Chapter Twenty-Nine: Time Rewinds

"Are you two non-professionals?" After finishing his own introduction, Genomi looked at Natasha and Frank and asked.

Natasha nodded. "If by 'professionals' you mean mages, knights, and the like, then yes, I’m not a professional. Is it forbidden for non-professionals to take the assessment?"

"Not exactly," Genomi hesitated. "There’s no explicit rule about that, but every Ouroboros assessment is challenging. Even for newcomer trials, there’s always real danger. Usually, most people only sign up after stepping over the threshold."

"If you’re worried we’ll hold you back, at least I won’t," Natasha glanced at Frank, who had been standing quietly beside her. "If it comes to that, and you abandon me, I’ll have no complaints."

"Same for me," Frank added.

"That’s not what I meant..." Genomi was at a loss for words. Due to the separation between the arcane and the mundane, most practitioners weren’t good with people, especially someone like him who had spent his whole life buried in training.

"Forget it. Since I’m the only one who’s taken an assessment before, I’ll take charge for now. Any objections?" Genomi looked at the others.

After a few seconds with no dissent, Genomi pressed his left hand to the mark on his right. "Let’s head to the official assessment time, then."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of clockwork filled their ears. The world around them began to rapidly rewind, evening light pulling back through time to an earlier dusk.

With the turn of time, information set by Yang Qiu poured directly into the minds of the participants.

[Investigators have found evidence of abnormal activity in an abandoned haunted house, and many disappearances seem to trace back to it. Your mission is to thoroughly investigate and resolve the anomaly…]

The wind howled past the haunted house’s doorway, which yawned open like a monster’s bloody maw.

"Casters, buff up. Be alert—the target this time may be a ghost or a demon," Genomi ordered after absorbing the briefing, immediately getting into command mode.

Fina swiftly demonstrated her expertise, producing a small pouch of powder for her spellcasting. In short order, she cast a protective veil of shadow energy over herself and her teammates. A warm, yellow glow briefly brushed over them, carrying a sense of comfort.

(Shadow Energy Ward: Reduces damage from shadow energy and alerts the target when such energy is near.)

Vernon was not to be outdone. Gripping a seed in his right hand, he muttered an incantation—Thorn Aura for the group! Group Nature’s Blessing!

(Thorn Aura: Returns a portion of physical damage to any attacker.)
(Nature’s Blessing: Increases all energy resistances except nature, and continuously provides minor regeneration.)

Genomi lowered his mask and took the lead, eyes keenly scanning their surroundings for any disturbance.

"Wait, aren’t you going to check if there are traps at the entrance first?" Natasha called out. She had noticed that though these people seemed quite capable, their actual field experience was questionable.

Genomi paused. "Fina, check for traps. Keep a safe distance."

Fina nodded, moving behind Genomi. She raised her right palm toward the haunted house’s entrance. "Eye of Insight—universal."

"Three independent energy signatures. Judging by the patterns, one resembles a teleportation array, one an imprisonment spell, the last I can’t identify."

No sooner had she spoken than a flare of blood-red light erupted. The Eye of Insight was scattered. Instinctively, Fina stepped back, casting a shield upon herself as she did.

Genomi’s sword flashed to guard before his shield, eyes blinking rapidly to clear the blindness. He’d sensed something surge out from the doorway—a likely enemy.

A whistling sound sliced the air near Genomi’s ear. He held his defensive stance, bringing his shield toward the source.

Bang! A gunshot rang out, followed by the sound of something collapsing. It seemed a teammate had taken care of their would-be attacker.

A few seconds later, as Genomi’s vision cleared, he found four skinless corpses sprawled on the ground nearby.

The exposed, raw muscle made Genomi uncomfortable, but what gnawed at him more was shame. He was a trained knight, yet his reaction lagged behind teammates of lesser ranks.

Fina and Vernon felt the same shame—when danger struck, both had reflexively shielded themselves, forgetting entirely about their companions.

Ironically, it was Natasha and Frank—the non-professionals whom they’d feared would be liabilities—who performed brilliantly in the first wave. One corpse bore a bullet wound to the head, another a knife in its throat: clear marks of Natasha and Frank’s handiwork.

The other two bodies had arrows through their brows, a testament to Blade’s skill. The three true professionals, in this instance, had contributed nothing at all.

Yang Qiu, who had been quietly observing, was not surprised. According to the scenario, these three had little combat experience—hence their placement with non-professionals.

"Fina! Check if there are other ways in!" Genomi called loudly.

Frank breathed a sigh of relief. He had worried Genomi might drop the role of commander and hand it to him or Natasha. That would be a disaster—lacking information, unfamiliar with everyone’s abilities, leadership would be a farce.

"No other traps detected nearby, but I can’t see through the walls. The interior is uncertain," Fina replied briskly, her earlier smugness gone.

"Doesn’t matter. Follow me! Frank, Natasha, each of you protect a caster. Blade, keep watch on my flanks and rear," Genomi ordered, stamping his right foot hard into the ground.

Stomp!

With brute force, he tore up the soil, violently disabling whatever trap lay at the entrance.

In the next instant, Genomi crouched, shield raised, and broke through the doorway.

As they passed through, the light seemed to drain from the air, plunging the environment into deeper gloom.

Darkvision.

Fina cast the spell on the non-professionals and the casters, sticking close to Natasha. She’d already spent a chunk of her mana just getting in; from here on, every drop had to count.