Azimuth: The Elden Throne

347 Realization of the Second Chance

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/FLASH!/

"GASP!"

As the coldness of the snow dissipated from his skin, Dale slowly sunk deeper into the darkness...

But before he could be lost within, something pulled him back, and soon enough, as if water had been poured onto him, Dale woke up abruptly from his 'dream', gasping for air, like a newborn child learning how to breathe.

"Huff… Haa... Huff… I'm… Huff... No… That was... A vision?... Illusion?"

The Dale who had lost everything from the choices of his actions, a product of the changing times, just one of the many who fell to it...

Or the one who struggled to find his own place within the shaking world...

Nonetheless, before he could draw in another breath, those far-away memories that did not belong to him were cast away, erased under the power of his mind.

This time, he managed to retain his individuality, but for how long would that be the case?

"Huff… I think… I think I understand what's going on now…" Dale said amidst deep gasps

He had been brought back to this still world more than once, the message was clear...

/Raise.../

He raised his head to face the cloaked being, asking:

"Was this my reward?"

"..."

/Silence…/

/Move…/

/Nod/

The ancient creature moved in a strangely natural manner, one that seemed foreign even to itself due to its stiffness...

A simple "nod" was all it did, it looked like one at least as he could not see its head, if it had one at all.

That answer, however, was everything Dale needed to know to determine what was happening.

He calmed down... But only for a moment, quickly losing his already shattered composure as his mind trailed off...

"How… It can't be… Everything I've lived through so far… Was it all an illusion?"

The last time he was here… Or better put, the last time he was 'aware' of where he was, Dale asked for time as his final reward.

In the face of an almighty being, Dale did not ask for power or guidance, he asked for time so he could develop himself further.

With it, he was sent out of Babylon where he continued to live his life as usual, soon forgetting about the reward that never came as it was inconsequential to him in the end.

But now, as the pieces began to fall into place, he slowly realized what exactly his reward truly was…

From the moment he made his wish, his reward took effect... He only had to die once for it to trully bloom.

/Shine…/

The strange runes moved in the air, they read:

"Not reality, but neither an illusion, a path to be treaded, an empty field... A possibility of a destiny."

Strange words, but the meaning was somewhat clear.

"Time… You really gave me that didn't you?" Dale joked out loud as he looked at his own hands

It was hard to take it all in, just a moment before, he was despairing over the end of his life but now… There he was, in the 'past'.

He understood now, what his reward trully was... It was the chance to experience the future, his current one.

That was the 'time' he asked for.

Thus, from a certain perspective, Dale had regressed to his past, to correct the wrong he committed, to build a future devoid of mistakes…

"I lived two entire months and a little more… That's a lot of time."

'I grew immensely, completed many Quests, and achieved a lot.'

'That alone would be enough of a reward. If I could internalize everything I learned in those two months within a week… I could snowball these changes into one hell of an avalanche.'

'But most importantly, I can prevent the pivotal twist that changed my life forever… I can prevent it from happening and…'

/Grasp…/

'I can prevent my family from being affected… For now.' He thought quietly as he tightened his fist

'Aside from that, albeit faint and scattered, I also have the memories from the far future me.'

'The memories are mostly gone now, but for a moment, I possessed my future body… The way I thought, the way I behaved, the way I breathed, the way my muscles were aligned...'

'I think much of the memories left me as a way to protect me... That version of me was deplorable, a terrific sign of what the weight of responsibility can do a man that failed to uphold it.'

'I don't wish to inherit his way of thinking, no matter how beneficial it may be to me.'

'How far in the future is the vision? How long it took for me to grow so cold? Hard to say… Definitely further than a year… Maybe even five.'

'The only indication I have of time which I can still remember was that girl's appearance… Roger's granddaughter.'

'She's just a teenager now, but in the memory, in that glimpse of the future, she was already an adult, one already worn out by time and life, she seemed to know me well, at least, well enough to understand me and not wish to kill me.'

'Such things don't come easily, we must've grown closer together… Despite how cold I grew…'

'I don't know why she was there, but she implied Roger was gone... Is the future so bad even Roger succumbed under its weight?... Or was I the reason he vanished?'

'Did I... Take him down?'

'I... I won't let things flow like that!'

Dale's head emptied as his eyes grew clear, he had a new goal, one as grand as his previous one.

As he searches for the secret of the Green Box and the hidden agenda behind Azimuth's existence, he would also protect his family, friends, and people.

This time, for real.

There was no room for failure, there's no way to tell when he'll get another chance to "regress" like this.

It made him extremely excited, maybe that was how regressors felt, the ability to change everything, to be and achieve anything they desired!

But deep down, there was still a major fear, clawing at his very Soul…

'Albeit far, I can remember major events that happened further down in history.'

'The Church on Fire, Erile and David's sacrifice… The Army in the Desert, the Beast in the mountains…'

'I can't tell for certain what they represent, but they're likely far more than just results of a divert timeline.'

'No matter how alternate it may be, it is still a branch from the trunk of the tree of possibilities, it must share main events with this… Reality to some degree.'

'They are events I'll have to face regardless of what I do from now on... They and many more.'

'I must prepare. As much as I can... No, that alone isn't enough.'

'I need people I can trust, people I can move around with, I can be strong alone yes, but I need someone I can trust with tasks I'm too busy, unable, or unqualified to do.'

'If I am to be a Lord, then it is just proper I have trustworthy subordinates, not just people from Resko but outside of it as well.'

'I know how one path ends, why not try another? I almost lost my family by trying to keep to myself... So why should I do so?'

'The fear of greater dangers befalling my family? The fear of losing more?'

'... It's hard, suffocating...'

'But I must move on.'

Dale knew he was fighting for time, but now, he knew what was at stake more than ever.

The dreaded future was fast arriving and he needed to strengthen himself and those around him as much as possible.

'Although my future self was strong, I still failed.'

'Being alone all the time isn't the path, I must strike a balance, gather allies, and grow together.'

'I can't remember much about my body itself, but I know someone who can…'

Something he used consistently throughout his two months of training…

'Self Reflection… And of course, Manifestation of the Perfect Self.'

'Even if I only have a single use of the latter due to the Memory Stone, the first may be able to bring forth some of the details I lost or forgot due to the extreme mental exhaustion and emotional pain I felt during the vision itself.'

'If only I could record everything… But then again, remembering years of information within seconds isn't something a Human being can do. At most, bits and pieces of vague information would pass across one's mind, which was exactly what happened.'

'I can't remember most of it, and of what little remained, I can only interpret it… Nor would I wish to remember everything anyway.'

'Whatever pain the future 'I' felt is not something I wish to impose on the current me with... At least, that is how I imagine 'I' would wish...'

'That came out quite confusing...'

'Regardless, what matters now is the next two months.'

'Knowing everything I do, I can appropriately guide the Villagers and Manipulate the players in the most efficient and effective manner.'

'For example, when I checked the Mines for Jyter and Barme's every growing annoyance…'

'I still remember its characteristics, from what minerals each possessed to the new ones worth excavating.'

'Most Mines are believed to be near their end, out commission, exhausted after decades of exploration from centuries of development...'

'Better put, they were abandoned when they weren't worth mining anymore.'

'It was all business, you mine an area until the costs can't keep up anymore, then, you leave, but that doesn't mean the mine is utterly exhausted of its resources.'

'For the small community Resko currently is, all resources are welcomed, and the Mine isn't going to be used for exportation but for internal use.'

'Also, the people don't need to be paid exorbitant amounts to work there, they just need food and shelter, either way, the economy of Resko is broken and the people aren't used to working for a salary anymore.'

'Not that they need anyway... We are currently working to survive, only by working together, diving the tasks and jobs will we be able to progress.'

'Monetary incentives will definitely be necessary, especially since I wish to reignite Resko's economy, which is more then possible now that the population increased, but we need more coin to circulate first before we can solidify anything.'

'Ther merchants certainly helped, but I think I can make use of them further now that I have the chance...'

'Either way... From the monsters that occupied the mines to the flora that grew in the abandoned infrastructure… Their habitats, weaknesses, patterns... Uses...'

'From hidden unexplored chambers to new sections overflowing with resources... How to reach them and their intrinsic value...'

'... Boss Monsters to new, unexplored Mines hidden deep in the earth, I remember it all!'

'There is also a lot of information the Villagers took weeks to months to decipher amidst the old books to compile and present to me to help me in my research for resources!'

'Much of Resko's surroundings were buried in the sand, there are many treasures buried within, many of them were recovered in the next two months, I can just pull them faster this time around...'

'Jyter was especially active during those times, there were many insights he gave me to help me in my exploration of the Mines and similar environments, I learned a lot about identifying rocks and spotting dangerous environments while underground.'

'Not to say all of the Hidden areas I uncovered, including Dungeons for the players to use and extract resources from... I could technically use some of them to Power Level myself all the way to Level 80, I'm just halfway there to Level 70, it's definitely possible, albeit not my target goal.'

'I'll stick to my training method of the 'last' two months and keep my Level so I can enjoy the privileges of the Skill...'

'Regarding the mines, the Desert Fissure alone will bring terrific resources to Resko, but some of the guides and 'farming methods' of the region will still take many weeks to form, by then, the Merchants will have already as their resources came to an end.'

'I could push it all forward, advancing the region by weeks… No, months! Everything will snowball!'

'Azimuth is still in its infant stages, people are fighting to Level Up, to gain Skills, to Master Techniques and their Classes, to gain influence, fame, and wealth.'

'In such times, pushing Resko's development forward will only benefit me, it wouldn't be impossible to say I could push Resko by half a year within those two months' time, maybe even more.'

'To put it ahead of all other regions... Put it closer to them anyway.'

The current Resko had no chance of competing with the Capital, for example.

'Plus, everything I tested, things I pondered, studied, items I had no idea what to use them for, the fluctuation rates of Gold and other items…'

"Wait! I… I still remember the lottery numbers… Oh no…"

Dale's expression twisted into a devious smile.

Many ideas formed in his mind and the future seemed to form in front of his vision like a mirage...

But just as he saw that, reality dawned upon him: He was daydreaming again... And in front of such an exoteric being.

There was no point imagining and planning for the future in this place, he had been positive before, and look where that led him.

It was clear that his judgment was wrong, at least somewhere along his lines of thoughts... Or maybe he was being too cruel to himself.

His plans were okay, he was just unliky... Everything was meant to fail someday, somewhere.

/Silence.../

He raised his head to look at the creature, he was mostly done for now, his thoughts had already calmed down.

Maybe too quickly, even...

He had one last question directed at the creature, one last question before he was thrown out of this strange world...

...

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Notes

Peace!

So yeah, Dale pretty much traveled back in time.

This was my idea for this Arc from the very start, that was why I never really explained what Dale did in the two months he trained since I wanted to just go through it all naturally.

This Arc was meant to have Dale grow stronger learn more about the world and have some character development so we could continue into more serious territory.

He has decided to be a player instead of an outsider watching the game board, and he'll work hard to make it a reality.

All of his previous Babylon Rewards and Achievements will now have their own spots in the story revealed one by one, there are a few, together with a few items from before Babylon I also did not explain in details.

There will be the return of the Karkavan and more character exposition, especially around Qrubin.

We're getting close to the end of the Volume!

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