Shua—
In a single instant, Rain Town lost all color.
Everything—buildings, sky, ground—drained into monochrome.
Then—
BOOM!
A flash of black and white exploded outward like a collapsing star.
Immediately after, a terrifying shockwave detonated outward in every direction.
The destructive blast roared again and again, smashing into a circular emerald barrier surrounding the battlefield.
BOOM!
Every ounce of force was contained within that green wall of light.
Standing between the two combatants, Kumironi wore an expression of rare severity.
"That's enough. This ends here!"
A layer of emerald radiance surrounded Kanzaki Rei's body.
The once-impenetrable training ground had been completely reduced to ruins.
The entire arena had transformed into a spherical crater with a radius of 500 meters.
Rei stood in midair, his feet resting on the barrier itself.
Across from him, Iz Parut floated in the sky.
Almost simultaneously, both of them spoke.
"Who won?"
Even Kumironi felt a vein throb at his temple.
But he still answered.
"No one won."
After speaking, Kumironi turned toward Iz Parut.
"Iz… were you trying to kill Rei just now?"
Iz replied in a tone that sounded almost like he was reciting scripture.
"Oh Kumironi… this was a duel to determine the strongest. Would you really have me hold back in a battle like that?"
Kumironi narrowed his eyes.
"Even if it means ignoring the consequences?"
"You nearly destroyed Rain Town just now."
Iz spread his hands casually, completely unconcerned.
"But you were here, weren't you, Kumironi? As long as you're present, everything will turn out fine."
Kumironi opened his mouth as if to respond, then stopped.
The spell Elemental Void was powerful—but ultimately it was still only a Second-Tier spell. For someone like him, blocking it wasn't particularly difficult.
Instead, he turned toward Rei.
"Rei, you too. That was far too reckless."
Rei answered seriously.
"When fighting Master Iz, I wanted to go all out."
But the result of going all out…
Was a draw.
That outcome left Rei feeling extremely dissatisfied.
Iz had cast that skill with seemingly no cost whatsoever.
Rei, on the other hand, had paid a price of 150,000 souls.
His soul reserves were shrinking rapidly.
Kumironi sighed inwardly.
Sigh… is this what they mean when they say a disciple takes after their master?
It felt like little Rei had become just as troublesome as Iz.
He hadn't even comprehended Origin Magic, yet he had already forced Iz to bring out his own.
If Rei truly mastered Origin Magic someday…
He might genuinely surpass that magic-obsessed lunatic.
"Well… the training ground is completely ruined now. There's no way to continue training."
Iz looked around at the hollow devastation.
"Let's end it here for today."
Iz went to pay the damages.
He compensated the training ground owner with 500 gold coins, then personally filled in the massive crater he had created.
All that remained was rebuilding the training facility itself.
Adventurers' Guild
"Have you heard?"
"Heard what?"
"Rei beat Iz Parut in a same-rank duel."
"What?! That Iz actually lost?"
"Is little Rei's talent really that monstrous?"
"I heard Iz had to copy Rei's Transcendent Magic just to force a draw. I got insider info from the training ground owner. Let me tell you the details…"
Rain Town Grand Hotel
"Iz, I heard you lost."
Akasei had come all the way over just to mock him—no, to "check in."
Iz slowly lifted his gaze from the spellbook he was reading.
"I distinctly remember locking my door."
His eyes shifted.
Akasei was holding a broken doorknob in his hand.
"Oh, well… I figured you wouldn't open the door even if I knocked. So I just came in."
BOOM!
A fireball shot out instantly.
Akasei tilted his head and dodged.
The fireball struck the wall, leaving behind a charred black scorch mark.
"I actually won, you know," Iz said calmly, returning to his reading.
"But everyone outside is saying you lost."
Iz fell silent.
"Hey, it's fine! The new wave always pushes the old one forward."
"I knew this day would come eventually. I just didn't expect it to arrive so soon."
"Besides, he fought you with two professions, while you only used your Mage class. You were basically giving him a handicap."
At some point, Akasei had already moved behind Iz and thrown an arm around his shoulders.
If not for the smug grin on his face…
Iz might have actually believed he came here to offer comfort.
Not that he needed comfort.
Because—
He hadn't lost.
No… strictly speaking, he might even consider it a win.
In terms of combat alone, if Kumironi hadn't interfered at the last moment, the final strike should have resulted in Rei dying first.
His own magical defenses likely would have held out a little longer.
Outside the battle itself…
Rei's Mana Enhancement Technique had also been something Iz personally taught him.
As for the matter of Transcendent Magic…
Iz had only said he would fight Rei using Second-Tier spells.
A Second-Tier Transcendent Spell was still technically Second-Tier.
Fine… he can take that point.
But his Elemental Void could be cast repeatedly.
Rei's Sacrifice required an enormous number of souls.
Iz Parut mentally compared each advantage and disadvantage one by one.
In the end, he sighed.
Forget it.
Just like Kumironi said—
It was a draw.
He had also relied heavily on his vast combat experience during the fight.
Iz couldn't help wondering:
If I had truly fought him at Level 2… what would the result have been?
But one thing was certain.
In terms of pure magic, Rei's Level 2 Mage definitely wouldn't surpass him.
Besides…
Iz hadn't had a teacher as good as himself back then.
Rei chose a restaurant with pretty good food.
During his time in Rain Town, he had explored quite a bit of the local cuisine.
Compared to Earth, the dishes of this other world had their own unique charm.
Perhaps because monsters were so abundant, the variety of ingredients and cooking styles was astonishing.
"Yo, little Rei!"
Los arrived first.
She still wore her twin ponytails, but her outfit this time was clearly different from her adventuring attire.
She was wearing a low-cut black dress, elegant and expensive-looking.
It probably cost quite a bit of money.
In fact, it made the restaurant itself seem a little low-class by comparison.
For this gathering, Rei hadn't chosen an especially luxurious restaurant.
Not because he wanted to save money—but because the atmosphere between friends mattered more.
"Los, you're early!"
The Level 3 Defender, Trand, arrived second.
Soon after, Mezel appeared—the man who had recently been beaten half to death after trying to date two women at once.
Oh?
His recovery speed was impressive.
In a world with healing priests, even getting beaten that badly didn't take long to recover from.
The bandages covering Mezel's body had already been removed.
Aside from the bruises still lingering on his face, he looked perfectly fine.
As familiar faces took their seats, everyone began chatting casually.
Before long, more guests arrived.
Level 4 Defender Rune.Level 4 Mage Bais.Level 4 Warrior Akleif.
All of them had helped Rei during the Monster Tide.
Bais had taught him how to create his own spells.
Akleif had been the first to step in and help deal with the assassin.
Although Rei could have stalled the assassin himself, capturing and interrogating him would have been far more difficult.
And from a cautious standpoint, Rei had no idea what hidden tricks the assassin might possess. He had no intention of risking a life-or-death duel alone.
Especially Rune.
Rune had saved Rei's life.
That alone spoke for itself.
Rei had already personally visited him at noon to express his gratitude.
Whether it was a great debt or a small favor, Rei remembered everything.
At the same time…
It was also an opportunity to expand his network in this world.
He had only recently arrived here.
Making more friends was always beneficial.
At least for now, everyone here seemed like decent people.