Sizea Hotel - Room 44
Who was the other time traveler? Was he being targeted? He shook his head. There was a teeny-weeny chance he was being targeted but it was very unlikely. After all, the multiverse was big, so big that Earth couldn't even compare.
He looked through the window. It was dark but nothing particularly sinister. This might even be the last restart and the world would proceed to a blessed Wednesday. That was probably why the other time traveler exposed himself now. It suddenly began to make sense. What if it was truly the last?
Either way, he wanted to try something daring and see if it worked.
He picked a butter knife, and, with little hesitation, he stabbed his left forearm.
He knew it would be painful but it had to be done, it was, after all, a matter of life and death. Blood splashed on the table and floor. He clutched his arm as he rolled on the ground in agony. This was really a very bad (but necessary) idea.
The clock ticked away and with every sound, his heartbeat quickened. Once the clock hit three o'clock it would all be over and the world would either blur and disappear into oblivion or it would continue to Wednesday. Oh, blessed Wednesday!
20 seconds to go.
15...10...5....
Only five seconds and it would all be over.
5,4,3,2...
Magiwatch has saved 3 seconds.
"What?!"
The other time traveler had just Rewound. He looked at his watch and it was five seconds to three o'clock in the morning, meaning he would have to bear with the pain for five more seconds. Well, five wasn't that big of a number, he thought.
5,4,3...
Then it blurred again and his vision went blank.
Magiwatch has saved 8 seconds.
What? He was in pain and losing a lot of blood so this could be the worst possible time to frequent Rewind.
Magiwatch has saved 8 seconds.
Magiwatch has saved 10 seconds. Magiwatch has saved 12 seconds. Magiwatch has saved 3 seconds.
"The hell is he doing to warrant this much Rewinds all at once."
Gaus cursed. In all likelihood, the other time traveler was involved in something strenuous, likely a fight.
Magiwatch has saved 15 seconds.
Magiwatch has saved 3 seconds.
It went on for the next half hour before it stopped. All along Gaus suffered from the cut in his arm.
***
Scream.
At first light, Gaus woke up with a resounding scream. His body trembled under his sweat-soaked underwear.
Magiwatch has saved twenty-four hours.
So, no blessed Wednesday for him.
He looked at his left forearm where he had stabbed himself yesterday. Surprisingly enough, the wound was gone. No more pain or bleeding. Point made: even if the other time traveler were to injure him it would not be permanent; he would be perfectly fine as soon as the loop restarted. He was safe, at least physically.
In the morning, he fled to the library and hid until it was dark. To his surprise, the other time traveler didn't make any contact. Gaus began to realize that something was off. But it wasn't until after he kept hiding for the next couple of days and nobody came looking for him that he realized something was truly off. Either the other time traveler didn't know where he was, or they'd just decided to let him be. The latter was very unlikely. It was both likely and safer to assume that the other time traveler didn't know where he was or even who he was, after all, the multiverse was big. Accepting this calmed him down and he cleaned the sweat on his forehead.
The thing was he couldn't hide forever, and sooner or later the other time traveler would find him. He needed a plan, a real plan if he was to survive the loop. The first thing that came to his mind was to just sit around and do nothing. That way he wouldn't do anything that would attract the other time traveler's attention and he could just play ignorance and enjoy life as it was. But the idea of just sitting idly and waiting for someone to determine his fate didn't sit well with him. There were probably only two ways to end this debacle: one, for the other time traveler to find him and eliminate him; two, for him to find them and eliminate them.
Gaus pictured the other time traveler as someone powerful and dangerous (although, he didn't have any evidence besides their ability to Rewind, deep inside him he just knew), and because of that, any attempt to antagonize them was dangerous as hell. He might unknowingly expose himself. But doing nothing wasn't an option either.
What should I do? He exhaled forcefully.
He didn't realize it but his newfound ability to Rewind time had made him feel somewhat invincible. But that feeling was gone. He was scared. Rewind couldn't save him anymore. He needed something better.
What could possibly be better than the ability to rewind time?
There was probably a skill out there that was more useful (in his situation) than time traveling but Gaus couldn't think of any. Instead, he decided to level up his skill. He would stop running around the city like a lost child and take control of the loop. Every day, every loop should have a purpose that would ultimately make him stronger. So that when he finally met the other time traveler he might be able to survive.
***
When the loop restarted, Gaus went to the gambling shop first, and from there he went to a private training facility called La Magia.
It was a two-story, stone building with a lawn full of broken swords and spears. It looked more like a torture ground. The word La Magia was written boldly on the entrance, and below it was: we specialize in the four schools of magic.
"Schools of magic, huh?"
Gaus walked to the counter, ignoring the surrounding five fireballs that decorated the walls as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"You're welcome, mister. How can we help you today?" One of the attendants, a young woman in her thirties, asked him, smiling.
"I want to hire," Gaus said, looking at her purely brown hair and eyes.
She flinched. "Mister....?"
"Lake."
"Mister, Lake. What do you want to hire?"
"A personal trainer. I was told you offer such services, am I in the wrong place?"
"No, we do offer such services, but er... our prices though affordable can be a bit on the upper side. The lowest is two thousand five hundred per hour, can you afford it?"
Gaus frowned. He turned to his left to take in the image of the nearest fireball. How could such a massive abomination float harmlessly like a toy? It wasn't real, he knew it wasn't. After all, a fire burned people, no bloody idiot would decorate their homes with it.
"Why else would I be here?" Gaus said, not taking his eyes off the fireball.
"Alright." She turned to the two people (a boy and a girl) behind her, "Arna, you're up. Come and take care of this man."
And that was how Gaus met doctor Arna.
After he paid a deposit of two thousand ayrids, he found himself alone with her in one of the many rooms in the establishment. Truth be told, Gaus wasn't impressed. Arna was young (fourteen, probably younger), clumsy, and with dirty brown hair like her boss.
"What magic can you teach me?" He asked, putting unnecessary emphasis on the word 'magic'.
"What do you want to learn?" She asked, ignoring his ridicule.
"I want to learn magic from the beginning."
She stared at him for several seconds before she nodded and pushed the black case to the edge of the table. In case you were wondering, the black case was there on the table even when they entered the room.
"Let's start from the beginning. How many schools of magic do you know?"
"Four: spirits, runology and enchantment, swordsmanship, and ancestral bloodlines."
She nodded. "Expatiate."
Gaus cleared his throat and explained. He had read all about it in his long stay in the library.
"If your magiwatch doesn't come with a skill the slot will be empty. Every mage will have one chance to fill their slot with one school, depending on affinity.
"School of spirit deals with supernatural beings called spirits. It teaches how to enslave these beings and use their natural abilities. It's a general belief that spirits originated from the five major elements - fire, water, earth, lightning, and wind. Each spirit is born with the ability to control one element. If you were to enslave them then you will also have the same ability.
"The second school is runology and enchantment. This deals with the Runic Tongue of the old world. They translate skill formulas, enchant weapons, and create magical artifacts from nothing. It's the second-largest school after spirits.
"Next is the school of swordsmanship - the third largest. All swordsmen belong to this group. They teach not only the magical arts of sword fighting but also how to fight with other weapons like spears, shields, and projectiles as well. Most tanks belong here.
"Ancestral bloodlines is the smallest school in terms of both practitioners and popularity. It includes houses that can pass special traits from generation to generation. Yes, they aren't many compared to other practitioners but they are united and that's how they established a school that teaches magic."
Arna nodded. "I see. But you didn't talk about contracts. Which school will you put them?"
"Spirit, of course," Gaus answered proudly. He had studied these things for several loops.
Arna shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She tapped the table with her fragile index finger for several seconds before she sighed. "I know you've studied well before coming here and I have no intention of taking you back to the basics, but this whole classification is out of date. The modern age doesn't classify magic like this. I mean what's the use if everything just depends on affinity? Take for example contracts. Here a mage reaches level 100 and he could now share his skill with other mages. Not just spirit skills, any skill that reaches level 100 could be shared with others to some extent, so how will you categorize that? Nowadays, we prefer to just put everything into two classes: magiwatch mages otherwise called pacifists and non-magiwatch mages otherwise called blazers. Pacifists are born with skill in their magiwatch, unlike blazers who get it through a contract or by joining one of the four schools. Simple and easy, right?"
"...right." Every time he talked to one of the inhabitants he was reminded he was a foreigner. "My time is going, can we start the actual lesson?"
She tapped her watch and smiled. "We have to justify taking your money, right? Your training will start by testing your affinity, shall we?" Her tone was getting deeper like she was transforming from a girl to a woman. "Your hands, please?"
"My hands?"
"Yes, your hands. Hold them out."
He did as he was told.
"Alright. What do you see?" She turned the black case around and showed him the inside.
Gaus squinted and moved closer. "It looks empty to me."
"Yes, exactly. It's always empty before the magic is activated. It's a second-generation affinity tester. I will now activate it." She pressed a button and just like that the room went dark. So dark he couldn't see his palm.
Arna chanted something in an unknown tongue for a few seconds before she grabbed his outstretched hands.
"What?"
"Try to relax." She said.
The room lit up and the source of light was a snowball that had appeared out of nowhere in the black case.
Arna furrowed her brows as she released him and closed the case. Once closed the room returned to normal and the snowball disappeared.
"How did it go?"
"I'm sorry but..."
"What?" Gaus snapped.
"You've no affinity at all. Even after I enhance your channeling ability the only change was a .5% increase in spirit affinity. Others are... zero."
"What?"
She sighed. "It's hard but true. These testers are never wrong. Put your right hand on the box if you want to see it."
Gaus put his hand and a blue panel appeared.
Spirits 0.5% Ancestral bloodlines 0% Swordmanship 0% Runology and enchantment 0%
But he did have a magiwatch skill, didn't that count?
"It isn't as if we can't help you at all, mister Lake. If you can pay, we can train your physique." Arna said.
"I want to learn runology and skill formula translation, that's why I'm here. What does it have to do with my physique?" Gaus snapped.
"Skill formula?" Arna said with wide eyes.
"Yes, skill formula."
"Then all the more reason why you must enhance your physique. I know it won't help you with your formula study but runologist are the weakest mages in battle. The field is not suited for battle, any battle. Haven't you ever wondered why runologists have the best physique? It's because they've no choice but to enhance it in case they get involved in a fight. You must enhance your physique, young man." She explained.
"Young man? How old do you think you are? Fourteen? Thirteen?"
She shrugged with a nonchalant smile. "I'm actually much older than I look, but we aren't here to talk about my age, are we?" She grabbed his right hand and pressed her palm against his, "mister Lake, I really think you should train your physique. None of your attributes is over nine if my assessment is right."
Gaus pulled away from her. "Arna, right?"
She nodded.
"Tell me if there's any way to learn skill formula translation without having affinity in it. You did say the classification was old."
"Mister Lake, the classification doesn't matter but the affinity does. You can't learn runology with zero affinity. It's impossible. You can ask around if you want."
Actually, Gaus left La Magia and went to three other centers, each time retesting his affinity, asking the same questions, and getting the same answers in return.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"You can't learn Runology with zero affinity. It's impossible."
After wasting the whole day, he would later realize it wasn't just him, pacifists naturally had zero affinity in the four schools of magic because these schools were meant for blazers - people who didn't have a magiwatch skill. Nonetheless, he still needed to translate the skill formula to level up the skill. He couldn't learn the art (because he didn't have affinity in runology), and neither could he just grab the first person he saw and ask them to do it for him with another time traveler lurking, so what should he do?
After deliberating for a while, he decided not to rush it and wait a little until he had more information.
***
A couple of loops later when Arna offered to teach him how to enhance his physique he accepted.
"Follow me." She led him into a larger but empty room, "it's a bit expensive, but you know we have to pay the marines for using the dungeon, right?"
"How much?" Gaus asked with genuine concern. Ten kilos might sound like a big number but they weren't enough, not even close.
"One thousand per hour." She said.
Gaus sighed softly. The hotel accommodation and food would take three kilos leaving seven. He would pay Arna two thousand five hundred per hour and now one thousand per hour for using this special room.
"One hour then." He said.
Arna nodded. She walked to the far end of the room, cleaned the floor with her handkerchief, and turned to look at him with a toothy grin. "Your training begins as soon as my butt touches the floor."
"What are you talking about? How?"
She sat. "It has begun. Rules are simple: just walk to any wall and touch it. The nearest wall isn't up to five steps. Blink if you want to give up."
Gaus grimaced. He may be weak but even a baby could take five steps. "You really think I can't take these five steps, right?"
"You can take three steps, maybe four but I think five is too much." She said calmly.
Gaus clenched his jaw and jumped all the way to the nearest wall, or he thought he did but something happened and he was stopped midair, floating against his will.
What the hell is going on?
It had happened so fast: he had readied himself, jumped with the intent of reaching the nearest wall, and suddenly he couldn't move. There was no obvious restraint but he just couldn't move.
Is it an invisible enemy?
"I... can't.. breathe...."
As if floating him against his will wasn't enough of a tragedy, he started gasping for air.
"What? No, you should be able to breathe, after all this is just level 1. You can do it, try harder. Give it your all, mister Lake." She cheered him up but it felt like a mock.
"Keep on trying, you are almost there."
There? My ass...
Gaus blinked. Arna snapped her fingers and all the pressure disappeared and he fell to the hard floor.
"Training your body to move against resistance is the best way to improve your physique. We use condensed air from the dungeon to increase the resistance in this room and train our clients to move and fight against it. You'll receive some benefits if you continue." Arna explained.
"That was just level 1?" He asked.
Arna nodded. "There are twelve levels and this is the first."
Gaus dusted his robe and stood up. "I want to try again."
"That's what I want to hear." She gave him thumbs-up, nodding encouragingly. "Are you ready?"
Gaus nodded.
She snapped her fingers and the pressure returned. Now that he knew where the resistance came from he didn't jump, instead, he tried to move against it by dragging his feet and pushing forward. It worked.
+1 strength
+1 constitution
+1 speed
"Good. Very good. You are doing it right, but you've to put more energy into your legs. Once they improved your speed will double and your constitution will rise." She snapped her fingers to relieve the pressure.
Plus one to all, huh?
"Hey, what will happen if I repeat what I just did? Will they increase again?" Gaus asked.
"Every time you try your physique will improve even if the figures don't change."
"So the figures don't always change?" He asked.
Arna nodded. "They don't always change?"
"Why?"
"Well, that's because it gets harder as you grow. But as I said your physique will improve even if the numbers don't change."
Gaus thought about it. It made little sense. If the numbers were designed to determine the exact power of a physique then they should change whenever the physique change. Why would your physique improve and your attributes remain the same?
"I know what you are thinking," Arna cut him off, "that any improvement in physique should be determined by the numbers, right? Well, it is, in a way. But you see every number carries a different weight. If you take them as percentages then the amount of training you need to reach one hundred percent of one number is different from the next number. Say, you need five minutes of training to climb from a constitution of 10 to 11, then it might take ten minutes of training to climb from 11 to 12. That's how it works, and that's why you may not gain the same benefits by repeating the same training. The target is to always strive and train harder. Do you want to try again?"
Gaus smiled. A hint of mischief on his face. Instead of subjecting himself to a harsher training he would just Rewind and repeat the same thing over and over again, meanwhile getting the same benefits. In theory, this should work and Gaus should get +1 to all his attributes every time he Rewound and repeated the same training.
Let's put it to practice then.
Magiwatch has saved 15 seconds.
You've Rewound for 15 seconds, effectively erasing everything in the said period. Only you will remember.
***
"Are you ready?" Arna asked.
Gaus nodded.
She snapped her fingers and the pressure returned.
+1 strength
+1 constitution
+1 speed
He repeated the same thing over and over again, every time coming out with +1 to all his attributes. In the end, his speed, strength, and constitution were over 30, they should be. Huffing with excitement, he pressed the crown three times to see his physique.
Physique
Speed: 9
Constitution : 6
Strength: 8
Gaus blinked twice. He rubbed his eyes and read the blue panel again, hoping to see something different but it remained the same. His speed, constitution, and strength had only risen by 1. In other words, he had only retained the benefits of the last training, all the others were lost. So, Rewind didn't save the gain in attributes from the previous Rewinds despite saving the memory of the event. But why? Could it be that the skill could only save the memory of what happened but not the actual body changes? Gaus clenched his fist in trepidation. But it made sense: if rewind could save bodily changes then any damage he received during a fight would also remain even after he had Rewound. But the downside was he couldn't use it to level up or to improve his physique.
Sigh.
Enough training for one day. He went back to the hotel and slept.
***
Scream.
At first light, Gaus woke up with a resounding scream. His body trembled under his sweat-soaked underwear.
Magiwatch has saved twenty-four hours.
Heart pounding, he pressed the magiwatch three times to see his physique.
Physique
Speed: 8
Constitution : 5
Strength: 7
"Dammit!"
It was just as he thought. His physique had reverted to the baseline; even the one and only gain that rose his speed to 9, constitution to 6, and strength to 8 were lost. In other words, whenever the loop restarted any gain in levels and physique would be lost because rewind couldn't save bodily changes; only memory. This was another proof that the time loop had come to be as a result of Rewind just like his. It just kept getting complicated. Every answer leading to more questions, and he suspected that he had to answer every question to leave the time loop.
On the bright side, everyone else was also losing their levels whenever the loop restarted, meaning the other time traveler was also suffering the same fate. But something didn't add up: if every time the loop restarted the other time traveler would lose their levels and physique then they would still be at level 1, assuming they entered the loop as beginners like him. But that was very unlikely. The most likely scenario was that before creating the loop the other time traveler had already leveled up to the apex, which would put Gaus at a great disadvantage.
Shit.
But there was still a chance since they didn't find him. There must be something he could do to become stronger. Something...
He ran back to La Magia.
"What magic can you teach me?" He asked his personal trainer - Arna.
"What do you want to learn?" She said.
"You see, I'm a bit different from your usual customers. I don't know if you can cater to me."
"Try me."
He smiled innocently, scratching his temples. "I want to learn magic that doesn't rise physique and doesn't involve any leveling up. Am I in the right place?"
"Of course, you are. We specialize in all branches of alchemy: combat and non-combat. What do you want to learn?" She answered nonchalantly.
Gaus narrowed his eyes. That was unexpected. Why didn't he think of it before?
"Alchemy?" He asked with raised brows, "it's an interesting topic, but are you sure it doesn't require any physique or leveling up?"
"It doesn't. Which branch are you interested in? I would recommend combat because of your weak physique but the choice is yours."
Gaus walked to the window and stared into the distance, pretending to be thinking.
"I would also prefer the combat type. Although, I may change my mind in the future." He finally said.
And that was how his journey to becoming a battle alchemist began.
"Have you ever seen a battle alchemist fight?" She asked.
"No. But I would like to."
"That's good to hear because you must in order to understand what you are getting yourself into."
Arna gave him a list of three battle alchemists and sent him to the arena to watch the competition.
"Take this," she gave him a notebook, "observe and write the details of how they fight, how they stand, and how they lose. Come back tomorrow morning with the information to start your first lesson."
***
The arena sat in the western region of the city in a massive crater. The whole thing looked like someone had removed hundreds of layers of earth to create a massive hole in the ground just to build the arena. A giant, black wall encircled everything and served as a gate into the arena. It had two entrances: one for the audience and the other for the participants.
Gaus went to the audience entrance and paid fifty ayrids to enter.
From the entrance gate to the arena was a ten-minute walk, excluding the delay caused by a crowd of salesmen and women. The structure was simple: the audience seats surrounded the battle ring at the center like a football field. There was a hundred-meter space between the audience and the ring, a space occupied by small tents and notice boards. Some of the contestants had already arrived and were inside the tents while others checked out the boards.
A young man accompanied by seven mages all dressed in white walked into the arena. The audience cheered, pointing at him with reverence.
"Ah... So it's true!"
"I wouldn't have expected him to be here. This is going to be one hell of a Jinzidal."
By his side, a young boy who looked to be around eleven, asked his father, "father, I can't see, who is it? Is it the prince Ethrek?"
The father turned around and shook his head, "no, son, this is someone from hell, a scion of the old world - Ilun Baya. The people accompanying him are all big names from..." His voice grew quieter as he spoke until it was so low Gaus couldn't hear anything.
After Ilun Baya, several less impressive groups came before the next wave brought three famous groups. The ground shook as the audience cheered.
"Prince Ethrek!!"
''Oh, my...! That's Abbin of the Equatora."
''That large group in black and white came from Mikrom. They are offering mana potions for their warriors. How extravagant!''
"Yes, it's true. No wonder they have this many contestants. They have a handful of big names amongst them as well, most are mercenaries and bounty hunters but still..."
"It's so like them. Mikrom has never sent their own to the Jinzidal, always hiding behind mercenaries. I really don't get them."
The cheering continued.
Meanwhile, Gaus was probing someone for information. "Hey, buddy, I'm looking for some contestants." He retrieved a paper from his pocket and read the names out loud, "Tyren Onis, Ikenga Bell, and John Dyto."
They were the battle alchemists he was instructed to watch.
The man pointed to the notice boards below the ring. "Have you checked the names there?"
"Nope. Should I?"
"Yeah. If you are looking for contestants that's where you need to check first. Though I don't think you can now." He pointed at the commotion below the boards.
Gaus thanked the man and headed to the notice boards. He managed to get there but finding the names of the three battle alchemists had proven to be impossible. There were just too many people and too many papers to check. Besides, the matches were about to start.
"632 contestants are registered. Of which 105 are in block A, 107 in block B, 103 in block C, 100 in block D, 105 in block E, and 112 in block F. They will fight a battle royal that will produce one winner for each block. Afterward, we will have the elimination rounds.
"We will now start the matches. On my count, one... two.... three." The commentator hit the drum as a go-ahead to start.
Gaus was too busy finding the alchemists he forgot to claim his seat. According to his ticket, it would seat 1224. However, crossing the arena at that hour was impossible. He decided to watch the match from there. It was too close to the ring but he had no other choice.
The fights started as utter chaos, as one would expect, but a surprising event occurred shortly after the initial exchange. For block A, a warrior with a shining, silver hair transformed into an actual lightning bolt. He exploded in a flash and sent every other contestant on the ring flying. He won.
In block B the situation was similar: one crazy guy flew into the sky like a bird, he clenched his fist and punched the air in the direction of the ring below. A huge fireball materialized around his fist which then transformed into a fire fist that struck down the ring. Fire engulfed everything and by the time it stopped burning only charred corpses remained.
Group C was somewhat underwhelming: the winner used a simple spear (that could somehow expand and extend at a moment's notice) to pushed everyone out of the ring. Gaus didn't know how he did it but the spear grew exponentially larger by the second until it was larger than the ring itself, pushing everything else out.
Group D was a really good performance. None of the fights were like it. The winner created some kind of iron golems. He sat on a chair and sipped tea while his fifty or so golems fought his battle for him. The golems were terrifying: they won their battles with inhuman speed and agility and then ate their fallen enemies. Gaus didn't like that last part, but the performance was absolute. No wonder the audience cheered like crazy.
Group E and F saw a more gradual victory. Group E winner wielded a sword and some kind of gravitational push. Every swing would send her enemies flying and before long she was the last woman standing.
Group F battle was still going on. It was chaos but there was one man that stood out. He used some weird martial art: weak (from a mere look) but effective. Anyone he touched with his fist would automatically lose consciousness. His fighting style was as funny as hell. Even the names of his techniques were stupidly funny. 'Goat Strike', 'Ram Horn', 'Toilet Handle'... He was clumsy but funny. He took one hour to win, but he entertained the crowd.
Winners were announced by the commentator.
Group A
Prince Ethrek (level 50)
Allegiance: Nehu empire
Group B
Ilun Baya (level 50)
Allegiance: Doom
Group C
Mikrom Helkis (level 48)
Allegiance: Mikrom empire
Group D
Rafiyan Nazára (level 45)
Allegiance: Lurantino
Group E
Princess Janasal (level 43)
Allegiance:
Group F
Tyren Onis (level 21)
Allegiance: Thaha
There he was, Tyren Onis from Thaha, one of the three battle alchemists he was instructed to watch. Onis was the weakest of all the winners at level 21.
Tyren Onis
Level: 21
Gaus could Identify him, meaning his longevity was less than 50. What did Arna want him to learn by watching Tyren? He retrieved the notebook from his pocket and shortlisted a few points:
1. He has a level that's lower than almost everyone in his group.
2. He uses a bare hand to fight.
3. His attacks are very deadly.
4. Has a muscular build.
To him, the most striking aspect was Tyren's low level compared to the other contestants. Did this mean the levels didn't matter when it came to battle? A question for another time. The killing was about to continue.
As soon as the fallen warriors were cleared out of the ring, the commentator called the winners forward. Each was given a leaf with their names on it.
The commentator raised his hand. "Ready, on my mark, 3... 2... 1."
In response, the winners threw the leaves into the air at the same time.
After reaching their max velocity, the leaves returned to the ground. The first two leaves to touch the ground had the names of Rafiyan Nazára (group D winner) and Tyren Onis (group F winner) on them.
"The first match has been decided, we'll see the Chosen of House Rafiya - Rafiyan Nazára - against the dark horse Tyren Onis." The commentator announced.
Gaus was happy when Tyren turned out to be the first match. It was a chance to get a better look at the alchemist.
The match preparation took less than fifteen minutes. Tyren faced the iron golem master, Nazára.
As soon as the whistle was blown, Nazára launched thirty adult golems. Gaus wanted to see how Tyren would deal with the golems. If he were to defeat Nazára, a man at a level twice his own, then Gaus would definitely be learning battle alchemist from him. At that moment when Gaus was full of expectations for his fellow battle alchemist, Tyren admitted defeat.
"WHAT?! DID I HEAR THAT RIGHT?" The commentator shouted, confused.
"I surrender!" Tyren cowered, edging away from the golems and Nazára.
"What a coward!" It was difficult to know the first person who said it but everyone started calling Tyren a coward. They threw things at him and booed.
Later on, Gaus would look for the other two battle alchemists. His search would be in vain which would force him to come back the next day.
***
The loop restarted and by 9 am Gaus was back at the arena, looking for the other two battle alchemists. It would be three more hours before the arena was crowded, so he had all the time in the world to look through the 632 names on the notice boards for them.
He found them.
Group B
Ikenga Bell (Level 18)
Allegiance: Little Duke
Group B
John Dyta (Level 20)
Allegiance: Brenudan
One thing that was common among the three battle alchemists was their low levels compared to the other contestants. Tyren was 21, John was 20 and Ikenga 18, whereas more than eighty percent of the names on the board were above 40. The fact that both contestants were in block B meant he wouldn't be seeing their battles because they would both die at the beginning of the battle royal, burned to a crisp. He wouldn't get anything from them in this restart and he wouldn't be getting anything more from Tyren as well.
He would just wait until the battle royal was over and he would go back to La Magia so he could start his first lesson.
Today, he sat on the front seats. The matches went on just like yesterday. The six winners were asked to throw leaves and the first two leaves to touch the ground were selected to be the first match.
"The first match has been decided, we'll see the Chosen of House Rafiya - Rafiyan Nazára - against the dark horse Tyren Onis." The commentator announced.
It would have been an interesting match if Tyren hadn't spoiled it by surrendering.
Nazára launched his golems. In response, Tyren roared and attacked.
"And now the first match has begun. This is a match to remember. Nazara has launched his trusty golems but Tyren is not backing down." The commentator narrated the match with a high pitched voice, gesticulating extensively.
"Wait... This... why is he not surrendering?" Gaus murmured. Tyren should surrender; he certainly shouldn't roar and attack. His actions should be exactly the same as yesterday unless something had changed.
The commentary continued, "Tyren has dodged five golems in a row, he's aiming for an attack. What nerve! He wants to attack Nazara head-on despite being several levels lower than him."
Gaus was getting uneasy. Why the hell was Tyren still fighting...?
One golem hit Tyren on the head and sent him flying.
"Oh my, Tyren has received a hit. Can he really stand against the mighty of this chosen child from Rafiya?"
Tyren attacked again. But this time he didn't dodge the golems, he punched them out of his way.
Gaus Identified him just to make sure.
Tyren Onis
Level: 22
"What the hell is going on?" Gaus cursed. Tyren was at level 21 yesterday and now he was at level 22 which shouldn't be possible unless the loop was selectively preventing improvement in physique and simultaneously allowing leveling up. Gaus wouldn't know since he had never leveled up.
On the ring, Tyren tripped and one golem severed his right arm with its razor-sharp claws.
"Is he dead? He's not moving. Oh my God, that would be cruel even for a match this big. Healers come forward, Tyren may be out. I'll count ten and if he is still down we will consider it a win for the golem boss. One, two, three, four...."
Magiwatch has saved 20 seconds.
"What the hell?!"
Time turned back. The golem was about to crush Tyren but he dodged at the last minute.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
Gaus was dumbstruck. Just who the hell is Tyren?
First, the guy leveled up from level 21 to level 22; second, he made different decisions in two consecutive loops; third, a Rewind popped out of nowhere and saved him from certain death. All these were pointing at one thing.
Is Tyren really the other time traveler?
But something didn't add up. Why would a looper waste their time in a competition such as this when they already knew the outcome?
Gaus stared at Tyren silently, secretly wondering if he was looking at the other time traveler or his eyes were playing tricks on him.