4 - Sage Time

'The culprit is in here.'

Right in front of my eyes, doing the dishes. Piarot Evangeline. She'd stolen my regression skill, Bad Ending Loop. And I hadn't even realized it, grinning like an idiot over how my stamina had gone up a bit.

"Crazy..."

A hollow curse slipped from my lips.

Hold on, so what happens now?

The owner of the regression skill was now her. Which meant the reset button was no longer in my hands—it was in the witch's. If she died, we'd regress. But if I died?

I'd just die for real.

The system message was becoming reality. Terror flooded my eyes as her back burned into my vision—silently wiping the plates. Scrub, scrub. The sound of her scrubbing the dishes felt like it was scraping my own throat. Clink. The noise of her stacking the bowls stopped.

Evangeline wiped her wet hands roughly on her apron and returned to the table. Screech. The rickety wooden chair cried out as she plopped down across from me.

That was when it hit. Whoosh. A strange fragrance rode the air, tickling my nose. The musty mold smell was gone, replaced by something like rain-soaked flowers... or maybe overripe fruit. A sticky, sultry scent.

Ugh?!

My body reacted before my brain could. A scorching heat erupted from deep in my gut like a volcano.

Wait, that stew I just ate...

The main ingredient was mandragora, right? In fantasy worlds, mandragora was a powerful vitality booster—and a potent aphrodisiac ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠virility enhancer. It hadn't just boosted my stamina; it'd fully charged my "manly vigor."

Ah...

Finally... finally free from impotence. After a hundred years, I was reborn as a man.

Drip, drip, drip... Tears cascaded from my eyes like a waterfall.

"Are you okay?"

Evangeline's eyes widened as she stared at me gripping the table, trembling.

Oh crap, got too emotional.

I forced a moved expression and spoke in a quivering voice. "Thank you. This is the best food I've ever had."

"Ah..."

Her pale cheeks flushed peach-pink. Even witches dance to praise, huh. She ducked her head shyly, and damn if that wasn't a critical hit.

Urk! Dangerous!

She was a witch. No way she'd forgive this pathetic display.

"C-can I use the bathroom for a sec?"

"Ah, yes. End of the hall..."

The moment her finger pointed down the corridor, I sprang up like a coiled spring.

"Excuse me!"

I bowed awkwardly and scuttled away from the table like a crab.

Click. I locked the bathroom door and let out a sigh of relief. An old sink and mirror came into view. Right now, this was my only sanctuary.

"Hoo, hoo..."

I splashed cold water on my face. It hit my skin, but the burning heat refused to cool.

"...No choice."

If she caught me pitching a tent against a witch? 100% death. With a resolute expression, I reached for my belt buckle.

Swish, rustle. In the silent bathroom, only the sound of fabric and my ragged breaths echoed.

And finally.

"Hngh..."

With a short, stifled cry, the scorching heat dominating my body spilled out. My legs wobbled. Clutching the sink, gasping for breath—that was when it happened.

"Ha..."

A hollow laugh escaped me. Sage Time. The post-nut clarity men chase after the deed. And it manifested as a skill?

"...Huh?"

My reflection's eyes had changed. The lust-glazed haze was gone. Now, they stared back like a millennium-old sage—deep, serene, icy.

The fog in my mind cleared. My racing heart steadied to a clock's tick. Fear? Lust? Panic? All that unnecessary emotional data—deleted.

Thinking... faster.

I slowly zipped up, straightened my clothes.

"Hoo..."

I washed my hands calmly and opened the door. Screech.

Evangeline turned from the table, face worried. I walked over steadily and sat.

Now, her every action clicked into place like puzzle pieces. Memories tangled across countless loops untangled in seconds.

[Evangeline Family]

Descendants of ancient vampire-human hybrids, Dhampirs. Their powers faded over time, but they overcame sunlight. Lingering vampire traits remained: superhuman recovery and stats. And... Charm.

That's why she was academy pariah number one—the real reason people feared her.

Evangeline women were born with an innate skill to bewitch minds. Any male with lower "mana" or "hierarchy" obeyed absolutely.

So why was I fine?

The answer was pathetically simple.

I wasn't a man...

Probably due to my F- stamina. Once it rose, impotence lifted. Biologically neutered, her Charm had whiffed—no target.

Last life's final moments. For some reason, she was dying. In her desperate state, I resisted her charm and fed her of my own will—saving her life.

Not on purpose, but I threw away my life for hers. Her affinity hit at least 50.

The problem came next.

Damn system, it counted bloodsucking as foreplay.

Exchange of fluids. Biting neck, gasping breaths. The system logged it as "deep physical intimacy," triggering the heroine-protagonist soul-link skill: Resonance.

And the killing blow: her passive. Blood Thief (S). Heals via bloodsuck; low chance to steal a skill from slain targets.

I died, she lived. She sucked my blood—and Bad Ending Loop (EX) with it.

Gutted like chum, I regressed on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠death. She yanked the skill from my corpse. That time gap saved me.

And she died later too. Normally, she'd loop alone. But Resonance threw a wrench.

Soul resonance. A bond death can't sever.

It chained our souls like iron. Miraculously, she regressed to the same spacetime as me.

That was my deduction.

Time to test it.

I spoke slowly, voice like ice. "Senior Evangeline."

"Y-yes?"

"One question."

I leaned forward, locking eyes with her shaking pupils.

"Have you... ever died?"

"!!!"

Her body froze like a statue. Pupils quaked like an earthquake.

Confirmed. She was a Regressor.

Then—she nodded.

And a lightning shock flashed through my mind.

...Wait.

Did she just affirm it? Admit she'd died and returned?

Chills ran down my spine. The skill owner revealing their power to another? System's absolute taboo.

Memories surged. Trying to spill "I'm a regressor" for info—heart-wrenching pain, red [Warning] flooding my vision. When I pushed, the system throttled me into a forced loop.

But now? The current owner—skill thief herself—affirmed it to me. A silent nod, but clear intent.

Why? No warning window?

Evangeline was fine. No agony, no penalty.

Bug? Or error in the system's causality when ownership transferred? Or non-verbal, slipping surveillance?

Sage Time's accelerated mind spewed hypotheses. But cause didn't matter. The implication did.

If the owner affirms it unscathed...

Then I, the non-owner?

I swallowed dryly. Life-or-death gamble. But Sage Time's instinct screamed: no second chance.

I pushed the taboo words off my tongue. "It's thanks to my ability."

"...!"

The words... came out? I was shocked. She was shocked. No heart squeeze, no red warning.

Like a burst pipe, the sentence flowed effortlessly.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

No ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dissonance. What gives?

Brain spat the answer.

[Contract Terminated]

I wasn't Bad Ending Loop's owner anymore. To the system, I was no longer bound by confidentiality.

Losing the skill freed me from that infernal "vow of silence."

Ha, hilarious. Robbed of my skill, but gained freedom of speech. Opportunity.

Exploit the system's blind spot. I stared into her trembling eyes and calmly spilled the truth I'd never shared.

"It was my skill. Returns to today on death."

"That's... true?"

"Yes. And during your bloodsuck, you took it with my blood."

I added: couldn't I have my only skill back?

Evangeline pondered long, then spoke, voice trembling faintly. She stared at the fruit knife on the table.

"If I die, the mana bond breaks. The skill returns to you, Evan..."

She meant it. Had she lived like this? Seeing herself as a "cursed witch," disposable trash anytime.

"..."

My chest ached. Her slender shoulders trembled. Eyes wavering on the verge of tears—too real.

A hundred years analyzing this game world. Its people weren't data scraps. Flesh, blood, souls—real humans.

Senior's no NPC. Can't kill a living person.

"No way. The skill's fine."

"Evan..."

Her eyes welled up. Fine. First Resonance proc. Hardcore players beat the demon king in pure-love duos. We had a shot, worst case.

I checked the clock. Work-study shift incoming.

Whew, that's it for today.

Standing, I said, "Senior Evangeline, I'll head out."

"Ah..."

The icy clarity chilling my mind melted away.

"Evan, wait. We need to talk more. Sit."

Red system windows flashed before my eyes. I sat and said, "Got it."