27 27. Training

Gaus was silent throughout the lecture, thinking and debating. It was clever for Tyren, who didn't know what he was capable of, to avoid a face-to-face encounter. Tyren wasn't only clever but resourceful and strong. To think he even had a skill that could kill him silently before he even realized he was being attacked. Just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine. It was a narrow escape that was solely a matter of luck. He would doubtlessly be dead now if he didn't choose Gaus's Immortality when he specialized.

The seven-day loop wasn't going to end anytime soon. It was caused by Gaus's Immortality and only he was aware of it. This was his chance to turn the tide. No matter how strong his opponents were, he could beat them if he used the infinite time and resources provided by the loop correctly.

He picked a pen and put down his plans. He would become an excellent soul mage enough to prevent Tyren or anyone from attacking his soul. He would become proficient enough in mind magic to prevent anyone from reading his thoughts or tampering with his mind. He would become a time mage to fully utilize his affinity for time magic. Enchantment, mana manipulation, taming spirits, elemental manipulation, combat magic, long-distance teleportation... He would learn them all before the seven-day loop was over.

He ran to the market and bought an expensive quill and several practice stones that were smaller than what the teacher gave him the other time. It was time to compress some runes. As usual, the first few stones exploded in his face. At one point, he just woke up in the backstreet. But he didn't give up. After trying for three days straight, he successfully drew all the seven runes on a two-centimeter-wide stone.

<Congratulations, you've learned the skill compression.

Compression has reached level 1.

The higher the tier of a rune the more complex its structure becomes. What happens when you're asked to inscribe multiple runes on a small object? Compression is necessary for any enchanter. Learn to compress runes without destroying them.

Cost: up to 2 MP (increases by leveling up thereby having more access to runes).>

Gaus didn't give up just yet. He went on to learn a variation of the skill.

<Congratulations, you've learned a variety of compression - advanced compression.

Advanced compression makes compressed runes invisible to the naked eyes.

It's a variant skill, so it'll level up at the same time as compression. The cost is also the same.>

The following day, Gaus went to the teacher's office. After making his intentions clear, she asked him to inscribe the seven colors of a rainbow on a small stone. He did it effortlessly.

"Blow it up," she said calmly.

If she thought that would discourage him then she had another thing coming. By now, Gaus was an expert in blowing things up.

He just drew all the seven runes and compressed them in reverse. They would blow up once he channeled his mana into them.

The woman gave him a half-hearted smile. "Are you trying to kill yourself? That's not how to draw a bomb. I want you to create an explosion you can control. The runic syllable is..."

She pronounced it.

"Don't you dare ask for an extra class when you can't even make a simple bomb."

Challenge accepted.

He returned to his room and drew the runic syllable on a paper. It was much bigger than all the seven runes of the rainbow colors put together. Just compressing it would take a lot of time. He must also learn its variations that would allow him to control the explosion so it didn't blow up in class or somewhere he didn't want it to. Sure it would take time, but time wasn't a problem when you were trapped in two loops.

In the evening, Gaus was also pursuing other fields of study. He could now levitate two daggers simultaneously. By combining levitation and spinning, he could also throw objects a couple of meters away from him.

<Congratulations, you've learned a variation of levitation - multiple levitation.

Multiple levitation allows you to levitate more than one object at the same time, depending on mana.

Congratulations, you've learned a variation of spinning - javelin.

Javelin allows you to throw objects like explosives and weapons.

All variant skills will level up at the same time as the main skill. The cost is also the same.>

For the entire seven days, Gaus focused on training only.

A few hours before the second loop began, Ariwen was appointed as the new class rep only to be replaced by Gaus a few minutes later. Gaus decided it was time to change it, so he went to Ariwen's room after class.

She was surprised to see him. "You?"

"Yes, me." Gaus forced a smile. After a few seconds of staring, she invited him inside.

"Sorry, I can't," Gaus said. "I just came to tell you I would be returning the class rep seat to you."

She looked at him suspiciously.

"Yes," Gaus nodded. "I'll return it to you. I'm not suited for something like that."

She ran her fingers through her disheveled green hair, smiling knowingly. "What do you want in return?"

"How about you teach me how to defend myself against the dark arts?"

Ariwen laughed. "I have to know something to teach it, don't you think?"

She was lying.

"If I were to attack you with cord pulling now, wouldn't you defend against it?" He asked.

"What's cord pulling? What are you even talking about? I'm sure you have the wrong person. Good luck."

She looked at him uninterestedly and closed the door.

***

"Ariwen is your leader and you must obey her as much as you can," said Linc in response to the complaints laid against Ariwen. "Besides, she just becomes class rep today, you should wait for a few days before complaining. You're just lucky the academy has decided to appoint Mr. Lake as the new class rep."

"Thank goodness!"

"We're now in good hands."

"It's patriarchy again."

Gaus stood up and faced the class as they rejoiced. "This class is one big family and Ariwen is part of it. She was appointed as the class rep just a few minutes ago, replacing her now would cause unnecessary misunderstandings between us." He turned to Linc. "Sir, unless I must take her place, I would like to step down and let her rule. I want all of us to support her. She is hard on us but I sincerely believe she means good. Let's succeed together." His face was so convincing that even the teacher believed him.

Linc sighed softly. "It's okay if that's your decision. Just sign this paper and Ariwen will rule in your stead."

Gaus signed the documents despite the pleading looks of his classmates.

As soon as the class was over, Gatan and his clique rushed over to Gaus.

"Why, class rep, we needed you?"

"Can you please reconsider?"

"She's not just 'hard on us', she's trying to kill us. How did she suppose I can come here from the Fifth World in four hours? She didn't even consider how late I start every loop." Raya complained, fuming.

"I stand by my words," was Gaus's response and he left.

Antelina stopped him. "Why would you do that? As if you don't know what the First Worlders are capable of."

Gaus turned around slowly. "Just because she's from the First World doesn't mean she's bad. Besides," he moved closer to her and whispered, "I like her style better."

Antelina frowned. She opened her mouth to curse him but she decided against it and just stomped away.

Gaus shrugged. He went on to his room and barricaded himself inside. Time to train.

Gaus had lost track of time when someone knocked at his door. He waited, expecting the second knock, but it didn't come. He used mana sense before opening the door.

"Ariwen? Is everything ok?"

"Everything's ok," she said. "Wanna grab a drink with me?"

In addition to her usual white robes, she was wearing sparkling earrings. Her hair was divided into two and each half was tied with colorful ribbons. She looked... childish.

"Yeah, I would like to. Wait here."

"Don't keep me waiting."

Gaus went inside and changed into a white tee shirt and pants. He perfumed himself and came out.

She barely even registered his new dress before she turned around and started walking. "Let's go outside. I'm tired of the local restaurants here."

"Do you have anywhere else in mind?"

"Niama."

Sure, why not? It was expensive but he could manage with the help of the loop.

"Niama it is then."

They booked a carriage and went there mostly in silence. Occasionally, Gaus would point out how magnificent the structure of Fydeba was and Ariwen would argue that the First World was better. She even promised to bring him some photos of the First World some other time.

When they arrived, Gaus looked around a bit dramatically before he moved closer to her and whispered, "Do you think we can afford the food in this restaurant? There are other less extravagant places like Jelsa, Dé Parlour, Teem..."

It was meant to be a joke but Ariwen frowned.

"So you're the one sending my customers away?"

"Your customers?" Gaus blinked four times in a row. There were rumors about Niama and Crisstar hotel belonging to a billionaire from the First World, but everyone was just guessing and nobody knew who they were.

"Not really, it's my father's."

It was at this point one of the waiters saw Ariwen standing outside the restaurant and he shouted something in a foreign tongue. Soon they were surrounded by five workers.

"Princess?" The eldest among them said with respect. "We didn't know you were coming. Please allow me to accompany you to the VIP."

Gaus hadn't seen him before but from the three stars on his uniform, he figured he was their leader.

In but a few minutes, they were seated in an expensive room and surrounded by more food varieties than he could count.

He pointed at the steaming flasks and variety of fruits, most of which weren't edible to earthlings like hin. "You said you were going for a drink."

She smiled. "Will they stop at just a drink even if I told them to?"

Gaus wouldn't understand how the rich did their things, so he just shrugged the question off and focused on his plate and the 'starfish' on it. He should spend some time learning the food of this world. Maybe even create his food encyclopedia. A few days ago he grabbed an edible fruit. It looked and smelled like an apple but it was damn hard. He felt like he was chewing on a rock or something harder. Luckily he didn't lose his teeth.

"Where do you start your loop?" She interrupted his thoughts.

"Here, in this city."

Ariwen sighed. "You're one lucky guy. I start mine in the First World for Dais's sake. I have to climb down to the Seventh World every day. It's damn exhausting. I was shocked when that red-haired girl was complaining about distance. She is coming from the Fifth World. A mere two World's distance."

If Ariwen knew the number of times Gaus was supporting Raya in the previous restarts...

"Do you come by yourself?"

She nodded. "I have to. I can't depend on other people. That's the problem of being the best, you know."

Gaus sighed internally.

Before she started bragging about her achievements, he quickly changed the topic. "You don't have to worry about Raya and the others. They'll come around."

She sipped the tea in her cup and looked through the window into the garden beyond. "I'll change them. Just wait and see. By the way, Mr. Lake," she stared at him intently, "what do you hope to gain by siding with me?"

"You're rich, smart, and strong. Do I need any more reasons to be your friend? I can always side with Antelina if you prefer that."

Ariwen scratched her temples. She rarely did that. "You know, I drink baby's blood. Do you still want to be my friend?"

Gaus laughed at her remarks. He already knew what she was doing with the babies. "I'll have to see the babies first to believe you."

She shrugged. "I do have babies."

"You do?"

She nodded.

"How?"

She laughed. "Do you want to know how I gave birth to them?"

"No, that won't be necessary."

They stared at each other for a moment.