The construct with full-body armor was at level 11. All the others were at level 10. He couldn't take the armor off without waking them up, so he tried to store one in his inventory.
Not enough space.
Well, if he couldn't have the armor he might as well go for the experience. He withdrew his sword and went directly for the eyes of the level 11 construct. It woke up with a screech, losing its footing and fallen on the floor. It reflexively slashed forward with its sharp appendages. Gaus withdrew his sword and jumped back. Greenish blood dripping from the tip of the sword. The other constructs woke up in response to the constant screeching of the wounded construct.
Gaus threw an explosive cube and blinked outside the house. The house collapsed under the explosion. If he was lucky they would be buried alive and he wouldn't have to worry about...
Damn it. It didn't work.
The wounded construct flew out of the house. It's left eye dripping blood. The others followed it behind. Their torsos carried little bruises and their armors good as new. They surrounded him and attacked with a speed that exceeded his expectations.
Gaus waited until they were just a meter away and he threw another explosive. They dodged it and continued their attack as if nothing happened.
Magiwatch has saved 1 second.
You've Rewound for 1 sec, effectively erasing everything in the said period. Only you will remember.
The world Rewound to the exact moment when the constructs dodged the explosive. Gaus blinked near the closest construct and cut one of its many legs with his sword, ignoring the armor. He threw another explosive and attacked again. The constructs' inhuman speed and their timely reaction was used against them. He would throw an explosive, they would dodge it, and he would use the opportunity to strike. He reduced many to nothing but crawling scraps. The remaining three constructs stopped attacking and cycled around their fallen comrades. They could still fight. But for some reason, they kept their distance, eying him from afar. Gaus didn't like it. The constructs were known for pulling bad surprises that resulted in death. He still remembered the first time they exploded in his face. What if they were to explode now? But he didn't kill them just yet. Unless they were sentient enough to recognize a defeat.
Blink activated.
He blinked away until he was meters away from them. Nothing happened. He looked back at them in surprise. Maybe he was overthinking things. The constructs didn't seem to do much right now. They just cycled around the others and occasionally glared at him. He was debating on how to finish them up and then it happened.
Boom.
All the constructs, including the wounded level 11, exploded. It was difficult to determine the first explosion. Everything just merged into a massive ball of flame and energy that sent Gaus flying. It burned for minutes. Gaus was knocked out immediately. Even when he regained consciousness he couldn't hear much for the next few minutes. His vision gone he laid there in a stupor.
-1.8% HP per minute until you heal.
You'll die if HP reaches zero.
Ordinary victory.
Construct lvl 11 x 1
+33,213 exp
Construct lvl 10 x 8
+59,799 exp
Most of his robe was gone and the little that was left was painted red. The pain was severe. Every part of him was screaming. He should Rewind everything but he didn't have enough mana.
Lying flat on the dry sand, he opened his skill tab. Only getting comfort from the experience he got as a result.
Are you sure you want to level up
Gaus's immortality? Y/N?
NB: leveling this skill up will not reduce its cost and the only benefit comes at level 10.
He pressed yes.
Gaus's immortality has reached level 10/100 (10,000 exp)
You've 1 CP (cool down time 10 minutes).
Use CP to get feedback on the saved memories.
History
1. Error: 5 MP (use CP? Y/N?)
1. Error: 5 MP (use CP? Y/N?)
1. Error: 5 MP (use CP? Y/N?)
1. Error: 5 MP (use CP? Y/N?)
1. Error: 5 MP (use CP? Y/N?)
Note: Rewind is still at level 10. To level it up you can:
1) kill a level 20 pacifist in a fair fight to immediately reach level 20.
2) level up both save library and Gaus's immortality.
3) check out your skill formula for instructions.
He already knew his options when it came to leveling up Rewind.
He picked the first memory from the list. Wondering what the skill would tell him.
1. Error: 5 MP
Gaus's immortality was activated due to damage to your body and soul.
Body - damaged from the forceful separation of your body from your soul. Tethering your body to your soul is advised to prevent similar damage.
Soul - all the three arms of your soul were damaged by direct liquefaction. The liquefied parts were slowly absorbed by another soul. Summoning the three pillars of the underworld before the damage even started can be used to prevent a similar occurrence.
Damage lasted for 7 days before reaching the threshold. It could have been longer if you were any stronger.
He waited for ten minutes to recharge before he clicked on the next memory.
1. Error: 5 MP
Gaus's immortality was activated due to damage to your soul and mind.
Soul - all three arms of your soul were damaged by direct liquefaction. The liquefied parts were slowly absorbed by another soul. Summoning the three pillars of the underworld before the damage even started can be used to prevent damage.
Mind - damaged by direct telepathic attacks on your mind. The magnitude of the assault was in the A range. Mind blank is necessary to prevent damage.
Damage lasted for 7 days before reaching the threshold. It could have been longer if you were any stronger.
----------------------------------------
1. Error: 5 MP
Gaus's immortality was activated due to damage to your soul and longevity.
Soul - all three arms of your soul were damaged by direct liquefaction. The liquefied parts were slowly absorbed by another soul. Summoning the three pillars of the underworld before the damage even started can be used to prevent damage.
Longevity - you lost an average of five years every day. The very foundation of your longevity was destroyed. Cord shedding is advised.
Damage lasted for 7 days before reaching the threshold. It could have been longer if you were any stronger.
----------------------------------------
1. Error: 5 MP
Gaus's immortality was activated due to damage to your body and longevity.
Body - damaged by the forceful separation of your body from your soul. Tethering your body to your soul is advised.
Longevity - you lost an average of five years every day. The very foundation of your longevity was destroyed. Cord shedding is advised.
Damage lasted for 7 days before reaching the threshold. It could have been longer if you were any stronger.
----------------------------------------
1. Error: 5 MP
Gaus's immortality was activated due to damage to your soul.
Soul - all three arms of your soul were damaged by direct liquefaction. The liquefied parts were slowly absorbed by another soul. Summoning the three pillars of the underworld before the damage even started can be used to prevent damage.
Damage lasted for 7 days before reaching the threshold. It could have been longer if you were any stronger.
They looked similar but each restart was unique. The first restart was due to damage to his body and soul. That could be explained since Tyren attacked his soul and the assassin attacked him physically. The second restart was due to damage to his soul and mind. The attack on his soul came from Tyren but he didn't know where the mind attack came from. It could be from Tyren as well which would make him a soul and also a mind mage.
The third restart was due to damage to his soul and longevity. Where did the longevity attack come from? Could Tyren be a time mage and at the same time a soul and a mind mage? Or maybe he just asked someone to do it for him.
The fourth restart was due to his longevity and the last restart was due to his soul. The uniqueness of the restarts was disturbing. Did this mean every time he came back Tyren was using a different soulbond?
Gaus sat upright, ignoring the sharp pain in his neck. If Tyren was using different attacks every restart then he was obviously aware of the restarts. And if he was aware of the restarts then Gaus wasn't the only person enjoying the ride. Not only that, Tyren was using the opportunity to test different soulbonds on him. Once he got it right, the restarts would stop, Tyren would win, and he would die.
A sudden realization hit him. He must break the soulbond immediately no matter what it took. His original plan was to use the first three or four restarts to level up but that plan couldn't be achieved. The only thing that mattered now was to break the soulbond. To live every restart like it was his last! Then maybe he would survive to level up.
He was playing a death game all along. A game that offered only one choice - win or die.
He read the descriptions again. His eyes were bloodshot with anger. The last part said 'it could have been longer if you were any stronger'. Did this mean he could extend the loop beyond seven days if he tried to stop the bond? He would have to try it and see.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Somehow the pain was gone. He was just furious.
Stealth has reached level 10/20 (10,000).
+50% invisibility.
-50% sounds.
-20% mana presence.
Cost 10 MP per minute.
----------------------------------------
Focus has reached level 10/10.
1 MP (physical attacks focused in a tiny radius of 10cm)
----------------------------------------
Runic writing has reached level 10/30 (10,000)
Cost up to 10 MP.
----------------------------------------
Mana insignia has reached level 10/20 (10,000).
Cost up to 10 MP.
----------------------------------------
Compression has reached level 10/20 (10,000)
Cost up to 20 MP.
----------------------------------------
Metalmancer has reached level 10/30 (10,000).
Cost up to 10 MP (up to 500g).
----------------------------------------
Swordplay has reached level 10/20 (10,000).
Cost up to 1 MP per minute.
----------------------------------------
Mana sense has reached level 10/20 (10,000).
Cost up to 1 MP per second (range up to 10m radius).
----------------------------------------
Spinning has reached level 10/20 (10,000).
Cost up to 1 MP per second (100cm from anchor; 1kg).
----------------------------------------
Sharpening has reached level 10/10 (10,000).
Cost up to 10 MP (10 layers of mana).
----------------------------------------
Levitation has reached level 10/20 (10,000).
1 MP per second (100cm from anchor; 1kg).
----------------------------------------
Longevity sense has reached level 10/? (10,000).
Cost: reduced to 4 MP per second.
----------------------------------------
Cord pulling has reached level 10/? (10,000).
Reduced to 14 MP.
He rested for a couple of hours before he continued down the road. At some point, he stopped seeing the buildings. The road hit a towering iron wall. A broken gate stood at the center of the wall. Most of the broken pieces were missing and the few left hanged on what was left of the hinges, covered in dust and rust. It led into a small corridor that was continued by a staircase going downward. Everything looked old. Very old. The staircase was worn out and the roof was missing in several places. It had been a long while since anyone was there.
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 all the way 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 on this planet? 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. Totally 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.
-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.
***
At first light, Gaus woke up with a resounding scream. His body trembled under his sweat-soaked underwear.
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, "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 an annoyance in his voice.
"I really 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 has no effect on 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?