We stocked up at Christian's, then raced to the tomb.
We split into teams and entered.
I was on team four.
We cleared the three chambers that were designated for us.
Moving faster than ever, I slayed 18 Undead Warriors, earning 612 XP.
We made our way back to the main antechamber, with me trailing behind.
Dalton, apparently Goren’s replacement, said something amusing – that Goren was actually a good guy. Good one.
Feeling uncomfortable with Dalton walking behind me, I stopped, opening my inventory, pretending to check something.
[Inventory #1]
- Lesser Health Potion x4
- Lesser Stamina Elixir x3
- Lesser Mana Elixir x1
- Bandages (Consumable) x1
- Torch x1
- Trap Detection Kit x2
- Weapon Repair Kit x1
- Water Flask x1
- Gold Coins x10
- Skyroot Powder (Consumable) x1
- Ironbark Brew (Consumable) x1
- Heartspore Tonic (Consumable) x2
Then, I moved to my second inventory.
[Inventory #2]
- Gold Coins x60
- Gethril Root (Consumable) x3
- Lesser Health Potion x3
- Lesser Mana Elixir x3
- Lesser Stamina Elixir x3
- Lumindew (Consumable) x3
- Skyroot Powder (Consumable) x3
- Ironbark Brew (Consumable) x3
- Heartspore Tonic (Consumable) x3
- Ember Flask x3
- Oil Flask x3
- Spark Bomb x3
As I’d hoped, he decided to move ahead.
“Don’t fall behind.” Dalton warned. “We might’ve cleared this area, but who knows what else this dungeon has in store for us.”
I nodded quickly, eager to get rid of him. “Yeah, I’ll be right there. Just need to check some of my items.”
He shrugged, then continued forward, and I was left alone in the first chamber we’d cleared.
Good.
In truth, I wanted to be left alone. During our walk to the tomb, a plan had solidified in my mind - to explore it by myself. And now was the best opportunity to do this.
And I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out.
Assuming most of my runs likely follow a similar path, with only minor changes here and there, as I’m unlikely to take any irrational decisions that go against my own better judgement, the most logical explanation for Chronos being satisfied with my progress would be that I did something completely out of character – something Aidan Dar wouldn’t normally even think about doing.
Returning to the main antechamber to report? I likely did that every run.
Following Yana constantly? Most likely.
But going deeper into the tomb for solo exploration? Ding, ding, ding! That’s definitely not something I’d do.
And if Chronos was finally happy, it was likely because I did something unpredictable like this and learned something important. Now, I just needed to repeat that.
Also, Yana had always been my anchor in all of this. My past selves had probably clung to her, wanting to keep her safe, haunted by her death and our fault in it. But now, knowing her mark was also a beacon for Erebus, I had no choice – I had to stay away from her.
I needed to finish this on my own.
We will reconnect after I succeed. After all of this is over. When that happens, hopefully, I’d get to keep the Déjà vu System and continue leveling up. Then, we could start adventuring together again. I could stand as her equal – not just as a partner, but…maybe something more.
Exiting the chamber, I returned to the first level’s main corridor. If I continued left, I would reach the main antechamber, the guild masters, and Yana. But if I turned right and pressed on, I’d pass the chambers the other teams were exploring. And if I kept going even deeper, I’d supposedly reach the stairs leading to the second level.
This was my last chance to change my mind, but my resolve was firm. I took a deep breath and turned right.
Worst case scenario – I’ll die and wake up again.
***
[Déjà vu System: Level 7]
[Loop Count: 16]
[Experience Points (XP): 614 / 2500]
As I reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped onto the second level, I realized I couldn’t see a damn thing.
The darkness wasn’t welcoming - not at all. I suddenly appreciated how much light Dina, our team’s enchantress, had provided during our exploration of the first level. Without her, the shadows felt a lot more suffocating.
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I wondered if I should use the Lumindew I’d picked from Christian this morning or simply rely on a torch. After a moment of consideration, I chose the latter, deciding to save my consumables for later.
[Select: Torch]
The enchanted torch materialized in my right hand and lit up instantly. The light it cast, however, was underwhelming – barely illuminating a step and a half all directions. Still, it was enough to get a sense of the likely layout of the second level as I moved cautiously forward.
This level seemed similar to the first: a long, dark, and wide corridor stretching ahead, with multiple open chambers branching off on either side. The main difference was likely the staircase. On this level, the stairs to the third level would probably be at the other end, directly opposite to where I was now. This crisscross design likely continued on each level all the way down to Gaelith’s chamber.
Before taking another step, I decided to activate Checkpoint. This level was unexplored, and the odds of stumbling upon enemies were high.
[Checkpoint Set: Your progress has been saved at this point in time]
[Checkpoint lvl. 1: Time left until Anchor expires – 29:59]
Torch in hand, I walked as carefully and silently as I could, unsure of who – or what – might be lurking in those chambers. More Undead like those we encountered earlier would be welcomed – free XP, but anything stronger might prove too dangerous and just waste Checkpoint.
Reaching the first chamber, I paused to listen for any noise inside. Hearing none, I slowly peeked around the corner.
The immediate area was empty, so I stepped inside.
After a quick inspection, I confirmed the chamber was completely empty. Even the walls were bare, lacking the patterns and small images that adorned those on the first level.
However, there was a corridor branching off, similar to how the chamber we explored earlier led to an additional three. I decided to move forward, wondering if this was the same choice I made in my previous run, reluctant to use Afterimage so early considering its ten minutes cooldown.
I was glad I didn’t since the corridor ended in a dead end. A large stone door blocked the way, but it wasn’t just an ordinary stone door. In the center, slightly protruding, was a golden circle with a hand-shaped engraving. Beneath it was an inscription written in ancient Tepanese - a language I had luckily studied in school for extra credit. Though it was very rusty, I managed to read the engraved inscription:
[Come forth, child of Axul]
What an odd inscription for a tomb…Who even brings children to a tomb in the first place?
But all jokes aside, my Intelligence stat was now high enough to discern that the golden circle was enchanted. Combined with the inscription, it likely meant only someone with Axul blood could open the door.
Axul…I ran through what little I knew about them.
The Axul were a deeply traditional people who remained faithful to their beliefs - that I had zero knowledge about - while the rest of the kingdom, and the world, moved on, embracing new religions and philosophies. They accepted the changes around them without preaching, choosing to live in seclusion in villages such as this, Moonvale. Eventually – and no one really knows how – their people, and their beliefs – vanished.
But this was a tomb. Why was there an enchanted door here? Had someone important to them been interred behind it? A shaman, perhaps – or whatever religious role they had in their society? But if it was someone so significant, why inter them on such a high level when the tomb supposedly extended down for over thirty levels?
I sighed, my Intelligence not yet high enough to bypass the enchantment. Disenchantment magic required at least 20 points in Intelligence, and I was still eight points off from that threshold.
Not wanting to waste Checkpoint, I turned around and resumed exploring, hoping that a future version of me would be able to enter this chamber and answer my questions.
Then, a tremor shook the corridor.
***
The tremor was brief, likely not an earthquake.
I was about to return to the corridor when I heard rhythmic thudding echoing from outside. I tensed, and instinctively backed away, pressing myself against the wall. Extinguishing my torch, I quickly consumed a Lumindew.
[Item Consumed: Lumindew x1]
[Night Vision activated. Duration: 30 minutes. Visual range enhanced in low-light areas]
As my vision adjusted, I froze.
A pack of large wolves with milky white eyes tore through the corridor outside. Undead Wolves, level 70. Dozens of them barreled forward, moving ferociously like mindless beasts.
I held my breath, hoping they wouldn’t notice me. But one of them - likely the last in the pack – suddenly stopped at the entrance to the chamber. Its nose twitched as it sniffed the air, then it slowly stepped inside. There was no doubt in my mind – it had sensed me.
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. I was twelve levels behind it, but I still fancied my chances. Slowly, I unsheathed Nightfall, preparing myself for the fight.
“Let’s dance, motherfucker.” I muttered under my breath.
Then, two more entered the chamber.
You've got to be kidding me…
***
With Checkpoint doing its job, I reawakened next to the staircase, immediately clutching my neck, struggling to breathe.
The damn wolves had torn me to pieces! The finishing blow was one of their maws clamping down on my neck. But I hadn’t gone out without a fight. I managed to take one of them with me, expending an Ember Flask, and Oil Flask, and enough mana to force me to use two mana elixirs. But hey, 318 XP is 318 XP.
Now, knowing what was coming, I had a choice: I could hide in that chamber and set up a trap for the three wolves, or I could just try progressing forward, skipping the dead-end chamber this time.
What had past me done? I decided against using Afterimage again. I wasn’t even sure how it would work after Checkpoint activated. Would I see an afterimage of myself before the Checkpoint or after? It was too risky to waste it here - it could still be useful to me in this run.
There was no guarantee I wouldn’t stumble into the entire pack if I decided to move forward. It was safer to wait them out. Besides, those three wolves were worth almost a thousand XP together - I couldn’t pass on that.
I rushed to the first chamber, lighting my way with the torch, knowing it would be empty, and began preparing my trap.
The plan was simple: I’d place the Oil and Ember Flasks on the floor where the wolves had stood before they attacked me. When they entered, I’d call a Fireball, my base-level fire magic spell that does practically no damage, at the flasks to create an explosion. The blast likely wouldn’t kill them, but it would chip away enough of their HP for me to finish them off.
I’d use their initial confusion after the explosion to hit them with Spark Bombs - all three, just to ensure the stun landed. Then, I’d finish them off with Horizon, taking advantage of the guaranteed critical hit on stunned targets.
Will it work? God, I hope so.
***
[+318 XP]
[+318 XP]
[+318 XP]
I sighed with relief, adrenaline still rushing through my body. It had all happened so quickly, but I’d managed to follow my plan perfectly. The ability to actually remember what had happened in a previous run and prepare for it was incredible - I couldn’t even put it into words.
Why does the Déjà vu System have to make everything so challenging?
Well, no use in crying about it. Chronos had promised to explain everything in detail the next time we met. Until then, I’d have to trust his claim that forgetting everything between loops was necessary.
I was also glad the explosions hadn’t attracted the entire pack. I assumed they were busy attacking everyone in the main antechamber. I hoped Yana was okay…
I glanced at the system, satisfied with the progress toward my next level.
[Déjà vu System: Level 7]
[Loop Count: 16]
[Experience Points (XP): 1886 / 2500]
I gained 1884 XP in this run, and I still felt good to go - ready to gain even more.
Exiting the chamber, I continued forward, the night vision from the Lumindew showing the way. I passed a few more empty chambers before reaching an intersection – another difference from the layout of the first level.
Unsure which way to pick, I finally decided to use Afterimage.
I activated the skill, but instead of an afterimage, a message popped up.
[There is no afterimage to run in this area]
What?
Was this my first time here??