"You're now a junior initiate," XM0033 told Gaus, "we've class 1 and 2 and you're starting from scratch. Follow me."

XM0033 led Gaus out of the hall to a nearby block.

"Am I allowed to ask questions now?" Gaus asked in exasperation.

"No. You're still not fully inaugurated, so just wait until you receive your pack."

Gaus outright rolled his eyes at the man. It was ridiculous. He just wanted to ask why he was there but the man had insisted that he couldn't ask any questions until he was fully 'inaugurated'.

"Good evening, senior." The two men guarding the next entrance welcomed them. "What can we do for you this late?"

XM nodded at them in greetings. "This little fellow here," he gestured toward Gaus with his elbow, "is here to receive his pack. Don't ask me why he was brought in late, it was XM9999, you can ask him if you want."

As soon as he mentioned XM9999, the guards dropped all arguments. They let them into the house, ushered Gaus into an empty room and closed the door behind him. Nobody told him what he was supposed to do.

Once he stepped into the room, the world around him disappeared and he was in a plain landscape of endless white. He seemed to be moving and yet he wasn't. As seconds went by, he realized it was the landscape that was moving and not him. Soon he was facing a... robot? No, the being in front of him was flesh and blood but was somehow adulterated by metallic eyes and nose. Just why would someone create...

"Sit." It cut him off with a truly robotic voice. Its face was so expressionless it would be nigh impossible to know what it felt. One funny thing was there was no chair but it was asking him to sit.

"Where do you suppose I sit...?"

Okay. A wooden chair had appeared just behind his butt sometime in the past.

"What do you want?" He asked after sitting.

The robot man, as Gaus named him, made a few gestures with its human hands and pointed at him.

A reddish panel popped up.

A new guild has recognized you.

Registering...

Done.

You're now part of LA guild. For registering with an unaffiliated guild you have received -2 reputation.

LA has deposited 5,400a into your account to be spent as you like. You'll receive the same amount every seven days.

The robot man made another gesture and pointed at his watch. The watch glowed and heated up. Gaus could swear seeing steam rising from the lens but it could be his imagination.

Another red popped up.

You've received the following benefits from your guild:

Loopers Interface: this allows you to add three friends from the guild. You can talk to them and even see them in exchange for MP. Guild can contact you through it.

Map: this is a detailed map of the academy and some parts of its dungeon. Use it to track down the academy every loop. Be careful of the dungeon and do not venture into uncharted territory.

Inventory: a miniature pocket dimension with 15 slots. Anything stored in the inventory will be kept for future use irrespective of the loop.

Loopers book: after countless loop years of studies and experimentations, The Master was able to create something better than what the human mages had created collectively in the last millennium. He created a skill book that can be used to learn skills irrespective of talent or affinity. What's even better is that your skill book is not affected by the loop: you won't lose any levels because of the loop unless if you have been erased from the time loop by The Master himself.

Welcome once again, junior initiate.

"Our meeting is over," the robot man said, "I shall now return you to your world. Eh...?"

It sounded surprised but its face remained the same cold stone.

"Surprise. You already have a skill book in your skill formula, and a subskill as well. Urgh... What a pain. Now, you must choose one, or not."

It started making hand gestures at an increasingly faster rate. Gaus's skill formula popped up now in the same old blue

Skill formula has received enough time essence from an external source and has unlocked the primary subskill save the library and a skill book.

Claim? Y/N?

"Urgh..." It stopped the gestures, "it seems I can not delete your skill book. Anyway, it is not a problem, although our skill book is obviously better than yours you can just use the two skill books as you like. Now, I shall return you to your wo..."

"WAIT, what of the other subskill you mentioned?"

For once the robot man blinked in what looked like a surprise expression.

"I can't find it." It said.

"What are you talking about."

"I can only tell you what I see and know."

"But you did tell me I have a skill book and a subskill."

"You do have a skill book and a subskill."

Gaus frowned. Why couldn't the robot man see the save library? Was it because it was displayed on a blue screen not red?

Gaus garnered his courage and spoke up, "if we consider all mages who are born with a skill in their watch to be pacifists, and those who aren't born with a skill but learn magic through the schools of magic to be blazers, then who am I?"

"Of course, you're a pacifist." It answered matter of factly.

"Then, can you see pacifists' skills?"

"I can, of course. I'm designed to interfere in case something happens."

"Something?"

"Yes, anything that can disrupt the school or hurt The Master directly. Your skill is neither."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I must now return you to your..."

Gaus wasn't ready to return just yet. There was just one question that must be asked.

"Can you see my skill?"

"No."

Gaus widened his eyes in realization. Of course, the robot man didn't see the Rewind. It would have easily classified him as a threat and probably eliminated him by now. He must leave this place and never return again.

"It's time to leave, I guess."

"Yes, looper, I shall now return you to your world."

One moment he was facing the humorless robot and the other he was standing at the doorstep of the room, facing XM0033.

"I guess it went well." He asked.

Gaus nodded. "It did."

"Good. Now that you're inaugurated you can ask your questions."

Gaus started with the first and most disturbing one. "Why did this XM9999 bring me here? Don't get me wrong I'm not being rude or anything, and I appreciate receiving all the money and the obviously expensive packs and the knowledge of the loop, but I was on my way to my uncle's and I didn't want anything to do with any of this."

"Didn't he tell you?" XM0033 sighed, "well, I won't presume to know what that man is thinking. Of the 24 people he's recruited in his career, only 3 survived. It later became clear that he mostly chooses commoners who have no backing whatsoever. He's a passionate man who values talent over worldly possession, if he brings you here then he must have believed you can make it. But he has been wrong several times, so you're probably just another failure."

"Can I withdraw now?" Gaus asked.

"Of course, you can. Do you think you are helping us by staying? We expel people on a daily basis. You can wait to be expelled the right way tomorrow evening, or you can just go to the admin and sign out now. Although, you'll lose all your packs and memory of this place as soon as you disappear." He grinned from ear to ear. In his heart, the worst thing that could happen to any looper was expulsion, so there was just no way for anyone to volunteer for it.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"I... will think about it."

"Sure."

"By the way," Gaus stopped in his track, "XM9999 mentioned something about 7 pm to 3 am. He said no non-looper is allowed to know what happens in that period outside the holy city."

XM0033 huffed. Every looper wanted to know the answer to that question as soon as they were inaugurated. "I'll tell you, but don't be carried away by your looper status and do any unreasonable things. You aren't invincible just so you know. If someone blows up your mind, soul, or longevity you'll die for good."

"I'll take that in mind. Thank you, senior." Gaus said.

XM0033 nodded at his 'acceptable' tone.

"I told you about 'X' and 'M', right?"

Gaus nodded.

"Well, there are people from these periods besides The Master. More specifically, there's one person from X and seven people from M, excluding The Master. We've killed the person from X," he said, face swelling with pride, "she was Javier Minorita Helsinbird Salesal. Her head rotted on a pike at the entrance of the academy for several months before XM9997 took it down. After the war, we partied for months. It was a dream come true for every looper and The Master, especially. As a show of appreciation, The Master extended every contract by 100 days. He's a benevolent man, you know. There's no one better than him. That's why we are fighting for him. Welcome on board, little initiate." He patted Gaus on the shoulder.

"The seven people from M (now called The Seven) have banded together last year and are now fighting The Master all over the world except in the holy city. The permanent loopers and the controllers are winning over them. I know we will win. It's only a matter of time. The only reason The Master hasn't gone all out is because of the archmage that has joined the loop recently. It appeared The Master wants to find him first before going into an all-out war with The Seven."

"That's good to hear. I wish them the best of luck," Gaus said in earnest. "Senior, I didn't get that name earlier. Is it Minolita..."

"Shut up," he snapped. "It's Javier Minorita Helsinbird Salesal. But don't speak that name to anyone outside. Some loopers believe she still has followers. Hell, not too long ago we captured a few demons trying to impersonate her by using her name."

Huh? Did that mean the Minorita Salesal from the library was also an impersonator of a sort? Dammit. Why couldn't it be straight for once?

"Alright. Stop asking about the big names and their game. You're a million years too young to understand. For now, just focus on your study."

'The big names and their game', I agree with you there, senior. I should be an uninvolved bystander just watching by the side. But you guys dragged me into it. First, you gave me Rewind, and now you brought me to the academy. How the hell am I supposed to back out now?

"Yes, sir," Gaus said despite his internal curses. "By the way, can I see the terms of the contract XM9999 signed on my behalf?"

"They'll be sent to your interface in time. If that's inconvenient for you, you can visit the admin and fill the complaint form."

"I will wait."

"Better. I will now take you to your dorm. Make sure you..."

"Senior, a word please?" A familiar timid voice asked from the side.

Gaus jerked his head in the direction of the voice in utter shock.

What the hell... Already?

"What do you want? I'm busy in case you didn't notice." XM0033 snapped. But when he saw Tyren and realized the guy was also a 'senior' his gaze softened. "Ah, how are you doing? Which group do you belong to?"

"Group 302," Tyren answered, "I'm sorry for disturbing you. I just want to know how long this initiate has been in this academy." He pointed at Gaus.

Gaus frowned deeply. Tyren didn't show any signs of familiarity toward him but he knew better.

"I'm sorry, brother, but I can't share the students' record with you. It's against the rule." XM0033 said in a low voice.

"Look, I know. All I'm asking is a little professional courtesy. I promise I'll pay you back for all your kindness."

"I'm sorry, I can't."

Tyren and XM0033 walked out of his earshot and talked in low voices. Occasionally, XM0033 would shake his head and Tyren would stamp his foot on the ground, insisting. After a minute, Tyren bolted out in anger.

"The controllers made it clear that no sharing of students particulars is allowed but he still wanted to have yours. I can't believe it. By the way, what's the deal between the two of you?"

"Nothing. I don't even know him." Gaus said. In a way, that was true, and he couldn't just tell anyone that Tyren was chasing him because he was a looper long before joining the academy.

The problem was Tyren. If it wasn't for him Gaus would probably play the role of an uninvolved bystander and just watch the veteran loopers kill themselves, after all, he'd no reason to interfere in any of it. But, would Tyren keep quiet when he realized he was running out of time? Most likely not.

"I'll now take you to your dorm."

With that, Gaus opened his eyes and saw him in front of his room.

"Go on in, it's open. You'll find the keys on the bed." XM 0033 told him as he turned around to leave. "You'll find the place on your map the next time you want to come here."

Gaus sighed in exasperation. There were just too many things going on at the moment to bother asking what magic XM0033 used to transport him there.

He pushed the door open and went inside. It was medium-sized, with a small bed at the center, a mirror on the wall, a wardrobe by the side of the mirror, and a wooden desk and a chair at the other end. It would be good to mention that there was a fairly large toilet attached to the room because the first thing Gaus did was to take a bath. He returned to the bed and lay down on his back looking at the plain ceiling. It was time to ponder.

Tyren, XM9999, LA, The Seven, Minorita Salesal, the robot man...

Top on his list was Tyren. There was a high chance that Gaus could slip all notice and just play ignorance if it weren't for the guy. As it happened, the war of time loopers (as he named it), had been going on for quite some time now, long before he arrived on the multiverse. The Master was fighting people that had come from the period before even he became aware of the loop, and he was also fighting people who joined the loop at the same time as him. It was, according to XM0033, what was happening outside the holy city in the evening after 7 pm. In essence, nobody would care about an innocent boy by the name of Gaus if it weren't for Tyren.

XM9999 was probably an eccentric person but he felt there was more to his recruitment than it met the eye. His best guess was XM9999 had realized his skill, or at least a part of it because if he actually knew all about his skill then he wouldn't be breathing now.

There was also the woman called Javier Minorita Helsinbird Salesal. Four names. Each exotic in its pronunciation. Was she the same library receptionist accused of destroying the police headquarters? Was she just an impersonator using the name? Or maybe she was her own person and they just happened to share the same name. So many questions every day, it was as if he was on a journey of questions on a daily basis.

Last, the robot man. Why couldn't it see his skill although it could see others? Why did the panel turn red?

The inventory, the interface, and the skill book were all amazing. They were exactly what any looper needed to progress their skills as long as they were inside the loop.

The world blurred and disappeared. Gaus was too busy to notice it was already 3 am.

***

Scream.

At first light, Gaus woke up with a resounding scream. His body trembled under his sweat-soaked underwear.

"Urgh..." He gasped.

Magiwatch has saved 24 hours.

The Master welcomes you to Loopers Academy. You are expected in class in seven hours.

Rank: junior initiate class 1

Guarantor: XM9999

Lifespan: 23:59:49

As of now, his claim to the loop was both supported by his magiwatch and The Master.

He remembered everything. The last loop was outright debilitating. So much had happened from his conversation with Tyren and his escape to Little Lang to his capture in that hotel and getting admitted into LA.

Gaus quickly made a mental note of the most important things so as not to miss anything.

1. Tyren has given me an ultimatum of one day, but that will probably change now that he saw me in LA.

2. Leaving the city is a bad idea. Avoid it until you can defend yourself.

2. XM9999 was the guy who abducted me from the hotel just because I left the city.

3. My magiwatch has reacted to something while fighting XM9999, and it mentioned something about 'untimely transformation'.

4. There are two 'wood clones' following me around. Tyren thinks they are my bodyguards.

Sure, it was a rough list, but it gave him a sense of direction.

Tyren posed the greatest threat to his survival. The problem was no matter how he looked at it he just couldn't get rid of the guy the way he was. Yes, you could argue that if he told Tyren the truth (that he was a looper by accident and he couldn't bring anyone else into the loop) then things would resolve on their own, and Tyren would give up and stop bothering him. Well, let's just say Gaus wasn't that optimistic, or anywhere near it. There was just no way to escape the timid-voice looper without giving him what he wanted.

"Hey, what are you doing outside?"

Gaus frowned at the police. He'd been standing there longer than he'd intended to.

Once he dodged the police and found himself in the embrace of his favorite, gloomy alleyway, he turned to his status (specifically the skill formula) to see if there was any change. He remembered the notification he received during his meeting with the robot man.

He pressed the crown to reveal his skill and went directly to the skill formula.

Skill formula has received enough time essence and has unlocked the primary subskill and a skill book.

Claim? Y/N?

He pressed yes.

Congratulations, you've received save library and skill book.

•Save Library

Rank: rare 1

Everything you saved is special. What's saved is far more precious than what's not. This function is designed to add value to everything that's worth saving. Gain clarity point (CP) and used it to clarify what's saved. One CP used on memory will automatically turn the memory into a magic book. You'll remember every single moment of the book and you can further clarify it to learn skills targeted at you or to pick your opponents' weak spot.

1 cp x level per level

Cooling down time: 10 minutes

Cost: 1MP per CP

You've 1 CP left.

Skill book: saves skills learned from save library.

Apparently, save library was what the robot man couldn't see.

Another window suddenly popped up.

Save library has detected a skill from your most recent save. You've 1 CP left.

Use CP to learn skills? Y/N?

He hit yes.

Your opponent has used a teleportation skill against you at 2:35 am yesterday.

•Blink

Rank: rare 1

Level 1/30

Teleport yourself and objects you carry on your person through space; you can go up or down and you can pass through walls. You can't teleport objects alone and you can't teleport through objects charged with mana.

Distance: up to 3m (increase with leveling up).

Cost: up to 10MP (it's dependant on distance and weight. Note that the weight of your clothes and anything else on your person will be determined and subtracted accordingly.

Added to your skill book. 

The skill was revolutionary. It was far better than he'd expected. Despite the sudden awareness tugging at the back of his mind he wanted to confirm, so he went to his status.

Skill book

{Blink level 1}

{Loopers Book}

Account balance

15,400a

Reputation

-2

Guild

LA (unaffiliated)

Primary skill: Rewind level 2

Subskill: save library level 1/100 (0/100 exp)

Active CP: zero

Inactive CP: 1 CP (9:22 cooling down time)