Previously, on the last chapter…
Unable to wait any longer, I throw my shirt on and check my status.
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Familia: Soma
Level: 1
Strength: I0
Endurance: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0
Magic:
Skills:
I Want to Be Like You: Automatically activates upon being killed by an enemy. You copy one skill, spell, or development ability from the enemy and make it your own. You cannot copy from an opponent you've already taken from. However, you will die. For each Falna level, you can copy 2 spells, skills, and development abilities.
Clockwork of the Returned: Automatically activates upon death. You will go back 24 hours in time from the moment of your death. Your memories and stats are preserved upon returning. However, the higher your level, the harsher the penalty—whether physical or mental. From the first time the skill is used, you may go back exactly 2 years in total.
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Gabriel's POV
"What… what the hell are these skills…?" The words slipped out on their own, soaked in disbelief, as if my mouth still hadn't caught up to what my eyes were seeing.
This can't be real. It shouldn't be. And yet… after everything that's happened today, I'd believe it if a unicorn in a butler suit showed up offering me coffee. There it was, in clear letters: two skills any adventurer would sell their soul to have.
"I Want to Be Like You" and "Clockwork of the Returned."
The first basically lets me copy any skill, spell, or development ability from an enemy… as long as they kill me. Yeah, nothing weird—just let myself get turned into a smear on the pavement. Sounds deadly fun.
But that's where the second comes in: if I die, I rewind exactly twenty-four hours in time, keeping my memories and stats. Two skills that, together, are like a perfect marriage… one of those where the couple argues constantly, but you still can't imagine one without the other.
"Ha… ha… ha… HAHAHA… HAHAHAHA!"
What started as a low, incredulous chuckle erupted into a manic laughter that filled the room.
Me… out of all the people in the world… me. I die in some absurd way I can't even remember, wake up in an alley reeking of piss and death, inside a body that looks like it was sculpted by the gods themselves. I find out I'm in an anime—a damn anime—Danmachi. I learn that the guy who owned this body before me was a championship-level drunk, with a life as dignified as a dumpster fire. I see people of every race, talk to Eina Tulle—yes, that Eina Tulle from the Guild—who, as if fate was laughing in my face, turns out to be my advisor. I find out I belong to the booziest, most ruffian-filled Familia in Orario, meet a god who lives for wine, and to top it off, I update my status and… BOOM. Two broken skills.
And there I was, laughing like a madman in the same room as a god who barely spared me a glance while swirling his wine. If that's not worth a hysterical laugh, I don't know what is.
Gradually, my laughter faded. Not because it stopped being funny… but because something cold slithered down my spine.
The adrenaline was leaving me, and with it, that fleeting sense of invincibility.
What was left was… vertigo.
If I thought about it, there's nothing "free" about these skills.
"I Want to Be Like You"… sounds glorious, almost poetic, until you remember that activating it means someone has to kill you.
And "Clockwork of the Returned"… a supposed safety net, but one that only triggers if you throw yourself headfirst into death, praying that when you wake up… you're still there.
The thought started as a whisper, then became a scream in my head:
What if I rewind to before this body joined the Soma Familia?
I could erase all of this, choose where to start fresh.
But to do that… I'd have to die.
Die…
The word stuck to my teeth, tasting metallic.
I could do it today, tomorrow, hundreds of times after… but the first…
The first isn't just a formality.
It's stepping off a cliff blindfolded, not knowing if there's a mattress below… or a bottomless pit.
Then my treacherous mind started spitting out images:
Me falling, darkness swallowing me whole, my chest burning as air escaped…
My hands clawing for something that isn't there…
And then… nothing.
No light, no warmth, no voice to wake me.
A shiver ran through me.
My heart hammered like it was trying to escape my chest, my breathing ragged and uneven.
No matter how much I told myself I'll come back… the truth is, I don't know.
And if I don't know… how the hell am I supposed to take that first step?
I clenched my teeth, trying to keep my hands from shaking.
I could do it now… but I didn't even know how long this body had been in Orario, or exactly when it joined Soma.
And if it had already been two years since the blessing… I'd be trapped.
I needed information.
That meant going back to the Guild.
Going back to Eina.
I left Soma without another word, the faint clinking of stirred wine and its aroma lingering on my clothes.
Outside, Orario pulsed as always, but every step felt like I was walking a tightrope. Conversations floated in the air—rumors, names. Apollon. Hestia. The phrase "War Game" repeated like an echo in several mouths.
It wasn't hard to connect the dots: this was the official declaration of the Apollon vs. Hestia Familia War Game. That placed me just over two months into the canon timeline. And that… made the clock tick faster.
I pushed open the Guild's door, the bell announcing my arrival. Among the counters, there she was—Eina Tulle, reviewing documents with that unshakable composure.
She looked up when she saw me.
"Oh… Gabriel." A brief pause, an arched eyebrow. "I didn't expect to see you so soon. Did something happen?"
"Let's say… I forgot to ask something important earlier," I said, trying to sound casual.
She set aside the papers.
"What kind of question?"
"It's… about my record. I know it's been a couple of years since I came to Orario, but I never really checked the exact date."
"The exact date you joined the Soma Familia?" Her tone stayed neutral, though there was a slight stiffness to her posture.
"Exactly." I gave a faint smile, as if it were mere curiosity.
Eina searched through a file, flipped a few pages, and found it in seconds.
"Here it is." She read the date aloud.
A knot tightened in my stomach.
"I see…" I nodded slowly.
"Any particular reason?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Nothing serious. Just… never stopped to check before."
She studied me for a couple more seconds before returning to her documents.
"If that's all, I have work to do."
"Thanks, Eina. Really, you've been a big help." I turned and walked toward the exit.
In the reflection of a window, I saw her still watching me, a faint hint of confusion on her face.
The date was carved into my mind now. So clear… and so threatening.
If I miscalculated by even a single day… that would be it.
Rewinding exactly two years was my limit. A day past that and my Falna would vanish. Without Falna… there'd be no "second chance."
A shiver crawled up my spine. The sun shone over Orario, oblivious to my countdown.
I took a deep breath.
Me, of all people in the world… this happens to me? Why me? Why? These were the most honest questions I could ask. I wasn't angry about not being able to return to my world—no, I was just confused about why I was here.
I'm not special, and I've always known that. Even though I dreamed of it, I never saw myself that way. I long to shine, to be the center of the stage, to be recognized by the world; yet my light is so dim I sometimes doubt I'm even the protagonist of my own life.
Knowing what I am, the world, some bored entity, or the universe itself gave me this… second chance? Maybe. To live the rest of this life as redemption for the mess I used to call "my life"…
I'm not complaining.
But please… let this life allow me, at least once, to feel special.
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Author's Note
Hey there, everyone! How's it going? Hope you're all doing great. :)
I know this chapter isn't the most exciting—yeah, I'm aware. It's also a bit shorter compared to the previous one. But I swear the next chapter will be much better. I felt this one was necessary to really establish where Gabriel is in the story, how he plans to use his ability, what's going on in his head now that he's in this new world, and some of his personal reflections.
I also tried to portray Eina as cautious, prejudiced, and a bit curt toward the protagonist, but not overly so—her professional demeanor still comes first.
If you have any questions or doubts, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I love reading your feedback.
Oh, and one more thing—yes, this will be a harem story (I know, I know). I promise it'll make sense, though. The girls won't just throw themselves at the MC; there'll be proper development. The number of love interests is the same as what's considered "the perfect number" in several religions, which in my main language is written as "Siete"
I'll try to have the next chapter up before Sunday. If inspiration strikes and I have free time, I might even write, edit, and post it today. If not… well, you'll see it on Sunday. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Started: 08/12/25
Published: 08/15/25