"I'm listening," Gaus said.
"Getting skills so you can have many classes to choose from is good," Rachel said. "But what's better is to get the most potent classification you can ever get even if you won't be given any options. I have a way to make that happen. Do you want it?"
"I want it," he said. "Although, I'll hold you responsible if I end up with a shitty classification."
"Agreed," she said. "Shall we?"
He nodded.
"You first have to kill a level 100 pacifist, specifically me. I will be counting on the loop to revive me, of course."
Ignoring Gaus's confused look, she explained the procedure to him.
As a rule of thumb, if a pacifist below level 10 killed another pacifist at level 10 they would instantly level up to level 10. And if a level 90 pacifist killed another pacifist at level 100 then they would level up to level 100. But what if a pacifist below level 90 killed another pacifist at level 100?
"Then they get a classification," Rachel said.
"So I should just kill you and get a classification?" Gaus asked.
"Well, yes," she said. "But it isn't that simple. Every specialization skill you have is already in your skill formula. Each skill is glued to its specialization, only to be released when you specialize. My method will temporarily release all your specialization skills and let your mana choose the best skill among them."
"It sounds interesting," Gaus said. "But what if my best skill isn't the best for classification? I have read about classifications. Sometimes a weak skill can give a strong classification and a strong skill can give a weak classification."
"It happens," Rachel agreed. "But your magiwatch skill is different. You will be satisfied with what you will get."
"Why are you so sure?" Gaus asked.
"Can you just trust me on this?"
"No." Gaus shook his head. "My classification will define my life. I know you are just trying to help me but I need an explanation. Tell me why I should sacrifice my choices for one uncertain outcome?"
"Because you can get the ability to add others into the loop," she snapped. "At level 100, I get a specialization skill that allows me to share my skill with others. I believe you can have the same ability when you reach level 100. But since we can't wait for you to reach that level, I will release all your specialization skills and then trick your mana into selecting one of them. If we are lucky, you will have a classification that can add people into the loop."
Now, that was both interesting and unexpected. He knew mages could share their skill when they reached level 100, and for him, that would be like adding people into the loop, but he didn't expect it to be very soon.
"Are you willing to try it?" She asked again.
"Yes, I am. How do I kill you?"
"That's the problem," she said. "Even unarmed, I'm quite difficult to kill."
She wasn't lying about that. No weapon seemed to work on her, not even a guillotine.
"Stab me in the heart," she had said.
"You are kidding, right?"
"No, I'm not. It will be more effective."
Well, his worries were largely unfounded. Even stabbing her in the heart didn't work. In the end, it took two weeks, fourteen loops, and rare poison herbs to get the job done.
You have tricked a level 100 pacifist into killing her.
No experience was gained.
No levels were gained.
"So now what?" Gaus asked Lilat. The woman was assigned to complete the process.
"Now you quickly level up each of your mana taming skills to level 10," Lilat said.
Gaus did as he was told.
Mana armament has reached level 10.
You can now focus the armament on a specific area.
The cost has raised to 10 MP.
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Advanced levitation has reached level 10.
The cost has been reduced to 7.5 MP per second.
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Space levitation has reached level 10.
The cost has been reduced to 2.5 MP per meter.
----------------------------------------
Weightless levitation has reached level 10.
The cost has been reduced to 2.5 MP per kg.
----------------------------------------
Mana levitation has reached level 10.
The cost has been reduced to 2.5 MP per second.
"It's done," he said.
"Get ready." She took his hands in hers. "It might hurt a little."
That was the biggest understatement of the week. For a second, he felt as if he'd stepped on hot charcoal and at the same time someone was slicing his skin. It was worse. He tried to yank his hands away but it was too late.
Congratulations, you've reached all the requirements for mana taming. Your mana is tamed.
Based on the nature of your mana, the system will select the most appropriate skill for your classification.
This may take a while...
His vision slowly returned and he saw another window.
The system has selected Rewind Duplicate, a subskill of Rewind, as the most appropriate skill for your classification.
Initiating...
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Initiating done.
Congratulations, you have received the classification: Loop Master.
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Welcome to the next level. You have now tamed your mana and received your classification.
As a Loop Master, you are entitled to three things: Loop knowledge, loop power, and a guild.
Loop knowledge is a measure of your understanding of the loop. How does the loop work? How does it come into being? How can it be stopped? How many people are in it? What's the purpose behind it? And so on. This is a passive attribute and will upgrade on its own whenever your knowledge of the loop increases.
Loop power is a measure of your authority within the loop. How strong are you? How many loopers do you command? How strong are your followers? This is a passive attribute and will upgrade on its own whenever your power within the loop increases.
The guild is a society. A formal group of loopers dedicated to one cause. This is an active attribute and will not upgrade on its own. You need to improve your guild and add more followers. You don't have a base yet and you have zero followers. Assign base? Y/N? Add followers? Y/N?
Assessing for loop knowledge, and loop power...
Please wait.
"Did it work?" Lilat asked
"It..." He stuttered.
"What?" She asked.
"It... it..."
"What is it?"
"It works! I got a classification called Loop Master."
"Loop Master? What is the parent skill?" She asked.
"Rewind Duplicate," he said. "Which is surprising since this is the first time I'm seeing it."
"Of course, this is the first time you are seeing it," she said. "Can you add other people into the loop?"
"I don't know yet," he said. "The system is still assessing my loop knowledge and loop power. So that Rewind Duplicate is one of my specialization skills? I unlocked it by killing Rachel."
"Yes," she said. "But who's Rachel?"
So she didn't know. That was surprising.
"Minorita," he said. She looked at him in confusion but she didn't pursue it. "How about the parent skill? Can I keep it?"
"No," she said. "You have to wait to specialize."
"I figured as much," he said.
The window appeared.
Assessment is done.
Loop knowledge is 101.5%
Loop power is 103%
Guild is 0%
Loop Master has reached level 1/100 (loop knowledge 101.5%, loop power 103%, guild 0%)
+1 slot (assign? Y/N?)
-2% experience per level for Rewind
NB: each slot can be used to add another person into the loop. You can set each slot as either permanent, condition, or temporary.
Permanent loopers will remember everything from every save. You don't have to renew their contract.
Condition loopers will only remember twenty-four-hour saves. They will not remember small saves in between. Their contract depends on a condition. They'll be removed from the loop if they don't fulfill the condition.
Temporary loopers are set to expire on a schedule. The contract needs to be renewed afterward.
"Did it work," she asked. "Can you add people into the loop?"
"Yes, it worked!" He said.
"How does the classification affect the experience requirement for Rewind?" She asked.
"-2% experience per level. I don't get it though."
"It's simple," she said. "Your classification is based on Rewind, so every time you level it up it will, in turn, reduce the experience required to level up Rewind. That's why you need a classification. Without it, you can't level up beyond the fourth specialization."
Gaus had been wondering about that. The experience requirement got crazy as you went up the ladder. From levels 1 to 10, you only needed hundreds of experience to level up. From levels 11 to 20, you needed tens of thousands of experience. From levels 21 to 30, you needed hundreds of thousands. And it went up to millions after the third specialization. At level 50, it would be practically impossible to level up. But it would be possible now with the classification reducing the experience at every level.
"So, I need to improve my classification which in turn will reduce the experience I need to level up Rewind. It's a controlled mechanism."
Lilat nodded. "Although, there's something you need to know."
Gaus frowned. The whole thing was too good to be true. He had been waiting for the downside.
"Your specialization skills are now jumbled," she said. "You can get any skill at any level."
"Why is that a bad thing?" He asked.
She shrugged. "Well, your skill formula usually shows the order of your specialization skills. With sufficient skill in enchantment, you can find out what skill you will have every time you specialize. Now, you don't have that choice. Because we have tempered with the specialization, your skill formula won't be able to pinpoint the skill you will have."
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
"Is there any other thing besides that?" He asked.
She shook her head. "None."
Okay. He could live with that. This was undoubtedly the most fruitful day ever. He could now create his loopers. He couldn't wait to get started.
Nadin
Meanwhile, somewhere in the First World, Tyren and Nadin argued with a guard.
"How the hell did you even get here?" The guard said.
"It's just a force field, my friend," Nadin said. "You can argue with us all day or you can go inside and tell your superiors that they have some important guests."
"Tell them a temporary looper from an unaffiliated guild is here to see them," Tyren said.
"Dammit!" The guard said through his teeth. "Stay here and don't move."
He went into the hall only to come back a couple of minutes later and led them inside.
It was a small hall. Dark and unnaturally silent. It was as if no sound from the outside could get inside. There was a round table at the center. Several old men and women sat around it.
Tyren and Nadin stood in front of the crowd.
"It's an honor to stand in front of so many Loop Masters," Tyren said with a slight bow of his head. "I'm Tyren Onis, I came from the loopers academy."
"What brings you to the Council of Loop Masters?" One of the men asked. "Does your Master want to submit to the Council?"
"I... don't think so," Tyren said. "Well, you can ask him personally. I'm here for something else."
The old men shared amused looks before they turned to him again.
"Are you betraying your Master?" The man asked.
"No, I'm not," Tyren said. "I'm still in the loop because of him and I'm willing to fulfill any quest he bestowed upon me."
"So why are you here?" The man asked again and this time with a frown.
"I found someone the Council wants," Tyren said. "She goes by the name Minorita Salesal."
"You found Minorita?" Another man asked. He sounded genuinely surprised. As if he couldn't believe it.
"I did." Tyren nodded. "I have someone watching her right now as we speak, in case she moves."
"So let's say you are saying the truth. what do you want in return?" The man asked.
"She took something that belongs to me," Tyren said. "A boy. Fair with dark-brown eyes. He goes by the name Gaus. I want him back."
"Fine, give us the address," the man said. "If your information is correct we'll get her and you'll have the boy. Although, the Council would like to know who this boy is."
Gaus
It was a new loop. Rachel was revived and everything had gone back to normal except maybe Gaus's new ability to add people into the loop.
"I'm happy to see you too," Rachel said. "Are you happy with your classification?"
"It's the best I could hope for. Thank you. I owe you."
"Then," Rachel said. "How much will you owe me if I give you one more thing?"
Gaus blinked in confusion. "One more thing?"
"Yes, let me show you."
She teleported them away. When they reappeared, they were in the middle of a forest. Standing at the base of the largest mountain he'd ever seen. The upper half of the mountain was buried in the clouds. Rachel led them into a cave at the base of the mountain.
You've entered a dungeon.
"You told me the academy is also a dungeon, right?" Rachel said. "Well, I figured you can use this as your base as well. It's not much but it can be used as a shelter for you and your people. Let me transfer the ownership to you."
She took his hands and drew a rune on his left palm. Then she recited: "I, Minorita Salesal of the Old World, have transferred the ownership of this dungeon to you."
The rune burned and disappeared into his palm.
You have received the ownership of a dungeon.
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Loop Master has detected a suitable base for your guild. Do you want to make this dungeon a base for your guild? Y/N?
He pressed yes.
Congratulations, you have assigned a base for your guild.
Guild has received a 132% improvement.
Loop Master has reached lvl 2/100 (guild 32%, loop knowledge 1.5%, loop power 3%)
-2% experience per level for Rewind
+2 slots (assign? Y/N?)
----------------------------------------
Warning: you have founded an unaffiliated guild.
-24 reputation
----------------------------------------
Your reputation has fallen to -26. Unfortunately, the government can no longer turn a blind eye to your illegal activities.
+3,000 ayrids for your head.
NB: bounty will remain until you improve your reputation with the government.
"You've got to be kidding me," Gaus said. "I have a bounty!"
Rachel laughed.
"How much?" She asked.
"3,000a."
"Ah, that's not much," she said. "Nobody will chase you for 3,000a. Mine was 500,000a ten years ago."
Gaus had the urge to ask her what her current bounty was but he decided against it. What good was bad news?
"Anyway," Lilat said. "You can now talk to the dungeon core if you want."
"Where is the dungeon core?" Gaus asked.
"I'm here, my lord," a disembodied voice said.
Gaus looked around for the speaker but there was none.
"Come on out, Calif," Rachel said.
A brown sphere of light materialized out of thin air in front of Gaus.
"I'm here, my lord," it said. "You can call me Calif."
"Okay, Calif, what type of dungeon are you?" Gaus asked.
"I'm a B rank dungeon, my lord," it said.
"That's not bad," Gaus said. He looked around trying to take in the surroundings. It was dark.
"Calif, can you light up the place?" Gaus asked.
"Yes, my lord."
The entire cave lit up. Several long corridors and stairs extended into the mountain. Most of it was covered in ruins and skulls and cobwebs.
"Whose skulls are these?" Gaus asked.
"Mostly marines," Calif said. "Many years ago, my former master, Minorita Salesal of the Old World, used to lure the marines here and kill them."
Gaus glanced at Rachel for answers but she just shrugged.
"How many monsters are currently living here?" Gaus asked.
"None," Calif said. "They were all killed by my former master."
At least, it was safe.
"So how big are you?" Gaus asked.
"I have 4,233 ordinary caves, 54 immortal caves, and ten meeting halls. Everything is interconnected within a vast network of caves. I can show you around if you want."
"Maybe later," Gaus said. "Right now, I want to make this racket home?"
"I'm at your service, my lord," Calif said. "Whatever you want."
"Okay. But first, I want you to stop calling me 'my lord'. It's weird. Just call me Gaus of Canada. Or better just Gaus."
"Yes, Gaus. Is there anything else you would like me to do for you?"
"Tell me in detail how a dungeon functions?" Gaus asked.
"I have internal and external bodies," Calif started. "My internal body controls mana and my external body controls nature energy. I have..."
"Okay, Calif, we don't have time for this," Rachel said. "Gaus will log into the dungeon interface and will figure it out on his own. Right now, we need to go."
She teleported them back to the forest.
"Now," Rachel said. "Based on what you told me about the save library, I have some quick skills to give you."
As always, she was eager to teach him.
A couple of demonstrations and he was rewarded with:
Dragon pupils
Rank common
This skill allows you to see the name, mana, affinity, and vitality of your opponents. If used on weapons, you will see name, damage, durability, and rank.
Cost: 2 MP (will reduce with leveling up)
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Arrow double
Rank: common
Fire one arrow and receive the benefits of many. Every arrow you shoot will divide.
Cost: 5 MP per arrow (will decrease with leveling up)
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Arrow focus
Rank: common
Pick the specific spot you want to hit.
Range: up to 5m away.
Radius: 100cm.
Cost: 0.1 MP (as you level up, range will increase and radius will decrease to enhance focus).
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Soul perception
Rank: rare 1
You can now perceive your soul and the soul of others. You don't have a high affinity for soul magic and thus your range is limited.
Cost: 15 MP per minute.
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Mind sense
Rank: rare 1
You can now sense the presence of your mind and that of others. Your range is limited because of your low affinity for mind magic. You can't use this skill to read people's thoughts.
Cost: 10 MP per minute.
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Mana shield
Rank: rare 1
Requirement: mind sense, soul perception.
Requirements reached. You have learned the skill: mana shield.
In the same way you can cover your skin with mana, you can now cover your mind and soul. This skill allows you to create a shield of mana around your mind and soul thereby blocking any intrusion.
Cost: 1 MP per second (will increase by leveling up. The more mana you use the stronger the shield).
Note: shields can be broken.
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Sword Mirage
Rank: common
This skill increases both your speed and strength every time you attack with a sword.
+1 strength per level, +1 speed per level.
Cost: 1 MP (will increase by leveling up)
Note: any increase in speed and strength will only last for as long as you attack.
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Martial Throw
Rank: rare 2
This skill increases the strength of your arms when you attack with bare hands.
+2 strength per level.
Cost: 1 MP (will increase by leveling up)
Note: any increase in strength will only last for as long as the attack.
When asked why Rachel didn't invent guns in this world, she said she could throw objects at the same speed as the modern guns using martial throw.
The rest of the day was spent on testing these skills. He found out he could block most mental attacks with a simple mana shield especially when he leveled it up to level 10. Sword mirage and martial throw helped with his physique, aiding both his swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat. Arrow double and arrow focus had changed his mind about being a swordsman. He still liked the sword. But when he fired an arrow now, he could target any specific point within his range. He could make the arrows multiply and attack many targets at once. All he needed now was to poison the arrowheads and make it deadly. Dragon pupils were much better than identify when it came to appraisal. As a quick example, he used both skills to appraise his sword.
Identify showed:
Unnamed sword, rank common.
Dragon pupils showed:
Unnamed sword, rank: common, damage 30, durability 50/50.
Damage estimates the possible health that will be lost by the victim upon injury with the sword.
Durability estimates how many times you can use the sword before it breaks.
Note: estimates are affected by the strength and defenses of the target.
Well, the difference was clear. He decided to test it on the people around him.
Name: Rachel
Race: human
Level: 100
Mana: 1088/1358 (tamed and in control)
Affinity: time 64.4%, mind: 88.3%, soul 49.3%.
Name: Lilat
Race: wood elf
Level: 19
Mana: 188/207 (tamed)
Affinity: time 0.88%, soul 0.3%, mind 12%
"That's impulsive," Rachel said. "You can't appraise people without their consent. I may not mind but my friend here is..." She glanced at Lilat who was glaring at him. "pissed off."
"Well," Gaus said, shrugging. "How about a little payment for my impulsiveness?"
Are you sure you want to invite Lilat to the loop at the expense of your slot? Y/N?
He pressed yes.
Lilat received the notification. He then moved on to add Rachel as a permanent looper.
Warning, you can't add people ten levels or more above your level.
Damn!
"Don't make that face," Rachel said. "You only need to level up to level 90 and then add me, right? Until then I can manage with the memory package."
That... was sweet and kind. Gaus appreciated it.
"It's just level 90," she said.
"It's just level 90," he said.
At midnight, Rachel went out while Gaus and Lilat returned to Calif.
"So, Calif," Gaus said. "You probably don't know about this but we are all trapped in a time loop. And I have the opportunity to add other people into the loop."
"What would you like me to do for you, Gaus?" Calif said.
"Give me some advice," Gaus snapped. "I have Rachel's best advisor here with me, but I'm still looking for more people. Any idea of how to find the right men?"
"I don't know," Calif said simply. "Are you looking for a boy or a girl?"
"No, idiot, I don't care if it's a boy or a girl," Gaus said through his teeth.
"Perhaps," Lilat said. "We should start by cleaning this place up."
Gaus looked around the ruins and nodded his agreement.
"I don't know if Calif can do it," she said. "Why don't you check the interface?"
Gaus searched through the dungeon interface and realized there was no such function. All he had was an empty building full of rubbles in the middle of nowhere.
Mana: 500/500 (25/min)
Nature energy: 50/50 (5/hr)
Available protection: Water field. Assign? Y/N?
Water field costs 95 MP (9 MP per minute)
The water field would hide the dungeon completely under a large water body. The vapor from the water will cause hallucinations and drives beasts and humans away.
"Some protection will be fine," he murmured to himself and pressed yes.
Water field activated.
You can give others immunity to the field. Assign immunity? Y/N?
At least, the dungeon was relatively safer.
"Pick a broom," Lilat said. "Let's do it together."
"That's not the best idea," Gaus said. "I mean, all the dirt will come back as soon as the loop resets."
Lilat sighed. She was still new in the business and often she forgot how the whole thing worked.
"But we can't live here like this," she said. "We have to maintain some sanity even if it means spending a couple of hours every day to clean. Or maybe we can invite a cleaner to join us. And a cook."
"Wait just a minute," Gaus said. "You are here to help me defeat my enemies, remember?"
Lilat frowned but stayed silent.
"Speak your mind," Gaus said.
"Okay," she said. "You are the boss but, as your advisor, I'll say we need to create a living environment for other people to join us. I mean, the way you described the academy... Anyone will want to join them. The more people we have the better. And the only way we can get that is to create a happy environment. Even if it's not safe people will come for the promise of a better future."
"You are right," Gaus said. "But I just hope you don't forget there's a man called Tyren who is dead set on killing me."
"Speaking of Tyren," she said thoughtfully. "Why don't you invite him to join us? All the conflict between the two of you will end if he joins."
Bloody hell!