The black gemstone swiftly absorbed the drop of blood, like a parched traveler greedily gulping down the last drop of water.
Then, the entire pocket watch began to emit a faint red glow. At the center of the gemstone, a tiny gear-shaped symbol emerged, slowly rotating—measuring, it seemed, the invisible flow of time.
["Rare Relic" successfully activated!]
[Timewarden's Pocket Watch (Initial Stage)]
[Effect: Allows the user to reset their current state, with the option to retain some positive buffs.]
[Current Energy Units: 10 / Refreshes Daily]
[Note: More functions will unlock when special conditions are met.]
Robb's eyes lit up. This reset function wasn't just a potential lifesaver—it was a divine gift for someone like him who was walking multiple advancement paths at once.
Even in a world where extraordinary powers existed—and where extending one's life or even achieving pseudo-immortality wasn't unheard of—time remained the most precious resource.
Multi-class bonuses were great, but training multiple skills at once slowed down progress, especially during this critical early-growth phase.
This watch had just torn open the chains of time, giving him the chance to grow more in the same window.
However, all the traveling and fighting today—from Sunset Tavern to Lizard Alley—had left him deeply fatigued.
By all logic, after becoming a [Wizard Apprentice], his physical and mental recovery rates should have improved dramatically. He shouldn't be this worn out.
"Maybe the constant use of Mental Disruption and Sonic Tremor drained me more than I thought? Or maybe all the recent high-intensity training is finally catching up?"
In either case, Robb figured this was the perfect chance to test the watch's effect by trying to reset his fatigue.
He closed his eyes and focused, feeling the exhaustion deep in his body.
Indeed, both mind and flesh were steeped in a dull, creeping tiredness.
Gripping the pocket watch, he pushed his mental energy into it, trying to channel his fatigue into the relic.
At first, nothing happened. But then, he recalled the rhythm of the SolarBreath, and began guiding the sensation in sync with its cadence—and something miraculous occurred.
The heaviness vanished, replaced by a lightness, as though some burden had been drawn out of him.
[Negative Status Reset: Fatigue – Energy -1]
A wave of freshness swept over Robb. Every cell in his body felt alive and awake.
The tiredness was gone, replaced by a revitalizing clarity. It was as if he had just woken from the most restful sleep of his life.
"Incredible…"
He stretched his limbs and was amazed to find himself more energized than he'd been that morning.
Technically, it was already late and time to rest—but now he was buzzing with energy, like he had just begun his day.
"In that case, I should make full use of this tool. I've cleared my fatigue—it's the perfect time to train and build it back up, using all of today's remaining resets."
His room was small, but more than enough for practicing basic sword techniques.
And ever since that incident with Darude next door, the surrounding rooms had been vacated—so there was no risk of disturbing anyone with late-night training.
The wooden sword cut graceful arcs through the air, each motion accompanied by precise breath control.
Sword flashes danced, and sweat gradually soaked through his clothes.
Half an hour passed. Then an hour.
When his arm muscles began to burn and ache, Robb knew he had reached the threshold.
He stopped and breathed heavily, feeling the signals of exhaustion echo through his body.
This wasn't simple mental fatigue—it was the microtearing of muscles pushed to their limit, the necessary pain before physical growth.
[Training Complete! Basic Swordcraft +1 EXP]
Robb closed his eyes and focused again on the watch, mentally commanding it to reset his fatigue.
He visualized the tiredness being transformed into nourishment—fuel for his sword skills.
A strange sensation flowed through him—his sore muscles soothed, as though invisible hands were gently massaging them, melting away the pain like spring warmth melting winter ice.
The comfort was profound. It felt less like a grueling workout and more like a hot bath.
At the same time, the black gemstone on the watch blinked, and the gear symbol next to it showed a tiny number: 2.
[Negative Status Reset: Fatigue – Energy -1]
"Success!" Robb's eyes gleamed with joy and curiosity.
He savored the effect—the feeling of compressing a long recovery period into a brief moment, stripped of pain and waiting.
With his body refreshed again, he could jump right back into training without resting.
That meant he could double—maybe even triple—his daily progress.
Robb's eyes blazed with determination. Breaking through to the next stage in swordcraft would change everything.
During his earlier conversation with Andrey, it had been clear that sword skills were crucial to advancing along any knight path—and of all his current skills, Basic Swordcraft was the closest to leveling up.
And based on the game's system, mastering it might unlock…
"I'll focus all-in on sword training," he told himself, decision made.
For the next few hours, Robb pushed himself in a relentless cycle.
He practiced every form and move from the Corona Sword Technique, trained to his limit, then used the watch to clear his fatigue—and started again.
The loop continued, and in just one night, he completed a workload that would normally take several days.
[Basic Swordcraft +1 EXP]
[Basic Swordcraft +1 EXP]
[Basic Swordcraft +1 EXP]
…
[Current Progress: Basic Swordcraft (Adept 20/100)]
When the watch's energy counter finally hit 10, Robb tried resetting once more—but nothing happened.
The gear on the gemstone rotated slightly, as if to remind him the day's quota had been used up.
[Daily Reset Limit Reached – Try Again Tomorrow]
Robb let out a long breath, satisfaction glowing in his eyes as he glanced at his progress.
He had raised his swordsmanship by several points in just one evening—a remarkable feat, especially since the skill's experience gains had slowed significantly after reaching proficiency.
He could feel it—his understanding of the Solar Blade was subtly evolving.
Moves that once required effort and thought were becoming instinctive. The boundary between his body and the sword was fading.
It felt like the blade was no longer a tool—but an extension of himself.
"I'll continue tomorrow," Robb said softly, gazing out the window at the moon now hanging high in the sky.
Even though the watch had erased his fatigue, his mind still needed rest.