The narrative follows Toru, a thirty-nine-year-old adventurer of the lowest rank, G, in the world of Etarnoa. Etarnoa is a land locked in a perpetual struggle between creation and destruction gods, with humanity fighting the latter's monstrous servants. Humans are granted "Skill Trees" by the creation gods, allowing them to perform miracles. Toru possesses a unique skill called "Restore," which can revert an object to its state ten seconds prior, but it consumes a large amount of magic and has limited uses. This skill is largely considered useless for combat, as it cannot affect living beings and has such a short time limit.
Toru's primary motivation is to save his childhood friend, Sora, who was gravely injured twenty-five years ago when their village was destroyed by monsters. The only way to save her was through his "Restore" skill, which, at its base level, could only revert things ten seconds into the past and had a severe limitation on living beings. He has dedicated his life to leveling up this skill, enduring hardship and societal scorn for his seemingly useless ability. His village was destroyed when he was fourteen, and he, along with a priest and his granddaughter Sora, fled to a shrine. Sora was critically wounded defending him, and the priest used his "Stasis" skill to freeze her time, preventing her immediate death. The priest, unable to use his skill for anything else while maintaining Sora's stasis, entrusted Toru with the task of finding a cure and earning money to save her.
Toru's journey has been arduous. He registered as an adventurer and, after initial failures, learned to fight by dodging and counter-attacking, eventually becoming proficient enough to hunt monsters like Horned Moles and Forest Slimes. He has painstakingly leveled up "Restore" to level 9, increasing its duration to thirty seconds and its uses to five per hour. However, the required skill points for further leveling are immense, and with his adventurer license set to expire in five years, he faces a desperate race against time. He has been working tirelessly, hunting Forest Slimes, which are easy to defeat and don't damage his equipment, to accumulate the necessary skill points. This solitary and seemingly unproductive work has earned him derogatory nicknames like "Mud Scavenger" and "Bounty Thief."
A turning point occurs when Toru finally reaches level 10 of "Restore." This unlocks its true potential: it can now revert targets to any point in their past, has ten uses per hour, and its effect can be instantaneous. Crucially, it can now affect living beings, and Toru immediately uses it to restore Sora, who has been in stasis for twenty-five years, to her healthy, youthful state. He also gains a new ability, "Time Perception," which allows him to see the past of objects and people he touches.
After restoring Sora, Toru explains the situation to her, omitting his own past as her childhood friend to avoid burdening her. He also uses his restored "Restore" skill to repair Sora's worn-out adventurer gear, which he borrowed from their kind landlady, Yuril. Sora, eager to become an adventurer like Toru, expresses her desire to join him. Toru, despite his reservations about his reputation and the dangers of adventuring together, agrees.
The narrative then follows Toru and Sora as they venture into the forest. Toru demonstrates his refined combat skills, now enhanced by his ability to "Restore" his body to optimal states. Sora, possessing a unique skill called "Invert" which can reflect attacks, proves to be a valuable partner. They successfully hunt Horned Moles and defeat a pack of goblins, with Sora's "Invert" skill proving crucial in protecting Toru. Toru's "Restore" skill allows him to efficiently gather monster parts for sale, even restoring the broken horns of a Horned Mole to ensure they can be sold. They also encounter the mechanics of the adventurer system, including skill points, monster parts, and the importance of party composition.
The story concludes with Toru and Sora embarking on their journey together, with Toru finally finding a companion and a renewed sense of purpose. He realizes that with Sora by his side and his fully realized "Restore" skill, he can finally pursue his dream of exploring the world beyond the familiar hunting grounds.
