Gaus bolted out of the room and ran to the hall of the dread to check the status of his 'friend'.

Tyren Ayurvada Onis

Time left: 2 days

In two days, everything would be decided. The best thing was to avoid fighting Tyren altogether and stick to the academy (hoping that would prevent Tyren from attacking him) until the next two days were over. But there was no guarantee Tyren wouldn't attack him while he was in the academy. There was just no way to avoid the timid-voice bastard.

If he were to guess then Tyren would try to fight him away from the prying eyes of the academy. It was both in his and Tyren's interest that The Master remained ignorant of their debacle. For him, the consequences were clear, but for Tyren, knowing about another unaffiliated looper and refusing to inform the academy about it would be just as bad.

Tyren didn't make contact in the last three days. Did that mean he couldn't? Unlikely, especially since Tyren had already demonstrated an ability to track him down both in and outside the academy.

Gaus found himself unable to decide how to spend the next two days. What was the chance that Tyren would even wait till the next two days were over? Now that he thought about it, there was just no way for Tyren to sit back and relax, just waiting for his lifespan to expire before doing something about it. But the real question was: what would Tyren do? He would probably refrain from killing him because that would benefit no one. Then what about an interrogation? Tyren might force him to spill how he joined the loop, but that seemed ineffective since Gaus could easily lie, or mix the truth with lies, or outright drag the whole thing until the next two days were over. No, the period of asking questions was over, Tyren would definitely try something more aggressive. An effective way would be to just knock him out and read his mind. Tyren could also steal the Rewind if that was possible.

The first thing tomorrow morning was to find a way to shield his mind, soul, and longevity. He would ask around and check out the library to see if it was even possible to steal someone's watch skill.

***

When the loop restarted, he ran back to the academy as fast as blink could take him. He collected his uniform and sunglasses before he went to his room to prepare for the day. One unlikely possibility he didn't consider yesterday was for Tyren to disappear and refuse to make any contact throughout the next two days. That was as unlikely as it sounded and Gaus wasn't ready to bet on it.

Tyren aside, did he retain his physique from yesterday?

Physique

Speed: 8

Constitution : 5

Strength: 7

It had reverted again. Not even moving the skywalk to the looper's book could help. What exactly was wrong with his physique? Why couldn't he improve it? Was he different from the other loopers?

That aside, today's class would be about mana. Linc would teach them mana sense and mana taming. Gaus was the first to arrive since he'd decided to ignore the cafeteria today. What were the chances that the milk he took that night before coming to the multiverse was still in his stomach? It was good milk, if slightly fermented.

Antelina and Ariwen came next. Raya was the last to come. She must be really far away to be this late.

Gaus realized the only unoccupied seat in the class was the one beside him, and that was because he'd kept his backpack on it. Antelina had asked him what was in the backpack but he ignored her. Gatan and Bor had also pointed out that as long as his inventory was working properly he didn't need a backpack. Gaus cared very little about their opinion; he needed the backpack and he didn't need to explain himself to anyone.

"Hey," he called out to Raya and pointed at the free seat, "come and sit here."

"Thank you, class rep." The red-haired girl beamed.

Gaus smiled back as he took his backpack and put it on the floor near his feet.

Linc taught them just as before, including throwing the mana-charged tablets at the students and asking them to dodge. Each student was also asked to demonstrate levitation, sharpening, and spinning using the same mana absorbents. Gaus didn't show his expertise just yet.

"Sir?" Gaus raised his hand in question.

Linc nodded.

"When are we going to learn how to defend ourselves against the dark arts?"

"Not in the next two years," Linc answered with a shrug. "Defense Against the Dark Arts involves a very delicate manipulation of mana. You'll easily cripple your longevity, mind, or soul if you mess it up. That's why the academy makes sure you master the basics before you start learning that."

Gaus should have taken the teacher's word for it, but after the class, he took his backpack and went to the library to do private research on the matter. Five hours later and nothing turned out. The more he dug into the matter the more he realized how impossible it was. One book mentioned mana net - an imaginary mesh created purely from mana - as the simplest and the most basic spell that was used to trap world essence and block world essence attacks. It would take a year to learn it according to the book. His only hope was in the save library. If only he could coax someone into demonstrating it for him. But he wasn't even sure if he could copy it. Yesterday, Ariwen used another skill to block his cord pulling and he couldn't copy it even after the loop had restarted.

After another hour of fruitless research, he went to see Antelina and Raya. The two practiced mana sense in the same garden as yesterday.

"Class rep, what's up?" The Red-haired girl asked as soon as she saw him.

"Sorry to disturb you but..."

Antelina frowned. "I'm still compiling the list, it won't be until tomorrow."

The list? Oh, he asked her to give him some information about their classmates. But that wasn't why he was there.

"Is it possible to steal someone's watch skill?" He asked.

The two girls exchanged an amusing look. "Class rep, who are you trying to ruin?" They asked in unison.

Gaus smirked. "I'm just curious."

"There's no record of it ever happening," Antelina said thoughtfully. She turned to Raya. "You?"

The red-haired girl shook her head. "It hasn't happened on the Fifth World as long as the records are concerned. Why are you even asking about it?"

"I'm just asking. Don't mind me." Gaus said in a low tone. Now that he'd excluded the possibility of someone stealing the Rewind from him, he only had to worry about defending himself. He'd two days left.

"Thank you for reserving a seat for me today in the class," Raya said, smiling.

"Don't mention it."

***

Now back in his room, he practiced with the inventory. He wanted to see if he could retrieve a sword right into his palm instead of it appearing half a meter away from his face. The few seconds it took to grab the sword would be the difference between life and death during a battle.

After thirty minutes of practicing, he successfully retrieved the sword right into his palm. He even put some clothes in the inventory and tried to make them appear on his body, not a meter away. He later undressed and tried to dress directly from the inventory. It took some time but he did it around twelve midnight. Since he couldn't sleep, he went to the bard living next door and ask him if he could help him with the Defense Against the Dark Arts. The man told him to 'fuck off', but not before asking him to entertain his birds.

"Why don't you sit and talk with my birds instead? They are nice and easygoing, you know." He had said.

Gaus turned down the offer immediately.

Desperation pushed him to come back to Nascentos.

"Honored keeper, my name is..."

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

"Gaus Lake," the unassuming man snapped. "We all know who you are. Why are you here?"

Gaus flinched at the sharp response. "Look, I really need to use your dungeon, please."

"No way."

Gaus smiled apologetically. "I'll be careful this time around. What happened that day will never happen again. I'm so sorry."

"Over my dead body."

What?

"I really need to get some exp..."

"Why can't you go to the academy dungeon beneath the surface? We've already sent your name for the full registration. I'm sure it's ready now." The keeper explained angrily. It wouldn't be surprising if he started throwing fireballs at Gaus.

"I went there two times already, but with my levels and physique they will only allow me to enter if I have a spirit companion," Gaus explained in exasperation. He'd been trying to secure access to the dungeon beneath the surface ever since the keepers of the sub-dungeons collectively banned him from entering their dungeons.

The keeper shrugged. "Then why don't you have a spirit companion?"

"We have not yet visited the realm. It will take another week at least and I need exp now."

At this point, the keeper ignored him and started humming one annoying melody. Gaus had to leave before he punched him.

The whole day was wasted like that. He'd no exp to level up and no skills to copy.

***

The loop restarted. Now sitting in the hall of the dread and staring at the name that had hunted his dreams for days.

Tyren Ayurvada Onis

Time left: 1 day

Tyren would come today; there was no doubt about it. Gaus had expected the man to attack him on his way to the academy, but he didn't and his journey was mostly uneventful.

He went to the cafeteria and took something for breakfast, not that he was hungry. The collective effect of the adrenaline and the undigested milk in his stomach had negated any feeling of hunger in him.

Now sitting in the class with his backpack resting on the seat beside him, he entertained several scenarios where Tyren bumped into the classroom and started throwing fireballs and lightning bolts. Or maybe flying an otherworldly, fire-breathing dragon or something and attacking him right in the middle of the academy. His mana sense would be up all day long and there was already a set of ten high-quality swords waiting for his command in his inventory. His Rewind was fully charged at 76 seconds. Every skill he'd learned in the last few days was up and running in the background. Even the ultimate Gaus's immortality was there.

Today, he would go to war. He would attack Tyren with everything he'd got, consequences be damned.

Raya was the last to arrive as usual and she sat next to him where he kept his backpack.

Shortly after, the old woman teaching enchantment came into the class. It was the same boring 'enchanting phonetics'. Gaus learned two more words of the Old Tongue through his skill.

The next class taught them some subtle ways on how to protect themselves in the spirit realm. And to everyone's delight, the swordsmanship class wouldn't hold today as well. There were rumors that the teacher was wounded in battle. Gaus cared very little about all of these as he left the class and headed back to the cafeteria.

He ordered lemon juice and went on to spend most of the evening there, watching. From there, he went to the sports complex and spent the rest of the evening. He refused to retire and went to the library just to make sure there were people around him throughout the day.

When it was 12:35 am, he followed a group of loopers leaving the library to the hall of the dread to check out Tyren's status again.

Tyren Ayurvada Onis

Time left: 0

Erased

At first, there was just silence and doubt. He stared at the word 'erased' for several seconds before he started smiling. His smile turned into laughter. He had won. He didn't know how but his enemy was gone and that was what mattered.

For the first time in forever, Gaus completed the loop with a smile on his face.

***

The following loop came and Gaus went to the academy feeling a lot more enthusiastic about the future. Raya came and sat near him. They even discussed a few things about the Fifth World and its geography.

Linc came a few minutes later to continue his class on mana manipulation exercises.

Gaus was so happy that after the class he decided to escort Raya to the cafeteria and from there back to her room in the female dorm.

"I never took you for a nice guy," Raya told him.

Gaus frowned.

"Don't get me wrong, class rep, I really enjoyed your company. It's just that you don't seem like the type to care about an insignificant girl like me or even..."

"I understand that my company is not needed," Gaus cut her off, looking every bit annoyed.

Raya was startled a bit before she laughed. "Okay. Come in."

He really should be training or raiding some dungeons and gaining exp, not wasting his time on some red-haired beauty.

"Thank you," Gaus said and followed her into the room.

The room looked exactly like Ariwen's but with pink paint. He was surprised to find out that both rooms were more spacious than the boy's rooms.

"Put your backpack on the desk," she said, pointing at the only desk in the room. "You still didn't tell me why you are carrying a backpack when you already have an inventory. If we are going to be friends then we'll have to be honest with each other."

"Yeah." Gaus nodded his agreement as he dropped the backpack on the desk and headed towards the bed.

"Wait." Raya widened her eyes, slightly amused. "You can't, that's my bed, and I don't allow boys to sleep on my bed..."

Well, Gaus was already on the bed by the time she finished the sentence.

"Sorry."

Urgh.

Raya wasn't angry despite groaning loudly. After all, she wanted some company after spending so much time in the loop, alone.

"Tea?"

Gaus shook his head.

"Beer?"

He shook his head.

"Then what do you want?"

"Nothing. Just sit down and tell me about yourself."

Raya narrowed her eyes at the last part. "Stop asking about me when there are ladies in the school going crazy about your fair skin." She brought up the rumor.

"I was told one of them has red hair," Gaus said, grinning.

"It's not me." Raya countered, sticking out her chest. Too bad it wasn't much developed.

Gaus laughed. "Nobody says it's you."

Raya glared at him as she took the spot next to him on the bed.

"The last time you came to this dorm, Tiara started a rumor about you and Ariwen, I'm sure she'll cook up something again."

Gaus bit his lip as he remembered the scenario. There was just nothing that would happen in the class without that Tiara girl knowing about it. It went to the extent people were starting to think she had a skill in divination.

The two of them reluctantly opened their interface and went to the class group.

Tiara: it's confirmed.

Cara: Hey, what's confirmed?

Tiara: that the class rep is also hitting on Raya in addition to Antelina and Ariwen.

Cara: what? That red-haired girl with no boobs? Dammit, I can't believe men nowadays. They are just attracted to red hair.

Gatan: I'll start cursing you if you say one more word about the patriarch. He is probably just teaching her mana sense or something. Why can't you be positive for once? Urgh. I hate you.

Tiara: Gatan, how do you explain the class rep's empty backpack? I asked my sources to check it out and they told me it was empty. He was only bringing it to the class to book a seat for the girl. This is what's called crush, my friend. That's not even to mention that my sources told me the class rep is currently in her room. I'm going there right now to confirm.

Gatan: then what about Antelina?

Tiara: I don't really have anything on her now but my sources...

Gatan: then shut up until you've legitimate information.

Raya was definitely angry about Cara criticizing her boobs, he could see it in her eyes, but she was more concerned about his backpack. To his dismay, the girl opened the backpack. She gave him a curious glance when it turned out to be empty.

Silence reigned for several minutes.

The backpack was used to distribute their daily uniforms. Everyone threw it away when they took their uniforms, but Gaus decided to keep it for the last two days, and in an attempt to 'know' his classmates better, he reserved a seat for Raya. It wasn't because he liked her or her red hair, no. Of course, red hairs were exotic and attractive and sexy, but that wasn't why he was reserving the seat for the beautiful, red-haired, young lady. He could have done it for any member of the class, red hair or not.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts when Raya got too close to his face. Her red hair fell on his face. The silky appearance and the pleasant perfume that was unique to every red hair. It was divine. He'd never seen anything so beautiful. Why didn't he realized how beautiful red hairs were until now? It was probably because he was stressed out, but that was no excuse to ignore red hair.

When Raya realized Gaus was only looking at her hair, she frowned. "What is it about my hair?"

Huh? He'd been stupidly staring for far too long.

He smiled, not sure what to say.

She rolled her eyes at him. 

"Can you dance?" Gaus asked and as if afraid she would object he added, "I can pay for it if you want."

"What?" She got up, fuming. "You want to pay me to entertain you? Do you take me for a slut or something? Get out."

"It's not like that. Listen to me..."

"Just get out." 

Gaus left. He didn't mean any disrespect. It was just payment for what he loved. Tsk.

Luckily, the 'urge' subsided as night came. He went to his room, lay on his bed, and closed his eyes to think. To say this day was difficult was an understatement. Why the hell was he suddenly interested in Raya? He'd never felt like that before and he doubted something so sudden would happen naturally.

***

Scream.

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

It was the same old awakening.

Just to make sure, he blinked to the hall of the dread and rechecked Tyren's status. The guy was gone for good. He could finally relax.

"I'm really sorry about yesterday. I tend to overreact sometimes." Raya apologized to him in a low voice as soon as she came into the class.

"Sit down," Gaus said. 

For some odd reason, Gaus didn't reserve a seat for her today. The girl had to ask her friend Antelina to vacate her seat which was next to Gaus.

"Oh my, Raya has a crush, girls," Antelina shouted, making sure everyone had heard her.

"Huh?"

"So Tiara was right?"

"But what about Ariwen?"

"What about you?"

Shit. 

At this point, two middle-aged men came into the class. One was Zeir, the guy who brought Ariwen to the class on the day Gaus came, and the other was... Tyren Ayurvada Onis.

Gaus jumped to his feet with a pounding heart. He frantically retrieved three swords from his inventory and activated all his skills at once. Every cell in his body was telling him to run but there was only one exit door that was already blocked by the enemy.

What the hell was going? Wasn't this guy erased 30 hours ago?

Zeir frowned at Gaus's sudden outburst.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Gaus reluctantly sat down totally oblivious of the stares around him as he kept the swords by his side.

"Where's Linc anyway?" Zeir asked.

"He is late," Gaus answered, not taking his eyes off Tyren.

"Who's the class rep?" Zeir asked.

"I am," Gaus said.

"Alright," Zeir said, turning to Tyren. "This is Tyren, he came yesterday evening. Because of his affinity for time and mind magic, the upper echelon has decided to promote him to this class. I'll leave him in your hands before the teacher comes."

With that, the man left Tyren Onis in his care and left.