This time when Kai hit the ground outside Respawn Village, he rolled with the impact, springing to his feet in one fluid motion. He'd been expecting it.
Ellis stood by the signpost, expression unchanged from their first meeting. "Graceful," he remarked, exactly as before.
Kai grinned. "Ellis, right? Professional guide for newcomers—for a price."
The silver-haired boy's eyebrows shot up. "How did you—"
"No time to explain." Kai glanced at the ridge where the night wolves would appear. "I need to know the fastest way to level up and how to avoid those wolves that are about to attack us."
Ellis's hand instinctively moved to his sword hilt. "What wolves?"
"Three night wolves. Coming over that ridge." Kai pointed. "They'll be here in minutes."
Suspicion darkened Ellis's face. "Newcomers shouldn't know about night wolves. Or me." His blade rasped halfway out of its scabbard. "Unless you're an Admin spy."
"I'm not a spy," Kai insisted. "I'm an exploiter."
The term caught Ellis's attention. His hand froze on his weapon.
"Exploiter?" he repeated carefully.
"I died already. Came back 24 hours. The wolves killed me, but I remember everything." Kai tapped his temple. "Reverse checkpoint ability."
Ellis's face went through several emotions rapidly—disbelief, fear, and finally, a calculating interest.
"Legends mention players who could rewind time," he said quietly, sliding his sword back into its sheath. "The system hunts them down. Patches them out."
A distant howl cut through the air.
Ellis grabbed Kai's arm and pulled him toward a nearly invisible path veering away from the main road. They emerged behind the village's outer buildings, avoiding the wolves entirely.
"The fastest way to level up," Ellis explained inside a dimly lit tavern, "is quest stacking. But with your ability? You could quest-loop—complete the same high-reward quests multiple times while the world thinks it's the first time."
"What's in this for you? Why help me?" Kai asked.
Ellis's casual smile faded, replaced by something harder.
"Because I've been stuck in this afterlife for eighty-three years," he said quietly. "And the system is breaking down. Glitches everywhere. NPCs disappearing. Reality thinning." His eyes fixed on Kai's. "If you can really rewind time while remembering everything... you might be the only one who can find the source of the corruption."
"So," Ellis said, extending his hand, "partners in exploitation?"
Before Kai could answer, the tavern door burst open. A figure in sleek black armor stood silhouetted against the light, face hidden behind a featureless mask.
Ellis's face drained of color. "Admin," he whispered.