RESET ᜇᜒᜐᜒᜆ᜔ EPISODE 8

Leveling Up!

Aro's mind buzzed as a new notification appeared:

×!!!LEVELING UNLOCKED!!!×

> ETERNAL RESIDUE leveled up to 2/5 – Enhances the ability to gather past information for present reference.

DRAFT EVOLVED TO VISION – Creates a visual simulation of attempts to perfect a move based on the situation (One-time use).

TEMPORAL AWARENESS leveled up to 2 – Improves perception and reaction speed.

OVERCLOCKING ALLOWED – Temporary removal of skill limits.

NEW HIGH TALENT UNLOCKED: THANATOS CODE (Set of highest unique skills).

SYNC UNLOCKED – Allows seamless integration of abilities.

REWARD:

STAMINA BACK UP:(can stock up to 50% of original stammina)

HYDRA:(increase hydration up to 20%)

Aro clenched his fists. His heart pounded so hard it nearly drowned out the chaos around him.

For years, he had been a failure. Too slow. Too weak. Too afraid. He remembered the bitter taste of loss—watching people stronger than him push forward while he remained stuck, powerless to change anything. The world had moved on without him, leaving him behind.

But now...

He exhaled, feeling the surge of newfound strength coursing through his veins. The hesitation still clawed at the back of his mind what if I mess up? but another voice, one he hadn't heard in a long time, whispered back: Then fight harder.

This was his moment. There was no going back.

AWAKENING ARC:EPISODE 8

The Silver Guild Meeting

ᜆᜒ ᜐᜒᜎ᜔ᜊᜒᜇ᜔ ᜄᜓᜎ᜔ᜇ᜔ ᜋᜒᜆᜒᜈ᜔

At Silver House

Silver's house was modern and high-tech, yet simple and comfortable. The walls had a clean, cool toned finish, with soft LED lights giving the space a relaxed, futuristic vibe. A glass coffee table sat in the middle of the living room, while a big, comfy leather couch made it the perfect spot to chill or watch something.

The real highlight, though, was Silver's workstation. His custom-built PC, packed with top-tier specs, sat next to a massive 42-inch monitor, its bright display lighting up the desk. The quiet hum of the liquid cooling system showed it was built for serious work or gaming marathons.

Beside it, a sleek, high-performance laptop rested on a metal stand, its surface catching the glow of the LED strips. Whether for work, gaming, or just flexing his setup, Silver had everything he needed at his fingertips.

RECRUITS ARRIVAL

Bryan, Gwayne, Aro, and Jerry arrived for a meeting arranged by Silver. He wanted them to join his guild, but they were still waiting for someone—an existing member of the Silver Guild.

"Who are we waiting for?" Bryan asked.

Silver remained silent, his face void of emotion.

The room fell into an awkward silence before Gwayne finally spoke.

"Sir Silver, are we expecting someone? You called us here to discuss joining your guild and entering LEADER as protagonists—"

"He's here," Silver interrupted.

His voice was calm, but the weight behind his words silenced everyone.

"This person is one of the most reliable members of the Silver Guild. He will be the future #1 Strategist of LEADER."

The room tensed as footsteps echoed from the hallway, growing louder as they approached the door.

Jerry, unable to contain himself, silently gasped in anticipation. Bryan and Gwayne, however, remained focused, wondering if this person stronger than Silver? Sharper? More terrifying?

Aro sat quietly, but inside, he was celebrating. Finally, he thought. A guild that studies and practices in LEADER... This is my chance!

The door creaked open.

Gwayne, Bryan, and Jerry widened their eyes in shock. Aro, however, remained calm, examining the newcomer with quiet admiration.

"Hey, Jony, you're here," Silver greeted.

A nerdy-looking guy stepped inside—glasses perched on his nose, a loose T-shirt, jogging pants, and a backpack slung over one shoulder.

Jerry blinked. "...This is the future #1 Strategist of LEADER?"

Bryan frowned, visibly disappointed. "I expected someone... more like Silver. You know, terrifying. Someone with a tremendous presence."

Gwayne simply nodded, still processing the situation.

Aro? He just observed.

Jony adjusted his glasses and spoke,

"Hi, I'm Jony, Level 2 Guilder, a resident of Silver Guild, and a Level 3 Protagonist."

He grabbed his high-performance laptop, a machine that could rival even Silver's laptop. Its sleek black design and powerful specs made it perfect for handling guild operations.

As he powered it on, the screen lit up with a streamlined interface, built for registering new recruits and storing crucial data.

With quick, practiced movements, Jony input their details, his fingers gliding over the keyboard.

"WHAAAAT?!" Bryan, Gwayne, and Jerry shouted in unison.

"Wait... If you're Level 3, then what level is Silver?"

"Hmm..." Silver tilted his head. "Maybe a 3.8 or 3.5? But since there are no half levels, I'm counted as Level 3."

Bryan and Jerry turned to Aro, their eyes narrowing.

"Then… does that mean Aro is Level 4 since he defeated you?"

Aro sighed, a faint smile forming. "Never thought I'd make it this far..."

Silver chuckled. "Nah. Aro's probably Level 3 flat. I didn't use all my abilities, nor did I have any intention of hurting you kids."

Still, doubt flickered across Bryan, Jerry, and Gwayne's faces.

"Alright, guys," Silver said, snapping them back to focus. "I invited you here to officially register you as residents of the Silver Guild. But first, you need to demonstrate your skills to Jony. He'll record and process everything for guild registration."

---

Skill Demonstration

GWAYNE SKILL

Gwayne stepped forward. "I'm Gwayne. I'm a Support-Type Skill User."

Silver raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought you were an Assassin with how fast and sharp your movements are."

Gwayne shook his head. "No. I trained in martial arts to cover my weaknesses. Support-types are usually vulnerable and easy to take down."

Silver's expression shifted to admiration.

"Interesting. Show us your skills," Jony requested.

"Alright... Convent!"

A magic circle formed beneath Gwayne's feet, a star shining at its center.

"This buff removes all curse effects from allies," he explained.

"Hmm... so that's why my Void skill had a reduced effect against you," Silver noted.

"Exactly. Next—Blessing."

A warm light enveloped his hands.

"This is a healing skill. Normally, it restores 50% HP, but if my ally is strong, it can heal up to 100%."

"And this... Then, his expression turned serious.

Cease."

A medium-sized cross engulfed in light appeared in front of them, and a faint energy wave spread across the room.

"This cancels an opponent's skill or prevents them from using it—especially if their stamina drops below 25%."

Jony's eyes gleamed as he recorded everything.

Aro's Notification:

Skill Detected: Observation Skill.

> Threat Level: None

Thank you, Gwayne. Who's next?"jony said

---

JERRY SKILL

Jerry smirked and stepped forward. "My name's Jerry, and my skill is..."

Before he could finish, he vanished—reappearing behind Jony in an instant. Then—gone again.

Now beside Bryan.

Then Jony

Jony's eyes barely managed to follow him, while the others couldn't see at all.

Jony's eyes glowed

While processing all the information on his laptop.

(Inside Aro's mind) If I hadn't used Temporal Awareness, Jerry could have caught Bryan off guard back then.

---

BRYAN SKILL

Bryan stood up next. "I don't have any special skills yet. Just raw strength. But after Aro used Sync on me, I developed this."

He clenched his fists. A blue flame ignited, swirling around his hands before being absorbed into his skin. His arms turned bluish-metallic, pulsing with power.

"So, what does it do?" Jony asked.

"I think... it hardens my hands and feet to iron-level durability."

Bryan demonstrated, channeling the flames to his legs, turning them into the same bluish-metal form.

Jony nodded. "Not bad. Aro, your turn."

---

ARO SKILL AND TALENT

Aro hesitated before standing.

Silver smirked. "Show us what you've got, Aro."

"Ah... um, nice to meet you, Jony," Aro stuttered, nervous.

He took a deep breath. "My first skill is Vision under Eternal Residue—it lets me gather information from previous—"

He paused. If I tell them I've lived through the past and reset my life, they might not believe me.

He quickly improvised.

"—from previous scenes and details, allowing me to create effective strategies."

Jony raised an eyebrow. "So your ability relies on prior experience. What about your reflexes?"

Aro smirked. "That's where Chrono Nexus comes in."

Chrono Nexus – A governing ability over time-based perception, reaction, and prediction.

Temporal Awareness Under my Chrono Nexus Enhances perception, allowing hyper-awareness of movements, surroundings, and even subtle distortions in time, making reactions more precise

Jony adjusted his glasses. "So you're not just reacting fast… You're actually sensing time distortions before they fully happen using Vision and Temporal Awareness."

Aro nodded. "Let's put it to the test. Try throwing something at me."

Jony shrugged and casually tossed his backpack toward Aro. The bag flew fast, but with a single, smooth motion, Aro effortlessly caught it mid-air, as if he had seen it coming before it even left Jony's hand.

Before anyone could comment, Silver suddenly flicked his finger toward Aro's face—aiming for a sneak attack.

Aro's body tilted just enough to dodge the strike,

He never spared Silver a glance.But before Silver could retract his hand, Aro's left palm shot up, blocking the follow-up attack perfectly.

Silver grinned. "Not bad."

Aro let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "Silver, I could see that coming."

For a split second, Aro's gaze darkened. There was a time when he couldn't see anything coming. When the bullies surrounded him, laughing as they shoved him into lockers. When every punch, every insult, was a shock he couldn't react to.

The old me would have hesitated... would have flinched.

But not anymore.

Jony let out a low whistle. "Okay, that was impressive. You didn't just dodge—you reacted precisely to an attack you weren't even looking at."

Aro crossed his arms, his expression steady. "That's what Chrono Nexus allows me to do."

Silver chuckled. "**Alright, now show him Sync."

Silver nodded. "Jony, experience it firsthand. Make an alliance with Aro."

Jony looked curious. "How?"

"Just swear an alliance and shake hands. If Aro's skill detects sincerity, Sync will activate automatically."

Jony hesitated. Alliance? That sounded... serious. He had just met Aro. Could he really trust him that easily?

Aro noticed Jony's slight hesitation. He didn't blame him. I wouldn't have trusted so easily either.

"You don't have to," Aro said, his voice steady but softer. "Sync only works if you're sincere. If you don't trust me, it won't activate."

Jony studied Aro carefully. Aro wasn't pushing him, wasn't demanding blind trust.

That's different.

After a moment, Jony extended his hand. "Alright. I swear an alliance to you, Aro."

Aro took a deep breath, then clasped Jony's hand.

"SYNC"

The moment their hands touched, a deep bluish-black aura exploded through the room like a pulse of raw power.

Unlike Bryan and Silver, after the surging bluish aura was absorbed into Jony's body, he remained casually standing—no special aura radiating from him, no flickering energy, nothing. In contrast, Silver's presence was almost overwhelming, his body naturally surging with power after Sync, while Bryan had faint electric currents constantly sparking and disappearing around his hands and feet.

Silver raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "So? What do you feel, Jony?"

Jony blinked a few times, flexed his fingers, then shrugged. "Kinda... nothing."

"WHAAAT?!" Bryan, Gwayne, and Jerry shouted in unison.

Jerry's excitement quickly shifted into suspicion. He narrowed his eyes at Jony. "Wait… does this dude really have talent like a Protagon?"

Aro, however, remained unfazed. He stepped forward, his voice calm yet firm. "Use your skill, Jony."

Jony exhaled and nodded. "Alright... Spectral Overwatch."

BOOM!

A burst of power exploded from within, his aura shifting—deeper, heavier, unstoppable. He staggered forward, then steadied himself, his eyes burning with newfound clarity.

The moment he invoked the skill, a translucent void-like field expanded outward—similar to Silver's observation abilities but even more refined.

Aro, Silver, Bryan, Gwayne, and Jerry all became marked within Jony's field of view. Floating indicators appeared above their heads, displaying detailed stats: HP, Stamina, Mana, and various status conditions. But it didn't stop there—every object, every environmental factor around them was registered in his mind, their properties analyzed in real-time.

A faint notification flickered in Jony's vision, visible only to him and Aro.

[NO THREAT DETECTED]

Guard Mode: Off

Tactical Prediction: Off

Perception: Monitoring…

Jony glanced down at his hands, his fingers trembling slightly not in fear, but in overwhelming realization. He wasn't just seeing things—he was processing them on an entirely new level.

His breathing hitched.

Then, as the realization fully hit him—

"SILVEEEER!!!!" Jony shouted at the top of his lungs.

Everyone flinched from the sheer volume, but Jony didn't care. His expression burst into pure exhilaration.

"FINALLY!!! We found true allies and guildmates we can rely on!!!"

Jerry and Bryan instantly jumped in excitement, celebrating like kids who just won a championship.

Gwayne simply smirked, touching his nose as if trying to hide his amusement.

Silver let out a quiet chuckle before stepping forward, placing a firm hand on Aro's shoulder. There was no need for words—the pride in his expression said it all.

Aro, standing amidst the joyous chaos, allowed himself a small, content smile.

For the first time in a long while, he wasn't just surviving.

He was part of something.

And this time—this life—was going to be different.

"THIS IS INSANE!" Jony practically bounced in place, his nerdy demeanor cracking under the sheer weight of excitement. "I CAN SEE EVERYTHING! Every movement, every reaction, every possible outcome—this isn't just analysis, this is full-scale battlefield omniscience!"

Silver smirked. "Told you. That's Sync."

Jony's glasses nearly slid off as he grabbed Aro by the shoulders. "Dude, DUDE! Do you even realize how broken this is?! I don't even need my laptop—I can predict actions before they happen! I can optimize formations in real time—it's like having a quantum PC in my mind! I can—"

"Jony." Aro held up a hand. "Breathe."

Jony froze, then sucked in a deep breath. And another.

"...Okay. I'm calm."

Bryan raised a brow. "You sure?"

Jony adjusted his glasses. "Nope. But I'll fake it."

Everyone sweatdropped.

Silver chuckled, arms crossed. "That, gentlemen, is why Jony will be the future #1 Strategist of LEADER."

Jerry let out a low whistle. "I take back what I said earlier. This dude's terrifying."

Gwayne nodded. "With that level of battlefield awareness, he's basically a walking war room."

Bryan sighed. "Great. Now I feel like an NPC."

Aro smirked. "Welcome to my world."

Jony rolled his shoulders, adjusting to the sheer influx of data flooding his mind. His grin widened. "Alright then, let's make this official."

He turned to Silver. "They pass. I'll process their registration."

Silver nodded. "Good. Because now that you're all part of the Silver Guild… we've got work to do."

Everyone straightened.

Aro's mind sharpened. This is it. The first real step into LEADER.

Silver's eyes gleamed. "Our first mission as a guild… begins now."

A dark bluish aura flickered around Aro's body, pulsing like a heartbeat. Within moments, it surged outward, expanding in all directions.

The air around him rippled, distorting like heatwaves, but instead of warmth, an eerie coldness spread through the space. The aura slithered like living shadows, reaching out and encasing his entire guild.

Then—it ignited.

The bluish-dark aura transformed into flames, flickering with unnatural intensity. The flames didn't consume—they engulfed. They coiled around every member of the Silver Guild, yet instead of scorching them, the fire synchronized with their presence, wrapping around them like an unbreakable armor of energy.

The ground trembled beneath their feet as the flames roared, casting long, flickering shadows on the walls. A faint, echoing hum resonated through the air, like an ancient force awakening from slumber.

Then, as quickly as it surged, the energy stabilized, settling into a controlled inferno, waiting to be unleashed.

to be continue