Lostlyne, as he contemplated how to inflict damage on the beast, increasingly noticed the monstrous appearance of the giant scolopendra. Those sharp fangs-like blades and the exoskeleton that seemed impenetrable made it more difficult for Lostlyne to devise a good strategy to win.

With determined eyes, Lostlyne delivered precise blows against the scolopendra, aiming for the cracks in its thick exoskeleton. The creature reacted with speed, evading attacks and counterattacking with wild fury. Its fangs sparkled in the darkness, ready to inflict deadly damage.

In the intense battle, Lostlyne suffered several wounds, but his regeneration ability came into play, gradually aiding him in recovery. Each swing of the sword was a calculated risk, every movement studied to try to overcome the centipede's defense.

After a fierce and bloody fight, Lostlyne finally managed to find a weak point in the creature's armor. With a supreme effort, he thrust his sword through the vulnerable part, eliciting a poignant cry from the centipede.

The creature writhed in agony, attempting to free itself from Lostlyne's grasp, but it was too late. With a series of final strikes, Lostlyne defeated the gigantic monster. The creature emitted a final groan, collapsing onto the sand.

Lostlyne, severely injured and exhausted, let himself fall to the ground, his sword still soaked with the centipede's blood. Silence returned to the desert, interrupted only by Lostlyne's heavy breathing. Victory had been achieved with difficulty, but his courage and determination had triumphed against a formidable adversary.

[Level up]

[Level up]

Lostlyne looked skeptically at those level-up messages, questioning the Keeper:

"What are these annoying level-up messages?"

[It's a way to make you understand how much stronger you're becoming.]

"But it's nonsense; we're not in a video game."

[I know they do it in manhwa and videogames]

"Get rid of this thing; I hate it. It just takes up useless space in my field of view."

[Received.]

"Now that I have a moment, I could take a look at the skills I possess... What was it? Skill?"

Last Hope

Time Rewind

Eyes of the Superb

Regeneration of the Fallen

"Interesting... Kepper, I would like to see the main window as well."

Name: Lostlyne Miller

Title: Hunter of Eternal Hope

Grade: E

Gift: Ultimate Hope

"Where is the rank?"

[You said you didn't like these manhwa-like things]

At least let me have the rank.

Name: Lostlyne Miller

Hunter Title: Hunter of Eternal Hope

Hunter Grade: E

Gift: Ultimate Hope

Lostlyne examined the information, reflecting on his growth and the Gift that fate or perhaps the Guardian had bestowed upon him. The path to becoming an elite hunter was taking shape, and his determination grew along with his power.

The boy spent his days inside the dungeon facing monsters outdoors until the color of the name above their heads turned white. It had become easy for him to confront the immense centipedes or desert wolves he encountered while wandering through the dungeon for training. Lostlyne decided to calmly return to the boss's building, giving it time to regenerate. Despite the Fallen's Regeneration being an incredible ability, it took a long time to heal completely.

"Here we are again."

"The upper part of my armor is devastated; my skills will have to compensate for all of this."

Lostlyne entered the temple again, reaching the door and hiding the terracotta soldiers.

"This door, once closed, will never reopen, and I'm not sure that time travel will help me this time."

"But I can see perfectly."

The names of the enemies were yellow, so they weren't impossible to defeat; the only obstacle was their quantity.

The battle against the terracotta soldiers was an imposing task, a frenetic dance between Lostlyne's sword and the rigid forms of his opponents. Their surprising resistance and lack of emotions made it difficult to predict their movements. However, Lostlyne, with his superb eye and the skills acquired over time, managed to find weaknesses in their defense.

His sword strikes were precise, targeting the joints and cracks in the ancient terracotta armor.

The strikes of his sword were precise, aimed at the joints and cracks of the ancient armor. The metallic sound of blades clashing echoed in the temple as Lostlyne tried to overcome the overwhelming strength of the soldiers. His regeneration ability kept him in the game, even as the wounds accumulated.

With skill and determination, Lostlyne finally managed to defeat the last wave of terracotta soldiers. The temple was silent again, only Lostlyne's heavy breathing interrupting the quiet rest of the fallen terracotta warriors.

"Oh, darn! The lighter is not here!"

[The lighter got lost in time.]

"I hadn't thought about it; I had taken for granted that rewinding time would find it there."

"Oh well, it's time to open this damn door."

Having opened the door, Lostlyne found himself in a beautifully illuminated and decorated room. At the end of the hall, Lostlyne saw a throne occupied by someone.

Approaching, Lostlyne noticed that it was a terracotta soldier, probably the leader of the previous horde. As he got closer, he observed the figure better; unlike the others, this statue did not have insect-like features but rather resembled a human or an elf.

The Boss had risen and could move freely. It was about ten meters away from Lostlyne, and above its head was the red inscription [Desert Elf, Acrab]. That red color, announcing its danger, made Lostlyne shiver. The boy could even sense the power emanating from that elf. The weapon the elf had was a dagger, which, once drawn from its sheath, ignited. In an instant, the boss covered the ten meters that separated him from the young hunter, and with a small gesture, he thrust his flaming dagger between Lostlyne's ribs, causing him to scream in pain from the fire of the enemy's blade. Lostlyne did not retreat, and while the dagger was still embedded in him, he attacked the elf with his weapon, making him step back. However, with all his fury, the elf attacked with a second slash, which with that agility would have been fatal for Lostlyne. At that moment, a strange sensation enveloped him, and suddenly he found himself again in front of the boss, exactly as before, he was sitting on the throne again, petrified. The awareness of having discovered a key to facing the challenge filled him with determination.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

"Every time I'm about to die, I manage to rewind time... maybe it's my will to live, or maybe it's something else that still wants me alive," thought Lostlyne, reflecting on his experience. The will to live, and the desire to win, seemed to unleash the power of time travel. With this awareness, he decided to face the boss with a new strategy.

The boss, still sitting impassively on his throne, began to move. The terracotta statue came to life, its eyes glowing with an eerie light. Lostlyne, with the sword firmly in his hand, prepared for an epic battle.

The boss rose again from his throne; the clash was more intense. Lostlyne managed to dodge the boss's initial strikes despite still having wounds from the previous encounter. The boss attacked furiously, avoiding Lostlyne's attacks with surprising agility. Acrab's sharp blades approached dangerously, but the young hunter managed to evade the lethal blows with quick and precise movements.

Every time the boss seemed about to deliver the decisive blow, the young hunter rewound time, avoiding imminent danger.

And each time it happened, he became better at controlling this power. He understood more and more how far back in time he needed to go, that everything around him would rewind in time, and that the boss would return to its initial state, without any wounds, while he accumulated more and more injuries.

As the fight continued, Lostlyne developed a bold strategy. Each time he went back in time, he carefully observed the boss's movements and learned from its actions. Over time, he gained detailed knowledge of the enemy's attack patterns and became increasingly adept at anticipating the elf's agile moments.

With a bold move, Lostlyne decided to challenge fate and time travel once and for all, returning to the moment when the boss seemed most vulnerable. With lethal precision, he unleashed devastating attacks, exploiting his agility.

The boss, now weakened and unable to resist the accumulated wounds, emitted a hoarse scream. Determined, Lostlyne continued the assault, exploiting every opening. With a final blow using the sword gifted by the Paladin, he brought down the boss, who collapsed defenseless on his throne.

Exhausted but victorious, Lostlyne contemplated the result of his tenacious battle. With the boss defeated, he opened the main window to examine changes in his abilities and assess his progress.

"The Superb Eye has evolved as an ability, incredible. Now I can see the enemies' moves better."

"It's possible that all the other abilities can evolve as well."

"It's time to get out of this miserable place."

Severely injured, Lostlyne limped out, using the sword as a makeshift cane. He stopped in the room containing the soldiers to find the lighter, which he quickly located. Every passing minute made him feel better as his passive regeneration kicked in automatically.

"I wasn't up to the challenge of this dungeon."

"I kept going back in time by minutes; I feared being stuck in a temporal loop forever or worse, dying."

"I think I've figured out how my ability works, though."

Lostlyne had no intention of staying in the dungeon to recover because he preferred to return to the refuge and speak with the Guardian after getting a good rest.

"There's the portal, always that blood-red color that symbolizes nothing good."

Exiting, the boy walked towards the refuge. Still recovering from the battle, Lostlyne encountered General Ark on his way.

"Lostlyne?! Where have you been? The Paladin sent two teams to look for you!"

"Hello, Ark. It's quite a long story..."

"I could use a bit of help, please."

"Your armor is half destroyed; let me help you."

Lostlyne, limping, was assisted by General Ark, who helped him walk to reach the refuge.

"Lostlyne, where have you been? We thought you were dead!" said Rusvald.

"Sit here; I'll take care of you now."

"What a marvel! You have a regeneration factor much faster than a normal hunter!"

"Do I?"

"You can see it with the naked eye! The less deep wounds have already completely healed!"

"Losty! You're here!"

"Sorry if I made you worry, Eve, it wasn't my intention."

With the wheelchair, she approaches and punches him, then hugs him.

"Sorry, Eve."

"At least you're alive."

"Where's your father?"

"Dad went out to look for you with the other hunters."

"I should go out to find him."

"Stop, Lostlyne. The Paladin said to stay here if someone found you."

"Okay."

"Your armor is worn out."

"I didn't fare well, but the Boss fared worse."

"Your father's sword helped me a lot."

"Probably without it, I would be dead."

The Paladin entered disheartened, reached the main hall, and took off his cloak.

"Still no sign of Lostlyne; his tracks stop in an alley."

"Hello, Paladin."

"Lostlyne?! You look terrible. Where have you been?"

"Long story, Paladin, a nasty dungeon..."

"And who did you enter the dungeon with?"

"No one."

"Are you an idiot? Did you face a dungeon alone?" Rusvald exclaimed.

"I wanted to see how strong I had become."

"And how strong have you become?"

"Not strong enough."

"I cheated to win."

"Cheated? How?"

Lostlyne got up from the chair, thanked Rusvald for the care, and signaled to the Paladin to follow him.

"Tell me, Lostlyne."

"I learned to rewind time."

"What do you mean by rewinding time? Did you go back to the past?"

"No, I think I managed to rewind time by just a few seconds."

"And can you do it at will?"

"More or less. I think I can rewind time as long as there is a need or more likely when I have a strong desire to live."

"The way you describe it, it seems like you stay there while the world goes back in time, and we need to send you back to your era."

"But I think this is the right path."

"I'll keep doing my best, Paladin, for all of us. Now I'm going to see old Rus."

"Get a good rest; see you for the next training."

Lostlyne headed towards the alchemist Rusvald's room, which was on the other side of the building.

"This is the first time I've come to this wing of the refuge."

He knocked on Rusvald's door and said loudly, "Rus, old boss, it's me."

"Don't call me that way, Paladin Jr.," he said, opening the door.

"And don't call me that way, old boss."

"Come on, have a seat."

"Thanks, Rusvald," Lostlyne sat down.

"What do you need from me?"

"A little favor, boss... I need your alchemist skills."

"With pleasure, Lostlyne! Every day, before going to sleep, I always create some concoctions with my abilities to keep from rusting."

"Perfect, friend. I would need something strong, something that can help me in battle. Today was really tough."

"Of course! I'll create a small, effective kit for you. Now, go to sleep."

"Sleep? The Paladin punished me, and now I have to train with him again."

Laughing heartily, Rusvald said, "Youth... The Paladin, despite his age, keeps going strong."

"I recommend... When you go back in time, don't socialize with him because at that time, he used to train up to three times a day."

"Time travel? What are you talking about, Old Rus?"

"Don't mock me; someone who comes here and knows nothing about the Knights either lived under a rock or is not from this time."

"And you reached these conclusions this way?"

"Plus, every time you had your secret meetings, Evelyn, Ark, and I heard everything from how loudly you spoke."

Lostlyne burst into hearty laughter.

"So, how's it going with your Gift?"

"I found a lead. Maybe by continuing like this, I can travel to 2023; I just need to master Ultimate Hope."

"Ultimate Hope, quite amusing. It's the same name as the guild, and it's rather long for a Gift."

"I know, Rus, it's a funny coincidence."

"It's been a long time since I laughed like this, since I lost my nephew..."

"How did it happen?"

He began to tear up, "It was the first day when all those monsters came out of the portals..."

Lostlyne looked at the old man with compassion.

"It's fortunate that I never experienced this, but I also think about it. I think about the fact that my relatives and the other Lostlyne died in those dark days."

"When you return to your time, to your home, avoid all this. I beg you, I don't want anyone else to go through all that."

"Come on, now go. The Paladin doesn't forgive lateness, and I'll start working on your kit."

"See you, Rus."

Lostlyne, back in his room after his punitive training with the Paladin, sat on his bed.

"It's time to talk, Keeper."