Eren Thorne stood in the center of the Adventurer Guild Hall, staring at the quest board once again. The Goblin Elimination request hung in the same place it always did, fluttering slightly as the guild doors opened and closed. Around him, the guild was alive with noise and laughter, just like before. Adventurers argued about monster contracts, tankards clashed against wooden tables, and someone near the fireplace was loudly exaggerating the size of a beast he claimed to have killed.
But Eren wasn't paying attention to any of it.
His mind was focused on something else entirely.
He had just died.
Twice.
And both times he had returned to the same moment inside the guild.
At first the idea had terrified him. The memory of that dagger sliding into his chest still made his stomach twist. But now that the shock had settled, a different feeling slowly began replacing his fear.
Curiosity.
Eren folded his arms and stared at the quest board.
"So this really works…" he murmured quietly.
A voice behind him interrupted his thoughts.
"You're still staring at that goblin quest?"
Eren didn't even need to turn around to recognize the voice. Bram Calder stood behind him with his usual amused expression.
"You planning to fight the paper until it surrenders?" Bram joked.
Eren smirked slightly. "I'm thinking."
"That's new," Bram said with a chuckle. "Be careful. You might strain something."
Normally Eren would have rolled his eyes and walked away, but today he didn't bother responding. Instead he calmly pulled the goblin quest from the board again.
Bram watched him with raised eyebrows. "You're serious?"
Eren glanced at him briefly. "Very."
Bram leaned closer and lowered his voice slightly. "Listen, Thorne. I know people like to joke about you, but goblins are still monsters. If you run into a group, they'll tear you apart."
Eren gave a quiet shrug.
"I know."
Bram stared at him for a moment. "You're oddly calm about that."
Eren smiled faintly.
"You'd be surprised what you get used to."
Without saying anything else, he walked toward the guild counter where Lyra Daven waited.
She glanced up as he approached.
"Back again?" she asked.
Eren handed her the quest paper.
"Same quest," he said.
Lyra sighed softly but stamped the paper anyway.
"Blackthorn Forest again… Just be careful."
Eren nodded.
"I will."
But this time, when he walked out of the guild, his thoughts were very different.
The path toward Blackthorn Forest felt strangely familiar now. The rocky trail curved around the same hills and led into the same shadowy tree line. The sun was beginning to lower in the sky again, casting long golden beams across the forest floor.
Eren stopped just before entering the forest.
He took a deep breath.
"Alright," he said quietly. "Let's try something different."
Last time he had panicked.
Last time he had run.
But if death simply returned him one hour earlier, then every attempt was a chance to learn.
He stepped into the forest.
The twisted trees stretched overhead like skeletal arms, blocking most of the sunlight. The deeper he walked, the colder the air felt. The forest was almost silent, except for the soft crunch of leaves beneath his boots.
Then the bush ahead rustled.
Eren didn't move.
A goblin stepped out from behind the tree.
Large ears. Yellow eyes. Crooked teeth.
Exactly the same one.
Eren slowly raised his sword.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let's see what you can do."
The goblin screeched loudly.
More goblins burst from the trees and bushes around him, surrounding him in seconds.
Seven.
Eren counted them carefully.
"Seven goblins," he whispered.
The monsters rushed him.
This time he didn't run.
He swung his sword as the first goblin charged forward. The blade clashed against the creature's dagger, sending sparks flying. The impact nearly knocked the weapon out of Eren's hand.
"Damn—!"
Another goblin lunged from the side and slashed his arm.
Pain shot through his body.
Eren gritted his teeth and swung his sword again, managing to cut one goblin across the chest.
But it wasn't enough.
Two goblins jumped onto his back.
Another stabbed his leg.
Eren collapsed onto the ground.
"…okay… still terrible," he muttered weakly.
A goblin drove a dagger into his chest.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Eren's eyes opened inside the guild again.
He sat silently for a moment, breathing slowly.
Then he stood up.
"Seven goblins," he said to himself. "One attacks first. Two from the trees. One from behind."
He walked to the quest board again.
The next attempt lasted slightly longer.
This time Eren stepped sideways when the first goblin attacked. His sword strike was faster, more controlled. He managed to kill one goblin before the others overwhelmed him.
He died again.
The next attempt lasted longer still.
He killed two goblins before falling.
Then three.
Then four.
Each death gave him more information.
More experience.
More understanding.
At first he was clumsy.
His movements were slow.
His strikes missed.
But with every loop he improved.
He began memorizing the goblins' attack patterns. He knew exactly which tree they would jump from and which direction they would run. He knew which goblin screamed first and which one attacked from behind.
Death after death sharpened his instincts.
At one point he died with three daggers in his back and still laughed as darkness swallowed him.
"This is insane…" he whispered during one reset.
But something else was happening too.
He was getting stronger.
Not magically.
Not instantly.
But through repetition.
Hundreds of sword swings.
Hundreds of attempts.
Hundreds of failures.
Every death forced him to fight again.
Every reset erased his injuries but not his experience.
By the time the sun began setting again, Eren stood in the forest once more.
Seven goblins surrounded him.
But this time something felt different.
The first goblin charged.
Eren stepped aside effortlessly and slashed its neck.
The creature collapsed instantly.
The second goblin leaped from the tree.
Eren already knew where it would land.
His sword pierced straight through its chest.
The remaining goblins hesitated for a moment.
For the first time since this nightmare began…
They looked unsure.
Eren wiped blood from his blade and smiled slowly.
"Finally," he said quietly.
"Now we're getting somewhere."