The building wasn't as big as the library, but it was full of commotion. Written on the entrance were the words Fairy Guild. He needed to eat and find a place to sleep, and he had no money for either. So he came to the guild looking for a job. With his skill, he could fight. And that was all the requirement for working in a place like that. Right?

"Welcome, adventurer," the woman behind the counter said. "I'm Desa. What's your level?"

"I'm at level 1," Gaus said.

The woman stared at him as if wondering if he was serious or not. "Our active missions are tough," she said. "We only allow mages at level 10 and above to try."

A burly man by the side burst out laughing. "Men, we have another hero 'ere. He's everything we need and his only problem is being unable to go beyond level 1?"

His friends laughed. Gaus ignored them. "I will write my name if something becomes available."

The woman gave him a piece of paper and a pen. After putting down his name and level, he turned and headed for the exit. One of the men who laughed at him earlier grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Brat, do you think we're playing here?" He squeezed Gaus' shoulder. "If I see you around this place again, we're gonna be exchanging more than just words."

Blink activated.

Gaus blinked above the man who was at least two meters tall. He kicked his nose hard. The man was dazed by both the attack and Gaus' ability to teleport, but he quickly shook it off and swiped at him. Gaus blinked behind him and kicked his legs from behind, causing him to trip. He then appeared beneath him and punched him in the stomach with both hands, knocking him out instantly. The hall fell silent.

Congratulations on defeating your first opponent.

+1033 exp

Gaus walked toward the exit.

"Mr. Lake," Desa said. He turned around to see her smiling. "I'll put your name on a special list. Make sure you come around in a few days to check."

"I'll drop by in three days. Make sure I have something by then." He turned and left.

He still needed to eat. He'd already missed breakfast and lunch so he couldn't miss dinner too. Thinking about it made him realize he hadn't been utilizing the Rewind very well. Back on Earth, there was this place that played cards. Occasionally, when he sold enough milk for one day he would visit the place. More often than not only to observe but he wouldn't deny playing once or twice especially when he was feeling under the weather. If he could rewind time on Earth then he wouldn't have to milk cows for a living. He could always wait and see the results of a particular game, then he would Rewind and bet again. If there was anything related to cards here then earning some cash wouldn't be too difficult. At least, for a while before people started noticing him.

With that in mind, he left for the market. The city was meticulously designed such that everything was carefully placed in its designated place like a drawing. It wasn't difficult finding popular places like markets. And when he went there he just had to stop the first person he saw. "Mister, where can I play cards?"

"What's that?"

"Er... It's a game played with... cards, drawings on paper, with two or more players. You can bet as well if you want."

The man thought about it for a second before he pointed at a corner. "If you want a betting game then there's a shop in that corner. Not sure if it has what you want but you can check it out."

When Gaus found the place it was already crowded with customers, playing a game called Bred'in. The game used similar cards to the ones on Earth albeit with a different design. Each card had only a number on it. When two opponents played, each would pick five cards at intervals. The number on each card would add up to your score, and the one with the highest number won. The loser would pay a penalty equivalent to the difference between their score and the winner.

Gaus studied the game silently before he decided to participate.

"It's my turn," he said, puffing the same way those popular players did on Earth.

The audience turned to him in surprise. He was too young to join their ranks.

"How much do you have?" Asked the owner of the shop.

"Five thousand ayrids. I'll bet everything on one game."

The players looked at him with wide eyes before they burst into laughter.

"They're saying you look like them," the shop owner said with a nonchalant attitude.

"Like who?" Gaus asked. He needed to look tough if he ever wanted to get out of there alive.

"Like those penniless bastards who came here to play every so often. We usually strangle them when they couldn't pay the penalty. I would hate to see you suffer the same way, young man."

Deep down, Gaus regretted calling out five thousand. It was too much money. According to a book in the library, you could rent a house for six months with that amount and still have some change left. But it was too late to regret his decision.

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"I have it," Gaus said.

"Show us then," one player cut in.

"Why would I? Did any of you show your money before playing? You're free to cut off my limbs if I can't pay the penalty."

One player came forward.

"I'll bet ten thousand against his five, but if he loses and he can't pay me, then he would become my slave."

Gaus sighed internally. He'd seen this bearded fellow play before. He was Tanim and was easily among the top three players around.

"Well, I'll allow this game but only once. You two, come closer," the shop owner said with a toothy grin.

Tanim wore a very expensive-looking dress that was adorned with black feathers. His hair was brown and he held his chin high, totally unlike the rest of the lot there.

"Who would go first?" The shop owner asked.

Gaus and Tanim shared a look.

"Let him start," Tanim said.

Gaus nodded and picked five cards from the collection of fifty. He kept them hidden until Tanim picked his cards, then they both showed their hands in front of everyone.

Gaus had 5, 10, 8, 2, and 1, making it 26. Tanim's first card was 20, the second was 10. He had won even without revealing the rest.

"How do you intend to pay your penalty?" Tanim asked, grinning. He didn't think Gaus had five kilos on him.

"My wife wouldn't let me take any slaves from the auction, 'too expensive' she said." He laughed as he sized Gaus up. "I'll treat you well, don't worry."

Magiwatch has saved 15 seconds.

You have Rewound for 15 seconds, effectively erasing everything in the said period. Only you will remember.

"Who would go first?" The shop owner asked.

"Let him start," Gaus said.

Tanim furrowed his brows. "You should start, kiddo, firsts commonly win."

"You shouldn't worry about your opponent," Gaus said. "Go first unless the game is rigged, in which case I'll be forced to..."

"Nobody rigged anything, so just shut up and go first."

When it became clear none of them would go first, the shop owner broke the argument. "Then you'll pick one card each in turn until you both have five cards. Who will go first?"

"I'll go first," Tanim said.

Now, that was unexpected. If the game was rigged then Tanim should know that the sixth card was 20 and it would fall to the person who picked the second card.

"Go ahead," Gaus agreed.

He won.

Tanim threw a small bag at him. "That's five kilos. I'll transfer the rest to your account," he said through his teeth. Gaus wouldn't be surprised if the man sent goons to rob him afterward. But it mattered not for as long as he could rewind time.

Ayrid, huh? He opened the bag expectantly.

It was nothing like he had expected. Shouldn't money be either a paper or a coin? Well, apparently not. Ayrid was a nut. Like a real nut, only bigger and darker with flowers carved on their surfaces which indicated their value. He read that a one-star flower was equivalent to one ayrid and a moonflower was equivalent to ten ayrids. Two moonflowers meant a hundred, and so on. It was strange but he was getting used to it. He counted the 5,000a stuffed into the small bag and pocketed it in his inner pocket, awaiting his remaining five kilos with a happy, innocent smile.

Tanim clenched his jaw and glared at him. "Come closer before I change my mind," he said through his teeth as he pressed the crown of his watch twice. Gaus saw him pressing the thin air above his watch and realized that was what other people saw when he read information from his watch. It would have been awkward if just anyone could see your information.

"Come closer, boy," Tanim snapped.

"I want cash," Gaus said, maintaining his innocent smile.

Tanim ground his teeth. "I don't have that much on me, idiot."

"Then maybe you should be my slave instead," Gaus said, nodding with a sense of righteousness.

"Haha. Cheeky, aren't we?" He turned to the person directly behind him. "Jacs, give me that wet one."

The person called Jacs retrieved a transparent bag from his pocket and gave it to him.

"Here you go, winner." He tossed it to Gaus.

"Thank you." Gaus caught it midair. This one was different from the others: wet, light yellow, and had no flower.

Focusing on it revealed something:

Wet ayrid

Estimated value: 4,750a

Used for making enhancement pills.

"It was nice doing business with you. See you tomorrow."

They let him leave, but just as expected, someone followed him. It was likely Tanimu playing the sore loser or maybe someone else who felt the need to rob him. But he was ready for them - he Rewound and picked a different route. They still tracked him down, he Rewound repeatedly until he got rid of them. It was easy to escape enemies when you knew where they would attack.

It wasn't long before Gaus found himself in his bedroom in a three-star hotel with a special dish for dinner waiting for him.

He got rid of his worn-out dress and lazily walked into the toilet. Just like the room, the toilet was adorned with glowing stones. Two winding pipes on the wall with taps and runes carved on their surfaces. One provided cold water and the other warm water. He saw a square mirror on the opposite wall and a container that looked like a sink just below it. The whole thing looked so different and yet resembled the bathrooms from Earth.

"Now, where should I get a soap?" He was so dirty that plain water wouldn't do the job. He looked around but there was nothing even remotely familiar to soap, so he settled for just the water. Surprisingly, the water was all he needed. Once it touched him, all the sweat and dirt on him disappeared. He felt noticeably better as the breeze hit his chest.

This done, he looked for the towel only to find out there was none. So, he walked out of the toilet, naked but satisfied.

He ate his full and dressed in a new jacket. The day was still young and he didn't feel tired at all, so he decided to find out a little more about the curfew. He would do well to avoid it.

The authorities would make sure everyone knew about the curfew, but why kill everyone that broke it?

"Hey," Gaus stopped the hotel attendant for questioning, "what's your name?"

"Sham, sir. How can I be of assistance?" He'd an obedient tone which Gaus found strange. Nobody had ever talked to him that way in his entire life.

"I'm planning on going out tonight, any advise for a pilgrim like me?" Gaus asked.

Sham seemed hesitant. "Sir, may I suggest avoiding 332 Henwi avenue, the police headquarters, Wislon Cinema, and the auction hall? They are under a strict curfew."

So it wasn't just 332 Henwi avenue? Interesting. "Why?"

"Nobody knows, sir. The Elder for communication said he will explain everything tomorrow by nine o'clock in the morning. I just hope everything is fine."

"Has this ever happened before?" Gaus asked.

"No, sir," Sham said.

"Do you have friends or family living there?"

"No, sir."

Gaus stared at him for a moment before he waved his hand dismissively. "Get me a cab."

The attendant did as he was told. It was 5 pm and the curfew was starting at midnight. He'd seven hours.

"Take me to 332 Henwi avenue," Gaus told the driver.

"Mister, that area is off-limits for today. You know, the curfew and all."

"But that starts in seven hours, right?" Gaus complained.

"Yes, but they've been evacuating residents from the area for two hours already. I heard the MIA are involved and they have orders to shoot on sight."