Izuma sat with his back against the cold wall of the Veilforge building.
the night air brushing past his damp hair. His hands trembled faintly—not from pain, not from exhaustion—but from the truth unraveling inside his head.
He had died.
And then he came back.
But not just his body. The world went back.
His fingers pressed to his temple.
"It wasn't just healing... it was a rollback. A checkpoint," He whispered.
He looked over at Rinji, who stood silently nearby, arms crossed, a flicker of concern in his eyes.
"Hey…Uh...did I already tell you what my ability was?"
Rinji nodded casually.
"Yeah. You said it was 'Perception', Kinda mumbled it like you weren't sure though..."
That confirmed it.
He had time-leaped. He was back to before the Demon King's army attacked. Back to a specific moment. A memory checkpoint like in an RPG. Like a save point.
His thoughts spiraled as he stood, brushing dirt off his pants.
This isn't just Respawn. This is a hard reset. It brings my mind back too. The whole world reverts—but only I remember.
He imagined a HUD flashing in his mind, like when it happened:
—INITIATING PROTOCOL: RESPAWN—
It wasn't just a name. It was a rule. A system. A curse.
If I die, I rewind. To the Veilforge. That's the anchor, at least for now.
He blinked hard, eyes narrowing with sudden clarity.
I can test things. Trial and error. Scout. Learn. Die. Repeat.
But he shuddered at the memory of the pain. Of the spear. Of his skull cracking.
"I don't wanna die....I don't..not ever"
He whispered
Dying still hurts. And if I mess up too bad, even coming back won't save me.
He took a breath, then looked at Rinji.
With his mind spinning, he came to a final conclusion,
If I'm going to survive this, I need to use every bit of my knowledge to survive this night...no matter the cause.
With a deep breath, izuma inacted his plan,
— Defeat the enemy, as quick as possible.
With his mind set on victory, he began to speak in a raspy voice,
"I heard whispers… in town. Strange talk. Smoke. Troop sightings. Something's coming. I think it's the Demon King's forces."
Rinji's brows rose, but he didn't interrupt.
"I'm not sure when," Izuma added carefully, "but soon."
Rinji didn't question it.
--------
Back at Rinji's house,
Lira and Adia were already waiting.
Lira crossed her arms dramatically the moment they stepped in.
"Four hours. You two vanish for four hours and now you just stroll in?"
Adia glanced up, sharper.
"You look different," she said, narrowing her eyes at Izuma. "What happened?"
Izuma didn't respond directly. Instead, he marched to the cluttered table in the center of the room. He cleared space with a swipe of his arm and unfurled a map he had snatched earlier from the Adventurer's Guild.
He planted both hands on the wood.
"Listen closely. I think the Demon King's army is going to attack this city—our city—within the next twelve hours."
Adia raised a brow.
Lira scoffed, "Seriously? The army hasn't attacked Garniel in years. They don't even come near the neutral zones anymore."
Garniel, Izuma repeated in his mind. The moment the name left Lira's mouth, his brain filed it away—quick, clean, automatic.
"I know how it sounds," he said calmly,
"but I've been listening. Watching. Reading signs. You'd be amazed what you can learn from just walking around."
He tapped the map.
"I saw unusual troop formations near the outskirts. Farmers bribed into silence. Children too scared to play outside. Fire mana residue under taverns. A collapsed tunnel that smelled like sulfur. That's not nothing."
Adia blinked. "You got all that from walking?"
Izuma gave a small grin.
"Perception, remember?"
Rinji chuckled under his breath.
He's starting to believe it.
"Alright," Rinji said. "What's the move?"
Izuma exhaled slowly and stepped around the table. The map became a battlefield in his mind. He saw the city as a game board—like a grid in a turn-based strategy RPG. Every unit mattered. Every piece had to be placed right.
Gathering all the info he had seen or heard he muttered.
"Step one," Izuma began.
"Lira and Adia—west wall. There's a structural gap. It's small, but unguarded. The scouts will slip through there. You two are our fastest. Mobile units. You'll intercept. Plant traps. Spring them before the main force arrives."
Lira cracked her knuckles, grinning. "Now we're talking."
"Step two," he said, turning to a marked location,
"beneath the tavern at Ember Alley. That tunnel leads straight to the market district. There's an old wine cellar down there. I saw what looked to be traces of fire magic or whatever you call it. They're planning to detonate a magic attack from underneath—classic siege tactic."
Adia's eyes widened. "A tunnel bombing?"
He nodded. "Collapse it. Tonight. Block it off or flood it. Don't leave even a crawlspace."
"Got it," she said, voice sharper now.
"Step three," Izuma continued, circling a spot in the city center.
"This is our fallback point. If civilians panic, they'll run straight here. We need Rinji here, controlling the crowd. Order is everything. We keep them calm, guide them to the escape routes."
Rinji tilted his head. "And you?"
"I'll be everywhere. Eyes open. Adapting. Filling gaps in the line."
He continued, "Don't underestimate what a human is capable of, adaptation is my strong suit", He said wearing a smirk grin.
They stared at him for a long moment. There was no hesitation in his voice, no fear. Just resolve.
He locked in his mindset.
Lira finally spoke.
"You sure you're not hiding something, perceptionist?"
Perceptionist? Have I already gained myself a title on my second day in this world?
He forced a cough,Then said.
Smirking slightly. "I learn fast."
Then quietly, more to himself:
I've lived this before.
-----------
By nightfall, the plan was in motion.
Lira rigged explosive traps along the west wall. Adia brought down the tunnel under Ember Alley with a precise seismic charge. Rinji fortified the crowd paths with local militia.
And Izuma moved like a ghost.
He scouted rooftops, recalculated angles, memorized enemy movement patterns—everything. His mind buzzed with stats and skills like an RPG menu:
Mobility: Medium
Detection: High
Strategic Processing: Maxed
Fear Resistance: …Loading...eh, can't tell.
He stood on a bell tower, gazing out over the calm city.
Garniel.
So peaceful.
But he knew what came next.
This is what it feels like to change fate.
------------
They regrouped near Rinji's home, gear checked, roles assigned.
Rinji rolled his neck. "Still no movement?"
"Not yet," Adia said, tapping her blade.
Izuma closed his eyes and whispered.
"They're coming."
Lira rolled her eyes. "You keep saying that—"
BOOM.
A thunderous explosion split the sky. Smoke billowed up from the north wall.
People screamed.
Flames danced.
Horns blared.
The Demon King's army had arrived.
But this time?
So had they.
Izuma exhaled slowly, shoulders squared.
Game start.