Lin Qiye stood frozen in place like a statue.
"What did you draw?" Nyx's voice came from overhead.
"Ex... Extraordinary Procreation..." Lin Qiye practically ground out the words through clenched teeth.
Nyx fell silent in the sky for a long time before finally calling out a name:
"Merlin."
"Got it, got it."
Merlin sighed and slammed his staff heavily against the ground. A vast, dazzling white Magic Array spread beneath his feet, enveloping the entire courtyard.
Dense magical elements erupted outward from Merlin. The howling wind sent his mage's robes fluttering, and he held down the wide-brimmed hat on his head as a low, obscure incantation slipped from his lips.
Those deep eyes burst forth with an unprecedented, blinding radiance.
"Time magic, Cicada Song Rewind."
He raised his staff and smashed it heavily against the ground again. The rotating white Magic Array beneath his feet abruptly stalled, then slowly but resolutely began turning in the opposite direction!
Screee—!!
Piercing cicada cries echoed through the air!
As the cicada cry rang out, time around Lin Qiye began to flow backward. The four words "Extraordinary Procreation," which had been floating in the air, drifted back into the roulette wheel. Lin Qiye's dejected expression reverted to shock, then to tense anticipation...
Time had rewound by ten seconds.
Lin Qiye felt his mind blur. In the blink of an eye, he was standing in the courtyard again.
Before him floated the ability roulette wheel, still motionless, as if nothing from the past ten seconds had happened.
Lin Qiye stood there in a daze for a moment, then turned to Merlin beside him, his eyes filled with confusion.
Hadn't he just drawn Extraordinary Procreation? Why had the roulette wheel returned to its original state?
"Lord Merlin..."
Merlin smiled and moved his hand away from the