The Rewound World and a Desperate Plea

How could a person be faster than light?

At least for now, Liuxia and Li Chunsheng, as ‘humans,’ found it utterly impossible.

The moment the light flashed, it had already descended upon them, sealing the fate of their defeat.

The holy light, which in myths and legends brought hope, now brought only certain despair.

Yet, for the other person present, this light was indeed hope.

Investigator Liao was confident that such an Authority would deliver a fatal blow to Li Chunsheng, who was ostensibly Bronze-tier.

With careful planning against an unsuspecting opponent, he was even confident that this light-speed strike could take down a Silver-tier Paladin.

And so it was. Li Chunsheng didn’t even have time to transform into ‘Dark Knight Lancelot.’ He only managed to turn and embrace Liuxia beside him before being engulfed by the light.

However, even the strongest flesh would rapidly vaporize in this extreme light, like bubbles in sunlight.

Ultimately, the destruction of the sheltered Liuxia was merely a matter of time.

[Chunsheng… No!!]

Liuxia, held in his embrace, was filled with despair. She could feel the strength of the hug protecting her growing steadily weaker.

In the darkness, she desperately tried to discern Li Chunsheng’s face, but could only hear his breathing suddenly grow strong.

“Senior Sister… run… I’ll send you away…” A faint voice whispered into the girl’s ear.

The next moment, that body, which should have been weakening, was forcibly wrung for a surge of immense power.

He hurled Liuxia forward with a violent thrust!

Tears streamed down the girl’s face as she stared into the darkness, her eyes wide, desperate to see Li Chunsheng’s final appearance.

Yet, she still saw nothing.

What expression was her junior wearing at that moment? What was he thinking?

Would he regret taking her in?

If she hadn’t met him, perhaps Chunsheng could have lived an ordinary life?

[It’s all… my fault…]

Regret overwhelmed Liuxia’s heart, her vision blurred by tears.

Perhaps it was Li Chunsheng’s powerful throw that finally propelled Liuxia out of that peculiar area.

Suddenly, the girl’s eyes widened. She witnessed an unbelievable sight.

The darkness that had filled the world abruptly vanished at a certain moment.

No, it hadn’t vanished.

Instead, it revealed its true form—under the dazzling morning sun, in a deserted park on a weekday, a black cocoon, a hundred meters in diameter, had suddenly appeared.

The moment she saw the black cocoon, a term spontaneously arose in Liuxia’s mind.

‘Black hole.’

This was knowledge her archeology professor had taught her in school, speaking of a time in the distant past when people believed such a celestial body existed in the sky.

Its existence, it was said, could trap even light, the fastest thing in the world.

Liuxia had, of course, never seen a real black hole, but that didn’t prevent her from associating the unique phenomenon before her with the concept of a black hole.

For, as it displayed, the black cocoon was continuously devouring the surrounding light, leaving a black void between heaven and earth.

That blackness was not the black of shadows cast by light, but the black from which even light could not escape.

[Ah, so this is it… So Chunsheng and I were defeated by something like this.]

[How could Chunsheng and I ever defeat something like this?]

Liuxia thought, finally tumbling into a bush in the park. The impact of falling into the foliage jolted the girl abruptly from her thoughts.

Looking back at the black cocoon, she saw it rapidly dissipating, revealing the two remaining figures within.

Yes, only two people.

It was Investigator Liao and his unconscious daughter; Li Chunsheng had long since vanished into thin air.

Investigator Liao surveyed the battle scene, a satisfied smile gracing his lips. He picked up his daughter, a joyful expression on his face, and turned to leave.

Witnessing this, Liuxia, still sprawled in the bushes, sank to the ground in despair, unable to muster even a shred of strength to move.

[Chunsheng… even his bones are gone… It’s all my fault for being useless.]

[If only I could have arrived a little sooner… maybe then…]

In despair, people often begin to fantasize about all sorts of possibilities.

What if she had studied harder before? What if she hadn’t gone to find Chunsheng?

…

Even if these possibilities were mere illusions, they were undoubtedly a lifeline for her spirit.

But amidst these fantastical thoughts of what-ifs, Liuxia suddenly noticed a detail…

[That Investigator, he should have been looking for me, shouldn’t he? After all, I was his real target… Chunsheng was just an innocent caught in the crossfire.]

[Yet, now he’s leaving as if he’s already achieved his goal…]

[Could it be… that he couldn’t see what was happening inside the black cocoon either?]

This was a significant discovery. In battles between Paladins, or between Paladins and Goblins, identifying the weakness of the opponent’s Authority was crucial for victory.

However, this realization plunged the girl into boundless regret.

[If only I had discovered this sooner…]

[If only I could go back in time…]

The world rewound.

****

Liuxia’s steps, as she searched for Li Chunsheng, suddenly faltered.

She stared wide-eyed at her ‘Gold Content’ displayed before her.

[-999989]

“What… what’s going on? How did my Gold Content suddenly turn negative?”

In this re-wound world, Liuxia, as expected, did not inherit the memories of the future that had just transpired.

However, because she was still quite far from Li Chunsheng, her ‘Gold Content’ this time had not been instantly refilled by his, unlike when she activated her Authority previously.

Consequently, this shift in the world allowed Liuxia to immediately notice the drastic change in her ‘Gold Content.’

[Something’s wrong, very wrong.]

Liuxia was not foolish; having attended university, she naturally understood that ‘Gold Content’ dropping into the negative, besides incurring economic debt and having ‘Gold Content’ forcibly extracted by the Holy Temple of Wealth’s Authority, left only one other possibility.

That was an ‘Authority overdraft’ after using an Authority, a dangerous situation every aspiring Paladin sought to avoid.

Moreover, the more powerful the Authority, the more ‘Gold Content’ it consumed.

“Eh? Does that mean I just used some incredibly powerful Authority?”

Liuxia resumed her steps, but her pace was now faster than before, her thoughts racing simultaneously.

[What exactly does the use of Authority signify?]

[A fierce battle, or perhaps some immense crisis?]

[Regardless, such a change might indicate some terrible possibility!]

[In any case, I must find Chunsheng faster this time!]

But… to be faster, she would need some money…

A flicker of hesitation crossed Liuxia’s face, but in the end, she blushingly pulled out her phone and sent Li Chunsheng a message.

–SummerEatsWell: Chunsheng, could you transfer me some money right now? Just 100 will do… (blushing emoji.jpg)–

[Ahhhhhhh, as a Senior Sister, borrowing money from a junior, how humiliating!]

A few seconds later.

–ChunshengInCity transferred 200–

–ChunshengInCity: Senior Sister, is that enough? If not, I’ll transfer more.–

–SummerEatsWell: It’s enough, enough, thank you… /////–

–ChunshengInCity: So cute~–

Liuxia ignored Li Chunsheng’s slightly teasing remark and quickened her pace.

This time, could the girl truly reverse the future?