CHAPTER 29 - 29 – NORTHERN DISTRICT (PART 2)

Chapter 29 – Northern District (Part 2)

Sitting in the shadow of a crumbling alley wall, Jack waited patiently—silently—for the inevitable chaos he knew was coming. He didn't need to be a genius to understand what would happen once the military gave civilians access to the survival bunkers. Thousands of terrified, desperate people rushing toward one spot? No number of soldiers or barriers could contain that kind of panic.

From his vantage point, the sounds were already reaching him. Distant screams bled into the night air, tangled with the shrill screeches of monsters and the relentless staccato of gunfire. The Northern District had become a battlefield—and just beyond the buildings surrounding him was something eerily close to hell on Earth.

'Is all this chaos part of the Clock's grand design?' he thought, glancing upward at the celestial horror. The Clock loomed above the world—its alien gears and eerie presence radiating a sense of power no one could comprehend. It had barely been an hour, and yet the entire planet had been upended. This was no natural disaster. This was divine intervention. Or punishment.

The Clock hadn't just shown itself—it had proven that it was a god.

"Hm." Jack exhaled through his nose. "Well, it is what it is."

He shifted his focus away from the chaos outside and turned inward, to the one thing he could control—his own power.

[Name: Jack Blackwood]

Age: 16

Bloodline: None

Title: None

Main Chronical: Tree of Wisdom

Lesser Chronical: Blood Fiend

Essence Consumed: (29/100) (Chrono Born)

"I've gotten a decent amount of essence from those monsters," he muttered, his tone almost casual. 'Feels like I'm already 30% stronger. Each essence gives me a serious boost.'

With a simple gesture, he summoned his Tree of Wisdom. It bloomed into view in front of him, ethereal and luminous, its leaves shimmering with vibrant energy. The more essence he collected, the more alive it seemed to become.

"Let's see..." His eyes narrowed. "Unlocking the sword gave me two new options up the trunk. Still haven't reached the branches yet... I bet that's where the real stuff is."

The two new orbs glowed with distinct hues—one sky blue, the other a warm yellow. He glanced toward the bottom corner where his Wisdom Points were listed.

[Wisdom Points: 35]

'Killing monsters and absorbing essence gives me a crazy amount of points. And with Blood Fiend, I'll keep growing stronger even faster.'

Curious, he tapped on the yellow orb.

[Water Flask: A flask of Time Metal. Charging it with Time Essence expands the size of the container. The more essence it consumes, the more it can contain.

Cost: 18 Wisdom Points.]

"Huh. That's pretty useful," Jack said aloud. "A flask that stretches with essence... If I'm ever far from a water source, this'll be a lifesaver."

"Oh?" Lune spoke up beside him, hovering silently like a phantom. "Those are quite common in Aevum. Especially for travelers. Time Metal retains cold for days—it's incredibly efficient."

"I see..." Jack nodded. "I don't know if The Skip is still active, but even if it's not, I'll probably need this sooner or later. Let me check the other one first."

He tapped the sky-blue orb, and to his surprise, it flared brighter than any option he'd touched before. Squinting slightly, he read the new description.

[Reverse Chrono: A small piece of The Clock. Using it will return the user to their state an hour ago.

Cost: 90 Wisdom Points.]

Jack's breath caught. "What..."

"What is it?" Lune asked, intrigued by his sudden pause.

"It's... it's called a Reverse Chrono," he replied slowly, his voice laced with disbelief.

"A... what?!" Lune's eyes widened. "A Reverse Chrono? Where did that come from?!"

"I don't know. It just showed up."

"Jack... these are legendary items," she muttered, pacing with anxiety. "They're impossibly rare. My family—one of the wealthiest in Aevum—only had a small collection of them."

He read the item description again. "It says it's a piece of the Clock."

"That makes sense," Lune said, her tone tightening. "Every ten years, when The Skip occurs, the Clock sheds microscopic layers. Those fragments fall to Aevum—but the locations are random, often in uncharted or monster-infested lands. Just finding one is incredibly dangerous. How effective is the one you got?"

Jack furrowed his brow. "It says it rewinds your body to how it was one hour ago."

"One hour?!" Lune gasped. "That's massive! Most Reverse Chronos are only a few minutes at best. One hour means the fragment is huge. I've never even seen one that powerful!"

She ran her hand through her silver hair, still trying to process what she was seeing.

"And it only costs 90 points..." Jack muttered. "This item could completely shift the outcome of any fight. If I understood it correctly then that means if I'm close to death, I can just go back to when I was fine. No injury, no exhaustion... just a fresh start."

It was the kind of item you'd use once—but that one use could decide everything. A true ace in the hole.

Still, Jack didn't rush to buy it. He wasn't the impulsive type.

'Even if I don't have enough points now... do I save up for this, or go for the Water Flask and come back to this later?'

Logically, he had a fallback for life-threatening injuries—Lune. She could heal him in most situations. Granted, she wouldn't always be around. But for now, she was.

Water, however, was something else entirely. The world was changing fast. If the collapse continued, water would become a rare commodity—fought over, hoarded, even killed for.

Both choices had merit. One was an emergency reset. The other was survival.

After a moment of silence, Jack finally made up his mind.

"I'll go with the flask for now," he said. "I can always save up and come back for the Reverse Chrono. It's not going anywhere. And it's only one-time use. I'll need to think hard before spending that many points on something I might not use right away."

Lune nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. But don't forget—this item is priceless. Even if you don't use it, you could sell it for an astronomical sum. There are people in Aevum who would trade everything they own for a Reverse Chrono."

Jack gave a half-smile. "Good to know. If I ever get my hands on it, maybe I'll keep that in mind. For now, survival comes first."

With a final tap, he selected the Water Flask option. A small, metallic container manifested in his palm, fitting perfectly in his hand. It was sleek, engraved with beautiful patterns that shimmered faintly in the dim light.

"Hm. It's lighter than I expected." He tossed it in his hand a few times. "I need to fill it with water as soon as I can."

But before he stood up, he reopened the Tree and scrolled down.

"Right. I still haven't spent the rest of my points."

He tapped the option labeled "Monster Hunter II"—the next step in the chain he'd already started. With a faint glow, it activated, unlocking new nodes above.

The Tree continued to grow.

And so did Jack.