Sunset academy, the second day after the exam.
In a white room, lying on a comfortable bed, Jazz opened his eyes.
He was surrounded by medical equipment, and fluids were flowing into his body.
He looked at his right hand, it had returned to normal.
He looked at his left foot, it was no longer twisted, it had healed as well.
All the injuries on his body had disappeared.
'Finally, I'm awake. How much time has passed?' Jazz thought to himself.
He tried to move his body and found no difficulty, but he still felt tired.
"Sleep is tiring." Jazz said in a calm tone.
He tried moving his hand and foot to make sure they were okay.
"Status."
[Name: Jazz Jacks.]
[Age: 17.]
[Health: 59%.]
[Level: Dawn.]
[Next Level: 9%.]
"Information."
[Strength: 27.]
[Stamina: 23.]
[Agility: 22.]
[Speed: 26.]
[Intelligence: 39.]
[Number of Lines: 1,020,000.]
[Talent: Night.]
[Primary ability: Time reversal.]
[Ability activation: 1.7%.]
[Ability development: 1.02%.]
[First secondary ability: None.]
[Ability development: 0%.]
[Second secondary ability: None.]
[Ability development: 0%.]
[Third secondary ability: Soul Transfer.]
[Number of souls transferred: 2.]
[Ability development: 0%.]
[Weapon: None.]
'I still need to train more, the academy is the best place right now.' thought Jazz as he looked at his stats.
Click.
The door opened, and a man who appeared to be in his eighties entered, towering at nearly two meters and twenty centimeters tall, with powerful muscles.
His physique seemed at odds with his aged appearance.
His brown eyes reflected the hardships of life, his hair was disheveled and white.
Jazz looked at him without saying a word, the old man's aura wasn't overpowering or intense, but rather the opposite of everything expected.
The aura surrounding him was calm, Jazz felt as if he were looking at a breathtaking natural scene where mountains surrounded the horizon and the sun bathed the earth, and the color green enveloped everything, creating harmony with the clear blue lake and the sky as pure as a jewel.
Jazz felt true peace.
'So, you've arrived.' thought Jazz as he looked at the old man.
"Hello, student, how are you now?" the old man spoke in a calm and gentle tone.
"I'm fine now." said Jazz.
"Tell me then, do you know what you've done?" asked the old man.
"I became the leader of that group of chimpanzee gorillas." Jazz explained what he thought was true.
"Yes, you know that this kind of situation has only occurred three times in human history since the system emerged and the monsters spread."
The old man was silent for a moment, then continued.
"It was previously accomplished by the villain known as the 'Ghost', and by the hero known as the 'Movable', and now you have accomplished it."
"Okay, I understand that." said Jazz.
"This happened with one type of monster: the apes. They're extremely dangerous, I have a bad feeling about them." the old man said with a tone of concern.
"My intention was to crush them completely, but unfortunately, I didn't succeed." a strong intent to kill began to appear in Jazz's eyes.
"Yes, unfortunately, but the fact that those monsters retreated to the gate when you defeated their leader means you've won and are now a student at my academy." the old man smiled lightly.
Jazz didn't answer, he merely nodded.
"Jazz Jacks, tell me. Do you wish to be my student? I currently have three students, and you would be the fourth if you agree."
An offer not to be missed, made by none other than Lemur Carborant, principal and founder of the sunset academy, one of the major contributors to the 'War of destruction' in the past.
Nicknamed the 'World'.
Rank?
Above rank.
He refused to be ranked, but everyone knew his worth.
Jazz looked at him calmly.
'Lemur, this hasn't happened before, but now it has? What a variable. But it would be useful, though not entirely. I'd become stronger faster and more reliably, but he's asking me to reveal all my information to him... It's dangerous for me to do that.'
Jazz considered the offer.
It was tempting, but dangerous for him, the slightest change would put him at risk right now.
"I refuse, I don't want to be your disciple."
"May I know why?" the old man's expression didn't change.
"Because I aspire to be strong on my own. My goal was to enter the sunset, not to be bound by it." Jazz explained.
"Why do you wish to enter it?" the old man asked.
"Well, because while I'm here, I'll be protected and train in the best way to become stronger. I know that after graduation, things will get much harder and more difficult, so I'd rather just use my time for this."
Jazz explained obliquely, but his words made his intentions clear, and someone like Lemur would know exactly what Jazz meant.
Do you think you'll be bound to the academy if you become my student? It isn't the academy you mean, but me. I commend you for your courage." the old man smiled, then left quietly.
'What a man. Unfortunately, my plans don't align with him restricting me. Otherwise, training under him would be wonderful.
…
The Amazon Rainforest, Terra Vermi, the east.
Rustle, rustle.
Footsteps on solid ground, amidst dense, giant trees and endless branches.
The humidity was suffocating, the sun's rays didn't penetrate the thick foliage.
Every step was a warning or a trap that the creatures here might set for you.
But…
The area was unusually quiet.
"I'm really getting close." said a man with short brown hair and bright green eyes.
He was powerfully built, his shirt rolled up to his elbows.
The veins on his hands stood out prominently.
He carried no weapons.
A huge backpack sat on his back.
He smiled brightly, even amidst this terrifying environment.
"Hahaha, just past this tree."
The man moved forward, passing a giant tree.
All he could see was a dark pit, three meters in diameter and perfectly circular.
Darkness enveloped its depths, and there seemed to be no end.
The man looked at it and felt spellbound for a moment.
"So we meet again... 'Eye of History'."
The man jumped into the pit without hesitation.
…
In a dark place inside the pit itself.
A group of three people walked quietly.
Their features were indistinct in the darkness.
They had no way of seeing ahead of them.
The sound of their heavy breathing grew louder, the place was extremely damp.
"Do you feel the pressure increasing the further we go?" asked a rough male voice.
"Yes, I don't know where we'll end up if we keep going, but the further we go, the heavier my spirit feels." said a soft female voice.
Silence fell again, and no one spoke.
They moved further and further.
One hundred meters.
Two hundred meters.
Three hundred meters.
Their steps grew heavier and heavier.
They couldn't move without exerting every ounce of their strength.
Their breathing grew heavier than before.
"Yaa… gu… guys, this is really hard, haaa haaa haaa huff." the male voice spoke again, but with great difficulty and strain.
One of them tried to turn back.
"Don't turn back, Ing, you know what happened to Raf." the male voice spoke, putting all his effort into his words.
"But, ugh, this is hard." a female voice spoke, and she began to sob.
"It doesn't matter, haaa, everything is hard, but you shouldn't die in a place like this, huff huuff." the male voice spoke, panting heavily.
"He's right... Let's rest a bit and then keep moving forward." another female voice spoke.
"O.. ok... okay." the girl named Ing spoke again, her tone a little braver.
"Weird, hahaha? How did you guys get here?" a man spoke in an amused tone.
His face was only a few centimeters away from Ing's.
Click.
The man lit a small match, but because of the humidity, it didn't last long.
Short brown hair, green eyes, a strong build.
He was leaning slightly toward Ing, his face close to hers.
"Ah, aaaaaaaah." Ing screamed loudly and fell to the ground.
Terror gripped her heart, as well as the hearts of the girl and the man with her, when they saw the man's appearance after a small flame flickered before going out.
'Was he following us? Since when?' thought the man with the previously masculine voice as he looked toward where Ing was standing.
"Ing, back up quickly! Shani, you back up too!" the male voice shouted in panic.
Ing tried to back up, but the moment she moved, half her head had been blown off.
Ing died.