He carefully followed the stairs. On the third step, six arrows, three from each side, appeared out of nowhere and aimed for his head. He blinked above them and let them crashed into each other, appearing on the fifth step. As soon as his legs touched the ground, everything turned into liquid and he went inside. The whole thing solidified before he could blink away. A ten-meter wide boulder appeared just above him and crashed down on him.

Magiwatch has saved 3 seconds.

You've Rewound for 3 seconds, effectively erasing everything in the said period. Only you will remember.

He returned to the first step and inspected the staircase closely. There were 96 steps in all. It would be safe to assume that most of them were traps. He decided to just teleport down. Sure, it would take mana but it was better than dying or being forced to Rewind.

He blinked five times in a row without setting foot on the steps. He was almost at the bottom but then he suddenly appeared back on the first step. Surprised, he tried again but he was forced to return to the first step again. There were writings on the wall toward the end of the staircase. He first thought they'd something to do with it. But then he saw similar writings above all the steps. It was barely visible due to the dust and all but it was there.

Some of it was even written in English. He copied the whole thing. It didn't make any sense so he erased all the letters not written in English and then try reading it again.

R A C H E L F R O M A M E R I C A W A S H E R E

He read it again.

Rachel from America was here...

"America?!"

So he wasn't the only earthling in this place? Gaus wasn't surprised by the revelation. If he was there then certainly others could come as well. But why them? Who brought them? Who was this Rachel?

More importantly, Rachel was trying to communicate something. She wouldn't just put down her name for fun. After a quick trial and error, he realized any step that had an English letter on it was safe. Making a total of twenty-four steps out of the ninety-six. He followed them to reach the bottom of the staircase.

There was a short corridor leading into a big parlor. Everything was well lit but from no obvious source. The parlor was spacious enough to hold a banquet. Three doorways stood on the right and two on the left. A small pond sat at the center of the parlor with clear water in it. Colored fish swam peacefully inside. There were wooden chairs lined up by the side of the pond. Everything was speckless. Different from the dust and cobwebs above.

He rested on the chairs, leisurely watching the fish as they swam in the clear water. It was peaceful.

Time passed slowly. After an hour, he picked one of the doorways on the right and walked down the long hallway.

For two hours he was alone. Then he came to the end. He was now in an open space. Surrounded by another iron wall. There was a door on the opposite wall. He looked around for any threat and when he couldn't find any he marched to the door. Halfway through and suddenly archers appeared on the walls. He blinked to the door only for it to close on his face. More archers appeared every second and they rained down arrows on him. He didn't even have the chance to process how humanoid the archers were or how different their armors were. He was more concerned about his dwindling mana. It was now 37 MP.

He ran back to the hallway. But it was no longer there. He saw a sturdy wall instead. Turning around, he looked for an escape but there was none. The only thing left was to fight. But even that spirit was crushed when he identified one of the archers.

Construct lvl 32

He blinked to the nearest wall and tried to get close enough to cut down some archers. He should have known it wouldn't be easy. The closer to the walls he got the easier it was for the archers to shoot him. At some point, five arrows were sticking out of his left thigh.

You've been poisoned and injured.

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

-19% HP until you heal.

You'll die if HP reaches zero.

Gaus threw a couple of explosives at the nearest archers and was even lucky he got them. But when the explosion disappeared the archers still stood, unharmed. Their armors were good as new.

Suddenly an arrow was sticking out of his chest. His vision blurred. His body went numb. Slowly he lost it.

***

He was back again. It was Tuesday for the fifty-something time.

Magiwatch has saved twenty-four hours.

He fled to his hideout. There he collected stones from the dustbin and made them into explosives. He put five in his pocket and the rest in his inventory. Today, he wouldn't fear death.

By seven o'clock in the morning, he was in front of Fredrick's home.

"Get lost," one of the two guards said. "Detective Fredrick isn't expecting you. And without his direct instructions, we'll not allow you into his home. I'm sure you understand."

Gaus frowned. They welcomed him with open arms the last time he came with Heinsman. "I come in peace. I just want to see Frederick and I'll be gone."

"Just go away!" The other snapped.

"Leave a note and come back in two days," the other added.

"I can't wait for two days," Gaus said.

They argued. Gaus insisted on seeing Fredrick and the guards got furious.

"We'll beat you up if you do not leave."

"I just want to see detective Fredrick, why are you doing this?" He shouted, hoping to get the attention of the detective.

It worked.

Fredrick opened the door, scratching his groggy eyes. "What's the ruckus all about?"

Gaus blinked to his side, startling the two guards enough to draw their swords.

"I need your help, detective," Gaus said hurriedly.

Fredrick nodded at his guards and they sheathed their blades. He took Gaus to the guest room, brought him tea, and started discussing the weather. Gaus was the farthest thing from a threat.

"It seems you don't like the weather," he finally said when Gaus didn't respond. "What's your name?"

"I'm Gaus."

"Young Gaus, might I ask how you know about me?"

"You are a detective. A popular one at that. Many people know about you."

Fredrick just smiled. His expression never changed. It was difficult to even know what he was currently thinking. "Have we met before?"

Gaus shook his head.

Frederick narrowed his eyes in surprise. "But you seem to know me pretty well."

Gaus sighed. "Not that well. I do know you are a soul magic practitioner."

Frederick frowned. "That's a strong accusation, young man. I could charge you with defamation."

Gaus shrugged. "You could but I don't think you will."

A period of silence passed before Frederick motioned for Gaus to continue.

"Look, I just need your help."

"Tell me what you want and I will see what I can do," Fredrick said.

"I want you to teach me soul magic and time magic and mind magic."

Fredrick frowned for the first time. He sighed. "It's illegal to teach or practice the dark arts without the explicit approval of the marines. Not even the police are allowed to use such dangerous arts. I would be damned if I were to teach a hatchling like you any of that. I'm sorry, mister Gaus, but our meeting is over."

"My life depends on it," Gaus spat. "I would die in a few days if you don't teach me how to defend myself. I'm sure you have noticed the defect in my soul already."

"I have noticed it." Fredrick shrugged. "And I would have been more welcoming if you've asked for a cure. Why don't you tell me what happened? I might decide not to arrest you if I believe your story."

"I don't know what happened."

"You don't know or you can't tell?" Fredrick asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"I don't know."

Fredrick stared at him silently for several seconds before he shook his head. "I'll not teach you any magic. Come back in the evening and I'll see what I can do about your soul. Bear with it until then." He stood and headed to the exit.

"Wait," Gaus almost shouted. He put his left hand on the table and retrieved a fresh stick from his inventory. He stabbed his hand, or at least he tried to. Just a few inches from his hand and the stick bent. When he pushed it shattered.

"No little trick will change my mind," Fredrick said, annoyed.

"It's not a trick," Gaus said. He gave Fredrick another stick. "Try it yourself."

Fredrick caught the stick midair. He approached Gaus. When he was half a meter away he moved so fast he blurred. Gaus didn't even see where the attack came from but it mattered not. The stick wouldn't touch him no matter how hard Fredrick pushed it.

"Is it you or the stick?" Fredrick asked with narrowed eyes.

"What do you think it is?"

Fredrick was silent for a while before he went out of the room. He came back with a fresh stick.

Without asking for permission, he stabbed Gaus from behind. The stick changed direction midair. Fredrick held it with both hands and tried to force it. It didn't end well. When the stick shattered, the pieces stuck in his hand.

Ignoring the blood dripping from his palm, he sat at the edge of the table directly opposite Gaus. "Does dry wood apply?"

Gaus shook his head. "It doesn't. Only living."

Fredrick nodded thoughtfully. "So anything tree does not affect you?" It was more a statement than a question. "Do you feel dizzy when passing by a tree?"

Gaus shook his head. "I don't."

"Have you ever been in a dense forest?"

Gaus thought about it before he shook his head. He couldn't remember any time he was in any dense forest.

"What's your affinity for time magic?"

Gaus hesitated.

"Tell me your affinity for time essence, Gaus," He shouted, trembling and spitting saliva everywhere.

"Seventy-nine percent."

Fredrick was still for a moment before his body shook uncontrollably.

"S... seventy-nine...?" He stuttered.

Alright. Frederick was probably a bad idea. But it was either him or the academy. Gaus was determined to learn the dark arts at any cost. What choice did he have if this could be the last restart?