UISEC took over a former five-star country's land and cleared all the ruins.

All the infrastructure, including houses, offices, etc., has been destroyed. However, the bombs used by UISEC did not have a long-term environmental impact. After clearing the land, it is possible to rebuild everything.

Rob didn't use the government to clear all the runs.

Instead, he incentivized private companies to do it and plans to provide incentives for private companies to build houses and infrastructure.

As for how to incentivize, he doesn't need to waste brain cells thinking about it; he has hired individuals specifically for this purpose.

...

A few months later, strange occurrences unfolded in Alex's kingdom.

Things with no explanation.

After investigation, the cause was soon discovered.

Recently, individuals with peculiar abilities have started to appear—some with healing powers, others with mental abilities, and a variety of other strange capabilities.

Alex III's agents noticed this phenomenon a few months ago.

In response, Alex III decided to 'hire them all.'

For him, individuals possessing high personal power are considered a threat, and if left uncontrolled, they must be eliminated.

However, he prefers to hire them and conduct research on their abilities; He would not allow them to exist unchecked if that is not possible.

Nevertheless, the situation was dangerous.

Alex III had no idea about the extent of their powers, so he avoided close contact.

He ordered his subordinates to bring them all into the palace in the second-biggest city.

He also ordered everyone to pay attention to any supernatural occurrence.

...

David has been treating people in the village for months and enjoying it.

He didn't do it for money or fame; he did it for a pure purpose: to save people for the sake of it.

He has been happy in his city, but a while ago, agents from the king brought him to the palace in Stickriver City.

His ability only applies to healing, so fighting back was useless; he would never be able to fight back against the tyrant King Alex III.

Dave very intensely disliked Alex III; that man was so deplorable and repulsive that Dave preferred never to meet him.

But now, they may force him not only to meet him but to work for him.

In the palace, he met a few others with abilities like himself.

Most wouldn't talk, but one girl named Sonia became his friend.

She told him her ability, and he told her his.

Sonia's ability is time travel; she can move other people back in time.

However, her ability is not as easy to use as it may seem—it only works for those who believe she can travel in time.

Dave compared this with his ability and nodded.

It seems the secret of these abilities lies in whether others believe in them or not.

"Sonia, do you know why we are here?" asked Dave.

Sonia, who looked like a woman in her 30s with an average appearance, shook her head and said, "I don't know, but I don't have a good feeling! His Majesty Alex III is unpredictable."

Dave nodded.

Sonia was generous with 'Unpredictable'; Dave had been paying attention and knew how horrible Alex III was.

Dave said, "I don't know anyone else here, do you?"

In the palace, there are 13 other people.

Sonia nodded and said, "I know Olivia; she can make dreams come true."

Dave asked, "Let me guess; she can do it only if people believe her?"

Sonia sighed and nodded, "That's right."

Their powers seemed only to work if people believed in them.

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Dave wondered, "How exactly does it work? If my dream is becoming the king of the world, and I believe her, can she make my dream come true?"

Sonia said doubtfully, "She said there is one downside; I don't know what it is."

"What about your time travel ability? If I believe you, can you send me to the past?" Dave asked.

Sonia said, "There is one condition: you must absolutely believe me, without doubt."

Dave asked in doubt, "If I change the past, will it affect the present time?"

Sonia said, "Of course; that's why I only used my ability once."

"Do it on me!" Dave volunteered.

Sonia asked in surprise, "You completely believe in my ability?"

Dave smiled, "Of course."

He himself has an ability, so it's not hard to believe without a doubt that Sonia can do it.

People in touch with the supernatural will believe these things much easier than ordinary people.

Sonia asked, "How far back do you want me to send you?"

Dave thought and said, "Exactly 17 years, two months, and three days ago."

Sonia smiled and said, "Dave, it was a pleasure to meet you!"

"Huh? What happens to me in the present when you send me to the past?" he asked while looking at Sonia.

Sonia said, "Everything in the present will disappear and be replaced with the 'new' present."

Dave took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and said, "Do it!"

Sonia closed her eyes and touched Dave; the next moment, he disappeared.

Sonia's smile widened, nearly from one ear to the other.

"Sorry, I lied to you!" she said with a tone that was nothing like someone sorry.

The present world didn't disappear, and nothing changed at all.

No matter Sonia's or Olivia's ability, that person disappears once they use it on someone.

Sonia's ability is more like making people vanish than time travel, and she has been using it a lot.

She loves vanishing people.

She has already done it to hundreds of people; she sent all her fellow villagers to who knows where.

In fact, that's why they caught her.

A moment later, she hid her smile and asked if any other person wanted to 'be sent back to the past.'

...

Dave got up from bed.

He looked at his hands; they were much softer than before.

Standing up, he looked into the mirror.

What stared back at him was his younger face, looking around 19.

"Okay," he sighed and smiled.

There is a reason he chose this exact date.

It was because, on this day, Alex III visited his city.

Now, it is just before the Spike War.

Dave knows how many evil acts Alex III has done.

If there is a chance to stop it, he will do it.

Today, he does have the chance.

He got prepared, dressed up, grabbed a knife, hid it in his clothes, and went out.

...

Seventeen years, two months, and three days ago, Alex III stroked his beard in an alternative timeline and looked at the new medical school graduates.

In a few months, he would launch Spike's war; this battle would have many injuries.

Medical doctors would be useful.

He smiled and went forward, one by one, patting the graduates on their shoulders.

Just as he was about to pat the shoulders of a smart-looking boy, a knife came out to strike him right at the heart.

Just as it was about to pierce him, Sebastian IV pushed him, and the knife struck him instead.

"AAAHH" He screamed from the pain of the knife that went deep into his chest.

Seeing this, screams filled the room, and everyone began running in all directions.

Alex III's guards came quickly and escorted him out.

The whole building was locked down, and everyone was arrested.

Jack VIII, Alex III's loyal bodyguard, brought Sebastian IV's body, barely holding back tears.

Alex III looked at the corpse and sighed.

"What a waste! He was a good tool!" Then he waved his hand, and they took the corpse away.

After that, he said, "Bring the boy who did it!"

Guards came and brought Dave.

"Why did you do it?" Alex III asked calmly.

Dave didn't answer.

"Did those damn spikes order you to do it?" Alex asked with no expression.

Dave still didn't answer.

"Jack! Go and torture him!"

Jack came forward and bowed.

...

Dave was dragged away to a dark and damp room.

He regretted not being able to take out Alex III.

In any case, Alex III must not know the future in advance! He would never succumb to any torture, no matter how brutal.

Just then, Jack came in with a strange-looking box in his left hand.

"The last chance; talk," he said.

Dave didn't say anything.

Jack VIII smirked and ordered, "Open his mouth!"

The guards came and forcefully kept his mouth open.

Then, Jack took a small bottle out of the box and poured a drop into Dave's mouth.

"So sweet," Dave expected it to be bitter, but unexpectedly, it was sweet and delicious.

But then, he felt some pain in his joints and muscles.

The pain increased bit by bit, but he was still determined.

He shouted, "I will never surrender!"

Jack laughed and left the room.

The guards came forward and put something in his mouth, presumably to prevent him from committing suicide by biting his tongue, and then left.

Dave, who was bound tightly, remained there motionless.

Even slight movement, even blinking, was painful at this point.

"What kind of poison is this?" even as a doctor, he had never heard of anything like this.

The pain increased bit by bit.

Soon, every blink, even heartbeat, was more painful than his most excruciating experience from before.

At this rate, Dave wished to die as soon as possible.

But his wish was not to be fulfilled.

Every few hours, they forcefully made him drink water, and twice a day, they made him eat.

The pain continued to get worse and worse without any sign that he might be dying.

But no matter how much, he wouldn't even pass out.

The next day, Jack came and said, "This is the antidote. Do you want it or not?"

Dave, who was utterly motionless, with bloodshot eyes and not even daring to blink from the terrible pain each muscle and joint movement caused, tried to nod.

But even the tiny nodding movement was so difficult that he only managed to move his head microscopically.

Fortunately for him, Jack noticed and fed him the antidote.

After less than 1 minute, all the pain disappeared.

"Talk," said Jack.

Dave, who had just recovered from hell, struggled to speak.

It was as if he had forgotten how to talk.

Jack rolled his eyes and ordered, "Bring the torture poison." "Nooooooooooooooooo," Dave screamed.

He would never again experience that hell.

He spoke as if he had never spoken before; he told everything, from birth to the moment of time travel!

"Did he go crazy?" Jack looked doubtful.

The torture medicine is an achievement of the late chief torturer, Sebastian III.

It's very effective, but sometimes it makes people go crazy from the pain.

"Say the truth! Do you think I'm an idiot? Time travel?" Jack VIII shouted.

"I'm telling the truth!" said Dave, with a bloodless face.

"Another round of torture medicine!" Jack ordered.

"AAAAAAAA" Dave started screaming.

"I told the truth!" he kept shouting.

But the guards poured the torture medicine forcefully anyway.

...

After a few rounds of torture medicine, Jack couldn't help but retell the time travel story Dave had mentioned.

However, what Alex III paid more attention to was what happened to Spikes.

"Demonic Empire of Spikes? It is exactly my plan! How could he know?" he wondered.

"Does time travel really exist?" he questioned. He must find a way to see if it's real or not.