"Wait!"
«Origin · Void Devouring (Tier 3)»
Whoosh!
The devouring void swept across the battlefield, instantly swallowing a large portion of Kanzaki Rei's spells.
The opponent had cast it again, and the more Rei watched, the more he felt just how exquisite this magic was.
It could directly devour another mage's spells and convert them into mana to replenish the caster.
An incredibly domineering spell.
But its weakness was obvious: it required continuous control. If the caster was interrupted midway, the spell would collapse.
The opponent was still struggling—barely.
Through Void Devouring, it managed to swallow most of Rei's incoming spells, but this Origin spell was far too easy for Rei to disrupt.
"Wait!"
"You and I are both people who have grasped Origin. Why insist on deciding victory and defeat so soon?"
"Why don't we cease fighting here and exchange insights instead?"
Whoosh!
The beam of light that had been about to pierce through Xuzhou suddenly halted.
Pop—
Instant White Flash dissipated midair.
The other spells about to descend upon him also came to a temporary stop.
Discussing Origin together?
For a mage, that was indeed an appealing proposal. Compared to warriors, mages placed far less importance on fighting to the death.
What truly mattered was the pursuit of Origin.
What he said wasn't wrong.
It was currently extremely difficult to find another Origin Mage to exchange insights with.
Perhaps conversing with this one called Xuzhou might provide new inspiration.
Of course… the more important reason was that they had no grudge against each other. Killing him early would only grant Rei a +1 win streak.
And the reason Rei hadn't rushed to kill him earlier was precisely because he wanted to see what other tricks the opponent had.
Now that the other party had voluntarily proposed an exchange…
It almost felt like the perfect outcome.
Rei thought it over carefully. After a moment, he nodded.
"…Alright. We can."
Seeing Rei stop his attacks, Xuzhou finally let out a breath of relief.
That overwhelming barrage of spells had left him unable to breathe.
Three spells… against several hundred?
Was that a joke?
Rei didn't even mention the matter of victory or defeat. After all, if the other party later refused to concede, he could simply kill him then.
Xuzhou descended to the ground and sat down cross-legged directly on the arena floor.
Rei considered it for a moment but chose to remain standing.
Xuzhou possessed a strange spell that could attack inside shields. If Rei sat down carelessly, he might get ambushed.
Still, aside from the fifty-six layers of shields around him, he also had his pendant, rings, and mage robe, all of which had life-saving effects.
Even if the opponent attempted a sneak attack, Rei wasn't particularly worried.
"What race are you? And why can you blink around like that?" Rei asked immediately.
Xuzhou's eyes twitched slightly, but he answered.
"We don't really have a racial name. Only a collective designation."
"Other species call us… Void Beings."
So it wasn't only mana that came from the Void.
Rei suddenly remembered something Iz had once said.
At the time, Iz hadn't explained much.
Yet now, Rei had already come into direct contact with the Void.
"The ability you see—this blinking movement through your world's space—is our racial nature. Or rather… our essence."
"We exist simultaneously in both the Material World and the Void. But our coordinates in the Void differ from yours."
As he spoke, Xuzhou placed two fingers on the ground and walked them forward like legs.
"The ground my fingertips touch represents your material world."
"But the actual movement of my fingers represents the path I walk in the Void."
"My fingers move through space, yet only the tips make contact with the ground… that projection is what you see."
Rei understood almost immediately.
It was similar to projecting a three-dimensional object into two dimensions. Their true bodies existed in a higher-dimensional space, and what he saw was merely a projection.
So that was the case.
Rei suddenly gained a deeper understanding of the Void.
At the same time, he realized why these creatures were so hard to kill.
His attacks weren't striking their full bodies.
They were only hitting something like a fingertip or the sole of a foot—a projection.
Not the true body.
Thinking about it carefully, this race was actually terrifying.
Against normal species, wouldn't they essentially be fighting with a dimensional advantage?
"What about you?" Xuzhou asked."How are you able to cast so many spells simultaneously?"
Since the other party had shared information about the Void, Rei replied.
"Talent."
That answer made Xuzhou's eye twitch again.
But indeed, there was no other explanation.
Rei continued,
"That spell of yours—the one that grows crystal spikes inside shields—what is it?"
"You want to learn it?"
"Yes."
That was quite the bold request.
"I could teach it," Xuzhou said, "but you'd have to trade one of your spells."
Rei thought for a moment.
"You can't learn my spells."
Xuzhou's eyelids twitched again.
Arrogant.
This guy was unbelievably arrogant.
I can't learn it?
Is there a spell in this world that Xuzhou cannot learn?
Even Tier 3 spells usually took him no more than one meal or a cup of tea's time to grasp.
Within half a week, he could refine them into no-chant mastery.
And this person claimed he couldn't learn them?
Xuzhou laughed angrily.
"How about this: I recently obtained a spellbook as a reward for 300 consecutive victories in the arena."
"I planned to read it tomorrow, but instead we can study it together."
"If you learn the spell in the book before I do, I'll give you the book—and also teach you the spell you want."
"But if I learn it first, I'll take the book back, and you must teach me that instant flash spell of yours."
He had clearly set his sights on Rei's Instant White Flash.
The speed was frightening, and the power wasn't bad either.
A 300-win reward was usually quite valuable. This spellbook was likely special.
Apparently, even among the same class, different races received different streak rewards.
"How do we study together?" Rei asked.
Xuzhou floated the book in midair.
"With our perception, reading the text won't be difficult. You turn a page, I turn a page—fair."
"How do I know you haven't studied it already?"
Xuzhou clenched his fist slightly.
I am an Origin Mage. My word carries weight. Why would I lie about something like this?
"I swear upon my Origin. If I lie, I shall never again glimpse the truth of Origin."
Rei asked calmly,
"Do oaths actually work?"
Xuzhou fell silent.
…What the hell.
You're impossible to reason with.
"The determination to pursue Origin is vital. If I break my oath, my conviction will waver. My path toward Origin will inevitably be obstructed."
Oh.
Rei understood.
Meaning: if someone was shameless enough, the oath wouldn't matter.
Well, whatever.
He decided to humor the game.
"I have one request. I flip the page first."
Even if the opponent cheated, Rei would still gain something.
At worst, he would learn the spell first.
Xuzhou replied,
"Since the book is in my hands, it's only fair that you go first."
He opened the table of contents.
Rei glanced at it.
The incantation was on page 197.
Surprisingly complex.
The spell's name was "Void Creation."
Table of Contents
What Shall Be Awakened?
Interpreting the Nature of the Void
How to Link Mana with the Void
Void, Life Construction, and Analysis
Reference and Reflection
Concerning Origin
Incantation
That Which Will Answer
Forbidden Taboos
Every chapter title made him curious.
Still, Rei flipped directly to the incantation page.
"Void and nothingness, birth and origin, death and extinction.Things within mirrors, shadows upon water.Time has passed, yet none have seen.Illusions like bubbles—truth unseen."
«Void Summoning Magic: Call of the Void (Tier 3) (LV:1)»
"…Learned."
Rei raised his hand.
Space cracked open.
An eye opened within the fissure.
This was a summoning spell.
«Awaken: Eye of the Void (Tier 3) (King-class)»
Learned…?
What?
Xuzhou couldn't even process what he had just heard.
He had mastered it… from a single glance?
The massive vertical eye emerged from the rift, dragging a tadpole-like tail behind it.
Seeing the creature floating in the sky, Xuzhou's heart trembled violently.
Because the page also contained an explanation of the spell.
When first completed, this spell can awaken a Void-constructed lifeform: the Eye of the Void.
The illustration in the book matched exactly what Rei had summoned.
This wasn't an imitation.
This was the true manifestation of mastering the spell.
How…?
He just… read it… and that was it?
Xuzhou's body began trembling.
Memories echoed through his mind.
"Xuzhou, you're the most talented prodigy in our clan.""You mastered that spell in a single nap!""You comprehended Origin magic in just six months—perhaps the greatest genius of this era.""Xuzhou… our future may depend on you."
From the moment he changed classes, he had been hailed as a prodigy.
A genius of the arcane.
Every other "genius" seemed insignificant beside him.
But the person standing before him now…
What was he?
Just one glance…
And he had mastered it.
"According to our agreement," Rei said calmly,"you should teach me the other spell now."
At the same time, the giant eye in the sky dispersed.
Then Rei pointed upward again.
BOOM—
The sky tore open with a massive rift.
«Void Summoning Magic — Awaken the Void (Tier 4) (LV:301)»
Thousands of eyes packed densely within the crack!
The rift burst open as a massive Void entity with countless eyeballs emerged.
«Thousand-Gaze Eye of Oblivion (Tier 4) (Nation-Destroyer)»
Rei nodded.
It seemed this spell could also be ascended and transcended.
Xuzhou inhaled deeply.
He could clearly feel that the creature in the sky shared the same origin as the earlier spell.
Within moments…
Rei had not only learned the spell—
He had evolved it into Tier 4.
Not just a simple Tier 4 either.
This one was far more complex.
How?
How was this possible?
The strict rule was that Level 3 mages could not wield Tier 4 magic.
Yet this human shattered that rule.
"So?" Rei asked.
"Are you planning to go back on your word?"
Xuzhou finally snapped out of his shock.
His gaze contained countless complicated emotions.
"No. I will keep my promise."
"…But I still wish to learn your spell."
"May I trade something else for it?"
Rei thought for a moment and looked at the floating spellbook.
"Let me borrow that book."
"I can't guarantee I can teach you successfully. But I can guarantee I won't lie."
Xuzhou glanced at the book.
Magic: Void Creation.
"…Alright."
Rei waved his hand. Wind carried the book to him.
The moment he took it—
He suddenly remembered something.
Right…
You shouldn't casually learn other people's spells.
If you accidentally learn something forbidden, that could cause trouble.
Too late now.
Still not cautious enough.
Next time he shouldn't be so reckless.
Xuzhou produced another spellbook and tossed it over.
Rei intercepted it midair.
Even during the exchange, Rei maintained full vigilance.
All his shields remained active.
After receiving Magic: Void Spike, he pulled out several scrolls.
Layers of light flashed across the book.
Then he took out a strange liquid and dripped a drop onto the cover.
Only then did he relax slightly.
Opening the book, he read the incantation once.
He instantly mastered the spell.
"Void magic… truly exquisite."
Incantation.Mastery.Ascension.Sacrifice.
The entire spell-learning process completed in one seamless sequence.
«Learned: Inner Crystal Spike (Tier 4) (LV:301)»
A Level 301 spell, completed instantly.
Rei skimmed through the rest of the book and found nothing hidden.
His understanding had already surpassed the contents of the text.
He returned the book.
"The spell you want to learn is called Instant White Flash."
"But its prototype is Concentrated Light Strike."
Concentrated Light Strike?
That was a Tier 2 light spell.
Xuzhou had seen it before.
It was mediocre at best.
Impossible to imagine it evolving into Rei's terrifying instant beam.
"This is Concentrated Light Strike."
Rei pointed.
Light gathered at his fingertip and shot toward the ground.
But it was far slower than Instant White Flash.
"This is Light Beam Flash."
Whoosh!
The beam was noticeably faster.
"Then, determine the path of light first, use mana as a conductor, and guide the light along the entire path—this becomes Instant Beam Flash."
Shiiing—
Xuzhou clearly saw it this time.
A thin strand of mana raced forward, converting every element along its path into light, instantly forming the spell.
A genius casting concept.
Yet executing it was far more complex than Rei made it sound.
"Then… well, it's hard to explain."
"You circulate mana through specific pathways to create explosive output inside the body. That becomes Instant Flash."
Mana split into thousands of strands inside Rei's body, flowing along thousands of pathways simultaneously.
FLASH!
A blinding burst erupted instantly.
"And after purifying the light element further and amplifying its explosive power… you get Instant White Flash."
"This involves the concept of Transcendent Magic. You probably won't understand."
What Rei didn't say was that he didn't fully understand it either.
Even after discussing transcendent magic with Iz, the conclusion was clear:
Learning it was as difficult as comprehending Origin itself.
Normal Tier 3 spells involved at most ten mana pathways.
But this one used thousands.
That was why Rei couldn't explain it clearly.
Mastering a transcendent spell was as difficult as discovering a new Origin magic.
And that was before second transcendence or third transcendence.
After watching the demonstration, Xuzhou sighed.
"You mean… this spell was entirely created by you?"
"More or less."
"And those Tier 4 spells?"
"Talent."
Xuzhou sighed again.
After seeing Rei evolve Void Creation into Awaken the Void, he had already suspected the answer.
Looking at Rei now felt like gazing at a towering mountain.
While he himself was nothing more than an ant.
"I no longer feel any desire to compete with you," Xuzhou said quietly.
"Instead… let's talk about Origin."
..
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