Not long after Sorath returned to the first floor, a group of six approached him. And Sorath wasn't surprised to find the leader of those five people was the tall candidate he had shot before.
Atri, who had been waiting for Sorath's return, noticed the commotion and immediately rushed to his side. Before she could reach the scene, the fight between Sorath and the groups had started.
The tall candidate grabbed Sorath's collar with his left hand while the other hung above his head, ready to strike.
Despite the situation, Sorath kept his composure and smirked.
"Go on, hit me."
Sorath didn't falter, and instead, he offered his face. He only did that because he knew a rule that no one knew at this time, except for Julian, of course.
Hidden rule that all candidates must respect: A fight between candidates once the trial starts is prohibited.
If one were to fight, then the perpetrator would get punished.
Just like in the novel, Julian was watching a quarrel between two candidates after they finished the second floor when suddenly, the sky turned red and one of them disappeared.
After that came a message notifying the candidates of the attacker's disqualification from the Awakening Phase while the defender was left unpunished. Since that event, the Awakened seniors enforced a restriction on fights between the candidates for the next Awakening Phase.
How come they only notice that? Well. There were no records of the seniors quarreling on the first floor. If they wanted to fight or intentionally disqualify someone, they would have done it during the trial phase, the floors other than the empty green fields.
In this case, Sorath was the defender, so he would get away from the disqualification. Meanwhile, the six would be identified as the attackers, and that would get them all disqualified from this year's Awakening Phase.
Sorath watched as the fist moved backward, creating momentum. Then, the tall candidate pushed his elbow and propelled the fist forward.
At the moment when the fist was about to hit Sorath's face, the world before him distorted. By this time, Sorath had known what would happen after the clarity of his vision returned.
Yes. Rewind.
[You have returned 24 hours into the past from "Rewind" Trace.]
"Did that trash just die? How so?"
…
Sorath was thinking about what caused Julian to rewind.
Clearly, it's because Julian died. But how? How did he die?
'That trash lost a fight against a mere goblin? Are you kidding me?'
Even though Sorath hated Julian to the point that Sorath wanted to kill him for revenge, he refused to believe such bullshit.
Like, seriously? There must be another reason, right? Why would a Protagonist die to a goblin? Is that a joke?
No matter how weak Julian was currently, there was no way he would lose to a goblin. So, there must be something else going on.
'Is it the effect of another timeline?'
Sorath had thought that Julian might not possess his previous life knowledge but immediately erased the idea from his thoughts. After thinking for a while, he came up with an 'existence' like the Author and Fred.
A possessor from the future, alternative timeline, or another world, might be hiding among the candidates.
With that in mind, he questioned Fred, if he would kill a candidate in the Awakening Phase if he was given the chance to do so or if said candidate was disturbing him.
It would have been easier if Fred said 'yes,' because that would confirm Sorath's question. Unfortunately, Fred said otherwise. He would never kill any candidates because they were valuable assets to conquer the Tower.
Sorath didn't give up. He asked Fred again, "What are the chances for an awakened with a similar circumstance like you to appear on this side of the Tower?"
"I don't know. But at least it's not zero."
It was not the answer Sorath wanted, but that had opened the possibility of another possessor's existence. Besides that, thanks to this event, Sorath obtained information that lingered in his mind.
Firstly, he had confirmed his current timeline, with so much disparity from what he knew, was an alternate one.
Secondly, Julian's rewind could be a key to clearing all trials as he was guaranteed to never fail or end up disqualified from dying.
By using him, Sorath could get a high-rank Trace. But that also meant giving Julian the same situation.
Well. What can he do? It's better than having Julian as the only one who has a high-rank Trace.
…
Sorath performed the same activity before the Awakening Phase started. Shooting the tall candidate on his knee, talking with Atri, and intimidating the four roommates with his presence.
After teleporting to the first floor, everything went the same as before. People showed off and ended up in a fight. Lucky for them, they didn't get thrown off since the rule was activated after the gate emerged.
A few moments later, the Tower's message finally arrived, along with the great door.
Julian, however, acted differently. He was restless as he waited for the door to open. When the door opened, he immediately rushed in like a hungry beast.
Sorath and Atri followed behind. He still followed his script, provoking the outskirts boy before stepping through the door. However, by the time he was inside the second floor, he deviated from his script as soon as he got the torch.
Sorath challenged himself, running even faster to reach his destination. He didn't forget to loot the map pieces from the star-marked goblin.
Three hours later, he arrived at the larger cavern with a stream. Sorath didn't waste time to rest like before, he immediately descended and navigated the tunnel.
In under four hours, he arrived at the secret chamber, finding the treasure untouched by anyone. Sorath retrieved the treasure and finished his trial in thriumph.
Yet, he rewound once again.
"He died again?"
Sorath replayed his third rewind. However, due to some obstacles, he failed to retrieve the treasure. When he thought he would lose it, the time rewound again.
In the fourth rewind, he got his hand on the treasure but… yes. Julian died and the time rewound for both of them.
The fifth rewind…
The sixth…
The…
…
Finally, after seventeen rewinds, Sorath decided to guard the hidden entrance after ensuring the treasure was there in its spot inside the secret room. He wanted to know what really caused Julian to keep rewinding the time.
A few minutes later, he finally found the cause of the loop.
He heard footsteps closing in from the left side. When he looked there, he found someone, an unknown candidate, walking toward him.
Upon noticing Sorath stood and glared at him suspiciously, the candidate's eyes flashed with recognition.
"Oh? Black hair, and red eyes… that combination… are you perhaps that villain? Sorath Shedever?"