

"Yeah."

Sam leaned against the doorframe of their shared room, watching as Adom carefully positioned the massive blue crystal on his workbench. "That's why you were out since morning?"

"Among other things." Adom was already pulling out his tools - precision chisels, measuring instruments, stabilizing runes.

"Need any help?"