Evolution begins with an ant colony

Chapter 165 Clock Work Problems

"They're nowhere to be found," Akun mumbled as he hovered over the ruined Dryad tribe. His dark silver armor seemed to shine under the silvery moonlight, and his glowing purple eyes were directed at the ruins. The Dryad tribe had basically become a ghost town, with lifeless bodies littered everywhere, their blood painting some parts crimson.

An eerie silence hung over the air, giving the once-thriving tribe a dark and ominous feeling.

Gesturing inquisitively as he hovered slowly, his legs touching the ground with a soft thud, he mused inwardly, "I was sure there were other Dryads in the castle. I couldn't find the princess, the king, or the queen."

He pondered further, his steps echoing as he approached the tree castle. "Maybe they escaped? An escape route, maybe?"

Akun gazed at the tree castle structure as he contemplated, "This would be my second time entering the castle. This time, with the help of my Dragon Eyes, I'll search for any secret passageways."

While he walked around the castle, he used his Dragon Eyes to look through the castle walls. His gaze then fell on multiple other structures, but nothing resembled a secret passageway.

"What about the main hall?" Akun mumbled as he approached the grand hall from the throne room.

Gazing down through the floors of the grand hall while crouching on the wooden floor, Akun's sight fell on a passageway dimly lit by green runes embedded on the walls. "Seems like I found their rabbit hole," Akun mumbled to himself as he stood up and used his Aspect Power to burst a hole in the ground. He then slowly hovered down into the passage.

Akun, standing in the underground passage way, looked around, trying to determine whether he should head forward or backward, searching for the correct path. "Forward," he mumbled to himself. Using his Aspect Power, he propelled himself at high speed through the underground passageway. He hovered for a few seconds until his gaze fell upon what appeared to be the remains of dryads.

Puzzled, he muttered, "What happened here? Were they attacked?" He wondered, but there were no signs of a struggle. It was as if their body parts were severed without any opportunity to resist or escape.

As Akun turned away from the eerie underground passage filled with lifeless dryads, he couldn't shake the sense of dread that had overtaken the tree castle. The silence, once ominous, had become almost unbearable. With a deep sigh, he decided it was time to leave.

Emerging from the castle, Akun stood beneath the silvery moonlight, his dark silver armor gleaming. His thoughts focused on the shop where he could finally purchase the skill he had been working toward. Opening the system shop, his eyes were drawn to his impressive Evolution point balance.

[1,525,729 Evo-pt]

A small smile played on his lips as he contemplated the long-awaited purchase. "I should be able to buy that skill now," Akun said to himself, his voice filled with hope. He swiftly swiped through the shop interface, searching for skills related to time. His quest for power and mastery over time was about to reach its climax.

Akun's glowing purple eyes scanned through the digital shelves of the system shop, his gaze finally locking onto the skill he had coveted for so long. The anticipation coursed through him as he whispered, "System."

The enigmatic voice of the system promptly answered, [What is it, player?]

With a sense of finality in his voice, Akun declared, "Go ahead and get me the Clockwork Rewind skill."

[Processing...]

Continue your journey at empire

[Done]

[The player has received the Clockwork Rewind skill.]

The words on the screen confirmed his acquisition, and Akun's pulse quickened with excitement.

Akun absorbed the system's response with keen interest. He needed to understand how to harness the potential of this incredible skill.

"Okay, system," Akun inquired, "how is the skill activated?"

The system replied with its characteristic digital tone, [The player simply needs to call out the skill name, and picture the specific point in time you want to rewind to.]

The warning it added carried a weight of responsibility, [Note to the player, this skill is akin to time travel. Altering the past could have far-reaching consequences.]

Akun though about the gravity of the task ahead. With this skill, he held the power to alter the course of events, but he would need to wield it wisely, considering the ripple effects his choices could create. He nodded in acknowledgment and whispered, "Understood."

Akun, standing amidst the hauntingly silent ruins of the Dryad tribe, felt a surge of excitement as he called out, "Clockwork Rewind!"

In an instant, time around him began to unravel. The shattered structures started mending themselves, and the atmosphere carried the echoes of a once-thriving village. It was like watching a tape played backward. Akun was amazed by the unfolding history as he glimpsed himself, a destructive force of chaos, wreaking havoc upon the Dryads. The realization of wielding this power left him awestruck.

Just as he began to delve deeper into the past, the world around him seemed to hiccup. Time stuttered, and with a jolt, Akun was thrust back into the present, left with a taste of the extraordinary skill he now possessed.

In the midst of his repeated attempts to activate the Clockwork Rewind skill, a stern system voice echoed in Akun's thoughts:

[Skill activation failure]

[The skill seemed to be restricted by a divine force]

Frustration welled up within Akun, and he clenched his fists. "You can't be serious! System, activate the skill again!" He demanded, his persistence unyielding.

His efforts continued, each attempt ending in failure, until a mysterious voice suddenly pierced the silence. "I wanted to take things easy and spare you, but it seems you have to be educated on where you stand."

In an instant, the world around Akun transformed. He found himself in an awe-inspiring golden library that stretched endlessly upward. Shelves adorned with countless books, each covered in shimmering gold, reached into the heavens. At the center of this vast expanse lay a massive open book with golden pages that turned autonomously, as smaller volumes soared out and found their rightful places.

Hovering above this monumental tome was a colossal golden clock, a marvel of intricate design. It ticked and tocked, emanating an aura of sheer grandeur, hinting at untold secrets hidden within those pages.

Before Akun could voice his wonder and confusion about his surroundings, a commanding voice spoke out from behind him, sending a chill down his spine. "A mortal attempting to meddle with the flow of time? How dare you rebel against divinity!"

Startled, Akun swiftly turned around to confront the speaker. There, he beheld a woman with long, radiant golden hair that seemed to shimmer like strands of pure sunlight. Her eyes, unlike anything he had ever seen, appeared as if a multitude of stars had come together to form her gaze. Each one twinkled with a divine luminescence that illuminated the space around her.

She was clad in a resplendent suit of golden armor, which seemed to be a manifestation of her authority and power.