Chapter 19 - Alternatives

In the previous timeline, I met Catarina, her Roseus pet bunny prancing around her feet. She adored the creature, calling it the epitome of cuteness and docility.

The four-eared, pink-furred bunny wasn't just a charming companion - it also boosted her speed and accuracy, making it a rare and valuable ally.

Pets from the tower were a rarity, as they required specific items or food to entice them.

Creatures from the caves, on the other hand, were easier to tame but carried a dangerous side effect: they often corrupted their handlers. It was a risk few were willing to take.

Michelle's hands trembled with anticipation as she accepted the connection request, waiting for a reply. But instead of sending a text message, Catarina opted to call. Michelle hung up on us and answered her.

"Liam, will this work?" Barry asked, his voice weary. The dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced than usual.

"Let's wait and see," I replied, absentmindedly feeding a carrot to the Roseus bunny in my lap. The creature nibbled contentedly, its pink ears twitching. "I'll be in the library if you need me." I gathered the bunny and its snacks, heading off to tackle some homework.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The library had become a second home to me - and to Raymond, who had also started frequenting the place. I'd introduced him to the basics of Turrimia, the name I gave to the mysterious language in the scroll and towers. At first, he'd been overwhelmed, thinking he'd need to memorize countless words.

"The secret is in the root words and suffixes," I explained, showing him example texts. "They add syllables to convey meaning or nuance."

"Like Finnish or Turkish," Raymond mused, nodding in understanding. It had taken me months to grasp even the simplest words of Turrimia, a language my former party mates, Kammi included, had dismissed as "gibberish." They hadn't bothered to learn it, and let me do the studying on my own.

Inside the library, I released my scroll, which served as a navigator for the books I sought. I tried keywords like "rebirth" and "return," but they yielded nothing. Then I tried "revamp," and thousands of titles appeared. Fortunately, I was able to narrow it down to the thickest book, which promised the most comprehensive information.

I sent a group message, informing everyone that I'd be locking myself in the training room and that no one was to disturb me, no matter what.

After absorbing the necessary information, I saved it to my scroll and sealed myself in the training room, using items from the treasure room to block the doors.

My stomach growled, but I ignored it, recalling how I'd vomited the last time I reset my stats. I chose a set of precious stones, weapons, and armor to strengthen myself after the process.

The scroll floated before me, and I grabbed it, tearing it apart like paper. As the parchment disintegrated, my body convulsed, wracked with pain.

The scroll turned to dust, scattering over the items around me. The process wasn't instantaneous - it felt like an eternity of torment.

I struggled to stay sane as pain coursed through every fiber of my being. Blood spilled from my mouth, and sweat drenched my skin like rainwater. My eyes remained fixed on the arcane transformation unfolding before me: the scroll consumed the stones, armor, and weapon, enveloping them like ashes. I prayed I was strong enough to survive the reset.

By the time the pain subsided, four hours had passed. The items were nearly gone, and the final stage of the process hit me with even greater intensity. I screamed until my voice gave out, my body collapsing as exhaustion finally claimed me.

When I opened my eyes, I felt lighter but ravenous. The clock showed it was already seven in the evening. I hoped there was food in the kitchen.

Before I could read the messages, my phone rang abruptly - it was Barry. I answered, only to be met with his furious voice. "Liam, we've been trying to contact you for days! What the hell happened?!"

Days? The reset was supposed to take only a night. Confused, I checked the date on my phone and realized three days had passed since I'd locked myself in the training room.

My heart raced, thinking an emergency might have happened.

I removed the blockades from the door and windows, but my sluggish movements reminded me that I hadn't allocated my stats yet.

HP - 10

MP - 0

Dexterity - 0

Speed - 0

Accuracy - 0

Intelligence - 0

Strength - 1029

Physical Resistance - 430

Magic Resistance - 648

Skill Points Available - 5030

Revamp: 2

••••••••••••••••••

Ignoring the gnawing hunger in my stomach, I rushed to the control room. Barry was slumped in his chair, staring at his phone with a dazed expression.

Seeing him immediately raised the guilt I'm feeling.

"I'm sorry for lashing out earlier," he said, putting his phone down. "We didn't know what happened to you. Catarina called, demanding the bunny, and we wanted to speed things up. We told her she needed to go to the tower, but she thought we were scamming her. She stopped responding."

He showed me screenshots of the conversation between Catarina and Michelle. Catarina had questioned why she needed to go to the tower, offering money instead. When we mentioned the potential for gaining powers, she grew even more suspicious.

Barry wrinkled his nose. "Ew, have you even showered?"

My miscalculation had cost us a chance to bring Catarina to the tower. While I'd been gone, the team had searched for caves with reptilian monsters but stumbled upon something else.

"Raymond mentioned you dealt with dogs at the mall complex before?" Barry asked. I remembered and thought that cave isn't that far.

"Yeah," I replied as Raymond and Rohda entered the control room. I waved in greeting. Rohda bombarded me with questions, asking the reason for my absence for three straight days. But Raymond silenced her and just made fun of my stench.

"There's a similar cave near Michelle's workplace," Barry explained, pointing to a map of South America. "We've decided to check it out. You in?"

I nodded. To the caves we'd go, then...