6:00 AM. Again. The rough blanket scraped against my cheek, a harsh reminder of reality. Grey light slipped through the shutter cracks, cold and unwelcoming. My heart slammed in my chest, a wild, desperate rhythm.
Loop six. The despair sat heavy in my gut, a freezing stone, but the resolve from last time still burned. It cut through the fear like a blade. I couldn't hide or run. I had to face this.
I pushed my legs off the bunk, hands shaking but moving anyway. Act normal. Blend in. Watch. Dressing felt slow, like wading through mud. Every strap, every buckle took forever. Sergeant Borin gave me a hard look as I joined the group, but he stayed quiet. A tiny win.
I choked down the tasteless gruel, my throat tight. Every sound hit me hard: boots scraping, guards mumbling, a distant hammer banging. Clues to a puzzle I couldn't solve yet.
South Gate duty. Again. Jin Kai was there, his arrogance stinking worse than bad cologne. He smirked, muttering about slugs being faster. I ignored him, eyes sharp, watching everything while my mind stayed locked inside.
I noticed it all. Guard Captain Liu's rounds, always counter-clockwise. Inner gate guards switching at 8:00 AM, then 10:00 AM. Merchants setting up, the noodle guy late at 7:35 AM. Cargo carts rolling through from 8:50 to 9:10 AM.
Jin Kai showed up at 9:15 AM, pretending to check the gate mechanism. He knew nothing about it. His Azure Serpent Clan badge shone on his shoulder.
Details. Patterns. They had to mean something.
At 10:30 AM, two merchants argued loudly by the gate. One griped, "Ridiculous! Stone Hawk Clan is bleeding us dry since that West Market mess." The other spat, "Azure Serpents are worse. Heard Jin Kai got scolded again." Clan tension. Was that important? I stored it away.
A quiet moment hit at 11:00 AM. The sun climbed, its heat pressing down like a threat. My muscles ached from staying tense. I had to move. Checking no one watched, I pulled my practice sword.
Flowing Water Sword, Form One. Thrust. Parry. Slice. My moves were rough, shaky. At Tier 1 Qi Condensation, the blade felt too heavy. But something clicked. The shift from parry to slice felt a bit smoother. Was it from yesterday? Or whatever that word means now?
The loop let me practice. The idea hit hard. Small progress, almost invisible, but real.
11:45 AM. My breath stopped. Right on time, two shady figures in rough clothes neared the gate, acting casual. Smugglers. My pulse raced.
Jin Kai saw them, ready to show off. This was it. The moment.
11:50 AM. Now. Instead of freezing, I slid three steps sideways into a tight, dirty alley between grain sacks and a stone wall. It stank of garbage and wet rock, but it hid me.
I held my breath, peeking past the sacks. Jin Kai strutted over, yelling at the smugglers. They bluffed, then freaked out. "Piercing Light!" A blinding flash exploded. Heat rushed past the alley. Screams. Bodies hitting dirt.
I shut my eyes, waiting for the reset, the pain. Nothing. Slowly, I looked. My heart pounded painfully. Hands trembled. But I was alive. Whole.
Alarms sounded at the gate. Guards barked orders. Someone shouted for a medic. Jin Kai bragged about his quick win.
Noon hit. The bell tower rang, each chime loud in my stunned mind. 12:01 PM. 12:02 PM. Still here. Relief crashed over me, so strong I felt dizzy. I leaned on the wall, gasping. I did it. I survived.
It took minutes to stop shaking. I had to leave the alley, get away from the gate. I peeked out. Chaos was calming. Guards cleaned up, dragging smuggler bodies.
I slipped out, head down, acting like any low-rank guard on duty. Just reach the barracks. Just think this through.
12:10 PM. I turned a corner toward the inner city, mind spinning. I survived, but how? Why? I wasn't watching my step. I crashed into someone rushing the other way. A dark-cloaked figure stumbled, cursing sharply.
"Watch it, worm!" they growled, voice muffled, shoving me hard. The push knocked me back, off balance, straight into a speeding cargo automaton hauling ore.
No time to move. Just metal plates, gear whirs, and a brutal, crushing hit. Darkness. Nothing.
GASP! 6:00 AM. Rough blanket. Grey light. My gasp echoed in the tiny room. Loop seven. The relief from before was gone, swapped for icy dread. Surviving Jin Kai wasn't enough. Death wasn't just his blast. It was the time. Something always got me near noon.
But the pattern held. This time, I learned more. Exact times. Clan fights. And proof: repeating builds skill, even a little. Avoiding the first death wasn't the fix. The loop wasn't just a trap. It was a test. Maybe even a chance. Six hours. What could I do in six hours if I stopped just surviving and started to grow?
