The water touched Alex's feet.
"M-m-m…" Alex opened his eyes and looked at the sky through his fingers. Then he sat up and looked at the water. "The sea?" Then he shifted his gaze to his hands. "My hand… still here." He rotated it a few times, clenched his fist, and then looked at the sea again. "Beautiful."
"I'm glad you like it," a clear female voice sounded from behind.
Alex turned toward the voice and saw a woman, around thirty years old, sitting at a small round table, smiling at him.
"Tea?" she said, and in an instant, a small crystal teapot and two cups appeared on the table.
Alex calmly stood up from the sand and walked toward the table. After a few steps, the sand beneath his feet turned into grass. He sat down, took a cup, and took a few sips.
"So, how is it?"
"This is the best thing I've drunk in the last few years. The first sip reveals delicate floral notes of jasmine, which smoothly transition into light citrus undertones, reminiscent of ripe bergamot. The middle notes unfold with the gentle aroma of spring wildflowers, and it all concludes with a warm aftertaste of honeyed sweetness, with hints of vanilla and a light minty freshness. A perfect balance between refinement and richness."
"You're quite the tea connoisseur, dear Alex," the woman took a sip. "Even I wouldn't have been able to describe it better."
Alex took a few more sips and then shifted his gaze back to the sea.
"And you're not even going to ask anything? How I know your name, where this sea came from, why the beach suddenly turns into a forest glade, or why you're being greeted by such a beautiful woman? I thought you'd show at least some curiosity," the woman said after a few seconds of silence.
"What's the point? I'm already dead, and this is just a hallucination my subconscious is showing me one last time. Soon, this will all end, and I'll fall asleep. So I just want to enjoy the view as much as possible before that."
"Haha… So, for you, this is just a deathbed hallucination. But what if I told you that you're wrong, hmm?" the woman said mysteriously and smiled.
"Well, then tell me what this place is," Alex looked at her and smiled as well.
"This is a world I created specifically to talk to you. Your body may be dead, but your soul is still alive, and that's what I've transferred here. But I'm afraid our time for conversation is limited, and once it's up, your soul will disappear forever. So let's get straight to the point—would you like to return to the past?"
"Yes."
"You answered quickly," the woman's voice carried a hint of surprise.
"Well, you did say time is limited."
"True," she smiled. "Back to the topic. I want to send you back in time so that you can prevent this war from starting. How you do it is up to you, but I can offer a little help. Right now, you're at level sixty-seven, correct?"
"You guessed it."
"Can you open your main panel?"
Alex touched a mark on his palm, and a panel appeared before them.
"Now, look: you will go back twenty years, to when you were fourteen. You'll start over from level one, but your starting stats will be the same as they are now. That should save you a lot of time and open up new opportunities. And to make sure you don't forget anything—" A small ring appeared in the woman's hand. "Here. It will preserve your memory after the transfer," she extended it to Alex.
"Well, we finished much faster than I expected, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask," she took another sip of tea.
"Who are you, and how do you know me?"
"I am Lumenia, the Goddess of Time. And I know you because I've been watching you for a long time."
"And what did I do to catch the attention of a goddess?"
"I don't want to give a direct answer to that—it would ruin the fun. I'll just give you a hint: you helped me greatly without even realizing it. After that, I started watching you, and what I learned was enough for me to entrust you with this task."
"And why can't you go back in time and change everything yourself?"
"Unfortunately, aside from manipulating time and souls, I can't do much else, so I wouldn't be of any use in the past. Oh, and by the way, when you find me in the past, please return the ring."
"Alright. But where should I look for you?"
"To start with…" Lumenia suddenly fell silent and remained still for a few seconds.
"I'm afraid time is up," she said quickly. "Sorry, I can't give you more answers."
"Don't worry," Alex put on the ring. "I'm already incredibly grateful for the chance to live my life again. I hope that when we meet next time, you'll treat me to this tea again."
"Of course," Lumenia raised her hand toward him. "Thank you for agreeing to this, and good luck," she smiled, and a magical circle appeared around her palm.
Alex's figure glowed bright yellow, and then he vanished from the chair.
Alex jolted upright in bed. He quickly scanned the room before shifting his gaze to the ring.
"This place… my childhood room. Haha, I'm in the past. I'm really… in the past. Even when I agreed with Lumenia, there were still traces of doubt. But now… Now I have a chance to change everything, and I'm going to make the most of it." Alex smiled.
A knock sounded at the door.
"It's open," Alex called out automatically, slipping the ring into his pocket. "Or maybe not," flashed through his mind immediately.
The door opened, and a man and a woman entered, their backs turned toward him as they approached.
"Happy Birthday!" they said in unison as they turned around. In their hands was a small cake with fourteen candles burning atop it.
"Make a wish, Alex," the woman said gently, handing him the cake.
Tears welled up in the boy's eyes. He quickly blew out the candles, set the cake down on the floor, and tightly embraced the man and woman.
"I missed you both so much," he whispered.
"You'll… suffocate us," the man gasped, pretending to struggle for breath.
"Sorry," Alex quickly let go. "Thanks for the birthday wishes."
"Get a grip, Alex. In the past, you hadn't seen them for years. Here, it's just been a single evening at most. No more nonsense, act natural."
"Well, if just a simple cake made you this emotional, I'm curious to see how you'll react to the gifts your mother and I have for you," his father said, slowly stepping back. As he left the room, he picked up something that had been standing by the door, hid it behind his back, and returned to Alex's bed. It was obvious that he had "discreetly" handed one of the gifts to his wife, who was also holding it behind her back.
"Let's start with mine," his father said, pulling out a sword and handing it to Alex. "What do you think?"
"That's so cool," Alex said excitedly, spinning it in his hands.
"My first real sword. I remember in my past life, I was over the moon when I got it. But now I know it can handle, at best, thirty powerful strikes. The steel is cheap and will crack quickly, so it's just a toy for the beginning."
"Thanks."
"That's not all," his mother spoke up, bringing out her gift. "I've prepared something for you too." She handed the gift to Alex.
"My first book on blood magic. Back then, I read it cover to cover several times—it was my introduction to magic as a whole. It's almost a shame that it won't be of any use to me now."
"Thank you so much," Alex said happily.
"I'm glad you like it. Now get up, let's have some tea with cake," his mother said, and the three of them left the room.
"And how do you like the cake?" his mother asked.
"It's amazing. Where did you buy it?"
"I baked it myself," she smiled.
"Seriously? You and Dad have been going into the dungeon for the past three days—when did you even have time to bake it?"
"I worked on it while everyone was asleep, so you never saw the process. One night to bake it, another to let it set, and now here's the result—my little pastry masterpiece."
"It's not that little. I think it'll last Alex about five days," his father chimed in.
"Haha! Five days? Have you forgotten how much your son loves sweets? At best, it'll last him two. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if we come back from the dungeon today and it's already gone."
"You're going into the dungeon again today?" Alex asked.
"The guild put in a request to clear a D-rank dungeon. We should be back by evening, and then we'll continue celebrating your birthday."
"Oh, a free D-rank dungeon. I need to get in on that and see what this body can do."
"And it's just the two of you going?"
"Yes."
"Can I come with you?"
"Did you forget our agreement?" His father gave him a stern look. "You're only allowed into a dungeon once you can last five minutes against me. Until then, don't even think about it."
"Right. I forgot about that. Dad tried to postpone it as long as possible, but years of training eventually paid off. I lasted five minutes against him and was finally allowed into my first E-rank dungeon at fifteen. But now, things have changed in my favor."
"Then let's have our duel right now," Alex said confidently, locking eyes with his father.
"We just did this four months ago. You really think anything's changed?"
"You didn't see it, but Alex has been practicing with his sword in the yard every day since your last duel," his mother chimed in. "So today, he just might win." She smiled.
"You too, huh?" His father leaned back in his chair. "Alright," he said after a few seconds. "It's your birthday, so I can't refuse you. Not that it matters—the duel won't last five minutes anyway, because I'll knock you out before then." He smirked at Alex.
"We'll see about that," Alex smirked right back.
"Well then, let's go over the rules," Alex's father said, resting a wooden sword on his shoulder. "You can use anything you want—the only condition is that you last five minutes. And don't hold back—hit with full strength. If anything happens, we have someone to patch us up." He glanced at Emma, who stood nearby.
"I know, I know," Alex replied, also resting his sword on his shoulder. "Just a small clarification—if I last five minutes, I'll be allowed into an E-rank dungeon, right?"
"Haha, so you noticed. Yes, I'll let you into an E-rank dungeon. But today, we're heading to a D-rank one, so even if you somehow manage to last the full time, you're not coming with us today."
"Then let's change the rules a little. If I can break your sword with a single strike—I go with you."
"Fine," his father smirked. "But don't count on that happening." He stepped into a battle stance. "Ready?"
"Always," Alex answered, getting into position.
"Alright, your five minutes start… now!" Emma shouted, and the two charged at each other.
"I need to show Dad just a fraction of my strength. And to do that, I have to end this in one strike."
A single strike.
His father suddenly appeared behind him, holding a broken sword.
"I can't believe my eyes," he muttered, staring at the shattered weapon. "How did you do that? Where did you get that kind of strength?" He looked at Alex.
"As you always say—training, training, and more training."
"You're telling me this massive boost in strength happened in just four months? Just from training?"
"Yes," Alex said confidently. "Did I overdo it? That was only about five percent of my real strength. Though, Dad always held back a little, so maybe that's why it turned out this way."
"Well then," his father's tone returned to normal. "Congratulations on your first victory, son." He extended his hand.
"Thanks," Alex said, shaking it. "So, when are we heading to the dungeon?"
"We leave in twenty minutes. Go rest in your room for now. Your mother and I will gather everything we need and come get you."
"Okay," Alex said and walked toward the house.
"Congratulations on your win," Emma said with a smile as he passed her.
"Thanks," he replied and kept walking.
"So, what do you think of that?" Gabriel asked, approaching Emma.
"I'm just as shocked as you. I never would've thought such progress was possible in such a short time."
"Yeah, I can hardly believe it myself. Let's head to your lab and check something out."
Alex entered his room, placed the wooden sword on the table, and sat on the bed.
"So far, so good," he muttered, staring at the ceiling. "Although… they're not fools. They'll definitely suspect something. Damn it. If Lumenia had sent me back eighteen years instead, there would've been fewer problems. The last duel I had with my father was four months before my fourteenth birthday, and the next one happened just a few weeks before my sixteenth. I spent two years training my body, perfecting my close-combat skills to the limit, and slowly learning blood magic. And only then was I able to last five minutes against him. But now, I showed an even better result just four months after my last defeat. Maybe I should just tell them the truth and stop overthinking it?"
"That's far from the best option," a female voice echoed in his mind.
"Siren, my dear friend. Good to hear you again. So Lumenia's magic affected you as well."
"Since the goddess of time's magic did not reset your progress, our connection remained at the same level as in your previous life."
"That's good. As for my previous question, it's just one possible option. Of course, I'll only use it as a last resort. For now, I'll stick to my story—that I achieved these results through four months of rigorous training. Alright, that's the least of my worries," Alex sighed heavily. "No matter how you look at it, the more time I have, the better. I should be grateful to Lumenia for giving me two extra years. Now then, Siren, find me any information on this goddess."
"One moment," Siren fell silent for a few seconds. "Unfortunately, no information on the goddess of time, Lumenia, was found."
"Then try searching for anything on an angel named Lumenia."
"One moment. No information found."
"As expected. In my previous life, no one had ever heard of a goddess of time. That means any information about her was thoroughly erased."
"There is another possibility. Only angels can become gods, and this transformation only happens under specific conditions. Additionally, history has recorded instances where angels changed their names upon becoming deities. So, it's possible that the goddess of time, Lumenia, simply does not exist yet."
"Interesting theory, but that still doesn't explain why I never heard of her in the past. The birth of a new god has always been a monumental event, and news of it spread to everyone. It's strange that after the birth of a goddess who can manipulate time, they didn't hold a single celebration in her honor. That's completely unlike them."
"What if announcing the birth of the goddess wasn't in their best interest?"
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it: the angels were losing the war. The demon army had every chance of invading their capital. Maybe the angels hid the goddess of time as a trump card, something they could use in a critical situation."
"That's a very real possibility. And it answers all the questions at once. For now, we'll stick to this theory. And once I find Lumenia, I'll ask her myself. Well done, Siren."
"Thank you for the praise, Master. Do you already have a plan for the next few years?"
"When would I have had the time to come up with one?" Alex chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "First, I need to reach level twenty so I can take dungeon-clearing requests on my own. Then I'll get to level thirty-three so that, combined with my past life's levels, I'll reach one hundred total. Before, I invested most of my stat points into health, strength, agility, and endurance. But now, it's time to focus on magic and intelligence. My close-combat skills are already solid, but my magic is seriously lacking. I need to fix that. Once that's done, I can start thinking further ahead."
"Understood."
The door to the room opened, and Gabriel stepped in.
"We're ready."
"Coming," Alex said, grabbing his steel sword. He stood up from the bed and left the room with his father.
"We're here," Gabriel said when the three of them found themselves in the cave.
"Alex, I've prepared a potion for you," Emma said, pulling a small vial of liquid from her pocket. "Here," she handed it to Alex.
"And what kind of potion is this?" Alex asked as he took it.
"A potion of strength. Since this is your first dungeon and it's immediately D-rank, I insisted that you drink at least this potion."
"Can you imagine, Alex, she wanted to give you a regeneration potion and a mana recovery potion as well. She doesn't trust the one who managed to reach such progress," Gabriel said with mockery in his voice. "And let's make a deal right away. The first monsters are all yours. But as soon as you miss three hits, you're out of the fight. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Alex said, opening the vial and drinking the entire liquid.
"Attention! The potion you drank is not a potion of strength," Siren spoke in Alex's mind. "Analyzing the substance. This is a potion that completely removes all positive effects."
"A negating potion? Ah-ha-ha. How clever. They thought that duel was won thanks to some potion. Well, I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they see me in action."
Suddenly, a scream echoed from the depths of the cave, and moments later, about ten goblins appeared, heading toward them.
"And here are the first monsters. Hope you're ready for the encounter?" Gabriel asked with a smile, looking at Alex.
"Now you'll see," Alex replied with a smile as well.
The monsters finally noticed the heroes, screamed, and charged at them. Alex also ran toward them.
"Eight goblins in total. Two hits will be enough."
Alex swung his sword and, with the first strike, decapitated the first four goblins. The other four, who had been running behind the first group, stopped for a few seconds. In that time, Alex was behind them and, with one strike, decapitated the remaining four goblins.
"Did I just see that alone?" Gabriel asked in surprise, not taking his eyes off Alex.
"Not alone," Emma replied, also looking at the battlefield.
"So, this power really belongs to Alex?"
"It seems so."
"Hey, are you planning to stand there frozen for long?" Alex shouted to them.
"We're coming," Emma shouted. "Hey, are you here?" She glanced at the man. "Hello, Gabriel, can you hear me?" She waved her hand in front of Gabriel's eyes.
"Yes, yes, I'm here," he muttered quietly, and together with Emma, they moved toward Alex. "Incredible results. I don't know how he trained these past four months, but the difference is just huge compared to his previous skills. Speed, accuracy, strength—everything has grown. Did I get so caught up in dungeon cleaning and upgrading personal stats that I didn't notice a real talent growing under the same roof with me? I hope you surprise us with something else today," he smiled.
"And here's the dungeon boss," Gabriel said, looking at the huge goblin in the center of the cave, who was standing with his back to them. "Well, what do you think, will you handle him on your own?"
"Are you still doubting?"
"No, I'm just asking, just in case. Maybe you're tired."
"We only encountered three small groups of goblins. It was hard to get tired with them, but him..." Alex pointed the tip of his sword at the goblin, "he's an interesting opponent."
The goblin turned toward them, screamed, and charged at them with a club in hand. Alex gripped his sword with both hands and also charged toward the goblin. When they were close to each other, the goblin swung his club and aimed to strike Alex, but the boy dodged the attack and delivered a blow directly to the goblin's stomach. The goblin screamed in pain and fell to his knees. Green blood spilled onto the ground, but he was still alive. Then Alex jumped slightly and, with one strike, slit the goblin's throat. The monster's body fell to the ground and remained motionless.
"He's done," Alex shouted and turned to his parents.
"That was quick," Gabriel said as he approached Alex. "Just two strikes for a D-rank boss, and that's with your first-level stats. Don't you want to share your training secret?" He smiled.
"There's no secret. It's all just how you taught me," Alex looked at his parents. "It's just that before, I never took training seriously, so while each result was better, it was still far from perfect. After the last fight, I felt something I've never felt before. I wanted to become a better version of myself. Dad, you're an incredible swordsman, and I'm proud of you. I try to match your example. And Mom, you have incredible skills in healing magic, teleportation, and potion brewing. Even though magic is hard for me, I always remember you, and that inspires me to keep going. We never know where we'll have to stand on the battlefield: at the front with a sword in hand or covering the rear with magic and healing the wounded. That's what pushed me to move forward and achieve this result in such a short amount of time."
"Well said," Gabriel placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "In that case, I promise that from tomorrow, I'll personally handle your training."
"And I, in turn, promise to teach you healing and teleportation magic," Emma said, also placing her hand on Alex's other shoulder. "Though I'm not strong in offensive magic, so for that, you'll have to find another teacher."
"Thank you," Alex smiled and knelt down, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Looks like I overdid it a little."
"That's for sure," Gabriel smiled. "Emma, I saw you hide the potion of restoration in your pocket. Now's the time to give it to Alex."
"I noticed," Emma said calmly and handed Alex another vial of liquid. Alex drank it in one go, and within a few seconds, he was back on his feet.
"How do you feel?"
"Much better. Alright, let's take everything from the chest and head home. I'm really feeling sleepy."
"Alex, your dad and I need to file a report on the dungeon. If you want, I can teleport you home, and you can wait for us there," Emma said as soon as they appeared in the guild.
"Alright, just don't take too long," Alex said with a slightly tired voice.
"Don't worry, it'll take us a maximum of half an hour," Emma raised her hand towards Alex, and a magical ring appeared around her palm. A second later, Alex vanished.
"I'm so tired," Alex said, falling onto the bed. "Just as I thought, this body still needs a lot of training, because even with boosted endurance, it doesn't help that much. Luckily, there's time, so no need to worry. I think in two or three months, I'll level up and prepare my body."
"Master, you've reached level four. Where would you like to allocate your stat points?" Siren spoke.
"Put them all into magic."
"Understood. Magic has been leveled up to level nineteen."
"Awesome. Now, I can finally get some rest," Alex closed his eyes and fell asleep.