Save & Reset

I was there, standing in front of the graveyard as if nothing had happened.

For some reason, I felt a bit lonely. Normally, when I used my [Save & Reset], it was about restarting one day (multiple times), but this time was different. I felt something tearing apart from within me.

Phew—I took a deep breath. The sensation that I had been working on for months filled my body. I could feel the mana twisting and transferring into my mana veins. The twists and blocks that the mana was facing became controllable.

[ Skill "Mana Sense" Leveled Up ]

"What are you doing here?" said the voice in the mist, just like the first time I encountered him.

"It's me, Action," I replied with the exact thing I said before the [Reset].

And just like before, Brass said over the skeleton, "Sorry, I'm busy right now. You can just tell me like this."

"I want to talk face to face," I said with a serious look on my face.

"…Okay, come in," he said.

The skeleton collapsed into the ground, but the mist was as thick as it was before. I walked inside the mist, and as I got closer to Brass, I could hear the sound of hammer and nails from afar. Over the dense mist, I couldn't see it clearly, but he was using his skeletons as helpers.

"This is your job, and you know it too," he said in a serious manner, even though I could sense a little humor in it.

"Tell me who is going to finish a job faster: a single man or a one-man army?" I said, thinking that might cause a little laughter.

"…Why are you here?"

"I'm here to say goodbye and sorry for what I did," I said.

"…To be fair, I knew you wouldn't agree to be my disciple, but I wanted to test it out, just in case. And secondly, you don't have to be sorry for that."

"! Why so?" I said, with a mixture of surprise.

"When you came here for the first time and asked for my help, I suspected you of being a liar. That suspicion was resolved after we entered the cave, since I thought that I could finally get my revenge on my family. Of course, lying is unacceptable, but I decided not to kill you."

"Why didn't you kill me then? Was it because I saved you?"

"No, it wasn't like that. When I saw you handling those situations with ease, it left me in awe. On that mission, each and every one of your words was calculated to the point that it was unreal. When I looked at you, I could only see victory, even though I felt like I was going to die."

"So are you for-!"

"I'm not going to forgive you for what you did, since you used my family name in vain. But I won't carry any grudge for what you did… after all, you made an old man's heart beat to the sound of adventure again," he said, while looking at the misty environment of the grave. I could tell he was thinking about his wife.

"What are you going to do from now on?" I asked, since I felt that I knew the answer.

"…I'm going on a journey. Maybe on that journey, I could find an answer to what I have been looking for."

"I know I told a lot of lies to you, but I want to give you some advice to help you as a former companion. Go west. In Galahan, you might find a trace for your questions there." I wasn't going to tell him about the Noble of Night, but since he was a good teacher for me, I repaid him in this way.

"I will. Now then, I would be happy if you left this place at once," he said with a smile.

"Huh, I will," I responded with a smile too.

I left the graveyard with something more than just a little conversation. I gained the minimum requirement for entering the last of the [Three Key Dungeons], and I only craved to enter it at once, but I decided not to do that. Minimum, although doable thanks to [Save & Reset], I didn't want to be stuck in a loop for a year, so I decided to get stronger.

Thud! "I want to apply for this mission if possible."

The receptionist looked at me with doubt and said, "Are you sure? This kind of mission requires a team of at least 3 C-grade adventurers. Weren't you an E-grade?"

"I know, but there aren't any restrictions that prevent me from accepting it, are there?" I said while looking at the receptionist with confident eyes.

"Urgh, fine. It is the guild's policy to warn but not prevent you from taking a dangerous mission, so you can accept it. But I will be clear that if you die, we won't take any responsibility," said the receptionist, as if she was looking at another crazy adventurer.

"Understood."

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[ Adventurer Quest: Forest Scouting

Difficulty: D+

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Scout around Nova Forest for a Day 0/1

Report it to the Adventurers Guild 0/1

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Time Limit: 8 Days

Upon Failure: -2 Stamina Stat

Reward: Depends on the Information, +1 Stamina Stat ]

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I was going to the location of the third of the [Three Key Dungeons], so I decided to pick a mission too.

I was going to farm experience and get some items from clearing some lower-level dungeons.

I had been waiting so long to get to the place that I was in. I wanted to get as much material as I could before entering the dungeon. Thankfully, I was able to do it due to its location.

"At the very end of Nova stood the most majestic mountain. Within the mountain's wall exists the most valuable, beyond all items, and the owner shall be the strongest of all."

I remembered the line from my past life. I wasn't the first person who found that dungeon, and that was regrettable, but not unfortunate.

For the last time, I opened my [Inventory] to see if I was holding the items I wanted.

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[ Inventory 18/37

> Auto-Browning Cauldron

> Sword of Beginning (Damaged)

> Bottle of D-grade Healing Potion x 2

> Incomplete Mana Infused String

> Box of Yellow Bernith Powder x 2

> Bottle of Slime Liquid x 15

> D-grade Monster Core × 2

> C-grade Monster Core

> Minotaur Horn x 2

> Light Orb

> Rusty Dagger x 3

> Dirty Set of Clothing x 2

> Clean Set of Clothing

> Leather Vest

> Gold Coin x 3

> Silver Coin x 12

> Bottle of Water x 17

> Bread x 20 ]