Chapter 31 – The First Reset

A deathly silence fell over the room as the cleric reached his chilling conclusion.

“I’ve never heard of such an ability.”

“Could it be because of that fake mark on his hand?”

“The power to devour another’s mana? That cannot be a gift from the gods. It’s heresy!”

“What should we do with him?”

“…There is no benefit in letting a creature like this live. Kill him.”

Even though I had died once before, and even though I knew I’d have a chance to redo this, my body’s primal instinct was still terror. Adrenaline surged through my veins, screaming at me to run.

But I had lost far too much blood. My body was devoid of strength; my limbs trembled uncontrollably.

“Don’t get close to him! He might drain your mana if he touches you!”

I struggled to roll over and stand, but it was too late. Several Church soldiers lunged forward, their spears driving into my chest without a moment’s hesitation.

A harrowing pain flooded my body, followed immediately by a profound, consuming darkness.

———————-

I lay curled on the floor, clutching my chest in front of Halunar for nearly half an hour. It wasn’t physical pain—I assumed I couldn’t meet a Goddess in my mortal flesh—but the phantom memory of that agony lingered in my mind long after.

Finally, I looked up at the golden-haired Goddess sitting before me, resting her chin on her hand.

“Couldn’t you have stopped time before I got stabbed?”

Halunar offered a smile as gentle as a spring breeze.

“I have to be certain you’re going to die before I turn back time, don’t I? What if you had managed to turn the tables at the last second?”

“There was no ‘turning the tables’ in that situation,” I grumbled irritably, scrambling to my feet.

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“Well then, shall we set a keyword? Whenever you need a reset, how about you shout: ‘O All-Powerful and Beautiful Goddess Halunar, please grant me salvation’?”

“…I’ll take that into consideration.”

“So, when do you want to return to? The very first day, or this morning?”

I sat cross-legged, deep in thought. Based on what I had just endured, I could logically piece together several facts.