If it reset then he would get his friends back and he could go back to the academy. And if it didn't reset then that would bring a lot of questions. Were the soul-pillars still active even though Rachel was dead? What would Tyren do when he realized it? How could Gaus live in the city without the academy's protection? What would the marines do when they realized they didn't kill the real owner of the Rewind? Of course, they would be looking for Tyren if he wasn't dead already by the time. If they got to him then he would tell them about Gaus.

A long-suffering sigh escaped his mouth. Every possibility led to a chain of events that would either culminate in his death or a permanent loss of 5 MP.

It was 2:59 am. Just a minute to go.

Gaus's immortality is assessing the severity of soul damage...

You'll be returned to 20 seconds before sustaining damage.

ERROR.. skill was interrupted.

Assessing ERROR...

The Error has been evaluated.

You'll be returned to 20 seconds before sustaining damage.

ERROR.. skill was interrupted.

***

"Vuiblooour!"

Attention: you have lost claim to the dungeon: Calif. You have lost two guild members.

-99% to guild. Total: 13%

-99% to loop power. Total: -96%

Gaus squinted at the unexpected glow of the classroom and messages from the system. It made sense that he lost claim to the dungeon since everything was restarting except for him and Tyren. It would be weird if Rachel was to realize she'd lost the ownership of the dungeon to some random person without remembering how it happened.

He was back, but at a cost.

Mana: 275/275 (0.5/min)

Another 5 MP was gone. He was 30 MP less than his original reserve. If this continued then it wouldn't be long before he was no longer able to wield any skill.

"What now?" He murmured loud enough to interrupt the class.

The teacher turned around in his direction. "Did you say something?"

"No, ma'am."

The other students gave him confused looks, which he tried to ignore.

Gaus couldn't wait for the class to finish. A fresh start only he and Tyren knew about meant he could try other things.

Skipping the next class, he hurried to the library. Barely waiting to write his name at the entrance before he ran to the counter. The flickering glow of the familiar silver hair greeted him. Losing his cool, he blinked to the counter. He was all smiles, happy to see a long-lost friend. If he was a newcomer in the loop, he would have called her by name already.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she said without raising her head to look at him. "Your penalty for using magic in the library is 300a."

You have received a penalty.

Crime: using teleportation magic in the library.

Penalty: 300a. Pay? Y/N?

NB: penalty can be deducted directly from your account or you can visit any of the outposts around you and pay. Failure to pay the penalty in the next five days would attract a negative reputation.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Damn. He forgot how awful she could be.

"You can go," she said.

He went inside and enjoyed a casual read. It was refreshing. He remembered when he first arrived in the Multiverse and could just come in and go as he pleased and read whatever he wanted. There was no Tyren then.

"Hey," Gaus said. He stopped the librarian midway to his seat.

Abbas smiled. "Can I help you with something, sir?"

"I... want to know about magiwatch."

Abbas frowned in confusion. He wasn't used to getting such basic questions.

"Okay..." he said, unsure how to respond. "What do you want to know?"

***

After making sure the two were alive and well, he went to Niama and enjoyed a peaceful drink. He decided the day shouldn't be wasted entirely despite how strenuous the last restart was. It was time to set another plan in motion. Asking for help from others didn't work, and he wasn't comfortable with inviting people in and becoming friends with them so Tyren could kill them. How about learning how to summon the soul-pillars by himself? Tyren wouldn't kill him or set the marines after him, if he could just summon the soul-pillars like Rachel then it would all be over.

On his way back to the academy, he passed through the crowded city. The pilgrims ran around and enjoyed the festival. A girl in a red dress danced to a joyous crowd. None of them had any idea about any time loop and they were much happier than he was. It was only now that he understood the saying 'ignorance is bliss'.

Sigh.

A red-haired young woman caught his attention. She was playing an instrument with a unique resemblance to a flute. Her talent was extraordinary but very few people seemed to notice her. Out of pure compassion, he handed out a seed worth five hundred ayrids.

As he headed back to the academy, he picked a couple more red hairs. Each taking him considerably longer time to turn away from.

At the entrance to the academy, he saw another red-haired. This was old enough to be a woman. She stared at the wall in front of her and murmured something in a strange tongue. Maybe it was a spell, he didn't know and, honestly, he didn't care. He already had more than he could chew on his plate.

As if sensing his eyes on her, she turned around and smiled at... him?

"Hey," she said just loud enough to reach him.

He turned around to see if there was someone behind him. He was alone. Annoyingly, he caught himself staring at her red hair and fantasizing about it.

"Hey," he said, not sure if she was talking to him or not.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Yes," he said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well," she said, taking a few steps closer to him. "You have been standing there for more than ten minutes, staring."

"For more than ten minutes? Oh, please, stop it. It isn't even funny."

He turned around and headed to the entrance. Was he there for up to 10 minutes? That was... impossible. Dammit. It must be the soul bond.

"I'm not done with you yet," she said.

Gaus turned around with a frown.

"I'm a messenger," she said hurriedly as if afraid he might attack her.

"Whose messenger?" He asked.

"Tyren's, of course." She paused and cleared the loose strands of hair on her face. "What do you have to lose by letting me join the loop?" She said but now with Tyren's timid voice. It was as if Tyren was speaking through her mouth.

"I'm a peace-loving person," Tyren protested.

It took all of Gaus's willpower to stop himself from swearing at the ridiculous claim.

"There's no need to fight among ourselves," Tyren said. "I tried to talk to you through the interface but you blocked me. What do you have to lose by letting the second loop continued?"

He sounded as if Gaus was the one assaulting him. Damn bastard.

"The second loop costs you nothing. It was just a coincidence. I tried to take your soul and you tried to protect it. Both our actions are justified by our desires to live. The loop reacted in a way that none of us expected and now here we are. So why don't we learn to live with each other?"

So Tyren didn't know about Gaus's immortality and how every restart cost 5 MP? This could come in handy.

"Why do you insist on stopping it?" Tyren asked.

"Because I don't like you," Gaus said.

"I know you don't like me," Tyren said. "The system recognized our relationship and our reputation is currently at 'enmity'. But you don't have to like me. Our relationship can remain as it is - professional. I prefer it that way."

"What are you trying to say?" Gaus snapped.

"Okay," Tyren said. "Let me spell it for you. The soulbond is now at 3.332%. You have been stopping it at 84.9%. I don't know how you do it and I don't care. You don't have to know about my soulbond either. But this is a great opportunity for the two of us. When the loop resets, nobody remembers it but you and me. We can be better than everyone, even The Master. Why fight among ourselves when we can help each other succeed? I don't even want to take your soul anymore. All I want is the second loop. So I'm proposing a deal."

He stopped to catch his breathe and make sure Gaus was following his rambling.

"I would slow down the soulbond so it takes a longer period to reach 84%. That will automatically add two or three weeks to the seven days we already have. We will have all the time in the world and all the opportunities we need to get powerful. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like you want something in return," Gaus said.

"I don't want much," Tyren said, attracting a chuckle from Gaus. "You just have to stop trying to break the soulbond and also cut your ties with Minorita. You won't ask her or anyone else to break the soulbond or summon the soul-pillars for you."

"You sounded like a crybaby," Gaus said. "You are so scared of her."

"I'm just protecting the second loop," Tyren yelled. "If you let her in, she will take control."

The woman started coughing.

"This body is rejecting me," Tyren said between breaths. "You should decide. Remember, your decision will determine how we will spend this iteration. We can have a peaceful month-long loop or a bloody one-week. Thanks for your time, fellow time traveler."