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Chapter 198

“Dark.”
Zarek felt like he was in an endless void of darkness.
He could hear voices, smell things, and even feel touch and pain if his body was injured.
But he was in a state of almost complete paralysis, and time bound him tightly in place.
It felt like his soul had already completely left his body, almost like he was in an ethereal state because of it.
No, he was really in an ethereal state.
His soul was hovering inches away from his body.
And if this went on, Zarek’s soul would completely come out of his own body.
Just then, something strange happened to him. A strange energy flickered for a moment, and his entire body and soul seemed to change in an instant.
Not a visible change, but one that only he could feel.
The time that had bound him seemed to shift instantly.
His body, mind, soul and something else, something strange, began tuning to the Time that bound him.
Everything felt extremely slow, as if an eternity had already passed.
And with each passing second, his soul slowly returned to his body.
Then, Zarek could faintly feel a binding, almost like a chain wrapped around him.
These were the chains of Time itself that bound him, and bit by bit, those chains began to gradually…
Loosen.
That’s right, it started to loosen up bit by bit.
Zarek wasn’t breaking free from the bindings of Time.
He was adapting to Time itself.
This grueling process felt like it agitated his mind, and an unbearable urge to escape overtook him. His body felt itchy, yet he couldn’t move his fingers to scratch, leaving his mind in utter frustration.
However, Zarek somehow managed to suppress the urge, and the itchiness in his body faded away.
Just then, his mind was struck with sharp pain, his nervous system felt like countless ants were crawling through it, biting at him.
’Ahhhh.’
Zarek wanted to scream. His mind felt like it was carrying a thousand tons of weight, and he was being crushed underneath.
This feeling lasted for a long time, leaving his mind almost utterly broken…
Before it finally ended.
“Is it done?”
Suddenly, his vision shifted, and he found himself standing before a river.
“Huh?” Zarek was confused, his mind whirling with thoughts as he looked around.
“What’s happening?”
He took a moment to gaze at the river and froze.
“Is… is this Time?”
Zarek watched scenes from the past, when he first arrived in this world in the slums, the battle with the Valkyrie, his imprisonment, and the fights with the wardens.
It was like a movie reel playing all his past in this world right before his eyes, perfectly showing every moment.
Then, after it all played out…
His vision snapped back and he was back in his own body.
The chains seemed to have loosened enough.
Zarek tried to move his fingers and to his absolute delight, they moved. It was still difficult, but he could do it.
Then he began to move his muscles.
The resistance was incredibly strong, but it was loosening with every breath.
After an unknown amount of time, the chains completely loosened, and he was able to move again.
Zarek stood up with a groggy mind.
Countless blue panels appeared in front of him, but his mind was too blurry to register them.
His legs wobbled, and he fell to the ground on his knees.
“Hmm.” Zarek closed his eyes and gathered his scattered thoughts.
He could feel a strange and unknown connection to something, something ethereal. It felt like it didn’t exist, yet existed at the same time.
Zarek looked at his hand and instinctively muttered,
“Time Save.”
To the naked eye, nothing seemed to happen.
Zarek then extended his hand, and the massive purple hammer floated toward him. He gripped it tightly.
Then, with a single motion, he swung it down toward his left hand.
Bang!
His left hand muscles were crushed, and his bones shattered, tendons crushed.
Zarek gritted his teeth and barely managed to utter, drawing upon the strange connection he felt:
“Time Revert.”
Right before his eyes, his injured hand reverted, restoring itself from its broken state to full recovery in an instant.
It was as if he had never been struck by the hammer, his hand wasn’t broken at all. It had returned to its optimal state, just as it was before.
“Interesting.” Zarek’s eyes lit up as his gaze was finally drawn to the blue panel.
[You have Adapted to Time]
[You have gained an exclusive skill bound to skill]
…
(First Stage)
You can freeze a moment of reality, preserving the current state for a short duration. Use Time Save to anchor the preserved moment, and Time Revert to return to that exact point in time.
…
“This is amazing.”
Zarek took a deep breath to calm his excitement, this was basically cheating in itself.
It was like having another life.
He could preserve his physical state, fight the enemy and even if he were one-shot and couldn’t adapt in time, he could simply revert back to his initial state. That would give him just enough of a chance to adapt and become stronger.
This ability was perfect for him.
Zarek stretched his muscles while swinging his hammer.
And this ability wasn’t limited to just himself, he could apply it to inanimate objects as well.
At that moment, footsteps echoed in the room.
From the door, Drayken appeared, slowly approaching with a smile.
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah.” Zarek rolled his shoulders and stretched his muscles. Then, with one swift motion, he swung the hammer down brutally, shaking the ground like an earthquake and sending out a shockwave strong enough to nearly shatter the cave.
“Better than ever,” a grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
“I hope the plan works,” Drayken mumbled, a glint in his eyes.
Zarek’s eyes also flashed with a similar glint. The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Whatever they were planning, one thing was clear: They were cooking up a devious plan!