JIE was horrified about the difference in the flow of time. “That is not funny!”“To give you consolation, the time loop resets every one hundred twenty days. That is if I don't starve and eat your spirit.” Hamriel said it casually.“How long have you been here?” He asked even though he had no idea what a reset meant.“I lost count. All I know is that I've been alive for nearly five thousand years.” The priestess shrugged.“Five thousand years! Holy cow!” Jie turned his attention back to the child near him. “How about you, weakling?”“Me? I'm ten years old!” She showed all her fingers.“Ten? Why are you so small for your age? You're even smaller than my sister!”“Oh, that. I stopped aging a few years ago. I just counted the years even after I died.” She stood up and strolled near the priestess. “What are we g
THE priestess stood up after chugging another glass of wine. She didn’t even give Jie ample time to prepare. Hamriel grabbed his arm, and together they disappeared.Jie’s eyes widened when he was suddenly located on a floating island with a gigantic tree at its center. He could see the ice castle at a distance and the crashing ocean waves below.“This will be our battlefield, Ethros. There’s no way of escaping. If you want to keep your life, then stay alive,” Hamriel smirked. She motioned her hand, and a golden spear sword appeared. “Its name is Frostbite. I hope your weapon will stand a chance at this.”“Glad you introduced your weapon. I haven’t named mine. I don’t think that’s necessary; I’ll defeat you no matter what.” Jie drew his bamboo sticks and posed for a fighting stance, preparing to defend.“Then I shall bestow the name Twinnus for your b
THE next morning, Hamriel was already on the Four Seasons Isle—the floating island battlefield—before Jie could open his eyes. He slept under the tree, and he survived the night because Weakling kept checking on him, bringing him food, and giving him proper clothing since the night had become freezing. Jie had never regretted his decision to refuse to return to the ice castle.“Good thing that you’re still alive.” Hamriel studied his horrible condition. “Why do you still refuse to stay inside the castle? It’ll offer the best comfort your body needs.”“No way! I’d rather stay here than be closer to you. Who knows what you’d do when I’m asleep?"Hamriel chuckled with his answers. “I can kill you anytime I want, Ethros. Do you think I don’t know that Weakling is helping you in secret? Poor child, so fascinated by a human like you.”“When I go out of this cursed place, I’ll take Weakling with me.” Jie suddenly decided this because the more he conversed with the child, the more he learned
JIE was so ecstatic that he was able to summon the fire for the first time. He did it repeatedly until he was out of strength. He was so focused on his newfound skill that he failed to notice that the shackle curse in his neck became fainter than usual. “Amazing! I didn’t know I was capable of this. I heard it was rare to wield the magic of different affinities.” Jie could not contain his excitement. If only his companions could see him right now, they’d surely be happy. Especially all the Ardhians who rooted in him. Jie silently swore that once he saved Nyssa, he’d return to Nirvana Metropolis to strengthen their defense against the empire. However, he was not even sure if he’d manage to survive the ordeal inside this time loop barrier. “Strengthen your fire manipulation techniques. It wouldn’t be easy, I know. But you need to give your best. The vast scale of the difference between your power and that of the priestess is immeasurable. Yours is just a speck.” “That’s comfortin
HAMRIEL was inside the library of the ice castle casually reading a book when Weakling entered holding a glass of water.It was almost midnight. “It's already late, Weakling. You should be sleeping by now. It'll strengthen your spirit.” Hamriel put down the book she was reading after the child gave her the glass. “I just came to see if you were fine.” Weakling smiled warmly. Hamriel drank the water and took the glass back to her table. “It is happening again. You know where to hide. It's the safest place inside this barrier.” “Why has it seemed you're saying goodbye, Priestess?” Weakling’s little face was worried. “I have seen Ethros’ improvements. I guess he's the one I'm waiting for.” Hamriel averted her gaze. “The one who'll free you from the curse?” Hamriel nodded. “Hopefully, I've been looking forward to this day for over two thousand years.” “But Priestess, what will happen to us?” Hamr
“PRIESTESS!” Weakling sobbed hard as Hamriel’s body slowly disintegrated. “No, you can’t leave us here!” Jie tried to console the child, even though he was confused for a moment, because, at the back of his mind, she vividly saw Hamriel. He was shouting her name in agony as he witnessed a pair of ivory wings being cut from her back. “Hami…” he suddenly muttered. He was probably hallucinating again, so Jie hardly shook his head. “How can I survive here without you?” Weakling continued to lament as she couldn’t hold Hamriel’s body anymore. “That’s enough, Weakling.” He breathed out. Soon after the priestess’ body was gone, a medium-sized white orb suddenly materialized. “Oh, God! What is this?” He was hesitant to touch it. Although he was just waiting for a confirmation about it. “I guess that’s the Orb of Oblivion... sealed inside the priestess’ body,” Weakling said after she wiped her tears. “This is... the legendary orb?” Jie grabbed the orb carefully and studied it. He’
JIE was confused to see the face of the unfamiliar man. “Who is he?” “That's Birsha, the guild master of the Black Destroyers. Unfortunately, they crossed the labyrinth at the most dreadful time. The maze was moving uncontrollably; all his companions were wiped out. If only the captain wasn't near the vicinity, he'd surely die in the clasp of a Doppelis.” Criston supplied him with all the information needed. “Let’s bring him out then.” Jie decided. Criston assisted Birsha. He removed the rope tied to his feet so he could walk. “Let’s fly. I have enough energy to reach the labyrinth,” Damien said. Criston got Birsha, while Damien carried Jie on the magic circle as they flew. It only took them a few minutes. Unexpectedly, they did not encounter any monsters. And the most surprising thing was that the Zhuartan Labyrinth was on a perfectly straight path. It wasn't dark, and there were no signs of monsters inside. “What is going on?” Birsha broke his silence. “The labyrinth took
EVERY face in the room was excited about the idea of sparring. For Ryker, it was his way of measuring Ethros’ capability since they had no other choice but to launch an attack on the tower. “Pardon my intrusion, my lord. But I want to know what happened to Liv.” Lucius worriedly asked. Jie gently tapped the old man’s shoulder. “She’s fine; Liv made her choice. I’d love to fill you in on the details later. But to sum up, Liv is with Strela inside the time loop barrier.” “Time loop barrier? I know you’d successfully cross Litus Forest effortlessly.” The old man appeared proud of their feat. “I can’t wait to know about Strela.” “It wasn’t easy, Lucius. It was a consolation that I’d met Strela—she’s an adorable child. But then again, it wasn’t a walk in the park,” Damien said. Ryker raised an eyebrow as he heard the captain. “For a mediocre fighter like you, of course it’s hard. You failed to obtain the legendary orb anyway.” Jie suppressed his laughter. He missed the bickering