- Effect: Increases movement speed by 50%, grants immunity to slow effects, but drains stamina and MP continuously.
I shot forward, snatching the sword from the sand and swinging to meet her wavy blade. Metal screamed against metal, the impact jolting through my bones as momentum carried me into her. We tumbled across the sand, my sword slipping from my fingers. I had to deactivate the mask before it drained me completely.
I scrambled up, searching for my weapon, but the psycho was already sprinting toward me. “Shit!” I activated hydrokinesis [Inner Flow], but before I could unleash Aqua Surge, green light exploded against the back of her head. She stumbled, giving me time to stagger back—my foot finding cold metal. I snatched up the sword and leveled it at her.
Cronia materialized nearby, transforming into the book and opening to my bonds page.
[BONDS]
[Bond Points: 1/5]
[#1] [Gripjaw] [BONDED]
[#2] [N/A]
[#3] [N/A]
[#4] [N/A]
[#5] [N/A]
There's something you need to see, Cronia said as I inched away, eyes locked on the killer's fanged, insane grin. My heart thundered, and I backed up a little faster.
The book's glow drew my attention to a new page:
[Bond Abilities]
[Bond Ability #1: Redo]
[Unlocked at: 1/5 bonds]
[Description: Rewind time up to 5 seconds]
[Cost: 20% burnout per second rewound]
[Deific Burnout Meter: 0%/100%]
I absorbed the information as the woman's blade arced toward my neck. I ducked, thrusting at her gut. She slid back, then kicked my wrist, practically snapping my joint and sending my weapon flying.
Immediately, I activated Rewind. Time slowed.
[Rewind how many seconds?]
[1-5 seconds]
Mental images showed my position at each second. At three seconds, my weapon was kicked free.
I selected four seconds.
An outside force seized control, yanking everything backward—sword to hand, bodies to position. As time normalized, I thrust my arm down, dodging her kick. Shock flashed in her eyes as I stabbed again, connecting with thin armor and knocking her off balance. She spun and threw her wavy blade.
A green wireframe barrier materialized around me, catching the sword. Gasping, I activated Aqua Surge, punching out and throwing water-bolts that she easily dodged. Damn! She was blindingly fast. She reached for the handle of her blade, but slashed out.
She jumped back, then rushed forward. I stabbed, but she feinted spun before launching a punch that cracked the wireframe shield. I staggered as she yanked her blade free, shattering the wireframe entirely.
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A quick glance showed my burnout at 80%. The mere thought of hitting 100% sent a warning wave of nausea through met. But she was already spinning, blade flashing. I barely got my weapon up to block.
The force knocked my sword away, sending it through the air dome into the kelp forest. Before I could move or breathe, her blade punched through my chest, popping my lung. My eyes bulged as I stared into hers, time crystallizing as realization hit.
This wasn't a test.
She was a murderer, like the masked cultist.
She'd lured me here to toy with me before killing me for nothing but cruel pleasure.
I tried to breathe, but pain shot through chest. Blood pooled in my mouth, dripping from my lips as I slid back and collapsed, pressing both hands to my chest. The woman withdrew her blade, blood—my blood—staining the wavy steel. She gestured to someone.
The shell-masked stranger appeared, shoving something in my mouth. "Bite," he demanded, forcing my jaw closed. Warmth exploded down my throat, drawn to my wound like a magnet. Fire erupted through my veins. My back arched as a roar tore from my throat.
When I blinked, I could breathe again, though in ragged gasps. The encroaching darkness receded. Cronia floated nearby, expression tense and deeply concerned. Other sounds filtered in—wild clacking and screaming.
Gripjaw, running around me.
Rosamae, held back by a wood-masked person.
I sat up, rubbing the new scar where the sword had pierced me. A rubber taste lingered, with a gag-inducing aftertaste like fart.
The gaunt shell-mask man stood watching, ribs protruding from his pale chest. He wore dark, baggy pants. Gripjaw hissed at my attacker, carapace raised, while Rosamae broke free from the wood-masked person, screaming wildly.
Then Rosamae saw me. "Zale!" She tackled me in a crushing embrace, her body shaking. This close, I saw her puffy, red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked cheeks.
[Experience Points gained: 50]
[New Skill Unlocked: Melee Fighter]
"Why did you come?" the sharp-toothed woman asked, cleaning my blood from her blade.
"He came to be trained by you!" Rosamae's raw emotion cracked through the air.
The woman's glare made my neck hairs rise and heart race, but it wasn't arrogant—just intense. Still… I hugged Rosamae closer, letting her squeeze me like she feared I'd vanish.
The woman sat back on her rock and resumed sharpening her blade, sparks flying. I first had to breath a couple dozen times before responding… Once my shaking died down, I took one last deep breath. This women isn’t a murderer, just a hard-core, hell-leveled teacher.
And she was waiting for an answer.
I considered telling her I needed to improve my fighting, but knew she'd reject that. Part of me wanted to cuss her out for attacking me, but I, again, breathed deep instead. A meditation skill floated nearby, unused like hundreds of others that appeared when I did anything new.
[New Skill Unlocked: Meditation]
[Activate?]
Of course, I thought. Energy flowed from crown to toes as it activated.
Meditation (Level 1) [0/100 (Noob)]
- Enter a state of calm focus, enhancing your mental clarity and resistance to distractions.
- Effects:
- Restores 1% of maximum MP per second while active (up to 10 seconds).
- Reduces incoming mind-affecting effects (e.g., fear, confusion) by 5%.
- Increases focus-based accuracy and stability by 10%.
- Bonus:
- Each successful focus-based action while the skill is active extends the duration by 1 second (up to 5 additional seconds).
"Well?" she asked, still sharpening.
"We're both Beachstriders," I said firmly. "I think you know why I'm here." Memories surfaced—those Tidewalkers nearly beating me, people staring down with contempt, that poor Beachstrider shoved aside and denied food.
She kept scraping her blade. "Why are you here?"
"Because Tidewalkers think they're better than us! Because pure-bloods treat me like dirt, like a roach to be crushed and scraped into the garbage!"
I ranted on as she sharpened faster, cheeks reddening, until she shouted "Enough!" and leaped up. She planted her blade in the sand and unsheathed a purple-misted dagger, chest heaving. "I've heard enough."
My heart pounded. Rosamae tensed beside me as Gripjaw growled. Looking into the woman's eyes, I saw something familiar in that dead gaze. A broken soul. Someone so deeply wounded that even the gods couldn't restore her. I recognized that look from my own mirror, still present in Zale Seacrest's reflection.
When she strode toward me, I stiffened, but drowsiness crept in
[Status Effect: Drowsy - Magnified healing potion heals wounds most cannot, but leaves the user drowsy for 24 hours].
Rosamae and Gripjaw moved to protect me, but the woman waved them off.
"We need more people like you, Zale!” she shouted, yanking me up. My vision blurred. "People with a hunger for justice! But I don't train for free. Promise to answer when I call in a favor. Do you promise?"
I hesitated, wondering what this broken soul might demand. But Cronia's silent presence reminded me—after this loop, she'd forget me. If her favor proved as twisted as her sword through my chest, I could refuse without lasting consequences.
"I agree," I said, then added, "On one condition."
She frowned. "What?"
"Can you give me a permit to buy weapons?"
Her predatory grin returned. "I can arrange that."
"Then we have a deal."
"Let's seal it." She grabbed my wrist. "Open your palm."
I obeyed, flinching as she pressed the purple-edged dagger into my flesh. The burning was nothing compared to earlier.
[Soul Mark: 1]
Cronia hummed curiously. It's how people track others, marking souls. I've seen it before. She grimaced and said no more.
But I understood—this was a collar, letting the woman and her associates track me. But the next loop would reset everything, so it didn’t matter. And I was eager to learn. My heart now pounded with anticipation. This woman clearly knew her craft, and I'd absorb every lesson possible.
"Buckle up," she said, sheathing the dagger and handing me a short sword. "Time to learn."
Then she shoved me back and charged, wavy blade flashing.